2005-03-23
Madam Speaker Braham took the Chair at 9.30 am.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, we now have a digital timing clock on the screen as there was some confusion yesterday. The clock, when it reached the top, still had a minute to go. I apologise to any member who was short-changed one minute in their speech. Today, we should not have any mistakes.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I am pleased to advise that we have some students in our gallery: Braitling Primary School, Years 4 and 5 with their teachers, Lee Ryall and Iris Lawrence; Nyirripi School with their teacher, Dean Briscoe; St Philip’s Year 9 students with their teacher, Will Roberts; and Year 9 students from St Philip’s with Sue Kenny. On behalf of honourable members, I extend a warm welcome to all our students. Thank you very much for turning up.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr ELFERINK (Macdonnell)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I table a letter to replace the letter tabled yesterday from Mr Mills, Leader of the Opposition, to the Honourable Paul Henderson, dated 16 August 2004.
Ms MARTIN (Tourism): Madam Speaker, the Larapinta Trail extends for 223 km from the Alice Springs Telegraph Station through the West MacDonnell National Park to Redbank Gorge and Mt Sonder to the west. Since the completion of Stage 1 in 1989, the trail has attracted an increased number of walkers and has gained international recognition. With the appropriate development, management and marketing, I am confident it will become one of the world’s leading walking trails. However, unlike many trails with breathtaking scenery, it will be interwoven with a strong indigenous cultural component.
The strategy includes a table of over 160 action items for both agencies to consider. Examples of action items include a review of the Tourist Commission’s image library for use in the domestic and international market; the identification of additional short walks and loop trails; and the review and upgrade of current interpretative signage and trail markers. Parks and Wildlife are responsible for the management and maintenance of the trail and are now considering the actions contained in the report relating to these issues. The Tourist Commission is to review the actions relating to marketing and promotion.
In addition, there are also opportunities from a destination development perspective for additional infrastructure along the trail, such as huts, which could enhance the visitor experience. These are now part of the responsibility of the Destination Development Project Team, working on the West MacDonnell Ranges development. It is expected many of these actions will be considered further by both agencies and integrated into existing strategies as appropriate, including the new plan of management for the Larapinta Trail.
Iconic walking trails have been identified as a significant opportunity for the Territory, and have long been strongly supported by the tourism industry. Madam Speaker, as a Centralian, you know there is nothing better than the Larapinta Trail.
Mr ELFERINK (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I have to agree at the outset with the Chief Minister; the Larapinta Trail is truly one of the most spectacular trails available, not only in Australia, but in the world. If you go to trails or similar places in Europe you have to book months in advance, and there is a separation of perhaps 100 m between parties moving along the trails. In Central Australia you can join any part of the trail you want. I have often walked sections, especially between Simpsons and Bond Gaps, which is a particularly beautiful stretch of the trail.
It must be borne in mind, of course, that the Larapinta Trail was started 15 years ago by the former government, and constructed carefully over that time with a philosophy of inclusion of the visitors in the environment, rather than exclusion, which is so common in so many other tourist attractions, especially Uluru-Kata Tjuta and the Kakadu National Park. There is nothing preventing a visitor from going to the Larapinta Trail and walking as close as they can in the bush where the only things that indicate the trail are little blue triangles every so often. Therefore, you are having the full bushwalking experience.
The Larapinta Trail would not have been possible without the purchase of the Owen Springs pastoral lease, in terms of its completion. It was one of the last things the CLP did prior to losing government, and for which I proudly lobbied as I could see the value of the Larapinta Trail.
It is worth noting a couple of points. Since this government has come to power, 830 000 fewer visitor nights have been enjoyed in the Northern Territory and, sadly, we have had 91 000 fewer visitors from overseas. This icon, the Larapinta Trail, should be used to attract those people back here.
Ms MARTIN (Tourism): Madam Speaker, the whole purpose of the Larapinta Trail Management Strategy is to look at how we enhance the experience of the Larapinta Trail and, certainly, a tourist and local experience of the West MacDonnells. Whilst I welcome the supportive comments of the member for Macdonnell, the churlish comments do not constructively contribute to this debate.
While we have our students here, I wonder whether any students have walked part of the Larapinta Trail. Have you walked it, and hopefully enjoyed it? We want to see more tourists and locals walking that trail, and perhaps have some shorter tracks so that you can do half a day, or a couple of hours, experiencing new parts of the Larapinta Trail.
We have exciting plans for it in the future. It is one of the top 10 walking trails in the world and Central Australia should be enormously proud of it.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I rise today to report on the December quarter Crime and Justice Statistics released by the Department of Justice last Friday.
As members will be aware, every three months the Office of Crime Prevention releases Territory-wide Crime and Justice Statistics drawn directly from the police operating system, PROMIS. The latest Crime and Justice Statistics show that we are delivering on our promise to attack crime and causes of crime.
Whilst we can acknowledge the encouraging trends that these figures show, we will never lose sight of the fact that crime victims still exist in our community and the traumatic experiences they suffer. To achieve the downward trends in the current series, we have put 100 extra police on the beat, used improved investigation methods, and the constant monitoring of recidivist offenders is paying off. The result is large reductions in property crime in the Northern Territory-wide figures.
Across the Territory, there are falls in every category of property offence over the past 12 months: house break-ins fell by 20%; break-ins to commercial and other premises fell by 17%; motor vehicle theft and related offences were down by 19%; and property damage decreased by 21%. In total, there were 3781 fewer property offences in 2004 than in 2003.
Let us look at these figures from another angle: the difference between this government and the CLP based on financial year comparisons. Over 1600 fewer house break-ins under this government than the CLP, over 600 fewer break-ins to businesses than under the CLP, property damage down by almost 2500 offences …
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: You do not like this story, do you? You do not like it at all.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition and member for Drysdale, order!
Dr TOYNE: In total, almost 9000 fewer offences under the last year of the CLP. There were 325 house break-ins recorded by police in 2000-01, and by 2003-04, this had fallen to 176 recorded offences. That is 149 fewer offences for house break-ins.
What does this mean for Alice Springs? When we turn to the figures for Alice Springs, we can see an overall reduction of 46% in the level of house break-ins for Alice Springs since the CLP; break-ins to commercial premises are down 14%; and property damage is down 20%. This government has also been working to reduce levels of violent crime with community safety and crime prevention plans being developed across the Territory.
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: You really do not like this, do you? It is a picture coming straight from our police force and you do not like it at all.
Comparing 2004 with 2003, assaults were down 11%; sexual assaults decreased by 6%; robbery decreased by 17%; and homicide and related offences decreased by 19%. In total, there were 492 fewer offences against the person in 2004 compared with the previous year.
When we look at Alice Springs, a similar pattern: from over 1000 offences during the last year of the CLP down to 791 offences in the last year, a 25% reduction. In regard to sexual assault, a volatile offence, in the last year, we have had 39 offences and that is a fall of 19% from the time of the CLP.
We are making inroads on both crime against the person and property crime. We are doing it through smart policing, through resourcing our community to work with us on crime prevention measures and we are very encouraged at this stage with the inroads that we have made on crime in our community.
We will continue this effort, certainly targeting crimes of violence into the future. We will take into the second term of government a very concerted campaign to reduce those offences to the same extent as we have done with property crime. We are getting the job done for the Territory as we promised.
Madam SPEAKER: While the member for Araluen approaches, could we have a little bit of quiet from members of the opposition.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report, but disagree with much of it for these reasons: the minister said in the parliament in November 2002 that the government will ‘stand or fall on how the pattern emerges in the future’ in relation to the crime statistics. The government promotes the Office of Crime Prevention as an independent office. It is not an independent office; it is part of the Department of Justice. Is it any wonder that Territorians are somewhat suspicious of the figures?
In any event, the minister can quote figures, and so can I. For instance, let us look at the hallmark of this Labor government, that is, the appalling and astounding increase in sexual assaults across the Northern Territory. Let us look at sexual assaults in Alice Springs. From the last quarter, 100% increase in Alice Springs. A 25% increase from the same quarter in the previous year. Let us go back. March quarter 2004, in Alice Springs, sexual assaults up by 75% from the previous quarter; around the Northern Territory, up 28%. September quarter 2003, sexual assaults up by 180% compared to the same quarter for the previous year. September quarter 2004, sexual assaults in Palmerston up by 220%, Katherine 200%. These are not good figures, minister, and it does not matter what you say.
What you have not done about vandalism and other antisocial behaviour is surprising and very sad for the people who are victims of crime, and I note your reference to victims of crime, suggesting that your government is sympathetic to them. It is not, and that is best evidenced by the appalling remarks the member for Johnston made in relation to the member for Macdonnell during the last sittings. He does not care about victims of crime, you do not care about victims of crime, and you should all be, collectively, very ashamed.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, could I ask that the member table the document she was quoting from?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, you have been requested to table the document.
Dr TOYNE: Madam Speaker, it is pretty clear that when the picture does not suit the member for Araluen, she tries to then disparage the people who produce it. I presume she is saying that either the police are liars because this has come directly from their recorded crime statistics from their database, or is it our head statistician, Stephen Jackson, lying?
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, cease. Order!
Dr TOYNE: You do not accept figures that do not suit you but you are very quick to quote ones that do.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Members of the opposition, cease. You are getting very noisy.
Mr AH KIT (Housing): Madam Speaker, I rise today to report on the range of initiatives that support the growing number of Territorians in public housing who have special needs. Through my key policy statement for housing, Home Territory 2010, the Northern Territory government made a particular commitment to catering to clients with special needs. There are large numbers of people, whether aged, indigenous, young, disabled or single parent families, who can struggle when it comes to accessing, maintaining and sustaining a tenancy. Whatever form of housing they need, they usually need a tailored response whether that is in terms of design or service provision. The Labor government has worked hard to cater for clients with special needs in Alice Springs.
For seniors, we have completed the Gillen Seniors Village at a cost of $3.5m. This development has 18 two-bedroom units with design features catering to people who are aged or fragile. The village received a commendation at the Royal Australian Institute of Architects NT Chapter at the 2003 Architecture Awards in recognition of its innovative design. While the nearly completed security screening program benefits all people in public housing, feelings of safety are particularly important to older people who spend significant amounts of time in their home and are not as mobile. The program cost $1.2m in Alice Springs alone. Recognising the need for further seniors housing in Alice Springs, we have gone out to tender for six two-bedroom senior units in Kenna Court. We are estimating that this will cost $1.3m, with completion expected by the end of July 2005.
Renal disease is, unfortunately, growing at a rapid rate across the Northern Territory. To assist in catering to this growing need, in 2004 we entered into a leasing arrangement with the Darwin Christian Outreach Centre Ministries for the management of the Cloudy Beale complex in Alice Springs. The 23 units of public housing are being used for accommodating a variety of special needs groups’ users including renal patients. Territory Housing provided $30 000 to upgrade works and $9000 for a smoke detector system and fire indicator monitoring system. Territory Housing is also looking at remodelling five bathrooms at this facility. This is an example of working with the community sector to provide the higher levels of care that some of our clients need.
Renal patients often have to come from communities to receive treatment for long periods of time. Understandably, they want their families and friends with them at times, and mainstream housing solutions do not always suit. Recognising these growing needs, Territory Housing has planned a series of workshops in Darwin and Alice Springs for April this year. These workshops will bring together the shared expertise of a range of government and community providers to plan the best responses.
For indigenous people requiring short-term accommodation, we have committed $2.2m to the redevelopment of Stuart Lodge, a place that will offer up to 68 beds. Stuart Lodge will offer a stable point from which clients can access support and referrals so that they can make the next move into long-term accommodation or back to their community. Design documents for Stuart Lodge are nearing completion and the tender will be let in late April. This will allow a contractor to start in late June, for completion by the end of the year - if all goes to plan.
I recall the member for Macdonnell suggesting that the redevelopment of Stuart Lodge is an example of providing services that attract people into town. Apparently, government should stop providing services in town because it makes it attractive for people from communities. The CLP would not, therefore, redevelop Stuart Lodge. So, what would their policy be?
The Martin Labor government has also assisted in the upgrade of premises for key community service providers. This is work that drives strong community input and allows an integrated response to social housing needs: the Mental Health Association in Alice Springs has benefited from $386 000 towards capital upgrades; the Alice Springs Youth Accommodation and Support Service has benefited with $300 000; and Women Escaping Family Violence Shelter has received $127 000. Madam Speaker, we will continue to work with people with special needs in housing in Central Australia.
Mr ELFERINK (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I respond to the minister and, of course, he is trying very hard to deflect from the disaster that his ministry has been in Alice Springs. I do not doubt that many of the projects that his department is doing are very valuable in terms of support.
However, we cannot get away from headlines like ‘10 man gang storms home’ and ‘Our neighbours are a nightmare’. These are other people with special needs we are talking about, who do not live in the housing tenancies that this minister administers but, rather, who live next door to them. Because of the planning processes that this minister has put in place, the fact that they have spent $5m over the last few years to improve services for itinerants in our major centres, and they are now continuing to spend millions more dollars on itinerant services in our major centres, we are getting more people apprehended for being intoxicated, as reported by the minister for Police in his last annual report. It was something I predicted that would occur - and guess what? - it has occurred. If you improve services for itinerant people, you are going to get more itinerant people. It is as simple as that! That is your answer to this sort of problem and that is where we get these sorts of things from.
Anybody who has the audacity to, in any way, challenge this minister gets branded by him as a ‘redneck dog whistler’. His first approach to dealing with people who have the audacity to complain about his ministry is to call them racist. He says that anybody who has the audacity to complain about a Territory Housing tenant is trying to ‘prevent blackfellas from moving in’. Madam Speaker, we need a more noble approach to this ministry.
Mr AH KIT (Housing): Madam Speaker, in response let me first defend my department and Territory Housing. What I get sick and tired of as a minister in our government is the way members opposite continually challenge the public servants who work so hard …
Members interjecting.
Mr AH KIT: …with our government to ensure we are implementing proper policies which are going to rectify many of the problems we have in Territory Housing throughout the Northern Territory. What we hear is whinging, whining and carping. If you want to be a good member and look after your constituents, or if you have concerns, raise them with my office. Bring them up to me, write to me …
Members interjecting.
Mr AH KIT: …seek a meeting with me, and we will deal with your problems. But what do you do? You use it for short-term gains in politics. You are policy bankrupt and you have nowhere to go.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Your time has expired, minister. Order, order!
Dr BURNS (Transport and Infrastructure): Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to report on the work the government is doing to assist the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in securing its long-term future in Alice Springs.
The Hall of Fame is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of Australia’s road transport heritage. It is probably the best collection of commercial vehicles in Australia, displayed in all their glory after a lifetime spent battling outback conditions. Many of these vehicles were built in Britain or the United States and have had to be extensively modified to cope with life Down Under.
I have visited the Transport Hall of Fame on a number of occasions. A good example of what I have just mentioned is a very rare Rotinoff truck which was imported from the United Kingdom for Lord Vestey. There are only one or two in the world. It has a Rolls Royce engine and it has been lovingly restored at the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame showcases the pioneer men and women of the transport industry, including the legendary Kurt Johannsen of Alice Springs who designed and built his own road trains. Also of special interest is the modified personal camper which Kurt built and used; it is a very interesting exhibit.
The National Road Transport Hall of Fame first opened its doors in 1995. This year, it will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a series of events from the 24 to 29 August. The annual reunion usually attracts 1000 people; however, this year more than 5000 are expected from all over Australia, a massive boost to tourism and economy of Alice Springs. Plans are well advanced for Australia’s biggest ever trucking reunion with convoys of vintage and veteran cars and trucks hitting the road and heading for Alice. Thirty heritage car clubs intend to participate in the showpiece event which is a parade of 300 vehicles from the Shell Truck Stop on the Stuart Highway to the Hall of Fame.
The National Transport Hall of Fame is fully self-funded through the subscriptions of its 3500 members worldwide, as well as through entry fees, souvenirs sales and sponsorship. It relies on the hard work and sterling efforts of a bank of volunteers led by Liz Martin, President of the Road Transport Historical Society. I am told that every day, 15 to 20 volunteers are giving up their time, whether staffing the hall, answering the phone or restoring an old truck.
The Hall of Fame currently shares a block of land on Norris Bell Avenue with the Ghan Preservation Society. Last year, ownership of its site became a crucial issue when the Hall of Fame received an offer of $1m sponsorship from a well-known and extremely generous Australian trucking company. The potential sponsor could not commit the funds for a new building without a guarantee of longevity, requiring the Hall of Fame to seek formal tenure over its land. However, a sub-division of the site could not occur without the provision of separate water supplies. I am pleased to report that the government has approved funding of $65 000 from the works program to install a separate water supply. Work is now under way and should be completed next month. I will shortly be making an offer of a grant of land which will allow the Hall of Fame to have a separate Crown lease.
This will ensure the National Transport Hall of Fame has a permanent home, securing its long-term future here in Alice Springs, along with the capacity to secure very substantial private sponsorship.
I understand the identity of the sponsor is an open secret in the town. It is one of Australia’s great trucking companies, but it is appropriate that this generous sponsor choose its own timing to announce this major sponsorship. I am advised that the company will announce its sponsorship deal at its dealer conference in August - I suppose I have already given it away - which will be held here in Alice Springs and will include the official opening of the building that it is funding.
Madam Speaker, the Territory government is pleased to have been able to assist the Road Transport Hall of Fame as it builds for the future.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you for that report, minister. Obviously, there is going to be no reply from the opposition. Yes, we are well aware of what is happening out there. We congratulate the very active committee on the work they are doing to promote the Hall of Fame. We are also looking at the Ghan Preservation Society and it perhaps becoming one large precinct so that visitors can visit both transport exhibits when they are open. The convention is going to be fantastic, and the old vehicles that will be there will be great, too. I hope all members will support it.
Reports noted pursuant to Sessional Order.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to make special provisions in connection with the trans-Territory pipeline and Blacktip gas projects. These projects represent a $1bn investment in the Territory. The trans-Territory pipeline project involves the construction of an underground gas pipeline from Wadeye to Gove, including all the associated infrastructure to operate and maintain the pipeline.
The Blacktip gas project involves three elements: an offshore gas platform, an onshore gas plant near Wadeye community, and a pipeline from the gas platform to the onshore gas plant. Most major projects, such as the trans-Territory pipeline and the Blacktip gas projects, require special legislation to be enacted. In the Northern Territory, such projects as the AustralAsia Railway, Merlin diamond and Granites gold mines have all resulted in special project legislation.
As with the AustralAsia Railway, the approach for the trans-Territory pipeline and Blacktip gas projects has been to identify and clearly set out in legislation the modifications to existing Territory legislation. Following consultation with the project proponents for each project and their legal advisors in relation to the impact of Territory laws, I am pleased to report that only a handful of changes have been found necessary to support the projects.
The bill creates statutory rights in relation to road and water way crossings. These rights are required to maintain continuity of the pipeline corridor. The rights are exercisable with the relevant minister’s consent, after which the consortium can construct and operate the trans-Territory pipeline. The grant of this right may be subject to conditions concerning matters such as safety and construction.
The bill creates a mechanism to enable authority certificates issued under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act in connection with the projects, to be relied upon by the consortium subject to the same conditions, whether the consortium was the applicant or not. This mechanism enables future owners of the pipeline to have the benefit and the obligations imposed by the authority certificates.
Finally, the bill applies the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act to the Blacktip onshore gas plant near Wadeye. The application of the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act means that the construction and operation of the onshore gas plant will be subject to environmental protection practices and procedures under that act.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend various acts falling within the Justice portfolio. From time to time, there are a number of minor amendments to acts within the Justice portfolio that are necessary or convenient to ensure the ongoing smooth administration of the justice system. However, as such amendments are primarily administrative and non-controversial in nature, they have not always been considered to be of sufficient importance to warrant a stand-alone bill. It has been the usual practice to wait until such time as substantive amendment is made to the relevant act and to make such minor or less substantial amendments at the same time. However, for many of the acts that will be amended by the current bill, such an opportunity has simply not arisen.
It is for this reason that the current bill, the first of its kind in the Northern Territory, is being presented today. I note, however, that while the bill is the first of its kind in the Northern Territory, miscellaneous amendments bills of this nature are not uncommon in other jurisdictions. Such bills are routinely used as an established vehicle to progress minor, non-controversial amendments to legislation impacting on the operation of the justice system.
This bill amends some 11 acts in the Justice portfolio, and repeals another two acts which are no longer considered necessary to have on the statute books. Many of the amendments correct or rectify matters which are of a technical nature. Others overcome inconsistencies, or are intended to clarify the intention of existing provisions. The amendments to the Interpretation Act, in particular, have been requested by Parliamentary Counsel and are intended to provide further assistance in the drafting and interpretation of legislation.
I now outline in further detail the amendments that are being included in the bill. The Agents Licensing Act is amended to update and convert into penalty units those penalties that remain expressed in dollar terms. The Administration and Probate Act is amended to correct an error in the drafting of section 104. This amendment will restore the original intention of the provision, which was to provide a mechanism to require people to pursue small claims against an estate in the interests of allowing the administration of the estate to be completed.
The Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading Act is amended to update and convert into penalty units those penalties that remain expressed in dollar terms, and to replace the existing pyramid selling provisions with a plain English pyramid selling provision set out in the Commonwealth Trade Practices Amendment Act (No 1) 2002. The Criminal Records (Spent Convictions) Act is amended to make it clear that where a spent conviction is revived because an individual commits a further offence, it can again become a spent conviction but only after expiration of the requisite statutory time period.
The Director of Public Prosecutions Act is amended to broaden the director’s ability to delegate his power to sign indictments. This will assist in the efficient administration of that office. Various definitions and explanatory provisions in the Interpretation Act are amended to improve clarity or remove ambiguity, and to reflect the emergence of new terms and modern drafting practice. A number of the amendments will also simplify drafting processes for substantive acts moving into the future.
The Land Titles Act is amended to streamline certain administrative actions by the Registrar-General. The Law of Property Act is amended to clarify when a finding of death by a court will give rise to the presumption of death under section 215 of that act. The Legal Practitioners Act is amended to provide that certain parts of that do not bind the Crown. In practical terms, this means that certain parts of that act which are simply not relevant to lawyers working in the government context will not apply. For example, a lawyer employed by the government will not legally be required to open a trust account.
The Registration of Interests in Motor Vehicles and Other Goods Act is amended to clarify its operation in relation to vehicles owned by companies that are subject to registered security interests. These amendments are consequential upon reforms made under the Commonwealth Corporations Act.
The Sentencing Act is amended so that a judge can deal with a breach of an Order for Release on Bond or breach of an Order for a Suspended Sentence despite the fact that the order had been imposed in the first instance by a magistrate. The Sentencing Act is also amended to provide that, where a court makes a Community Work Order, or an order suspending a sentence, a member of the Police Force may arrest an offender for failing to sign the order. These amendments will ensure consistency with other similar provisions under the Sentencing Act.
Finally, the bill repeals the Prisons (Correctional Services) Amendment Act 2001 and the Validation (Chief Magistrate) Act 2001, neither of which have ever been commenced. The Validation (Chief Magistrate) Act No 51 of 2001 was a precautionary act put in place in the event that a court challenge to the validity of the appointment of the Chief Magistrate was successful. The High Court has subsequently determined this issue and the act is no longer required. The Prisons (Correctional Services) Amendment Act No 21 of 2001 is being repealed following advice from the Solicitor-General that the substantive amending clause in that act which relates to the transfer of prisoners is ineffective and, if commenced, would actually have the potential to be misleading.
Madam Speaker, that concludes my explanation of the bill. I table the explanatory statement which accompanies this bill. I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Classification of Publications, Films and Computer Games Act to implement uniform classification categories for films and computer games consistent with recent amendments made by the Commonwealth to its Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995; to make provision for matters of a savings and transitional nature; to update penalties for breaches of the act; and to provide for infringement notices to be issued for minor breaches of the act.
Since 1996, Australia has had the benefit of a national scheme for the classification of films, publications and computer games. The national scheme is achieved by a combination of Commonwealth legislation and complementary state and territory legislation. The Commonwealth act provides for the establishment of censorship authorities and deals with classification processes. It is under the Commonwealth act that films are classified with ratings such as G, PG, R, etcetera. These classifications are made under the Commonwealth act in accordance with the guidelines and the national classification code which is set out in a schedule to the Commonwealth act. The guidelines and the national classification code can only be amended by the Commonwealth with the approval of all states and territories. Enforcement of the national scheme is the responsibility of each state and territory. State and territory legislation, including the Northern Territory’s classification act, regulate the circumstances in which films, publications and computer games can be sold, displayed and exhibited and generally deal with the operational aspects of classification decisions. In line with other jurisdictions, the Territory act adopts classification decisions made under the Commonwealth act.
In 2004, state, territory and Commonwealth censorship ministers agreed to amend the classification descriptors, or ratings, in the Commonwealth Classifications (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995, and to make consequential amendments to state and territory classification enforcement legislation. The Commonwealth has passed the necessary amendments to its legislation, and it is intended that complementary state and territory amending legislation be introduced in time for a national commencement date of 26 May 2005.
The practical effect of the changes is to implement, for the first time, uniform classification categories for both films and computer games. The classification for computer games of G8+, M15+, and MA15+ will be replaced by PG, M, and MA15+ respectively. Similarly, the film classifications of MA, R and X will be replaced by MA15+, R18+, and X18+ respectively. A comparison of the old and new classifications is probably most easily made by reference to the table set up in clause 69 of the bill.
These changes will achieve a number of objectives: there will be an enhanced community awareness of the computer games classifications through the use of well-known and understood classification types for films; there will be an enhanced distinction between the advisory and legally restricted classifications through the inclusion of age descriptors on the restricted classifications only; there will be less confusion regarding the difference between the current M and MA classifications; and renaming the computer games classifications to mirror the well-known film classifications will assist parents in choosing games for their children. It is important to note that the change to the classification descriptors does not affect the type of material which is permitted within each classification.
The bill also contains transitional and savings provisions to ensure that films and computer games which have previously been classified will be covered by the new regime, however, vendors will not be penalised for selling old stock which has not yet been re-labelled.
The opportunity has also been taken to review and update penalties to reflect community expectations regarding punishment of offences under the act, and to convert penalties expressed in dollar terms to penalty units. The bill also amends the act to allow for infringement notices to be issued for relatively minor breaches of the act. Regulations made under the act will prescribe offences where an infringement notice may be appropriate, as well as prescribing the penalties applicable.
Madam Speaker, I table the explanatory statement which accompanies this bill. I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
Continued from 17 February 2005.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, the minister will be saddened to hear that I do not propose to quote from Bob Dylan in relation to this bill.
The bill is supposedly an attempt to further alleviate the 2002 crisis in the professional indemnity insurance industry, and the insurance industry generally. I am not persuaded that the reforms which this government, and other governments around the country, have introduced have achieved much in relation to the alleviation of the so-called crisis as I do not see people’s insurance premiums going down. Governments around the country have embarked on massive tort law reform which arguably has not achieved anything - I invite the government, if it disagrees, to provide some results - let alone much of what the government said it would. However, having said that, we must of course deal with this bill on its merits.
According to the preamble, the bill seeks:
As the Attorney-General said in his second reading speech, the bill does seek to reform the law which determines the respective liabilities of individuals who have separately caused economic loss, or property damage, with the exception of cases involving personal injury, and I will come to that later.
The bill deals with issues arising where a court finds more than one respondent has contributed to a claimant’s loss. In such a case, and at common law, the law of negligence operates so that the principle of joint and several liability determines what damages are paid for in the loss and damage caused. The bill seeks to reverse the common law position by introducing a new principle called ‘proportionate liability’, which is that a respondent should only be liable for his or her own share of the damage suffered by a claimant.
When the minister introduced the bill he tabled an explanatory statement for which I thank him. In that statement it said that the bill:
And that it replaces, but retains:
The Attorney-General assured us that the bill would not affect the existing law governing concepts such as contributory negligence, vicarious liability, and the liability of partners and partnerships, nor will it affect the liability of a principal for acts of an agent within the scope of the agent’s commission.
This bill is apportioning liability so that the extent of the payment to be made to the plaintiff represents the extent of the wrong-doer’s contribution to the damage, not of itself objectionable. I am pleased, as an old personal injuries lawyer, that the bill does not extend to personal injuries cases. I know there are a couple of other lawyers in parliament today, and I am sure that they would agree with me when I say that it is proper that the reversal of the common law does not extend to personal injuries cases. I say, with respect, that I agree with the rationale of Justice Ipp in his 2002 review of the law of negligence in that regard.
Having said that, I am not entirely sure why if this bill does not extend to personal injuries cases, it does not extend to economic loss or property damage cases. I might say that there only appears to be one paragraph from the Attorney-General’s second reading speech outlining why it is deemed necessary to extend it to most actions other than personal injury actions. It appears to me that the reasoning behind the bill and for its extension in relation to a range of matters is that the existence of joint and several liability has, as the Attorney-General said, led to problems for respondents, particularly in terms of the availability and cost of professional indemnity insurance, and that has resulted in members of some occupations, namely the professions, being particularly vulnerable for legal action in proceedings for property damage and economic loss.
The Attorney-General gives one example of loss caused by a property advisor who, with no assets or insurance, was partially liable for advice, partially caused by advice from a lawyer or accountant with assets or insurance cover. The successful claimant could obtain full damages from the lawyer or accountant but not the property advisor. The Attorney-General said, and I quote:
I will ask a question of the Attorney-General and would be grateful if he would provide a more fulsome answer in his reply and, as a matter of courtesy, I will indicate that it is not my intention to move into the committee stage. My question is this: if the rights of claimants in personal injury cases are paramount, and if their ability to access damages or to compensate for loss should, in his own words, ‘not be constrained’, why is it that the Attorney-General thinks that the rights of other claimants in other sorts of matters should be constrained? That is a fairly straight-forward question and I would be most grateful for an answer.
The bill, it seems to me, is targeted at keeping the insurance premiums of lawyers and accountants down. If that was the aim, then perhaps the Attorney-General should have said so. If that is not the objective of this bill, I ask that he elaborate in his reply.
Having made those comments, however, I should say for the record, and having been in touch with the Law Society about this bill and indeed others, that the Law Society supports the bill. It is not surprising that the Law Society supports this bill because it will result in reduced premiums for lawyers. It is probably the case that accountants around the Northern Territory similarly will celebrate the passage of this bill because their costs will go down as well.
In the absence, Attorney-General, of any groups contacting me or advising me of their concerns about the bill, I am not in a position to oppose it. We simply make the point that there is no compelling reason made out, with respect, in the second reading speech as to why it was necessary.
We know that, by dint of its numbers in the House, this bill will pass. We do not oppose legislation just for the sake of it, nor do we consent to legislation just to make the government’s job easier. I have a level of discomfort about this bill based on, essentially, failure to prosecute the reasons for the bill being necessary other than to say, as he did in his second reading speech, and I am paraphrasing, but in essence, the reason this bill comes into existence is this, based on the second reading speech: it is part of a national approach; it is happening everywhere else; it is supported by the professions potentially affected by it; and it is part of a range of measures aimed at alleviating the 2002 crisis in the professional indemnity insurance industry.
The Attorney-General will probably acknowledge that it is not very often that I, as his shadow, actually stand up and say that we neither support nor oppose the bill. I hope that he will take my comments onboard and appreciate why it is that I am in the position I am.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of students from Warrego, with their Principal, Colin Baker, and a teacher from Melbourne, Hannah Kuperholz.
Students from Warrego, you have a fantastic reputation in your school for attendance. I know that it is very high. I also know it is partly due to the wonderful programs that the principal has instituted regarding horse riding and swimming. I have seen you come to Alice Springs to participate in the swimming carnival. We want to congratulate you on all the good work that you are doing at Warrego. On behalf of all honourable members, I offer you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her contribution. I do understand the reticence, I suppose, of any support for the bill. This is difficult reform. I have had to wrestle with my own feelings about many of the reforms that have been felt necessary at the national level, however, it is my job to apply these.
To reassure members of the process we are going through, not only with this bill, but with earlier bills of tort law reform and other matters regarding the insurance reforms, we have had a process of assessment by the ACCC. They recently put out a report and I can update the House on the current situation with insurance covers and claims. With regard to public liability insurance, the average size of claims settled has decreased by 11%; average premiums have decreased by 15%. There is declining underwriting financial performance, reduction in the frequency of claims, and most insurers predicted stability in premiums for 2005 while some anticipated further reductions of up to 10%. Regarding professional indemnity insurance, the average size of claims settled increased by 21%. The average premium, however, decreased by 17%, and declining underwriting financial performance.
These outcomes suggest that tort law reforms may be having an impact. It is still not certain because of the relative time that the reforms have been in place. Certainly, on personal injuries matters, there has been no impact on professional indemnity insurance consistent with the fact that the two reforms that may have impact on indemnity insurance - proportional liability and professional standards - are not yet completely operational on a national basis. Nevertheless, the premiums have gone down, thankfully, Australia-wide.
Regarding the logic of bringing this legislation forward, you quite ably explained the fact that this is meant to replace the common law arrangements of joint and several liability in non-personal injury situations, so they are mainly in commercial context. The logic is that because a claimant will head for the deepest pocket, often it is the insured party or the party with substantial financial resources which will be the object of the litigation. You might say, ‘Okay, as long as the claimant can get satisfaction from a loss that they have suffered of a financial nature, then what is wrong with that?’ At the moment, you could almost argue that the claimants are in a fairly good position; they can select or target a particular respondent which gives them the best hope of getting a good compensation.
The problem with it, though, is that, because the professions and trades have been targeted because of their insurance cover, you are getting an upward pressure on the indemnity insurance premiums and a shrinking of coverage where the professions have become too problematic, I guess, from the point of view of insurance risk. Of course, flowing on from higher premiums for indemnity insurance are high fees for the services that they are providing, whether they are tradesmen or professionals. Therefore, the whole community, in effect, is paying for this arrangement under common law for claimants to be pursued.
The advice that the national process received was that to go to a proportionate liability arrangement would put downward pressure on the indemnity premiums and also, hopefully, restore a full measure of insurance coverage over people who would, potentially, become liable for these types of matters. That is the logic of it.
Like the earlier reforms that have come through - and there have been quite a number that have come through this House now - we have to hope that we have that package right and that the insurance industry adequately responds to it. My role as Attorney-General in this particular matter is to ask that question frequently and insist on getting a convincing answer. However, those early ACCC figures might give us some hope that things are turning around. It could be because of the global financial cycle; it could have nothing to do with it. However, we have certainly had assurances from the Commonwealth government that they will pursue this to try to get evidence-based feedback to us regarding the impact of the reforms. It may never be possible, though, to identify what impact each reform has had individually, or even the whole package vis-a-vis the impact of global arrangements for refinancing of insurance coverage, because you are really dealing with re-insurers that are the size of very large countries in their finances. There has been a cycle of that sort of financial cover all the way through. I hope I have dealt with the matters that you raised, and we will move on.
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.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that General Business Orders of the Day No 1 relating to the Public Accounts Committee Annual Report 2003-04 be called on forthwith.
Motion agreed to.
Continued from 16 February 2005.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Speaker, I commend the Public Accounts Committee Annual Report of 2003-04 to the House. This is a report on the Estimates Committee process, which had public hearings on Tuesday, 22 June through to Thursday, 24 June. Forty-five questions were taken on notice which is a reduction from 74 the previous year. The Public Accounts Committee forms the Estimates Committee and the Government Owned Corporations Scrutiny Committee, which sat on Friday, 25 June.
The report also outlines an investigation into termination payments for Chief Executive Officers of government departments. This came about as a result of a number of matters raised by a previous Auditor-General in reports tabled in the Assembly. The main problem identified was a lack of documentation to enable a determination of composition of the final payout, and whether resignation was a termination or a redundancy. The Public Accounts Committee established its own terms of reference for this inquiry. The Commissioner for Public Employment, Mr John Kirwan, appeared before the committee at a public hearing on Friday, 13 February 2003. Issues which arose out of this were that:
The inquiry aimed to provide a level of scrutiny so that the commissioner could provide advice to government on remuneration arrangements for all CEOs. The commissioner agreed that in the past there had been a lack of sufficient records on files, however, he has undertaken since his appointment to put processes in place which now address this matter. The commissioner reported, and it was confirmed by the Auditor-General to the committee, that the standard of documentation now filed in support of termination decisions has been improved and is satisfactory. I note the tabling of this termination report did not attract a dissenting report. All members of committee were in accord on this matter.
The committee also had briefings from the Northern Territory Land Corporation, and received a large printout of land title transactions for the Land Corporation dating back to 1986. In order to digest the volume of information on land title transactions, we called before the committee the Assistant Director of Land Administration to answer questions which the committee members had in regards to information contained within the computer printout of land title transactions. This satisfied the committee’s inquiry and no further action was taken.
The report also deals with a 2003 triennial strategic review of the Auditor-General’s office. The review was conducted by Mr Neil Jackson, the Assistant Auditor-General from the Queensland Audit Office, and the committee invited the Northern Territory Auditor-General to appear before it, to discuss the recommendations that arose from this review. Recommendations and issues raised include risks affecting the efficient and effective completion of audits by the office; a competitive tendering of audits throughout the private sector; and any conflict of interest declarations that would have to be provided by auditors. We are a small jurisdiction and there is understandably a very small pool of highly qualified auditors to undertake audits throughout the sector. The committee was satisfied in questioning of the Auditor-General that there was no conflict of interest operating at the moment, and there were processes in place to deal with any potential conflict of interest whereby auditors had an existing arrangement with companies or departments where they were called on to audit. I can confirm the advice from the Auditor-General is that the Territory is well served with the current process in terms of audits.
The annual report also dealt with changes within procurement for the Northern Territory Public Service. In June 2003, the Minister for Business and Industry delivered in parliament a major ministerial statement on significant procurement reforms In October of that year, the Auditor-General appeared before the Public Accounts Committee to discuss the issue of broadening the functions of the Darwin Procurement Board that arose from those procurement reforms.
We looked at how the broadening of the functions could be accomplished by prescribing courses of action to be taken in the case of breaches of procurement policy; involvement in the approval or declining of procurement-related proposals submitted by agencies; adopting a more proactive approach to strengthening their role within the government procurement policy by conducting site audits on agencies’ procurement processes on an ad hoc basis; by questioning agency representatives rather than taking agencies’ submissions at face value in the case of Certificates of Exemption, for example; and involvement in the formulation and enforcement of procurement policies and procedures employed by government agencies.
Leading from this, in November 2003, the committee had appearing before it Mr Brian Gallaugher, senior Director of Procurement, and Mr Brian Webb, Director of Procurement References Group. They discussed with the committee how the procurement reform agenda was being implemented. They advised that this was initially driven by a Procurement Change Managers Group consisting of senior officers from all government agencies. The aim was to have all agencies develop ownership of the reform process in procurement and be a party to the reforms that they were implementing.
Identified as a problem with the procurement reforms was a perceived and, in some cases, substantiated, lack of skills within the public sector. In response to this, the Procurement Change Managers Group initiated training, which was backed up by resources from government, which is being delivered through DCIS and is accrediting all procurement officers to an accredited Certificate Level 4. That is, importantly, government, as the biggest spender in the Territory, now has trained and qualified procurement officers taking us through the tender process, which sends out the government payments through that procurement process, to ensure that we have a thriving business community in the Territory. I commend the officers of agencies involved in these procurement reforms and I commend the minister for pursuing procurement reforms. The Public Accounts Committee heard that throughout 2004, some 102 individuals had attended these training sessions. This is a significant issue. The reform process looks at how the Territory government can both get value for money but, importantly, ensure that there is a fair and competitive process when it comes to tendering for government contracts.
There are obviously some key points arising from this. It ensures that we are having sustainable development in the Territory. It ensures greater use of local suppliers, and fundamentally flowing through from that is jobs for Territorians, jobs in the regions with the regional procurement boards strengthened for indigenous Territorians, and a better capacity for the government to deliver a better product and service.
The role of the Procurement Board is essential in this and it is to ensure that the agencies are complying with current policy and procedure and are not making sometimes strange value judgments. I urge ministers to keep an eye on their agencies as this procurement training is ongoing. The Public Accounts Committee sees this as a very important area of government expenditure.
The Public Accounts Committee report also identifies that we had a training program in place for Public Accounts Committee members. We were given a briefing by the Under Treasurer, Ms Jennifer Prince, the Deputy Under Treasurer, Mr Graham Symons, and the Senior Director of Financial Analysis in Treasury, Ms Jodie Kirkman, on accrual accounting, which has seen significant changes in the government’s budget papers. All members of the Public Accounts Committee were taken through the differences between the cash accounting processes of the past and the accrual accounting process that the Territory enjoys as a more holistic accounting process, which takes into account, for example, depreciation of government buildings and gives you a true indication of just how the government’s finances are travelling.
The committee has had a very close, rewarding and substantial working relationship with the outgoing Auditor-General and the new Auditor-General. They continually provide the committee with reports and briefings on issues pertaining to government expenditure and budgets.
I am delighted to be a member of the Public Accounts Committee under the chairmanship of the member for Sanderson. It has been a strong and vibrant bipartisan committee. I commend the work of the Public Accounts Committee to the members of the House. The issues outlined in the Public Accounts Committee Annual Report of 2003-04 show that we are, indeed, a committee of thorough scrutiny of government expenditure.
I commend the Estimates process to members of the House. I believe that, in my time as a member of the committee, both as a PAC member and an Estimates Committee member, we have seen a greater scrutiny of government actions and expenditure. On behalf of all Territorians, this obviously provides us with a much more vibrant democracy through our roles as parliamentarians.
I commend the annual report to members of the House. I recommend that ministers continue to ensure procurement reforms are strengthened, that procurement training occurs through the various agencies because, at the end of the day, the better the government is with its procurement processes, the more money we have flowing out in a fair and equitable way to industry and business in the Territory and, as I said, that provides more jobs for Territorians.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Honourable members, I welcome Year 9 students from St Philips College and their teachers, Laura Tubbenhauer and Matt Johnson. On behalf of all members, I extend a warm welcome to you.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr BONSON (Millner): Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise today to add my contribution to 18th Public Accounts Committee Annual Report.
I thank all members who were involved in the report - the opposition, Independent and government members. It was the first time I was involved with the Public Accounts Committee during this annual report as an official member, and it was a very interesting experience and a learning experience. I was assisted by all members of the committee, in particular the member for Sanderson, the chairperson, who did a fantastic job in providing information to me within the committee process and outside of the committee process.
We looked at the Estimates Committee process and, as people would know, that has been introduced in the last few years. The sole object of the Estimates Committee is to have accountability for government spending, and it gives the opposition and independent members the opportunity to question the budgets provided by the Northern Territory government. I believe this process has added a magnificent arm to our democracy in the Northern Territory.
We also looked at the termination of payments for CEOs. That was an issue raised over the last few years by members of parliament. People can look at the report and I believe that we have satisfactorily investigated those issues. I believe most people are happy with the process that is now in place to ensure that the termination of CEOs is properly done.
There were briefings on the Northern Territory Land Corporation. There was also a briefing from the Department of Health and Community Services on budget variations for 2002-03. There was the 2003 triennial strategic review of the Auditor-General’s office, in particular, funding levels of the Attorney-General’s office. There was the issue of procurement within the Northern Territory Public Service. A significant issue considered within the reform process was how to deal with the definition of the value of money, and some of the key points considered past performances, local development, use of local suppliers, jobs for Territorians, jobs for indigenous Territorians and capacity to deliver product or service.
We also looked at understanding the Budget Papers layout and, as many members would know, we have now moved to the accrual accounting system. For people like me without an accounting background, this has been an interesting time, and for all members it has been a learning process to ensure that we understand the budget process and how it has been reported.
Information was provided to the committee through witnesses such as Ms Jennifer Prince, the Under Treasurer, Mr Graham Symons, the Deputy Under Treasurer, and Ms Jodie Kirkman, Senior Director of Financial Analysis. They were open to any questions we wanted to ask and were very helpful in providing information to the committee. The Auditor-General has to be thanked for continually providing the committee with detailed briefings on issues contained within his reports tabled in the Assembly. It was through these briefings that the committee can decide on a course of action and whether the committee should proceed with a formal inquiry into a matter.
I take this opportunity, as previous speakers have, to thank Mr Blake, the former Auditor-General. He answered any of my calls or correspondence and was always available to provide information. He twice came to my electorate office to give me a briefing on the process of the parliamentary committee and his duties as Auditor-General.
As the member for Sanderson, the Chairperson, previously stated, this was arguably the first truly bipartisan report lodged. I enjoyed the interaction with the opposition and Independent members in coming up with this report.
Finally, I would like to thank the Secretariat of the Public Accounts Committee, in particular, Terry Hanley for his assistance in providing information necessary to fully understand, as a new member, the public accounts process.
I commend this report to parliament.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, your response to the Public Accounts Committee report covered, in fairly good detail, most of the issues that I agree with; it was a good response.
As a member of the Public Accounts Committee, I sometimes find it a bit of a bewildering committee to belong to because it does deal with fairly technical issues. However, I find that the longer I am part of the Public Accounts Committee, the more I understand some of the processes that are required of government.
The Estimates Committee is an important process, and there is no doubt that the opposition and I, to some extent, still think the Estimates Committee process can be improved. It is one of those things that the government will beg to differ on and probably not change, but I believe there is room for improvement in the Estimates Committee regarding the length of time some of the more senior ministers with the larger portfolios can be questioned. Regardless of that, the Estimates Committee is a good process that does help the questioning of government in the way it is spending its money. As I said before, it is an important part of the process of government.
The Public Accounts Committee also looked at the termination payments for CEOs. This was raised quite a while ago as part of a previous Auditor-General’s report that some of the termination payments had not quite followed the requirements or the letters of the law. There was a good report given by the commissioner, Mr John Kirwan, into those matters. I believe that those matters that were raised by Mr Iain Summers have now been addressed. We hope those matters are not raised again. It was an important area that the PAC should have been looking at to make sure that terminations were as according to the regulations.
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery the Years 8 and 9 students from Yirara College accompanied by their teachers, David Cann, Ben O’Connor, Jennifer Latham and Sue Hargreaves. On behalf of all members, welcome to the Northern Territory Assembly.
Members: Hear, Hear!
Mr WOOD: Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, on the issue of termination payments, I am probably on my own by still believing that for a Public Accounts Committee to find out matters concerning chief executive officers, they should be able to have the details of the salaries of those people. There might be many an argument to say those matters should not be public, however, it surprises me that the issue of what the government pays its chief executive officers is a detail which should not be available to members of the PAC in their role of checking on government expenditure. I supported the findings of the report into the termination of various CEOs, however, I still have a slight disagreement that their salaries should not be confidential in relation to the PAC.
The other issue which the Public Accounts Committee looked at was procurement within the Northern Territory Public Service. There was quite a long report on that issue. It is an issue we need to keep an eye on. I receive reports from time to time that people feel the procurement system is not always up to scratch; that perhaps there has been either favouritism or we have not been giving jobs out to local suppliers and have been giving them to interstate companies. There are always those issues around, and the PAC should keep a watching brief on procurement as many of our businesses raise these issues, and it is an important role of the PAC.
There were other issues I was going to raise regarding what the PAC could be looking at, however, I realise this is the 2003-04 report, not the one we are going through now.
I support the Public Accounts Committee report. I thank the chairman, the member for Sanderson, for his work. The Public Accounts Committee is not the easiest committee to be chairman of and he has handled it very well. My thanks to Terry Hanley and the other staff who helped us through the year; assisting us who sometimes find it difficult to get through all these issues, enabling us to better understand what we have to face. I also thank the members of the Legislative Assembly staff, and the public servants who have given their time to explain various issues to the committee.
Mr DUNHAM (Drysdale): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, we have a difficulty with the Public Accounts Committee in that we cannot investigate matters of our own choosing. Instead, we have to rely on the ministers choosing to give us some issues which they would like to look at. Let us work this out. Is it likely that a minister would ask the Public Accounts Committee to look at things which might cause them embarrassment? No, never. We can also look at matters raised by the Auditor-General, and the budget papers. For instance, late last year, the Treasurer gave us a budget paper he called the Mid Year Report 2004-05, and said that is how the economy is travelling. He gave us a range of numbers in there and it is, interestingly, signed off at page iii with an Under Treasurer’s Certification. I will read that:
So the Under Treasurer tells us that this is everything government is going to spend in the first six months and anything in the future she knows about has been included in here. The Treasurer likewise tells us that is how the budget is travelling. We come to parliament in Alice Springs and we get a piece of paper titled Deemed Papers, Tuesday, 22 March 2005. That is yesterday. On that paper, it tells us …
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, just one moment. A point of order has been called. Member for Sanderson.
Mr KIELY: Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, it is a point of relevance. We are here to discuss the annual report of the Public Accounts Committee. I do not see that a deemed paper from yesterday has anything to do with the current debate.
Mr DUNHAM: I am happy to speak to the point of order. The annual report of the PAC discussed its role and functions and I will go to its role and functions because the functions are severely limited. It is a matter for this parliament to decide whether the PAC’s annual report adequately reflects the intentions of this parliament in having open, honest and transparent government.
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I will rule that there is no point of order, but I will remind you of sticking to the realms of relevance.
Mr DUNHAM: Sure. So we come to parliament and we find that there have been a couple of deemed papers. They have funny titles. One is called ‘Transfer of Excess Allocations between purposes of same Agency …’ and ‘Increase of Treasurer’s Advance …’ signed by the Administrator, His Honour, who was here only yesterday. If you pull those papers out - and these are public documents, anyone can get them; you can go up the back and say: ‘I would like those two public documents’ - they will tell you that Sydney James Stirling, the Treasurer, has decided to move around 48 million bucks. 48 million bucks! So from this deemed paper in December to this deemed paper in March, he has made a muck up of 48 million bucks.
Why would that interest the PAC? The PAC looks at the government’s finances. The ‘A’ stands for accounts. When we look at the accounts, we know that we get a big stack of budget papers like that, we get a report in the middle of the year that says that is how we are travelling and everything is tickety-boo, and then we come to Alice Springs and we find that – oops! – there has been a $48m muck-up! He has decided to chuck a couple of extra bucks in here and with the stroke of a pen, he has done it.
The difficulty for the public, the parliament, the Public Accounts Committee, the Estimates Committee and others is we cannot look at these numbers. These numbers are not within our purview. I suggest that the Public Accounts Committee, if it is interested in open, honest and transparent government, should have a little chase down where some of these dollars have gone. I am very interested, for instance, that a department with the unfortunate name of DIPE, the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment, is getting another $26m. $26m! We are in March. We only have April, May, June – three months. They need another $26m.
Somewhere in there, there is also likely to be an election, so it could well be that some of this money is to be used as a little treasure chest for the government to parade out various things they are going to do …
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I point to relevance.
Mr DUNHAM: Thank you, Madam Acting Deputy Speaker. What we have to do as the Public Accounts Committee is make sure we monitor the public account. I would have thought that its name was self-explanatory. The difficulty with monitoring the public account is we know $10m is going to be spent on the hospital in Alice Springs. The minister has yet to bring it to this parliament. We do not know what the cash is for. We have been told it is a big muck-up. We have been told that the hospital does not have Australian accreditation, it is a fire hazard, there are live electrical wires behind the walls, there is potential for methane gas to be escaping into the environment, and that is a pretty big problem.
If it requires $10m to fix it up, and if the minister is to be believed that these matters go way, way back, and he has known about it for some time, why would a lady with the honesty and integrity of the Under Treasurer, Jennifer Prince, sign the certification? Why would Jennifer Prince sign a certification saying, ‘As far as I know, in November last year, that is enough cash to get us through’. Then we get to March, in Alice Springs, and find DIPE needs $26m more bucks. Now, somewhere between December and March, the minister became aware that he needed $10m to fix the hospital. It is then a very difficult argument for him to say, ‘Way back, two years ago, I knew these were problems.’ We would like him to parade that out.
The difficulty with the PAC is that we might go back to Darwin and sit in a committee room and have a little quiet debate about this, but I think it is a matter for Alice Springs. I believe Alice Springs people should know where that cash is going. They should know why the Under Treasurer was totally unaware of this money in November, and all of a sudden it has floated out of the ether. We should also know why there is a necessity to spend another $48.380m. We need to know why that money has to be spent. I guess it is because the Treasurer has a lot more money than he thought, that that lovely John Howard has sent him so much money in GST he has to tuck it away somewhere. He knows there is an election coming up so he needs it in a little treasure chest where he can go out - every player wins a prize, everybody gets a little slice of the action. I believe the Public Accounts Committee should look at that.
While we are in Alice Springs we should debate the Alice Springs Hospital. Any government that spends $10m should be crowing it from the rooftops. You should be saying, ‘Look at this, what good guys!’ So, please bring on the debate. I know the Public Accounts Committee should be able to look at it but, unfortunately, the way it has been set up we will be precluded from doing so, probably until after the election.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Industry): Madam Speaker, I was not going to speak in this debate because I am not a member of the committee. However, I feel I have to get up and speak to the comments from the member for Drysdale who, once again, has these extraordinary conspiracy theories and grand delusions. Let me just put some of those conspiracy theories and delusions to rest.
There is no attempt to hide any figures here. The deemed papers process is a process that is in place in every parliament under the Westminster system. In terms of these mid-year accounts and the transfer of allocations, this is a system that has been in place in this parliament for many years. It was certainly a system that was in place when the previous government was in office, when around this time of year, a paper does come to the parliament, in a transparent fashion, where the transfer of allocations around the cycle of mid-year and the financial year, certain allocations are moved around, and it is done under deemed papers. The reason why these papers are deemed is not an attempt to hide them from public scrutiny. He has one, Madam Speaker …
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, you have had your say. Order!
Mr HENDERSON: He has a copy of the paper, Madam Speaker. It is not an attempt to hide anything. Any member of the public can contact the Table Office to obtain a copy of the document that the member for Drysdale has. There has been no attempt to hide, and the language and the hyperbole from the member for Drysdale about a $48m muck-up is absolutely wrong.
In a $3bn budget there is always going to be additional appropriation via Cabinet. That is something that all Cabinets do during the course of the year. When you hand your budget down ...
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, enough!
Mr HENDERSON: … over the next 12 months where all sorts of issues come up, policy issues, issues where government has to respond to certain needs, where additional appropriations are made to agencies. During the course of the year, there are also transfers of allocations between agencies, additional receipts that agencies may receive from outside Commonwealth grants processes that were not certain at the time that the budget came down. So there is nothing untoward. Can I suggest, for the member for Drysdale, that either he or the shadow Treasurer, the Leader of the Opposition, seek a briefing ...
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: Well, seek a briefing in the first instance. Get the Under Treasurer and the Treasurer to give you a briefing, and I am sure that it is all open and transparent …
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: … to try and weave some conspiracy theory …
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I am not going to allow you to continue.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, he has had his go and is trying to paint that there is some conspiracy theory and a $48m muck-up.
This is a usual part of the budget process that the previous government was part of. He was not Treasurer in the previous government so, maybe, I can excuse his ignorance in these matters as he is not aware of the process. However, I can guarantee the member for Drysdale that if either he or the shadow Treasurer, the Leader of the Opposition, pick up the phone and contact the minister’s office, they can probably have a briefing next week and have a perfectly clear explanation of this $48m transfer of allocation. Then, if they do not like the answers that they get at that briefing - and I am sure the Under Treasurer will be quite happy to be there to provide the briefing in person - they have the Estimates Committee.
Again, it is a new process introduced by this government in opening up the transparency and accountability of government, to grill the Under Treasurer, if they so wish, in the committee process.
There is no cover-up or muck-up here; this is an ordinary part of government business. In fact, the member for Drysdale’s credibility rests on this. If he really wants to get to the bottom of this $48m, then ask for a briefing. If he does not ask for a briefing, he is just playing politics as he normally does. That is the challenge for the member for Drysdale. When he is back in Darwin next week, ask for a briefing. He will have his briefing and, if he then wants to assert there is some cover-up, he can do so with credibility. However, if he does not get that briefing, he is playing politics.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of the Speaker of the South Australian parliament, Hon Peter Lewis MHA. On behalf of all members, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, I thank members of the Public Accounts Committee for contributing: the members for Karama, Millner and Nelson. I cannot really extend that same thanks and gratitude to the member for Drysdale. Clearly, we were talking about the Public Accounts Committee Annual Report of 2003-04, and he decided to use the opportunity to comment on that annual report and the hard work of the committee and its members, which is a parliamentary committee made up of an Independent member, members of government and hardworking members of the opposition. However, he did not take the chance to acknowledge the hard work of the Deputy Opposition Leader on the PAC – it is astounding. That he did not take the opportunity to acknowledge the hard work our public servants have put in to assist the Public Accounts Committee as they scrutinised the public accounts is also astounding. That he had a bit of a side slap at some senior public servants is not astounding, because he has form on that. That he should not go as far as to thank the committee Secretariat, who put in long hours helping us conduct our business, I find is a great sign of churlishness and ingratitude by the member for Drysdale, and something that the public of Alice Springs should take into account when they have a look at just what goes on with the member for Drysdale and his contributions in the parliament.
Here we are talking about the Public Accounts Committee Annual Report 2003-04. Here is a chance to get in and acknowledge the hard work that the public and public servants all give to provide good governance for the greater community of the Northern Territory. However, he takes the opportunity to come out with some strange conspiracy theories and talk about things which have no relevance to the tabled report. This is the way he carries on and the contempt with which he treats the people of the community. Well, it will not wash. It will not wash here in Alice Springs, or in Darwin.
Member for Drysdale, you really ought to have a look at your performance on these issues. Start targeting your audience a little better and then, maybe, you will get a bit more credibility in the public eye. As it stands now, you behaviour is seen as boorish, brutish and is not welcomed by the members from Alice Springs or the community of Alice Springs. I suggest you stay on task and address the relevant matters before the parliament.
I sum up by thanking all those people whom the member for Drysdale declined to thank. I look forward to the next report being tabled and a more productive and meaningful contribution from all members.
Motion agreed to; paper noted.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of students from the Institute of Aboriginal Development, accompanied by their teacher Pat Ansell-Dodds. On behalf of all members, I offer you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that Government Business Order of the Day No 2, Initiatives and Achievements in Central Australia ministerial statement by the Chief Minister be called on forthwith.
Motion agreed to.
Continued from 22 March 2005.
Ms CARTER (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, the ministerial statement delivered yesterday by the Chief Minister entitled Government Initiatives and Achievements in Central Australia waxes lyrically about health services here in Central Australia, and, quite frankly, the runs are not on the board for the Labor government. It was hard to believe the comments made by the Chief Minister with regards to health, and by the Health minister yesterday when he spoke. Quite frankly, there is a history of this government trying to gild the lily, so to speak, in the area of health in Central Australia.
A classic example was last year when the minister insisted the intensive care unit at Alice Springs Hospital was open only to find out - and have put on the record a few days later by the staff - that, in fact, minister, oops-a-daisy, the intensive care unit was in fact closed due to staffing problems. I am hesitant to take on board everything with regards to health in this initiatives and achievements in Central Australia which we heard so much about yesterday.
One of the issues talked about is an extra 39 nurses who have apparently been put on the rosters at Alice Springs Hospital in the last three and a half years. I would like the minister to detail in writing each of those positions: what is the new position number, where do these nursing positions exist, and which wards are they on? Quite frankly, if there are an extra 39 nurses working at Alice Springs Hospital, why then are the nurses on industrial action as we speak? Why are they not happy? Why are they overworked? The number of beds in the hospital has continued to fall over the years. We know there maybe some increased throughput because of the demands on the current beds which are there, and the pressure on nurses to get patients discharged as quickly as possible. I am well aware, as a nurse, of the increased work that that puts on you and your colleagues.
However, 39 extra nurses in to Alice Springs Hospital is quite a significant number, and why is it not working if there really are 39 extra people? Or, is it the case that there are not 39 extra nurses and instead, due to the workload there, the department has been budgeting extra wages which, if you turned into human beings, would equate to 39 extra staff? Is it really just an allocation of money into the wages pool and what you end up seeing is nurses having to work double and triple time and extra shifts left, right and centre, and bringing in agency nurses? Are there really 39 extra nurses, or do we only have an allocation of extra funding into the wages pool? Is this the reason why the nurses are stressed to the max and calling on work bans as a preliminary to goodness knows what else they might choose to do next, if this does not have an effect on this government? It is a significant issue. Alice Springs Hospital has been spiralling to this position over the last three and a half years.
Last year, when I was the shadow minister for Health, the Minister for Health said on the radio that he was sick and tired of Sue Carter going on and on about health problems at Alice Springs Hospital and Royal Darwin Hospital. Well, that really helped, didn’t it? We still have these problems, they are getting worse, and nothing useful is being achieved.
In her statement yesterday, the Chief Minister commented that there are an extra eight positions in the child health team. Once again, I ask: have they been filled or are they just a hope? Have they really filled these positions? Let us hear from the Chief Minister. Can she tell us, when she wraps up on this debate, were the positions really filled or is it just a bit of a furphy? This government has form in telling the public what is happening when in reality it is not happening.
I come to the area that fits within my shadow portfolio quite specifically, which concerns Family and Children’s Services. Members will be aware that over the last couple of weeks, I have been raising the issue of there being no senior welfare staff stationed in Tennant Creek at the moment. What happens now is that if there is an issue, for example, with concerns about the welfare of a child, those concerns have to be relayed south to Alice Springs on the off-chance that there might be a member of staff in Alice Springs available to look into the issue. No extra staff have been put on to the welfare staffing at Alice Springs to cope with now having to take over Tennant Creek.
I do not know about you, Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, but every time I visit Tennant Creek, the last thing I leave with is an impression that all is well in that town. It is a town that quite obviously has significant social problems, and the children, it is my guess, would be suffering substantially and potentially be at substantial risk; and it surely is one area of the Northern Territory that should be resourced to the max with regard to support services. Looking after the children in that town should be an absolute priority. This government’s approach when dealing with the fact that obviously they cannot employ enough people who are qualified in the area, for example, of social work to work in a town like Tennant Creek; is to deal with it by saying: ‘Oh, well, just pick up the phone and ring Alice Springs’, is just not good enough. This government is not trying hard enough in that area, and to come out with this statement yesterday to say that all is well in Central Australia regarding to the provision of services is really very lame and quite misleading.
We know we have problems in Tennant Creek because on 20 March this year, there was an article in the Northern Territory News which described Tennant Creek as an ‘embattled town’ with regards to the provision of welfare workers. We also had concerns raised in the Northern Territory News in January this year about the rise of child abuse in the Northern Territory. I do not think anyone in their right mind would consider that Tennant Creek would be a town which would not have a problem with child abuse when statistics across the Territory are showing a rise in the incidence of child abuse.
More needs to be done in the area of the provision of welfare services in Central Australia. I am quite sure that the staff of the Alice Springs office would be under significant pressure now that they also have to cope with Tennant Creek due to its lack of staff. This is an area where the government is not performing and it needs to pick up its game.
Continuing in the area of child abuse with regards to this government, where is the replacement for the Community Welfare Act? This government has been talking for years now about how this act is going to be replaced. The process is too slow. There are bits and pieces out and about, but when is it going to come before this parliament as a final product so that we can have a good look at it, debate it, get it fixed and then passed? The progress on the review of the Community Welfare Act is just not good enough.
The statement yesterday dealing with the government’s initiatives and achievements in Central Australia makes very little mention of the general issues of health services in Tennant Creek. I have spoken about welfare services, but I would also like to mention the other problems generally in the area of health in Tennant Creek.
It has been put to me by people in Tennant Creek that they currently have no resident general practitioner, no dentist, no infant health nurse, no women’s health nurse, no welfare officers, no domestic violence worker, no occupational therapist, no speech therapist, no physiotherapist, and they have problems obtaining the assistance of a sexual assault counsellor. There is a great list of services in Tennant Creek, one of our major urban centres, where there is a shortfall in this area. This government needs to pick its game up given the problems from which we all know Tennant Creek suffers from time to time.
The Northern Territory News also mentioned that Tennant Creek defends its poor report on health but I am not convinced. I am sure many people in Tennant Creek have grave concerns about the provision of health services there. A classic example was that, recently, the long-serving GP, who had worked for many years in that town, Dr Tonga, chose not to provide a service in Tennant Creek anymore. Dr Tonga is a wonderful man and has provided a service there for many years. It is quite reasonable for Dr Tonga to make that decision. I certainly support him for the personal reasons that he has to do that. Of course, it leaves open the fact that Tennant Creek does not have a general practitioner. One has to wonder where do the patients who used to see Dr Tonga go? They will be going to the Tennant Creek Hospital. What sort of problems is that going to cause for the hospital? What sort of pressure is it going to put onto, in particular, the medical staff there? Have any extra medical staff been employed and placed into that hospital in the interim before another general practitioner, hopefully, goes to work at Tennant Creek? I do not know the answer to that question, but I am concerned about the pressures that will place on Tennant Creek Hospital to cover for that situation.
I turn to another matter with regards to Alice Springs and the provision of health services. The rehabilitation unit at Alice Springs Hospital is in desperate need of a specialist in the area of rehabilitation services. I know many submissions have been made to the Labor government about the need for a specialist in the area of rehabilitation and they have constantly fallen on deaf ears. This is a concern for the people of Alice Springs. They need a qualified specialist in the area of rehabilitation services and they are not getting one.
I am very concerned that the statement yesterday in the area of health services made no comment about the provision of mental health services in Alice Springs. Mental health services across the Territory struggle to cope with the demand that is placed upon them. The annual report of the Department of Health this year talks about how, and I quote from page 12:
This is a problem. We are seeing an increase in services being required for mental health in the Northern Territory. This will be happening here in Alice Springs as well.
However, it was interesting to note that, on page 6 of the same annual report, we see that there has been a decrease in spending in the area of mental health of 3.3%. That is a concern. Why has money been cut from the mental health budget, and yet services are having to be increased to cope? These services will be primarily provided by our hardworking public servants - by our nurses and doctors. These people will be under a great deal of stress with regards to the provision of mental health, and I have no reason to believe that it will not be across the board.
In fact, in the Centralian Advocate on 22 February this year, there was an article headed ‘Mental care needs shake-up: Coroner’. This was an article reporting on the death of a man here in the mental health unit. I will quote from this article:
A bit further on:
And from a bit further in the article:
This is an example of what is happening in the area of mental health provision of services in Alice Springs, and is an indication of the staffing problems that the unit is, apparently, experiencing at the moment. My hope is that all of us look through the gloss of a statement such that the Chief Minister made yesterday which the Health Minister spoke to, and get an understanding by reading between the lines the things that have been missed out regarding what is really happening in the areas of the provision of health services in Central Australia.
I am concerned that the agencies that are designed to monitor the provision of mental health services across the board in the Northern Territory are struggling. For example, the Mental Health Review Tribunal, in its annual report from this year in which Hugh Bradley, as the president, made comments with regards to the fact, and I quote key issue No 1:
He goes on to talk about the strain that they have with regards to the tribunal. There is one of the monitoring agencies struggling to provide a monitoring service for the provision of mental health care services.
Another one that I am aware of is the Community Visitor Program which only gets funded to the tune of $70 000 per annum and is struggling in the face of this increased demand with services to provide a service outside of Darwin. This agency may have trouble keeping going, I believe, because it is not being adequately resourced to be able to delve into the issues of the provision of mental health services. I am concerned that the statement yesterday made no comment about the provision of mental health services.
I am also concerned there was no comment made about the provision of alcohol and other drugs services here in Alice Springs because, as many would be aware, over the last six months we have seen a cutting of the services for alcohol and other drugs. Home visits are now banned and after-hours services have been shut down. This is not the way to go. This is a sad indictment of this government’s poor performance in the area of alcohol and other drugs. This government needs to pick its game up or the people of Alice Springs are not going to support them in the upcoming election.
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw to your attention the presence in the gallery of students from Yirara College and their teachers, Sonya Lemson, Graeme Hastwell, Marie Petery, Andrew Koch, Catherine McKinlay, Valentine Shaw, and Ann Goodwin. On behalf of all members I wish you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I respond to the Chief Minister’s statement yesterday on Alice Springs. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed at the lack of new initiatives in the statement. Therefore, I wish to raise today some of the things that I am anxious to see happen.
Alice Springs is my home, and has been for a long time. Although I have three brothers and a sister and many relatives there, I no longer think of Bendigo as my home; I think of Alice Springs as my home and because of that, I am always interested in what is happening. I have been through good times, bad times, and I have seen the town go through ups and downs. I guess that is what happens.
At the moment there is a bit of positive feel about the town. There is a lot happening as regards contract work and real estate investment. When you drive along Smith Street you see all the buildings there and the industrial area that has gone up; the proposed Red Centre Resort development; Mad Harry’s expanded store, it is absolutely huge; and the old drive-in complex. We are going to go through a stage of a bit of a boom, and I hope that continues.
My big problem is the lack of skilled workers. I know people are going to say that is general across Australia, however it is even more difficult in a place like Alice Springs. There is much work for skilled workers in the bush and remote areas, as well as in town, but people are finding it very difficult to locate them. What should government be doing? The government has to seriously look at apprentices and the system we have at the moment.
A first year apprentice probably gets less than $6 an hour. Who is going to work for that in this day and age? We need to find incentives to encourage people to become apprentices. For instance, I know of one chef who is offering his apprentices second year wages if they are a first year apprentice, and third year wages in they are a second year apprentice, purely to encourage and keep them. It is that type of incentive we appear to be lacking in government’s policy along the way. Remember employers do not only have the job of training their apprentices, they also lose them at times when they are away studying, therefore employers need to have a lot of incentive to do this.
Apprentices also have to now pay HECS fees which they did not have to pay before. If they get into a position where they have to pay tax, it just seems ironic considering the low wages they are getting. We are not encouraging mature aged people to go into apprenticeships because we are not offering them a comparable wage with something they could get elsewhere.
I am saying to the government: why not seriously think about giving grants to employers to assist and subsidise the wages of their apprentices? Apprentices do not earn much in the first year, so what is wrong with government saying to employers, ‘If you are willing to take these people on, we will subsidise those wages’? What is wrong with government saying, ‘We will give you a remote area allowance which will assist you, and we will give you tax relief’? That is what we need to do.
If we are going to have this period of activity in Alice Springs, we need to have the skilled workers to do it. I urge government to seriously think about what they are doing to get not just young apprentices but mature age apprentices into the work system, and to come up with some good incentives for employers.
A fellow from an electrical firm said to me that a few years ago he had seven people on his staff, and now only has two electricians and is finding it hard to cope with the amount of work that he has. He also said he has trained around 43 apprentices in the period he has been in Alice Springs, and that there are too many people working one-man shows who just do not do that apprenticeship training. We need to turn that around, and put more emphasis on training people.
Last night I went to a teachers’ presentation award. Many of these teachers I have known for years in Alice Springs. They have often come out of the South Australian education system, and are getting close to retirement age. Many of them are saying that they are going to leave town and go somewhere else to retire. These people are self-funded retirees who have done the right thing - they have set themselves up financially to be self-funded. If they leave town tomorrow, each time one of them goes we lose $1m out of our economy, as they own their homes and they have their investments.
We have three people on the Seniors Advisory Council from Alice Springs, Penny McConville, Ian Wagner and Lorraine Fox, all people with a lot of foresight and interest in providing facilities for self-funded retirees as well as other aged people in town. They have been saying for a long time that to stop the flow of self-funded retirees, we need retirement centres. Government knows how successful the senior villages of public housing have been because you have pensioners living together where they support each other. The services they have such as Meals on Wheels and health services all go to these seniors complexes. They also know when Joe has not come out the door today and we hope he is okay and they keep an eye on him. The bus picks them up for community activities. They do things to care for each other, but they are the pensioners of the town. They are not the self-funded retirees. They are not the people who would like to live in such a complex but do not have any means of getting it at the moment, particularly with land at the price it is now. If we could persuade an investor to come into town to put up a village, you probably need a minimum of about 40 to 50 residences built, and to get an estate of land that big you are looking at millions of dollars on current market value in Alice Springs.
I am saying to the Chief Minister: why did you not say we are going to look seriously at this idea of a self-funded retirement village? We might have some land released very shortly in the Mt John area. What a perfect spot. Why not encourage a developer to come in, give them the land at a reasonable cost so that you can build such a facility. I inspected one in Victoria and it had a choice of homes. It was not just a block of units all looking the same, which is what you get in public housing. From the plan, you could choose the type of house you wanted. There were one bedroom units, two bedroom duplexes and three bedroom houses. There was a variety from which you could choose that, obviously, you would pay for, but there was a choice.
The whole village did not look like a public housing estate. It looked like a little community. In that village, there was a community facility for people to meet together, to have functions, provision for hairdressers, specialist services to consult, an area where they could play their bowls. They even had a heated swimming pool which was wonderful. The community facility in the centre serviced all those people who were living in that estate.
Obviously, it had a body corporate, which would take care of the external perimeters, the common areas of the complex, but each person owned their own property and part of the agreement was that each person should sell only to someone who was in that 55-plus age bracket. It worked well. They were proud of their homes because they were so individual. Did I say that the Victorian government actually gave them a grant of land at a very reasonable cost? You started with a one bedroom unit around the $200 000 mark, but it went up as people decided what they wanted.
I do not want many of these friends to leave town. I do not want them to go south. As I said to one who is going to Ballarat: ‘Do you know what Ballarat weather is really like? You are going to be so cold’. But what is there to keep them here? I have to admit that U3A, which has started in Alice Springs, has had a tremendous response and there are people turning up whom I had almost forgotten lived in Alice Springs. We have so many people in that over 55 age bracket who are looking to do something. The U3A has given them quite an incentive to get out, mix, and mingle.
What we want now, and I say to the Chief Minister, would you start seriously thinking about it, is an area where these people can live together in harmony. They want security, they want stability, they want a centre where they can be well serviced, and they want to feel the companionship of people their age. They do not want to live in a street where there are teenagers tearing up and down hooning; they do not want to live in a street where there are many young babies and children crying. They have been through all that. They have had their families, they have all grown up; they now want to enjoy their life in an environment that is suitable to them.
That is one thing I had hoped the Chief Minister would come up with. I ask that perhaps the next time the Seniors Advisory Council meets in Darwin that she talks to them. I know the Minister for Family and Community Services has been, but I believe this time around the Chief Minister has not gone and spoken to this particular council. I believe if she did, then she would hear what they are saying to her. Our elderly people are very precious to us. Government seems to be looking after them with the many seniors villages they are building. Let us now look after those self-funded retirees. Let us keep them in the Territory. They have the knowledge, expertise and experience we really do not want to lose.
I noticed the member for Port Darwin spoke at length on health. I do not really want to make a statement at the moment on health, but I would like to do so later on in the sittings; because it is something in Alice Springs that we really need to talk about.
On the issue of tourism, we are losing beds in Alice Springs. The Red Centre Resort is no longer going to be somewhere where tourists can stay. There is a motel along the river that is becoming permanent accommodation. Continually, I hear people saying it is hard to get a bed in Alice Springs. We really need to encourage development in the tourism area, not just The Ghan and Qantas, but also in providing the right accommodation if we are to compete with Ayers Rock. We do not want Jetstar. We should be telling Qantas that we want bigger planes, we want bigger capacity, because at the moment that is not happening. We are not getting the numbers into town. Many people over the last few days have said, with our big conferences in Alice Springs, it has been hard to get a flight, and hard to get a bed. But please, Qantas, do not give us Jetstar. Give us bigger capacity planes so we can get more people to Alice Springs.
Most of all, we need that international airport. We do not want the Rock receiving visitors from Japan; we want them coming here, and we want them coming from other places direct to Central Australia. We have talked about this for many years. I can remember one of the mayors, Andy McNeill, many years ago raising this and how passionate he was about it. This is an ideal place for an international airport. It is an ideal place to quarantine people or goods as they come in. It is also an ideal place to do training for these airlines. Let us push a bit harder to get an international airport.
What the airport has done at the moment, talking about its upgrade, is great. They are going to improve facilities there, but we have an airport that, for many years, has been capable of having large planes fly in. We have seen that with the planes for Pine Gap - large planes. There is no reason why we cannot have these others fly in. I am saying to the Chief Minister, you have not touched on new initiatives, and I am talking about tourism, the lack of beds, the lack of capacity of airlines, the international airport.
We mentioned very briefly the National Road Transport Hall of Fame. They are going to have a fantastic conference later in the year. Recently, the Ghan Preservation Society has been having difficulties with The Ghan exhibition there. I know that Liz Martin has been elected President of the Ghan Society as well. As we all know in Alice Springs, Liz is a tireless worker for her Transport Hall of Fame, and she has a vision. She has a vision of having the Ghan Preservation Society and the Transport Hall of Fame as one complex so that when visitors come, they do not go to the Ghan Society Museum, pay their bit there, and then go over to the Transport Hall of Fame. In fact, it is just one complex that you enter, so that you have one fee to cover the whole precinct, and it makes sense. They are side by side. If we can get the two committees working in harmony, joining as one, and I know the minister is going to make some announcement later on today, perhaps you should really think about that as well.
Let us capitalise on what we have. Let us enhance it, improve it and make it better. And, most of all, let us give support to people like the Liz Martins of the world who do so much out there for the Transport Hall of Fame.
Basically, I would like to have seen some new initiatives in this statement. I would like to have seen something about apprentices, because we know our skilled work force situation is quite bad. I would like to have seen something about keeping our self-funded retirees; they are a crucial element in our community. There are many things I would like to see happen in tourism, and some of our volunteer services enhanced.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I trust the Chief Minister will take on board some of these issues and, perhaps, prepare something that can give a vision and direction for Alice Springs, because that is what we need.
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of another group of students from Yirara College and their teachers, Kym Ritchie, Amanda Seidel, Bruce Hancock and Steve Swartz. On behalf of all honourable members, I wish you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Debate suspended for luncheon adjournment.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I attended the Parliament of the Birds at lunchtime. I have to say to you it was great success with the Irrkerlantye Drumming Group leading them in. Many parents and a couple of schools were there as well, so that is good.
Could I just comment that at 10.10 am today, we had a hard copy of Hansard delivered. Considering it is produced in Darwin, that is a fantastic effort! Congratulations to the Hansard staff up there. That is great!
Members: Hear, hear!
MOTION
Note Statement - Initiatives
and Achievements in Central Australia
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, today I respond to the Chief Minister’s statement on the government’s initiatives and achievements in Central Australia. I noted that you said that you were disappointed that there were not many initiatives for Central Australia, but I am going to give you some really good news.
Much of our economic wealth is generated in our regions. Our unique social fabric – our clean environment and our laid back Territory lifestyle - all rely on strong forward-looking regions. Our industries of tourism, pastoralism, horticulture, and mining continue to underpin our development. I am humbled by having responsibility for the portfolios that contribute so much to our regional wellbeing.
Mineral petroleum exploration has contributed significantly to the economic development in Central Australia and this government is taking a leading role. Some of the Northern Territory government initiatives include:
Recent data and product releases include: the surface outcrop and interpretive solid geology maps for the Warumpi province, Mt Liebig and Mt Rennie; a comprehensive report on the minerals systems of the Tanami region have been produced jointly by DBIRD and Geoscience Australia; a seismic interpretation of the Amadeus Basin showing structure and stratigraphy have been compiled from existing exploration company seismic survey data; and a SEEBASE interpretation, produced by consultants SRK for my department, of the Amadeus Basin has been released.
Another initiative is STRIKE which provides the comprehensive web-based database to encourage mineral exploration of the Territory. The Road Show that went recently to Brisbane and Sydney, we intend to take to Perth to promote exploration opportunities in the Territory. There were about 300 attending the seminars that we gave in Brisbane and Sydney. In Sydney, there were 150 explorers, bankers and other people involved with the mining industry who came and heard me and the people of my department and industry members promoting exploration in the Northern Territory - how we have done really well in the Northern Territory and how this government, in three years, has issued 830 mineral exploration licences compared with about 230 that the CLP government issued in the last four years of their government.
Apart from the mining industry that provides about 20% to 35% of our gross state product and employs 4000 people, another major industry is the pastoral industry which contributes up to $70m directly into our economy. We strongly support our pastoral industry and have a number of initiatives and projects such as Old Man Plains, part of the Owen Springs Station, the new pastoral research station of commercial relevance to the pastoral industry. The projects that are under development with the support of the Alice Springs Pastoral Industry Advisory Committee include: the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, which is funded for sustainable grazing system projects over three years with $800 000; remote management using IT and applied technologies; survey of the grazing industry, which has just been completed, and the cultural changes that will focus the department and the industry in the relevant areas; and development of a drought management tool kit to capture best practice for industry and elsewhere and promote it.
I had a meeting this afternoon with members of the pastoral industry to discuss drought issues in the Central Australia region, especially the fact that the pastoralists have not had any rain for the past 12 to 14 months, and how best to overcome the problems and protect the industry to un-stock their properties and look after their land.
With regards to the drought, we are seeking to simplify the national declaration process for Exceptional Circumstances that confront the pastoral industry in Central Australia. Our focus is to promote producers’ self-reliance and preparedness for drought, and to harmonise drought support measures. Extended periods of low rainfall are a feature of the Central Australian pastoral industry, and the exceptional circumstances conditions depend on one-in-25-year occurrences. I have been advised that the drought we are having in Central Australia is a one-in-50-year occurrence.
We have biosecurity projects. We train the industry in disease identification as a frontline in protecting national primary industry exports. We also support the pastoral industry by providing significant funds to upgrade and maintain what are known as beef roads - roads such as the Plenty Highway. I understand that before the election the federal government made a promise of $30m which they never delivered, and I am also advised that members of the pastoral industry went to Canberra recently to inquire about that funding and they were given just $1m. In contrast, our government provided $10m over two years to repair, maintain and upgrade roads which were identified by the pastoral industry as very important roads for the industry.
We also have the Indigenous Pastoral Project in partnership with the Central Land Council, the Indigenous Land Corporation, and the Northern Territory pastoral industry. Under this project we are trying to bring back into production indigenous lands and the results are very encouraging. I am pleased to advise that we have provided a $40 000 grant to the Central Australian camel industry to examine domestic and overseas halal market opportunities.
Ti Tree is undertaking the current rejuvenation of 400 hectares using disease resistant rootstock, and the government is very happy to provide funding to upgrade some of the road network in Ti Tree. The government is also looking very carefully at the diversity of horticulture in Central Australia as we have the capacity here to produce high quality dates, figs, citrus, asparagus and hydroponics. A very good example is Mr McCosker’s Territory Lettuce venture which I had the pleasure to visit in the past year. I was impressed with the quality of the product and how well he managed to produce a significant number of lettuces and supply the tourist industry and supermarkets in Alice Springs as well as other areas in the Territory.
A joint initiative of the Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development and Power and Water which aims to deliver triple bottom line - economic, social and environmental benefits - is the water reused for horticulture production at AZRI. Currently, we are investigating how we are going to proceed. The results are very encouraging and I am very pleased to say that when we finalise the project, we will be able to provide good quality of water for horticulture production in Central Australia.
Something that is very close to my heart is the food industry; the opportunities for development of the food industry in Central Australia and the Central Australian Food Group. Centralian businesses are working together. Businesses that are involved in hospitality, tourism, food production, food service and, of course, the Charles Darwin University and government agencies are members. The Taste Down Under competition, held in conjunction with the United States Johnson & Wales University, a leading university and the largest trainer of chefs around the world. The idea is to raise the profile of our unique Territory and Australian foods with master United States chefs of the future. This morning I met with members of the Centralian Food Group and I was pleased to hear that the competition Taste Down Under will be held once again. The government will provide the air fares for the winning trainee chef to visit Australia and the Territory.
I was also advised by Athol Wark this morning that there is a significant number of chefs from the Johnson & Wales University who have expressed a wish to come to the NT and to work in under some of the leading chefs like Athol Wark and Jimmy Shu. I believe Athol and Jimmy will be going to America soon to cook for distinguished guests of the Australian Embassy. Athol will be cooking for a number of people in the Centenary Botanic Gardens for one of the bigger American companies.
That is something very important for us: Athol and Jimmy are doing an excellent job in promoting both the Territory and our produce. They have my full support and backing. I flag that I will have a very exciting announcement in the near future about Taste Down Under and the food group in the Territory. I have said before, and I will say again, that people go to a place to see the scenery, but if you do not serve them good food and they do not have good accommodation, they will never come back.
In Australia, we have regions like the Barossa Valley that people visit time after time and, of course, in Western Australia there are regions like Margaret River which people visit for the food, wine, cheese and, of course, the scenery. Margaret River receives a significant number of tourists in the market niche known as culinary tourism, people who go for the food, tastes and flavours, and they return.
I was very impressed to see today two ladies who have formed a group called Women Can Cook. They are caterers and provide some of the food experience of Central Australia to tourists when they come to the Northern Territory.
On Sunday afternoon, I attended two functions related to Harmony Day; one was a community barbeque, the other was a function organised by my Office of Multicultural Affairs. I was very impressed by the number of people who attended those functions. At one of them, I counted about 300 or 350, and at the other were about 250. I must admit that I never thought Alice Springs would be so multicultural, and what was impressive was the number of people who are from ethnic backgrounds and how well integrated they are in Alice Springs and how they feel at home.
One lady was from France and considers Alice Springs her home. Like you and I, Madam Speaker, we came from somewhere else, but my home is Darwin, your home is Alice Springs. Where we were born and raised, we now visit as tourists. I was very impressed by the people. Many people commented that Alice Springs is one of the most multicultural cities in Australia, and having such a small population compared with other cities and such a significant number of people in Alice Springs from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds is very important.
The Commonwealth government is seeking to increase humanitarian settlement in regional Australia, and wishes to work with state and territory governments to expand regional locations that are suitable for settlement. Though Alice Springs participated in refugee settlement some years back, in recent years, it has not participated in the program. Our government wishes to have Alice Springs included in the new initiative of the Commonwealth government. I will be writing to the Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Senator Amanda Vanstone, in support of Alice Springs as an additional location for humanitarian settlement.
The government is conscious that in order to ensure successful settlement of new migrants, it is important that all the support services, along with the necessary infrastructure, needs to be in place. With this in view, a senior officers group across all government agencies has been set up and will assess what additional resources are required to achieve successful outcomes for new migrants.
The Alice Springs community is a fine example of the success of migration over the last 200 years, and it is this government’s intention to ensure that this success continues into the future. I am pleased to note that multiculturalism is alive and well in Alice Springs. Alice Springs is a town that accepts cultural differences, particularly the historical contribution made by the early Europeans, the Chinese and the Afghans who, along with the indigenous community, made Alice Springs what it is today.
The level of acceptance of cultural differences is highlighted by the fact that in Alice Springs Town Council, the current practice is to start ordinary Council meetings, held on the last Monday of each month, with prayers being offered by various religious leaders on a rostered basis – an excellent example of living multiculturalism.
Madam Speaker, I know that we are often criticised for concentrating on the Top End, but I want to assure you that my focus is wholly on the Territory, irrespective of the region, whether it is Darwin, Alice Springs, Borroloola or Katherine. I strongly support the pastoral and mining industries, and as the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, I strongly support community groups in Alice Springs.
Mr VATSKALIS (on behalf of Minister for Family and Community Services)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a response to the Chief Minister’s statement on behalf of the Minister for Family and Community Services and Environment and Heritage, Ms Scrymgour.
Protecting our unique environment is the Martin government’s priority. We are balancing growth with lifestyle whilst protecting our environment. In 2000-01, the previous CLP government only conducted 85 environmental assessments in the Northern Territory. Last year, 2003-04, we conducted 288. Let me repeat: 288. There are two reasons for this dramatic increase in environmental assessments. Under the Martin government, development is booming and the Martin government is serious about protecting our environment.
Central Australia has some great ideas of how to protect our environment but sometimes great ideas need a kick start to get them off the ground. That is why this government is spending more than $1m supporting grassroots environment and heritage initiatives. We are backing Territorians and we are putting more money on the ground where it counts. Through heritage grants, new litter grants and environment grants, Central Australia now has unprecedented access to funding for projects. It is fair and everyone can apply.
I am very happy to say that Central Australia has received a large proportion of the overall funding. Significant projects already funded through the grants include: $9500 to Greening Australia for designing appropriate arid zone gardens; $10 000 for the Centre for Sustainable Arid Towns to develop a sustainability rating system for arid housing; $9000 to Birds Australia for fire management at Newhaven Reserve; $10 000 to Arid Lands Environment Centre for trials to reduce plastic bag usage; $49 500 to Alice Springs Town Council for organic recycling; $10 000 for repairs to Ross River Homestead; $22 500 for the Hartley Street School; and finally, $25 000 for repairs and restoration to the Finke Railway Station. All up, Central Australian projects have received more than $400 000 in funding under grant schemes since the Labor government came to power.
Central Australia has received more heritage grants than any other region in the Territory, reflecting the importance that the Alice Springs’ community places on their heritage. This year, the Arid Lands Environment Centre received $30 000 operational support, compensating for their funding cut from the federal government and providing a funding boost at the same time. This funding is a Territory government first. Likewise, the CoolMob which has linked up with the Arid Lands Environment Centre and Desert Knowledge to do very valuable work in promoting energy conservation into Alice Springs households, has received $25 000 operational support and $8000 for home energy audits. The federal government withdrew their funding, and without our funding assistance, the CoolMob could have folded. We stepped in and the CoolMob will receive operational support not only this year, but for the following two years.
Heritage: Alice Springs residents have long been at the forefront of conserving our unique Territory heritage. Some very important places have been added to the heritage register under the Martin Labor government, and these include: the original Glen Helen Homestead; the Araluen Homestead Precinct; the Catholic Church Precinct; John Flynn’s Grave Historical Reserve; the Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve; the Alice Springs Telegraph Station, which was previously rejected by the CLP for heritage listing; and the old Owen Springs Homestead complex.
We decided not to list the Rieff Building. It was a tough decision and we spent six months taking submissions. We received five submissions, none from the CLP. We decided that the $5m redevelopment and up to 100 jobs outweighed the heritage value. The Rieff Building was publicly nominated for listing around 12 months ago, and since then we have heard nothing from the member for Greatorex or the member for Araluen - nothing for 12 months, until yesterday. After nearly a year of silence, the CLP has announced that they will list the building. The developer has made it clear that this would mean the end of a $5m redevelopment. The CLP announced this morning that, under them, up to 100 extra jobs would be gone. The government spent six months attempting to work out a compromise that would allow the redevelopment to preserve its heritage values. We will still try, and I have now written to the developers asking them again, but I will not list the building. However, unlike the CLP, we will not stop development in Alice Springs.
The CLP left Alice Springs’ heritage in a rubble. They bulldozed Turner House in the middle of the night. Marron’s Newsagency - gone. The Old Stuart Arms - gone too. As I said previously, they rejected heritage listing for the Telegraph Station. Who knows what plans they had for it. We have listed it. The Alice Springs Goal - they tried so hard to knock it down; only saved after much protest. Local CLP members wanted it knocked down. The member for Greatorex wanted it knocked down. The same with the Pioneer Walk-in Theatre. The people of Alice Springs know their record; they know their legacy.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, we did not restart your time, so you need an extension. Could I have the Leader of Government Business?
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I move an extension of time to allow the minister to complete his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Heritage is more than just what we choose to put on the Heritage Register. The cultural and tourism value of these properties will not be fully realised unless we also invest in their long-term management and conservation. Heritage places simply do not look after themselves. That is why I am very proud that this year the government allocated $1m to repair and maintain government-owned heritage properties. This year, some important heritage icons of Central Australia will receive some much-needed repairs, including the Residency; Owen Springs Homestead; the Old Alice Springs Court House; the Araluen Homestead; the Heavitree Gap Police Station; the Connellan Hangar; and Illamurta Springs. Government has also injected much-needed expertise into heritage conservation by re-establishing the Heritage Officer position in Alice Springs - a position that the CLP cut when in government.
The Northern Territory government commissioned a sustainable house competition last year as part of the Year of the Built Environment. The winning entry from Alice Springs has now been built and will be open for public viewing in April. I urge all Alice Springs residents to check out the winning entrant. Through the Alice in 10 Built Environment Project, government has also funded a Guide to Sustainable Housing in Central Australia. Their booklet, which was written by the Centre for Sustainable Arid Towns, provides practical suggestions for house design and ways to reduce energy and water use in the house. Through these and other projects such as the Alice Springs Water Reuse Scheme, we are beginning to understand what sustainable living in an arid climate is all about, the changes we need to make and how we might go about them. Alice Springs can become a leader in sustainability and export this knowledge further afield.
Let me turn now to Family and Community Services which has enjoyed a greater funding level, with an overall increase in the budget of 60% since 2001. Building Healthier Communities - A Framework for Health and Community Services cemented this government’s commitment to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of Territorians. We support families.
The Child Protection Services budget has nearly tripled since the Martin government came in, from $7.8m in 2001-02 to $20m in 2004-05. The initiatives include:
There is still work ahead of us, and the Office of Children and Families is working to further increase parenting support services across the Territory. The minister will make an announcement of the new services in the coming months.
An area where there is considerable headway is child care. Providing good, affordable child care for young Territorian families is a federal government responsibility, but a Northern Territory government priority. The Martin Labor government made a commitment to increase the Northern Territory Childcare Subsidy by $7.50 per child per week. Now, for every child in child care in the Northern Territory, we subsidise the parents’ costs by around $20 per week. We are the only jurisdiction in Australia that provides this subsidy. Across Australia, growth in child care places has been stagnant but, in the Northern Territory since the Martin government was elected, there has been a 35% increase in child care places; that is, an additional 827 children in child care. There are an estimated 200 extra child care jobs in the Northern Territory. Government is aware that all nine child care centre services in Alice Springs, and the centre in Tennant Creek, are operating at full capacity with a continued strong demand for child care places. The Central Australian YWCA Child Care Centre has recently increased its capacity by a further 10 places, and the Family Care Scheme has been redeveloped in Tennant Creek to provide this much needed service to families. We continue to provide funding for child care services across Central Australia.
Central Australia, like the rest of Australia, has a young population and looking after our youth is a priority of our government. We have allocated funding of $0.25m for the Youth Drop-in Centre in Alice Springs so that hours can be extended into the evening. Alice Springs has the first government supported accommodation program specifically for the rehabilitation of youth with substance issues. The service is run by the Alice Springs Youth Accommodation and Support Service which was funded with $87 000 to develop this program.
Petrol sniffing is a devastating fact in many remote communities across the Territory. The Martin Labor government is determined to change that. The Volatile Substance Abuse Bill is an unparalleled step in Australia to seriously tackle this problem. The bill includes: police powers to seize inhalants such as petrol, glue and paint where they have been abused; police power to apprehend people under the influence of volatile substances and to take them to a place of safety; and gives courts the capacity to order compulsory treatment programs for serial substance abusers. Funding of $10m has been committed over five years, which will see services better resourced to continue the excellent work they do. The opposition has announced they will withdraw this funding - more sniffers and antisocial behaviour. Special applause to BP who are developing opal fuel in an endeavour to combat petrol sniffing. It is encouraging to see corporate Australia working with the government and saying there is something that can be done directly about this devastating social issue.
The member for Port Darwin claims spending on mental health has been reduced. Obviously she cannot read the budget book. The Mental Health Services budget has almost doubled since 2001. We are empowering our NGOs. The national average for the proportion of mental health funding to the NGO sector is 5.4%. Our funding injection in the Territory will be 10.5%. The Mental Health Association of Central Australia has been awarded $200 000 to trial sub-acute individual care packages for mental health consumers in Central Australia.
Last year we stepped in to keep Lifeline going, and gave them $60 000 to keep their doors open. The Alice Springs branch of the Northern Territory Association of Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill received $160 000 over three years for a mental health carer support worker for Central Australia. The Northern Territory government is working to increase access to services to people in remote areas of the Northern Territory. There are now nine Aboriginal mental health workers in Central Australia; an increase of four in the last year. Government acknowledges that staff recruitment and retention has been an ongoing issue in Central Australia. An additional $700 000 has been invested in this area, with efforts being made to attract staff through national and international advertisement of vacancies. Development of a retention strategy for current staff has also commenced.
The aged and disability sector has received an increase of more than 74% since Labor came to government. This is an additional $20m to the sector since 2001. The government has set out for the first time independent advice on disability policy and planning through the Disability Advisory Council. Services are extending further than ever before, with increased access for the remote parts of the Territory. The extra money has been well spent, with more supported accommodation places in Central Australia.
This government has needed to rebuild many of the Northern Territory’s basic services after many years of little or no growth. The Martin Labor government is proud of its track record to date with increases in funding to family and community services across the board; increases in funding to non-government organisations; increased access to services in remote parts of the Territory; the establishment of independent advisory boards; changes to legislation which protects our children and young Territorians; and certainly, additional support to the average family. However, there is no hiding the fact that there is a long way to go. Unfortunately, disadvantage does not disappear in three years.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to be part of these proceedings in Alice Springs. It is the first time that I have been here, and it is a great pleasure to be in a rural area. I am a country girl at heart, and it is lovely to be able to bring the sittings to Alice Springs and give local people the opportunity to come to this great convention centre and take part in the sittings.
In reply today, I am going to touch on issues relevant to my electorate because they are common issues and challenges across the Territory. It was with great interest that I listened to the Chief Minister speak on the value of tourism to Central Australia. Tourism is one of my favourite areas. I agree that the value of tourism relates to the whole of the Territory. However, I cannot let my reply go without reminding the Chief Minister that it took three years and four Tourism ministers for her government to realise the true value of tourism to the Territory.
My esteemed colleague, the member for Araluen, when she was shadow minister for Tourism, called for this government to come to the rescue of the tourism industry many times. The industry was in serious trouble following the Twin Towers disaster and the demise of Ansett. For too long, that call fell on deaf ears. It was only when the industry was at it lowest that, finally, this government recognised the real value of the tourism industry to the Northern Territory and has, rightly, injected additional funding to regain our previous strength.
I agree with Sylvia Wolf’s comments. Sylvia is President of Tourism Top End and has stated in the paper that the new Territory tourism campaign of Share Our Story is flat and not exactly grabbing material. After I watched the presentation in Katherine recently, I was not jumping up and down with joy and I did not see anyone else at the presentation very excited, either. Sure, the pictures and glossy brochures were excellent, but when you take into consideration that the majority of repeat visitors to the Northern Territory are predominantly from the drive market, this marketing would not appeal to them.
I know that this targets a different market, but we are not in a position to forget our very strong drive market, which is growing substantially throughout Australia each year. We want a big share of that market because they are the tourists who will return to the Territory time and time again.
One last comment on the glossy marketing brochure: the colours for the Darwin region and Central Australia are quite good, but I can tell you I am not at all impressed with the khaki and mustard colours for the Katherine region. Dull and boring! Yes, a bit like Tennant, I agree.
A member interjecting.
Mrs MILLER: Ours are cacky, and not at all representative of the region and certainly not attractive. I will be watching with interest to see how this $250 000 marketing campaign pans out for tourism.
In Central Australia in tourism, the sealing of the Mereenie Loop will be the biggest boost to the Central Australian tourism industry for many years, and I applaud this decision, as I am sure does the industry in Alice Springs. There is no doubt that it will increase visitation to Kings Canyon and Yulara, in addition to Alice Springs. It goes without saying that tourism in Central Australia would be substantially enhanced with additional airline services into Alice Springs. Until that happens, with extra bums on seats, it will be a continual battle for Central Australian tourism. It is imperative that this government continues fighting tooth and nail to get increased airline services into Alice.
I wish to turn to the area of housing. I support the comments of my colleague, the member for Araluen, in relation to the letters she has received in relation to irresponsible and nuisance tenants. They are reflective of the problems that we also face in Katherine. I continually receive complaints through my office by letter, when I am door-knocking or even walking the streets, about disruptive public housing neighbours. I have the greatest of sympathy for people who are forced to live with neighbours like that. I can assure you that it has resulted in some people leaving Katherine and moving interstate because they have had enough. The sooner that tougher rules and regulations are enforced on public housing unruly tenants the better as far as I am concerned. In the main, public housing tenants in Katherine are very good, but it is the minority that are making it so very difficult for the majority.
In relation to roads, it is good to see the government is spending money on the Sandover, Finke and Plenty Highways. Both sides of this House are in agreement with the standard of our Territory roads – that the standard is not that good - and they need to be substantially improved. I have had lengthy discussions with Dick McArthur, who manages AFD in Katherine, who has expressed great concern about the damage that is constantly being done to the AFD fuel tankers and prime movers when they are delivering fuel to regional and remote areas of the Territory. The damage is caused by poorly maintained roads and, in some instances, tens of thousands of dollars of damage has been caused.
There is no doubt there is considerable damage being caused to our stock road trains as well. The cattle industry is a major contributor to our economy and there is no doubt that the standard of our roads is hindering the future of development of that industry. I know that Stuart Kenny from the Cattlemen’s Association has been lobbying long and hard for improved rural roads and that he has been, as part of his role in the Cattlemen’s Association, to Canberra to lobby, very successfully, for additional funding for rural roads. We need to acknowledge the importance of vastly improving our Territory rural roads.
The social problems in Central Australia are little different from elsewhere in the Territory and that includes Katherine. I have listened to various government ministers since coming into parliament who constantly bag any member of the opposition whenever we discuss social issues, and take every opportunity to say that we do not have any understanding of the issues and how to improve them. I find it quite amazing that for speaking the truth I can be called quite a few things and, among them, negative. I will continue to speak out about social issues that relate to the wellbeing of my community and communities throughout the Northern Territory. I will also continue to speak out about the so-called negative issues that have detrimental effects on the residents I represent. I have always advocated that, besides the programs that have been implemented in Katherine through the Community Harmony Program and the Neighbourhood Watch program, there is still a need for tougher law and order to account for those who will never fit into any organised program; they are just not interested.
The incidence of violent crime in Katherine in the last two weeks alone also reinforces my belief. We have had two separate incidents involving guns in addition to assaults in the last two weeks. One such assault occurred when an innocent young man, attempting to buy something to eat at a roadhouse, was king kit from behind by an unknown assailant and was unconscious for 10 minutes. This is absolutely appalling. He is still in Darwin Hospital having tests for a possible jaw fracture. This type of incident is far too common, not only in Katherine, but throughout the Territory.
I would also like to address the member for Arnhem who talks at most sittings of the Community Harmony Program. I always thought that harmony related to all sectors of the community, and I believe the dictionary meaning of harmony relates to that. I would like to let the minister know that at the time of becoming the member for Katherine I inquired about listening in at the Community Harmony meetings in Katherine. I approached the chairman, who at that time said she would have to think about it - like I am some guru. She came back and said that I was not able to attend the Community Harmony meetings, and that I would be provided with minutes for those meetings. Well, I was provided with minutes for those meetings for a very short time, but I have had to ask four times since if I could have copies of the minutes. I wonder where the community harmony starts and stops because it certainly does not include the local member.
Much emphasis and publicity has been placed on hospitals, health and teachers, and rightly so. However, the plight and future of St John Ambulance in the Northern Territory has not been highlighted anywhere near enough. This very valuable service is under threat, and that includes in the Centre of Australia. That saddens me very deeply, from the point that St John Ambulance has a very dear spot in my heart. I became a volunteer for St John Ambulance in South Australia many moons ago – and I am not going to tell you how many years because it will date me considerably. I gave 15 years of my valuable time, quite willingly, as a volunteer with St John Ambulance in South Australia. Part of that time was as an ambulance driver, and I was on call at night. I was a volunteer and unpaid, but I have the greatest respect for the full-time staff who give up so much of their time to rescue people who have terrible injuries. In the Northern Territory, there is an extra challenge because they have such long distances to travel. I really encourage the government to re-examine the St John Ambulance Service. It is under threat, and I would like to see them give some support and ensure that the future of St John Ambulance in the Northern Territory is assured.
In my role as shadow minister for Mines and Energy, there are some good news stories for Central Australia, with a couple of significant developments. Mithril Resources, which is a very small company, is exploring in Central Australia and have been here a while. Mithril is a recognised company and is looking to progress the developments in the Territory. They are keen to promote their finds which are mainly nickel and copper deposits. I know they are attending the AGES Conference which is being held at the Crowne Plaza as I speak.
Also attending the conference are representatives of the Harts Range deposit that we refer to as garnet sands. I have been advised that the industry would like us to no longer refer to garnet sands; they would like to be called abrasive sands, as the industry does not feel that garnet sands reflects all of the industrial sands contained in the deposit. Therefore, in the future, I will refer to it as abrasive sands. The abrasive sands deposit mined by Olympia is good news for Central Australia, with the company being publicly listed. They have an Indigenous Land Use Agreement, have been environmentally assessed, and intend to begin operation in October this year. With the employment of at least 50 people that is, indeed, good news for mining in the Northern Territory, and especially Central Australia.
Another mining development in the news lately is Deep Yellow, which has actively explored in Central Australia with some very positive drill results. With the announcement of the federal government inquiry into fossil fuel, I hope that the Northern Territory government gives its full support to this company to continue their exploration and development.
In my shadow role in Primary Industry and Fisheries, I would like to touch on the cattle industry. The most serious issue that is affecting the cattle industry in Central Australia at the moment is the drought. The minister touched on that in his speech just prior to mine. It is very grim, and members of the cattle and pastoral industry are in survival mode. While tourism is usually highlighted as the economic saviour of the Northern Territory, we must not lose sight that the cattle industry underpins our economy in Central Australia to the tune of at least $40m and needs government support. A drought policy was signed off by the industry in February 2004 and tabled in Cabinet in November 2004. This policy should have enabled the affected cattle properties to get assistance from the Northern Territory government and, even though I have not had the opportunity to read it, I believe the policy should qualify you if you have had drought conditions for two years. The pastoralists and the cattle industry are very close to that now, so they should be able to qualify for that. Droughts affect everyone, and when pastoralists who are affected by the current drought have to cut back on their spending, it affects all of the businesses that they have to deal with; therefore, it is a roll-on effect.
Another impediment to the development of the pastoral industry is the state of rural and regional roads, and it is gratifying to see that the government and opposition can agree on this point and have a bipartisan agreement to lobby the federal government for additional funding. In the past, the Cattlemen’s Association has been the only successful lobbyist with the federal government to obtain substantial funding for cattle roads in the Northern Territory.
Madam Speaker, it has been a great pleasure to talk on the initiatives, however, as I said, most of what I wanted to talk about were issues which covered my own electorate and the rest of the Northern Territory.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I also want to comment on the Chief Minister’s statement on Central Australia, and to say how much I enjoy coming back to Alice Springs. I first came here in 1964 as a young geography student studying Ayers Rock and the Olgas as it was called then, and Alice Springs. One of my fond memories was when we visited the Oasis, which was owned by Bernie Kilgariff, and we went to the movies there. I can still remember the movie; it was Charade with Cary Grant and - someone else …
Madam SPEAKER: You are showing your age, member for Nelson.
Mr WOOD: Yes. That is getting a bit old, isn’t it? But it shows you what memories I have of Central Australia. Audrey Hepburn is who I was thinking of. …
A member: It was.
Mr WOOD: Yes, I was in love with her. I think my first visit to Central Australia when I was a young bloke convinced me that I would be back in the Northern Territory. I still love coming back to Central Australia, even though I have gone to the more humid climates of the Territory. It is a great place, and I always enjoy the scenery even though at the present time there is a very strong contrast between the green of the north and the brown of the south.
Although we come from different geographical parts of the Territory, people are not any different than they are up in the rural area where I come from, and I certainly enjoy coming back to the Centre. I come here for the Masters now - I have certainly advanced from being a young geography student - and enjoy that. I also spent a lot of time here during my time in local government. It is great to be back, although my skin is starting to crack, and having a shave here you start to peel, so I do notice the difference in climate.
The Chief Minister has produced what I call a ‘nice statement.’ It has some good subjects to discuss regarding various issues in Central Australia. We talk about tourism partnerships, the construction industry, Desert Knowledge, and that is all fine. There is nothing wrong with that. However, I sometimes wonder whether we are losing sight, in all this economic discussion and plans for new development, of what I think is the fundamental basis for growth in the Northern Territory, and that is families, especially young families.
I ask the government, when it heads a statement with ‘Government Initiatives and Achievements’, whether it can say it really has put out initiatives which will achieve help for young people to live, in this case, in Alice Springs, and to stay in Alice Springs. The way you are going to do that is to provide land which is cheap enough for young people to buy so they can spend money on a house that is not any bigger than a cardboard box or a tin shed. This applies in the Top End as well. Recently, I made some announcements that I believe the government should open up its own land for first home owners. When I mentioned that, the interjection I heard was that governments cannot interfere in the market. Well, I think they can. That is exactly why they are government. They are there to help people in the Northern Territory, and the people they need to help when it comes to development are young families.
I have also spoken on issues such as the GST and the cost to all people in the Northern Territory. I see that it as just one of a number of factors that make it hard for people to cope today.
When I have mentioned that we should provide cheaper land, the government has said: ‘We have the HomeNorth scheme’. The HomeNorth scheme is great. There is no doubt about that. It encourages people to secure a loan when in other circumstances perhaps they could not. It is not the issue of the loan; it is how big the loan will be. If the block of land in Alice Springs is going to cost in excess of $100 000 - and I heard today there is a block on Cromwell Drive for sale at $170 000 for about 600 m - how, in your right mind, can any first home owner, young family, find that sort of money unless they have husband and wife both working in the public service at some great high level that can cover that sort of mortgage repayment? The ordinary person cannot afford that sort of payment.
If you want population growth, you need couples to want to have children and if they cannot see that they can afford to have children because the mortgage repayments get them right up to here, then we are not going to encourage families to grow in the Northern Territory. So, whilst HomeNorth is a great idea it is not the solution to people being able to buy land. Yes, they will be able to buy it, but they will be in hock for the rest of their life or they will both have to work. Is that really want we want in society? We have gone from a society at least where someone can stay home and look after the kids. We now have two people working where we, as a government, have to provide enough funds to look after the children. It is sort of a Catch-22. Is that really the way we should have our society? We force people into having to purchase homes that are so expensive that they have to work and have to leave their kids. That is basically what we are doing.
Then there is the issue of insurance. Yesterday, I spoke about the GST and stamp duty. The example I will give you is domestic insurance for a gentleman in my electorate. He had a tax invoice from TIO for a domestic insurance pack which showed a premium of $175.38 plus GST which is 10% which works out at $17.53 and then you have a Northern Territory stamp duty charge of another 10% on top of that inflated price. You have the premium plus GST then you have 10% on top of that total like the bank charges you interest. So the insurance premium originally was $175.38. When it is finished, with all the taxes, it is $212.20. It may be just a little thing, but do not forget you have insurance on your car, you have third party insurance, you will have probably insurance on other assets, all adding up to more costs for families.
Fuel: I forgot to look at the price of fuel, but I know the price of fuel at the Bush Shop at Humpty Doo was $1.15 or it might have been $1.17 a litre. I imagine it is far higher than that in Central Australia. I do not have a car at the moment so I imagine it is about the $1.20, which is very expensive. It is expensive to live in Alice Springs, and you are paying GST on your fuel as well. Do not forget that all this GST is supposed to be coming back to the Northern Territory, which is why I say get rid of our taxes because we are already being taxed so that we can get rid of those taxes. We are being hit twice.
Then there are house prices. The cost of steel in the Northern Territory, and, again, I imagine it is dearer in Central Australia because you have higher transport costs, although I am not sure how much steel comes in by ship to Darwin, but steel has gone up 50% to 100% in the last two years. The cost of a house that is mainly steel construction has gone up enormously. Madam Speaker, as you know, recently we had a briefing from a company during which we were told that a particular project could live or die based on a 16% increase in steel over the last few months. If a company needs to think about whether a major project goes ahead because of the price of steel, how much harder is it going to make it for young people trying to buy a house?
Concrete has gone through the roof; very expensive in Darwin. So two main products for your house, concrete and steel, have gone up enormously in the last two years. All have GST on them. So, again, as the price goes up, so does the GST because the percentage, which is more to the Commonwealth. We get more money back in theory. What are we doing to reduce taxes to try and offset that increased load on young people?
We have to rethink the way we develop our land. I know there is a shortage of land in the Northern Territory and it has taken a long time for that land to be released. During Question Time yesterday, the minister announced that there would be a total of 95 blocks that are going to be released, and six of those blocks would be for first home owners. That is a great idea, but I do have some concerns about that. Alice Springs has a population of nearly 30 000, Litchfield Shire has a population of about 17 000 people. My figures are that, starting last year and moving into this year and next year, Litchfield Shire will have approximately 320 blocks up for development. So there is land available in our area.
In Alice Springs, nearly twice as big, they are only turning off 90 blocks of land. No wonder your prices are going through the roof for very small blocks. What can you do about it? If there are issues of native title, I believe those issues need to be worked through. There is some concern that perhaps the government has arbitrarily worked out a native title value; that is an issue that needs more debate. But, if the native title discussions take a long period of time, do we have in the pipeline a process which will recognise that this is going to take a fair length of time so there will not be delays in the future of developing more land?
The other issue I worry about is that land which is Crown land and, of course, has native title, is and has been changed from when the government itself would develop that land, as it did in the northern suburbs and, I would imagine, at some time or another, did it in Alice Springs. They now sell that land to a developer, which means the developer must not only make a profit on development of the land, but he must recover the costs that the government has received from that developer. Now, to me, that is middle man money that does not need to exist. That is artificially increasing the value of land in the Northern Territory. I believe that with Larapinta Stage 4, the Aboriginal community, in partnership, I believe with a company called Asland Development, is developing the 40 blocks in Larapinta Stage 4. That company, Asland, will have to recover profits from the land, and that makes the land more expensive. Why, for instance, cannot the government develop the land with the Aboriginal community and sell it direct to the public, which would certainly reduce the price of the land? I believe we have to go back to saying this land is our land, and I am being totally inclusive there, and that we need to be able to buy that land at a reasonable price, not an inflated price. Otherwise, we will not keep young families in Alice Springs, we will not retain old people in Alice Springs, people will leave and, if Alice Springs is to grow like every other small or medium-sized town in the Territory, then you must retain your young people and you must retain your old people. Otherwise, the place will become stagnant.
To me, that is one of the most important issues the government should look at when it produces a statement on Central Australia. For sure, many of these issues are fine issues. I do keep track of a lot of the issues in Alice Springs. Public housing is certainly an issue that has come to my attention. We know the issues of alcohol abuse, and that is an issue that has been going on for a long time, and substance abuse, which we know is a dreadful scourge in society. We know there are issues with the hospital. There are issues about the heritage, there was the protest out there yesterday regarding the Rieff Buildings. There is talk about the Mall, whether it should be reopened or not, sounds exactly the same discussion as they are having in Darwin at the present time. So I try and keep in touch with Central Australian issues.
I would also like to talk about horticulture in the Central Australian region. I know the minister was probably a bit short for time, but he gave about one paragraph to horticulture, and I believe that is an area that has a lot more promise than perhaps it is given. We certainly know that there are issues about water, and there are probably issues also about land, but Alice Springs, at least, in what I call the Dry Season, or in the winter season, or spring and autumn, is a great place to grow vegetables, certainly in the hotter times of the year it can be extremely difficult to grow some vegetables. Alice Springs has 11% of the total value of fruit and vegetables in the Northern Territory. I was just trying to find what that is in dollar figures, but it certainly is a large amount in dollar figures.
However, the thing that concerns me is that, when you look at the value of the Northern Territory fruit and vegetable industry from 1993 to 2003, since 2001 where it plateaued to 2003, it has actually gone down. These are the figures from the department. There has been a slow decline in the production of fruit and vegetables in the Northern Territory. That may not have anything to do with the government per se; it could do with prices or yields - I know mangoes certainly had a bad year that year. It would concern me if an important industry like the fruit and vegetable industry starts to decline. In fact, in Alice Springs, there was an increase of 11.2%, whilst in the Top End there was a decrease of 14.2%. There is the potential there for the Alice Springs fruit and vegetable market to grow. One day, I would like to hear a detailed statement on the horticultural industry from the minister, especially in the Centre of Australia, what he thinks the prospects of the water and markets would be.
On a similar issue, there has been much talk about the health of Aboriginal communities regarding having their own fresh fruit and vegetables. There have been moves to try to increase the number of gardens on Aboriginal communities. It would be interesting to hear from the minister whether some of those movements have been successful, and whether Aboriginal communities are now starting to develop vegetable gardens as they used to in years gone by. They are certainly important if you are trying to look at the health of those communities. We used to have them many years ago; I was one of the people who was part of that. They certainly seem to have dropped off, and I believe that is something that the government needs to be looking at seriously to make sure it works.
The other area which I discussed last night was energy. The minister said there is going to be some exploration in this area. However, I am interested to know what the government’s policy is on future energy sources for Alice Springs. I believe Alice Springs runs on diesel generation or gas at Palm Valley. However, what is the future of that gas supply - 2009? What are we going to do then?
A member: 2007.
Mr WOOD: 2007?
A member interjecting.
Mr WOOD: Oh, 2011? We have higher bids here. In speaking to a certain company the other day, they were working on the figure of 2009. It would be interesting to know what the government has as an alternative for energy supplies in the Alice Springs area.
I have spoken about hot rocks. I know people might say that is pie in the sky; I do not think it is. It would be interesting to get a statement from the government about their plans for energy in Central Australia because, without a fuel or water supply, Alice Springs will die. It will be interesting to see what the plans are for the government in that area.
They are probably some of the issues that could have been included in the statement. I know that ministers take over some of the areas that the Chief Minister does not put in her statement. Perhaps the initial statement could be far bigger, so that all ministers give their statements up-front so that we can hear what the government is proposing. The method we have here, of course, is that someone else speaks on the subject before the minister has made their statement. It may be best to have a whole-of-government approach to what they think should happen in Central Australia.
Madam Speaker, there are many good initiatives that government has in the statement, but I do not think it has really got to the core of where we should be looking. Without families and communities that are healthy, all of these initiatives can come to nil. I believe the real key to that is lowering the cost of living. The government has it in their hands to try to help do that through the reduction in its own taxes and by trying to at least be proactive in releasing large areas of land so that the market does not go through the roof, and land is affordable for young people. When that happens, you will find that places like Alice Springs will continue to grow. It is such a great place to live, with a great climate, and just a beautiful part of Australia.
Mr DUNHAM (Drysdale): You get bush mechanics, Madam Speaker, and bush lawyers; and me and the member for Nelson, we are bush economists. Some of that is very good stuff. Like others before me, it is important to give your bona fides as to why you should stand up and profess your great affection for the town of Alice Springs. It seems to be the way of this debate that we all stand up and say, ‘I went for a bike ride on the Larapinta Trail and fell in love with the sunset’, or something, as one of our members said. For me, I lived here in 1986. I was the Director of Aboriginal Field Services in a department called the Department of Community Development. My son, Joe, was born at the Alice Springs Hospital, which, I would venture to say, was in much better shape then than it is now, apparently. We were happy to move to Alice Springs. We moved from Katherine, and coming from there, we came to the big smoke.
Many people come to Alice Springs from Sydney or Melbourne or wherever and they think they are in a small town, but we had K-Mart and stuff like that, and we were really quite taken aback. My kids went to OLSH, as did their grandmother, my mother. She was evacuated from the Top End of the Northern Territory when Darwin was bombed and citizens could not return for some time. She went to boarding school here at OLSH, and will tell you stories which will curl your hair about boarding schools and the Catholic school system at OLSH.
My grandmother’s sister, Eileen, had the good fortune to marry a bloke called Gordon Stott who was my godfather. He was a great man, and a great policeman, and was taught in this town by Ida Stanley. He joined the police force, as his father did before him, and he lived at many towns throughout the Territory, including Daly River and Timber Creek. He was the second policeman at Timber Creek, and the first policeman at Elliott. I can say, that due to my job with Aboriginal Field Services, I travelled to most of the communities in this area. I will not profess to have a good knowledge of the Centre, and I will not profess to have a good knowledge of the issues in those communities, however, I have a great affection for this town.
We proudly tell our youngest son, Joe, where his origins and heritage are, and he is proud to be a native of Alice Springs. If you dug through the history of many of the members of this parliament, you would find that Alice Springs features largely in our lives. It is a good thing that we get the opportunity to come to this town, stand up here and proclaim our bona fides as a government and as a putative government, as to what this town means to policy makers and law makers, and what we will do to advance the interests of the local people.
I thought I would divide my speech into three bits. The first is the little precursor about where I come from. The second is statistics, as it is a bit tricky talking about what you are going to do if the statistics do not bear it up. I will talk about the Chief Minister’s road map, which is her speech. We have a speech before parliament and I have a copy of it here somewhere. If you went to the speech, you would be led to believe by the Chief Minister it is her road map for how Alice Springs will grow. She says it in the early part of her speech on page 2 of the statement, and I quote:
It is evident to everybody that the government is well and truly cashed up. It is evident from the budget papers, and these are widely available public documents. They are available on-line, or in libraries, or whatever. If they were interested, I would refer members and people from Alice Springs to Budget Paper No 2, 2004-05. It has a glorious chart which shows how fast GST money is growing. It also shows that from the $1.2bn which the CLP received in its last year of government, it is now up to $1.7bn. There is $0.5bn extra coming to the Territory this year, above what the CLP received in its last year. Indeed, the Auditor-General is staggered at the amount of money coming in too, and he provided a report to us in the last sittings of parliament, and said:
So we are getting more money in than we are spending. That is what he was telling us.
So there is a fair bit of cash floating around. One wonders, therefore, why this masquerade of the black hole, the Chief Minister’s continuing statements about how little was done under the previous CLP government and how we left them with no cash. It is a myth, an absolute myth and it is perpetrated by people who interject and say ‘Yep, yep.’
Mr Henderson: It is the truth.
Mr DUNHAM: It is actually a lie …
Mr Henderson: $214m!
Mr DUNHAM: It can easily be shown. What we told the Chief Minister to do with her first budget was please do not cut the money earners. Do not cut tourism, do not cut primary industries and do not cut mining. Bingo! She got the trifecta; she cut the whole lot of them. And the budget papers reveal it and I have brought copies for people who might think that I was speaking off the top of my head, but I am quite happy to show members of the gallery later on if you want, copies of the budget papers which show those obscene and stupid cuts.
We then have the Treasurer - Mr Numbers himself – who yesterday spoke on this statement. He was really snaky that there was some discussion about a drop in population. I will quote from him, so as not to misquote him, from Debates in Hansard, Tuesday, 22 March 2005:
That is today! Gosh! They might be available to us if we look up the ‘net.
Unfortunately, Mr Treasurer, we are not talking about the Territory; we are talking about Alice Springs. When you talk about Alice Springs, it is interesting that he uses the growth rate of 0.7% because it does not apply here. Regional growth population is available from the ABS. It is on-line. Again, if people want copies they can come and see me if they like, but it is pretty interesting to go to what is happening here.
Sure, the Territory has grown by 0.7%. He did not tell a porky about that. He is dead right. It did grow by 0.7%. That is building on a decline. So what ABS will tell you is that estimated population growth increase of 1400 people or 0.7% since June 2003 after a slight decrease of 0.1% in 2002-03. The last time we had a decrease was Cyclone Tracy. That is the effect this Labor government has had on the Territory. It has cut the wealth-producing portions of the budget, it has had cash flowing in and it has had people leaving.
Alice Springs, let’s have a look, let’s see how you are travelling down here. I wonder. Page 30 gives you the largest growth and the largest decline. Katherine 2.2%, Alice Springs - and its divided into two statistical divisions – Ross with a population of 7500, a decline 160 or -2.1%; Alice Springs-Larapinta -120, -1.3%. The population here is declining, an incredible statistical fact that seems to have slipped out of both the Chief Minister’s and the Treasurer’s capacity to talk about this.
Why would that be so? It is so because this government has abrogated any sense of leadership in terms of developing this place and we see it if we go to point 3. Having dealt with some statistics, let’s go to the Chief Minister’s statement. The Chief Minister was quite provocative, I thought, when the Leader of the Opposition was speaking, and she was very noisy with a particular interjection. In fact, this interjection occurs 12 times, and despite her being heard in silence, it is frequently peppered throughout the contribution made by the Leader of the Opposition. I will read a couple of them out:
And on and on and on. This is actually a question from the Leader of the Opposition, where he asked the Chief Minister why it was such a problem down here to put some money in and get this place going. And the Chief Minister said on Tuesday, 22 March 2005:
That is her speech.
If you go to page 9 of your document, Chief Minister, you say there has been no forward planning in the previous five years, and then you go on to mention Alice in 10 a number of times in your document. Well, that is pretty dumb speech writing, whoever wrote this for you, because you have attributed to us all the way through something of our origin and making and construct, and then one of your glossy spin doctors has come in and done the usual political hyperbole over the top of it, but it just does not work.
In Alice in 10, Desert Knowledge - whacky doo! That is one of the ones we had. Mining is at page 11, where I think you say something like it is a wonderful thing to have mining and that has come out of Alice in 10. Likewise, lifestyle, on page 16 of your speech, where you talk about developing events in a number of Alice in 10 projects. So there are at least three or four CLP projects you have pinched and stuck in your speech as a gammon Labor street map, road map, come what may.
What is worse is, I have counted a dozen CLP initiatives that are peppered through this speech. If you want to talk about land and how you have released land, it has taken you years longer than it should have, by taking your own adventurous path through the wilderness, instead of using the statutorily laid down, normal method of dealing with Aboriginal native title. You may proudly claim that you have some wonderful new thing - it is new, that is correct, but it ain’t better, and it certainly takes longer. So forget land.
Charles Darwin University is in your speech. Well, Charles Darwin University used to be NTU, and the CLP fought Labor governments in Canberra to get that going. We fully funded it and we proudly claim it as one of our great ideas.
The old gaol - I wonder who preserved that faade? That was us, too. Pioneer Women …
A member interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: Here a lot longer than you, mate. The Centre for Remote Health - would that be the thing over near the hospital that we talked to Dr Wooldridge years ago about getting? The film industry - the film industry is a good one. I went to a restaurant here once and went into the toilet and there was bloke called Tom Sellick standing there. There was another fellow called Mr Belushi came here. There have been various people come here and make movies in the centre. This ain’t your idea. Great idea, nonetheless.
The arts - well, I am sure people would be interested to know that the art that has been around the world, sold through Sotherby’s and other auction houses for decades, is the wonderful street map of the Chief Minister. Traeger Park - yes, Traeger Park is a pretty good idea too. That is one of the ones we built. The Finke Desert Race - I am sure people are interested to know the Finke Desert Race is one of your little street map things. The Masters Games at page 18. And, of course, the Night Patrol.
Chief Minister, if you want to stand up and scream at the Leader of the Opposition: ‘Where is your plan, where is your plan? Have a look at my plan’, I suggest you get a few footnotes on this document, and start to attribute them to where they are properly attributed. This is the greatest work of plagiarism I have seen in my life. This is pinching ideas from somewhere else, dressing it up - some of them have not even been given a new name. If you are going to pinch someone’s cattle, make sure you put your brand on the top better. This has the CLP brand all over it. If you really want to go out cattle-rustling for ideas, make sure that your over-branding is a bit better.
There are a couple of things in this statement that really stun me - absolutely stun me! She talked about how they have talked to all these train people about coming through Alice now, apparently - trains coming through Alice! It has been a big surprise to a few people and the Tourist Commission must be one of them. The Chief Minister proudly tells us at page 8 of her statement that she has talked to CEO of Great Southern Railways, ‘Got a great idea; got a brochure here I will show you’. This is the commitment she made on behalf of the people of Alice Springs - you should be pleased with this: ‘I made a commitment for the Northern Territory Tourist Commission to work with GSR on this initiative’. Well, blow me down! What are they doing? This is their bread and butter! This is everyday stuff! If the Chief Minister has to give a commitment that the Tourist Commission will work with Great Southern Railways, no wonder we are in trouble! Did they need your permission? Hasn’t someone sitting there at the base level of that department got a duty statement, saying, ‘Please get tourists to Alice Springs, by plane, by boat, by car - whatever. Please get them into Alice Springs’?
The problem you have, Chief Minister, is you have come down here just before an election with something you proudly claim to be all you own work. We know it has been plagiarised. We know that there is scant an idea that has come out of you in the last three years. We know you have much more cash than any previous government in the Northern Territory. We know you are taxing us at greater levels than ever before. We know you cut the money-growing areas of the industries of tourism, primary industries and mining. Those cuts - and I can go back to my quotes in the Parliamentary Record of the day: this is pretty stupid economics, Chief Minister. We are now reaping that economic stupidity and we are reaping it in a way that has seen people leaving this place.
I heard your contribution, Madam Speaker, and I agree with you. The bonds that people make in a neighbourhood are not just bonds of ‘The bloke next door is a mechanic and he works in the garage’. Your kids know each other; you might go to the same BMX club or the same football ground. Heaven forbid! You might even have a beer together and go to the races and share some tips. For those people to be leaving this town is a vast asset loss. We cannot just look at it in terms of: ‘Oh well, we have lost a couple of jobs’. You have lost kids from OLSH; somebody who goes shopping at K-Mart; someone who goes out to the Telegraph Station and has a barbecue; someone who might go down to Kittles and buy a Holden next year. He is not going to buy it next year from Kittles, because he is in Ballarat, Bendigo, Canberra or Melbourne. You have to pull this up. It cannot be just left at the feet of industry to say: ‘You are going to have to come up with some good ideas. Like Great Southern Railway, I will give you a commitment on the work with you’.
Well, good on you, Chief Minister. We need more than a commitment that you are going to work with people. We need a commitment that you are going to put some initiatives into this place. Alice in 10 initiatives - by all means pinch them! They are good ideas; great ideas. Mind you, they are getting a bit old now. Alice in 10 is about eight years ago. Start coming up with a bit of new stuff, particularly since you are going to an election and you ask for people to vote for you for the next four years ...
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I move an extension of 10 minutes to allow my colleague to complete his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr DUNHAM: Thank you, very generous of you.
This statement is a bit short on that. You want to know, if you live in Alice Springs, not that we have Charles Darwin University here, the Finke Desert race, and the Masters Games. You do not want to know that. You want to know what is going to happen in 2009. One of the best ways of judging the future is to look at how accurate we have been with the past. I do not think anyone would take racing tips from this Chief Minister, as she has an abysmally poor record with anticipating a good event. A good event, for somebody who carries the purse-strings, you should be able to influence a bit. You should be able to put your money there and say not only will that horse win, but I will make sure the right tucker goes in the right jockey, and I will get them to the right places. Well, she ain’t even doing that.
The Chief Minister did depart from her speech a couple of times, and that was pretty interesting. The tradition in parliament is to get a speech, come in the next day, make a few notes, and you hear it delivered pretty much as written. One of the most interesting deletions was at page 9 where the Hansard record will show that there is a future thing; here is a government going to do something next term. It starts with, and we are talking about the famous Mereenie Loop: ‘When the sealing of this road is completed in 2007-08 …’ - that was deleted. We do not want an end point in there; we do not want a date that might catch us. Interestingly, that date is within the next four years. This might be something we do not want to be caught on the next term, in the unfortunate event for Territorians that we win, so let us put it in the term after. She talks about how tricky that is going to be, ‘We are going to build this, and it is an ambitious and challenging project’. Ambitious and challenging is climbing Everest. Ambitious and challenging – 260 km of road?
A member: 260 km of road you did not do.
Mr DUNHAM: Give me a break! Did not do it? The interjection is we did not do it. We built thousands of kilometres of dirt road into bitumen …
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: Okay, it might be challenging for you. We used to do it as a matter of chore. We used to have a capital works program and say let us put some seal on the road and the graders would come in. Some of the great companies - and the Chief Minister eulogised Henry Walker Eltin recently and what they used to do. They used to do this ambitious and challenging work. They used to go with graders, scrape the gibbers off the road, put the stuff on, and put the bitumen on. Challenging and ambitious as it was, we built thousands of kilometres of this. If this is a hard one for you, please get out of the way. If that is the hardest thing you are going to do, get out of the way.
The other problem you have is that I do not believe some of the things in here. I know, Madam Speaker, you cannot use the word ‘lie’ and I will not. When at page 6, the Chief Minister says, and this is in relation to the wonderful effort she has done with giving our parks away - so we went to the cocktail party and the Chief Minister said, ‘I love Alice Springs, I hopped on a bike here once, went riding, and had a look at this wonderful park …’, which was put in by the CLP, I have to tell you. Not only the park, but the prison labour that constructed the walk path. Anyway, it was a great thing to see, and I will go back to the quote, page 6:
I would like the Chief Minister to confirm to this parliament in reply that her giving away the 20 parks - do not forget that the High Court decision identified 49 parks; Ward said there is a problem with 49 parks - you have given away a big mob of them …
Ms Martin: To whom?
Mr DUNHAM: To people other than the Crown. They were owned by the people, and they are now owned by private interests.
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: You should know this! You should have come to the debate!
A member: Who did we give them to?
Mr DUNHAM: Private interests.
A member: All Territorians.
Mr DUNHAM: No, they have not!
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: This is interesting, people of Alice Springs. What we have here is a minister of the Crown who is pretending that parks which used to belong to everybody and have now been given to sectional interests, is somehow racist for me to say. Rubbish! Hogwash! Hogwash!
If the people do not own them any more, they are given away! Go and do a title search! See if your name is still on the top. It is not. It is gone. You do not own it any more. It is very simple conveyancing. I will tell you: they are gone. That is not what I want you to confirm because we have had that debate. We know the Chief Minister is empowered through three different pieces of legislation, seven muck-ups and a barrage of legal advice to now give our parks away. We know that. We know that and, as tragic as it is, that has happened.
What I want her to confirm, though, is the statement that she has made in this little piece of evidence to parliament and that is ‘at no cost in terms of litigation’. I do not believe that to be the case.
A member interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: How much did Keep cost? The Keep River will probably cost a lot of money. The Keep River people have issued a media release and said that they are going to take this government to court. So good is this great method of negotiating that the people at Keep River are so aggrieved, they are going to see you in court. So at no cost in terms of litigation? Well, I believe it.
The operation of the Ghan: 1000 passengers a week. How many were there last week? What else do we have in here that is worth a look? Desert Knowledge! If it is hard to build a dirt road, if it is hard to put some bitumen down, if that is ambitious and challenging, wait until you get to Desert Knowledge. Desert Knowledge is bold and ambitious. You know who the bold and ambitious people who put it on the plan were? Us! We did that. I did not think we were being bold and ambitious when we did it.
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: I did not have a clue I was being bold and ambitious. I was in Cabinet. We signed off and we said, ‘This is great!’.
Members interjecting.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order! Stop. Everyone stop. We will have no more comments like that across the floor, member for Araluen. I ask you to apologise or withdraw that remark.
Ms CARNEY: What remark?
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: The ‘get your hand off it’ remark, member for Araluen. That is the remark you will withdraw.
Ms CARNEY: I will gladly withdraw that remark, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
Mr DUNHAM: No, I do not mind if he has got his hand on it. Anyway, back - I do not mind. It does not offend me.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order! Member for Drysdale …
Mr DUNHAM: What?
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: We will not have any of that here. Now, you will withdraw that.
Mr DUNHAM: I withdraw, ‘I do not mind if he has his hand on it’. It is withdrawn. Okay.
If you thought it was hard to build a road, the Desert Knowledge is bold and ambitious. I sat in Cabinet, I read the papers and thought, ‘Gee, this is a good idea’, and we put the money in. Little did I know that I was being bold and ambitious. Little did I know. But, here we go! It is a great idea nonetheless and I am glad the Chief Minister takes such a swagger when she talks about it.
The best thing for her to do is to catch a cab, put some sunnies on, a scarf over the head, catch a cab and say, ‘I would like to go to the Desert Knowledge park, thank you’ and see what he tells you. I tell you he will laugh all the way there, and as he drives into Avenue of Honour and you say, ‘Drop me at building 13, will you?’, he will say, ‘No, that is it, lady. Get out here’. It is a little bit of bold, ambitious roadway going in, coming out and out there is mulga scrub. The irony is that this is the repository of great knowledge in the Labor Party. We are going to the world with this little cul-de-sac and they are going to swoon.
It is interesting that the Chief Minister wants to acknowledge the importance and value of the pastoral industry and the government has allocated $3m for roads on the Sandover, Finke and Plenty Highways, $3m. No wonder bold and ambitious comes into it: $3m will not scrape the gibbers off the top of it. If you think the pastoral industry is valuable, you need a lot more than $3m, and we know you have a lot more. You are building a hostel here, an Aboriginal hostel, which Aboriginal hostel people build as well, but you have decided to build one as well – that is $3m – it is cheap. You have a petrol sniffing program that is going to cost $10m. These things make money. These things make cash.
Social programs are good, petrol sniffing is bad, I agree with you: $10m for petrol sniffers; $3m for pastoralists’ roads. That is not a good priority, and …
Mr Henderson interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: The interjection is, ‘It is not a priority to save kids’ lives’. If you want to enter this debate, mate, about saving kids’ lives, you will call your colleague to apologise because what he did to my colleague, the member for Macdonnell is, given his great strength and fortitude, probably not going to have a massive impact on him, but it does on others, it does on others. So if you want to stand up here and piously claim your morality, mate, you do it in that debate. And you will not bring it on, we know, because of a thing called courage.
Anyway, I will leave it there but, for those members of Alice Springs who want to know how to vote, get this thing and have a read. I will footnote it for you if you want, I will show you where the ideas come from, if you think they are broke, I will show you the budget papers, and if the Chief Minister stands and says, ‘Woe is me’ …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Your time has expired, member for Drysdale.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Industry): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker and, as my colleague said, thank heavens for that. If there was ever a performance that just goes to show the arrogance of the CLP and the member for Drysdale - heaven help if they are returned to government. The arrogance that they were booted out for is alive and well. Again, from the member for Drysdale, an opportunity for the CLP, for somebody who was a minister in the previous government, to put forward their plans and agenda for developing the economy and social fabric of Central Australia, and what did we hear from the member for Drysdale? Nothing but a tirade of tired abuse.
People in Alice Springs, and I am sure every word that is uttered in this parliament is recorded on Hansard, have seen the member for Drysdale in his true colours here, but I will remind people of a comment that the member for Drysdale made in the parliament in Darwin probably 12 months ago now. They certainly have no plans for the Northern Territory, but they certainly believe they have a rightful inheritance in terms of returning to government. The member for Drysdale stood up in the parliament in Darwin, proclaiming how good one of their new candidates was and, in extolling the candidate’s virtues, said that, ‘One day we will return to our rightful inheritance in governing this place’. And that is just what you heard from the member for Drysdale. The arrogance knows absolutely no bounds.
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker!
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is a point of order. One moment please, minister. Member for Drysdale, do not yell at the Chair.
Mr DUNHAM: I did not think you could hear me.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Do not yell at the Chair, member for Drysdale, or I will put you on a caution. What is your point of order?
Mr DUNHAM: My point of order is that if members are quoting other members’ contributions to the Parliamentary Record, it should be read directly from the Parliamentary Record.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Drysdale.
Mr HENDERSON: If the member for Drysdale wants me to dig it even deeper for him, I will get the exact quote, because it was appalling. I can tell the member for Drysdale it will certainly be appearing prominently in our television advertisements in the lead-up to the election. The people of the Northern Territory need to understand that the CLP has no plans for the future of the Northern Territory. They just believe they have a rightful inheritance in terms of governing this place. Well, they do not. What they should be doing in this debate is putting forward bold and courageous plans for the development of the Northern Territory and Central Australia. What we heard from the member for Drysdale was a trip down memory lane and just how arrogant they were when they were in government. I am sure the people of the Northern Territory will have long memories of the 26 years of arrogance when the CLP were in power and the neglect of so many areas of their responsibilities of government. I am absolutely appalled.
I only did two years in opposition, many of my colleagues did many years more, but this is a contest of ideas in this place, and there are always going to be different priorities for expenditure between what the government of the day is spending public money on and what the opposition believes would be a priority for them in government. $3bn is a pretty big budget to identify some priorities, to say, ‘$3m in beef roads, well that is not too much. We would double it or triple it. We would put $10m in, not $3m’. It would not be very difficult to find $10m out of a $3bn budget that you could point to as saying excess glossy brochures, or too much ministerial travel, or too much hospitality and entertainment. There would be many areas where you could find $10m.
However, for the opposition to point to a program to try to reduce the harm caused by petrol sniffing in the Northern Territory as some sort of waste of money or wrong priority for the government to be spending money on …
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: Whether it is $20m or $10m – you are supposed to be a doctor! You should be ashamed of yourself! You should be ashamed of yourself, member for Greatorex. Out of a $3bn budget, you would begrudge the government of the Northern Territory trying to reduce the harm that petrol sniffing causes - not only to individual kids, but to the communities they live in. The legacy cost that those petrol sniffers are going to incur on the budget in years ahead in medical and clinical care is an absolute outrage. Any wonder that the opposition does not like the government calling the opposition dog whistlers because that is exactly what they are doing. They are pointing to this government somehow prioritising money on social programs for Aboriginal people ahead of the economy. Well, as a father …
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: One minute, please minister.
Mr DUNHAM: I am not sure what the word means, but I wonder if the phrase ‘dog whistler’ is allowable under the rules of parliament?
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Drysdale.
Mr Dunham: It is allowable? That is all I am asking.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Drysdale. Please take your seat.
Mr HENDERSON: As a father and somebody who has been elected to this office, I find nothing distresses me more than going around the Northern Territory and seeing kids walking around with cans of petrol under their noses, and the fact that they are destroying their lives.
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: One of the most significant pieces of correspondence that came across my desk as a minister - again, somebody who is supposed to be a doctor of medicine who had a professional commitment to healing the sick …
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: … it is outrageous that he would deny spending money in this area. Again, it is just beyond …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex!
Mr HENDERSON: … belief, the member for Greatorex. He really is beyond belief. Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, you …
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex!
Mr HENDERSON: Devastation is occurring in the Northern Territory due to petrol sniffing and, as a developed first world country, other states, other countries, and people around the world are looking at the Northern Territory and asking how we can allow this to happen - and continue to happen - in a first world country. Well, again, it is something that does deserve to be tackled. The government is not the entire panacea for this; communities have to take responsibility, as do parents. We cannot sweep this under the carpet.
For the opposition to continually use this expenditure of money in trying to alleviate the harm caused by petrol sniffing in the Northern Territory as some sort of wrong priority or a waste of money is absolutely outrageous. And, like a dog returning to its vomit, the CLP opposition is certainly going back to the sad, old, tired days of the past where they seek to divide and rule this community in the Northern Territory, and return to their rightful inheritance of dividing and ruling.
I urge the opposition that, if they are seeking to enter into a contest of ideas and priorities in expenditure in the Northern Territory, find something else - glossy brochures, travel, find something else, but not petrol sniffing. We will get out to all those communities and say, ‘The first thing that they will cut when they get into government will be the petrol sniffing programs and your kids, as far as the opposition are concerned, can go to heck and back’. That is what we can see from the member for Drysdale: a rightful inheritance, no plan, and a return to the bad old days of divide and rule in the Northern Territory.
Let us move on to the economic debate and talking about the government rolling in money that the CLP did not have. Let us go back to what we did inherit - again, instructive for the people in Alice Springs.
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: This is to do with the budget. Following up on the member for Drysdale, I am sure my colleague, the Chief Minister, in reply will follow up even further.
I remind Territorians of exactly what we did inherit, and the collusion and the falsehoods that were delivered to the people of the Northern Territory in the last budget the CLP produced just weeks prior to the last election. They handed down a budget which projected a budget deficit for the financial year 2002-03 of $9m. Let us look again at a letter from the then CEO, Paul Bartholomew, which was tabled in this House which went to show the member for Drysdale’s complicity in the cover-up …
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: They do not want to hear it because this is the truth. This is not the government. This is the CEO of the Health department, and let me just talk about this.
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: Well, they do not want to hear it. They do not want to hear the falsehoods they perpetrated on the people of the Northern Territory. This is a letter from the then Territory Health Services CEO to the new Health Minister, the member for Nightcliff:
A member: $8m?
Mr HENDERSON: Oh, it is only $8m! That is okay. He has finally agreed to it. There was an artificial reduction:
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: He is now saying, ‘Oh, it is only $8m; it does not matter, it is only $8m’. Well, certainly, they would go back there again.
Yes, there are increased revenues coming to the Northern Territory, however, those revenues are being expended in terms of more police out on the beat, more nurses in our hospitals and clinics, more teachers in our schools, a bigger mental health budget, funding for additional resources for the fire services in the Northern Territory and our corrections services. All of that money is being expended on delivering better services to the people of the Northern Territory and record tax cuts.
The member for Drysdale did not mention that the Northern Territory is the lowest taxing jurisdiction for small business in Australia, and that is something that we will certainly keep in place, as a result of record tax cuts. Currently, we are the smallest taxing jurisdiction for small businesses with 20 employees or fewer. From July 1, Territory businesses with 40 employees or fewer will be in the lowest taxing jurisdiction in Australia, a great record from this government.
This myth that people are leaving the Territory in droves - I keep saying that the member for Drysdale needs to get out more. Obviously he is wallowing in his own misery since he was confined to the opposition benches. Again, I will point out to honourable members that we live in a market economy and, yes, I agree with the member for Drysdale, I am a bush economist as well. However, I do know that in a market economy it is all about supply and demand. If you look at the real estate monitor which is not a left-wing, chardonnay-swilling, Labor supporting lobby group. This is the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory, and one of their candidates in Alice Springs is a member. These are not government figures, or an allegation that the crime statistics are all part of some police fabrication on crime figures. This comes from the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory. What does it say about the housing market in the Northern Territory? I will tell you what it says about Alice Springs.
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: There you go, come in spinner. This is for the December 2004 quarter and, again, the member for Drysdale should get out more and actually see what is happening in this great Territory of ours. I quote:
Everyone is leaving town, but unit sales are at a record level! Everyone is leaving town, according to the member for Drysdale.
The median price rose again, surpassing the overall Darwin figure for the first time - for the first time! Even when the CLP was in government the overall sales in the unit market had never been above the Darwin market. So this left wing rabble group, the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory, is saying that the market is going pretty well at the moment. People are coming to the Territory and buying real estate in record numbers.
Let us look at the Territory’s growth rate. Let us read this:
There are graphs in here. When they left office the vacancy rates in the housing and unit markets across the Northern Territory were in the realms of 12%. It is now down to 3.8%. How does that happen when everyone has been leaving the Northern Territory? It then goes on to say:
So more stock has come onto the market since December 2001.
So, we have the bush economist, the member for Drysdale, saying people are leaving the Territory in droves, we are going backwards at a rate of knots, the economy is in an absolute shambles and one of the fundamental indicators of the economy, the vacancy rate in the housing market across the Northern Territory is at an all time low. So the great bush economist from Drysdale certainly needs to be able to get up and explain how that works to an Economics 101 class. Really, he needs to get out more and see what is happening across the Northern Territory.
Let us talk about Alice Springs. Things are so bad in Alice Springs that people are leaving in droves, no one is going to get any return on their investment. Let us look at the paper for Tuesday, 22 March 2005:
So the private sector has just recently invested $20m, which is a pretty significant project here in Alice Springs. Now, if everyone was leaving the joint, if tourism was falling through the floor, if there was no vision for the place - the only people who do not have confidence in the Northern Territory are the mob opposite. They are the only people in the Northern Territory who do not have confidence because investment is at record levels across the Northern Territory at the moment.
The biggest single issue that we are facing is getting enough skilled workers to develop these projects. You get out and talk to any businessman in the construction sector and they say: ‘Look, I would love to tender for this work,’ or ‘I would love to put my hand up,’ or ‘people are approaching me for work all the time and I cannot take it on because I am flat out and I cannot get enough staff.’ If that is an indication of an economy that is falling through the floor, it certainly is not indicative of what is happening out there in a market economy.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, the only people who are doom and gloom about the Northern Territory are the opposition. They have no plan. They have no plan for the Centre, they have no plan for the Top End, and they have no plan for the Territory in between. All they have is a yearning for their rightful inheritance to government, and a very lazy inheritance it was, given the huge problems that we inherited coming to government just three-and-a-half years ago.
I will pick up on the member for Nelson’s comment on the initiatives and investing for families. I could not agree more and it is certainly something that should tax a lot more of this parliament’s debate in terms of how we should be supporting families and investment in the Northern Territory in first homes and, again, one of the legacies that we inherited was the lowest home ownership rate in Australia by a long way. I pay tribute to my colleague, the member for Arnhem and Minister for Housing, for the great initiative of HomeNorth because we have seen, unlike the rest of Australia, a massive increase in first home purchases …
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale!
Mr HENDERSON: … in the Northern Territory. He does not like a good story, you know. He really does not like anything positive. We can see that the first home market is growing rapidly out of proportion, out of kilter with the rest of …
Ms LAWRIE: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I move that the member be granted an extension of time such that he may conclude his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
With regard to the first land release in 10 years, we heard the traditional owners at the welcoming ceremony for the second Alice Springs parliament say it was fantastic to be able to work in partnership with the government to secure the land release at Larapinta. I was out there three weeks ago and drove over the country that is being subdivided. It is absolutely fantastic to see that, for the first time in 10 years, we will have land released, and I am sure a significant number of those buyers out there will be first home owners. There is money in the budget for headworks to open up Mt John, and with the goodwill that has been engendered with the Larapinta land release, we have confidence that that goodwill will flow through to the Mt John land release. It just goes to show that if we work together in partnership in the Northern Territory we can achieve outcomes.
This is a government that is not going to talk about winners and losers. This is a government that is going to talk about partnership. The rhetoric from the opposition about giving our parks away conjures up this picture that the parks are somehow going to be given to Aboriginal people, nobody will be able to access them, the land will be locked up – nothing could be further from the truth. This is an investment in the future, investment in our park estate, and investment in the tourism sector, and has been very visionary. I am absolutely confident, in the years to come, it will be seen as one of the great initiatives and partnerships in the Northern Territory’s history to develop a world-class park estate. Certainly, there is more land release to come.
I did have a prepared speech of all the work that my department is doing in Alice Springs in terms of business growth and the trade support scheme. I will quote from a couple of business people who are investing, who are doing very well, and are not negative like the opposition. I think everybody in this House knows Neil Ross, who said:
Bill Comley, Alice Coffee Services outside, providing wonderful coffee to the members, said:
I am sure Bill Comley does not see doom and gloom. Roger Oakden, Prime Cut Meat Supplies, said:
In a competitive environment more people are coming here to compete, not the doom and gloom that the member for Drysdale would have us believe. I pay tribute to the people in my department in Alice Springs who are doing a great job working with the private business sector.
We discuss law and order in debate all the time, and again, the police in Alice Springs are doing an absolutely magnificent job. Property crime is definitely down 43% in Alice Springs since we came to office, that is a lot of people who have not had their houses broken into that were having their houses broken into when the CLP was in power in Alice Springs and, again, another legacy of an under-funded, dispirited police force with low morale when we came to office. The police are doing a magnificent job. They are clearing up property offences in Alice Springs, and across the Northern Territory. Yes, we still have problems. We are not going to say to Territorians that we have a crime-free society. There is no crime-free society on earth, but certainly all the statistics show that we are heading in the right direction.
As I said at the Chamber of Commerce breakfast the other day, again, the born to rule, rightful inheritance rhetoric of the opposition when they were in power, we can introduce all the laws we like, we can have mandatory sentencing, but what on earth is the point of having legislation like mandatory sentencing which applies when charges are laid, go before the courts, a guilty verdict is found, then mandatory sentencing did apply - and appalling legislation it was at the time. The reality was that there were no cops out there. There were no police out there; they were totally under-funded and under-resourced. We had a pretty tough looking headline, but the reality and impact in terms of output and crime was that crime rates were through the roof. Crime rates have certainly come down across the Territory. We are tough on crime. Unfortunately, the gaols are full - fuller than ever before. However, if people do not break the law, they will not go to gaol.
To try to conjure up this image that the Territory was some Nirvana free from crime when the CLP was in office – well, the facts certainly do not support that rhetoric from the CLP. As I get around my electorate, people are noticing a very big difference in crime. In my electorate, property crime is at its lowest rate in 10 years; the police are seen to be doing a great job; they are visible out on the streets; they are making a great difference. That is where some of that GST money has gone: into resourcing our police force and other areas of service delivery to Territorians.
The challenge for the opposition has to be: when they want to hand back the GST revenue to Territorians, what are they going to cut? What are they going to cut if they are going to do that? Are they going to cut back on the number of coppers again? Stop recruiting for four or five years? Are they going to sack the 100 nurses and the 100 teachers that have been put on? That GST revenue is spent. We have spent it on enhancing service delivery to Territorians and on delivering tax cuts.
That money is committed. To give all of the GST revenue back, to abolish $90m worth of payroll tax and stamp duties - something has to give. Are they going to plunge us back into the red again and send the Territory broke?
It is going to be an interesting contest in the lead-up to the election. We will put our plans to Territorians. The CLP will be there yearning for their rightful inheritance. I am confident that Territorians will make the best choice in the interests of the Northern Territory.
Mr McADAM (Barkly): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, a very hard act to follow in respect to some of the comments that have been made in this House this afternoon. Nonetheless, I speak in support of the Chief Minister’s statement in respect to Central Australia. Like many speakers, I also share the optimism about the potential and capacity of Central Australia – Alice Springs, Tennant Creek – and I am very privileged and honoured to be here today representing the people from the Barkly.
There can no argument that most certainly the future of our region very much relies upon our young people who reside not only in this area but right across the Northern Territory. I had the privilege and honour on Monday to attend the Youth Parliament. I congratulate the Speaker whose initiative it was, I understand. It is something that will bear fruit for the Territory in the years to come. The reason I raise it is because they are our future. It is the young children, the people out there in the communities, the people in the regions, the people in our major towns.
As I said, on Monday I had that privilege and was very proud in particular of the students from Tennant Creek High School. It is important to understand that these children were late inclusions for the Youth Parliament. I know that they were given about two days to do the appropriate research for the matters that they were debating. I also know that schools around Alice Springs had probably in excess of two weeks. The students from Tennant Creek were at least two years younger than the majority of those students who were participating.
The bill they were debating at the time was mental health and how it impacts upon young people, particularly those people who live in the regions - people such as those from Tennant Creek, Yuendumu, and Ali Curung communities. They knew what they were talking about, and they were talking from the heart. They were talking with immense passion, and conviction as they knew what was going on in their communities and they believed in what they were saying. They talked about things like drugs, and issues such as excessive alcohol abuse. These are not just indigenous kids; these are young non-indigenous kids as well. They spoke about issues which are very dear to them at a local level. I do not mind saying that it is probably one of the proudest moments I have been associated with in this House, particularly Monday of last week.
It was truly inspirational, and I want to acknowledge those students here today. I refer to Emma Alexander, Corey Baxter, Nadine Bouchier, Reece Watts, Ben Aldrick, Greg Harmon, Dzenita Zendelli and Nick Rothery. I also pay tribute to the Tennant Creek High School principal and teachers who attended.
I mentioned previously the passion, conviction, and the manner in which they spoke about things which impact upon them, and I referred to alcohol and drug abuse, and that is why I am very concerned. I am disgusted by the actions of the member for Drysdale, not only in this House this afternoon, but over a very long period of time. I know the member for Drysdale. He was born in the Territory and should truly understand some of the situations, some of the problems that are impacting upon our young people. For him to drive the wedge between the black and white communities for the sake of $3m is possibly a return to the bad old days; the days when the CLP, who essentially were first-class in respect to how they drove the wedge between blackfellas and whitefellas in this country. We now have the member for Drysdale going down the same path. I say to the member for Drysdale …
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order Mr Acting Deputy Speaker. I believe the member’s comments contravene standing orders in that he believes that my comments drive a wedge between blackfellas and whitefellas. I think under Standing Order 62 that is offensive and should be withdrawn.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: I do not quite understand what part you find offensive.
Mr DUNHAM: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, what if I had said ‘you drove a wedge between blackfellas and whitefellas’? Would you find that offensive? Use your judgment.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, I do not find a point of order.
Mr DUNHAM: Okay, well, I think you drive a wedge between blackfellas and whitefellas!
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Are you addressing me as the Speaker there?
Mr DUNHAM: Yes.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Then I suspend the member for Drysdale from the Chamber for one hour pursuant to Standing Order 240A on account of challenging the Speaker’s ruling.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Please continue, member for Barkly.
Mr McADAM: Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker. Perhaps by way of explanation, there is a gentleman sitting behind me in the gallery. His name is Mr Granites. Like so many other people throughout the Northern Territory, he has contributed much to our community, not just the blackfella side, but the whitefella side. If people want to begrudge Mr Granites and people who live in the bush $3m for petrol sniffing programs, then the member for Macdonnell and others, tell him! Tell him …
Mrs Miller interjecting.
Mr McADAM: … the member for Katherine says it is so wrong.
Mrs Miller: You have it so wrong.
Mr McADAM: I do not have it wrong, member for Katherine. I have it absolutely correct, and you cannot hack it.
A member: You are driving the wedge.
Mr McADAM: I do not have a problem in driving any wedge. I went on radio this morning and I made it very clear what you blokes are up to …
Mr Mills: Yes, you are driving a wedge.
Mr McADAM: … and, Terry – I am not driving a wedge. What I am doing is I am reminding the people who live in the Northern Territory …
Mr Mills: Yes, you are driving a wedge.
Mr McADAM: … that the days of wedge politics are over …
Mr Mills interjecting.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Blain, order! Through the Chair please, member for Barkly.
Mr McADAM: I apologise, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker …
Mr Mills: You are driving a wedge.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Blain!
Mr McADAM: I will get back to what I was going to speak about. There were some other comments made in the House during the course of this debate. I refer, of course, to some of the health issues in Tennant Creek. I would be the first to acknowledge that we have some real health issues in Tennant Creek. About five weeks ago, just prior to the sittings and, indeed, well beyond that time, I had meetings with the Minister for Health, Dr Peter Toyne, and Marion Scrymgour and these discussions have been going over a very long period of time.
We acknowledge that there have been problems, but we do things about it, we try to fix them up, we are human. It is for that reason that I would like to advise today - and there was a media release last week - that there will be senior welfare workers who will commence work in Tennant Creek very shortly. There are two midwives who will also be commencing, and an infant health nurse will be starting at Tennant Creek very shortly. The women’s health position has been filled.
I interjected when the member for Port Darwin was making some comments in respect of the provision of health care in Tennant Creek. I have a lot of respect for the member for Port Darwin because I think she is an honest, decent person, unlike the member for Drysdale and some of his colleagues in this House.
Dr LIM: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker. That is alluding that the member for Drysdale is dishonest and that is not right and he should withdraw that.
Mr McADAM: I did not say ‘dishonest’.
Dr LIM: You did!
Mr McADAM: Sit down!
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: I remind members about Standing Order 62, I believe it is, about offensive or unbecoming words in respect of another member. So, if you did not say that, I won’t ask you to withdraw.
Dr Lim: He alluded to that. He did.
Mr McADAM: Alluding and saying are two different things.
Dr Lim: He should withdraw …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Through the Chair, member for Barkly.
Mr McADAM: Okay, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
Dr Lim: Are you going to withdraw?
Mr McADAM: No.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: I did not ask him to withdraw, member for Greatorex …
Dr Lim: I asked for a ruling …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Do you have a point of order, member for Greatorex?
Dr LIM: My point of order is that I asked you to get him to withdraw. He intimated that the member for Drysdale is dishonest, and he is not.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, he did not do that, member for Greatorex. There is no point of order.
Mr McADAM: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, as I mentioned, the women’s health worker position has been filled. What I was saying about the comments made by the member for Port Darwin is that she got it a bit wrong because there is an occupational therapist in Tennant Creek, and there has been, as there is a domestic violence worker.
The other matters which are being addressed are that there is a speech therapist, a physiotherapist and a dental service at present which is being provided on a three-weekly basis from Alice Springs. Of course, once these positions are filled, they will be based in Tennant Creek.
The member for Port Darwin referred to Dr Tonga, our local GP, who chose to move to Darwin for personal reasons. Dr Tonga is a much valued and respected member of our community in Tennant Creek, as he will be in Darwin. I am not too sure what the member for Port Darwin was referring to, but I think it should be made clear that I do not think Dr Tonga left because of what was occurring in Tennant Creek; there were other personal reasons and we should respect that. We should not draw conclusions as to why people make decisions unless we really know.
This morning, there was a meeting chaired by the Mayor of Tennant Creek in respect of the GP’s position. It is very difficult to recruit. Most people would be aware that there is a shortage of doctors right across Australia, and the Northern Territory. I was told last night there are about 10 vacant positions in the Northern Territory. Territory Health has offered a surgery, and I know that the Tennant Creek Town Council is working with the local community and Territory Health Services to have a look at other possibilities for recruiting people. I might relate this: I spoke to a friend of mine who is a GP last night seeking advice on how we might go about recruiting a doctor into Tennant Creek. He advised me that, for about 55 hours a week in a surgery in Darwin, where you have no overheads or no costs, they are normally a consortia, you are just a GP in a practice …
Dr Lim: Just a GP!
Mr McADAM: Well, just a GP, okay, I apologise if that offends you, I do.
Dr Lim: It offends the GPs of the Territory.
Mr McADAM: I apologise. Well, I apologised, what else do you want? I was advised that a GP in the Northern Territory on about 55 hours a week without having to run a GP practice could earn possibly in excess of $255 000 a year. That is what you are up against in terms of recruiting GPs, doctors into the remote communities. Then you have to find appropriate housing, probably a vehicle and a package which is going to attract people. I say that to alert people to how difficult it is.
The other matter which is very important is that the Department of Health has indicated that they will be looking at the placement of a regional health services coordinator into Tennant Creek, and that position will work within the community across other stakeholders for a period of about 12 months, and basically it is to look at our existing service and how we can enhance that, and enhance it out of Tennant Creek, being a service centre.
The other issue which the member for Port Darwin referred to is Children’s Services. I have already mentioned that there will be two workers who will be starting pretty soon and, hopefully, there are still negotiations going on, but the Family At Risk program - there is some potential for that to be outsourced to an NGO and to have a look at how we can enhance that, and I really do trust that will occur.
There are a number of issues that I wanted to address but I am not going to have the time. One has been the provision of air services in Tennant Creek. People would be aware that Airnorth basically pulled the services around 5 January this year. Airnorth is a great Northern Territory company. They have provided great service up and down the track but, very clearly, the numbers were not there so they made that decision. Aboriginal Air Services, a small indigenous company which started 23 years ago and services much of the country round this region and Central Australia, were approached to see whether they could fill the gap. Over a period of time, they were able to negotiate with the local community and Giants Reef about providing a service.
Most people will be aware that they commenced their services into Tennant Creek on 10 January with minimal numbers but, as of last week, there is a 70% occupancy rate of Aboriginal Air Services. They do not receive government subsidies, other than a $50 000 contribution from the Northern Territory government in respect to some of the airstrips between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. They started with two days a week and they are now looking to go to four days a week. They have gone to America to look at purchasing another plane. To me, that is a great milestone for an indigenous company, a Northern Territory company, which has taken the risk.
It is for that reason that I raise it, because the CLP candidate for the Barkly, Val Dyer, whom I respect, has contributed much to the Northern Territory. However, I say to Val: do not go down the track of referring to it as a tin-pot company just because it is an indigenous company. Do not go down that path because it is not going to get you anywhere. Just respect them for the efforts and contribution that they have put in, and the dollars they are investing in it. I am surprised that the member for Katherine did not make mention of Aboriginal Air Services because she may not be aware that they will be commencing a service between Darwin and …
Mrs Miller interjecting.
Mr McADAM: Yes, I know, because I told you in November last year, because you were being negative, carping, whinging and a whole lot of other things. Anyway, I thought I would just do it for your benefit and you could send it to your friends in Katherine.
But you will be aware that they start – when is it?
Mrs Miller interjecting.
Mr McADAM: I am asking you! You know all about it! I will tell you when they are starting. They are starting on 4 April 2005. They will be flying from Darwin to Katherine …
Mr Henderson: With no government subsidy.
Mr McADAM: No government subsidy. They will be leaving Katherine at 10.30 every morning and they will be coming back from Darwin 3 pm every afternoon. Obviously, they see a new market. The other thing is that there is some discussion taking place that, potentially around May, you could see flights from Darwin bypassing Katherine, landing in Tennant Creek to Alice Springs and return. That is something to look forward to.
Mrs Miller interjecting.
Mr McADAM: You draw your own inference. The other thing …
Mr HENDERSON: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I move an extension of time to allow my colleague to complete his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr McADAM: Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I will not be much longer. Other speakers have spoken about the mining and pastoral industries, and I would just like to touch on them very quickly. I have one concluding point.
People will be aware that the mining industry in Tennant Creek is going reasonably well. Giants Reef remains on target in respect to their production. They are looking at two other potential mines around that area, and I refer to Golden Kangaroo and Black Snake. This will add jobs and economic opportunities in the town and enhance existing businesses. I raise this in a context that when Malbec West’s mining management plan was committed to government, to the minister for Mining, it took a six week period from the moment it was lodged until they actually started the open pit. That is world’s best practice. That is why the Northern Territory government, including the Chief Minister, the minister for Primary Industry and the Minister for Mines and Energy, are respected in the industry. The industry understands that they have the capacity to deliver. I will give a challenge to the Minister for Mines and Energy - the same challenge applies to Golden Kangaroo and Black Snake. Let us see if we can beat six weeks should they decide to go ahead.
The other mine is Bootu Creek which is 110 km north of Tennant Creek - a manganese mine producing some 600 000 tonnes of manganese which will go via rail to the port and then to China. I was out there two weeks ago, and I was very impressed with the operations. The road is almost complete and will be at the end of April. The actual mining area is now commencing and they have a village there for some 80-odd people. I do know that many local businesses have work over the duration of that project.
I share with the pastoral industry concerns about a lack of rain, particularly in those areas south of Tennant Creek and even a little to the north. Those people are doing it hard. I know that some of them are agisting cattle interstate, and are looking for other properties to agist. I am absolutely confident that the minister for Primary Industry is on top of that. I know he has had discussions with his counterpart, the shadow opposition spokesperson, and I think they both share the view that there could well be a time when some options are put in place to address that. Having said that, people should also be aware that cattle prices remain high and, indeed, there are some cattle properties to the north of the Barkly which are opening up more country. They are bringing 25 000 head of cattle in from interstate; they are buying, and all that augers well for the Northern Territory.
In conclusion, and I say this in a constructive way, as you travel throughout the bush communities you really do understand and appreciate, and you respect the efforts which they put in - not only indigenous people but non-indigenous as well - and they work hard under some very trying circumstances. I am referring now to a couple of indigenous communities. Everyone would have heard of the term ‘mutual obligation’, and it is something which has been pushed by Minister Vanstone and the Prime Minister. I do not think anyone has a problem with mutual obligation, and I know there are some communities which agree with it. In the case of Corella Creek in my electorate, they want to run a VET work program with Brunette Downs, which is great. I guess what ICC is saying to them is, ‘That is okay. If you want to do that, get your get your kids into school and we will have a look at options in respect to funding, say, a vehicle’.
Where you have that agreement, it is good. However, what concerns me is that there are some communities which were once recipients of CDEP, and if you are a person on CDEP, you are worth about $3000. If you live in a place like Lake Nash and you have 110 people on CDEP, you have an income of around about $330 000. You use this for the women’s programs, rubbish collection, night patrol, and for a whole host of essential service-type programs, which would not otherwise be funded. I hope we do not go down the path of willy-nilly propping up big regional service providers. In the case of that community, they are entitled to $330 000. They received $69 000 last financial year to run a program, which they ran the year before at $330 000, and there was something like $700 for their women’s program. I am asking members to be aware of that, because increasingly there is a gutting of dollars into the bush, and we should make every effort to ensure that the hopes and aspirations of people living in those small communities are those which are shared by people who live in the bigger regions such as Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, as the member of parliament with responsibility for representing the people of Blain, I also have responsibilities as a shadow spokesman from the opposition, and to that end I have taken the step of ensuring I am in the Centre every four to six weeks. That sounds like a noble thing, however, underneath that, is a delight in being here. It is a wonderful place to be. Many of us have stories of our homes, and just as the previous speaker referred to remote Australia, I grew up in the dry and dusty mid-west of Western Australia. Many Australians would have the view that Central Australia is hot, dusty, dry and miles from anywhere, and we sometimes forget the distinct and unique pressures that are upon those who seek to strive to make a living and create a future in remote communities.
I enjoy coming to Alice Springs and learning about the Centre. As someone who has a little interest in history, I have not done enough research on Alice Springs, but I had occasion to visit the Telegraph Station last year with my parents because I kept telling them Alice Springs is a marvellous place to visit and they should come. We had a magic afternoon at the Telegraph Station where we were entertained by Mr Alex Ross. Mum and Dad still speak of him and of the time they spent as he told us stories about the history of that section. What attracted our attention was that the spring on the Todd River was named after Alice Todd. We all know that. We know the Todd River and we know The Gap all have names. But who were they named by? We learned it was named by a Mills and, of course, we were further curious about this Mills. I had a strange experience when I arrived in the Northern Territory. An old Aboriginal lady eyeballed me and said, ‘You’re a Mills from Alice Springs.’ I said, ‘No, I have never been to Alice Springs’. Anyway, that is spooky and I will visit that at another stage.
However, what I did discover was that this gentleman, I think it was Charles Mills, had the authority of the Governor of South Australia to name certain places in Central Australia. As a modest gentleman, he named places after other people, particularly his benefactors and sponsors, which is not the form of the current government which seeks every opportunity to name things after themselves and claim credit personally. Had Mr Mills named certain features within Central Australia after himself we would have Mills River, perhaps Mills Springs and Mills Gap, but he named none of those things after himself.
We do recall that there are signs all over the place, some of which were reluctantly removed by the Chief Minister, which were promoting the Labor government and their great initiatives. An interesting one was removed at the cul-de-sac of knowledge - for two reasons: it was an embarrassment to have it there because in fact it did not show any great initiative or progress; and it was blatantly dishonest and the federal government kicked up a fuss because it was largely federal money that was in that aspect of the project, and glory was being claimed by this government. We see that with glossy brochures left, right and centre, and a massive exercise of self-promotion from one end of the Territory to the other.
Anyway, back to Mr Mills. He was encouraged to name something after himself, so he went so far as to name The Gap ‘Heavitree Gap’ after the primary school he went to in Devon in the south of England. That is when our interest was raised because that is where our forebears came from, just near Heavitree, near Tottness, and so that leaves a question which I prefer not to be answered. We can make the assumption that we are related without investigating it any further.
I will contain my remarks most generally to tourism, but, time permitting, I may wander further. The tourism potential of the centre of Australia is unquestioned, as it is for the Northern Territory. The centre of Australia has some unique features. I acknowledge the great work of Liz Martin and her team at the Transport Hall of Fame and the sheer enthusiasm of communicating the wonderful transport heritage of our nation housed in Central Australia. They need massive support and should have it, both now and into the future, and they will have it, I am sure, from both sides of government.
I have already mentioned the Telegraph Station. I have been hosted at Panorama Guth on a couple of occasions by Mr Terry Lee and all those who have supported that enterprise and kept that going, tremendous potential. I have heard wonderful stories from people who have travelled from other places in Australia and have visited that place and go away with stories to tell and tell other people they should come. I have visited Hermannsburg with the member for Macdonnell on a couple of occasions. That is a marvellous place to visit. There are some tremendous stories of the heritage of that place with the missionaries and the work they have done and what still stands there today. There is a certain vitality there and we all know about Albert Namatjira.
I was in the United Kingdom in the year 2000, and I was again reminded of what a place we live in, what great potential the Northern Territory has as a tourism product. On television, in the quietness of my hotel room, I saw the Northern Territory three times. That is why films that are created within the centre of Australia and right across the Territory are so important - they communicate into hotel rooms, cinemas, on television right around the world, what marvellous icons we have here, what tremendous features we have that attract the attention of the world, and we even have interstate and international film crews coming to the Northern Territory to capture this unique vision.
On that, I specifically refer to the great work of David Curl. I have seen two of his films and I am deeply impressed by his work in communicating and capturing that which is unique, particularly about the centre of Australia, and communicating it right around the world, and acknowledge the recognition that he has received internationally. If you put a figure on how much it would cost to communicate and to translate images of the centre of Australia around the world, our budget would not be able to contain it. There is tremendous value from film, and that is why film should be fully supported. I acknowledge the Chief Minister’s comments on this, but I, for one, will ensure that the film industry of the Northern Territory receives very strong support because it can promote this unique place in a way that I believe has not yet been properly realised.
Two days ago, I met Warren H Williams, and it was tremendous to catch him again, and to be reminded that everywhere he and John Williamson sing, they sing It’s Raining on the Rock, communicating what a wonderful place we live in, and that image of the Rock and having Warren singing away - he is probably in Sydney again, I believe he flew out - we have this magic place being promoted. The potential is unquestioned. But what is questioned is which of Australia’s tourism ministers, of state or territory, consistently raises SARS, 11 September, Twin Towers collapse, the Bali bombing, the Ansett collapse as reasons why the tourism industry is facing difficulty? Which of Australia’s state or territory ministers consistently raises these as reasons why we are having a difficult time? There is only one: our Chief Minister, the Minister for Tourism and the member for Fannie Bay.
Yes, tourism in the Northern Territory is facing some immense difficulties. The evidence of these difficulties is contained in the Chief Minister’s own publications or publications from the Tourism Commission when they realise their tourism statistics - their key results. This is evidence of the real difficulties that Territorians are facing. Behind these figures are resilient, tough and enterprising Territorians from one end of the Territory to the other. Despite difficult times, they are continuing on as true Territorians, but these figures indicate how difficult things are.
The Centre has lost 102 000 visitors since 2000-01, evidence of the difficulty the tourism industry has and is facing – 102 000 fewer visitors. In one year alone, from 2002-03 to 2003-04 – this is the most recent - there has been a reduction of 54 000 visitors to the centre of Australia. It is unquestioned potential, but we are receiving significantly reduced flows of visitors to the Centre. The Northern Territory has received 826 000 fewer visitor nights than 2000-01. That is close to a million less than 2000-01. The Chief Minister looks puzzled. Chief Minister, check the web site of the NT Tourism Commission statistics. I will pass them across to you later on. These are facts.
Since 2000-01, the Northern Territory has seen 35 700 fewer backpackers. However, are other tourism ministers raising the spectre of SARS or the Bali bombings as reasons for the reduction of figures? What about the Ansett collapse? Are the other tourism ministers standing up and saying: ‘We are similarly experiencing very difficult times and it is because of SARS, the Bali bombings and the Ansett collapse’. Or perhaps it is Krakatoa! Who know what it is, but there is definitely a reason for it. The fact is there is only one minister who is saying such things, because New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria had more backpackers today than they had before. Whilst we have lost 826 000 visitors, Queensland and other states have increased. There are fewer visitors to the Northern Territory, and those who are visiting are reducing their stay.
Chief Minister, why is that so? You are charged with the responsibility of taking up the real challenge and providing real leadership to the tourism industry involving true Territorians who are resilient, but are experiencing plainly difficult times.
If this as a business was receiving a reduced turnover, it would have a clear economic effect. Well, it does have an effect on the economy. On your own web site, you have a calculation of the economic value of tourism. From that data you can work out what is the average value that a tourist brings to the Northern Territory. These figures are frightening when you consider the economic effect of this reduction of numbers to the Northern Territory. It has made a real difference. Notwithstanding, to be fair - because I am not gilding any of these figures; I am speaking plainly from your own figures - this is a reference that would not be contained in any statement that the Chief Minister would make. People have had enough of the gloss, the hype, and the spin and they need to be recognised for the difficulties they are actually facing.
We have talked about a range of economic difficulties in the Northern Territory. I do not think we need to look much further than how much revenue has been lost to the Northern Territory as a result of the Territory - and the Territory alone - receiving such a reduced share of tourist visitors to the Centre and to the Northern Territory, generally. From 2001-02, you calculated in your own publication that the average return of one visitor was $605. Up until today’s figures, tourists are spending more money on average - and the average is $773 per head. We have actually lost in one single year 91 000 international visitors. That is just from last year.
We are having a fair bit of gloss and hype with the minister creating the impression in the community that they are out there; they are in the region. Well, he must be doing something in the region that is causing people not to come here, particularly within our immediate region. There are 28 000 fewer from our immediate region who chose not to come last year. That is a reduction of 51% from our immediate region. There are also 27 000 fewer from Europe, a drop of 35%; 22 000 fewer from North America, a drop of 29%; and the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia dropped by 14 000 - the only saving grace there was that they actually spent a little extra money so it did not put us so far behind. Nonetheless, it was 91 000 fewer.
It is not a difficult calculation to make that if we had have received 91 000 visitors, rather than go back the other way, it would have translated, in the Chief Minister’s own figures, as an in-flow into our economy of $70.34m. That is turnover. That is money which would have flowed into the Northern Territory economy. It did not because 91 000 international visitors chose other destinations.
What about the centre of Australia? 102 000 fewer visitors to the Centre under the time most of those in the Labor government Cabinet have had a shot of being tourism minister. During that time, the Centre has received 102 000 fewer visitors. If I make a reasonable calculation on the more modest figure - not to inflate these things and to provide gloss to suit my own argument, but on the Chief Minister’s own data, that is a loss to the centre of Australia, to the tourism industry and all that is related to tourism of $62m to $79m which has not flowed into the Central Australia tourism industry. That is turnover. It is people choosing to buy an extra cup of coffee, another night at the hotel, another restaurant meal, some more souvenirs, or perhaps another trip. That, bit by bit, has had an effect on the entire industry here in Central Australia. In the last year, this is turnover which was lost to the industry on the Chief Minister’s own calculations. You will not find this, of course, in that nice statement, and that is a loss of $42m on those same figures.
That should be evidence enough that the tourism industry is facing some real challenges. We have established that the tourism industry has huge potential, and that it faces real challenges, however, we do not find those real challenges addressed in any real way within the Chief Minister’s nice statement. We should have. If real leadership is to be provided to the tourism operators, and all those who are related to the enterprise of tourism within our community, we should have the addressing of the real challenges, and to overcome real challenges, we need ingenuity and commitment. These are the issues which need to be addressed if we want to progress tourism. We need to remove the presence of public drunkenness and antisocial behaviour. We need to have tourists leaving here with better stories to tell than recounting their meeting drunks and beggars. I am not over-inflating this - and before we get sensitive on the other side - I have taken the time to listen to those who drive coaches. I asked them what people talk about on their first visit to many of our places in the Northern Territory, and that is one sight that causes concern and conversation that needs to be dealt with.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I move for an extension of time to allow the member for Blain to conclude his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr MILLS: Thank you. These are the issues which must be contained with any meaningful address so people can gain confidence in parliament and the office of minister, so we make a difference rather than a good show for ourselves for our next round at the polls.
It is to deal with real issues as we have a tonne of good people out there who need real support. They need someone to identify the real challenges, and to recognise and honestly address them. We need things such as getting that second regular flight from Sydney back into the Centre of Australia. Make it happen. You have been given a shot. Make it happen. Do not stand on the sidelines and issue a media release when it looks like the wind is blowing in the right direction, then when it blows in the other direction stand back from it and hope that it will all turn out. Get in there and provide leadership and make it happen!
Second, make sure you make strong leadership claims on driving the international airport status for Alice Springs rather than issuing media releases when a plane arrives at Uluru and claim that is a result of your conversations with people in Japan. We need to have this Chief Minister standing up for the airport and arguing for that elevated status for Alice Springs. These issues need to be addressed. With your increased budget allocation of $27m it is very hard to get information as to exactly what you spent that on. Journalists ask and are told to go away and do their homework: ‘We are not telling you’. Whose money is it? They are reporting on behalf of the wider community. It is Territorians’ money that has been entrusted to this government to produce a result. My comments this evening have demonstrated that the results are very scant.
So, Chief Minister, you have taken this course. Spend your budget: $41m you have allocated and you have only spent $18.5m on my understanding. It is very difficult to get information. Give a very clear account of the dollars that are spent and what we are getting for it. I just cannot believe it. I am hearing, since the very beginning of your time on that side of the Chamber, the Mereenie Loop with breathless enthusiasm for the wonderful vistas that it will open up and the great support that it will provide for tourism. What we actually see in black and white is that there are three tenders, and this is on the eve of an election after a full term, and the first tender has not actually been let. The road has not progressed an inch. We have had a tonne of talk, enough talk to pave the bloody road! We have not had it changed one inch! We have had talk.
Read your own statement, Chief Minister, and you will find three contracts that are talked about, and the average person would think: ‘Gee whiz, I would like to trust these guys, but when you read it, nothing has actually happened’.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, do watch your language.
Mr MILLS: I heard another bit of gloss and hype at the breakfast the other day. It was said fairly quickly and those who would let it pass would probably not pick it up; but we talk about The Ghan and the passengers on The Ghan and how wonderful that is that we have 1000 passengers a week. When you translate that, it is probably about 50 000 a year travelling on The Ghan. They were referred to very cleverly by the Chief Minister - she is very good at this - she said there are 1000 potential travellers on The Ghan to Central Australia. They let that pass. One thousand, they heard. Well, I ask you Chief Minister: how many actually break their trip here in Central Australia? How many do? There are 1000 who travel; they get on in Adelaide and they get off in Darwin, but how many of these potential 1000 have you actually tapped? I think the figure is actually more like 5%. So you can say that in a way that it sounds like 1000 people are getting off here and running up and down the mall and buying coffee and sandwiches and the like, but it is nothing like 1000 people. There are not many people who break their trip here.
What about dealing with another issue? Provide that leadership, Chief Minister, to ensure that our disabled have a more dignified means of leaving the train when it pulls up in Alice Springs rather than a forklift and a cage.
What about the parks? Please assure us, as you have not been able to do so far, of how much it will cost Territorians to lease these parks back. Will the tourism industry be given a guaranteed freedom of access? That has never been given, not clearly. That has not been given. There have been many fine words spoken during the course of these sittings, and many more things I would like to talk about.
I would like to finish, though, with reference to the way this started on Monday with the young people in this Chamber. I believe I speak for every member who had the time to either have breakfast with them, or listen to them through the course of their debate during the day. It was inspiring and those are the sorts of occasions that lift each one of us. We just look and think a little more deeply about our role as parliamentarians because those young ones demand that we play a better game. I take that challenge from watching these young ones, as I do from those who are in business, and those in the tourism industry.
The figures that I have outlined here are not really presented to score a point from government but they are to demonstrate that, for anyone who has any understanding of taking a risk in private enterprise and having your turnover reduced, it makes things very difficult.
Everybody who works here in the Centre and right up and down the Territory knows the great potential of the place. They have chosen to live here, they have chosen to invest now, they have a dream, they have a belief in what this place can produce, but currently, the truth is the figures are not encouraging. Yes, I know the Chief Minister can say there has been an upward trend and whatnot but, nonetheless, we have to acknowledge that there has been great pressure placed upon many average Territorians who are having very difficult times over the last few years, and in all the gloss and hype of going into an election, it may be overlooked that there are many Territorians who have had a very difficult time. I hope that there are better days ahead.
I hope that this new and latest advertising campaign works, and that the Chief Minister provides real leadership on this, rather than standing on the side, putting the public servant out there and watching how it goes and giving little bits of strategic comment. If it goes well, I am sure the Chief Minister will be there front and centre; if the wind blows in the wrong direction, well, I think the Chief Minister will stand somewhere else.
Chief Minister, my advice to you, and you probably do not want to take it from me, is that to make this happen you need to get out there at the front and sell it. Push it hard, commit yourself to it, tie yourself to it, and run all the way through and excite people about the Territory, because there are stories to tell. It is a great place, and it is far more than rocks and rivers. There are people behind every great story, and the Territory has massive potential …
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr MILLS: Oh, you are a wag! The truth is, the Territory has massive potential and that potential is in the people and I believe that will be released with real leadership in the Northern Territory.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank members for their contribution. As the tourism spokesman for the opposition has just spoken, I cannot start my address without talking about what he has just said. I know that sometimes it is difficult to get across initiatives, and what is happening in tourism, but to stand up here, and expect to get credibility, when you say the Territory is more than rocks and rivers, it is about our people - what do you think Share Our Story is about? What do you think? You have the Opposition Leader who says it is virtually save our souls, and you are calling for us to do exactly what we are doing, which is a very interesting thing …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, would you address your remarks to me and not the member for Blain.
Mr Mills interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes, member for Blain, you have had your say. Let us settle down.
Ms MARTIN: It is a serious issue, and I am happy to address my comments to you, however, when the member for Blain was speaking, he did not address the comments to Madam Speaker. When he was speaking, he very specifically addressed his comments to me and said, ‘she’, ‘Chief Minister this is my advice to you’, so excuse me for just slipping a little.
The issue of Share Our Story, the brand refresh for the Territory, is an exciting one. When you have the shadow tourism minister exhorting me to think of more than rocks and rivers when we sell the Territory and think of our people, he is in direct conflict with the Opposition Leader who thinks the whole Share Our Story is a load of rubbish. That is echoed by the member for Port Darwin. Therefore, the opposition cannot get their stories right. The shadow minister thinks it is a great idea and is exhorting me to actually lead the whole campaign, and the Opposition Leader thinks it is a load of rubbish. I would like a consistent line.
I got bagged by the member for Blain for saying that there were factors that affected the Territory’s tourism industry. He said that no other tourism minister has actually referred to some of those world factors that affect the tourism industry. Let me just state some facts here. Let us go back to 2001: 50% of the Territory’s tourists were international. We were proud of that; that was terrific. That compared with 25% who were international visitors in all other states, on average. Here we are, 50% of ours are international, and we have some very big international events that affect tourism. If you use your brain, you will see that, logically, it is going to have a more dramatic effect on the Territory’s tourism numbers, proportionately, than any other place. It makes sense, and that is why it has had such a dramatic impact on the Territory.
What we heard through his half-hour diatribe from the opposition’s spokesperson on tourism - almost gloating in the fact that we had lost numbers of tourists, and not ever recognising the strategies, the additional dollars, the marketing strategies we have put in place - is typical of what we have heard from all opposition spokespersons on various things through this whole debate. It is a gloating on the negative, a lack of confidence in our future and is absolutely typified by the Opposition Leader who said we are all mediocre; who said this wonderful Territory is all mediocre.
Ms Carter: Your government …
Ms MARTIN: No, it was not. It is all very well for the member for Port Darwin to say he was saying, ‘Your government’. He did not say that, he said, ‘The Territory is mediocre’.
Which Territorian would put their hands up for an Opposition Leader who thinks that this wonderful Territory of ours - this inspirational Territory with Territorians who are innovative and imaginative and committed to this place – is mediocre? That was the most telling comment in everything we have heard in this debate.
We heard from all ministers the achievements and cohesive plans that the government has in place in Central Australia - and done with pride. I thank my colleagues for their contribution. In stark contrast, from the opposition members, we heard only one thing very clearly – bagging the Territory, bagging what has happened. They certainly have no plans for the Territory. We heard the member for Drysdale bag what the government is saying about Central Australia, about putting money and resources into Central Australia. We have initiatives and there are none from the opposition. We listened carefully to what the opposition members said - no plans. Stood up here …
Ms Carter: You will get it.
Ms MARTIN: Oh, the member for Port Darwin says, ‘You will get it’. Oh, great! This is an opposition which has plans for the future, but where are they? Silence! There was no better opportunity than being here in Alice Springs with the Alice Springs community supporting the parliament being here, for the opposition to outline the plans they have for the people of Central Australia. However, they did not, and that is because they have no plans, no ideas and, basically, no commitment to Central Australia.
The negativity! How can you say that you have a commitment to Central Australia when all we have heard is negative comments? All we have heard is negative comments about the people of Central Australia and the mediocrity of Territorians, and criticism for spending money.
What did the Opposition Leader say? The Opposition Leader said the Chief Minister talks about hundreds of millions of dollars going into Central Australia, but it means nothing to people who worry about $10. Criticising us for putting money into police, the health system, education, and infrastructure. He says it means nothing! The negativity we have heard consistently from the opposition I find bewildering. Opposition does not mean you have to oppose everything, that you have to be negative. Opposition has to mean that you have alternative plans and ideas; and if you are going to judge the opposition by what the Opposition Leader said - and all we ever hear in Question Time is questions from the Opposition Leader - then the Opposition Leader has no ideas about the future for Central Australia and is critical of every single thing, including the spending of dollars, that this government has done.
The opposition, typified by the Opposition Leader and the member for Drysdale was a close second, consistently talked down the strength of people and communities in the Central Australian region. They dismissed the achievements of our businessmen and women, and belittled the hard work carried out by our public servants. They talked down the Territory, they all bagged the Territory, and the quote from the Opposition Leader that the Northern Territory is mediocre compared to the rest of Australia! Madam Speaker, I am sure as a local member here, you would not agree the Territory is mediocre. I am sure the member for Araluen would find that a very harsh comment on her community, but she did not stand up and say so.
Mr Elferink: Perhaps he was referring to your government …
Ms MARTIN: Oh, perhaps, says the member for Macdonnell, they are referring to our government. That is not what the Opposition Leader said.
Mr Elferink: It is actually what he said.
Ms MARTIN: That is not what the Opposition Leader said, and you can go to the Hansard and have a look.
We have brought the parliament to Alice Springs, to Central Australia, and we are proud of it, and the opposition bags it. Bags Central Australia and, with that mediocre comment, bagged the whole of the Territory. Any sign of optimism about the future of the Centre, about prospects for tourism, about the future of educational results? The opposition binds together and mounts a concerted campaign to douse it with doom and gloom. You could say negativity is often a sign of laziness. It is much easier to bag something than to come up with plans of your own. You would have to then draw the conclusion that we have here a very lazy opposition, resorting to criticism and negativity, rather than coming up with any plans of their own.
Looking at the contribution from the opposition, it is very confused. They are so determined to bag everything, they start forgetting what they are attacking. In almost the same breath, they attacked the government for spending too much money - that is what the Opposition Leader said, ‘You are spending too much money’ - and then we get bagged for not spending enough money. The Leader of the Opposition says we are spending too much on education; but then says in the next breath that we need to spend more. He says we are spending too much on health, but then again, that we need to spend more; and he says we are spending too much on police, but then turns around and says we need to spend more.
You would have to say that this opposition will do or say anything, and you say those things because you have no plans and no ideas. Apart from this confusion where you say one thing, and then the opposite in the next breath, many of the things you say are simply plain wrong. This opposition is plain wrong on GST revenue, and I suspect they know it. Our population, according to many of the speakers from the opposition, is declining and they gloat and rub their hands together. They are wrong: our population is increasing. In May last year, our population was forecast to grow at 0.3%, however it has grown at 0.7%. This puts us among the strongest population growth in the country. Do you think the opposition would cheer it? No, Madam Speaker. No support for this. No ‘what do we do with this growth in population’, just saying, contrary to the facts, that the population is declining. What did the Opposition Leader say? He said, ‘Population is decreasing’ and he gloated that removalist companies were the only ones making money as they moved people south. It is wrong, wrong, wrong. He is putting the Territory down and selling the Territory down. No wonder he says, without any shame, that we are mediocre.
The Leader of Government Business certainly challenged what the opposition was saying about residential vacancies and population decline. Residential vacancies right across the Territory are at record low levels. If you compare the 12% when the CLP left office and what it is now at 3% and probably lower, the facts you are presenting are wrong. It is an indication of growth and it certainly is this Territory moving ahead. It is not mediocre.
Interestingly, on that issue of residential vacancies, at the last Business Round Table in Darwin, the biggest issue was being able to find enough properties to house people who come to the Territory to do the jobs we need them to do. That is tougher to find. It is very difficult to find rental properties, to find properties to buy. We are building as fast as we can, and I congratulate the private sector for how much growth they are stimulating and what they are building, but we simply cannot keep up. It is a real indicator of how much we are growing.
Madam Speaker, I could go on about how negative the opposition is and how confused they are and how wrong they are and how they do not have any plans, but, really, it is an unconstructive thing to do.
I pay tribute to your very positive contribution, Madam Speaker. I was particularly pleased to hear you say that there is a positive feel in Alice Springs at the moment, and I share that. There is a positive feel among our business community; there is a positive feel among our tourism community which is talking about a good season to come. We should be supporting them in that, rather than what the opposition is saying. Madam Speaker, I want to quote you when you say that you think Alice Springs is maybe on the verge of a boom. That is the sense here. I am not one to say we should have booms; I think steady, strong growth is the way to go. However, if that is what the business community is saying, then we need to be listening.
Unlike the opposition, the member for Braitling had some ideas. She talked about the need for skilled workers in Alice Springs. I share that. She talked about the need to encourage apprentices - something we are doing through our Jobs Plan. There are more apprentices than we have ever had right throughout the Territory.
The member for Braitling talked about the need to look after our seniors and keep them here in the Territory. I was pleased on Monday to announce changes to the Pensioner Concession Travel Scheme so that senior Territorians who are losing confidence, as they get older, about travelling out of the Territory and taking that entitlement can now bring family and friends to the Territory. Family and friends to the Territory means a lot to those senior Territorians. The response from my electorate has been terrific and I know that when we released the policy at the Gillen Seniors Village the other day, another construction program completed by this government, there was a lot of enthusiasm.
Madam Speaker, your proposal for a self-funded retirees village in Alice Springs is a good one and government will see what we can do to facilitate that.
I talk about the member for Braitling because she had ideas about this place. She had ideas about Alice Springs and the Centre in stark contrast to the members of the opposition. On tourism, she talked about how she feels there is a lack of beds in Alice Springs, was quite clear that Jetstar was not wanted, that bigger planes were wanted, which is something we are working towards. You wanted the airport upgraded to international standard, and I share that. We want more beds, more flights and more tourists to Central Australia, which is why we are putting $1.2m into the Destination Alice Springs marketing. I thank the member for Braitling for her contribution and we will look at the ideas that you raised.
The contribution from government ministers outlined the achievements we have made and the comprehensive plans we have. There have been some very real achievements, but, also, as a government, we acknowledge there is a lot more to be done.
If you want to look at specifics, there are 28 more teachers in Alice Springs than three years ago. There are 39 more nurses in Alice Springs than three years ago, and there are 25 new police recruits in Alice Springs just this year. And yet we get battened by the opposition for doing that. People look to government to provide these services, we have and we are. We have a plan for health, Building Healthier Communities, which outlines our five-year action plan. The Minister for Health talked about this plan and what it is doing and what it will do for Central Australia. The minister for Education outlined our plans for schools. More teachers and $42m extra is being injected into secondary education and, proudly, that money is going to the bush. The previous government never provided secondary education into the bush. It was a policy that they had. We are turning that about and we are getting results. We have plans for community safety; rebuilding our Police Force has been a focus, and Building Safer Communities is a plan that builds on recent reductions in crime.
Madam Speaker, these are plans for our future and they are a direct contrast to the opposition, which simply does not have any. We have spent $100m on infrastructure in the Centre in the last three years. The opposition dismisses this as simply a number. It is just a dollar figure that does not mean anything. Well, it means a lot to the contractors who carried out the work. It means a lot to the people of Central Australia. An investment in infrastructure is just so important to a developing area such as Central Australia, and $100m is a very substantial commitment.
The best thing about coming to Alice Springs is getting out and about and talking to the people of Alice Springs, and hearing their ideas. The Leader of the Opposition opened his remarks to this statement by dismissing the importance of talking to locals as ‘just another sausage sizzle’. Well, it is at a sausage sizzle that people come up to you and tell you what their ideas are, and I am proud of the fact this government is, without doubt, the most approachable in Australia. As someone said on the ABC news the other night, where else in Australia can you just walk up and talk to a politician. We would not have it any other way, despite what the Opposition Leader says.
This statement and the responses to it have clearly outlined the difference between the government and the opposition. The government is getting on with the job of moving the Territory ahead. We have achieved much, however, there is more to be done and we have more plans.
On the subject of why we brought the parliament to Alice Springs, it is interesting to go back and look at the record of what was said when we came two years ago. It is interesting that the member for Araluen was very negative two years ago about bringing the parliament to Alice Springs. She was talking on ABC radio on 17 April 2003, and said, ‘Clare Martin would have us believe that the people of Alice Springs are jumping for joy and counting the sleeps until parliament comes. Well, 1500 school kids have been dragged along by their teachers’. What else did she say? ‘Will the punters in my electorate give a toss?’ The straw polling I have done suggests that not many of them actually do’. Well, here we are. The member for Araluen thinks that bringing parliament to Alice Springs when we did it first two years ago was a real drag and that Alice Springs does not care. Well, let me tell the member for Araluen, they do. The Alice Springs community enjoys having this parliament, enjoys knowing that this parliament, this government, is focussed on the needs of the region, so much so, that we are here in Alice Springs for two days. The member for Araluen bags it; we rejoice it, Madam Speaker.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Continued from 10 February 2005.
Mr ELFERINK (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I rise to contribute to this debate, and for those people in the gallery who are unaware of what is going on at the moment, there was a debate started in Darwin which was considered to be essential and important by the minister for Police, so important indeed that the minister for Police wanted to have a couple of speakers on it and then leave it sit on the Notice Paper so it could come back in Alice Springs at some later date.
I would have preferred to deal with the important issue like drugs in our community in a fulsome debate, not something that is fractured over two sittings to suit the grandiose grandstanding by the minister himself.
Before I start, I accepted the challenge made by the Chief Minister in relation to what the Leader of the Opposition had to say when she accused him of calling the Northern Territory ‘mediocre’. I refer honourable members to the debate of yesterday, page 26 in the Daily Hansard, and the paragraph starting at the bottom of page 26 in column 1. Mr Burke, the Leader of the Opposition started with: ‘… the test for the government is …’. He then talked about the way that any person or fool can walk around and throw money about. He then talked about ‘the’ government’s credibility. He then talked about how the nurses ‘under the Labor Northern Territory government’ are suffering. He then talked about ‘the’ government further in that particular paragraph. Then he said that, under that government the Territory is at best mediocre when compared with other states. He was referring directly to the performance of this government and this Chief Minister and he has hit the nail on the head. Under this government and this Chief Minister, we have not enjoyed successful growth rates. As the Chief Minister has …
Mr HENDERSON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The debate that is currently on the Notice Paper is in relation to drug-related crime, not growth rates in the economy. I urge the honourable member to get back to the Notice Paper and back to the debate before this House at the moment.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes, member for Macdonnell, I allow far-reaching comments, but we should get back to the debate. Make it relevant.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I was merely rising to the challenge …
Madam SPEAKER: I know.
Mr ELFERINK: … that the Chief Minister had put to me, but I accept your ruling. I am, of course, appreciative of how incredibly sensitive the Labor government is to criticism.
We turn to the issue of drugs in our communities. This debate, which the minister brought on in Darwin, was one that I thought could be visited with great gusto. There was much to do because drugs, as we all agree, is a serious issue in our community. However, what the minister has talked about is the operation of legislation which government introduced – and, in my opinion, is good legislation which was supported - which enabled the government to set about seizing the clandestine drug world. The statement which I pulled out of Hansard to refresh my memory from the February sittings, is from the minister and is three-and-a-half pages long, and half of that is propaganda about the new $75m budget spend over three years for the Northern Territory Police Force. Good. However, the fact is that the report that the member had given to this parliament was actually fairly light on detail. It rambled off a few statistics about how well this legislation is operating.
I would like to compare and contrast it to the operation of other drugs in our communities - namely the legal drugs and other chemicals such as hydrocarbons which are abused on a daily basis. I make the observation that I am glad that the police are using this legislation, and that they are having some success. I turn to the fifth or sixth paragraph of the minister and I quote:
Good:
Later on in his speech the minister went on to talk about the purpose of this legislation which was to extract a penalty on those people who gained wealth from their crimes. The crime is selling drugs in our communities. I cast my mind back to a time when I was a police officer and did a whole bunch of work to bring a drug seller into custody and put him before the court. He was ultimately found guilty. He was unemployed and drove a BMW, which I thought was very impressive. I would have loved to have been able to see that BMW seized under forfeiture of crime legislation. Unfortunately, this was impossible at that stage because of the way he had the car registered in his girlfriend’s name. Although it was far beyond her capacity to pay back the loan, somehow she seemed to manage, and it was all beyond the realm of being able to seize the vehicle itself, therefore, we missed out.
At the end of the day, we are talking amounts, which, when you look at the overall problem in our community, are fairly limited. As much as I congratulate the police on doing this work, $953 000 worth of drugs? I wonder if members contemplate how many drugs are in our community – I am talking about the illicit ones at the moment - and what the effect of this legislation is. Although it is part of the crime fight, at the end day, this represents a minor tax on a very large, and very black, illegal market.
That brings me to the philosophy which drives us as a community to deal with drugs in our community. Drugs, both illegal and legal, have always been a problem in our communities and, as long as humans continue to be human, will continue to be a problem. I often wonder what makes the difference between a legal and illegal drug. If you were to line up all of the drugs which are available on the market today – both licit and illicit – and say you can have two or three of them legal and the rest illegal, I would suggest, in terms of harm, both alcohol and tobacco would probably be on the list of very illegal drugs. It is the fact that we have become used to using them by virtue of common usage, that we have come to accommodate them so readily in our society.
Every society uses drugs. I know that in my electorate the traditional drug of choice amongst Aboriginal women is pituri, a locally grown plant that has a barbiturate effect. You burn the plant, create the ash, roll the ash in tobacco and stick a wad of tobacco in the corner of your mouth. As far as I am aware, there is no illegal aspect to pituri as a drug. So drugs are common.
We as a society make a decision to determine which drugs are illegal and which are not. Then we determine the way we control those drugs in our community. I, for one, believe there have to be controls brought to drugs in our community. We do it in the case of licit drugs, such as alcohol – the Liquor Act which is as thick as the Criminal Code in terms of how complicated it is - and tobacco legislation preventing the use of tobacco in certain areas, indoors and public buildings; and the selling of tobacco to minors is considered a serious offence. We also have other drugs listed under the regulations or the appendices and schedules of the Misuse of Drugs Act, and these are the ones we all know such as cannabis, amphetamines, opiates and hallucinogenics. We have a random way of saying that is illegal, that is not illegal, that is legal, that is not illegal.
The policing effort into drugs will always be a serious one. When we talk about drugs in our community, I ask members to be mindful of, and look at, the expense and damage which illicit drugs do, compared to licit drugs. The minister in his statement talks about locating 76 grams of cannabis stuck in a mincemeat tin, and 28 grams of cannabis discovered in a radio system, in an attempt to smuggle them in to remote communities. These are small amounts. We talk about 208 notices being issued to Territorians for breaching the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Let us compare it to the licit drug we have. From the minister’s own police annual report last financial year 19 000 Territorians were taken into custody for the use and abuse of the licit drug, alcohol. The concentration of the minister with efforts onto these areas, including with policies being designed by the Minister for Community Development, we are seeing increasing numbers of people abusing and using the drug alcohol, and those people being taken into custody.
It is happening in our communities. How do I know this? If I trace the number of people being taken into protective custody over the last four years, gradually, it has risen from 11 000 being taken into custody Territory-wide, to 19 000.
Mr Henderson: That is because there are more coppers.
Mr ELFERINK: The minister says that there are more coppers. I suggest to the minister that what is actually occurring is because of the expenditure and welfare approach that is being applied by this government: if you come into town you will get better services than you could possibly hope to have in your own community; we will dedicate $5m to improving the services and sobering up shelters; you will get a feed and a blanket and it will run 24 hours; we will put a lot more money into protecting you if you find yourself drunk in our community; and we will put a lot more money into putting a roof over your head if you are drunk in our community. In Alice Springs we now see a further $2.2m being dedicated to specifically improving services again. As much as I bitterly complain about this, what the minister and the government must realise is that if you improve services in a particular area, you will attract people to those services. It is not more police that have the effect of arresting people or more drunks; it is because there are more drunks in our communities. It is as simple as that.
The number of drunks is reflected in the number of itinerants we see in our communities. We have a social policy being driven by the Minister for Housing to use housing stock in our towns to offset what he identifies as a housing shortage in remote communities. He is correct; there is a housing shortage out there, so he brings those people into town and houses them. Often, those tenants are not the problem. It is the 30 or 40 people, the hangers-on, who turn up the next day, that see headlines day after day, week after week, in the Centralian Advocate saying that people are being attacked in their homes, that people are unsafe on the streets, and noise continues to be a major problem.
In fact, as late as two days ago, I was still receiving complaints from people living in the Larapinta area about Territory Housing tenants. If you have the audacity to complain about it, the Housing minister says you are a racist. He says: ‘Oh, the only reason that someone would complain about a housing tenant is to prevent a blackfella from moving in’. If you should have the audacity to complain, as the member for Araluen did, you are labelled as a red-necked dog whistler. The first position of this government to deal with anyone who criticises them is to abuse them. We heard that from the Chief Minister, and we hear it from the ministers for Housing and Police.
Let us go down to the real heart of this problem in these communities and I would like to do a quick comparison between a couple of communities. If I go and look at many of my communities in the bush, one of the great problems is that even if you deal with all the petrol sniffing issues, even if we do what the Administrator suggests and shoot the dogs which cause disease, create wind breaks and build new houses and canteens - let’s say that we provide every person out in these communities their own private butler, what then? What happens next? How does that fight boredom? How does that fight the lethargy we see in these communities every day?
That is where the real licit and illicit drug problem begins. It is people with too much time on their hands, and an inability to be able to do something with that time. This is not an issue of race. If I go to Brooklyn, or Brixton in London, I will find exactly the same story being played out as I do in Papunya and in places like Yuendumu. People with too much time on their hands are people who get bored and find ways to occupy themselves, and to use an old proverb, the devil will find work for idle hands.
How is this for an idea? Let us create an environment of work and development in remote communities which will provide jobs for people so that they do not find other ways to use their idle hands. A classic example is the community at Titjakala. The community at Titjakala is in a very unusual situation in that the land trust that they sit on is actually not land trust which has been created under the Aboriginal Lands Rights (Northern Territory) Act. This was only discovered a few years ago. The land was handed back in 1974, before there was a land rights act. The local community realised that they could directly negotiate with a company in Sydney to develop some jobs. What did they do with those jobs? Well, with that negotiation they put up some luxury tents and created an arts centre which had a commercial basis attached to it. The first guy who came in was a fellow from Macquarie Bank, if I am not mistaken, who dropped $3000 in the luxury tents and, as he drove out of the community, dropped another $3000 at the arts centre. This has been a resounding success story!
I went to Titjakala recently - and guess what? - the people around there have jobs. When you drive into Titjakala and go to the office you will actually find a list of jobs on the office wall – full-time jobs, a couple of part-time jobs, and a couple of jobs two hours a day. There are several people who have employment there. Guess what? If you have a look at those people they are like a bunch of cats, and their tails are straight up in the air. They are proud and have dignity, and have a sense of direction that gives me goose bumps just to think about it - because it can be done.
What we have to do is start trusting Aboriginal people in these remote communities to be able to negotiate these outcomes for themselves. At the moment, we have far too many wealthier oriented gatekeepers standing in the way saying: ‘You need protection from these dreadful, nasty, horrible companies that will come and spend money on your land. You need protection from being ripped off by these people’. The walls of protection that were built in the 1970s have become a prison for many of these people. I encourage Aboriginal people and the people who are afflicted with the outcomes of the licit use of these drugs in our communities, to get involved in the general community and the general economic community, and start using that wonderful asset they have to provide them with an income in a way different, but philosophically the same, as it has done for the last 40 000 years. That is how you are going to start dealing with the social problems and the social dislocation our communities
In the meantime, governments - both CLP and Labor - will have to come up with patch-up jobs. Sadly, all of the legislation that we have to police drugs and alcohol in our community is to patch up that running sore which is social disharmony and social dislocation. I trust Aboriginal people and those people who live in remote communities to be able to negotiate for themselves. I urge all governments - Labor and Liberal, federal and state - to start disengaging with the welfare approach, and start engaging with approaches which will develop wealth.
The Minister for Housing complained bitterly that they need $800m to bring Aboriginal housing up to standard. Well, here is a stunning thought! Could you imagine a situation where Aboriginal people living on their own land, like everyone else in our community, built their own houses and paid for them, because they were able to buy the land in the first place through a leasing process or whatever and, secondly, because they had jobs which enabled them to do it.
Mr MILLS: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I move that the member be given an extension of time to complete his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr ELFERINK: It would be a wonderful thing if those people living in those remote communities could buy their own houses like the rest of us.
One of the reasons, and one of the great tragedies that exists in the current world, is that we still have to identify people by their cultural group and set a set of rules to that cultural group. We discussed cultural diversity in this House yesterday and all the rules we have to apply to cultural diversity. If everybody lived by the same set of rules, and those rules allow enough liberty for a person to protect their own cultural diversity, you do not need a set of rules to protect cultural diversity; it happens anyhow.
I look forward to a day where Aboriginal people who are so sadly over-represented in the misuse of licit and illicit drugs in our community are not over-represented, and the statistics that surround them are exactly the same as the statistics that surround the rest of the community. The beginning point will have to be when they start being treated at an economic level in the same way as everybody else - that means the same set of rules. Once you start to achieve that, and you actually allow Aboriginal people to succeed as well as fail then, finally, the decisions that Aboriginal people make about their own lives and futures will be decisions that have some weight. At the moment, the experience of the average Aboriginal person is that, if they have a choice between A and B, and outcome C is invariably the same result, it makes choice useless and meaningless.
I look forward to a day when this legislation is not required because our community is truly wealthy - not just wealthy in places. For that to occur, the whole community has to be in the same economic melting pot. After that, you will find that legislation like this is going to be largely redundant. However, having said that, I am not critical of the legislation; it is necessary for the environment that we find ourselves in. It is the environment that we find ourselves in we should be challenging and taking to task - not just the symptoms, but the causes.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, at the outset, I will respond to the member for Macdonnell’s contribution, which I found quite thoughtful, and say that, in previous debates in this House that we have both contributed to, it is remarkable how similarly the bush members view these types of issues. Blind Freddy can see the current lack of economic activity in our remote communities - the lack of job opportunities and support economic prospects – and the damage that it is doing to our Aboriginal people, family by family, individual by individual. There is no question that we need to be working towards greater economic participation by the indigenous people within their home communities and on their homelands.
I point out that our government has certainly not been blind to that responsibility and need. We have been working on an indigenous employment strategy, Territory-wide. On last report, there was something like 1000 jobs that have been sourced and had indigenous people recruited into them. So, there is work going on. I absolutely agree with the member for Macdonnell that the current dependency - the current welfare basis, I guess - for many of our remote communities is a root cause of many of the ills that we have to deal with as a government. There are things such as the health profile, the education outcomes, the lack of employment outcomes which are all a witch’s brew, if you like, which is a huge challenge to not only our government but any government that would be current in the Northern Territory.
To get to the actual point of this debate in particular, substance abuse in general is very much a symptom of the fundamentals that have been spoken about. Until the fundamentals are dealt with, I quite agree we have to simply control the symptoms while looking for some more fundamental solutions.
Turning now to the actual topic of the statement, attacking drug-related crime, we recognise in our Building Safer Communities that further work has to be done, not only on combating both the distribution and effects of illicit drugs in our community, but also on licit substances such as alcohol and tobacco. It is a fallacious argument to say that because alcohol and tobacco quite clearly cause significant damage within our communities, it is a reason to not tackle illicit drugs. That is silly and, as a health minister, there are additional reasons why illicit drugs are far more significant than perhaps the amount of distribution around the Territory today might have indicated. There are flow-on effects both economically and in health, and we are seeing a major increase in demand for mental health services directly as a result of drug abuse.
Consequently, there are very good reasons why licit drugs should be one of the responsibilities our government should tackle. We would consider it irresponsible to pretend, as the Opposition Leader did when he was Chief Minister, that drug-related crime in the Northern Territory was a minuscule problem. I know he was comparing that to licit drugs and their effects, however, it is not a miniscule problem and there is more and more evidence surfacing to substantiate that.
We knew action had to be taken and that is why we came to government with a three point plan to combat the distribution and use of illicit drugs in our community: first, through law enforcement with zero tolerance on drug production and distribution; second, through compulsory treatment of addicts arrested on drug-related crimes; and third, with a sound drug prevention strategy including family support policies and education campaigns directed at young people.
In the law enforcement area, as has been previously commented on, we have brought in a civil-based Crimes (Forfeiture of Proceeds) Act making it easier to move against criminals who have accumulated property. The earlier act, which was based on a criminal level of proof, was introduced in 1988 and, after many years of operation, had only resulted in $7000 of criminal proceeds being confiscated as a result of action under that legislation. Absolutely ineffective as a piece of legislation. We have introduced a far more effective vehicle. Our legislation was aimed at preventing the unjust enrichment of certain individuals as a result of criminal conduct, and established a mechanism outside the criminal jurisdiction for forfeiture of property used in, or in connection with, the commission of a criminal offence. In particular, the legislation made provision for the forfeiture of property of a declared drug trafficker - a person convicted of three serious drug offences.
This government believed, and still believes, that criminals have no legal or moral entitlement to the proceeds of their crime, and where property is used to facilitate criminal activity that property will be forfeited to the Territory. At the time I described our legislation as important law which would greatly assist in fighting crime in our community. As the minister outlined to the House during his statement, the law has indeed proved to be a great success and the NT Police are to be congratulated for their efforts in that regard.
To update the House on the current levels of forfeiture, police have now issued 112 restraining orders relating to more than $2.5m worth of property, including cash, real estate, vehicles, computer equipment, and hydroponics equipment; $1.67m worth of property is under restraint; and 59 forfeiture orders have been granted, representing $348 784 worth of property.
We have also promised to crack down on those who have manufactured and distributed drugs, causing so much harm in our community and did this by comprehensive reforms to the Misuse of Drugs Act. Before we introduced our reforms, drug dealers were able to dodge the law in various ways. The result was that drug premises operated openly in our suburbs, particularly in Darwin. The amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act gave police the extra powers they needed to close down these drug premises and to target the dealers and traffickers who peddle drugs. They gave the police the power to identify, search and place upon a declared drug house a Drug Premises Notice, warning that anyone found in possession of drugs will be facing aggravated drug charges.
Our laws also gave police the power to charge for possession of drug manufacturing equipment or drug recipe books. The member for Goyder, at the time of the debate on this bill, expressed some concern where he felt that there may be some unfair singling out of licensed premises. He also seemed to be of the opinion, or repeated the opinion of the then Executive Officer of the AHA, that these reforms would bring organised crime to the Northern Territory for the first time. I think we can agree, after the operation of this legislation for some time now, that these fears have proven unfounded.
Drug courts are another element of our crack down on drug use in the community, with drug courts offering an ability to attach to a bail arrangement the attendance of an accused person at drug rehabilitation. When coming back to face the charges, that can then be tendered on sentencing as a mitigating factor; in other words, potentially a lighter sentence for the offences for which they have been charged. That is a very well known mechanism from other states in Australia, New South Wales and Victoria in particular, and at the last briefing I had on this, nearly 100 alleged offenders have now gone through a drug court process and none have appeared as re-offenders. That is a very important mechanism for getting heavy drug users out of criminal behaviour associated with drug use.
That brings me to one of the major insights that our government brought to this legislative reform and that was the very strong connection that was apparent right around other parts of Australia and overseas between property crime, particularly serial offenders, and drug use. Surprisingly high numbers of serial property offenders have a drug habit and thereby it offers a very powerful tool to make inroads on the levels of property crime in our community.
It is not hard to imagine a serious drug user having to maintain a habit that is going to cost hundreds of dollars or more in a week, having to take to property crime, house break-ins and car theft and the like, to maintain their drug habit. That is exactly what we are seeing in many of the cases that have come through our courts. That is exactly one category of offenders that our police have targeted in their campaign against the level of property crime in our communities, and we have seen that insight of the relationship between property crime and drug use being a very effective contribution to the continuing good trends in property crime in the Northern Territory.
There is no other jurisdiction in Australia that has achieved the reductions that we have achieved in the Northern Territory on property crime and the police are to be commended for that. Despite the strenuous objections of the opposition, governments do get things right occasionally - quite often if you are a bit more generous about it - and this is certainly one occasion on which it was the right call to work on that relationship to use it as a basis of both our laws and of our police operational arrangements to take that class of offenders off the streets, out of people’s homes, out of people’s cars, and put them out of circulation in their criminal activity.
We will continue to closely follow that pattern of behaviour in our community. That is one of the reasons why we could aspire to keeping the property crime levels at the much lower levels than since the heyday of the CLP era.
The other area is a properly resourced drug prevention strategy. The development of a sound drug prevention strategy will ensure that we are doing our utmost to discourage our children and young people to see drug use as an attractive option. The Martin government has made unprecedented inroads into tackling the impact of drugs and alcohol upon our community. Spending in the area of alcohol and other drugs has increased by 40% in the last three years. Our reforms in this area and our treatment programs will have lasting impact on future generations. It will significantly reduce the burden of our health and justice systems for those people addicted to or harmed by drug abuse.
In conclusion, our increased penalties for those who manufacture drugs send a clear and unambiguous message to the community: that this government repudiates those people who seek to traffic in drugs and cause such misery, not only to the individual, but to the community as a whole. We promised a comprehensive package to deal with people in our community who are drug-addicted through educational programs in schools, prevention programs, drug courts, and harsh penalties for those who deal in or profit from drugs. More is being done to tackle illicit drug use in the community. A raft of new measures has been introduced including drug house laws to shutdown drug houses, making it harder for traffickers, dealers and manufacturers to peddle illicit drugs. The new Criminal Property Forfeiture Bill is targeting criminal profits and personal assets of drug dealers and others involved in the drug trade, allowing for confiscation of property of declared drug traffickers. There are new drug courts to help drug-addicted property offenders break the crime cycle through comprehensive treatment.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, this government has kept its promise made in the last election. Our three-point plan on drug use is fully out in the community and is having very clear and beneficial results.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I concur with the member for Macdonnell and the Attorney-General on issues relating to what really is the biggest drug related to crime. We all know that the figures say that 70% to 80% of crime in the Northern Territory is alcohol affected or as a result of alcohol abuse. I suppose, when you see the headlines today, you think of those illicit drugs. I agree with the member for Macdonnell; the drug that really causes the most problem by far in the Territory is alcohol.
I have said here before that we have to create and give Aboriginal people employment. We have to start somewhere. I know there are people saying: ‘Private investment jobs will come along’. Having worked on Aboriginal communities for many years, to me, the biggest downfall was the introduction of unemployment benefits. It created the welfare state we have today. I believe big decisions have to be made by the Commonwealth government to put in enough money in Aboriginal communities - and other communities, not just Aboriginal communities but small towns around the place that have high unemployment rates - and create jobs. There is no reason why governments cannot create jobs.
In America during the depression, what did governments do? Create jobs. Why are we not doing the same thing today? Governments have responsibility to pull people out of these low economic conditions of unemployment because we know that they are the groups of people who will be most in trouble with the law. Statistics show that most of the people who are in gaol are from a low economic basis. We certainly need to make some big decisions. The member for Stuart mentioned that the Territory government is putting 1000 people into employment. I am not sure where that was directed, but that is still a long way off what is needed.
The other issue in regards to alcohol is that we are all too scared to look at the influence of the alcohol industry, which is a very powerful industry. It has great pulling power with regard to sporting activities in the Northern Territory. It knows it can make a large profit by being involved in sporting activities whilst, at the same time, many of the people we talk about who are involved in crime and crime-related activities, in this case, Aboriginal people - which we know because they are over-represented in our gaols by far; there are three-and-a-half times the number of Aboriginal people in gaol compared to non-Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, when they represent a quarter to one-third of our population. Yet, we have issues of alcoholism and the effects of alcohol and, at the same time, the alcohol industry is very powerful in the Northern Territory. Of course, that is very difficult to change, unless the government has the will. And I have spoken about those issues before.
I would like to look at a positive move that the government has made recently in the rural area. I would like to use this opportunity to say thank you to the government for fulfilling its promise to build the Humpty Doo Police and Fire Station. It is an important statement in the rural area. It shows that the rural area is, at last, being recognised as an important part of the Territory community. The rural area and, more specially, the Litchfield Shire, is continually growing and that can be seen by the strong demand for land and the price being paid for this land. As well, there has been strong growth in both commercial and industrial development in the area. Not only do we now have two Woolworths’ supermarkets but, believe it or not, the first fast food franchise has now opened at Coolalinga – Domino’s Pizza. With all this growth in population and business, it is no wonder that it is the right time for a Police and Fire Station to be established.
That was no more obvious at the opening of the station on 27 February, when many rural people turned up to see for themselves what their new Police and Fire Station looked like. The kids certainly had a great day checking out the building, the holding cells and the fire engines. In fact, a number of prominent people were seen occupying the back of the paddy wagons - and I have the photos as evidence. I know there have been some comments about so-called inadequacies of the building, and perhaps the minister could respond to those comments.
After speaking to senior police, my understanding of the reason why the holding cell does not have a toilet is that prisoners are only kept for a maximum of 20 to 30 minutes before they are transported to the watch-house. The holding cell also has two large windows so prisoners can be viewed from the office, which would make it interesting if someone wanted to use the toilet - if there was a toilet in the cell. If someone wanted to use the toilet, they would just be escorted around the corner. However, if that is a real problem, it should not be of such significance that it spoils the fact that we have a significant improvement in government services in the rural area.
I have heard it said that we need a medical centre rather than a police station. Well, that may be the next project. We do not need a medical centre, because we are well served by the private medical services at Humpty Doo but, more importantly, we need a community care centre similar to the one at Palmerston. However, that is another issue to be debated at another time.
I thank those business people who were responsible for the eventual building of this police station. They lobbied for a police presence in the rural area after a spate of criminal activity in the business area around Humpty Doo. I congratulate those people on their foresight, and the Police Commissioner for his assistance. I know some people have asked: ‘Why do we need police in our area?’ The obvious answer is law enforcement. Even though we do have a lower criminal activity than in the more built-up areas, we do have crime. We have drug-related crime such as drink-driving and domestic violence. Just recently, there was a spate of break-ins and vandalism at the school, businesses at Howard Springs, and at the Noonamah Hotel. There are some very serious crimes on record that have occurred in the rural area; for example, the shootings at the Humpty Doo pub, the rape and robbery of an elderly couple at a house in Humpty Doo, the alleged drug-related shooting of a man at Bees Creek, and the horrible killing of the two prostitutes at Adelaide River.
However, police are not just there as law enforcers; they have to attend car accidents, drownings, farm accidents - those things we probably would not like to attend - visit schools to talk about drug-related issues, visit businesses, and may even have to sort out the odd dog problem in the Litchfield Shire which might mean, sometimes, they have to become law enforcers in that area. As people get to know them better, they will become part of the community, which in turn will lead to an understanding of what is happening in the rural area.
Another matter raised is the hours which the police station will be open. I would hope that this will be reviewed on an annual basis to make sure the hours are adequate to cover the work; after all, many crimes are at night. Our police station is a positive statement to community and a deterrent to those who are thinking about doing the wrong thing.
In relation to the drug-related issues that are before us today, the police will be involved in those issues. Whilst we are not talking about the philosophical side of drug-related issues, here is a physical presence of police in our community which can help in deterring people in drug-related matters. Whether it is the illegal growing of dope, or the abuse of alcohol, we now have police in our rural area who can do something about those issues.
Minister, I know there are other issues related to this police and fire station which need to be sorted out, such as with the volunteer fire brigade and whether we will have an ambulance station there as well. One of the unusual things about this police station is that it does include the fire station and, to me, that makes sense. If we can eventually include the ambulance services we will have the three most important emergency services people in the one building, which is a great idea. Also, I hope St John Ambulance Humpty Doo cadets can set up a training room so they can also have a permanent home, and I will continue lobbying for those changes.
Minister, I thank the government for fulfilling its election promise. As you would have seen from the number of people who turned up, there was no doubt that an overwhelming number of people are very pleased we now have a police and fire station in our community. It shows that the rural area is coming to maturity and it is not the feral area, as some people might say. It is an important area, both from the economy and a place where families can set up home, even though it has the same problem as Alice Springs - high prices for land which are making it harder for young people to live in the area, and I have said before I think the government can play a role in changing that. However, we now have a police and fire station, which businesses, the local community, schools and, in general, the whole community, are very pleased to see.
Thank you, minister. I will be waiting for the swimming pool.
Mr HENDERSON (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, in regards to the swimming pool, I am pretty sure my colleague, the Minister for Local Government, did offer the Litchfield Shire $1m for a swimming pool and Litchfield Shire knocked it back.
Mr Wood: The minister said he would build it for $1m. I am waiting for him to get the shovel out.
Mr HENDERSON: $1m is a pretty gift horse that has been looked in the mouth, I think. $1m was a commitment, but we will see what we can do.
I thank honourable members for their contribution to the debate. Picking up on the comments from the bush members, and also for all of us here, we acknowledge as government that the vast majority of police activity and social dysfunction in the Northern Territory is caused by alcohol. We are attempting to address that particular issue with other strategies, and this was a debate on attacking drug-related crime in the community. It was a key election commitment of the government to tackle this issue which the previous government had basically determined did not exist - that it was not a problem - however, increasingly in our last couple of years of opposition it was becoming a very big problem in the Northern Territory.
When in opposition we were absolutely convinced that if you wanted to get ahead in tackling property crime, if you tackled the supply of drugs, illicit drugs in the first instance, that would be part of a comprehensive and overall strategy. Crime figures have fallen across the Territory very dramatically – the average is 50% - in the last three-and-a-half years, and this great attack on drug-related crime by our police force has played a significant part in that reduction. I thank our police for the great part that they have played in tackling this issue.
The member for Nightcliff made a very worthy contribution to the debate. Her work on the Select Committee on Substance Abuse certainly gave the member for Nightcliff a very good insight to the link of drug use and crime in our community. She also commented on the great results achieved by our police force.
The member for Millner also made a worthwhile contribution and hit the nail on the head. I quote the member for Millner:
That is exactly what we have seen over the last three-and-a-half years. In terms of the reduction of crime, as the member for Millner pointed out, there has been a reduction of almost 9000 property offences than under the last year of the former government. It is a magnificent effort and, as I have said before in this parliament, when you take that amount of grief and hurt out of the community, it is palpable. Members on our side of the House get out and knock on doors, and we know what it was like two or three years ago: that grief is not there in the community now.
The member for Sanderson talked about the great feedback he has had from people in his electorate because people can see and value the work that our police force is doing and recognise that they are seeing a lot more of them out there in that community. The great work and support for the police has seen fewer drugs on the streets, reduced crimes and a safer community.
The contribution from the Leader of Opposition was predictable. Again, there were two constant themes in his criticism of the Northern Territory Police. First, according to the Opposition Leader, they produce, in his words – ‘they’ being the police - woeful results. I do not know when the Leader of the Opposition is going to get off the police’s back. He is constantly talking down the work that our police do. The Leader of the Opposition thinks that the $75m we committed to extra resources in the police is a lot of money, but we are seeing property crime down across the Territory. We are seeing all crime down across the Territory. We still have problems, lots of problems, but the problems we face in this community will not be solved by fewer police and the commitment is something that his government refused to do.
The member for Brennan had the temerity to suggest, and I quote:
One can only assume from that comment that this river of money which is flowing through the police force - producing woeful results, according to the Leader of the Opposition - means that he has one plan and one plan only: to go back to previous CLP policy and starve police of money, resources and personnel, and reduce the police budget. That is the only way that you can take his constant comments, because they have a track record. After 26 years in government, they have a track record of consistently, year after year, failing to fund police to the extent that they knew they needed to.
He also went on to say that the police wrongly designed the Humpty Doo Police Station. He blamed the police and said that they got that all wrong. He could not be bothered to attend the opening of the Humpty Doo Police Station, but he ordered out Private Phasey to do the reconnaissance on his own and he came back and bagged the police and the design of their station.
He also went on to say that the police have blown their budget by $14m this year. Again, that is an attack on the capacity of the commissioner to do his job. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, the police budget will over-run this year, as it has for at least the last 10 years that I have been back through the figures because it is a very inexact science in terms of assessing how much the police need in their budget every year. Every day, as any police officer will tell you when they get up to start their shift, they do not know what they are going to face in terms of crime across the Territory. The capacity to gaze into the crystal ball and allocate a budget down to the last dollar for the police is certainly an inexact science, but to say that the police have blown their budget by $14m is quite incredible.
You have to ask why he keeps bagging our police force in the Territory. I believe it is because he does not like to see progress for which he cannot take the credit.
Getting back to the issue of drug abuse in our community and the role that the police have in tackling that drug abuse, the bush members - certainly as Cabinet has travelled around the Northern Territory from regional centres out into remote communities - the No 1 issue that is raised, particularly in remote communities, is the issue of cannabis in those communities, and the appalling harm that its starting to cause there. Again, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record in believing that cannabis use is something that can, and should, be tolerated. He certainly condoned that when he was Commanding Officer in the Army. Who can forget his comments in November 2003 - and I am reading from the NT News:
This is General Cosgrove:
That shows when the then Chief Minister, the member for Brennan, the now Leader of the Opposition, when questioned about the links between drugs and illicit crime, said, and I quote the Parliamentary Record of 9 August 2000:
Here we have an Opposition Leader, a former Chief Minister, believing that marijuana use should be tolerated and that drug-related crime is minuscule. He needs to get out into those communities a bit more and hear from the mothers, in particular, about the devastation that the drug use is causing.
I thank my colleague, the member for Casuarina, who is serving in the Defence Reserves, because the Leader of the Opposition really did fail in his duty as commanding officer to take action, particularly given his own words, he knew that people were smoking marijuana whilst he was the CO.
If you go to the Defence Force Discipline Act 1982, section 59, the legislation actually states:
It is actually an offence under the Defence Force Discipline Act for a serving soldier to be in possession of, or to consume, cannabis. Therefore, as a commanding officer, he should have known that. What are the powers of a commanding officer knowing that his members are taking cannabis, particularly under the legislation? Again, from the Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 Part 5, Summons, Arrest, Custody and Suspension from Duty, ‘Summons and order in the nature of summons’:
He had the power to charge those soldiers that he knew were taking or were in possession of marijuana. He certainly had the power, as CO, to do something about that. However, it gets even worse for the member for Brennan. It is amazing that he did escape by the skin of his teeth because, as a CO, he had the responsibility to charge all reports to an MP, and failed to do either.
Also under the same act, Division 4, section 35:
The Leader of the Opposition, who not only, as a Commanding Officer, knew that his soldiers were in breach of the Defence Force Discipline Act, but deliberately failed by omission or negligence to actually perform his duties and charge those soldiers. I have to say that the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Brennan, is very lucky, indeed, that he did not see what was quite a significant military career crash on the rocks by his failure and omission to charge those soldiers, which he was required to do under the legislation. However, it does explain why he has an attitude that illicit drug use is not harmful, it is minuscule, and something that should be tolerated in our society. We in government do not believe that and we will continue to give our police the legislative powers and the tools to do the job.
The member for Drysdale - again, the member for doom and gloom in this parliament – said, and I quote:
He then went on to say again, regarding closing down these drug houses that were operating with impunity through the Northern Territory, that the police did not have the powers to deal with them. The member for Drysdale stated in his comments, and I quote:
So, in reality according to the member for Drysdale, you should not close the drug houses down because you drive the distribution further underground.
That would indicate that maybe, if the opposition did get back into government, they would repeal the drug house legislation. I hope that they would not. What you have to do is to attack crime wherever you see it and, as people move their distribution techniques, you have to give the police the power to keep up to date. The member for Drysdale also believes that these powers were not worth the paper that they were written on because it was just going to drive drug distribution further underground. If you get out there and talk to people in the community who have benefited from these houses being driven out of business, then it is a hard argument for the member for Drysdale to sustain.
We also have the former Leader of the Opposition, the member for Blain, with form in being soft on illicit drug use in the community. We revealed during parliament six months or so ago that the then Leader of the Opposition, Mr Mills, quite proudly states in his biography on the CLP web site that, in January 2004, he became a member of the Australian Parliamentary Group for Drug Law Reform. That particular parliamentary group, which is a bipartisan and cross-party group, is a group that, in Australia, includes - in terms of their policy - the legalisation of heroin and heroin injecting rooms. It is a stated objective which that lobby groups seeks to pursue. The member for Blain at the time said he was going to review his membership, I think he said, given that he was not aware the group he belonged to advocated the legalisation of heroin and heroin injecting rooms.
However, I see from his biography today that he is still a member. We have brought it to his attention, and one can only assume that it is the belief of the member for Blain, and the CLP wing, that legalisation of heroin and heroin injecting rooms is going to be future opposition policy. It will never be government policy, and I am astounded to see the member for Blain is still a member of this group given their stated aims and objectives.
I am sure this is not the last time this issue will be debated in this parliament. Illicit drug use is a concern for the vast majority of Territorians, particularly parents. The last thing they want to see is their kids caught up in illicit drug use, and young people will experiment. Many members of this parliament would have experimented. However, that is no excuse for the government of the day not to make access to these illicit drugs as hard as possible, and to have legislation in place which gives the police the powers and resources, and the courts the will, to do the job so that the people we are really after - those who profit from growing the market, and getting kids addicted - are hunted down, charged, and driven out of business.
We will continue to give the police the powers to do the job, and I and this side of the House believes the police have done a magnificent job with these new powers and tools over the last couple of years. I am sure they will continue to make further inroads.
The two drug dogs, Scent and Monte, are doing a magnificent job. I have been speaking to police officers in communities throughout the Territory, and they think they are getting great support from the remote drug desk. We are starting to make an inroad. We have a long way to go, however, we have the will to tackle the job which is more than can be said for members of the opposition.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Madam SPEAKER: Welcome everyone for our Question Time tonight. You might have noticed that there is a book on your seat. Please take it home with you. It was a book published in 1995 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fully elected Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory. If you do not have one, please feel free to ask the people at the front office. I am sure they will be only too glad to give you one to take with you.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that leave of absence be granted to the Treasurer, Mr Stirling, on account of his required attendance on official business interstate. As Leader of Government Business, I advise I will take questions on behalf of the Treasurer and the Minister for the Department of Employment, Education and Training.
Motion agreed to.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I also move that leave of absence for this day be granted to the member for Arafura, Ms Scrymgour, for health reasons. Questions for the minister in regards to Family and Community Services and Environment and Heritage are to be directed to my colleague, the Minister for Mines and Energy.
Motion agreed to.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of the President of the Legislative Council of Western Australia, Hon John Cowdell MLC, and the federal member for Lingiari, Hon Warren Snowdon MP. On behalf of all members, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent this House from censuring the government for:
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, the government will accept this censure motion, even though it has been very weakly prosecuted and all the answers have been given by my colleague. However, we will accept the censure motion and I ask that the cameras cease filming.
Madam SPEAKER: Visitors in the gallery, when a censure motion has been called, we then cease Question Time and we ask that television cameras cease. The member for Araluen, in a moment, will be able to move her motion.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, I move that the government be censured for:
First, I will deal with building defects of the Alice Springs Hospital. The minister has claimed that the safety of staff and patients at the hospital has not been compromised as a result his failure to fix various defects. We ask how their safety cannot be compromised in light of matters raised in the April 2003 report, such as:
Yesterday, we were horrified when a government minister said there were live electrical wires at the Alice Springs Hospital. If that is not a risk to the safety of all who enter the hospital, I am not sure what is.
The minister maintains that the safety of patients and staff has not been jeopardised. How, then, does he describe incidents such as: a nurse being trapped in a coolroom for 45 minutes due to a faulty door release button; the main switchboard being faulty for 15 months; and fire safety measures in high risk areas being insufficient? We ask, in particular, why the minister failed to act.
Had it not been for a leaked report that fell off the back of several trucks, we would never have known about these sorts of problems nor the extent of them. We call again for the government to make its 24 reports and assessments public. When it was ultimately leaked, the CEO of the Department of Health, Mr Robert Griew, was reported in the Northern Territory News on 7 February as saying that some defects had, in fact, been repaired but others had not. Despite knowing about the faulty switchboard since April 2003, he said it ‘is now due to be redesigned’, the faulty hospital pager system ‘is now set to be replaced’, and the entire electrical system ‘is now being reviewed’. We asked why these problems were not fixed earlier. The minister knew about them for two years, the CEO knew about them, and what was being done? It seems as though any activity only commenced after the leaking of a particular report. The Minister for Health said yesterday, and I quote:
We ask; what has he been doing? What is alarming is that in the Government Gazette on 16 February, was information about a tender let to a company replacing the existing fire detection system. We ask when was it let and how long was the problem known for? In October last year the health minister advised parliament, and I quote:
and that significant redevelopment works would need to be undertaken.
In the government’s own glossy blue print Building Healthier Communities, the Labor government says it would put into practice policies for a safe working environment. In light of the defects that we know about, ignored by this government for the better part of two years, it is very difficult, in our view, to argue that people’s safety was not compromised.
There are two issues as to timing of the government’s announcements. First, we know that the report of April 2003 listed defects and problems. We also know about the remaining 24; people in the department knew; the CEO knew; the minister must have known, and we ask for how long? Why the inaction and the delays, and what, if any, discussions have occurred with the contractor about the problems? Second, notwithstanding these massive problems, in January this year the minister announced that the hospital gained national accreditation for, and I quote: ‘… meeting rigorous national standards’. Only three weeks after announcing the hospital gained accreditation, he said a detailed examination had revealed that the problems at the hospital were more serious than first thought. Curious timing indeed, minister. It does appear, and I have asked 57 questions on the Parliamentary Record during the last sittings, that the minister may have acted with undue haste to gain accreditation, or he may have waited until accreditation was gained before announcing the extra $8m for the massive repairs.
Labor has tried to twist this issue to sink to new low depths by suggesting that it was all our fault. Rubbish, absolute rubbish! Labor cut the ribbons, took the applause, signed off, issued the final certificates, wrote the final cheques, and did not even give us the courtesy of an invitation to the opening. Took the applause on the day …
Dr Toyne interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: This is not about us. It is about you, minister. It is about you, Chief Minister. It is about your absent and usually absent-minded Treasurer. These things happened on your watch. You were the captains of the ship. You sat by and did nothing while there were huge delays that potentially, and probably actually, put the safety of visitors, staff and patients in the hospital at great risk. A total of $10m has now been allocated; $2m in May last year, despite the fact the Treasurer said in a letter to the public servants, and others, in his May budget last year that it was only $900 000. I am not sure whether the Health minister usually takes the liberty of doubling what the Treasurer says, and perhaps alternatively the Treasurer was wrong. In any event $10m - almost one-third of the whole cost of the project. These are massive costs; these are massive defects.
We ask that the government provide some fair dinkum answers. Table, or make public, the 24 reports and assessments which you say exist. Your refusal to do so makes you look as though there is something to hide. If you have, as a government, clean hands, tell us. Do not go around making scurrilous accusations about the former government. This is about you. It is your story, your conduct, your failure to act appropriately. The delays, I say again, occurred under your watch.
Moving to other matters in the censure motion, Madam Speaker, it pains me, and I know there are some nurses here tonight, and the general community of Alice Springs that nurses have embarked on industrial action. Nurses do not do so lightly. However, they did. They felt driven to put an advertisement in the Centralian Advocate, a big advertisement. People will remember it. It said amongst other things that they were:
They went on to say:
In May after the budget last year, the Treasurer, in his letter to nurses and other public servants, said:
Well, you would not know it, Madam Speaker. You would not know that nurses were a priority at all for this government despite its rhetoric. There is no doubt that part of the reason nurses have embarked on their industrial action is they are sick of working double and triple shifts because there are not enough nurses.
In terms of the government’s efforts in relation to recruitment, it would be a joke if it were not so serious. Labor politicians have lauded themselves in relation to their recruitment efforts. Let us look at what some of them have had to say. The first Health minister, the one who was sacked, said in parliament in February 2002:
She went on to list a number of initiatives, which included, and I quote:
and she went on and on and on. So certain was she that the government was tackling this matter very well, she issued a media release about it. Curiously, in her media release, she said, and I quote:
That was February 2002; the government telling the people of the Northern Territory, and Alice Springs in particular, that they were onto it, but it does not stop there, Madam Speaker. Wait! There is more. The current minister who lives in Central Australia had this to say in parliament last year, and I quote:
The General Manager of the Hospital said on ABC radio on 15 February, and I quote:
Curiously, at about the same time, the minister announced a new recruitment campaign. We were not sure whether it was part of many other recruitment campaigns, but he announced another one. The people, a company, anyone in the Northern Territory, could apply for the job of undertaking this recruitment campaign. It was a tender. We looked at the tender and nearly fell off our chairs when we saw a relevant part of it. In relation to this government’s recruitment efforts, it said, and I quote:
Not what the minister was telling the rest of us, Madam Speaker. So, despite his repeated assurances that recruitment in the Northern Territory was in hand, the facts speak for themselves.
Another arm of government said the minister was not doing a good job. Nurses accordingly undertook their industrial action – well, they took their industrial action as a result of this very issue, recruitment. The minister has been in denial about the nurses and, in particular, their concerns about lack of staff. In a radio interview on 24 February, when this industrial action was arguably at its hottest, the minister said about low staff numbers, ‘Nurses are not a problem in terms of numbers’. He went on to say, ‘The number of nurses was up to scratch’. If that is not denial, I am not sure what is.
The nurses, and I have spoken to many, tell me all sorts of things, but a constant message that is coming through is that they want some leadership from this minister. They say that the minister has abandoned them. They also say, and the minister will be delighted to hear this, his heart is in the right place. I agree. I think his heart is in the right place, but it is head I am worried about. It is his ability to think his way through a problem, and these problems at the hospital in particular, which are a worry, not just to everyone who might be going into the hospital as a patient or a visitor, but to the nurses who work there so tirelessly, diligently and in such a dedicated way.
Madam Speaker, you will be aware that the ANF recently, I think in the last couple of days, issued a media release in relation to another act of madness it seems that this government has undertaken, and that is in relation to cutting the wages of agency nurses. When a nurse in this country can go anywhere he or she likes because nurses are in such demand, this government cuts the rate of agency nurses - absolutely scandalous. In its media release, the ANF said that the move, ‘… was designed to alienate, wilfully alienate, nurses generally and, in particular, agency nurses’. They want leadership, minister, not lip service.
There are a number of other matters in relation to recruitment generally. People here tonight will remember that Dr Charles Butcher and David Hamilton’s contracts were not renewed, and it caused great anger in the community. Dr David Meadows, the AMA President for the Northern Territory, described it as crazy. He also said, ‘It is absolutely ludicrous. We need to find out how this has happened at a time when we are desperately trying to find doctors’. That was only last month. It goes on and on and on. So recruitment is a problem. Government says that they are addressing it. We say, obviously not. It is not just us; the nurses say, obviously not. The facts speak for themselves.
In terms of what I am told is incredibly an unprecedented low morale at the hospital, I refer again to the nurses being forced, or feeling compelled, to put a large advertisement in the Centralian Advocate, trying to reassure those of us who live in this place that they were pushed to an extreme length. These are people who do not, in the normal course of events, embark on industrial action. Some people will remember that the nurses wanted to meet with the minister. He gave some spurious, and I call it that because it would be unparliamentary to use any other word, but a spurious reason as to why he should not meet with them. We say he should have been interested enough in staff concerns, he should not have hesitated. CLP ministers for Health have met with the staff in the past. There is no excuse to hesitate, not even for a minute. Then the CLP, ‘I made an offer to meet with the nurses’. Well, you would not know it, later that day or the next day, the minister agreed to meet with them. This minister had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to meet with and talk to the nurses at the Alice Springs Hospital. My view is that the Chief Minister should have stepped in at that stage. The minister has been in denial about problems there and, of course, that of itself adds to what I am told is the very low staff morale at the hospital.
I just must revisit - I know I have mentioned it or it came up in a question - how surprising and astounding it was when the minister was censured on this and other matters pertaining to the Alice Springs Hospital in June last year, when he said, ‘It is a great time for health in the Northern Territory’. Government spin at its worst. Was he lying? I do not know. Perhaps he honestly thought it was a great time for health in the Northern Territory. Well, I live here, minister, and it is not a great time for health in Alice Springs.
Either way, minister, it is a disgrace. I feel sorry that the nurses are stuck with you. I know many of them - as do I in a personal sense - have a fondness for you. However, fond of you though we are, we want action. You are a minister of the Crown; you are paid handsomely to undertake the rights, responsibilities and privileges that that affords, and we want you to do your job - nothing more, nothing less.
Part of the censure motion in June last year was that the minister had, and I quote:
The minister refuted all of these things. He said we were talking down the hospital. It is one of his favourite and most predictable lines when he cops some criticism. We knew then what the minister should have known; that the staff were exhausted - they were working double and triple shifts - and that it would lead, inevitably, to industrial action.
What was also concerning about that censure – and it was a very passionate debate; in this place some debates are more passionate than others - I remember the debate well, as I know all members do. I have to say that what was concerning were some comments made by the member for Braitling – a person for whom I have great respect, who lives in this town. However, the member Braitling agreed with everything the government said. She said that things at the hospital were okay, and how dare anyone suggest otherwise. In fact, what the member for Braitling said was this, and I quote:
She accused us of talking down the hospital. We were not talking down the hospital; we were fulfilling the job that we are paid for - that we are paid handsomely for - by voicing the concerns of the people we represent, either as local members or in our role as shadow ministers. It is what we are paid to do. What was interesting, and I might say very reassuring, was that in relatively recent times, I saw a media release issued by the member for Braitling where she talked about why it was that the minister refused to meet with members of the hospital board. She directed her release to the minister and said, and I quote:
I could not have said it better myself. I was delighted when I saw that media release. Not for a moment did I or my colleagues doubt what we were doing by raising these concerns either in parliament, in our own media releases or in the media, generally. Not for a moment did we doubt the information we were getting from the nurses. The reason for that is we trust nurses; we take nurses seriously. It is a crying shame that members of the government apparently do not.
Finally, the fifth part of this evening’s censure motion pertains to the waiting list at the Alice Springs Hospital. Yesterday, as we were talking about what the Chief Minister described in her statement as initiatives and achievements that the government has made in Alice Springs – which we questioned because we did not think they were initiatives or achievements – I asked the question of members on the government side, most of whom are from Darwin: how many people in Alice Springs do you think are on our waiting list: 200, 300, 500, 800, 1000, 1600? Most people in this room will know someone who is waiting for elective surgery at the Alice Springs Hospital. I know them, and part of the reason I do, apart from some being my friends, is that they ring me. A constituent rang me to say she could not wait; she could not stand to be on the waiting list for another 12 months. She was a public servant and, with her husband and at great cost to themselves, took off and went to Adelaide. This is Australia, minister, in 2005. Not good enough. Just not good enough.
Someone else at a function not so long ago needed an eye operation. I forget the details, however, he needed an eye operation and was told he had been moved, I think, from priority 3 to priority 1. When he was told that he became fairly enthusiastic, but when he asked, ‘What does priority 1 mean?’ he was told that it could happen within the next 12 months. Not good enough, minister.
The health budget is $650m. You will probably hear the minister in reply - there is no polite way to put this – slag-off at the former government, and say how little we spent on health. This government has received, I think, $600m extra from the federal government as a result of GST revenue. Some people will know that the Treasurer was in Canberra today to talk about giving some money back to Territorians. The money from the GST has been significant, which is why the health budget has increased to $650m. People often say there is never enough money for health. There is a lot of money for health in the Northern Territory.
If there is that much money for health, we ask why the government is seemingly so obsessed with outputs and not outcomes. Surely it is the case that any government worth its salt - any government regardless of its political colour - strives and, in light of a massive budget, actually delivers outcomes for the people it serves and represents. On this side of the House we do not think that is too much too ask.
The stories go on an on regarding people I know, and people I do not know but who contact me, some in tears and some ridden with anxiety and frustration about the waiting list. I do not think it is good enough. Only six or seven months ago, the minister said it is a great time for health in the Northern Territory. It is not a good time for health if you are a resident in Alice Springs.
This is a worthy censure. It arises as a result of concerns expressed to us. I can assure the minister I do not lie in bed at night inventing problems to talk about the next day, however, there comes a point where you must, as an individual, nail your colours to the mast and say, enough is enough. We are paid to call you to account, minister. We do so tonight. We know that you are not in this alone. We know that you had a predecessor - there was another minister for health. The Chief Minister and the Treasurer, and your other Cabinet colleagues, are in this together. You should all be censured. I know I am arguing this, but I do not think I have seen in recent times a more worthy censure.
Minister, with the greatest of respect, your conduct - shake your head, do whatever you like - has been atrocious. I am embarrassed and saddened that we need to bring on this censure motion. It is appropriate we are in Alice Springs. The minister, ladies and gentlemen, will no doubt say many things; as a former lawyer there is nothing like a good argument, however, all I ask is that the truth be adhered to. Do not dig away from the facts. Do not tell the nurses in Alice Springs that your recruitment efforts have been wonderful. They have not. Why would the nurses be on strike if the recruitment had been up to speed?
Minister, I now look forward to your response. No doubt I, and I suspect some others here this evening, will not agree with much of what you say. I simply ask, however, that you stick to the facts.
Dr TOYNE (Health): Madam Speaker, after a very long diatribe, it is a pleasure to provide for the people of Alice Springs and Central Australia the facts of what is going on in the hospital as regards to the issues that have been raised in this motion.
Before I go into detail into the areas of which I have carriage, I want to indicate how we will deal with the building issues. My colleague, the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, has carriage of the repair program in the building and can speak authoritatively about the chronology and genesis of the state that the building is now in.
What I can talk about is the safety of patients and staff in the period between now and the completion of the repair work in that building and, second, the plan that we have put in place to protect services from any disruption associated with the repairs. I will deal with that now as part of my reply and my colleague, the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, can go into a lot more detail and refute many of the assertions that have been made by the member for Araluen in the process.
Regarding the safety of patients and staff, our Chief Fire Officer in Alice Springs, Paul Herrick, was asked to do a full fire audit of the building and his report arising out of the non-compliant state of the building was reassuring. It basically said that the fire systems in the hospital such as sprinklers and the fire walls, such as they are, and evacuation procedures for staff and patients are adequate to protect the life and interests of both patients and staff while the repairs are being carried out.
Suffice to say if the report had come back with any qualification on that finding, we would be dealing with it right now. However, our Chief Fire Officer has said that it was the situation and that we can proceed with the repairs without fear for the safety of patients and staff. This is an issue of compliance to the code. It is about the building complying with a national code of fire safety protocols and that is what we are dealing with in the repair process, not the issue of the safety of the patients and staff themselves.
The plan that has been put in place will take three years. A wing of the hospital is currently being prepared and brought up to the standard that can support an Intensive Care Unit and High Dependency Unit, which means that the bedside services have to be at a very high level and, of course, that wing of the building has to be fully compliant with the national code before we move in any of the other working sections of the hospital while their areas are being repaired in the ongoing program.
I have assured myself in detail on the plan on which I have been briefed that it will minimise disruption to the working sections of the hospital. They will move twice: once into the spare wing while repair work is being done to their section; and a second time to go back to their normal working place. That, and that alone, will happen for each of the working sections. The first section to go in there will be ICU and High Dependency area of the hospital and then new sections probably every three or four months.
Regarding the nursing issues that were brought forward by the member for Araluen, I have indicated already that, on the invitation of the nurses, I have now met with delegates from the nurses twice from the hospital. There is no backflip or disgraceful change of heart or anything; it was simply a matter of working out with their union the boundaries of the matters I talk about. It is not appropriate for ministers to delve into issues of personal promotion or pay conditions. They are industrial issues; they are a matter for the CEO of my department and his management staff. What I can do, first of all, is to listen carefully to what the nurses have to say about their situation in the hospital and, secondly, to deal with issues of resources, policy and, of course, work with my CEO, Robert Griew, to address all of the nurses’ problems appropriately across that boundary line. That is exactly what we have done.
When I spoke to the group of nurses, the issues that they brought forward were the overtime levels over this recent summer period. As I said in answer to a question during Question Time, yes, there have been high levels of overtime, particularly in the critical care area, such as the emergency department and the ICU and High Dependency. There is no doubt about that, and I have been very clear about that many times in public, that the high level of patient presentations and fewer nurses than usual is the seasonal pattern in that hospital. That was clearly an issue, and there was no doubt there were some nurses who were pretty tired working double shifts, and so on.
I will get to the issues of agency nurse reforms. We do want to phase out agency source nurses and replace them with permanently employed nurses.
The management style of the hospital and the feeling that they needed to be brought more into the information flow in the hospital and be listened to and have accurate information presented about the number of nurses that are available in the hospital, and plans to replace nurses that are leaving, or plans to deal with the change of the status of the nurses from being agency-sourced to being a permanent staff appointments.
In response to those issues, when I have spoken to the nurses, I spoke to my CEO, Robert Griew. He then issued a letter to the ANF which made the following undertakings:
The Robert Griew letter, in my view, adequately addressed the industrial-type issues that the nurses were concerned about. They were the issues that I cannot directly intercede on. We certainly look forward to taking the nurses now permanently into a joint consultative committee for ongoing planning of staff and operational issues in the hospital. It is very appropriate to have clinical nurse managers and other nurses involved in that planning process. I understand that there have been a number of meetings held across the different professional areas in the hospital to get that planning process going in a completely inclusive way.
The other aspect of this is the overall resources that are available to the hospital. Of course, that is a budget issue which I have taken into our budget process. Obviously, we are still in that process, but I have certainly indicated to the nurses that I will be making very clear to the budget priorities the types of issues they were bringing forward regarding the actual quantum of nurses who are included in the establishment of the Alice Springs Hospital. I hope to report to the nurses fairly soon about the outcomes of that budget process. Of course, it does not take a brain surgeon to work out that that will be in May when we announce the budget and the contents of the budget.
Regarding the agency nurse reforms, the main concerns that we have with the current arrangements, particularly out-of-scope agencies - in other words, agencies that are not in an agreement with the Health Department for the supply of contract nurses – is that the pay of those nurses has got completely out of sync with the pay that is being offered to the permanent nursing staff of hospitals. It was interesting in the NT News editorial today that the agency received very strong support for the stand that they are taking on this reform. You cannot have one nurse working for $50 an hour in the same ward doing the same job as someone who is being paid $30 an hour as a permanent staff member. In many cases, the agency sourced nurses are doing a short-term stay and are not familiar with the operational details of that ward. You will find that a $30-an-hour nurse is then supervising a $50-an-hour nurse because they are not able to immediately pick up all the intricacies of the operation of an area of the hospital.
They are, basically, saying yes, this needs to be done for the sake of equity and for the sake of staff morale, which seems to be of great concern to the member for Araluen. I agree that we do not want arrangements in the workplace that undermine the self-value of a nurse. What would a nurse feel like, given that a majority of nurses are permanently employed nurses within our health system? The majority of nurses are seeing a minority getting much higher pay levels to do the same job. That is simply not an equitable situation, and it is not a sustainable situation in terms of morale. Therefore, that is the underpinning of the reforms.
In Alice Springs Hospital, every fortnight the nurses are meeting with management. They will audit each of the agency contract nurses as they exit from the hospital, and what arrangements have been made to put a recruited replacement nurse in place at the same pay levels and conditions as the bulk of the nursing staff around them. If we can get to a stage where all nurses are on the same conditions, then that has to make for a more stable work force that we can retain in the hospital, and hope to contribute to what is already a great staff tradition in the hospital.
I know the member for Araluen has gone to great pains to paint this black picture of plunging morale in the hospital. I am not seeing it. I have been to the hospital repeatedly. I have met with many areas of the staff, and I am not being told of, or seeing, people drooping around the wards at the end of their tether. I can certainly guarantee that I have seen probably many more nurses than the member for Araluen may have in recent times.
In terms of general recruitment to the hospital, we get a picture from the member for Araluen that we are not doing very well, and are struggling to keep all the activities at hospital fully resourced. I can say that as we currently stand we have a General Manager, an Executive Director of Nursing, the corporate service position has been filled, however we have to resolve the issue of the Director of Medical Services. The heads of department - this is a crucial thing as the clinical leadership in that hospital is ultimately going to come from the heads of department - we now have a full complement of heads of department in place, working in that hospital all at high levels of skill and expertise. In fact, I can say for a regional hospital the size of Alice Springs, we are doing very well on the recruitment of senior clinicians.
I will name them: Head of the Department of Medicine, Dr Steve Brady; Maternity, Simon Kane; Surgery, Jacob Jacobs; Paediatrics, Rob Roseby; Intensive Care - this is a real catch - Sydney Jacobs who is a very experienced intensivist. He is going to provide, for the first time, the senior leadership in our Intensive Care and High Dependency Unit to make it a genuinely solid unit, providing that level of care, which is a level two ICU level. Anaesthetics, Rod Mitchell, a fantastic clinician who has come in to underpin the surgical work in the hospital, and other duties in the Intensive Care and Emergency Department areas. Elizabeth Mowatt, who re-won her position within the Emergency Department, has been a given a chance to bring that department up to a high level of management, as well as its already high level of clinical care. And so on through our clinical nurse directors; I see Angie Ratsch is here tonight; Bronwyn Taylor from Maternity and Childcare Services; Adult Care Services including Renal, Robyn Cross; and through to our clinical nurse managers and allied health workers and managers.
The situation regarding recruitment and the staffing of the hospital is in good shape, especially when you take into account the fact that our nursing numbers are up close to establishment. What I am hearing now in the hospital is that the levels of overtime have receded. Our junior doctor positions are over 90% filled. Therefore, if you are going to the Alice Spring Hospital for care, you are never going to see a better level of staffing than we have managed to install.
Whilst it is easy to score cheap shots by making these types of allegations, I point out that this is a hospital which is pulling its operations together, and adopting safety and quality protocols. It is a hospital that is starting to take charge of its own clinical and management issues through its …
A member interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: Well, perhaps it is about time, perhaps it has been 20 years in the coming, and a lot of that was in your era. What I can definitely say is that it is happening right now, and this is not the time to be bagging this hospital and the staff.
I dealt with the issue of elective surgery in answer to a question during Question Time, but to reiterate, there are now two anaesthetists appointed to the staff; we have two full-time surgeons, and the nursing staff to sustain surgical activity. Whether it is day surgery, emergency surgery, or other elective procedures, we have the staffing to attempt to make inroads into that waiting list, and we will be trying to do that.
Mr Deputy Speaker, it is probably good to recap the key achievements just by summary before I close with a couple of other opinions about the situation in the Alice Springs Hospital.
In summary: we have brought the overall funding for Alice Springs Hospital up 30% in just three years, from $57.2m in 2000-01 to $75.5m in 2003-04; we have committed extra funds to Alice Springs Hospital for special purposes, which is the $11m being provided over four years starting 2004-05 for the additional staff in ICU and High Dependency; the $10m, which my colleague will talk further about, for the repair of the hospital facility; and we have met national benchmarks.
Despite all the unfounded allegations that the member for Araluen has been making for some time now, we have had assurances both from the Australian Council of Health Care Standards and from the agency itself that all information was given to the survey team when they went to Alice Springs Hospital to determine the accreditation of that hospital. It is now accredited to national standards in terms of its operations, safety, and the quality of its operations. That is not something I have invented; it is not a process or a set of criteria that I have invented. They are national criteria that are applied equally to every regional hospital and major hospital in Australia.
All five of our Northern Territory hospitals are now fully accredited to the national standard. I am very proud of that as an achievement for the staff of those hospitals. I say, ‘Good on you! You have satisfied a very respected national body, the Australian Council of Health Care Standards, that the services in the hospitals are of national accreditable standard and that is a major achievement’.
We have employed more nurses, as I have already indicated; 39 more nurses on establishment in Alice Springs Hospital, up from 277 at the end of the year 2000 to 316 in 2004. I hope we can add some more nursing positions in there - if I can get them out of the budget process, I will be the first to celebrate - along with any other health professionals I can get into this hospital and other delivery sites around the Northern Territory. I will be in there trying to do that. I have covered filling of the key medical staff positions. We have increased the number of junior doctors in the hospitals. We are doing all right, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is not the doom and gloom that you have heard from the member for Araluen.
I now go to a letter that I received today from the Alice Springs Hospital Management Board. I want to read it in full to make members and, more importantly, the people of Alice Springs, aware of the position of the Alice Springs Hospital Management Board on the issues that have been raised today. The Alice Springs Hospital Management Board is a statutory body which oversees and monitors, as an independent board, the activities and interests of the Alice Springs Hospital. This letter is from Margaret Wait, the Chair of the Board:
Mr Deputy Speaker, this letter is written by the statutory body that overseas our hospital in Alice Springs.
Ms CARNEY: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! It is predictable one. I ask, since the minister is quoting from that document, that he table it.
Dr TOYNE: I am very happy to table the document even though I know that it does not confirm what the member for Araluen has been trying to assert from her contribution.
Mr Dunham: You should tell the truth …
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, member for Drysdale!
Dr TOYNE: Moving along to another letter from a concerned body of people in Alice Springs, and that is the Aboriginal Medical Service Alliance of the NT. This is a letter from Stephanie Bell, the chair of AMSANT, and also Director of Congress in Alice Springs. This is an open letter to the Centralian Advocate, dated today, I believe - no, it does not have a date on it but I received it today, so I presume it is today:
Mr Deputy Speaker, I will not have time to read the rest. I will table it so the opposition can have the benefit of the opinion of Congress and AMSANT. From my response, you probably gather that I believe that this censure is baseless. This is an excellent hospital and it is improving by the day.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, I wish to make some remarks to this motion moved by the opposition. First of all, let me clarify the comments made by the member for Araluen which she attributed to me that I made in June 2004. I made them at a time when there were slurs and headlines that I felt was giving a picture about this hospital that was not true. There were headlines such as ‘Patient dies as unit closes -Hospital deaths calls for inquest’. I felt very strongly, and so did some of the staff I spoke to, that it was reflecting upon the staff’s performance and that is why I made those statements.
Also, the member for Araluen has selectively quoted from the speech. If I could also selectively quote, I said: ‘Also, if you want to bag the Minister for Health, fine, that is your job, do it. But, for goodness sake, do not it at the expense of our staff, our doctors and the 700 people who work there’. I still say that. It is the medical staff that I am most concerned about. That is fine, go for the minister all you like, but do not go for the staff.
Minister, you have some problems. The feedback I get paints a very sad picture of low staff morale, regardless of what you have just said. Although there has been much debate on staff numbers, programs and what is going on, the main concern seems to centre around the executive management of the hospital and the department. I am always very careful about talking about public servants in any way, but I do not think we can have this debate without making this clear to you. There is a distinct impression that the new guard of management is uncomfortable with the long-term, experienced staff who are willing to challenge and question decisions. So much so, there is a perception that anyone willing to speak up will be ostracised and – to put it bluntly - got rid off. It is the divide and conquer mentality of many people in senior positions who do not have, perhaps, the confidence they should.
This particular way of working may assist management to get rid of their so-called troublemakers but, what worries me is losing that corporate knowledge of many years of experience of dealing with clients in Alice Springs Hospital - clients who have a special need. We have a cross-cultural population and they are the key people who keep this hospital running. I know you have mentioned a number of key staff, and most of the ones I did note you mentioned – yes, you are right, they are very experienced high-level performers. And yes, you are right, we are pleased to see that you have appointed people like Dr Ron Mitchell to come to the hospital. We want them because they are the people who will make sure our hospital works well. However, how can these highly qualified specialists offer the service they are employed to give if they are not given the respect and the necessary support that they deserve - especially by someone who is in charge who has never had experience in hospital administration? How long before these people will actually leave? That worries me also.
Minister, I have raised with you the issue of the attitude to the hospital board. That board is representative of our community. Those reps who have been appointed by you are meant to be our representatives. I was pleased to hear tonight that you had that letter from the board because, obviously, you are listening to them. The board, in my opinion, always has been the Alice Springs Hospital; a board with primary responsibility to ensure checks and balances that are needed in times such as this when there is a lot of unrest and perceptions in the community, as well as many staff who are not quite sure where everything is going. There are a few glaring problems with the running of the hospital at the moment; one of them is the lack of a local Director of Medical and Clinical Services. I am not sure whether you said that you had appointed one, however, the responsibility of that position, and the decision making, has gone to an officer in Darwin who seems to have little affinity or regard for the Alice Springs Hospital. I am not sure why we should not have that person on the ground here in this hospital.
Secondly, the hospital was well on the way to establishing a reputation as being a very good teaching hospital, but concern is mounting as the medical staff are being ignored into obtaining the requirements to do this training well. Minister, you need to ask yourself a few hard questions. Why are our experienced, permanent staff leaving, or being asked or coerced to leave? Why was a person who did not have any prior hospital experience appointed as the General Manager of the hospital? What was the criteria for that appointment? Minister, I would challenge you to say that given that appointment, the selection advisory panel was not carried out in accordance with public service regulations. The regulations I have here, Merit Selection Guide, states very clearly:
and I could go on.
Minister, the panel that appointed the general manager of the Alice Springs Hospital was a two-person panel, and both those people were referees. If that is not a conflict of interest, I am not quite sure what was. No one else was interviewed, although there were five applicants altogether. I am asking you why this was not open and transparent, and why were the regulations for employing someone for such a senior position, that you should keep, not adhered to? Why did you allow this appointment to go through a process which was not in keeping with the requirements of the public service, and had two people on it who had a conflict of interest as they were acting as referees? I know that is a strong accusation to make, however, it is true. That is why I say to you, minister, you need to ask yourself some hard questions.
I worry that some of the information you are receiving is in fact fudgy; that it is not accurate. For instance, I heard at one stage that the numbers you were quoting as the number of nurses you had included the nurses from the Renal Unit. It painted a big rosy picture of how many nurses we had, but in fact was not true in regards to how many nurses were actually working at the hospital. It worries me that perhaps you were not receiving the correct advice you should have been, and you may be beginning to realise that somewhere along the way you must question a bit harder yourself. You just do not take everything for granted - question.
Minister, do you want to develop a team that respects and trust you? As a former minister, that is what I would want. I would want people to say, ‘We have a good minister; we can go to him with our problems; he will listen to us, and assist us as best he can’. People have said to me, minister, on many occasions, that you are very a sincere person. They believe that you are a very caring person, and I worry that perhaps that you are not getting the right information.
I have also said on many occasions that to appoint a person to the Alice Springs Hospital who did not have hospital experience was not a wise decision. The appointee may have had clinical experience - I believe the person was a dietician - but no experience in the running of a hospital. Minister, if you appointed an administrator to a school as principal instead of an educator, you would have the same problems. Staff would not respect that person as an educator or a leader. I strongly believe that is where some of your problems are coming from.
I believe there are a couple of options open for you. I would like to see you bring in an outsider to run an independent inquiry into hospital management and why we have this unrest among staff. You should consider appointing someone not associated with the upper executive management of the department to avoid cronyism and conflict of interest. I know they are strong words, but if we are going to find the cause of the problem in the Alice Springs Hospital, we need to bring someone in, and I ask that you get the board to do it. Surely, that is the role of the board, to have these checks and balances. You could go to a body such as the Australian Association of Hospital Management to ensure a fair and thorough investigation. I do not have the knowledge of all the ways or the organisations you could go to, but I believe the board would have that knowledge and could do it.
You could appoint an additional medical clinical person for the governance of the hospital to work with the medical staff there. If you did that and gave the person currently in charge of the administration of the hospital, but take away that medical clinical governance, perhaps you would restore the faith of the medical staff in the Alice Springs Hospital.
Minister, this hospital is worth the effort. I have had my children there, I have broken my arm and had it fixed there, I have had all sorts of interactions with my family so I know it is a good hospital. I continually hear people saying what good service they get when they go there. Sure, we hear about people and the delays of elective surgery, but I do not know of anyone who has not been treated well in an emergency. I do not know of anyone who has not been treated well when they need that assistance. Staff work their butts off, there is no doubt about it. They work long hours, they do double shifts, but they are at the stage now when you are asking a little bit too much of them.
You will never solve the problems you have, no matter how much rhetoric there is in this parliament, while you continue not to listen to the board and the staff. I honestly believe that while you do not listen to anyone other than those appointees in the executive management, that these appointees have created this disaster for you.
What I am saying to you, minister, is you need to think about these hard questions. You need to take it on board and find out what the heck is going on at the Alice Springs Hospital. You need to make sure you have the right expertise there in the hospital governing the hospital for the sake of the people and patients of Central Australia. Minister, will you do it?
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Mr Deputy Speaker, in the time when the members opposite were in opposition, they took every opportunity to criticise the government of the day on health issues. So do not come holier than thou with me, minister, when you tell us that we should not be telling you that the health system is in disorder.
In my former life, I was a private medical practitioner in this town. I also serviced the hospital in various capacities, including being a Medical Registrar, an Anaesthetic Registrar, an Obstetrics Registrar, having delivered several hundred babies in this town during the time I was a private GP. For a couple of years, I was a half-time Medical Quality Assurance Officer for the hospital. In other words, I know the hospital and I know it well. Not only do I know the physical structure of the hospital, but also the workings of it. I know the staff and I have long connections with the ever-professional, hard working people at the Alice Springs Hospital.
What I have witnessed in the past three-and-a-half years, the same three-and-a-half years that this government has been running things, is the continuing deterioration of the hospital and the services it is supposed to deliver.
We have heard how this government signed off on a building with all its inherent defects and now dare to blame others for the fact that they have accepted it and paid in full for a faulty building. We have also heard of the dismal state the management of the hospital has been in over the last three years. Since the departure of Joyce Bowden, management has got worse and worse. It is no wonder that industrial action is being taken by nurses with overtime bans and working to rule. Had it not been for the professionalism of our staff - medical, nurses, allied health, and support staff - that place would have fallen around our ears a long time ago. They have been overworked and stressed out to the max. There is not enough staff. Ongoing training to maintain standards for professional staff have been cut. In some sections, staff numbers have been cut, cleaning services have been cut, patient services assistance has been cut, equipment orders have been postponed by management, bed numbers get changed from day to day. Elective surgery has not resumed, never mind the spin you try to put on, trying to tell Alice Springs people that it is different.
Elective surgery - what does that mean? Elective surgery is surgery you need that is, at the moment, not life threatening. Your doctor checks you out and determines that you need have to elective surgery, surgery such as hernias, or surgery for your bladder problems, or a cataract, or trachoma, or arthroscopy for your damaged joint, hip and knee replacements, ear nose and throat operations and the like. Have you seen this picture in the Centralian Advocate? The leading sentence says, ‘Elective surgery at Alice Springs Hospital will resume at the end of this month as a full team of anaesthetists began work this week’. The minister nods his head. Now, that was on Tuesday, 28 February this year. So, I asked the question, has elective surgery fully resumed? The answer is a resounding no.
The minister admitted himself, whenever there is emergency surgery, elective surgery has to be put off. That is not elective surgery. When I was working there, elective surgery went on day by day, and if there was an emergency, a second theatre was opened. While I compliment the doctors for taking up the anaesthetic positions, one which I shared with them several years ago, the article neglected to report that theatre nursing staff numbers were, and are, inadequate, to such a degree that, whenever an emergency case comes to theatre, an elective case has to be put off. Elective surgery has not resumed. In the words of one of the anaesthetists, ‘elective surgery has not resumed since it was put off three years ago’. Sure, some elective surgery has been done, sporadically.
You can go around Alice Springs and ask anyone, and you will know of someone whose operation has been put off. I have had calls from disgruntled patients who have complained to me that their surgery has been put off, that their arrangements for time off from work, arrangements for care for their family, all the alternative arrangements that have to be done for a person to go into hospital have to be put off. The disruption to the patient who is already worried about going for surgery is compounded by the cancellation of the surgery. Ask your friends and neighbours, and many of you would know of someone, or a friend of yours would know someone who has decided they could not wait any longer, or that they could not put up with the mucking around. At their own personal cost, they fly out of Alice Springs to Adelaide or any other city to get private medical or surgical care.
That is how this government is managing health care in Alice Springs, by reducing services locally to us, and making us pay for our own health care through the use of services outside of Alice Springs. I repeat: elective surgery has not resumed. Do you know how many cases there are waiting in Alice Springs? Sixteen hundred cases. At the change of government three-and-a-half years ago, there were about 450 cases. In three-and-a-half short years, the numbers have quadrupled. If elective surgery is on, as the minister is often heard to say, the list would not have gone through the roof. Talk to your local hospital doctors and nurses. Talk to them outside the earshot of those bureaucrats and they will tell you in confidence that elective surgery has gone back – and if it is back, it is pretty pathetically back.
The minister said he has spent more money on the Alice Springs Hospital - gone up by 50%. However, services have obviously gone downwards. It does not make sense, does it? You spend more money for services and you get fewer services. Any householder with a budget would know that you go broke if you do that.
Let me now give you some examples of how badly the hospital has been managed. Remember the case of the Intensive Care Unit? The opposition told the minister that he had a problem there; that, in fact, the hospital had closed down the Intensive Care Unit. He lied to Alice Springs, telling us that everything was hunky-dory. Within hours, staff from the hospital had rung the media to say that the minister had lied. He had to back down on that lie. The minister has continued to mismanage the hospital here. He refuses to listen to what people are telling him. The nurses asked to meet him, but he declined. However, when he heard that the opposition had made an offer to meet with the nurses, he was quick as a flash and got there to organise a meeting - but at such short notice that not many nurses could attend.
Let me give you another example of how this minister and his Department of Health works. The minister, bless his boots, was out doorknocking his electorate in the bush. When his department heard that he was out and about in his electorate, driving around in the electorate of Stuart, an edict from the departmental heads went out to all the staff in the bush health clinics instructing them not to talk to the minister about working conditions in the clinics, or else. That is what they are doing for you. This has to be one of the most serious examples of how this minister is not across the problems within his department. Similarly with the problems with the Alice Springs Hospital. He works in a vacuum; in la la land.
Let us go to the medical and surgical wards in this hospital, which are almost always overflowing. Why do I know that? I know that medical and surgical patients get transferred to the obstetrics unit. Imagine if you are an elderly person with a medical or surgical condition being bedded among young women with their babies. How appropriate is that? Just recently, the medical ward was down four nurses and the nurse educator. A nurse educator, for those who do not understand, is a senior nurse who floats around a ward keeping an eye on the newly-graduated nurses during their first weeks and months in a hospital setting. The ward responded by closing down three beds and refused to accept any more admissions to the ward. That was the only way they could manage the ward with the staff numbers they had.
Around the same time, the Intensive Care Unit was down between five to eight staff, depending on the day and the shift. The Emergency Department was down 10 staff at one stage. Frequently, in the Emergency Department, paramedics from St John are invited to fill in. Is that how you manage a hospital Emergency Department? It is fine if you allow paramedics to go into the Emergency Department to gain experience; that is what they need and what they can do. Is that how you replace your nurses by filling those positions, those vacant shifts, with paramedics?
As for the Intensive Care Unit, I told you that the opposition advised it was closed and the minister had the audacity to lie to the people of Alice Springs, telling us everything was okay. That lie was what fired up the staff at the hospital. They came out immediately to refute the minister. They had had enough of those lies and the minister was forced to retract his lies. Over the past year, intensive care patients have gone up by some 100 patients; that is two patients more every week who needed intensive care management. For the non-ventilator patients, some 150 patients in the last year – or three patients more each week. You can see the nurses are working under a huge load and, when they are forced to work overtime, double shifts, errors will creep in through fatigue. That is why they had to close the Intensive Care Unit.
To say that the nurses at the Alice Springs Hospital are under intense work pressure would be an understatement. I know of one senior nurse who refused to be made team leader of a unit. She feared, with the understaffing of her ward, she would come under the hammer if anything went wrong. Administration was so vindictive she feared her professionalism would be questioned if something went wrong in the ward, and she was not prepared, unfortunately, to speak up publicly for fear of the vindictive manner in which management deals with people who speak out. This minister supports this type of management style. If not, then come out publicly and say you do not support such a management style.
The minister revels in the repeated announcements of new nurse recruits to the Alice Springs Hospital. I recall he announced the recruitment of some 40 Filipino nurses for the Territory a few months ago while they were working in Ireland, and some 15 of them were coming to Alice Springs. Where are they now? How many are left now? Not many, I suggest, as they are all voting with their feet.
Dr TOYNE: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! The member is misleading the House. I made no such announcement of Filipino nurses. That was before my time as minister.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, you know the way you can challenge it if you think the member is misleading the House, or you can reply at another stage. You can give a personal explanation at the end of the speech.
Dr LIM: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. The minister is a corporate body, and he is the minister. See this newspaper clipping: ‘Pay cuts for agency nurses’? This is what this health minister wants to do. Do you know how to manage, minister? Do you think you are going to find more nurses when you tell them their services are not worth much? In the latest Australian Nursing Journal the article reporting on the Northern Territory has this to say: ‘nurse bans overtime’. It then goes on to talk about what you are proposing to do. In an article adjacent to that, was another written by the New South Wales people, and this is what was quoted in the article:
Does that sound familiar? Those words from New South Wales could easily describe Alice Springs, and this government is going down the same path.
With the limited time that I have, I want to go to other parts of the hospital. Today, according to the Territory Health Annual Report of 2003-04, there are 164 beds, six of which are mental health patients’ beds. In other words, the hospital now has 158 beds to cater for a population of some 50 000 in the town and surrounding country, however, not all beds are available at any one time. Bed numbers fluctuate around that based on the number of nurses we have, and this is how this minister manages health care in Alice Springs - rationing services by closing down beds. Is that the level of patient care we want from our hospital? We do not have the luxury of a private hospital in this town. Darwin has a private hospital, and all we want here is a private wing at the Alice Springs Hospital. Darwin has one; what is wrong with us in Alice Springs?
Dr Burns: Why did you not do it?
Dr LIM: The CLP provided a private wing in the Alice Springs Hospital during the refurbishment, but after the change of government in 2001 everything was shelved and the ward is now an administrative wing.
I want to talk about some of the other issues in Alice Springs. The hospital Patient Service Assistant, a most important element in the chain of patient care, help with the care of patients, helping nursing staff lift patients, preparing beds, cleaning up rooms and the ensuite for new patients to occupy, moving them from ward to ward, for instance taking them to x-ray or surgery, and taking specimens to the labs. One of the critical functions they also perform includes tidying the laundry room by removing soiled linen from the wards. Their numbers have been cut. Since this government has come to power, they have cancelled training of PSAs. There is no hospital-based training for anyone in Alice Springs who wants to be a PSA and, because there is no training, there is no pool of people they can call on. So when a PSA is sick or takes leave, the ward is left without a PSA. Then what happens? The nurses once again have to carry the load.
Cleaning services have also suffered. I recently spoke to a team leader of one of the cleaning teams. The team leader is absolutely fed up to the teeth with the reduced resources that he has. He has to keep the hospital clean and is struggling to do so. The people of Alice Springs will tell you the hospital needs to be better kept. I do not know whether the minister is interested in that, or whether his own hygiene standards are like mine, but let me say this: the hospital is where I go to get well. I therefore want it to be clean and healthy so that I can get well, not go there and get ill or, worse still, get some nasty infection because of the reduction in cleaning services.
One of the most disgraceful things that this minister has done is the complicit way he has dealt with Dr Charles Butcher and Dr David Hamilton, people who have been here for decades serving the people of Alice Springs, two highly regarded professionals, most respected men who have spent 25 and 10 years respectively caring for the lives of people in Alice Springs. You could not even hazard to guess how many people they have helped and saved. My whole family all have had surgery at this hospital under these surgeons. The dismissive way that you have dealt with those two surgeons is unforgivable. When the hospital is crying out for more doctors, you get rid of those two.
I was very glad to hear the member for Braitling so supportive of what the opposition has been trying to tell the minister for a long time, but I was also curious as to why she attacked the opposition some six to eight months ago when we brought the same censure into this Chamber. She was very defensive of the minister then. However, I welcome her comments tonight because what she said was very relevant, accurate and to the point: the hospital administration is in a diabolical situation and this government, this minister, must get his act together, focus properly and get something done about this hospital. Without it, we are going to get worse and worse.
If the minister is not prepared to work, then he should leave. He is a dead man walking. I said it to him 12 months ago and I say to him now. Get out, let somebody with the energy to do it do the work because you are not able to do the work that we need so desperately in Alice Springs.
Dr BURNS (Transport and Infrastructure): Mr Deputy Speaker, my role is to address those parts of the censure motion that go to my areas, and I will try to address some of the issues that are being raised by other members which fall within the purview of the Minister for Health.
I will first go to some of the issues that were raised in relation to the Minister for Health and his department, and the administration at the hospital, because it is important that some of these issues do not go unchallenged. In particular, the member for Braitling made some very serious allegations about selection processes of the General Manager. I have some advice to address the issues raised by the member for Braitling. Essentially, she alleged that the selection process for the General Manager was flawed, that people who were on the selection panel were also referees for the general manager. Of course, if that were true, that would be a conflict of interest and absolutely untenable and the whole process would be flawed.
I do have some advice on that particular matter. Basically, some of those public servants who are involved cannot come in here and defend themselves. As you will see from the advice that I have, the allegations made by the member for Braitling are not appropriate. They are entirely wrong. The member for Braitling said that there were two people on the selection panel and both of them were referees. I am advised that there were actually three people on the selection panel, plus one observer who was also on the panel - not two. The three names I have here who were on the selection panel were Peter Campos, Len Notaras and Jan Evans, plus the deputy chair of the board of the Alice Springs Hospital as an observer - that occurs because of the set up of the act, however I am assured that the board, through their deputy chair, did have input into the selection process. I am further assured that none of the three people whose names I have read out were referees for the general manager.
In addition, I am advised that a complaint making similar allegations was investigated by the Public Service Commissioner by an independent process and the Public Service Commissioner did not accept this complaint. I believe it is important to place it on the record that what the member for Braitling was alleging is untrue. Maybe someone told her these things and she has brought them into the House, I suppose that is part of her job, but this is the advice that I have.
The minister, in his summing up and response to the censure motion, was very comprehensive. I was quite assured by the letter from the hospital board that many of the issues raised by various speakers were acknowledged in the letter from the hospital board, and they are being worked through. It is important that I read once again from that letter from the hospital board because it is a powerful letter. It is from the hospital board to the minister:
Further on:
In essence, that paragraph addresses many of the issues raised by the member for Greatorex. The theme of what the member for Greatorex was saying was about staff shortages and problems there. As someone who has worked in a quite large hospital myself as a pharmacist, working very closely with nursing staff, I am always in awe and admiration of the work that nursing staff do under very trying conditions. I would also add that, for quite a number of years as an academic, I was proud to participate in educating nurses, both undergraduates and postgraduates, and they are incredibly dedicated and committed people. As the member for Braitling said, they just work so hard they will work themselves into the ground. I can understand problems with morale, particularly in a hospital like Alice Springs where the cases are quite complex and the workload is very, very heavy.
I believe the minister would want me to commend nursing staff here. The minister and the board have indicated that they are trying to work through the various issues related to morale at the hospital. Morale is always an issue in hospitals, but we need to work through them, and the minister has indicated that substantial resources have been put in there. There are changes afoot. Changes are always very hard for people to accept and cope with in some circumstances, particularly in stressful circumstances such as I am sure many of the nursing staff at Alice Springs Hospital find themselves in. I commend the staff. I can assure them, on behalf of the minister, that the government is committed to trying to work through the issues. We do recognise the hard work and commitment that you show.
I believe I have addressed some of the issues from the member of Braitling. I am assured that, in relation to the member for Greatorex, elective surgery has resumed. That was something that the member for Greatorex alleged. It is not going as fast, or working through the case load as fast as people would want, but …
Dr Lim: Sixteen hundred cases!
Dr BURNS: Well, 1600 cases, member for Greatorex. There is a lot of work to be done, and I am sure that there is a commitment to really work through that issue.
The member for Greatorex mentioned cleaners at the hospital. I suppose I sound like the bloke who has done everything, but I have also, as a student in my holidays, worked as a cleaner in the hospital. I am a bit of an admirer of cleaners in hospitals. The member for Greatorex indicated the important job they do in hospitals. It is very important to have hygiene within the hospital, and I commend the work that cleaners do, often under quite trying conditions. The …
Dr Lim: Spit and polish is what they have to do.
Dr BURNS: They are good people, and they work very hard, member for Greatorex.
I turn now to some of the issues that were raised regarding my portfolio responsibilities. In essence, the first point of the censure motion moved by the member for Araluen is ‘the government’s failure to act in response to a report of April 2003 detailing fire safety and other defects at that the Alice Springs Hospital’ - I am having a bit of trouble with the grammar here, member for Araluen, but I think you were saying that the defects potentially compromised the safety of patients, staff and visitors to the hospital. I will try to address that particular issue.
I can only reiterate what the Minister for Health has already said about the safety of staff and patients at Alice Springs Hospital once these fire defects were recognised and identified. The building is not, and was not, compliant with the Building Code of Australia at that time in relation to fire separation and fire issues. At that stage, my department and the Department of Health and Community Services went to the Fire Service and sought the Fire Service’s advice. The Fire Service looked at fire and smoke detection and evacuation systems, and said while the building was not compliant, the people were safe. In other words, the evacuation procedures that were in place were sufficient to protect people’s lives, both staff and patients. However, it is very concerning that this situation arose in the first place.
In relation to the specific question asked by the member for Araluen about the report of April 2003 which, as she said, has been leaked to the media and other places, I received a letter from the member for Drysdale, my shadow, in relation to this matter - I am just looking at the date of the letter from the member of Drysdale - dated 1 March, in which he stated that there were four issues that he sought answers to at the head of his letter, and a further nine that he asked. I replied to the member for Drysdale on 17 March and, I believe, he would have a copy of that particular letter. I will reiterate what I said in Question Time in relation to the matter of this report. I am quoting from the letter:
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! As the minister has spoken directly from the letter, I would like to see the whole letter tabled.
Dr BURNS: Yes, I have no objection to that.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: You can do that at the end of your speech.
Dr BURNS: Yes, of course, and it has been sent to the member for Drysdale so you know it is basically …
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Dr BURNS: Yes, okay. I will keep quoting:
In other words, legal proceedings are on foot in this matter. This has come out to $10m. It is quite substantial money, and we believe that the principal contractor should be rectifying these defects. We have engaged legal counsel to look into and proceed with this matter. I will continue to quote:
Following that paragraph, I detail and answer the questions raised by the member for Drysdale and, of course, I am happy to table this letter.
In essence, as I outlined during Question Time, the contract that was entered into with the principal contractor was a design, construct, certify and commission contract. I believe it was in August 2002, certain problems, particularly with the fire issues, started to arise and, over the next 12 months, there was quite some negotiation between the department and the principal contractor in relation to these matters, as was appropriate because with defects that are identified it was up to the principal contractor to rectify those defects by a certain date. I think it was October 2003 when the principal contractor said they had fixed everything, everything was all right and they had no further work to be done. In the process of giving Certificates of Occupancy a bit later, I think, in October 2003, further defects were identified. Early in 2004 is when government was asked to put $2m up to further those rectification works. As that proceeded, even more defects became evident and, earlier this year, Cabinet approved more money so that money now totals some $10m.
It was interesting to hear the member for Araluen talk about a problem with a cool room in the pharmacy. That was a problem, along with many others, as I outlined before, that was first evident in 2001. I will come back to the point that I have made during Question Time: the former Chief Minister, the member for Brennan, has his name on two plaques at the hospital. I think he commissioned eight units down there, including the pharmacy, in 2001 before the election; one was in July and the other eight were commissioned in August. Those two plaques are there and anyone can see them. So for the opposition to pretend that this is our government’s problem - I think it is a bit of a shared problem.
Dr Lim: You signed off on it!
Dr BURNS: Well, the certificates of completion were signed off progressively, but the very nature, member for Greatorex, of the contract meant that the principal contractor was assuring the department that they had addressed all the defects.
This is subject, as I said, to legal proceeding. We have engaged an eminent counsel who is both an engineer and a QC, I believe. He has been to Alice Springs Hospital, had a look at some of these works that have been exposed as some of these walls have been taken off and the advice that we have received is that government does have a very good case of pursuing this matter. Nonetheless, the CEO of my department has contacted senior executives within the principal contractors and they will be coming to Alice Springs to inspect these works.
At the end of the day, possibly it can be solved without going to court. That is the way I would like to see it, but that is the way it is looking at this stage and that is why we are not tabling that report. I am advised to do so publicly could prejudice our case at this stage. That is the answer to the member for Araluen.
In summary, Mr Deputy Speaker, it is a serious matter …
Ms Carney: I do not think that is what your lawyers told you because you are able to table those documents.
Members interjecting.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order!
Dr BURNS: I have offered a briefing to the member for Drysdale on his issue, and I hope that he will avail himself of that because to quote again from the letter, what I have said is:
We talk a lot about briefings, but I suggest that the member for Drysdale avails himself of this opportunity and then he can make his own decision on these matters. There are a couple of lawyers on your team. So, with advice from the lawyers, I would like to see us try to work through this without prejudicing the position of the Northern Territory.
In short, this is a very serious issue indeed and I reiterate what I said in this place yesterday: that whenever government has been made aware of defects and faults and issues, we have moved to work through and solve them. I stand by that. That is my advice and I will stand by it. The safety of patients and staff at Alice Springs Hospital comes first. There are major works, particularly in terms of the fire compartmentalisation, and we need to work through those.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I reject the censure motion. It is ill-founded. The opposition has form on this issue. They probably should not have gone there. They should be asking other sorts of questions, but I think they have exposed themselves as the authors of many of these problems. As a government, we are picking up the pieces, trying to work through and address them. We have a plan to rectify the faults in Alice Springs Hospital over the next three years. We are spending $10m. We value Alice Springs Hospital. All the issues that have been raised here tonight are important issues. I reject the censure motion.
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! The minister has offered me a briefing and I would ask, while the Assembly is sitting in Alice Springs and it is convenient for me, if at lunchtime tomorrow I could be briefed on the grounds of the Alice Springs Hospital and view some of these problems, with two of his ...
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I do not think there is a point of order. That can be sorted out away from this debate.
Dr BURNS: I can respond to that, if that is all right.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Can you make it short, please, minister?
Dr BURNS: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. That was a good suggestion by the member for Drysdale but many of the team that would be involved in this briefing, particularly members from the Department of Justice, are not in Alice Springs. This is not only an engineering issue, it is also a legal issue, so you need to be briefed together on those issues.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, minister. The question now is that the motion be agreed to.
The Assembly divided:
Ayes 10 Noes 11
Mr Baldwin Mrs Aagaard
Mr Burke Mr Ah Kit
Ms Carney Mr Bonson
Ms Carter Dr Burns
Mr Dunham Mr Henderson
Mr Elferink Mr Kiely
Dr Lim Ms Lawrie
Mr Maley Ms Martin
Mrs Miller Mr McAdam
Mr Mills Dr Toyne
Mr Vatskalis
Motion negatived.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr HENDERSON (Wanguri): Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise tonight to speak on the long-term contribution to the work of the Northern Territory government that Ms Helga Floeth has made over a period of close to 41 years. Last night, I had the privilege of putting on the Parliamentary Record testament for long-serving public servants – one of 35 years and one of 28 years. Ms Helga Floeth has made a great contribution over a period of close to 41 years as a public servant in the Territory.
Ms Floeth resigned from her client service officer position in DCIS on 11 March 2005. Soon after leaving school, Helga commenced work in a bakery shop. After 10 years, Helga started employment with the Northern Territory Department of Administration on 25 November 1963 when I was the grand age of 1 year and 2 months old. It is an extraordinary period of service by Helga to the Northern Territory people.
In 1976, she moved to the then Northern Territory Electricity Commission where she was employed as a finance clerk for 16 years before moving to the Department of Transport and Works Accounts Section in 1992. Helga’s performance in these areas was considered commendable by her colleagues, and she was always willing to lend a hand to new staff. In October 1998, she became the inaugural member of DCIS when it was established. During her six-and-a-half years with DCIS, Helga has become proficient in staff travel, accounts payable and accounts receivable products. She will be missed by her colleagues who wish her a long and happy retirement.
Helga was an original employee of the new Northern Territory Public Service in 1978; which is extraordinary. I am trying to discover how many original employees we still have in our system. I believe it is very few. Helga joined and was an original employee in 1978, and this is a great opportunity for this House to recognise her long-term employment and dedication to the Northern Territory government and its community.
I thank Helga for her contribution. I am sure all members of this House thank Helga for her contribution to the Northern Territory over the 41 years, and wish her well in her retirement as she has certainly earned it.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr HENDERSON: As member for Wanguri, I would like to speak about a number of great things that have been happening in my electorate.
We have a new parish priest at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Wanguri. I had the pleasure of meeting Fr Shane Carr, who has been appointed to replace Fr Stephen Hackett who has taken on a new role as Vicar General in Darwin. I wish Stephen Hackett all the best in his new role. He has been a great priest in the local community in Casuarina, and I thank him for his involvement and work which he has put in for the community over the last few years. I am sure that Fr Shane Carr will fit in well with the Wanguri community; he has a great sense of humour. I have already had a few chats with Fr Shane and look forward to working with him in the electorate. I am lucky to have one of the most religiously diverse electorates in Darwin, with six churches in the area. It is great to see different beliefs and cultures all come together in one area.
Leanyer school has just elected their SRC. Being on the student representative council is a great honour for our kids, and I am always thrilled to attend the annual SRC badge presentations and present the badges to the newly-elected students. This year was no different, with a special inauguration ceremony for SRC reps and house captains, with house captains receiving their badges from Charlie King from the ABC. There is a big list of names of the members of the SRCs and house captains for 2005, and I seek leave to have those names incorporated into the Parliamentary Record.
Leave granted.
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you, colleagues. I wish all the SRC members and house captains the best for the year, and congratulate them on putting their names forward and being leading examples in their school in taking leadership positions. I know that they will work very well over the year.
Wanguri Primary School has always prided itself on being a very environmentally friendly and conscious school. With such initiatives as the Biodiversity Garden and the recently opened Bush Tucker Garden, when I heard that they were successful in winning an EnvironmeNT Grant from the minister’s department, I knew the money would go to good use.
The school’s environmental committee is headed up by Ester McAdam, and she has done a magnificent job over many years, leading the environment committee at Wanguri school. I challenge my colleagues in the northern suburbs: I believe the grounds at Wanguri are the best grounds in the northern suburbs, and that is a testament to Ester McAdam and her team. I was pleased to present committee members, Andris Bergs and Sandra Brittain with a cheque for $1617 last Friday at the school’s assembly. The grant will be used to make their prestigious Biodiversity Garden cane toad-proof, by installing a fine wire mesh fence with an obstacle on top to prevent the toads from climbing, and the base buried down to 0.1 m to prevent burrowing. The kids are really looking forward to getting involved in that project.
I congratulate two students from Wanguri Primary School for their outstanding performance at the 63rd Commemoration of the Bombing of Darwin. Liam Blakely and Tori Lockley read the poem A Soldiers Prayer by Corporal Lawrence at the ceremony on the Esplanade. They read that poem with a great deal of dignity and performed very well on behalf of the school. Well done, Liam and Tori.
Hibiscus Shopping Town in my electorate is a very busy shopping centre, and is receiving a significant facelift at the moment. I congratulate owner, Paul Smith, who is investing a significant amount of money upgrading Hibiscus with new shade structures and an overdue new airconditioning plant which I am sure all of the retail tenants will be very pleased to see. It is great to see, in our northern suburbs, business people investing significant amounts of money to upgrade their premises and everyone is pretty excited about that. There is not an empty shop in that shopping centre, which is testament to confidence in the business community.
Unfortunately, I and my colleagues from the Northern Suburbs have not been available this year to attend Harmony Day celebrations, but Wanguri School is celebrating Harmony Day this year in style. Congratulations to the team behind the organisation of tomorrow’s event, Susan Neal and Liz Veel. I know there is a great round of activities for students to celebrate Harmony Day and our cultural diversity.
The day will kick off with an international breakfast for parents, students and teachers followed by the Best Dressed competition, with students wearing traditional country dress and an international assembly with around-the-world performances by the students. I am sorry I cannot be there to enjoy the day, but I am sure that everyone is going to have a great day at Wanguri.
At Tracy Village, it was great to see so many people lose their precious locks for Leukaemia Day to raise much needed dollars for research into leukaemia. I make special mention of the principal of St Andrew’s Lutheran School in my electorate, Tom Leach, who donated his hair and his much-renowned beard to raise money. I think Tom raised a couple of thousand dollars, so well done Tom. A special mention, too, of the Tracy Sports and Social Club for putting on a Crop and Colour night and contributing to the cause. Congratulations also to my former electorate officer, Ryan Neve, who generously donated all his locks that he grew on his sabbatical to Europe, and he raised over a thousand dollars. Well done, Ryan.
Wanguri Primary hosted a Board Shorts day on Friday, 18 March. Teachers and students donned board shorts to raise money for the Hero of Life Organisation. The school enjoyed a day of sandcastle competitions and surfboard races, in which I participated much to the mirth of the students. It was a great day at the school and everyone had a great time. Thanks to Mrs Canning and the team for organising the day; the kids had a ball and a fair amount of money was raised.
I congratulate a constituent, Susan Farquhar of Wanguri, who is a product of our local schools, on becoming the first successful recipient of the Minister for Mines and Energy’s Earth Sciences/Geology cadetship. My thanks to the Minister for Mines and Energy on this initiative. It is great that a constituent of mine took out the first cadetship. This will provide Susan with financial assistance, working with professionals within the industry, but also secure her to study in the Northern Territory. Well done, Susan, and all the best with your studies. Again, thanks to minister Vatskalis for supporting young people in pursuit of a career in earth sciences and geology.
In Leanyer alone, we have a great many sporting talents and tonight I congratulate three very talented hockey players who have rececently been selected to represent the Territory in the Under-18 Women’s Hockey team at the national championships in Queensland next month. Congratulations to Zoe Smith, Amy Dienhoff and Lisa Visentin and my best wishes to you as you represent the Territory at the championships. I was pleased to be able to sponsor the young ladies for their trip. I will put them into the next electorate newsletter and encourage all constituents to help the three young ladies represent the Territory in Queensland next month.
Leanyer Primary School has always been renowned for producing well educated young people into our community, but a new reputation of rugby champions is starting to emerge from the school. For the second year in a row, Leanyer has won the Walla Rugby Northern Suburbs Exchange. Leanyer battled it out with Holy Spirit Primary School, both schools in my electorate. Well done to Leanyer and Holy Spirit on their efforts.
The build-up to the NTFL grand final last week was felt at my electorate office and what a grand final it was. My team, the mighty Saints, got up in a very, very close game and it was great to see Damien Hale go out with his third premiership win. My electorate officer, Jarna Neve, is a physiotherapist at Wanderers and I could not believe that when I arrived at my electorate office on Friday, it was decked out in blue and yellow, much to my embarrassment. It was made even worse when the President of St Mary’s, Adrian Moscheni, dropped in to see me at the electorate office, and he nearly sacked me from being vice-president because my office was decked out in Wanderers’ colours, but he did forgive me. Well done to Saints for another great premiership win. It was a fantastic game. I look forward to another NTFL season next year.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I would like to speak about Barry Robert Burns, a man I have known in Alice Springs for a few years, who passed away recently at the age of 56. This eulogy was read at a church service by Sandra Clyne. I am reading it in full as it is written:
When I first met Barry, he was already in his electric wheelchair. I would often see him racing down the street in his wheelchair with June perched on his lap. Barry and June were very good supporters of mine. They helped me letter-drop my electorate, Barry and June doing it from his wheelchair and that was the best part of it all. I would see them occasionally at their home. All I can say is, Barry, we will all miss you and June, hang in there, we are all there to support you and if there is anything I can do, please let me know.
In the little time that I have left, I would like to speak about what happened today at lunchtime. Some 100 teachers gathered outside Parliament House today to demonstrate to government that they have not listened to teachers’ concerns about their current EBA. Without a doubt, teachers are now down to about the third-lowest paid in the country, and even if the government were to offer the 11% wage rise over the next three years, they will continue to slowly erode their position and they are not going to be in any competitive salary scale.
I know that, right at this very moment, New South Wales is some 10% higher than the Northern Territory. Come the end of this year, there will be a new EBA signed off in New South Wales which will probably give them another 4% extra, so our teachers are going to struggle to keep parity with their interstate colleagues. That has been the problem. What they are concerned about is that, as the parity starts to erode, it becomes more and more difficult for teachers to be recruited into the Northern Territory. When you then add the issue of large class sizes, what happens is, our teachers get significantly disadvantaged. If no teachers come to the Territory, our schools are going to get more and more disadvantaged in terms of larger class sizes and, with each coming year, recruitment will get more difficult.
It was for that reason that the CLP decided that we will make an offer to the teachers to show them that, yes, we do value them; yes, we respect their professionalism; yes, we want them to teach in the best environment that we can possibly provide for them. For that reason, the Leader of the Opposition wrote to Australian Education Union NT Branch with the following offer. I quote from the letter from the Leader of the Opposition to the AEUNT. I quote the relevant section that states the conditions that we will provide:
This was signed by Denis Burke.
I hear the Chief Minister chuckle under her breath.
Ms Martin: That means four more schools in my electorate of Fannie Bay.
Dr LIM: The Chief Minister might say there will be four more schools in Fannie Bay. At least the CLP, in government, built an average of one new school every year. You, in three-and-a-half years, have not even proceeded with one. Why? Because you have lost so much population from the Northern Territory that our schools have now lost some 1000 primary students in the last two years …
Ms Martin interjecting.
Dr LIM: That is the unbelievable statistic: you have caused the Northern Territory population to decrease and that is why you have no need for the recruitment of our normal number of teachers. Each year, on average, we would recruit 200 to 250 teachers. What has happened now is that, because of the reduction of students, you do not need as many teachers and you recruit fewer teachers …
Ms Martin interjecting.
Dr LIM: You ask the union and the union will explain exactly. Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, do you want to stop the Chief Minister from prattling on? Thank you.
That is the reason why teachers in the Territory have been so dissatisfied with this government. Today, outside Parliament House, one teacher said: ‘Three-and-a-half years ago, when we came to argue the first EBA with this government, the teachers were told: “Hey guys, you are on our side of politics; you have to help us. We have this big black hole that we need to fill, and we cannot afford to give you a good EBA”’. Those teachers believed them! The teachers believed this government and said, ‘Okay, if you have this big black hole, as you said, then we will take a smaller wage rise’. Well, three-and-a-half years later, they have now learned that this government has misled them. We have had $600m extra from GST - more than the CLP ever received from the federal government - so there was never a big black hole. This government has bluffed their way through.
This time around, the teachers are not going to roll over on the government’s wishes; they are going to demand that the government deliver. The government is not prepared to deliver. I know the teachers have asked for 18% over two years. However, the CLP believes that offering them a 15% rise over two years, with the other conditions included, will more than satisfy most teachers. We hope the teachers will consider our rock solid commitment. It is a rock solid commitment we will not resile from. Once we are in government we will be able to deliver. Yes, we will have the money to deliver. With $600m extra from GST, yes, there is money to deliver.
I believe the AEU’s assessment of what it costs to deliver our promise versus what Syd Stirling decided to do in his office with a little pocket calculator - he worked out that it was going to cost $60m using 18% over two years whereas - and funnily enough - the OCPE, only a couple of days earlier, suggested that the 18% over two years as demanded by the AEU will cost $50m. Who is right? Is the OCPE right with $50m, or Syd Stirling and his pocket calculator in his office at $60m? The AEU, working on the average of a tier 6, I believe, teacher average, works out to be around $20m to $25m. That is affordable.
The CLP gives this undertaking now: we are committed to this undertaking and we will provide this agreement to teachers without sacking teachers as the Chief Minister would like to suggest. We can do it because we are able to do it. We know we can do it; it has been costed. The Chief Minister needs to understand that, if she does not consider the teachers EBA seriously, she is going to rue the day she decided to ignore them.
Education is very important for all of us; our children need to have the best education that we can provide. Teachers are committed people who love children, who want to do the right thing by the children. All they are asking is for the Chief Minister and her government to stick to the 2001 pre-election promise they made. It is people like them who break promises. People do not want to see politicians break promises; they want politicians to make a promise that they will keep or else do not make the promise. This is where this government is going to come unstuck.
Ms MARTIN (Fannie Bay): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, in response to the member for Greatorex, I am interested to know how many teachers the CLP is intending to sack to afford the promises, to afford the four new schools in the Fannie Bay electorate. I wonder how much this is going to cost. If you propose a new school for when a school goes over 300 in size, you will build five new schools in the Fannie Bay electorate alone. You will have to build a new one at Stuart Park, a new one at Parap and, because Darwin High has 1250 students, there are another three schools there. That is the commitment you have made and, when you think about it, it is blatantly stupid. Here are the educational experts we have on the side of the opposition, and they know nothing!
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex! Member for Greatorex, could we have some decorum, please! Continue, Chief Minister.
Ms MARTIN: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I recently had the great pleasure in congratulating an outstanding young woman in being awarded a prestigious scholarship to study for a Doctorate. Sarah Milne has been awarded a General Sir John Monash Award valued at $150 000 over three years, which is one of only eight such awards for 2005.
The Monash Awards were founded in 2002 to recognise academic excellence and leadership and to provide Australia’s own prestigious postgraduate awards equivalent to the Rhodes scholarship and the Fulbright program. After graduating from Melbourne University with First Class Honours in Engineering as well as a degree in Science, Sarah was employed as a Research Engineer at the Centre for Appropriate Technology here in Alice Springs. At CAT, Sarah worked with remote Aboriginal communities examining indigenous and non-indigenous environmental management systems to identify appropriate technology solutions for sustainable livelihoods.
Sarah is currently employed by the non-government environmental organisation, Conservation International, where she is managing their community engagement program in south-west Cambodia. She is working with the local villagers towards improving welfare, including health, food, security and education, as well as achieving biodiversity conservation goals.
A well rounded young woman, Sarah speaks five languages besides English and is an accomplished musician, playing both violin and piano. She will commence studies for her PhD in the UK later this year, after which, in her own words:
Young Territorians like Sarah Milne inspire me and should inspire all of us with great confidence in the future. Congratulations to Sarah, a great ambassador for the Territory.
I would now like to recognise the efforts of Rob Hobbs and his partner, Barry Rowlands, for the wonderful way they have restored the old Rum Jungle Mine Manager’s house in Batchelor. I joined my Cabinet colleagues in Batchelor and Adelaide River for Community Cabinet earlier this month and had the opportunity to officially open the historic retreat, along with Tourism Commission CEO, Maree Tetlow.
The historic retreat is a wonderful old house that has a strong cultural heritage theme. It is a tangible reminder of another time. We all know that back in the 1950s when the Mine Manager’s house was built, the words ‘uranium mining’ held a very different connotation than they do today. It was a period when the Australian government played a very active role in developing uranium resources to supply our nuclear allies in America and Great Britain. In fact, the federal government held a competition, offering a cash prize of 25 000 to the first person to discover uranium in Australia. That prize was won by Jack White, a local prospector from the Finniss River, for discovering what was to become the Rum Jungle Mine, the biggest industrial enterprise in the Territory.
The town of Batchelor was created to service the mine and was to become the third biggest town in the Territory. This house not only provided a home for the Mine Manager, but also for visiting dignitaries in the 1950s and 1960s. The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, stayed there, as did the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who stopped on his way to the Olympic Games in Melbourne.
This is one of a number of sites around Batchelor associated with Rum Jungle, a place that forms an important part of the cultural history of the Territory. I congratulate Rob and Barry who have shown a real entrepreneurial spirit and I especially commend them for nominating the Mine Manager’s house to the NT Heritage Register themselves. The retreat was heritage listed by Environment Minister, Marion Scrymgour, earlier this year. It is the first time in the Territory’s history that a private developer has pursued this type of accommodation for heritage listing and subsequently turned it into a tourism and business venture. I wish Rob and Barry the best of luck.
It is always a joy to be able to celebrate the achievements of Territorians. As Minister for the Arts and as a great supporter of Tracks Dance, I am very pleased to inform the house that Tracks has won the prestigious Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award for 2005.
The Sidney Myer Performing Arts award pays tribute to outstanding achievement in drama, dance, music, mime, opera, circus and puppetry. While the award is on a past achievement, either for a single outstanding performance or a sustained contribution, consideration is also given to the potential of an individual or group to continue their contribution to Australian society through the performing arts beyond the time at which the award is made. Past winners of this award have included Geoffrey Rush, Circus Oz, the Bangarra Dance Theatre and the Sydney Dance Theatre, so our Territory-born company, Tracks, is in very good company indeed.
Co-artistic directors and founders of Tracks, David McMicken and Tim Newth, are amazingly talented individuals. David and Tim are responsible for the company’s program and conception and artistic direction of all productions. It has been their vision that has sustained this company and it is their enthusiasm and skill that has encouraged the large number of youth, seniors and ethnic community members to participate in their increasingly challenging productions. The other staff of Tracks are: Company Manager, Sue Mornane; Dance Animateur, Julia Quinn; Development Consultant, Suzanne Fermanis; and, and until very recently, the company Bookkeeper, Heather Richards.
Tracks’ work is highly original, strongly visual and exciting. The company is known for its innovative, large scale outdoor performances that bring together participants from diverse cultures and artistic disciplines. I remember laughing at the football players challenging the women’s circus performers in 4WD Sweat, Dust and Romance held at the botanic gardens and, last year, many enjoyed the fun of A Bowls Club Wedding, featuring Yoris Wilson, Gail Evans, Julia Quinn and the now both infamous and famous Grey Panthers.
I especially want to acknowledge the youth who performed in Fast, an original show choreographed and developed by our upcoming youth dancers. The core performers for this show included Marco Taupo, Erwin Fenis, Byron Low, Jessica Rosewarne, Ruttiya Suansri and Justine Clarke. Along with many other emerging youth talent, this core group held audiences spellbound for their fast paced performance held in the car park of the new Mitchell Centre in Darwin last year.
Tracks is committed to involvement of the community, and they have certainly been able to make their point with their shows now being sell-outs each season. Acknowledgement should also go to the Tracks Committee of Management comprised of local volunteers with a strong commitment to the work and philosophy of Tracks. They include Jackie Wurm, Chairperson, Glenn Bernardin, Sonia Brownhill, Ken Conway, David Taylor, Donna Quong and Jill Macandrew. The committee recently farewelled valuable members Kay Brown and Kyleigh Hinson.
Tracks’ work with local community groups, the seniors, various ethnic groups, youth and indigenous communities has made them leaders in the national arts forum. I congratulate all of Tracks staff and, in particular, Tim and David for this well deserved recognition by their peers.
Finally tonight, it was with much sadness that I learned last week that Muriel Spillett had died. My colleagues may well remember Peter Spillett died just before Christmas. Muriel has joined him. I knew them both very well because they lived in my electorate of Fannie Bay and I will miss them a great deal. Peter used to talk about Muriel a lot to me, always admiringly and in contrast to himself. Her skills around the house, her ability to fix, repair and undertake home improvements, her excellence as a cook and how she had always looked after him selflessly. Indeed, even when very ill, Muriel always put the needs of Peter and her family ahead of her own concerns.
I will always remember a story Peter told me about going to dances at the old RSL Hall in town in the 1950s – since sadly destroyed by Cyclone Tracy. Peter said there was a line along the floor where women were not allowed. Muriel said, ‘Well, I think that’s rubbish’, and just ignored it. Peter said that when she came to Darwin to be married she was very badly bitten by sandflies and had to attend her own wedding with her arms covered. I do not know if all the stories Peter told me were exactly true – he was a great raconteur – but I do know that the Territory owes a great deal to the contributions of Peter and Muriel Spillett and it is a great loss to us all. They were married many years and, in death, not divided. My sincere condolences to Simon, Richard, Anna, Annie and Stephanie.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I wish to talk tonight about this Labor government that prides itself, if you follow its rhetoric, on being open, accountable and transparent. It is a pity that so many of the people who were here earlier have gone, however, I can say for the sake of the Parliamentary Record that I propose to send my comments tonight to many of them.
This government is not open, accountable or transparent, and there are numerous examples of this. Tonight, in essence, I really wanted to concentrate on my experience of this government in terms of me asking questions of it and in particular written questions. Members will recall that, prior to estimates in June last year, I submitted approximately 70 questions to the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General. Despite the minister saying in parliament that he would answer them, he did not. I wrote repeatedly to the minister from June onwards without success for many months. The questions related to the budget. Labor has introduced a budget process which, they say, allows great scrutiny, but it is clearly not true.
In any event, after many months, I decided to write again. When I did, after several letters, I removed references to ‘the budget’ and I simply said that they related to the minister’s portfolio and, accordingly, he was bound to answer them. I eventually received some but not all of the answers I requested of the Department of Justice budget in early November last year. I received the remaining answers on or about 30 November last year. So, from June to November, it took five months to get answers about the allocation of a budget of somewhere in the vicinity of $400m to the Department of Justice. I thought that was appalling. Hardly open, honest, accountable and transparent. It was not good enough, but it seems to be becoming the hallmark of this government and, in particular, my dealings with the member for Stuart in his capacity as both Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, and Minister for Health.
In relation to health, shortly after being made shadow minister for Health, I sought and obtained a briefing on 26 October last year. I was given an hour. I had a number of questions. At the expiration of the hour, with an advisor and the CEO, Mr Robert Griew, we agreed that I would fax to the minister’s office the 20 or so questions that I had left. To those questions the minister should have known the answers. Some were as simple as: how many hospital beds are there at each hospital, and how many nurses have you recruited? I wrote a number of letters. In fact, I even tried to embarrass the minister into answering the questions I asked by issuing media releases. I wrote him more letters.
On 26 November, I wrote:
I eventually received the answers in a letter dated 24 January this year, three months after asking the questions. This was, for all intents and purposes, a garden variety briefing. Some of the answers were rubbish, in any event, such as the minister’s assertions that there were 345 beds at Royal Darwin Hospital when we learned last week that that was patently not the case, because the nurses at RDH did a count and found only 279.
I obtained a briefing in relation to breast screening services across the Northern Territory on the 6 December 2004. I wanted some information that arose from a ministerial report that the minister gave. There were letters and faxes because there were some issues outstanding from the briefing. The saga went on. I eventually received answers to questions on 18 February 2005 - a long time, indeed!
This is not honest, open, accountable, transparent government. I have written a number of letters to the minister. When most of us came back from whatever leave we took in January, there was a flurry of letters from the minister’s office. Some of them were letters that simply did not answer some of the questions I asked. However, I recall writing one letter in reply to the minister saying that the flurry of correspondence had the appearance of a new year’s resolution, and that I was hopeful that he would continue to reply to my correspondence, at all, although it is the case that delays continued.
What is really concerning, however, is that - there are only three letters that I have in the file with me but there are more - I am sure that my colleagues have received letters from the minister that are stamped with a rubber stamp. I am glad the Chief Minister is with us because my view is that it is completely unacceptable for a minister of the Crown - whether he be a Minister for Health or Minister for Justice and Attorney-General - to send me letters in that capacity that he clearly has not written and has not seen - hence his rubber stamp. There is no doubt that the signatures on these letters are a rubber stamp.
One of the letters I wrote was regarding staffing levels at the Alice Springs Hospital. The letter of reply is two pages in length. Is it any wonder that the minister is in trouble when it comes to his lack of knowledge about issues at the Alice Springs Hospital when, clearly, either members of the department or, I suspect more accurately, ministerial minders, write letters, purport to sign them, and stamp them with a rubber stamp with his signature. This is outrageous! I hope - and I know that the government advisors are listening tonight - will reflect on their conduct and the minister his, because it is not open, honest, accountable, transparent government when I receive, as shadow, letters from a minister of the Crown that he, as I say, has not written and, clearly, has not read. These are just three letters; there are other examples, no doubt. I wonder how many other Territorians have received this sort of rubber stamping exercise. It gives new meaning to the term ‘rubber-stamping’. It is appalling, and it is as simple as that.
However, I just do not direct my comments to the member for Stuart. His other part-time Health Minister, the member for Arafura, gave a statement on child abuse in the House on 13 October 2004. It contained a number of sweeping statements. I raised some issues ...
Ms Martin: You – talk about sweeping statements!
Ms CARNEY: Oh, wait for it, Clare, wait for it. … a number of sweeping statements. I raised my concerns at the time. I wrote a letter shortly after returning to Alice Springs from the sittings. I will read extracts of it:
Another question I asked:
Another one in the same letter:
Another question I asked in my letter:
I go on:
Another question:
There were 12 questions in all and I will not quote all of them, but the last one I asked was:
Not unreasonable questions. On a topic as serious as child abuse, all of us need to question. When the minister said these sorts of things in her lengthy but largely rhetorical statement, I did not think that it was too much to ask her to provide details backing up some of her claims, some of which were simply unbelievable.
I eventually received a reply to my letter. She basically said staff were busy and tried to suggest in the parliament that I was satisfied with figures provided. That was not the case and I pressed my case in relation to the unanswered questions that I wrote in my letter of 23 September. I wrote back to the minister on 20 October 2004 and said that there was no excuse for not answering the questions. I heard nothing. I wrote again on 18 November last year. Nothing. I wrote again on 10 December last year. I have not received a letter of response.
This is outrageous and appalling conduct. I expected more from minister Scrymgour. I thought, at very least, she would do me the courtesy, as a parliamentary colleague, of answering my letters. I also had a reasonable expectation that on the topic of child abuse, an issue which the minister purports to take seriously, that she would reply, but when she declines to answer perfectly reasonable questions, I am, frankly, appalled.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: I do not know what it is - well, the Chief Minister is laughing and it really sums up how the government reacts to the child abuse. She is the woman who will not even sack the member for Johnston for his outrageous conduct. This is a bloke who reckons that boys who are sexually abused turn out to be homosexuals. That is what the member for Johnston thinks of …
Mrs AAGAARD: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! The member for Araluen is making allegations which have no basis in the facts of what happened in the last sittings. I would ask her to withdraw.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, I do think it is a big jump to presume that the member for Johnston suggested …
Ms CARNEY: Speaking to the point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, the minister, by his comments, we all know what they were, asserts, by his comments and conduct, that boys who have been sexually abused are homosexuals.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, I would ask you to withdraw that. I think it is a big jump to presume that …
Ms CARNEY: Of course, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, because you have asked me, I will withdraw it, albeit reluctantly.
In any event, the Chief Minister giggles in her girlish way when I start talking about child abuse. Some of us do not think that is funny. Some of us do not think the puerile, disgusting, offensive, disgraceful comments made by the member for Johnston in the last parliamentary sittings were appropriate. We thought that those comments should be withdrawn. We think, as do many Territorians, many of whom are Labor voters, that this Chief Minister who giggles at child abuse does not think that the member for Johnston should be sacked. You are a weak, useless individual, Chief Minister!
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, I will ask you to withdraw those comments and please direct your comments through the Chair.
Ms CARNEY: I will withdraw those comments, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, but since you are asking me to direct my comments to you, would you afford me the same courtesy of inviting the Chief Minister to do so as well?
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: I will, but I do not think her interjections have been stopping you from contributing tonight.
Ms CARNEY: No, well, they probably wouldn’t. In any event, the conduct in terms of the letters and questions I asked in relation to child abuse are not unreasonable. I invite anyone to tell me why they are. Part of my job is to bring this government to account. The Chief Minister does not have the intestinal fortitude to bring her own ministers to account, which is why the member for Johnston remains a minister of the Crown, having made a disgraceful slur on boys who are sexually abused and the homosexual community generally.
However, we know what she is like. She will not even pull into line ministers who do not answer questions in a timely way. She is a disgrace, and so are they.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Nightcliff.
Ms Martin: Do you know what a sweeping statement is, Jodeen? Peppered through your whole adjournment.
Ms Carney: Oh! Pressing some buttons, are we, Chief Minister?
Members interjecting.
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, please sit down. Chief Minister, could we listen to the member for Nightcliff?
Mrs AAGAARD (Nightcliff): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, first, I would like to make a comment about the last comments of the member for Araluen. I am probably one of the best behaved members in this House and, to be quite honest, this debate regarding these matters to do with the members for Johnston and Macdonnell has gone too far. Both members have undoubtedly behaved in ways which were not acceptable at the time, and certainly the general community would find some of the things that happened very difficult, but there is a time when you just have to move on and I think we have reached that moment. The continuing conversations, discussions and innuendo that have been made in this House during these sittings are completely unnecessary and unacceptable.
I have full confidence personally in the member for Johnston. I know that he has been very embarrassed by the comments – actually, he did not make comments; he apparently mouthed some words across the Chamber. I know that he has been very embarrassed. I know that he has apologised both in the House, to members of the gay community in the Northern Territory, and to various other people.
Those of us of goodwill in this House would accept that in quite a reasonable way. The intimidatory comments that are clear in the Hansard of that day indicate that the member for Macdonnell needs to apologise to the member for Johnston. Clearly, that is not going to happen so I think it is time for everyone to move on so we can get on with the business of the day, which is the running of government and for the opposition to ask questions relating to the government and not make personal innuendoes.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, after those remarks, I place on the record my congratulations to the Speaker, the Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly for their hard work in once again organising a very successful sitting in Alice Springs. It is a huge task, putting together this kind of event. Once again, they have shown what a fantastic group of people they are in the Legislative Assembly. To all of the staff, let me say thank you very much. We certainly appreciate all the effort you have put into it.
It has also been great to see so many people from Alice Springs taking a real interest in this Assembly and it is great to know that Territorians are interested in the democratic process. It adds to the whole process of government.
In the last couple of weeks the Australian Hotels Association has announced it annual awards. I congratulate the Beachfront Hotel and Turtles Bar at Rapid Creek for being awarded the best hotel in the Territory and the best retailer. I congratulate Doug Sallis and the staff at the Beachfront for this tremendous success. The hotel has certainly come a long way from when people ‘raged in the cage’ at Lims. The renovations at the hotel, good food and service make it a very pleasant place to have a sunset drink or a Sunday breakfast. So, congratulations Doug and your staff and I wish you continued success over the coming years.
It was a pleasure to officially open the Anglicare Family Fun Day on Sunday 20 March at Mindil Beach on behalf of the Chief Minister. Anglicare agencies around Australia celebrate National Family Day on 20 March, and Family Fun Day is an opportunity to focus on the needs of families and communities. It was a time to take note of the responsibility we all have to ensure that our family members are cared for, nurtured and supported. Anglicare NT has been operating in the Northern Territory for 40 years and, in that time, the range of services provided by Anglicare NT has grown to an astounding 62 programs across the Territory, working to assist families and children in crisis, providing home support for the frail, elderly or disadvantaged, and working with indigenous people to develop appropriate and needed programs.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge a special lady who I know was dear to many of the staff and volunteers of Anglicare. Rita Mason passed away only two weeks ago. She was an amazing woman whose energy and enthusiasm was inspirational to the many who worked with her. It was Rita’s dream to honour the family on National Family Day, and to encourage the strengthening of family ties by providing a free event that families of all ages could attend. Rita’s volunteers were present, and even in the midst of their sadness, they worked very hard to make sure that this Family Fun Day was a great success as Rita would have hoped. I suppose it was very fitting that Anglicare dedicated this year’s event to the memory of Rita Mason. May she rest in peace.
I would now like to update members on the schools in my electorate. It has been one of the great pleasures being the member for Nightcliff to get to know so many parents, teachers and students at the many schools in my electorate. I have always taken an interest in education matters, and have been a parent member of school councils for many years, separate to my work as a member of parliament.
I have several schools in my electorate: the Nightcliff Primary School, the largest primary school in Darwin with around 600 students; the Milkwood Steiner School, probably the smallest school in Darwin with 55 students; the Essington School, Darwin, which has more than 600 students this year; the Nightcliff High School, with around 300 students; St Paul’s Catholic School, which has about 140 students; the Northern Territory Open Education Centre; and the Greek Orthodox School of the Northern Territory.
Nightcliff Primary School had its annual general meeting on 7 March, and the council farewelled and thanked Mr Byron Olstad who chaired the council for the past year and was a member of the council for many years prior to that. I would like to add my personal thanks to Mr Olstad for his hard work and commitment to education at the Nightcliff Primary School. Other council members retiring were Chris Baldwin, Annie Villeseche, Charlotta Brown, Carol Hitchcock and Susan Willis. I thank them for their hard work and commitment to improving the Nightcliff Primary School.
I congratulate the new members of the school council for nominating to be part of the Nightcliff Primary School governance process. The 2005 council includes the new chairperson, Mr Murray Fuller, who takes over from being the deputy chair last year; Mr Anthony Williams, who becomes the deputy chair; Dr Joe Wright and Ms Kanchana Bishop, who will work cooperatively as minute secretaries; Ms Katrina Pullion, the correspondence secretary; Mr Peter Morris, Ms Alex Knowler, Mrs Ellen Reisinger, Michael Storrs, Ms Debbie Guy and Adrian Curry.
I extend my thanks to the principal of Nightcliff Primary School, Mr Steve Marshall, for his continued excellent service as a principal. Steve is always accessible to parents and his students, and his hard work, professionalism and dedication is greatly appreciated by the school community. I wish him continued success in his leadership of the school.
I also place on the record my continued thanks to the two assistant principals, Ms Jill Finch and Mr Greg Robson for their continued dedication to the school community.
In relation to student leadership at Nightcliff Primary School, this year the school trialled a new method for students to apply for the student representative council. Applications were sought from students from Transition to Year 7. Over 100 students applied. The initial application was a written expression of interest and, from the applications, over 50 students were selected to proceed to an interview stage. Students were interviewed by a teacher and Year 7 students. I understand that Tom Sierakowski, Molly Hoskings and Emir Howell were very professional as panel members and I extend my congratulations to them. I understand that there was a very high calibre of students who were applicants, and all students who applied should be congratulated for their efforts. Unfortunately, not all applicants can be successful, but I congratulate all students for applying and encourage them to continue to seek ways to show leadership at the school and in other community endeavours.
For 2005, congratulations go to Isabella Politis, Louis Ruben, Shauna Maguire-Oldstad, Kieran Whatley, Nikita Chisholm, Morgan Dowell-Wise, Tennele Shields, Michelle Winch, Courtney Hart, Caroline Jackson, Elise Robson, Erin Jose, Isabel Marshall, Liam Osborne, Amanda Harper, Tessa Wallace, Myra Hayles, Koula Politis, Tessa Freeman, Rebecca Winch, Nathan Guy, Lucy Murray, Kenya Rae Archer, Dana Harper, Abby Nelson, Frankie Gardner, George Politis, Jack Dalrymple, Liz Ease-Class, Scarlet Gray, Jaiden McGregor, William Dalrymple - Mrs Bryce’s class.
Each student has chosen a subcommittee and the four committees are: the meet and greet committee, student welfare, fundraising, and the environment. All students will undertake a probationary period and, after this time, they will be officially recognised at a whole school assembly. I really look forward to meeting with those young people and to their success in their new leadership roles.
I now move to Nightcliff High School. I thank Mrs Rosemary Campbell for her continuation as chairperson of the Nightcliff High School Council and thank her for her very professional chairing over the past year in her role as chair. As an aside, I would like to congratulate Rosemary and her business partners in Merit Partners for their first anniversary as a new Territory accounting firm, and wish them continued success over the coming years. I also thank Mr Bill Bean who continues as deputy chair, Ms Lindy Coates as the very capable secretary, and all members of the school council.
Mr Paul Atkinson, principal of the Nightcliff High School, continues to show dedication and leadership to our students at Nightcliff High. I thank him and his colleagues and assistant principals, Mrs Jean Loke and Mr Keith Moyle on behalf of the Nightcliff community.
I also offer my congratulations to the school captains for 2005: Ms Mi Fa Jong and Mr Akim Lay, and school vice captains, Ms Marisha McPhee and Mr Rohan Kelly. I offer my congratulations to the members of the 2005 student representative council, and also to the Nightcliff High School house captains. I seek leave to table a list of the names of the students since it is a large list.
Leave granted.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I firstly thank the member for Nightcliff for referring to Rita Mason and her passing. For those of us - and there are many - who knew Rita Mason, it is very hard to accept that Rita has left us.
Tonight, I would like to make some comments about youth programs, and a program that I believe is needed in the Northern Territory and that I would like to see developed. I make these comments tonight under the watchful eye of Uncle Kwementyayi Turner, whose home is here in Alice Springs, and who has been maintaining a watchful eye over the proceedings of this Chamber, faithful to the end.
We often talk about our young people, and many times over this last two days we have referred to the young leaders in our community who shone their brightness in this Chamber in the Youth Parliament. They are indeed inspirational. There are a number of such programs that give opportunities to young people to shine, and it is a genuine encouragement to see such quality in our young people.
I again recently participated in the Lions Youth of the Year competition in Palmerston. It has been hosted by Palmerston Lions for a number of years and is now going to be run by Nightcliff Lions, I believe. For many years I have been involved in this because I get a charge at the seeing these quality young people standing up and demonstrating their passion, commitment and belief in what the Territory, or their world, or Australia can be. I acknowledge the great work of Lions Clubs around the country which support the Youth of the Year program.
I acknowledge the existence of a very effective program, Junior Police Rangers, which has been operating for many years. My own two children have been through that program and I believe children of members of this Chamber have also been through it. I acknowledge also the work of the Baldwin family in supporting that program, particularly Mr Terry Baldwin who has strongly supported that very innovative and important program because it supports youth leadership.
I have spoken a number of times about cadet programs that have run successfully in other states, and I believe we could elevate their profile in the Northern Territory. They run successfully at Port Keats, Melville Island, Tennant Creek and a number of places in the Top End. There is great scope for investment in our young people through increasing cadet programs through our high schools. There are not many opportunities for young people to learn and develop leadership skills, and this is a proven vehicle for the teaching of leadership skills in young people. It has been very successful in many other states, was pioneered in Western Australia and has existed in Australia in one form or another since Federation. However, under the Whitlam government, funding was phased out. There has been an increase in funding under this federal government and I must say it is a program that has enjoyed unexpected success in many quarters.
There are also some amounts of money from the Office of Youth Affairs that flow into mentorship programs. Some of our young people shine and are given opportunity to develop their leadership skills through their involvement in sports, sports coaching and some of the mentorship programs assisting in the development of those skills. There is the fine work of the Beacon Foundation in Palmerston, which is working with Palmerston High School with a Positive Futures program whereby young people are encouraged to make a quality decision with regards to their future, making a decision for active employment rather than countenancing the prospect of welfare, saying ‘no’ to welfare and making proactive decisions today with regards to subject choices and, with the support of the local business community providing mentorship and guidance in decision-making as to career.
I have already mentioned Youth Parliament. All members here and those who read these words in Hansard have children and we want them to thrive, just like a gardener wants the plants in their garden to thrive. We want our children to thrive. We want them to grow. We want them to become independent contributors to their community.
Sadly, there are a number of young people in our community whom we term as being ‘at risk’. We identify them through our education system. Ask any teacher and they can identify a cohort of students that they predict, for many good reasons, and they are great observers of young people, who present the attributes of being ‘at risk’. They have difficulties at home generally, they are given to antisocial behaviour and are difficult to manage in class, they disrupt the learning stream in classrooms, they manifest most strongly in junior high school and into senior high school if they manage to stay at school. If you speak to the local police, they generally know the names of two or three or four of these young people. They know them readily because they are often in trouble with the law. The parents have largely given up on them because they do not know how to control them any more. We can only look at them and be concerned at what lies ahead for them.
Some of us have visited the Don Dale Centre. If we look at what that offers, there appears to be a program missing, a gap. Many of those we can identify within our own electorates and urban communities do not qualify for Don Dale, but there is certainly no program that effectively reaches them because we know that, one day, they will most likely end up in Don Dale or in prison.
They are certainly not independent contributors to the community and are not making a difference in a positive way to our community. There are, I accept, diversionary programs and much effort made to reach these young ones. Nonetheless, we are missing an important program, which, in some form, was demonstrated through the Wildman River program that won national recognition.
This debate is being revisited largely because of a very interesting program on the ABC in November last year called Brat Camp. It caught the imagination of a number of people. It is easy to get in the media and talk about a boot camp, which is a fairly evocative moniker that you can put on youth programs. It has avid supporters and it has its detractors. What was broadcast in the Brat Camp was a modern variant of a boot camp, which is a military-style program, very structured, very disciplined and an ordered lifestyle. Through that means, there is an element of rehabilitation. However, we need to go more to the wilderness-type programs which incorporate elements of a boot camp, but take us much further and reach more deeply the young people. I have long looked at boot camps and I am attracted to them because I believe that young people need that structure and order to gain some kind of self confidence.
Brat Camp is a United States program run in Utah, and it incorporated elements of structure and discipline, but it brought young people to a greater sense of responsibility by being more directly immersed in nature, running up against strong, resolute principles by trained counsellors who worked alongside them and who would not be shifted, who were imminently patient and gradually wore them down. There were six youngsters from the United Kingdom who were involved in this program. I watched week after week to see whether these young ones would manage to get out of this program - one of them even feigned madness so that he could go home; others tried every trick in the book to endeavour to get off the program. I thought, ‘This is just going to be interesting viewing and I do not think it will get anywhere’.
However, those who watched the program over four weeks saw that these young ones were actually reached. They were put through immense hardship and personal challenge. They were put in direct contact with themselves and with nature. The process, first of all, allowed them to detoxify as many of them were involved in binge drinking, drug taking and they were abusive and disrespectful of authority: ‘Do whatever you like buddy, but you are out there by yourself and if you do not want to carry your pack, you have nothing to eat tonight, and it is very cold and you will be cold as well because you will have nothing to warm you’. It was basic concepts such as that which built in an idea of personal responsibility that ultimately wore them down. It was stunning to see, at the end of this program, that these young ones had a great sense of dignity because they had struggled and overcome. I would like to go into greater depth about this program. If anyone has an opportunity to look at this program, this is the sort of program we need in the Northern Territory. I would like to see it taken further and developed in the Territory in this way.
I have had encounters with many young people who I can see will end up in some kind of difficulty and we need to intervene. I have also had the great fortune to have some very impressive men call into my office with concern for young people and offer their assistance. I have had two indigenous leaders walk into my office and offer assistance of any program that we could possibly develop. I have had business leaders and business men, people who grew up as apprentices who run their small businesses. They want to make a contribution of one kind of another. An Aboriginal stockman who now lives in Palmerston wants to spend time teaching young people to ride a horse. There is enough evidence to show that if you put a young person on a horse and allow them to have a relationship with a horse, with that element of risk, and take them out of their normal paradigm and develop a relationship with an animal, that they would be able to think in different ways. Take them out in the wilderness. Take them away from their normal circle of friends and influence and let them start to think different thoughts.
The program that was aired, Brat Camp, also had a fair aspect which dealt with the parents. The parents also contributed to the problems that were manifest in the young people. There is enough depth of research and support that is offered to the families to allow a changed young person - the reporting shows that around 80% of those youngsters who go through programs such as the wilderness programs have very positive long-term change. It was evidenced in the program, it was no holds barred. It was a real viewing of the progress of eight youngsters. It was quite stunning to see them re-emerge and go back into urban life, and to be followed up months and months later and to hear the words out of their own mouth to say that, ‘Now, I have the opportunity to think my own thoughts, to experience pressure but to manage pressure rather than allow pressure to manage me’.
I will talk more about these programs and how a program such as this could be developed in the Territory. One way or another, it needs to be developed because we do need to reach a certain cohort that is in real need.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I am aware of the late hour, it is ten to midnight, and the staff who are kept working. I will be as brief as possible. I take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Assembly, the Speaker’s Office, the Chief Minister for the wisdom of having the regional sittings in Alice Springs, and the staff of government who have all worked tirelessly to bring this sittings to Alice Springs. It is a wonderful opportunity for members to come here and immerse themselves in the wonderful hospitality of the Centralians.
I have brought my family with me. My son is of an age that I could not leave him in Darwin for a week; he is still being breastfed. Therefore, I have brought the entire tribe - the husband to take care of the baby, and the other two kids have come along because they are too young to be left alone at home. They had a very enjoyable experience yesterday at the Desert Park, and my daughters are looking forward to their first camel ride. Whilst I am in here working, they are enjoying the beauty of the desert country – the red heart of Australia. It is an experience that I enjoyed as a child. I came here every year from age 11 through to 18 when I was representing the Territory in hockey, and spent a week in training camps here in the Red Centre to acclimatise during the Dry Season - the cold period - before we went on to play national competition in winter down south. I have very fond memories of a childhood with yearly sojourns to the Red Centre. Experiencing life being billeted with families here in Central Australia really opened my eyes to an aspect of the Territory that, as a saltwater person, a Top Ender, I would otherwise not have experienced. It is a joy to be back, and I am very much enjoying the cut and thrust of the Alice Springs sittings.
I also want to use the opportunity tonight to acknowledge the very fine work that is being done in the public primary schools in the electorate of Karama. I will seek leave to table the list of names of Malak Primary School school captains and school council; Karama Primary School’s school captains, school council and SRC; and Manunda Terrace Primary School council, captains and SRC members. Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to have their names incorporated in the Parliamentary Record.
Leave granted.
Ms LAWRIE: I take this opportunity to thank the outgoing chair of Malak School Council, Lynn Chong. She did a fantastic job as chair last year; her first year in the role. She was very busy. I know she is a very busy mother and very busy with her work. She very ably took the school council through a very positive year, and I thank Lynn for her dedication. She stays on as deputy chair. I congratulate Chris Kelly, whom I know has worked very closely with Lynn on the school council, on her elevation to chair. I look forward to working with the leadership team at Malak.
I also take the opportunity to thank Katerina Kouros who is the outgoing chair of Karama school council. She has been a fantastic hardworking chair for Karama school. Katerina is a dynamic woman; a very well respected member of our Greek community. She is a fantastic mother. I have chatted to her on many occasions and talked about our community life. I admire and respect Katerina in the role she has played, and thank her for her efforts as chair of Karama school council last year.
I also take the opportunity to welcome wholeheartedly the incoming chair of Karama school council, Akarriyuwu Hill, otherwise known as Kim Hill, former ATSIC Commissioner. We could be in no better and capable hands at Karama school than to have a chair of such great standing in our community with so much respect. I am very excited about the year ahead, working with Mr Hill in his role as chair of school council. He is a fantastic role model for the young children in the electorate. I know he has spoken on many occasions of the very positive work we can do with the youth of Karama electorate. I am extremely excited to welcome him as the incoming chair.
Manunda Terrace continues to have Barry Brown in the role of chair of the school council. Barry and his wife, Deana, are phenomenal workers for Manunda Primary School. They are wonderful people and I am thrilled to be able to work with them through the year.
We have three fantastic principals who are very dedicated to their school communities: Russell Legg at Malak, Marg Fenbury at Karama and Ron Abbott at Manunda Terrace. We have a very high standard of public education in the Karama electorate. These three schools are all very strong and vibrant in their own right and I encourage the efforts of the school captains, the SRCs, the council members and, indeed, the leadership of the principals. I look forward to a very exciting year and working very closely with them.
I finish the adjournment on the note that some people might want to make political mileage of the fact that I have my family here with me. However, I am very proud of the fact that I bring diversity to this parliament. I am a young mother in a parliament and I do not take the decision lightly to travel with my family. I take it knowing that there will be some detractors for that decision. I say to them that I am very much an advocate of family-friendly employment policies. People who have to travel for significant periods of time in employment in the public and private sector are afforded the opportunities of travelling with dependants. I have taken up that opportunity and I know that my experiences as a young mother add to the debate and the betterment of our caucus and, hopefully, the parliament. I look forward to the rest of my stay in Alice Springs. I look forward to participating in debates, and I acknowledge the extremely hard work of the Assembly staff, the Speaker’s staff and the government staff in bringing sittings of parliament in Alice Springs.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
STATEMENT BY SPEAKER
Chamber Clock
Chamber Clock
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, we now have a digital timing clock on the screen as there was some confusion yesterday. The clock, when it reached the top, still had a minute to go. I apologise to any member who was short-changed one minute in their speech. Today, we should not have any mistakes.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I am pleased to advise that we have some students in our gallery: Braitling Primary School, Years 4 and 5 with their teachers, Lee Ryall and Iris Lawrence; Nyirripi School with their teacher, Dean Briscoe; St Philip’s Year 9 students with their teacher, Will Roberts; and Year 9 students from St Philip’s with Sue Kenny. On behalf of honourable members, I extend a warm welcome to all our students. Thank you very much for turning up.
Members: Hear, hear!
TABLED PAPER
Replacement Letter
Replacement Letter
Mr ELFERINK (Macdonnell)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I table a letter to replace the letter tabled yesterday from Mr Mills, Leader of the Opposition, to the Honourable Paul Henderson, dated 16 August 2004.
MINISTERIAL REPORTS
Larapinta Trail
Larapinta Trail
Ms MARTIN (Tourism): Madam Speaker, the Larapinta Trail extends for 223 km from the Alice Springs Telegraph Station through the West MacDonnell National Park to Redbank Gorge and Mt Sonder to the west. Since the completion of Stage 1 in 1989, the trail has attracted an increased number of walkers and has gained international recognition. With the appropriate development, management and marketing, I am confident it will become one of the world’s leading walking trails. However, unlike many trails with breathtaking scenery, it will be interwoven with a strong indigenous cultural component.
The strategy includes a table of over 160 action items for both agencies to consider. Examples of action items include a review of the Tourist Commission’s image library for use in the domestic and international market; the identification of additional short walks and loop trails; and the review and upgrade of current interpretative signage and trail markers. Parks and Wildlife are responsible for the management and maintenance of the trail and are now considering the actions contained in the report relating to these issues. The Tourist Commission is to review the actions relating to marketing and promotion.
In addition, there are also opportunities from a destination development perspective for additional infrastructure along the trail, such as huts, which could enhance the visitor experience. These are now part of the responsibility of the Destination Development Project Team, working on the West MacDonnell Ranges development. It is expected many of these actions will be considered further by both agencies and integrated into existing strategies as appropriate, including the new plan of management for the Larapinta Trail.
Iconic walking trails have been identified as a significant opportunity for the Territory, and have long been strongly supported by the tourism industry. Madam Speaker, as a Centralian, you know there is nothing better than the Larapinta Trail.
Mr ELFERINK (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I have to agree at the outset with the Chief Minister; the Larapinta Trail is truly one of the most spectacular trails available, not only in Australia, but in the world. If you go to trails or similar places in Europe you have to book months in advance, and there is a separation of perhaps 100 m between parties moving along the trails. In Central Australia you can join any part of the trail you want. I have often walked sections, especially between Simpsons and Bond Gaps, which is a particularly beautiful stretch of the trail.
It must be borne in mind, of course, that the Larapinta Trail was started 15 years ago by the former government, and constructed carefully over that time with a philosophy of inclusion of the visitors in the environment, rather than exclusion, which is so common in so many other tourist attractions, especially Uluru-Kata Tjuta and the Kakadu National Park. There is nothing preventing a visitor from going to the Larapinta Trail and walking as close as they can in the bush where the only things that indicate the trail are little blue triangles every so often. Therefore, you are having the full bushwalking experience.
The Larapinta Trail would not have been possible without the purchase of the Owen Springs pastoral lease, in terms of its completion. It was one of the last things the CLP did prior to losing government, and for which I proudly lobbied as I could see the value of the Larapinta Trail.
It is worth noting a couple of points. Since this government has come to power, 830 000 fewer visitor nights have been enjoyed in the Northern Territory and, sadly, we have had 91 000 fewer visitors from overseas. This icon, the Larapinta Trail, should be used to attract those people back here.
Ms MARTIN (Tourism): Madam Speaker, the whole purpose of the Larapinta Trail Management Strategy is to look at how we enhance the experience of the Larapinta Trail and, certainly, a tourist and local experience of the West MacDonnells. Whilst I welcome the supportive comments of the member for Macdonnell, the churlish comments do not constructively contribute to this debate.
While we have our students here, I wonder whether any students have walked part of the Larapinta Trail. Have you walked it, and hopefully enjoyed it? We want to see more tourists and locals walking that trail, and perhaps have some shorter tracks so that you can do half a day, or a couple of hours, experiencing new parts of the Larapinta Trail.
We have exciting plans for it in the future. It is one of the top 10 walking trails in the world and Central Australia should be enormously proud of it.
Crime and Justice Statistics –
December 2004 Quarter
December 2004 Quarter
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I rise today to report on the December quarter Crime and Justice Statistics released by the Department of Justice last Friday.
As members will be aware, every three months the Office of Crime Prevention releases Territory-wide Crime and Justice Statistics drawn directly from the police operating system, PROMIS. The latest Crime and Justice Statistics show that we are delivering on our promise to attack crime and causes of crime.
Whilst we can acknowledge the encouraging trends that these figures show, we will never lose sight of the fact that crime victims still exist in our community and the traumatic experiences they suffer. To achieve the downward trends in the current series, we have put 100 extra police on the beat, used improved investigation methods, and the constant monitoring of recidivist offenders is paying off. The result is large reductions in property crime in the Northern Territory-wide figures.
Across the Territory, there are falls in every category of property offence over the past 12 months: house break-ins fell by 20%; break-ins to commercial and other premises fell by 17%; motor vehicle theft and related offences were down by 19%; and property damage decreased by 21%. In total, there were 3781 fewer property offences in 2004 than in 2003.
Let us look at these figures from another angle: the difference between this government and the CLP based on financial year comparisons. Over 1600 fewer house break-ins under this government than the CLP, over 600 fewer break-ins to businesses than under the CLP, property damage down by almost 2500 offences …
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: You do not like this story, do you? You do not like it at all.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition and member for Drysdale, order!
Dr TOYNE: In total, almost 9000 fewer offences under the last year of the CLP. There were 325 house break-ins recorded by police in 2000-01, and by 2003-04, this had fallen to 176 recorded offences. That is 149 fewer offences for house break-ins.
What does this mean for Alice Springs? When we turn to the figures for Alice Springs, we can see an overall reduction of 46% in the level of house break-ins for Alice Springs since the CLP; break-ins to commercial premises are down 14%; and property damage is down 20%. This government has also been working to reduce levels of violent crime with community safety and crime prevention plans being developed across the Territory.
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: You really do not like this, do you? It is a picture coming straight from our police force and you do not like it at all.
Comparing 2004 with 2003, assaults were down 11%; sexual assaults decreased by 6%; robbery decreased by 17%; and homicide and related offences decreased by 19%. In total, there were 492 fewer offences against the person in 2004 compared with the previous year.
When we look at Alice Springs, a similar pattern: from over 1000 offences during the last year of the CLP down to 791 offences in the last year, a 25% reduction. In regard to sexual assault, a volatile offence, in the last year, we have had 39 offences and that is a fall of 19% from the time of the CLP.
We are making inroads on both crime against the person and property crime. We are doing it through smart policing, through resourcing our community to work with us on crime prevention measures and we are very encouraged at this stage with the inroads that we have made on crime in our community.
We will continue this effort, certainly targeting crimes of violence into the future. We will take into the second term of government a very concerted campaign to reduce those offences to the same extent as we have done with property crime. We are getting the job done for the Territory as we promised.
Madam SPEAKER: While the member for Araluen approaches, could we have a little bit of quiet from members of the opposition.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report, but disagree with much of it for these reasons: the minister said in the parliament in November 2002 that the government will ‘stand or fall on how the pattern emerges in the future’ in relation to the crime statistics. The government promotes the Office of Crime Prevention as an independent office. It is not an independent office; it is part of the Department of Justice. Is it any wonder that Territorians are somewhat suspicious of the figures?
In any event, the minister can quote figures, and so can I. For instance, let us look at the hallmark of this Labor government, that is, the appalling and astounding increase in sexual assaults across the Northern Territory. Let us look at sexual assaults in Alice Springs. From the last quarter, 100% increase in Alice Springs. A 25% increase from the same quarter in the previous year. Let us go back. March quarter 2004, in Alice Springs, sexual assaults up by 75% from the previous quarter; around the Northern Territory, up 28%. September quarter 2003, sexual assaults up by 180% compared to the same quarter for the previous year. September quarter 2004, sexual assaults in Palmerston up by 220%, Katherine 200%. These are not good figures, minister, and it does not matter what you say.
What you have not done about vandalism and other antisocial behaviour is surprising and very sad for the people who are victims of crime, and I note your reference to victims of crime, suggesting that your government is sympathetic to them. It is not, and that is best evidenced by the appalling remarks the member for Johnston made in relation to the member for Macdonnell during the last sittings. He does not care about victims of crime, you do not care about victims of crime, and you should all be, collectively, very ashamed.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, could I ask that the member table the document she was quoting from?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, you have been requested to table the document.
Dr TOYNE: Madam Speaker, it is pretty clear that when the picture does not suit the member for Araluen, she tries to then disparage the people who produce it. I presume she is saying that either the police are liars because this has come directly from their recorded crime statistics from their database, or is it our head statistician, Stephen Jackson, lying?
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, cease. Order!
Dr TOYNE: You do not accept figures that do not suit you but you are very quick to quote ones that do.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Members of the opposition, cease. You are getting very noisy.
Home Territory 2010 –
Special Needs Initiatives
Special Needs Initiatives
Mr AH KIT (Housing): Madam Speaker, I rise today to report on the range of initiatives that support the growing number of Territorians in public housing who have special needs. Through my key policy statement for housing, Home Territory 2010, the Northern Territory government made a particular commitment to catering to clients with special needs. There are large numbers of people, whether aged, indigenous, young, disabled or single parent families, who can struggle when it comes to accessing, maintaining and sustaining a tenancy. Whatever form of housing they need, they usually need a tailored response whether that is in terms of design or service provision. The Labor government has worked hard to cater for clients with special needs in Alice Springs.
For seniors, we have completed the Gillen Seniors Village at a cost of $3.5m. This development has 18 two-bedroom units with design features catering to people who are aged or fragile. The village received a commendation at the Royal Australian Institute of Architects NT Chapter at the 2003 Architecture Awards in recognition of its innovative design. While the nearly completed security screening program benefits all people in public housing, feelings of safety are particularly important to older people who spend significant amounts of time in their home and are not as mobile. The program cost $1.2m in Alice Springs alone. Recognising the need for further seniors housing in Alice Springs, we have gone out to tender for six two-bedroom senior units in Kenna Court. We are estimating that this will cost $1.3m, with completion expected by the end of July 2005.
Renal disease is, unfortunately, growing at a rapid rate across the Northern Territory. To assist in catering to this growing need, in 2004 we entered into a leasing arrangement with the Darwin Christian Outreach Centre Ministries for the management of the Cloudy Beale complex in Alice Springs. The 23 units of public housing are being used for accommodating a variety of special needs groups’ users including renal patients. Territory Housing provided $30 000 to upgrade works and $9000 for a smoke detector system and fire indicator monitoring system. Territory Housing is also looking at remodelling five bathrooms at this facility. This is an example of working with the community sector to provide the higher levels of care that some of our clients need.
Renal patients often have to come from communities to receive treatment for long periods of time. Understandably, they want their families and friends with them at times, and mainstream housing solutions do not always suit. Recognising these growing needs, Territory Housing has planned a series of workshops in Darwin and Alice Springs for April this year. These workshops will bring together the shared expertise of a range of government and community providers to plan the best responses.
For indigenous people requiring short-term accommodation, we have committed $2.2m to the redevelopment of Stuart Lodge, a place that will offer up to 68 beds. Stuart Lodge will offer a stable point from which clients can access support and referrals so that they can make the next move into long-term accommodation or back to their community. Design documents for Stuart Lodge are nearing completion and the tender will be let in late April. This will allow a contractor to start in late June, for completion by the end of the year - if all goes to plan.
I recall the member for Macdonnell suggesting that the redevelopment of Stuart Lodge is an example of providing services that attract people into town. Apparently, government should stop providing services in town because it makes it attractive for people from communities. The CLP would not, therefore, redevelop Stuart Lodge. So, what would their policy be?
The Martin Labor government has also assisted in the upgrade of premises for key community service providers. This is work that drives strong community input and allows an integrated response to social housing needs: the Mental Health Association in Alice Springs has benefited from $386 000 towards capital upgrades; the Alice Springs Youth Accommodation and Support Service has benefited with $300 000; and Women Escaping Family Violence Shelter has received $127 000. Madam Speaker, we will continue to work with people with special needs in housing in Central Australia.
Mr ELFERINK (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I respond to the minister and, of course, he is trying very hard to deflect from the disaster that his ministry has been in Alice Springs. I do not doubt that many of the projects that his department is doing are very valuable in terms of support.
However, we cannot get away from headlines like ‘10 man gang storms home’ and ‘Our neighbours are a nightmare’. These are other people with special needs we are talking about, who do not live in the housing tenancies that this minister administers but, rather, who live next door to them. Because of the planning processes that this minister has put in place, the fact that they have spent $5m over the last few years to improve services for itinerants in our major centres, and they are now continuing to spend millions more dollars on itinerant services in our major centres, we are getting more people apprehended for being intoxicated, as reported by the minister for Police in his last annual report. It was something I predicted that would occur - and guess what? - it has occurred. If you improve services for itinerant people, you are going to get more itinerant people. It is as simple as that! That is your answer to this sort of problem and that is where we get these sorts of things from.
Anybody who has the audacity to, in any way, challenge this minister gets branded by him as a ‘redneck dog whistler’. His first approach to dealing with people who have the audacity to complain about his ministry is to call them racist. He says that anybody who has the audacity to complain about a Territory Housing tenant is trying to ‘prevent blackfellas from moving in’. Madam Speaker, we need a more noble approach to this ministry.
Mr AH KIT (Housing): Madam Speaker, in response let me first defend my department and Territory Housing. What I get sick and tired of as a minister in our government is the way members opposite continually challenge the public servants who work so hard …
Members interjecting.
Mr AH KIT: …with our government to ensure we are implementing proper policies which are going to rectify many of the problems we have in Territory Housing throughout the Northern Territory. What we hear is whinging, whining and carping. If you want to be a good member and look after your constituents, or if you have concerns, raise them with my office. Bring them up to me, write to me …
Members interjecting.
Mr AH KIT: …seek a meeting with me, and we will deal with your problems. But what do you do? You use it for short-term gains in politics. You are policy bankrupt and you have nowhere to go.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Your time has expired, minister. Order, order!
National Road Transport Hall of Fame
Dr BURNS (Transport and Infrastructure): Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to report on the work the government is doing to assist the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in securing its long-term future in Alice Springs.
The Hall of Fame is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of Australia’s road transport heritage. It is probably the best collection of commercial vehicles in Australia, displayed in all their glory after a lifetime spent battling outback conditions. Many of these vehicles were built in Britain or the United States and have had to be extensively modified to cope with life Down Under.
I have visited the Transport Hall of Fame on a number of occasions. A good example of what I have just mentioned is a very rare Rotinoff truck which was imported from the United Kingdom for Lord Vestey. There are only one or two in the world. It has a Rolls Royce engine and it has been lovingly restored at the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame showcases the pioneer men and women of the transport industry, including the legendary Kurt Johannsen of Alice Springs who designed and built his own road trains. Also of special interest is the modified personal camper which Kurt built and used; it is a very interesting exhibit.
The National Road Transport Hall of Fame first opened its doors in 1995. This year, it will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a series of events from the 24 to 29 August. The annual reunion usually attracts 1000 people; however, this year more than 5000 are expected from all over Australia, a massive boost to tourism and economy of Alice Springs. Plans are well advanced for Australia’s biggest ever trucking reunion with convoys of vintage and veteran cars and trucks hitting the road and heading for Alice. Thirty heritage car clubs intend to participate in the showpiece event which is a parade of 300 vehicles from the Shell Truck Stop on the Stuart Highway to the Hall of Fame.
The National Transport Hall of Fame is fully self-funded through the subscriptions of its 3500 members worldwide, as well as through entry fees, souvenirs sales and sponsorship. It relies on the hard work and sterling efforts of a bank of volunteers led by Liz Martin, President of the Road Transport Historical Society. I am told that every day, 15 to 20 volunteers are giving up their time, whether staffing the hall, answering the phone or restoring an old truck.
The Hall of Fame currently shares a block of land on Norris Bell Avenue with the Ghan Preservation Society. Last year, ownership of its site became a crucial issue when the Hall of Fame received an offer of $1m sponsorship from a well-known and extremely generous Australian trucking company. The potential sponsor could not commit the funds for a new building without a guarantee of longevity, requiring the Hall of Fame to seek formal tenure over its land. However, a sub-division of the site could not occur without the provision of separate water supplies. I am pleased to report that the government has approved funding of $65 000 from the works program to install a separate water supply. Work is now under way and should be completed next month. I will shortly be making an offer of a grant of land which will allow the Hall of Fame to have a separate Crown lease.
This will ensure the National Transport Hall of Fame has a permanent home, securing its long-term future here in Alice Springs, along with the capacity to secure very substantial private sponsorship.
I understand the identity of the sponsor is an open secret in the town. It is one of Australia’s great trucking companies, but it is appropriate that this generous sponsor choose its own timing to announce this major sponsorship. I am advised that the company will announce its sponsorship deal at its dealer conference in August - I suppose I have already given it away - which will be held here in Alice Springs and will include the official opening of the building that it is funding.
Madam Speaker, the Territory government is pleased to have been able to assist the Road Transport Hall of Fame as it builds for the future.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you for that report, minister. Obviously, there is going to be no reply from the opposition. Yes, we are well aware of what is happening out there. We congratulate the very active committee on the work they are doing to promote the Hall of Fame. We are also looking at the Ghan Preservation Society and it perhaps becoming one large precinct so that visitors can visit both transport exhibits when they are open. The convention is going to be fantastic, and the old vehicles that will be there will be great, too. I hope all members will support it.
Reports noted pursuant to Sessional Order.
TRANS-TERRITORY PIPELINE AND BLACKTIP GAS PROJECTS
(SPECIAL PROVISIONS) BILL
(Serial 285)
(SPECIAL PROVISIONS) BILL
(Serial 285)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to make special provisions in connection with the trans-Territory pipeline and Blacktip gas projects. These projects represent a $1bn investment in the Territory. The trans-Territory pipeline project involves the construction of an underground gas pipeline from Wadeye to Gove, including all the associated infrastructure to operate and maintain the pipeline.
The Blacktip gas project involves three elements: an offshore gas platform, an onshore gas plant near Wadeye community, and a pipeline from the gas platform to the onshore gas plant. Most major projects, such as the trans-Territory pipeline and the Blacktip gas projects, require special legislation to be enacted. In the Northern Territory, such projects as the AustralAsia Railway, Merlin diamond and Granites gold mines have all resulted in special project legislation.
As with the AustralAsia Railway, the approach for the trans-Territory pipeline and Blacktip gas projects has been to identify and clearly set out in legislation the modifications to existing Territory legislation. Following consultation with the project proponents for each project and their legal advisors in relation to the impact of Territory laws, I am pleased to report that only a handful of changes have been found necessary to support the projects.
The bill creates statutory rights in relation to road and water way crossings. These rights are required to maintain continuity of the pipeline corridor. The rights are exercisable with the relevant minister’s consent, after which the consortium can construct and operate the trans-Territory pipeline. The grant of this right may be subject to conditions concerning matters such as safety and construction.
The bill creates a mechanism to enable authority certificates issued under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act in connection with the projects, to be relied upon by the consortium subject to the same conditions, whether the consortium was the applicant or not. This mechanism enables future owners of the pipeline to have the benefit and the obligations imposed by the authority certificates.
Finally, the bill applies the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act to the Blacktip onshore gas plant near Wadeye. The application of the Waste Management and Pollution Control Act means that the construction and operation of the onshore gas plant will be subject to environmental protection practices and procedures under that act.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
JUSTICE PORTFOLIO
(MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS) BILL
(Serial 283)
(MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS) BILL
(Serial 283)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend various acts falling within the Justice portfolio. From time to time, there are a number of minor amendments to acts within the Justice portfolio that are necessary or convenient to ensure the ongoing smooth administration of the justice system. However, as such amendments are primarily administrative and non-controversial in nature, they have not always been considered to be of sufficient importance to warrant a stand-alone bill. It has been the usual practice to wait until such time as substantive amendment is made to the relevant act and to make such minor or less substantial amendments at the same time. However, for many of the acts that will be amended by the current bill, such an opportunity has simply not arisen.
It is for this reason that the current bill, the first of its kind in the Northern Territory, is being presented today. I note, however, that while the bill is the first of its kind in the Northern Territory, miscellaneous amendments bills of this nature are not uncommon in other jurisdictions. Such bills are routinely used as an established vehicle to progress minor, non-controversial amendments to legislation impacting on the operation of the justice system.
This bill amends some 11 acts in the Justice portfolio, and repeals another two acts which are no longer considered necessary to have on the statute books. Many of the amendments correct or rectify matters which are of a technical nature. Others overcome inconsistencies, or are intended to clarify the intention of existing provisions. The amendments to the Interpretation Act, in particular, have been requested by Parliamentary Counsel and are intended to provide further assistance in the drafting and interpretation of legislation.
I now outline in further detail the amendments that are being included in the bill. The Agents Licensing Act is amended to update and convert into penalty units those penalties that remain expressed in dollar terms. The Administration and Probate Act is amended to correct an error in the drafting of section 104. This amendment will restore the original intention of the provision, which was to provide a mechanism to require people to pursue small claims against an estate in the interests of allowing the administration of the estate to be completed.
The Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading Act is amended to update and convert into penalty units those penalties that remain expressed in dollar terms, and to replace the existing pyramid selling provisions with a plain English pyramid selling provision set out in the Commonwealth Trade Practices Amendment Act (No 1) 2002. The Criminal Records (Spent Convictions) Act is amended to make it clear that where a spent conviction is revived because an individual commits a further offence, it can again become a spent conviction but only after expiration of the requisite statutory time period.
The Director of Public Prosecutions Act is amended to broaden the director’s ability to delegate his power to sign indictments. This will assist in the efficient administration of that office. Various definitions and explanatory provisions in the Interpretation Act are amended to improve clarity or remove ambiguity, and to reflect the emergence of new terms and modern drafting practice. A number of the amendments will also simplify drafting processes for substantive acts moving into the future.
The Land Titles Act is amended to streamline certain administrative actions by the Registrar-General. The Law of Property Act is amended to clarify when a finding of death by a court will give rise to the presumption of death under section 215 of that act. The Legal Practitioners Act is amended to provide that certain parts of that do not bind the Crown. In practical terms, this means that certain parts of that act which are simply not relevant to lawyers working in the government context will not apply. For example, a lawyer employed by the government will not legally be required to open a trust account.
The Registration of Interests in Motor Vehicles and Other Goods Act is amended to clarify its operation in relation to vehicles owned by companies that are subject to registered security interests. These amendments are consequential upon reforms made under the Commonwealth Corporations Act.
The Sentencing Act is amended so that a judge can deal with a breach of an Order for Release on Bond or breach of an Order for a Suspended Sentence despite the fact that the order had been imposed in the first instance by a magistrate. The Sentencing Act is also amended to provide that, where a court makes a Community Work Order, or an order suspending a sentence, a member of the Police Force may arrest an offender for failing to sign the order. These amendments will ensure consistency with other similar provisions under the Sentencing Act.
Finally, the bill repeals the Prisons (Correctional Services) Amendment Act 2001 and the Validation (Chief Magistrate) Act 2001, neither of which have ever been commenced. The Validation (Chief Magistrate) Act No 51 of 2001 was a precautionary act put in place in the event that a court challenge to the validity of the appointment of the Chief Magistrate was successful. The High Court has subsequently determined this issue and the act is no longer required. The Prisons (Correctional Services) Amendment Act No 21 of 2001 is being repealed following advice from the Solicitor-General that the substantive amending clause in that act which relates to the transfer of prisoners is ineffective and, if commenced, would actually have the potential to be misleading.
Madam Speaker, that concludes my explanation of the bill. I table the explanatory statement which accompanies this bill. I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
CLASSIFICATION OF PUBLICATIONS, FILMS AND COMPUTER GAMES AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 284)
(Serial 284)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Classification of Publications, Films and Computer Games Act to implement uniform classification categories for films and computer games consistent with recent amendments made by the Commonwealth to its Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995; to make provision for matters of a savings and transitional nature; to update penalties for breaches of the act; and to provide for infringement notices to be issued for minor breaches of the act.
Since 1996, Australia has had the benefit of a national scheme for the classification of films, publications and computer games. The national scheme is achieved by a combination of Commonwealth legislation and complementary state and territory legislation. The Commonwealth act provides for the establishment of censorship authorities and deals with classification processes. It is under the Commonwealth act that films are classified with ratings such as G, PG, R, etcetera. These classifications are made under the Commonwealth act in accordance with the guidelines and the national classification code which is set out in a schedule to the Commonwealth act. The guidelines and the national classification code can only be amended by the Commonwealth with the approval of all states and territories. Enforcement of the national scheme is the responsibility of each state and territory. State and territory legislation, including the Northern Territory’s classification act, regulate the circumstances in which films, publications and computer games can be sold, displayed and exhibited and generally deal with the operational aspects of classification decisions. In line with other jurisdictions, the Territory act adopts classification decisions made under the Commonwealth act.
In 2004, state, territory and Commonwealth censorship ministers agreed to amend the classification descriptors, or ratings, in the Commonwealth Classifications (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995, and to make consequential amendments to state and territory classification enforcement legislation. The Commonwealth has passed the necessary amendments to its legislation, and it is intended that complementary state and territory amending legislation be introduced in time for a national commencement date of 26 May 2005.
The practical effect of the changes is to implement, for the first time, uniform classification categories for both films and computer games. The classification for computer games of G8+, M15+, and MA15+ will be replaced by PG, M, and MA15+ respectively. Similarly, the film classifications of MA, R and X will be replaced by MA15+, R18+, and X18+ respectively. A comparison of the old and new classifications is probably most easily made by reference to the table set up in clause 69 of the bill.
These changes will achieve a number of objectives: there will be an enhanced community awareness of the computer games classifications through the use of well-known and understood classification types for films; there will be an enhanced distinction between the advisory and legally restricted classifications through the inclusion of age descriptors on the restricted classifications only; there will be less confusion regarding the difference between the current M and MA classifications; and renaming the computer games classifications to mirror the well-known film classifications will assist parents in choosing games for their children. It is important to note that the change to the classification descriptors does not affect the type of material which is permitted within each classification.
The bill also contains transitional and savings provisions to ensure that films and computer games which have previously been classified will be covered by the new regime, however, vendors will not be penalised for selling old stock which has not yet been re-labelled.
The opportunity has also been taken to review and update penalties to reflect community expectations regarding punishment of offences under the act, and to convert penalties expressed in dollar terms to penalty units. The bill also amends the act to allow for infringement notices to be issued for relatively minor breaches of the act. Regulations made under the act will prescribe offences where an infringement notice may be appropriate, as well as prescribing the penalties applicable.
Madam Speaker, I table the explanatory statement which accompanies this bill. I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
PROPORTIONATE LIABILITY BILL
(Serial 281)
(Serial 281)
Continued from 17 February 2005.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, the minister will be saddened to hear that I do not propose to quote from Bob Dylan in relation to this bill.
The bill is supposedly an attempt to further alleviate the 2002 crisis in the professional indemnity insurance industry, and the insurance industry generally. I am not persuaded that the reforms which this government, and other governments around the country, have introduced have achieved much in relation to the alleviation of the so-called crisis as I do not see people’s insurance premiums going down. Governments around the country have embarked on massive tort law reform which arguably has not achieved anything - I invite the government, if it disagrees, to provide some results - let alone much of what the government said it would. However, having said that, we must of course deal with this bill on its merits.
According to the preamble, the bill seeks:
- … to replace the common law rule that imposes joint and several liability for economic loss or damage to
property caused by concurrent wrongdoers with rules that limit the liability of each concurrent
wrongdoer to reflect the extent of the wrongdoer's responsibility for the loss or damage, and for
related purposes.
As the Attorney-General said in his second reading speech, the bill does seek to reform the law which determines the respective liabilities of individuals who have separately caused economic loss, or property damage, with the exception of cases involving personal injury, and I will come to that later.
The bill deals with issues arising where a court finds more than one respondent has contributed to a claimant’s loss. In such a case, and at common law, the law of negligence operates so that the principle of joint and several liability determines what damages are paid for in the loss and damage caused. The bill seeks to reverse the common law position by introducing a new principle called ‘proportionate liability’, which is that a respondent should only be liable for his or her own share of the damage suffered by a claimant.
When the minister introduced the bill he tabled an explanatory statement for which I thank him. In that statement it said that the bill:
- … repeals the common law provisions, namely those of joint and several liability, dealing with the awarding
of damages in relation to claims for economic loss and damages, with the exception of personal injuries.
And that it replaces, but retains:
- … joint and several liability for those respondents who have intended to cause, or who have fraudulently
caused, loss or damage.
The Attorney-General assured us that the bill would not affect the existing law governing concepts such as contributory negligence, vicarious liability, and the liability of partners and partnerships, nor will it affect the liability of a principal for acts of an agent within the scope of the agent’s commission.
This bill is apportioning liability so that the extent of the payment to be made to the plaintiff represents the extent of the wrong-doer’s contribution to the damage, not of itself objectionable. I am pleased, as an old personal injuries lawyer, that the bill does not extend to personal injuries cases. I know there are a couple of other lawyers in parliament today, and I am sure that they would agree with me when I say that it is proper that the reversal of the common law does not extend to personal injuries cases. I say, with respect, that I agree with the rationale of Justice Ipp in his 2002 review of the law of negligence in that regard.
Having said that, I am not entirely sure why if this bill does not extend to personal injuries cases, it does not extend to economic loss or property damage cases. I might say that there only appears to be one paragraph from the Attorney-General’s second reading speech outlining why it is deemed necessary to extend it to most actions other than personal injury actions. It appears to me that the reasoning behind the bill and for its extension in relation to a range of matters is that the existence of joint and several liability has, as the Attorney-General said, led to problems for respondents, particularly in terms of the availability and cost of professional indemnity insurance, and that has resulted in members of some occupations, namely the professions, being particularly vulnerable for legal action in proceedings for property damage and economic loss.
The Attorney-General gives one example of loss caused by a property advisor who, with no assets or insurance, was partially liable for advice, partially caused by advice from a lawyer or accountant with assets or insurance cover. The successful claimant could obtain full damages from the lawyer or accountant but not the property advisor. The Attorney-General said, and I quote:
- The targeting of professionals with professional indemnity insurance is considered to be a factor in the
significant increases in professional indemnity insurance premiums over the years.
I will ask a question of the Attorney-General and would be grateful if he would provide a more fulsome answer in his reply and, as a matter of courtesy, I will indicate that it is not my intention to move into the committee stage. My question is this: if the rights of claimants in personal injury cases are paramount, and if their ability to access damages or to compensate for loss should, in his own words, ‘not be constrained’, why is it that the Attorney-General thinks that the rights of other claimants in other sorts of matters should be constrained? That is a fairly straight-forward question and I would be most grateful for an answer.
The bill, it seems to me, is targeted at keeping the insurance premiums of lawyers and accountants down. If that was the aim, then perhaps the Attorney-General should have said so. If that is not the objective of this bill, I ask that he elaborate in his reply.
Having made those comments, however, I should say for the record, and having been in touch with the Law Society about this bill and indeed others, that the Law Society supports the bill. It is not surprising that the Law Society supports this bill because it will result in reduced premiums for lawyers. It is probably the case that accountants around the Northern Territory similarly will celebrate the passage of this bill because their costs will go down as well.
In the absence, Attorney-General, of any groups contacting me or advising me of their concerns about the bill, I am not in a position to oppose it. We simply make the point that there is no compelling reason made out, with respect, in the second reading speech as to why it was necessary.
We know that, by dint of its numbers in the House, this bill will pass. We do not oppose legislation just for the sake of it, nor do we consent to legislation just to make the government’s job easier. I have a level of discomfort about this bill based on, essentially, failure to prosecute the reasons for the bill being necessary other than to say, as he did in his second reading speech, and I am paraphrasing, but in essence, the reason this bill comes into existence is this, based on the second reading speech: it is part of a national approach; it is happening everywhere else; it is supported by the professions potentially affected by it; and it is part of a range of measures aimed at alleviating the 2002 crisis in the professional indemnity insurance industry.
The Attorney-General will probably acknowledge that it is not very often that I, as his shadow, actually stand up and say that we neither support nor oppose the bill. I hope that he will take my comments onboard and appreciate why it is that I am in the position I am.
____________________
Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of students from Warrego, with their Principal, Colin Baker, and a teacher from Melbourne, Hannah Kuperholz.
Students from Warrego, you have a fantastic reputation in your school for attendance. I know that it is very high. I also know it is partly due to the wonderful programs that the principal has instituted regarding horse riding and swimming. I have seen you come to Alice Springs to participate in the swimming carnival. We want to congratulate you on all the good work that you are doing at Warrego. On behalf of all honourable members, I offer you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
____________________
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for her contribution. I do understand the reticence, I suppose, of any support for the bill. This is difficult reform. I have had to wrestle with my own feelings about many of the reforms that have been felt necessary at the national level, however, it is my job to apply these.
To reassure members of the process we are going through, not only with this bill, but with earlier bills of tort law reform and other matters regarding the insurance reforms, we have had a process of assessment by the ACCC. They recently put out a report and I can update the House on the current situation with insurance covers and claims. With regard to public liability insurance, the average size of claims settled has decreased by 11%; average premiums have decreased by 15%. There is declining underwriting financial performance, reduction in the frequency of claims, and most insurers predicted stability in premiums for 2005 while some anticipated further reductions of up to 10%. Regarding professional indemnity insurance, the average size of claims settled increased by 21%. The average premium, however, decreased by 17%, and declining underwriting financial performance.
These outcomes suggest that tort law reforms may be having an impact. It is still not certain because of the relative time that the reforms have been in place. Certainly, on personal injuries matters, there has been no impact on professional indemnity insurance consistent with the fact that the two reforms that may have impact on indemnity insurance - proportional liability and professional standards - are not yet completely operational on a national basis. Nevertheless, the premiums have gone down, thankfully, Australia-wide.
Regarding the logic of bringing this legislation forward, you quite ably explained the fact that this is meant to replace the common law arrangements of joint and several liability in non-personal injury situations, so they are mainly in commercial context. The logic is that because a claimant will head for the deepest pocket, often it is the insured party or the party with substantial financial resources which will be the object of the litigation. You might say, ‘Okay, as long as the claimant can get satisfaction from a loss that they have suffered of a financial nature, then what is wrong with that?’ At the moment, you could almost argue that the claimants are in a fairly good position; they can select or target a particular respondent which gives them the best hope of getting a good compensation.
The problem with it, though, is that, because the professions and trades have been targeted because of their insurance cover, you are getting an upward pressure on the indemnity insurance premiums and a shrinking of coverage where the professions have become too problematic, I guess, from the point of view of insurance risk. Of course, flowing on from higher premiums for indemnity insurance are high fees for the services that they are providing, whether they are tradesmen or professionals. Therefore, the whole community, in effect, is paying for this arrangement under common law for claimants to be pursued.
The advice that the national process received was that to go to a proportionate liability arrangement would put downward pressure on the indemnity premiums and also, hopefully, restore a full measure of insurance coverage over people who would, potentially, become liable for these types of matters. That is the logic of it.
Like the earlier reforms that have come through - and there have been quite a number that have come through this House now - we have to hope that we have that package right and that the insurance industry adequately responds to it. My role as Attorney-General in this particular matter is to ask that question frequently and insist on getting a convincing answer. However, those early ACCC figures might give us some hope that things are turning around. It could be because of the global financial cycle; it could have nothing to do with it. However, we have certainly had assurances from the Commonwealth government that they will pursue this to try to get evidence-based feedback to us regarding the impact of the reforms. It may never be possible, though, to identify what impact each reform has had individually, or even the whole package vis-a-vis the impact of global arrangements for refinancing of insurance coverage, because you are really dealing with re-insurers that are the size of very large countries in their finances. There has been a cycle of that sort of financial cover all the way through. I hope I have dealt with the matters that you raised, and we will move on.
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.
MOTION
Routine of Business
Routine of Business
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that General Business Orders of the Day No 1 relating to the Public Accounts Committee Annual Report 2003-04 be called on forthwith.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note Paper – Public Accounts Committee
Annual Report 2003-04
Note Paper – Public Accounts Committee
Annual Report 2003-04
Continued from 16 February 2005.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Speaker, I commend the Public Accounts Committee Annual Report of 2003-04 to the House. This is a report on the Estimates Committee process, which had public hearings on Tuesday, 22 June through to Thursday, 24 June. Forty-five questions were taken on notice which is a reduction from 74 the previous year. The Public Accounts Committee forms the Estimates Committee and the Government Owned Corporations Scrutiny Committee, which sat on Friday, 25 June.
The report also outlines an investigation into termination payments for Chief Executive Officers of government departments. This came about as a result of a number of matters raised by a previous Auditor-General in reports tabled in the Assembly. The main problem identified was a lack of documentation to enable a determination of composition of the final payout, and whether resignation was a termination or a redundancy. The Public Accounts Committee established its own terms of reference for this inquiry. The Commissioner for Public Employment, Mr John Kirwan, appeared before the committee at a public hearing on Friday, 13 February 2003. Issues which arose out of this were that:
- the commissioner resume the role of managing all executive contracts from July 2002;
the employment of CEOs remains the responsibility of government ministers of the day; and
the establishment of the Executive Remuneration Review Board, with the commissioner as a
participating member.
The inquiry aimed to provide a level of scrutiny so that the commissioner could provide advice to government on remuneration arrangements for all CEOs. The commissioner agreed that in the past there had been a lack of sufficient records on files, however, he has undertaken since his appointment to put processes in place which now address this matter. The commissioner reported, and it was confirmed by the Auditor-General to the committee, that the standard of documentation now filed in support of termination decisions has been improved and is satisfactory. I note the tabling of this termination report did not attract a dissenting report. All members of committee were in accord on this matter.
The committee also had briefings from the Northern Territory Land Corporation, and received a large printout of land title transactions for the Land Corporation dating back to 1986. In order to digest the volume of information on land title transactions, we called before the committee the Assistant Director of Land Administration to answer questions which the committee members had in regards to information contained within the computer printout of land title transactions. This satisfied the committee’s inquiry and no further action was taken.
The report also deals with a 2003 triennial strategic review of the Auditor-General’s office. The review was conducted by Mr Neil Jackson, the Assistant Auditor-General from the Queensland Audit Office, and the committee invited the Northern Territory Auditor-General to appear before it, to discuss the recommendations that arose from this review. Recommendations and issues raised include risks affecting the efficient and effective completion of audits by the office; a competitive tendering of audits throughout the private sector; and any conflict of interest declarations that would have to be provided by auditors. We are a small jurisdiction and there is understandably a very small pool of highly qualified auditors to undertake audits throughout the sector. The committee was satisfied in questioning of the Auditor-General that there was no conflict of interest operating at the moment, and there were processes in place to deal with any potential conflict of interest whereby auditors had an existing arrangement with companies or departments where they were called on to audit. I can confirm the advice from the Auditor-General is that the Territory is well served with the current process in terms of audits.
The annual report also dealt with changes within procurement for the Northern Territory Public Service. In June 2003, the Minister for Business and Industry delivered in parliament a major ministerial statement on significant procurement reforms In October of that year, the Auditor-General appeared before the Public Accounts Committee to discuss the issue of broadening the functions of the Darwin Procurement Board that arose from those procurement reforms.
We looked at how the broadening of the functions could be accomplished by prescribing courses of action to be taken in the case of breaches of procurement policy; involvement in the approval or declining of procurement-related proposals submitted by agencies; adopting a more proactive approach to strengthening their role within the government procurement policy by conducting site audits on agencies’ procurement processes on an ad hoc basis; by questioning agency representatives rather than taking agencies’ submissions at face value in the case of Certificates of Exemption, for example; and involvement in the formulation and enforcement of procurement policies and procedures employed by government agencies.
Leading from this, in November 2003, the committee had appearing before it Mr Brian Gallaugher, senior Director of Procurement, and Mr Brian Webb, Director of Procurement References Group. They discussed with the committee how the procurement reform agenda was being implemented. They advised that this was initially driven by a Procurement Change Managers Group consisting of senior officers from all government agencies. The aim was to have all agencies develop ownership of the reform process in procurement and be a party to the reforms that they were implementing.
Identified as a problem with the procurement reforms was a perceived and, in some cases, substantiated, lack of skills within the public sector. In response to this, the Procurement Change Managers Group initiated training, which was backed up by resources from government, which is being delivered through DCIS and is accrediting all procurement officers to an accredited Certificate Level 4. That is, importantly, government, as the biggest spender in the Territory, now has trained and qualified procurement officers taking us through the tender process, which sends out the government payments through that procurement process, to ensure that we have a thriving business community in the Territory. I commend the officers of agencies involved in these procurement reforms and I commend the minister for pursuing procurement reforms. The Public Accounts Committee heard that throughout 2004, some 102 individuals had attended these training sessions. This is a significant issue. The reform process looks at how the Territory government can both get value for money but, importantly, ensure that there is a fair and competitive process when it comes to tendering for government contracts.
There are obviously some key points arising from this. It ensures that we are having sustainable development in the Territory. It ensures greater use of local suppliers, and fundamentally flowing through from that is jobs for Territorians, jobs in the regions with the regional procurement boards strengthened for indigenous Territorians, and a better capacity for the government to deliver a better product and service.
The role of the Procurement Board is essential in this and it is to ensure that the agencies are complying with current policy and procedure and are not making sometimes strange value judgments. I urge ministers to keep an eye on their agencies as this procurement training is ongoing. The Public Accounts Committee sees this as a very important area of government expenditure.
The Public Accounts Committee report also identifies that we had a training program in place for Public Accounts Committee members. We were given a briefing by the Under Treasurer, Ms Jennifer Prince, the Deputy Under Treasurer, Mr Graham Symons, and the Senior Director of Financial Analysis in Treasury, Ms Jodie Kirkman, on accrual accounting, which has seen significant changes in the government’s budget papers. All members of the Public Accounts Committee were taken through the differences between the cash accounting processes of the past and the accrual accounting process that the Territory enjoys as a more holistic accounting process, which takes into account, for example, depreciation of government buildings and gives you a true indication of just how the government’s finances are travelling.
The committee has had a very close, rewarding and substantial working relationship with the outgoing Auditor-General and the new Auditor-General. They continually provide the committee with reports and briefings on issues pertaining to government expenditure and budgets.
I am delighted to be a member of the Public Accounts Committee under the chairmanship of the member for Sanderson. It has been a strong and vibrant bipartisan committee. I commend the work of the Public Accounts Committee to the members of the House. The issues outlined in the Public Accounts Committee Annual Report of 2003-04 show that we are, indeed, a committee of thorough scrutiny of government expenditure.
I commend the Estimates process to members of the House. I believe that, in my time as a member of the committee, both as a PAC member and an Estimates Committee member, we have seen a greater scrutiny of government actions and expenditure. On behalf of all Territorians, this obviously provides us with a much more vibrant democracy through our roles as parliamentarians.
I commend the annual report to members of the House. I recommend that ministers continue to ensure procurement reforms are strengthened, that procurement training occurs through the various agencies because, at the end of the day, the better the government is with its procurement processes, the more money we have flowing out in a fair and equitable way to industry and business in the Territory and, as I said, that provides more jobs for Territorians.
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Visitors
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Honourable members, I welcome Year 9 students from St Philips College and their teachers, Laura Tubbenhauer and Matt Johnson. On behalf of all members, I extend a warm welcome to you.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mr BONSON (Millner): Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise today to add my contribution to 18th Public Accounts Committee Annual Report.
I thank all members who were involved in the report - the opposition, Independent and government members. It was the first time I was involved with the Public Accounts Committee during this annual report as an official member, and it was a very interesting experience and a learning experience. I was assisted by all members of the committee, in particular the member for Sanderson, the chairperson, who did a fantastic job in providing information to me within the committee process and outside of the committee process.
We looked at the Estimates Committee process and, as people would know, that has been introduced in the last few years. The sole object of the Estimates Committee is to have accountability for government spending, and it gives the opposition and independent members the opportunity to question the budgets provided by the Northern Territory government. I believe this process has added a magnificent arm to our democracy in the Northern Territory.
We also looked at the termination of payments for CEOs. That was an issue raised over the last few years by members of parliament. People can look at the report and I believe that we have satisfactorily investigated those issues. I believe most people are happy with the process that is now in place to ensure that the termination of CEOs is properly done.
There were briefings on the Northern Territory Land Corporation. There was also a briefing from the Department of Health and Community Services on budget variations for 2002-03. There was the 2003 triennial strategic review of the Auditor-General’s office, in particular, funding levels of the Attorney-General’s office. There was the issue of procurement within the Northern Territory Public Service. A significant issue considered within the reform process was how to deal with the definition of the value of money, and some of the key points considered past performances, local development, use of local suppliers, jobs for Territorians, jobs for indigenous Territorians and capacity to deliver product or service.
We also looked at understanding the Budget Papers layout and, as many members would know, we have now moved to the accrual accounting system. For people like me without an accounting background, this has been an interesting time, and for all members it has been a learning process to ensure that we understand the budget process and how it has been reported.
Information was provided to the committee through witnesses such as Ms Jennifer Prince, the Under Treasurer, Mr Graham Symons, the Deputy Under Treasurer, and Ms Jodie Kirkman, Senior Director of Financial Analysis. They were open to any questions we wanted to ask and were very helpful in providing information to the committee. The Auditor-General has to be thanked for continually providing the committee with detailed briefings on issues contained within his reports tabled in the Assembly. It was through these briefings that the committee can decide on a course of action and whether the committee should proceed with a formal inquiry into a matter.
I take this opportunity, as previous speakers have, to thank Mr Blake, the former Auditor-General. He answered any of my calls or correspondence and was always available to provide information. He twice came to my electorate office to give me a briefing on the process of the parliamentary committee and his duties as Auditor-General.
As the member for Sanderson, the Chairperson, previously stated, this was arguably the first truly bipartisan report lodged. I enjoyed the interaction with the opposition and Independent members in coming up with this report.
Finally, I would like to thank the Secretariat of the Public Accounts Committee, in particular, Terry Hanley for his assistance in providing information necessary to fully understand, as a new member, the public accounts process.
I commend this report to parliament.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, your response to the Public Accounts Committee report covered, in fairly good detail, most of the issues that I agree with; it was a good response.
As a member of the Public Accounts Committee, I sometimes find it a bit of a bewildering committee to belong to because it does deal with fairly technical issues. However, I find that the longer I am part of the Public Accounts Committee, the more I understand some of the processes that are required of government.
The Estimates Committee is an important process, and there is no doubt that the opposition and I, to some extent, still think the Estimates Committee process can be improved. It is one of those things that the government will beg to differ on and probably not change, but I believe there is room for improvement in the Estimates Committee regarding the length of time some of the more senior ministers with the larger portfolios can be questioned. Regardless of that, the Estimates Committee is a good process that does help the questioning of government in the way it is spending its money. As I said before, it is an important part of the process of government.
The Public Accounts Committee also looked at the termination payments for CEOs. This was raised quite a while ago as part of a previous Auditor-General’s report that some of the termination payments had not quite followed the requirements or the letters of the law. There was a good report given by the commissioner, Mr John Kirwan, into those matters. I believe that those matters that were raised by Mr Iain Summers have now been addressed. We hope those matters are not raised again. It was an important area that the PAC should have been looking at to make sure that terminations were as according to the regulations.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery the Years 8 and 9 students from Yirara College accompanied by their teachers, David Cann, Ben O’Connor, Jennifer Latham and Sue Hargreaves. On behalf of all members, welcome to the Northern Territory Assembly.
Members: Hear, Hear!
_____________________
Mr WOOD: Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, on the issue of termination payments, I am probably on my own by still believing that for a Public Accounts Committee to find out matters concerning chief executive officers, they should be able to have the details of the salaries of those people. There might be many an argument to say those matters should not be public, however, it surprises me that the issue of what the government pays its chief executive officers is a detail which should not be available to members of the PAC in their role of checking on government expenditure. I supported the findings of the report into the termination of various CEOs, however, I still have a slight disagreement that their salaries should not be confidential in relation to the PAC.
The other issue which the Public Accounts Committee looked at was procurement within the Northern Territory Public Service. There was quite a long report on that issue. It is an issue we need to keep an eye on. I receive reports from time to time that people feel the procurement system is not always up to scratch; that perhaps there has been either favouritism or we have not been giving jobs out to local suppliers and have been giving them to interstate companies. There are always those issues around, and the PAC should keep a watching brief on procurement as many of our businesses raise these issues, and it is an important role of the PAC.
There were other issues I was going to raise regarding what the PAC could be looking at, however, I realise this is the 2003-04 report, not the one we are going through now.
I support the Public Accounts Committee report. I thank the chairman, the member for Sanderson, for his work. The Public Accounts Committee is not the easiest committee to be chairman of and he has handled it very well. My thanks to Terry Hanley and the other staff who helped us through the year; assisting us who sometimes find it difficult to get through all these issues, enabling us to better understand what we have to face. I also thank the members of the Legislative Assembly staff, and the public servants who have given their time to explain various issues to the committee.
Mr DUNHAM (Drysdale): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, we have a difficulty with the Public Accounts Committee in that we cannot investigate matters of our own choosing. Instead, we have to rely on the ministers choosing to give us some issues which they would like to look at. Let us work this out. Is it likely that a minister would ask the Public Accounts Committee to look at things which might cause them embarrassment? No, never. We can also look at matters raised by the Auditor-General, and the budget papers. For instance, late last year, the Treasurer gave us a budget paper he called the Mid Year Report 2004-05, and said that is how the economy is travelling. He gave us a range of numbers in there and it is, interestingly, signed off at page iii with an Under Treasurer’s Certification. I will read that:
- In accordance with the provisions of the Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act, I certify that the financial
projections included in the 2004-05 Mid-Year Report are based on government decisions that I was aware
of or that were made available to me by the Treasurer before 20 November 2004. The projections are
presented in accordance with the Uniform Presentation Framework.
So the Under Treasurer tells us that this is everything government is going to spend in the first six months and anything in the future she knows about has been included in here. The Treasurer likewise tells us that is how the budget is travelling. We come to parliament in Alice Springs and we get a piece of paper titled Deemed Papers, Tuesday, 22 March 2005. That is yesterday. On that paper, it tells us …
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, just one moment. A point of order has been called. Member for Sanderson.
Mr KIELY: Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, it is a point of relevance. We are here to discuss the annual report of the Public Accounts Committee. I do not see that a deemed paper from yesterday has anything to do with the current debate.
Mr DUNHAM: I am happy to speak to the point of order. The annual report of the PAC discussed its role and functions and I will go to its role and functions because the functions are severely limited. It is a matter for this parliament to decide whether the PAC’s annual report adequately reflects the intentions of this parliament in having open, honest and transparent government.
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I will rule that there is no point of order, but I will remind you of sticking to the realms of relevance.
Mr DUNHAM: Sure. So we come to parliament and we find that there have been a couple of deemed papers. They have funny titles. One is called ‘Transfer of Excess Allocations between purposes of same Agency …’ and ‘Increase of Treasurer’s Advance …’ signed by the Administrator, His Honour, who was here only yesterday. If you pull those papers out - and these are public documents, anyone can get them; you can go up the back and say: ‘I would like those two public documents’ - they will tell you that Sydney James Stirling, the Treasurer, has decided to move around 48 million bucks. 48 million bucks! So from this deemed paper in December to this deemed paper in March, he has made a muck up of 48 million bucks.
Why would that interest the PAC? The PAC looks at the government’s finances. The ‘A’ stands for accounts. When we look at the accounts, we know that we get a big stack of budget papers like that, we get a report in the middle of the year that says that is how we are travelling and everything is tickety-boo, and then we come to Alice Springs and we find that – oops! – there has been a $48m muck-up! He has decided to chuck a couple of extra bucks in here and with the stroke of a pen, he has done it.
The difficulty for the public, the parliament, the Public Accounts Committee, the Estimates Committee and others is we cannot look at these numbers. These numbers are not within our purview. I suggest that the Public Accounts Committee, if it is interested in open, honest and transparent government, should have a little chase down where some of these dollars have gone. I am very interested, for instance, that a department with the unfortunate name of DIPE, the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment, is getting another $26m. $26m! We are in March. We only have April, May, June – three months. They need another $26m.
Somewhere in there, there is also likely to be an election, so it could well be that some of this money is to be used as a little treasure chest for the government to parade out various things they are going to do …
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I point to relevance.
Mr DUNHAM: Thank you, Madam Acting Deputy Speaker. What we have to do as the Public Accounts Committee is make sure we monitor the public account. I would have thought that its name was self-explanatory. The difficulty with monitoring the public account is we know $10m is going to be spent on the hospital in Alice Springs. The minister has yet to bring it to this parliament. We do not know what the cash is for. We have been told it is a big muck-up. We have been told that the hospital does not have Australian accreditation, it is a fire hazard, there are live electrical wires behind the walls, there is potential for methane gas to be escaping into the environment, and that is a pretty big problem.
If it requires $10m to fix it up, and if the minister is to be believed that these matters go way, way back, and he has known about it for some time, why would a lady with the honesty and integrity of the Under Treasurer, Jennifer Prince, sign the certification? Why would Jennifer Prince sign a certification saying, ‘As far as I know, in November last year, that is enough cash to get us through’. Then we get to March, in Alice Springs, and find DIPE needs $26m more bucks. Now, somewhere between December and March, the minister became aware that he needed $10m to fix the hospital. It is then a very difficult argument for him to say, ‘Way back, two years ago, I knew these were problems.’ We would like him to parade that out.
The difficulty with the PAC is that we might go back to Darwin and sit in a committee room and have a little quiet debate about this, but I think it is a matter for Alice Springs. I believe Alice Springs people should know where that cash is going. They should know why the Under Treasurer was totally unaware of this money in November, and all of a sudden it has floated out of the ether. We should also know why there is a necessity to spend another $48.380m. We need to know why that money has to be spent. I guess it is because the Treasurer has a lot more money than he thought, that that lovely John Howard has sent him so much money in GST he has to tuck it away somewhere. He knows there is an election coming up so he needs it in a little treasure chest where he can go out - every player wins a prize, everybody gets a little slice of the action. I believe the Public Accounts Committee should look at that.
While we are in Alice Springs we should debate the Alice Springs Hospital. Any government that spends $10m should be crowing it from the rooftops. You should be saying, ‘Look at this, what good guys!’ So, please bring on the debate. I know the Public Accounts Committee should be able to look at it but, unfortunately, the way it has been set up we will be precluded from doing so, probably until after the election.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Industry): Madam Speaker, I was not going to speak in this debate because I am not a member of the committee. However, I feel I have to get up and speak to the comments from the member for Drysdale who, once again, has these extraordinary conspiracy theories and grand delusions. Let me just put some of those conspiracy theories and delusions to rest.
There is no attempt to hide any figures here. The deemed papers process is a process that is in place in every parliament under the Westminster system. In terms of these mid-year accounts and the transfer of allocations, this is a system that has been in place in this parliament for many years. It was certainly a system that was in place when the previous government was in office, when around this time of year, a paper does come to the parliament, in a transparent fashion, where the transfer of allocations around the cycle of mid-year and the financial year, certain allocations are moved around, and it is done under deemed papers. The reason why these papers are deemed is not an attempt to hide them from public scrutiny. He has one, Madam Speaker …
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, you have had your say. Order!
Mr HENDERSON: He has a copy of the paper, Madam Speaker. It is not an attempt to hide anything. Any member of the public can contact the Table Office to obtain a copy of the document that the member for Drysdale has. There has been no attempt to hide, and the language and the hyperbole from the member for Drysdale about a $48m muck-up is absolutely wrong.
In a $3bn budget there is always going to be additional appropriation via Cabinet. That is something that all Cabinets do during the course of the year. When you hand your budget down ...
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, enough!
Mr HENDERSON: … over the next 12 months where all sorts of issues come up, policy issues, issues where government has to respond to certain needs, where additional appropriations are made to agencies. During the course of the year, there are also transfers of allocations between agencies, additional receipts that agencies may receive from outside Commonwealth grants processes that were not certain at the time that the budget came down. So there is nothing untoward. Can I suggest, for the member for Drysdale, that either he or the shadow Treasurer, the Leader of the Opposition, seek a briefing ...
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: Well, seek a briefing in the first instance. Get the Under Treasurer and the Treasurer to give you a briefing, and I am sure that it is all open and transparent …
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: … to try and weave some conspiracy theory …
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I am not going to allow you to continue.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, he has had his go and is trying to paint that there is some conspiracy theory and a $48m muck-up.
This is a usual part of the budget process that the previous government was part of. He was not Treasurer in the previous government so, maybe, I can excuse his ignorance in these matters as he is not aware of the process. However, I can guarantee the member for Drysdale that if either he or the shadow Treasurer, the Leader of the Opposition, pick up the phone and contact the minister’s office, they can probably have a briefing next week and have a perfectly clear explanation of this $48m transfer of allocation. Then, if they do not like the answers that they get at that briefing - and I am sure the Under Treasurer will be quite happy to be there to provide the briefing in person - they have the Estimates Committee.
Again, it is a new process introduced by this government in opening up the transparency and accountability of government, to grill the Under Treasurer, if they so wish, in the committee process.
There is no cover-up or muck-up here; this is an ordinary part of government business. In fact, the member for Drysdale’s credibility rests on this. If he really wants to get to the bottom of this $48m, then ask for a briefing. If he does not ask for a briefing, he is just playing politics as he normally does. That is the challenge for the member for Drysdale. When he is back in Darwin next week, ask for a briefing. He will have his briefing and, if he then wants to assert there is some cover-up, he can do so with credibility. However, if he does not get that briefing, he is playing politics.
_________________
Distinguished Visitor
Distinguished Visitor
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of the Speaker of the South Australian parliament, Hon Peter Lewis MHA. On behalf of all members, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
_________________
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, I thank members of the Public Accounts Committee for contributing: the members for Karama, Millner and Nelson. I cannot really extend that same thanks and gratitude to the member for Drysdale. Clearly, we were talking about the Public Accounts Committee Annual Report of 2003-04, and he decided to use the opportunity to comment on that annual report and the hard work of the committee and its members, which is a parliamentary committee made up of an Independent member, members of government and hardworking members of the opposition. However, he did not take the chance to acknowledge the hard work of the Deputy Opposition Leader on the PAC – it is astounding. That he did not take the opportunity to acknowledge the hard work our public servants have put in to assist the Public Accounts Committee as they scrutinised the public accounts is also astounding. That he had a bit of a side slap at some senior public servants is not astounding, because he has form on that. That he should not go as far as to thank the committee Secretariat, who put in long hours helping us conduct our business, I find is a great sign of churlishness and ingratitude by the member for Drysdale, and something that the public of Alice Springs should take into account when they have a look at just what goes on with the member for Drysdale and his contributions in the parliament.
Here we are talking about the Public Accounts Committee Annual Report 2003-04. Here is a chance to get in and acknowledge the hard work that the public and public servants all give to provide good governance for the greater community of the Northern Territory. However, he takes the opportunity to come out with some strange conspiracy theories and talk about things which have no relevance to the tabled report. This is the way he carries on and the contempt with which he treats the people of the community. Well, it will not wash. It will not wash here in Alice Springs, or in Darwin.
Member for Drysdale, you really ought to have a look at your performance on these issues. Start targeting your audience a little better and then, maybe, you will get a bit more credibility in the public eye. As it stands now, you behaviour is seen as boorish, brutish and is not welcomed by the members from Alice Springs or the community of Alice Springs. I suggest you stay on task and address the relevant matters before the parliament.
I sum up by thanking all those people whom the member for Drysdale declined to thank. I look forward to the next report being tabled and a more productive and meaningful contribution from all members.
Motion agreed to; paper noted.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of students from the Institute of Aboriginal Development, accompanied by their teacher Pat Ansell-Dodds. On behalf of all members, I offer you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
MOTION
Routine of Business
Routine of Business
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that Government Business Order of the Day No 2, Initiatives and Achievements in Central Australia ministerial statement by the Chief Minister be called on forthwith.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note Statement - Initiatives
and Achievements in Central Australia
Note Statement - Initiatives
and Achievements in Central Australia
Continued from 22 March 2005.
Ms CARTER (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, the ministerial statement delivered yesterday by the Chief Minister entitled Government Initiatives and Achievements in Central Australia waxes lyrically about health services here in Central Australia, and, quite frankly, the runs are not on the board for the Labor government. It was hard to believe the comments made by the Chief Minister with regards to health, and by the Health minister yesterday when he spoke. Quite frankly, there is a history of this government trying to gild the lily, so to speak, in the area of health in Central Australia.
A classic example was last year when the minister insisted the intensive care unit at Alice Springs Hospital was open only to find out - and have put on the record a few days later by the staff - that, in fact, minister, oops-a-daisy, the intensive care unit was in fact closed due to staffing problems. I am hesitant to take on board everything with regards to health in this initiatives and achievements in Central Australia which we heard so much about yesterday.
One of the issues talked about is an extra 39 nurses who have apparently been put on the rosters at Alice Springs Hospital in the last three and a half years. I would like the minister to detail in writing each of those positions: what is the new position number, where do these nursing positions exist, and which wards are they on? Quite frankly, if there are an extra 39 nurses working at Alice Springs Hospital, why then are the nurses on industrial action as we speak? Why are they not happy? Why are they overworked? The number of beds in the hospital has continued to fall over the years. We know there maybe some increased throughput because of the demands on the current beds which are there, and the pressure on nurses to get patients discharged as quickly as possible. I am well aware, as a nurse, of the increased work that that puts on you and your colleagues.
However, 39 extra nurses in to Alice Springs Hospital is quite a significant number, and why is it not working if there really are 39 extra people? Or, is it the case that there are not 39 extra nurses and instead, due to the workload there, the department has been budgeting extra wages which, if you turned into human beings, would equate to 39 extra staff? Is it really just an allocation of money into the wages pool and what you end up seeing is nurses having to work double and triple time and extra shifts left, right and centre, and bringing in agency nurses? Are there really 39 extra nurses, or do we only have an allocation of extra funding into the wages pool? Is this the reason why the nurses are stressed to the max and calling on work bans as a preliminary to goodness knows what else they might choose to do next, if this does not have an effect on this government? It is a significant issue. Alice Springs Hospital has been spiralling to this position over the last three and a half years.
Last year, when I was the shadow minister for Health, the Minister for Health said on the radio that he was sick and tired of Sue Carter going on and on about health problems at Alice Springs Hospital and Royal Darwin Hospital. Well, that really helped, didn’t it? We still have these problems, they are getting worse, and nothing useful is being achieved.
In her statement yesterday, the Chief Minister commented that there are an extra eight positions in the child health team. Once again, I ask: have they been filled or are they just a hope? Have they really filled these positions? Let us hear from the Chief Minister. Can she tell us, when she wraps up on this debate, were the positions really filled or is it just a bit of a furphy? This government has form in telling the public what is happening when in reality it is not happening.
I come to the area that fits within my shadow portfolio quite specifically, which concerns Family and Children’s Services. Members will be aware that over the last couple of weeks, I have been raising the issue of there being no senior welfare staff stationed in Tennant Creek at the moment. What happens now is that if there is an issue, for example, with concerns about the welfare of a child, those concerns have to be relayed south to Alice Springs on the off-chance that there might be a member of staff in Alice Springs available to look into the issue. No extra staff have been put on to the welfare staffing at Alice Springs to cope with now having to take over Tennant Creek.
I do not know about you, Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, but every time I visit Tennant Creek, the last thing I leave with is an impression that all is well in that town. It is a town that quite obviously has significant social problems, and the children, it is my guess, would be suffering substantially and potentially be at substantial risk; and it surely is one area of the Northern Territory that should be resourced to the max with regard to support services. Looking after the children in that town should be an absolute priority. This government’s approach when dealing with the fact that obviously they cannot employ enough people who are qualified in the area, for example, of social work to work in a town like Tennant Creek; is to deal with it by saying: ‘Oh, well, just pick up the phone and ring Alice Springs’, is just not good enough. This government is not trying hard enough in that area, and to come out with this statement yesterday to say that all is well in Central Australia regarding to the provision of services is really very lame and quite misleading.
We know we have problems in Tennant Creek because on 20 March this year, there was an article in the Northern Territory News which described Tennant Creek as an ‘embattled town’ with regards to the provision of welfare workers. We also had concerns raised in the Northern Territory News in January this year about the rise of child abuse in the Northern Territory. I do not think anyone in their right mind would consider that Tennant Creek would be a town which would not have a problem with child abuse when statistics across the Territory are showing a rise in the incidence of child abuse.
More needs to be done in the area of the provision of welfare services in Central Australia. I am quite sure that the staff of the Alice Springs office would be under significant pressure now that they also have to cope with Tennant Creek due to its lack of staff. This is an area where the government is not performing and it needs to pick up its game.
Continuing in the area of child abuse with regards to this government, where is the replacement for the Community Welfare Act? This government has been talking for years now about how this act is going to be replaced. The process is too slow. There are bits and pieces out and about, but when is it going to come before this parliament as a final product so that we can have a good look at it, debate it, get it fixed and then passed? The progress on the review of the Community Welfare Act is just not good enough.
The statement yesterday dealing with the government’s initiatives and achievements in Central Australia makes very little mention of the general issues of health services in Tennant Creek. I have spoken about welfare services, but I would also like to mention the other problems generally in the area of health in Tennant Creek.
It has been put to me by people in Tennant Creek that they currently have no resident general practitioner, no dentist, no infant health nurse, no women’s health nurse, no welfare officers, no domestic violence worker, no occupational therapist, no speech therapist, no physiotherapist, and they have problems obtaining the assistance of a sexual assault counsellor. There is a great list of services in Tennant Creek, one of our major urban centres, where there is a shortfall in this area. This government needs to pick its game up given the problems from which we all know Tennant Creek suffers from time to time.
The Northern Territory News also mentioned that Tennant Creek defends its poor report on health but I am not convinced. I am sure many people in Tennant Creek have grave concerns about the provision of health services there. A classic example was that, recently, the long-serving GP, who had worked for many years in that town, Dr Tonga, chose not to provide a service in Tennant Creek anymore. Dr Tonga is a wonderful man and has provided a service there for many years. It is quite reasonable for Dr Tonga to make that decision. I certainly support him for the personal reasons that he has to do that. Of course, it leaves open the fact that Tennant Creek does not have a general practitioner. One has to wonder where do the patients who used to see Dr Tonga go? They will be going to the Tennant Creek Hospital. What sort of problems is that going to cause for the hospital? What sort of pressure is it going to put onto, in particular, the medical staff there? Have any extra medical staff been employed and placed into that hospital in the interim before another general practitioner, hopefully, goes to work at Tennant Creek? I do not know the answer to that question, but I am concerned about the pressures that will place on Tennant Creek Hospital to cover for that situation.
I turn to another matter with regards to Alice Springs and the provision of health services. The rehabilitation unit at Alice Springs Hospital is in desperate need of a specialist in the area of rehabilitation services. I know many submissions have been made to the Labor government about the need for a specialist in the area of rehabilitation and they have constantly fallen on deaf ears. This is a concern for the people of Alice Springs. They need a qualified specialist in the area of rehabilitation services and they are not getting one.
I am very concerned that the statement yesterday in the area of health services made no comment about the provision of mental health services in Alice Springs. Mental health services across the Territory struggle to cope with the demand that is placed upon them. The annual report of the Department of Health this year talks about how, and I quote from page 12:
Inpatient separations for mental health patients rose by over 20% during the year compared with the original
estimate, with occupied bed days some 15.8% higher …
This is a problem. We are seeing an increase in services being required for mental health in the Northern Territory. This will be happening here in Alice Springs as well.
However, it was interesting to note that, on page 6 of the same annual report, we see that there has been a decrease in spending in the area of mental health of 3.3%. That is a concern. Why has money been cut from the mental health budget, and yet services are having to be increased to cope? These services will be primarily provided by our hardworking public servants - by our nurses and doctors. These people will be under a great deal of stress with regards to the provision of mental health, and I have no reason to believe that it will not be across the board.
In fact, in the Centralian Advocate on 22 February this year, there was an article headed ‘Mental care needs shake-up: Coroner’. This was an article reporting on the death of a man here in the mental health unit. I will quote from this article:
- A Coroner has urged the NT government to address the problem of mental health nursing staff levels in
Alice Springs.
A bit further on:
- Mr Cavenagh found that when the man died, the staffing ratios were at ‘last resort’ levels.
And from a bit further in the article:
- The inquest heard evidence from a nurse employed on the ward who told of her concern, dissatisfaction
and fear stemming from inappropriate people undertaking such roles.
This is an example of what is happening in the area of mental health provision of services in Alice Springs, and is an indication of the staffing problems that the unit is, apparently, experiencing at the moment. My hope is that all of us look through the gloss of a statement such that the Chief Minister made yesterday which the Health Minister spoke to, and get an understanding by reading between the lines the things that have been missed out regarding what is really happening in the areas of the provision of health services in Central Australia.
I am concerned that the agencies that are designed to monitor the provision of mental health services across the board in the Northern Territory are struggling. For example, the Mental Health Review Tribunal, in its annual report from this year in which Hugh Bradley, as the president, made comments with regards to the fact, and I quote key issue No 1:
- The number of determinations made by the tribunal increased this year by approximately 14%. The strain on
the resources …
He goes on to talk about the strain that they have with regards to the tribunal. There is one of the monitoring agencies struggling to provide a monitoring service for the provision of mental health care services.
Another one that I am aware of is the Community Visitor Program which only gets funded to the tune of $70 000 per annum and is struggling in the face of this increased demand with services to provide a service outside of Darwin. This agency may have trouble keeping going, I believe, because it is not being adequately resourced to be able to delve into the issues of the provision of mental health services. I am concerned that the statement yesterday made no comment about the provision of mental health services.
I am also concerned there was no comment made about the provision of alcohol and other drugs services here in Alice Springs because, as many would be aware, over the last six months we have seen a cutting of the services for alcohol and other drugs. Home visits are now banned and after-hours services have been shut down. This is not the way to go. This is a sad indictment of this government’s poor performance in the area of alcohol and other drugs. This government needs to pick its game up or the people of Alice Springs are not going to support them in the upcoming election.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw to your attention the presence in the gallery of students from Yirara College and their teachers, Sonya Lemson, Graeme Hastwell, Marie Petery, Andrew Koch, Catherine McKinlay, Valentine Shaw, and Ann Goodwin. On behalf of all members I wish you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I respond to the Chief Minister’s statement yesterday on Alice Springs. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed at the lack of new initiatives in the statement. Therefore, I wish to raise today some of the things that I am anxious to see happen.
Alice Springs is my home, and has been for a long time. Although I have three brothers and a sister and many relatives there, I no longer think of Bendigo as my home; I think of Alice Springs as my home and because of that, I am always interested in what is happening. I have been through good times, bad times, and I have seen the town go through ups and downs. I guess that is what happens.
At the moment there is a bit of positive feel about the town. There is a lot happening as regards contract work and real estate investment. When you drive along Smith Street you see all the buildings there and the industrial area that has gone up; the proposed Red Centre Resort development; Mad Harry’s expanded store, it is absolutely huge; and the old drive-in complex. We are going to go through a stage of a bit of a boom, and I hope that continues.
My big problem is the lack of skilled workers. I know people are going to say that is general across Australia, however it is even more difficult in a place like Alice Springs. There is much work for skilled workers in the bush and remote areas, as well as in town, but people are finding it very difficult to locate them. What should government be doing? The government has to seriously look at apprentices and the system we have at the moment.
A first year apprentice probably gets less than $6 an hour. Who is going to work for that in this day and age? We need to find incentives to encourage people to become apprentices. For instance, I know of one chef who is offering his apprentices second year wages if they are a first year apprentice, and third year wages in they are a second year apprentice, purely to encourage and keep them. It is that type of incentive we appear to be lacking in government’s policy along the way. Remember employers do not only have the job of training their apprentices, they also lose them at times when they are away studying, therefore employers need to have a lot of incentive to do this.
Apprentices also have to now pay HECS fees which they did not have to pay before. If they get into a position where they have to pay tax, it just seems ironic considering the low wages they are getting. We are not encouraging mature aged people to go into apprenticeships because we are not offering them a comparable wage with something they could get elsewhere.
I am saying to the government: why not seriously think about giving grants to employers to assist and subsidise the wages of their apprentices? Apprentices do not earn much in the first year, so what is wrong with government saying to employers, ‘If you are willing to take these people on, we will subsidise those wages’? What is wrong with government saying, ‘We will give you a remote area allowance which will assist you, and we will give you tax relief’? That is what we need to do.
If we are going to have this period of activity in Alice Springs, we need to have the skilled workers to do it. I urge government to seriously think about what they are doing to get not just young apprentices but mature age apprentices into the work system, and to come up with some good incentives for employers.
A fellow from an electrical firm said to me that a few years ago he had seven people on his staff, and now only has two electricians and is finding it hard to cope with the amount of work that he has. He also said he has trained around 43 apprentices in the period he has been in Alice Springs, and that there are too many people working one-man shows who just do not do that apprenticeship training. We need to turn that around, and put more emphasis on training people.
Last night I went to a teachers’ presentation award. Many of these teachers I have known for years in Alice Springs. They have often come out of the South Australian education system, and are getting close to retirement age. Many of them are saying that they are going to leave town and go somewhere else to retire. These people are self-funded retirees who have done the right thing - they have set themselves up financially to be self-funded. If they leave town tomorrow, each time one of them goes we lose $1m out of our economy, as they own their homes and they have their investments.
We have three people on the Seniors Advisory Council from Alice Springs, Penny McConville, Ian Wagner and Lorraine Fox, all people with a lot of foresight and interest in providing facilities for self-funded retirees as well as other aged people in town. They have been saying for a long time that to stop the flow of self-funded retirees, we need retirement centres. Government knows how successful the senior villages of public housing have been because you have pensioners living together where they support each other. The services they have such as Meals on Wheels and health services all go to these seniors complexes. They also know when Joe has not come out the door today and we hope he is okay and they keep an eye on him. The bus picks them up for community activities. They do things to care for each other, but they are the pensioners of the town. They are not the self-funded retirees. They are not the people who would like to live in such a complex but do not have any means of getting it at the moment, particularly with land at the price it is now. If we could persuade an investor to come into town to put up a village, you probably need a minimum of about 40 to 50 residences built, and to get an estate of land that big you are looking at millions of dollars on current market value in Alice Springs.
I am saying to the Chief Minister: why did you not say we are going to look seriously at this idea of a self-funded retirement village? We might have some land released very shortly in the Mt John area. What a perfect spot. Why not encourage a developer to come in, give them the land at a reasonable cost so that you can build such a facility. I inspected one in Victoria and it had a choice of homes. It was not just a block of units all looking the same, which is what you get in public housing. From the plan, you could choose the type of house you wanted. There were one bedroom units, two bedroom duplexes and three bedroom houses. There was a variety from which you could choose that, obviously, you would pay for, but there was a choice.
The whole village did not look like a public housing estate. It looked like a little community. In that village, there was a community facility for people to meet together, to have functions, provision for hairdressers, specialist services to consult, an area where they could play their bowls. They even had a heated swimming pool which was wonderful. The community facility in the centre serviced all those people who were living in that estate.
Obviously, it had a body corporate, which would take care of the external perimeters, the common areas of the complex, but each person owned their own property and part of the agreement was that each person should sell only to someone who was in that 55-plus age bracket. It worked well. They were proud of their homes because they were so individual. Did I say that the Victorian government actually gave them a grant of land at a very reasonable cost? You started with a one bedroom unit around the $200 000 mark, but it went up as people decided what they wanted.
I do not want many of these friends to leave town. I do not want them to go south. As I said to one who is going to Ballarat: ‘Do you know what Ballarat weather is really like? You are going to be so cold’. But what is there to keep them here? I have to admit that U3A, which has started in Alice Springs, has had a tremendous response and there are people turning up whom I had almost forgotten lived in Alice Springs. We have so many people in that over 55 age bracket who are looking to do something. The U3A has given them quite an incentive to get out, mix, and mingle.
What we want now, and I say to the Chief Minister, would you start seriously thinking about it, is an area where these people can live together in harmony. They want security, they want stability, they want a centre where they can be well serviced, and they want to feel the companionship of people their age. They do not want to live in a street where there are teenagers tearing up and down hooning; they do not want to live in a street where there are many young babies and children crying. They have been through all that. They have had their families, they have all grown up; they now want to enjoy their life in an environment that is suitable to them.
That is one thing I had hoped the Chief Minister would come up with. I ask that perhaps the next time the Seniors Advisory Council meets in Darwin that she talks to them. I know the Minister for Family and Community Services has been, but I believe this time around the Chief Minister has not gone and spoken to this particular council. I believe if she did, then she would hear what they are saying to her. Our elderly people are very precious to us. Government seems to be looking after them with the many seniors villages they are building. Let us now look after those self-funded retirees. Let us keep them in the Territory. They have the knowledge, expertise and experience we really do not want to lose.
I noticed the member for Port Darwin spoke at length on health. I do not really want to make a statement at the moment on health, but I would like to do so later on in the sittings; because it is something in Alice Springs that we really need to talk about.
On the issue of tourism, we are losing beds in Alice Springs. The Red Centre Resort is no longer going to be somewhere where tourists can stay. There is a motel along the river that is becoming permanent accommodation. Continually, I hear people saying it is hard to get a bed in Alice Springs. We really need to encourage development in the tourism area, not just The Ghan and Qantas, but also in providing the right accommodation if we are to compete with Ayers Rock. We do not want Jetstar. We should be telling Qantas that we want bigger planes, we want bigger capacity, because at the moment that is not happening. We are not getting the numbers into town. Many people over the last few days have said, with our big conferences in Alice Springs, it has been hard to get a flight, and hard to get a bed. But please, Qantas, do not give us Jetstar. Give us bigger capacity planes so we can get more people to Alice Springs.
Most of all, we need that international airport. We do not want the Rock receiving visitors from Japan; we want them coming here, and we want them coming from other places direct to Central Australia. We have talked about this for many years. I can remember one of the mayors, Andy McNeill, many years ago raising this and how passionate he was about it. This is an ideal place for an international airport. It is an ideal place to quarantine people or goods as they come in. It is also an ideal place to do training for these airlines. Let us push a bit harder to get an international airport.
What the airport has done at the moment, talking about its upgrade, is great. They are going to improve facilities there, but we have an airport that, for many years, has been capable of having large planes fly in. We have seen that with the planes for Pine Gap - large planes. There is no reason why we cannot have these others fly in. I am saying to the Chief Minister, you have not touched on new initiatives, and I am talking about tourism, the lack of beds, the lack of capacity of airlines, the international airport.
We mentioned very briefly the National Road Transport Hall of Fame. They are going to have a fantastic conference later in the year. Recently, the Ghan Preservation Society has been having difficulties with The Ghan exhibition there. I know that Liz Martin has been elected President of the Ghan Society as well. As we all know in Alice Springs, Liz is a tireless worker for her Transport Hall of Fame, and she has a vision. She has a vision of having the Ghan Preservation Society and the Transport Hall of Fame as one complex so that when visitors come, they do not go to the Ghan Society Museum, pay their bit there, and then go over to the Transport Hall of Fame. In fact, it is just one complex that you enter, so that you have one fee to cover the whole precinct, and it makes sense. They are side by side. If we can get the two committees working in harmony, joining as one, and I know the minister is going to make some announcement later on today, perhaps you should really think about that as well.
Let us capitalise on what we have. Let us enhance it, improve it and make it better. And, most of all, let us give support to people like the Liz Martins of the world who do so much out there for the Transport Hall of Fame.
Basically, I would like to have seen some new initiatives in this statement. I would like to have seen something about apprentices, because we know our skilled work force situation is quite bad. I would like to have seen something about keeping our self-funded retirees; they are a crucial element in our community. There are many things I would like to see happen in tourism, and some of our volunteer services enhanced.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I trust the Chief Minister will take on board some of these issues and, perhaps, prepare something that can give a vision and direction for Alice Springs, because that is what we need.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of another group of students from Yirara College and their teachers, Kym Ritchie, Amanda Seidel, Bruce Hancock and Steve Swartz. On behalf of all honourable members, I wish you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Debate suspended for luncheon adjournment.
STATEMENTS BY SPEAKER
Parliament of the Birds
Parliament of the Birds
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I attended the Parliament of the Birds at lunchtime. I have to say to you it was great success with the Irrkerlantye Drumming Group leading them in. Many parents and a couple of schools were there as well, so that is good.
Daily Hansard
Could I just comment that at 10.10 am today, we had a hard copy of Hansard delivered. Considering it is produced in Darwin, that is a fantastic effort! Congratulations to the Hansard staff up there. That is great!
Members: Hear, hear!
MOTION
Note Statement - Initiatives
and Achievements in Central Australia
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, today I respond to the Chief Minister’s statement on the government’s initiatives and achievements in Central Australia. I noted that you said that you were disappointed that there were not many initiatives for Central Australia, but I am going to give you some really good news.
Much of our economic wealth is generated in our regions. Our unique social fabric – our clean environment and our laid back Territory lifestyle - all rely on strong forward-looking regions. Our industries of tourism, pastoralism, horticulture, and mining continue to underpin our development. I am humbled by having responsibility for the portfolios that contribute so much to our regional wellbeing.
Mineral petroleum exploration has contributed significantly to the economic development in Central Australia and this government is taking a leading role. Some of the Northern Territory government initiatives include:
- the AGES 2005 seminar promoting the prospectivity of the Northern Territory to the mineral exploration
industry. There will be a special session to focus on indigenous inclusion in exploration and mining projects;
than 700 km-long survey is vital for understanding devolution of the geology and the mineralising systems of
this important gold producing region;
more than 4000 gravity recording stations in the Birrindudu region;
Amadeus Basin in mid-2005;
year; and
Alice Springs focussing on the sedimentary basins of the Central Australian region, including Western Australia,
Queensland and South Australia. This will provide a unique opportunity to discuss and promote the petroleum and
mineral potential of Central Australian basins.
Recent data and product releases include: the surface outcrop and interpretive solid geology maps for the Warumpi province, Mt Liebig and Mt Rennie; a comprehensive report on the minerals systems of the Tanami region have been produced jointly by DBIRD and Geoscience Australia; a seismic interpretation of the Amadeus Basin showing structure and stratigraphy have been compiled from existing exploration company seismic survey data; and a SEEBASE interpretation, produced by consultants SRK for my department, of the Amadeus Basin has been released.
Another initiative is STRIKE which provides the comprehensive web-based database to encourage mineral exploration of the Territory. The Road Show that went recently to Brisbane and Sydney, we intend to take to Perth to promote exploration opportunities in the Territory. There were about 300 attending the seminars that we gave in Brisbane and Sydney. In Sydney, there were 150 explorers, bankers and other people involved with the mining industry who came and heard me and the people of my department and industry members promoting exploration in the Northern Territory - how we have done really well in the Northern Territory and how this government, in three years, has issued 830 mineral exploration licences compared with about 230 that the CLP government issued in the last four years of their government.
Apart from the mining industry that provides about 20% to 35% of our gross state product and employs 4000 people, another major industry is the pastoral industry which contributes up to $70m directly into our economy. We strongly support our pastoral industry and have a number of initiatives and projects such as Old Man Plains, part of the Owen Springs Station, the new pastoral research station of commercial relevance to the pastoral industry. The projects that are under development with the support of the Alice Springs Pastoral Industry Advisory Committee include: the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, which is funded for sustainable grazing system projects over three years with $800 000; remote management using IT and applied technologies; survey of the grazing industry, which has just been completed, and the cultural changes that will focus the department and the industry in the relevant areas; and development of a drought management tool kit to capture best practice for industry and elsewhere and promote it.
I had a meeting this afternoon with members of the pastoral industry to discuss drought issues in the Central Australia region, especially the fact that the pastoralists have not had any rain for the past 12 to 14 months, and how best to overcome the problems and protect the industry to un-stock their properties and look after their land.
With regards to the drought, we are seeking to simplify the national declaration process for Exceptional Circumstances that confront the pastoral industry in Central Australia. Our focus is to promote producers’ self-reliance and preparedness for drought, and to harmonise drought support measures. Extended periods of low rainfall are a feature of the Central Australian pastoral industry, and the exceptional circumstances conditions depend on one-in-25-year occurrences. I have been advised that the drought we are having in Central Australia is a one-in-50-year occurrence.
We have biosecurity projects. We train the industry in disease identification as a frontline in protecting national primary industry exports. We also support the pastoral industry by providing significant funds to upgrade and maintain what are known as beef roads - roads such as the Plenty Highway. I understand that before the election the federal government made a promise of $30m which they never delivered, and I am also advised that members of the pastoral industry went to Canberra recently to inquire about that funding and they were given just $1m. In contrast, our government provided $10m over two years to repair, maintain and upgrade roads which were identified by the pastoral industry as very important roads for the industry.
We also have the Indigenous Pastoral Project in partnership with the Central Land Council, the Indigenous Land Corporation, and the Northern Territory pastoral industry. Under this project we are trying to bring back into production indigenous lands and the results are very encouraging. I am pleased to advise that we have provided a $40 000 grant to the Central Australian camel industry to examine domestic and overseas halal market opportunities.
Ti Tree is undertaking the current rejuvenation of 400 hectares using disease resistant rootstock, and the government is very happy to provide funding to upgrade some of the road network in Ti Tree. The government is also looking very carefully at the diversity of horticulture in Central Australia as we have the capacity here to produce high quality dates, figs, citrus, asparagus and hydroponics. A very good example is Mr McCosker’s Territory Lettuce venture which I had the pleasure to visit in the past year. I was impressed with the quality of the product and how well he managed to produce a significant number of lettuces and supply the tourist industry and supermarkets in Alice Springs as well as other areas in the Territory.
A joint initiative of the Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development and Power and Water which aims to deliver triple bottom line - economic, social and environmental benefits - is the water reused for horticulture production at AZRI. Currently, we are investigating how we are going to proceed. The results are very encouraging and I am very pleased to say that when we finalise the project, we will be able to provide good quality of water for horticulture production in Central Australia.
Something that is very close to my heart is the food industry; the opportunities for development of the food industry in Central Australia and the Central Australian Food Group. Centralian businesses are working together. Businesses that are involved in hospitality, tourism, food production, food service and, of course, the Charles Darwin University and government agencies are members. The Taste Down Under competition, held in conjunction with the United States Johnson & Wales University, a leading university and the largest trainer of chefs around the world. The idea is to raise the profile of our unique Territory and Australian foods with master United States chefs of the future. This morning I met with members of the Centralian Food Group and I was pleased to hear that the competition Taste Down Under will be held once again. The government will provide the air fares for the winning trainee chef to visit Australia and the Territory.
I was also advised by Athol Wark this morning that there is a significant number of chefs from the Johnson & Wales University who have expressed a wish to come to the NT and to work in under some of the leading chefs like Athol Wark and Jimmy Shu. I believe Athol and Jimmy will be going to America soon to cook for distinguished guests of the Australian Embassy. Athol will be cooking for a number of people in the Centenary Botanic Gardens for one of the bigger American companies.
That is something very important for us: Athol and Jimmy are doing an excellent job in promoting both the Territory and our produce. They have my full support and backing. I flag that I will have a very exciting announcement in the near future about Taste Down Under and the food group in the Territory. I have said before, and I will say again, that people go to a place to see the scenery, but if you do not serve them good food and they do not have good accommodation, they will never come back.
In Australia, we have regions like the Barossa Valley that people visit time after time and, of course, in Western Australia there are regions like Margaret River which people visit for the food, wine, cheese and, of course, the scenery. Margaret River receives a significant number of tourists in the market niche known as culinary tourism, people who go for the food, tastes and flavours, and they return.
I was very impressed to see today two ladies who have formed a group called Women Can Cook. They are caterers and provide some of the food experience of Central Australia to tourists when they come to the Northern Territory.
On Sunday afternoon, I attended two functions related to Harmony Day; one was a community barbeque, the other was a function organised by my Office of Multicultural Affairs. I was very impressed by the number of people who attended those functions. At one of them, I counted about 300 or 350, and at the other were about 250. I must admit that I never thought Alice Springs would be so multicultural, and what was impressive was the number of people who are from ethnic backgrounds and how well integrated they are in Alice Springs and how they feel at home.
One lady was from France and considers Alice Springs her home. Like you and I, Madam Speaker, we came from somewhere else, but my home is Darwin, your home is Alice Springs. Where we were born and raised, we now visit as tourists. I was very impressed by the people. Many people commented that Alice Springs is one of the most multicultural cities in Australia, and having such a small population compared with other cities and such a significant number of people in Alice Springs from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds is very important.
The Commonwealth government is seeking to increase humanitarian settlement in regional Australia, and wishes to work with state and territory governments to expand regional locations that are suitable for settlement. Though Alice Springs participated in refugee settlement some years back, in recent years, it has not participated in the program. Our government wishes to have Alice Springs included in the new initiative of the Commonwealth government. I will be writing to the Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Senator Amanda Vanstone, in support of Alice Springs as an additional location for humanitarian settlement.
The government is conscious that in order to ensure successful settlement of new migrants, it is important that all the support services, along with the necessary infrastructure, needs to be in place. With this in view, a senior officers group across all government agencies has been set up and will assess what additional resources are required to achieve successful outcomes for new migrants.
The Alice Springs community is a fine example of the success of migration over the last 200 years, and it is this government’s intention to ensure that this success continues into the future. I am pleased to note that multiculturalism is alive and well in Alice Springs. Alice Springs is a town that accepts cultural differences, particularly the historical contribution made by the early Europeans, the Chinese and the Afghans who, along with the indigenous community, made Alice Springs what it is today.
The level of acceptance of cultural differences is highlighted by the fact that in Alice Springs Town Council, the current practice is to start ordinary Council meetings, held on the last Monday of each month, with prayers being offered by various religious leaders on a rostered basis – an excellent example of living multiculturalism.
Madam Speaker, I know that we are often criticised for concentrating on the Top End, but I want to assure you that my focus is wholly on the Territory, irrespective of the region, whether it is Darwin, Alice Springs, Borroloola or Katherine. I strongly support the pastoral and mining industries, and as the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, I strongly support community groups in Alice Springs.
Mr VATSKALIS (on behalf of Minister for Family and Community Services)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a response to the Chief Minister’s statement on behalf of the Minister for Family and Community Services and Environment and Heritage, Ms Scrymgour.
Protecting our unique environment is the Martin government’s priority. We are balancing growth with lifestyle whilst protecting our environment. In 2000-01, the previous CLP government only conducted 85 environmental assessments in the Northern Territory. Last year, 2003-04, we conducted 288. Let me repeat: 288. There are two reasons for this dramatic increase in environmental assessments. Under the Martin government, development is booming and the Martin government is serious about protecting our environment.
Central Australia has some great ideas of how to protect our environment but sometimes great ideas need a kick start to get them off the ground. That is why this government is spending more than $1m supporting grassroots environment and heritage initiatives. We are backing Territorians and we are putting more money on the ground where it counts. Through heritage grants, new litter grants and environment grants, Central Australia now has unprecedented access to funding for projects. It is fair and everyone can apply.
I am very happy to say that Central Australia has received a large proportion of the overall funding. Significant projects already funded through the grants include: $9500 to Greening Australia for designing appropriate arid zone gardens; $10 000 for the Centre for Sustainable Arid Towns to develop a sustainability rating system for arid housing; $9000 to Birds Australia for fire management at Newhaven Reserve; $10 000 to Arid Lands Environment Centre for trials to reduce plastic bag usage; $49 500 to Alice Springs Town Council for organic recycling; $10 000 for repairs to Ross River Homestead; $22 500 for the Hartley Street School; and finally, $25 000 for repairs and restoration to the Finke Railway Station. All up, Central Australian projects have received more than $400 000 in funding under grant schemes since the Labor government came to power.
Central Australia has received more heritage grants than any other region in the Territory, reflecting the importance that the Alice Springs’ community places on their heritage. This year, the Arid Lands Environment Centre received $30 000 operational support, compensating for their funding cut from the federal government and providing a funding boost at the same time. This funding is a Territory government first. Likewise, the CoolMob which has linked up with the Arid Lands Environment Centre and Desert Knowledge to do very valuable work in promoting energy conservation into Alice Springs households, has received $25 000 operational support and $8000 for home energy audits. The federal government withdrew their funding, and without our funding assistance, the CoolMob could have folded. We stepped in and the CoolMob will receive operational support not only this year, but for the following two years.
Heritage: Alice Springs residents have long been at the forefront of conserving our unique Territory heritage. Some very important places have been added to the heritage register under the Martin Labor government, and these include: the original Glen Helen Homestead; the Araluen Homestead Precinct; the Catholic Church Precinct; John Flynn’s Grave Historical Reserve; the Henbury Meteorites Conservation Reserve; the Alice Springs Telegraph Station, which was previously rejected by the CLP for heritage listing; and the old Owen Springs Homestead complex.
We decided not to list the Rieff Building. It was a tough decision and we spent six months taking submissions. We received five submissions, none from the CLP. We decided that the $5m redevelopment and up to 100 jobs outweighed the heritage value. The Rieff Building was publicly nominated for listing around 12 months ago, and since then we have heard nothing from the member for Greatorex or the member for Araluen - nothing for 12 months, until yesterday. After nearly a year of silence, the CLP has announced that they will list the building. The developer has made it clear that this would mean the end of a $5m redevelopment. The CLP announced this morning that, under them, up to 100 extra jobs would be gone. The government spent six months attempting to work out a compromise that would allow the redevelopment to preserve its heritage values. We will still try, and I have now written to the developers asking them again, but I will not list the building. However, unlike the CLP, we will not stop development in Alice Springs.
The CLP left Alice Springs’ heritage in a rubble. They bulldozed Turner House in the middle of the night. Marron’s Newsagency - gone. The Old Stuart Arms - gone too. As I said previously, they rejected heritage listing for the Telegraph Station. Who knows what plans they had for it. We have listed it. The Alice Springs Goal - they tried so hard to knock it down; only saved after much protest. Local CLP members wanted it knocked down. The member for Greatorex wanted it knocked down. The same with the Pioneer Walk-in Theatre. The people of Alice Springs know their record; they know their legacy.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, we did not restart your time, so you need an extension. Could I have the Leader of Government Business?
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I move an extension of time to allow the minister to complete his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Heritage is more than just what we choose to put on the Heritage Register. The cultural and tourism value of these properties will not be fully realised unless we also invest in their long-term management and conservation. Heritage places simply do not look after themselves. That is why I am very proud that this year the government allocated $1m to repair and maintain government-owned heritage properties. This year, some important heritage icons of Central Australia will receive some much-needed repairs, including the Residency; Owen Springs Homestead; the Old Alice Springs Court House; the Araluen Homestead; the Heavitree Gap Police Station; the Connellan Hangar; and Illamurta Springs. Government has also injected much-needed expertise into heritage conservation by re-establishing the Heritage Officer position in Alice Springs - a position that the CLP cut when in government.
The Northern Territory government commissioned a sustainable house competition last year as part of the Year of the Built Environment. The winning entry from Alice Springs has now been built and will be open for public viewing in April. I urge all Alice Springs residents to check out the winning entrant. Through the Alice in 10 Built Environment Project, government has also funded a Guide to Sustainable Housing in Central Australia. Their booklet, which was written by the Centre for Sustainable Arid Towns, provides practical suggestions for house design and ways to reduce energy and water use in the house. Through these and other projects such as the Alice Springs Water Reuse Scheme, we are beginning to understand what sustainable living in an arid climate is all about, the changes we need to make and how we might go about them. Alice Springs can become a leader in sustainability and export this knowledge further afield.
Let me turn now to Family and Community Services which has enjoyed a greater funding level, with an overall increase in the budget of 60% since 2001. Building Healthier Communities - A Framework for Health and Community Services cemented this government’s commitment to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of Territorians. We support families.
The Child Protection Services budget has nearly tripled since the Martin government came in, from $7.8m in 2001-02 to $20m in 2004-05. The initiatives include:
- $53m extra over the next five years;
senior child welfare workers;
response, asked why this was taking so long. Why, then, did she issue a media release in January asking
for consultation to be extended?; and
by Charlie King. Families in Central Australia are often isolated from extended family networks.
There is still work ahead of us, and the Office of Children and Families is working to further increase parenting support services across the Territory. The minister will make an announcement of the new services in the coming months.
An area where there is considerable headway is child care. Providing good, affordable child care for young Territorian families is a federal government responsibility, but a Northern Territory government priority. The Martin Labor government made a commitment to increase the Northern Territory Childcare Subsidy by $7.50 per child per week. Now, for every child in child care in the Northern Territory, we subsidise the parents’ costs by around $20 per week. We are the only jurisdiction in Australia that provides this subsidy. Across Australia, growth in child care places has been stagnant but, in the Northern Territory since the Martin government was elected, there has been a 35% increase in child care places; that is, an additional 827 children in child care. There are an estimated 200 extra child care jobs in the Northern Territory. Government is aware that all nine child care centre services in Alice Springs, and the centre in Tennant Creek, are operating at full capacity with a continued strong demand for child care places. The Central Australian YWCA Child Care Centre has recently increased its capacity by a further 10 places, and the Family Care Scheme has been redeveloped in Tennant Creek to provide this much needed service to families. We continue to provide funding for child care services across Central Australia.
Central Australia, like the rest of Australia, has a young population and looking after our youth is a priority of our government. We have allocated funding of $0.25m for the Youth Drop-in Centre in Alice Springs so that hours can be extended into the evening. Alice Springs has the first government supported accommodation program specifically for the rehabilitation of youth with substance issues. The service is run by the Alice Springs Youth Accommodation and Support Service which was funded with $87 000 to develop this program.
Petrol sniffing is a devastating fact in many remote communities across the Territory. The Martin Labor government is determined to change that. The Volatile Substance Abuse Bill is an unparalleled step in Australia to seriously tackle this problem. The bill includes: police powers to seize inhalants such as petrol, glue and paint where they have been abused; police power to apprehend people under the influence of volatile substances and to take them to a place of safety; and gives courts the capacity to order compulsory treatment programs for serial substance abusers. Funding of $10m has been committed over five years, which will see services better resourced to continue the excellent work they do. The opposition has announced they will withdraw this funding - more sniffers and antisocial behaviour. Special applause to BP who are developing opal fuel in an endeavour to combat petrol sniffing. It is encouraging to see corporate Australia working with the government and saying there is something that can be done directly about this devastating social issue.
The member for Port Darwin claims spending on mental health has been reduced. Obviously she cannot read the budget book. The Mental Health Services budget has almost doubled since 2001. We are empowering our NGOs. The national average for the proportion of mental health funding to the NGO sector is 5.4%. Our funding injection in the Territory will be 10.5%. The Mental Health Association of Central Australia has been awarded $200 000 to trial sub-acute individual care packages for mental health consumers in Central Australia.
Last year we stepped in to keep Lifeline going, and gave them $60 000 to keep their doors open. The Alice Springs branch of the Northern Territory Association of Relatives and Friends of the Mentally Ill received $160 000 over three years for a mental health carer support worker for Central Australia. The Northern Territory government is working to increase access to services to people in remote areas of the Northern Territory. There are now nine Aboriginal mental health workers in Central Australia; an increase of four in the last year. Government acknowledges that staff recruitment and retention has been an ongoing issue in Central Australia. An additional $700 000 has been invested in this area, with efforts being made to attract staff through national and international advertisement of vacancies. Development of a retention strategy for current staff has also commenced.
The aged and disability sector has received an increase of more than 74% since Labor came to government. This is an additional $20m to the sector since 2001. The government has set out for the first time independent advice on disability policy and planning through the Disability Advisory Council. Services are extending further than ever before, with increased access for the remote parts of the Territory. The extra money has been well spent, with more supported accommodation places in Central Australia.
This government has needed to rebuild many of the Northern Territory’s basic services after many years of little or no growth. The Martin Labor government is proud of its track record to date with increases in funding to family and community services across the board; increases in funding to non-government organisations; increased access to services in remote parts of the Territory; the establishment of independent advisory boards; changes to legislation which protects our children and young Territorians; and certainly, additional support to the average family. However, there is no hiding the fact that there is a long way to go. Unfortunately, disadvantage does not disappear in three years.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to be part of these proceedings in Alice Springs. It is the first time that I have been here, and it is a great pleasure to be in a rural area. I am a country girl at heart, and it is lovely to be able to bring the sittings to Alice Springs and give local people the opportunity to come to this great convention centre and take part in the sittings.
In reply today, I am going to touch on issues relevant to my electorate because they are common issues and challenges across the Territory. It was with great interest that I listened to the Chief Minister speak on the value of tourism to Central Australia. Tourism is one of my favourite areas. I agree that the value of tourism relates to the whole of the Territory. However, I cannot let my reply go without reminding the Chief Minister that it took three years and four Tourism ministers for her government to realise the true value of tourism to the Territory.
My esteemed colleague, the member for Araluen, when she was shadow minister for Tourism, called for this government to come to the rescue of the tourism industry many times. The industry was in serious trouble following the Twin Towers disaster and the demise of Ansett. For too long, that call fell on deaf ears. It was only when the industry was at it lowest that, finally, this government recognised the real value of the tourism industry to the Northern Territory and has, rightly, injected additional funding to regain our previous strength.
I agree with Sylvia Wolf’s comments. Sylvia is President of Tourism Top End and has stated in the paper that the new Territory tourism campaign of Share Our Story is flat and not exactly grabbing material. After I watched the presentation in Katherine recently, I was not jumping up and down with joy and I did not see anyone else at the presentation very excited, either. Sure, the pictures and glossy brochures were excellent, but when you take into consideration that the majority of repeat visitors to the Northern Territory are predominantly from the drive market, this marketing would not appeal to them.
I know that this targets a different market, but we are not in a position to forget our very strong drive market, which is growing substantially throughout Australia each year. We want a big share of that market because they are the tourists who will return to the Territory time and time again.
One last comment on the glossy marketing brochure: the colours for the Darwin region and Central Australia are quite good, but I can tell you I am not at all impressed with the khaki and mustard colours for the Katherine region. Dull and boring! Yes, a bit like Tennant, I agree.
A member interjecting.
Mrs MILLER: Ours are cacky, and not at all representative of the region and certainly not attractive. I will be watching with interest to see how this $250 000 marketing campaign pans out for tourism.
In Central Australia in tourism, the sealing of the Mereenie Loop will be the biggest boost to the Central Australian tourism industry for many years, and I applaud this decision, as I am sure does the industry in Alice Springs. There is no doubt that it will increase visitation to Kings Canyon and Yulara, in addition to Alice Springs. It goes without saying that tourism in Central Australia would be substantially enhanced with additional airline services into Alice Springs. Until that happens, with extra bums on seats, it will be a continual battle for Central Australian tourism. It is imperative that this government continues fighting tooth and nail to get increased airline services into Alice.
I wish to turn to the area of housing. I support the comments of my colleague, the member for Araluen, in relation to the letters she has received in relation to irresponsible and nuisance tenants. They are reflective of the problems that we also face in Katherine. I continually receive complaints through my office by letter, when I am door-knocking or even walking the streets, about disruptive public housing neighbours. I have the greatest of sympathy for people who are forced to live with neighbours like that. I can assure you that it has resulted in some people leaving Katherine and moving interstate because they have had enough. The sooner that tougher rules and regulations are enforced on public housing unruly tenants the better as far as I am concerned. In the main, public housing tenants in Katherine are very good, but it is the minority that are making it so very difficult for the majority.
In relation to roads, it is good to see the government is spending money on the Sandover, Finke and Plenty Highways. Both sides of this House are in agreement with the standard of our Territory roads – that the standard is not that good - and they need to be substantially improved. I have had lengthy discussions with Dick McArthur, who manages AFD in Katherine, who has expressed great concern about the damage that is constantly being done to the AFD fuel tankers and prime movers when they are delivering fuel to regional and remote areas of the Territory. The damage is caused by poorly maintained roads and, in some instances, tens of thousands of dollars of damage has been caused.
There is no doubt there is considerable damage being caused to our stock road trains as well. The cattle industry is a major contributor to our economy and there is no doubt that the standard of our roads is hindering the future of development of that industry. I know that Stuart Kenny from the Cattlemen’s Association has been lobbying long and hard for improved rural roads and that he has been, as part of his role in the Cattlemen’s Association, to Canberra to lobby, very successfully, for additional funding for rural roads. We need to acknowledge the importance of vastly improving our Territory rural roads.
The social problems in Central Australia are little different from elsewhere in the Territory and that includes Katherine. I have listened to various government ministers since coming into parliament who constantly bag any member of the opposition whenever we discuss social issues, and take every opportunity to say that we do not have any understanding of the issues and how to improve them. I find it quite amazing that for speaking the truth I can be called quite a few things and, among them, negative. I will continue to speak out about social issues that relate to the wellbeing of my community and communities throughout the Northern Territory. I will also continue to speak out about the so-called negative issues that have detrimental effects on the residents I represent. I have always advocated that, besides the programs that have been implemented in Katherine through the Community Harmony Program and the Neighbourhood Watch program, there is still a need for tougher law and order to account for those who will never fit into any organised program; they are just not interested.
The incidence of violent crime in Katherine in the last two weeks alone also reinforces my belief. We have had two separate incidents involving guns in addition to assaults in the last two weeks. One such assault occurred when an innocent young man, attempting to buy something to eat at a roadhouse, was king kit from behind by an unknown assailant and was unconscious for 10 minutes. This is absolutely appalling. He is still in Darwin Hospital having tests for a possible jaw fracture. This type of incident is far too common, not only in Katherine, but throughout the Territory.
I would also like to address the member for Arnhem who talks at most sittings of the Community Harmony Program. I always thought that harmony related to all sectors of the community, and I believe the dictionary meaning of harmony relates to that. I would like to let the minister know that at the time of becoming the member for Katherine I inquired about listening in at the Community Harmony meetings in Katherine. I approached the chairman, who at that time said she would have to think about it - like I am some guru. She came back and said that I was not able to attend the Community Harmony meetings, and that I would be provided with minutes for those meetings. Well, I was provided with minutes for those meetings for a very short time, but I have had to ask four times since if I could have copies of the minutes. I wonder where the community harmony starts and stops because it certainly does not include the local member.
Much emphasis and publicity has been placed on hospitals, health and teachers, and rightly so. However, the plight and future of St John Ambulance in the Northern Territory has not been highlighted anywhere near enough. This very valuable service is under threat, and that includes in the Centre of Australia. That saddens me very deeply, from the point that St John Ambulance has a very dear spot in my heart. I became a volunteer for St John Ambulance in South Australia many moons ago – and I am not going to tell you how many years because it will date me considerably. I gave 15 years of my valuable time, quite willingly, as a volunteer with St John Ambulance in South Australia. Part of that time was as an ambulance driver, and I was on call at night. I was a volunteer and unpaid, but I have the greatest respect for the full-time staff who give up so much of their time to rescue people who have terrible injuries. In the Northern Territory, there is an extra challenge because they have such long distances to travel. I really encourage the government to re-examine the St John Ambulance Service. It is under threat, and I would like to see them give some support and ensure that the future of St John Ambulance in the Northern Territory is assured.
In my role as shadow minister for Mines and Energy, there are some good news stories for Central Australia, with a couple of significant developments. Mithril Resources, which is a very small company, is exploring in Central Australia and have been here a while. Mithril is a recognised company and is looking to progress the developments in the Territory. They are keen to promote their finds which are mainly nickel and copper deposits. I know they are attending the AGES Conference which is being held at the Crowne Plaza as I speak.
Also attending the conference are representatives of the Harts Range deposit that we refer to as garnet sands. I have been advised that the industry would like us to no longer refer to garnet sands; they would like to be called abrasive sands, as the industry does not feel that garnet sands reflects all of the industrial sands contained in the deposit. Therefore, in the future, I will refer to it as abrasive sands. The abrasive sands deposit mined by Olympia is good news for Central Australia, with the company being publicly listed. They have an Indigenous Land Use Agreement, have been environmentally assessed, and intend to begin operation in October this year. With the employment of at least 50 people that is, indeed, good news for mining in the Northern Territory, and especially Central Australia.
Another mining development in the news lately is Deep Yellow, which has actively explored in Central Australia with some very positive drill results. With the announcement of the federal government inquiry into fossil fuel, I hope that the Northern Territory government gives its full support to this company to continue their exploration and development.
In my shadow role in Primary Industry and Fisheries, I would like to touch on the cattle industry. The most serious issue that is affecting the cattle industry in Central Australia at the moment is the drought. The minister touched on that in his speech just prior to mine. It is very grim, and members of the cattle and pastoral industry are in survival mode. While tourism is usually highlighted as the economic saviour of the Northern Territory, we must not lose sight that the cattle industry underpins our economy in Central Australia to the tune of at least $40m and needs government support. A drought policy was signed off by the industry in February 2004 and tabled in Cabinet in November 2004. This policy should have enabled the affected cattle properties to get assistance from the Northern Territory government and, even though I have not had the opportunity to read it, I believe the policy should qualify you if you have had drought conditions for two years. The pastoralists and the cattle industry are very close to that now, so they should be able to qualify for that. Droughts affect everyone, and when pastoralists who are affected by the current drought have to cut back on their spending, it affects all of the businesses that they have to deal with; therefore, it is a roll-on effect.
Another impediment to the development of the pastoral industry is the state of rural and regional roads, and it is gratifying to see that the government and opposition can agree on this point and have a bipartisan agreement to lobby the federal government for additional funding. In the past, the Cattlemen’s Association has been the only successful lobbyist with the federal government to obtain substantial funding for cattle roads in the Northern Territory.
Madam Speaker, it has been a great pleasure to talk on the initiatives, however, as I said, most of what I wanted to talk about were issues which covered my own electorate and the rest of the Northern Territory.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I also want to comment on the Chief Minister’s statement on Central Australia, and to say how much I enjoy coming back to Alice Springs. I first came here in 1964 as a young geography student studying Ayers Rock and the Olgas as it was called then, and Alice Springs. One of my fond memories was when we visited the Oasis, which was owned by Bernie Kilgariff, and we went to the movies there. I can still remember the movie; it was Charade with Cary Grant and - someone else …
Madam SPEAKER: You are showing your age, member for Nelson.
Mr WOOD: Yes. That is getting a bit old, isn’t it? But it shows you what memories I have of Central Australia. Audrey Hepburn is who I was thinking of. …
A member: It was.
Mr WOOD: Yes, I was in love with her. I think my first visit to Central Australia when I was a young bloke convinced me that I would be back in the Northern Territory. I still love coming back to Central Australia, even though I have gone to the more humid climates of the Territory. It is a great place, and I always enjoy the scenery even though at the present time there is a very strong contrast between the green of the north and the brown of the south.
Although we come from different geographical parts of the Territory, people are not any different than they are up in the rural area where I come from, and I certainly enjoy coming back to the Centre. I come here for the Masters now - I have certainly advanced from being a young geography student - and enjoy that. I also spent a lot of time here during my time in local government. It is great to be back, although my skin is starting to crack, and having a shave here you start to peel, so I do notice the difference in climate.
The Chief Minister has produced what I call a ‘nice statement.’ It has some good subjects to discuss regarding various issues in Central Australia. We talk about tourism partnerships, the construction industry, Desert Knowledge, and that is all fine. There is nothing wrong with that. However, I sometimes wonder whether we are losing sight, in all this economic discussion and plans for new development, of what I think is the fundamental basis for growth in the Northern Territory, and that is families, especially young families.
I ask the government, when it heads a statement with ‘Government Initiatives and Achievements’, whether it can say it really has put out initiatives which will achieve help for young people to live, in this case, in Alice Springs, and to stay in Alice Springs. The way you are going to do that is to provide land which is cheap enough for young people to buy so they can spend money on a house that is not any bigger than a cardboard box or a tin shed. This applies in the Top End as well. Recently, I made some announcements that I believe the government should open up its own land for first home owners. When I mentioned that, the interjection I heard was that governments cannot interfere in the market. Well, I think they can. That is exactly why they are government. They are there to help people in the Northern Territory, and the people they need to help when it comes to development are young families.
I have also spoken on issues such as the GST and the cost to all people in the Northern Territory. I see that it as just one of a number of factors that make it hard for people to cope today.
When I have mentioned that we should provide cheaper land, the government has said: ‘We have the HomeNorth scheme’. The HomeNorth scheme is great. There is no doubt about that. It encourages people to secure a loan when in other circumstances perhaps they could not. It is not the issue of the loan; it is how big the loan will be. If the block of land in Alice Springs is going to cost in excess of $100 000 - and I heard today there is a block on Cromwell Drive for sale at $170 000 for about 600 m - how, in your right mind, can any first home owner, young family, find that sort of money unless they have husband and wife both working in the public service at some great high level that can cover that sort of mortgage repayment? The ordinary person cannot afford that sort of payment.
If you want population growth, you need couples to want to have children and if they cannot see that they can afford to have children because the mortgage repayments get them right up to here, then we are not going to encourage families to grow in the Northern Territory. So, whilst HomeNorth is a great idea it is not the solution to people being able to buy land. Yes, they will be able to buy it, but they will be in hock for the rest of their life or they will both have to work. Is that really want we want in society? We have gone from a society at least where someone can stay home and look after the kids. We now have two people working where we, as a government, have to provide enough funds to look after the children. It is sort of a Catch-22. Is that really the way we should have our society? We force people into having to purchase homes that are so expensive that they have to work and have to leave their kids. That is basically what we are doing.
Then there is the issue of insurance. Yesterday, I spoke about the GST and stamp duty. The example I will give you is domestic insurance for a gentleman in my electorate. He had a tax invoice from TIO for a domestic insurance pack which showed a premium of $175.38 plus GST which is 10% which works out at $17.53 and then you have a Northern Territory stamp duty charge of another 10% on top of that inflated price. You have the premium plus GST then you have 10% on top of that total like the bank charges you interest. So the insurance premium originally was $175.38. When it is finished, with all the taxes, it is $212.20. It may be just a little thing, but do not forget you have insurance on your car, you have third party insurance, you will have probably insurance on other assets, all adding up to more costs for families.
Fuel: I forgot to look at the price of fuel, but I know the price of fuel at the Bush Shop at Humpty Doo was $1.15 or it might have been $1.17 a litre. I imagine it is far higher than that in Central Australia. I do not have a car at the moment so I imagine it is about the $1.20, which is very expensive. It is expensive to live in Alice Springs, and you are paying GST on your fuel as well. Do not forget that all this GST is supposed to be coming back to the Northern Territory, which is why I say get rid of our taxes because we are already being taxed so that we can get rid of those taxes. We are being hit twice.
Then there are house prices. The cost of steel in the Northern Territory, and, again, I imagine it is dearer in Central Australia because you have higher transport costs, although I am not sure how much steel comes in by ship to Darwin, but steel has gone up 50% to 100% in the last two years. The cost of a house that is mainly steel construction has gone up enormously. Madam Speaker, as you know, recently we had a briefing from a company during which we were told that a particular project could live or die based on a 16% increase in steel over the last few months. If a company needs to think about whether a major project goes ahead because of the price of steel, how much harder is it going to make it for young people trying to buy a house?
Concrete has gone through the roof; very expensive in Darwin. So two main products for your house, concrete and steel, have gone up enormously in the last two years. All have GST on them. So, again, as the price goes up, so does the GST because the percentage, which is more to the Commonwealth. We get more money back in theory. What are we doing to reduce taxes to try and offset that increased load on young people?
We have to rethink the way we develop our land. I know there is a shortage of land in the Northern Territory and it has taken a long time for that land to be released. During Question Time yesterday, the minister announced that there would be a total of 95 blocks that are going to be released, and six of those blocks would be for first home owners. That is a great idea, but I do have some concerns about that. Alice Springs has a population of nearly 30 000, Litchfield Shire has a population of about 17 000 people. My figures are that, starting last year and moving into this year and next year, Litchfield Shire will have approximately 320 blocks up for development. So there is land available in our area.
In Alice Springs, nearly twice as big, they are only turning off 90 blocks of land. No wonder your prices are going through the roof for very small blocks. What can you do about it? If there are issues of native title, I believe those issues need to be worked through. There is some concern that perhaps the government has arbitrarily worked out a native title value; that is an issue that needs more debate. But, if the native title discussions take a long period of time, do we have in the pipeline a process which will recognise that this is going to take a fair length of time so there will not be delays in the future of developing more land?
The other issue I worry about is that land which is Crown land and, of course, has native title, is and has been changed from when the government itself would develop that land, as it did in the northern suburbs and, I would imagine, at some time or another, did it in Alice Springs. They now sell that land to a developer, which means the developer must not only make a profit on development of the land, but he must recover the costs that the government has received from that developer. Now, to me, that is middle man money that does not need to exist. That is artificially increasing the value of land in the Northern Territory. I believe that with Larapinta Stage 4, the Aboriginal community, in partnership, I believe with a company called Asland Development, is developing the 40 blocks in Larapinta Stage 4. That company, Asland, will have to recover profits from the land, and that makes the land more expensive. Why, for instance, cannot the government develop the land with the Aboriginal community and sell it direct to the public, which would certainly reduce the price of the land? I believe we have to go back to saying this land is our land, and I am being totally inclusive there, and that we need to be able to buy that land at a reasonable price, not an inflated price. Otherwise, we will not keep young families in Alice Springs, we will not retain old people in Alice Springs, people will leave and, if Alice Springs is to grow like every other small or medium-sized town in the Territory, then you must retain your young people and you must retain your old people. Otherwise, the place will become stagnant.
To me, that is one of the most important issues the government should look at when it produces a statement on Central Australia. For sure, many of these issues are fine issues. I do keep track of a lot of the issues in Alice Springs. Public housing is certainly an issue that has come to my attention. We know the issues of alcohol abuse, and that is an issue that has been going on for a long time, and substance abuse, which we know is a dreadful scourge in society. We know there are issues with the hospital. There are issues about the heritage, there was the protest out there yesterday regarding the Rieff Buildings. There is talk about the Mall, whether it should be reopened or not, sounds exactly the same discussion as they are having in Darwin at the present time. So I try and keep in touch with Central Australian issues.
I would also like to talk about horticulture in the Central Australian region. I know the minister was probably a bit short for time, but he gave about one paragraph to horticulture, and I believe that is an area that has a lot more promise than perhaps it is given. We certainly know that there are issues about water, and there are probably issues also about land, but Alice Springs, at least, in what I call the Dry Season, or in the winter season, or spring and autumn, is a great place to grow vegetables, certainly in the hotter times of the year it can be extremely difficult to grow some vegetables. Alice Springs has 11% of the total value of fruit and vegetables in the Northern Territory. I was just trying to find what that is in dollar figures, but it certainly is a large amount in dollar figures.
However, the thing that concerns me is that, when you look at the value of the Northern Territory fruit and vegetable industry from 1993 to 2003, since 2001 where it plateaued to 2003, it has actually gone down. These are the figures from the department. There has been a slow decline in the production of fruit and vegetables in the Northern Territory. That may not have anything to do with the government per se; it could do with prices or yields - I know mangoes certainly had a bad year that year. It would concern me if an important industry like the fruit and vegetable industry starts to decline. In fact, in Alice Springs, there was an increase of 11.2%, whilst in the Top End there was a decrease of 14.2%. There is the potential there for the Alice Springs fruit and vegetable market to grow. One day, I would like to hear a detailed statement on the horticultural industry from the minister, especially in the Centre of Australia, what he thinks the prospects of the water and markets would be.
On a similar issue, there has been much talk about the health of Aboriginal communities regarding having their own fresh fruit and vegetables. There have been moves to try to increase the number of gardens on Aboriginal communities. It would be interesting to hear from the minister whether some of those movements have been successful, and whether Aboriginal communities are now starting to develop vegetable gardens as they used to in years gone by. They are certainly important if you are trying to look at the health of those communities. We used to have them many years ago; I was one of the people who was part of that. They certainly seem to have dropped off, and I believe that is something that the government needs to be looking at seriously to make sure it works.
The other area which I discussed last night was energy. The minister said there is going to be some exploration in this area. However, I am interested to know what the government’s policy is on future energy sources for Alice Springs. I believe Alice Springs runs on diesel generation or gas at Palm Valley. However, what is the future of that gas supply - 2009? What are we going to do then?
A member: 2007.
Mr WOOD: 2007?
A member interjecting.
Mr WOOD: Oh, 2011? We have higher bids here. In speaking to a certain company the other day, they were working on the figure of 2009. It would be interesting to know what the government has as an alternative for energy supplies in the Alice Springs area.
I have spoken about hot rocks. I know people might say that is pie in the sky; I do not think it is. It would be interesting to get a statement from the government about their plans for energy in Central Australia because, without a fuel or water supply, Alice Springs will die. It will be interesting to see what the plans are for the government in that area.
They are probably some of the issues that could have been included in the statement. I know that ministers take over some of the areas that the Chief Minister does not put in her statement. Perhaps the initial statement could be far bigger, so that all ministers give their statements up-front so that we can hear what the government is proposing. The method we have here, of course, is that someone else speaks on the subject before the minister has made their statement. It may be best to have a whole-of-government approach to what they think should happen in Central Australia.
Madam Speaker, there are many good initiatives that government has in the statement, but I do not think it has really got to the core of where we should be looking. Without families and communities that are healthy, all of these initiatives can come to nil. I believe the real key to that is lowering the cost of living. The government has it in their hands to try to help do that through the reduction in its own taxes and by trying to at least be proactive in releasing large areas of land so that the market does not go through the roof, and land is affordable for young people. When that happens, you will find that places like Alice Springs will continue to grow. It is such a great place to live, with a great climate, and just a beautiful part of Australia.
Mr DUNHAM (Drysdale): You get bush mechanics, Madam Speaker, and bush lawyers; and me and the member for Nelson, we are bush economists. Some of that is very good stuff. Like others before me, it is important to give your bona fides as to why you should stand up and profess your great affection for the town of Alice Springs. It seems to be the way of this debate that we all stand up and say, ‘I went for a bike ride on the Larapinta Trail and fell in love with the sunset’, or something, as one of our members said. For me, I lived here in 1986. I was the Director of Aboriginal Field Services in a department called the Department of Community Development. My son, Joe, was born at the Alice Springs Hospital, which, I would venture to say, was in much better shape then than it is now, apparently. We were happy to move to Alice Springs. We moved from Katherine, and coming from there, we came to the big smoke.
Many people come to Alice Springs from Sydney or Melbourne or wherever and they think they are in a small town, but we had K-Mart and stuff like that, and we were really quite taken aback. My kids went to OLSH, as did their grandmother, my mother. She was evacuated from the Top End of the Northern Territory when Darwin was bombed and citizens could not return for some time. She went to boarding school here at OLSH, and will tell you stories which will curl your hair about boarding schools and the Catholic school system at OLSH.
My grandmother’s sister, Eileen, had the good fortune to marry a bloke called Gordon Stott who was my godfather. He was a great man, and a great policeman, and was taught in this town by Ida Stanley. He joined the police force, as his father did before him, and he lived at many towns throughout the Territory, including Daly River and Timber Creek. He was the second policeman at Timber Creek, and the first policeman at Elliott. I can say, that due to my job with Aboriginal Field Services, I travelled to most of the communities in this area. I will not profess to have a good knowledge of the Centre, and I will not profess to have a good knowledge of the issues in those communities, however, I have a great affection for this town.
We proudly tell our youngest son, Joe, where his origins and heritage are, and he is proud to be a native of Alice Springs. If you dug through the history of many of the members of this parliament, you would find that Alice Springs features largely in our lives. It is a good thing that we get the opportunity to come to this town, stand up here and proclaim our bona fides as a government and as a putative government, as to what this town means to policy makers and law makers, and what we will do to advance the interests of the local people.
I thought I would divide my speech into three bits. The first is the little precursor about where I come from. The second is statistics, as it is a bit tricky talking about what you are going to do if the statistics do not bear it up. I will talk about the Chief Minister’s road map, which is her speech. We have a speech before parliament and I have a copy of it here somewhere. If you went to the speech, you would be led to believe by the Chief Minister it is her road map for how Alice Springs will grow. She says it in the early part of her speech on page 2 of the statement, and I quote:
- …for this reason I want to outline to all Territorians the goals we have achieved for Central Australia
since parliament last met here, and to set a road map for the coming years.
It is evident to everybody that the government is well and truly cashed up. It is evident from the budget papers, and these are widely available public documents. They are available on-line, or in libraries, or whatever. If they were interested, I would refer members and people from Alice Springs to Budget Paper No 2, 2004-05. It has a glorious chart which shows how fast GST money is growing. It also shows that from the $1.2bn which the CLP received in its last year of government, it is now up to $1.7bn. There is $0.5bn extra coming to the Territory this year, above what the CLP received in its last year. Indeed, the Auditor-General is staggered at the amount of money coming in too, and he provided a report to us in the last sittings of parliament, and said:
- Total public sector financial performance is characterised by strong growth of 9.1% in total revenues offset
by 7.9% in operating expenses.
So we are getting more money in than we are spending. That is what he was telling us.
- The growth in revenues was underpinned by significant increases in revenue from the Commonwealth.
These rose by $197.2m or 10.8% for the year and, of this, the biggest component is GST revenues, which
increased by $166m for the year.
So there is a fair bit of cash floating around. One wonders, therefore, why this masquerade of the black hole, the Chief Minister’s continuing statements about how little was done under the previous CLP government and how we left them with no cash. It is a myth, an absolute myth and it is perpetrated by people who interject and say ‘Yep, yep.’
Mr Henderson: It is the truth.
Mr DUNHAM: It is actually a lie …
Mr Henderson: $214m!
Mr DUNHAM: It can easily be shown. What we told the Chief Minister to do with her first budget was please do not cut the money earners. Do not cut tourism, do not cut primary industries and do not cut mining. Bingo! She got the trifecta; she cut the whole lot of them. And the budget papers reveal it and I have brought copies for people who might think that I was speaking off the top of my head, but I am quite happy to show members of the gallery later on if you want, copies of the budget papers which show those obscene and stupid cuts.
We then have the Treasurer - Mr Numbers himself – who yesterday spoke on this statement. He was really snaky that there was some discussion about a drop in population. I will quote from him, so as not to misquote him, from Debates in Hansard, Tuesday, 22 March 2005:
- We heard a bit about population. The Northern Territory population increased by 713 persons in the June
quarter of 2004. September quarter estimates are due to be released on 23 March.
That is today! Gosh! They might be available to us if we look up the ‘net.
That is a quarterly increase of 0.4%. It sounds a bit modest, but it is the second-highest population increase
in Australia, if you don’t mind, as modest as it is. The Territory’s annual growth to June 2004 was 0.7%.
Unfortunately, Mr Treasurer, we are not talking about the Territory; we are talking about Alice Springs. When you talk about Alice Springs, it is interesting that he uses the growth rate of 0.7% because it does not apply here. Regional growth population is available from the ABS. It is on-line. Again, if people want copies they can come and see me if they like, but it is pretty interesting to go to what is happening here.
Sure, the Territory has grown by 0.7%. He did not tell a porky about that. He is dead right. It did grow by 0.7%. That is building on a decline. So what ABS will tell you is that estimated population growth increase of 1400 people or 0.7% since June 2003 after a slight decrease of 0.1% in 2002-03. The last time we had a decrease was Cyclone Tracy. That is the effect this Labor government has had on the Territory. It has cut the wealth-producing portions of the budget, it has had cash flowing in and it has had people leaving.
Alice Springs, let’s have a look, let’s see how you are travelling down here. I wonder. Page 30 gives you the largest growth and the largest decline. Katherine 2.2%, Alice Springs - and its divided into two statistical divisions – Ross with a population of 7500, a decline 160 or -2.1%; Alice Springs-Larapinta -120, -1.3%. The population here is declining, an incredible statistical fact that seems to have slipped out of both the Chief Minister’s and the Treasurer’s capacity to talk about this.
Why would that be so? It is so because this government has abrogated any sense of leadership in terms of developing this place and we see it if we go to point 3. Having dealt with some statistics, let’s go to the Chief Minister’s statement. The Chief Minister was quite provocative, I thought, when the Leader of the Opposition was speaking, and she was very noisy with a particular interjection. In fact, this interjection occurs 12 times, and despite her being heard in silence, it is frequently peppered throughout the contribution made by the Leader of the Opposition. I will read a couple of them out:
- Ms Martin: Where is your plan, Denis? Where is your plan?
Ms Martin: Why don’t you talk about your plans for the Centre?
Ms Martin: What plan? Come on, Denis, your plan. You do not like ours. Where is your plan?
Where is your plan? I want your plan. Where are the plans for Central Australia?
And on and on and on. This is actually a question from the Leader of the Opposition, where he asked the Chief Minister why it was such a problem down here to put some money in and get this place going. And the Chief Minister said on Tuesday, 22 March 2005:
- … no plans for the future of Alice Springs and the centre. Not a plan! We waited for half-an-hour. There is
a plan spelt out in a lot of detail by government …
That is her speech.
- … and he does not have a response in a strategy for the future of Alice Springs and Central Australia.
If you go to page 9 of your document, Chief Minister, you say there has been no forward planning in the previous five years, and then you go on to mention Alice in 10 a number of times in your document. Well, that is pretty dumb speech writing, whoever wrote this for you, because you have attributed to us all the way through something of our origin and making and construct, and then one of your glossy spin doctors has come in and done the usual political hyperbole over the top of it, but it just does not work.
In Alice in 10, Desert Knowledge - whacky doo! That is one of the ones we had. Mining is at page 11, where I think you say something like it is a wonderful thing to have mining and that has come out of Alice in 10. Likewise, lifestyle, on page 16 of your speech, where you talk about developing events in a number of Alice in 10 projects. So there are at least three or four CLP projects you have pinched and stuck in your speech as a gammon Labor street map, road map, come what may.
What is worse is, I have counted a dozen CLP initiatives that are peppered through this speech. If you want to talk about land and how you have released land, it has taken you years longer than it should have, by taking your own adventurous path through the wilderness, instead of using the statutorily laid down, normal method of dealing with Aboriginal native title. You may proudly claim that you have some wonderful new thing - it is new, that is correct, but it ain’t better, and it certainly takes longer. So forget land.
Charles Darwin University is in your speech. Well, Charles Darwin University used to be NTU, and the CLP fought Labor governments in Canberra to get that going. We fully funded it and we proudly claim it as one of our great ideas.
The old gaol - I wonder who preserved that faade? That was us, too. Pioneer Women …
A member interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: Here a lot longer than you, mate. The Centre for Remote Health - would that be the thing over near the hospital that we talked to Dr Wooldridge years ago about getting? The film industry - the film industry is a good one. I went to a restaurant here once and went into the toilet and there was bloke called Tom Sellick standing there. There was another fellow called Mr Belushi came here. There have been various people come here and make movies in the centre. This ain’t your idea. Great idea, nonetheless.
The arts - well, I am sure people would be interested to know that the art that has been around the world, sold through Sotherby’s and other auction houses for decades, is the wonderful street map of the Chief Minister. Traeger Park - yes, Traeger Park is a pretty good idea too. That is one of the ones we built. The Finke Desert Race - I am sure people are interested to know the Finke Desert Race is one of your little street map things. The Masters Games at page 18. And, of course, the Night Patrol.
Chief Minister, if you want to stand up and scream at the Leader of the Opposition: ‘Where is your plan, where is your plan? Have a look at my plan’, I suggest you get a few footnotes on this document, and start to attribute them to where they are properly attributed. This is the greatest work of plagiarism I have seen in my life. This is pinching ideas from somewhere else, dressing it up - some of them have not even been given a new name. If you are going to pinch someone’s cattle, make sure you put your brand on the top better. This has the CLP brand all over it. If you really want to go out cattle-rustling for ideas, make sure that your over-branding is a bit better.
There are a couple of things in this statement that really stun me - absolutely stun me! She talked about how they have talked to all these train people about coming through Alice now, apparently - trains coming through Alice! It has been a big surprise to a few people and the Tourist Commission must be one of them. The Chief Minister proudly tells us at page 8 of her statement that she has talked to CEO of Great Southern Railways, ‘Got a great idea; got a brochure here I will show you’. This is the commitment she made on behalf of the people of Alice Springs - you should be pleased with this: ‘I made a commitment for the Northern Territory Tourist Commission to work with GSR on this initiative’. Well, blow me down! What are they doing? This is their bread and butter! This is everyday stuff! If the Chief Minister has to give a commitment that the Tourist Commission will work with Great Southern Railways, no wonder we are in trouble! Did they need your permission? Hasn’t someone sitting there at the base level of that department got a duty statement, saying, ‘Please get tourists to Alice Springs, by plane, by boat, by car - whatever. Please get them into Alice Springs’?
The problem you have, Chief Minister, is you have come down here just before an election with something you proudly claim to be all you own work. We know it has been plagiarised. We know that there is scant an idea that has come out of you in the last three years. We know you have much more cash than any previous government in the Northern Territory. We know you are taxing us at greater levels than ever before. We know you cut the money-growing areas of the industries of tourism, primary industries and mining. Those cuts - and I can go back to my quotes in the Parliamentary Record of the day: this is pretty stupid economics, Chief Minister. We are now reaping that economic stupidity and we are reaping it in a way that has seen people leaving this place.
I heard your contribution, Madam Speaker, and I agree with you. The bonds that people make in a neighbourhood are not just bonds of ‘The bloke next door is a mechanic and he works in the garage’. Your kids know each other; you might go to the same BMX club or the same football ground. Heaven forbid! You might even have a beer together and go to the races and share some tips. For those people to be leaving this town is a vast asset loss. We cannot just look at it in terms of: ‘Oh well, we have lost a couple of jobs’. You have lost kids from OLSH; somebody who goes shopping at K-Mart; someone who goes out to the Telegraph Station and has a barbecue; someone who might go down to Kittles and buy a Holden next year. He is not going to buy it next year from Kittles, because he is in Ballarat, Bendigo, Canberra or Melbourne. You have to pull this up. It cannot be just left at the feet of industry to say: ‘You are going to have to come up with some good ideas. Like Great Southern Railway, I will give you a commitment on the work with you’.
Well, good on you, Chief Minister. We need more than a commitment that you are going to work with people. We need a commitment that you are going to put some initiatives into this place. Alice in 10 initiatives - by all means pinch them! They are good ideas; great ideas. Mind you, they are getting a bit old now. Alice in 10 is about eight years ago. Start coming up with a bit of new stuff, particularly since you are going to an election and you ask for people to vote for you for the next four years ...
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I move an extension of 10 minutes to allow my colleague to complete his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr DUNHAM: Thank you, very generous of you.
This statement is a bit short on that. You want to know, if you live in Alice Springs, not that we have Charles Darwin University here, the Finke Desert race, and the Masters Games. You do not want to know that. You want to know what is going to happen in 2009. One of the best ways of judging the future is to look at how accurate we have been with the past. I do not think anyone would take racing tips from this Chief Minister, as she has an abysmally poor record with anticipating a good event. A good event, for somebody who carries the purse-strings, you should be able to influence a bit. You should be able to put your money there and say not only will that horse win, but I will make sure the right tucker goes in the right jockey, and I will get them to the right places. Well, she ain’t even doing that.
The Chief Minister did depart from her speech a couple of times, and that was pretty interesting. The tradition in parliament is to get a speech, come in the next day, make a few notes, and you hear it delivered pretty much as written. One of the most interesting deletions was at page 9 where the Hansard record will show that there is a future thing; here is a government going to do something next term. It starts with, and we are talking about the famous Mereenie Loop: ‘When the sealing of this road is completed in 2007-08 …’ - that was deleted. We do not want an end point in there; we do not want a date that might catch us. Interestingly, that date is within the next four years. This might be something we do not want to be caught on the next term, in the unfortunate event for Territorians that we win, so let us put it in the term after. She talks about how tricky that is going to be, ‘We are going to build this, and it is an ambitious and challenging project’. Ambitious and challenging is climbing Everest. Ambitious and challenging – 260 km of road?
A member: 260 km of road you did not do.
Mr DUNHAM: Give me a break! Did not do it? The interjection is we did not do it. We built thousands of kilometres of dirt road into bitumen …
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: Okay, it might be challenging for you. We used to do it as a matter of chore. We used to have a capital works program and say let us put some seal on the road and the graders would come in. Some of the great companies - and the Chief Minister eulogised Henry Walker Eltin recently and what they used to do. They used to do this ambitious and challenging work. They used to go with graders, scrape the gibbers off the road, put the stuff on, and put the bitumen on. Challenging and ambitious as it was, we built thousands of kilometres of this. If this is a hard one for you, please get out of the way. If that is the hardest thing you are going to do, get out of the way.
The other problem you have is that I do not believe some of the things in here. I know, Madam Speaker, you cannot use the word ‘lie’ and I will not. When at page 6, the Chief Minister says, and this is in relation to the wonderful effort she has done with giving our parks away - so we went to the cocktail party and the Chief Minister said, ‘I love Alice Springs, I hopped on a bike here once, went riding, and had a look at this wonderful park …’, which was put in by the CLP, I have to tell you. Not only the park, but the prison labour that constructed the walk path. Anyway, it was a great thing to see, and I will go back to the quote, page 6:
- That is why my government is proud that we have settled land claims and native title issues in record time:
over 20 national parks in Central Australia at no cost in terms of litigation and without the uncertainty of
pending court cases.
I would like the Chief Minister to confirm to this parliament in reply that her giving away the 20 parks - do not forget that the High Court decision identified 49 parks; Ward said there is a problem with 49 parks - you have given away a big mob of them …
Ms Martin: To whom?
Mr DUNHAM: To people other than the Crown. They were owned by the people, and they are now owned by private interests.
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: You should know this! You should have come to the debate!
A member: Who did we give them to?
Mr DUNHAM: Private interests.
A member: All Territorians.
Mr DUNHAM: No, they have not!
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: This is interesting, people of Alice Springs. What we have here is a minister of the Crown who is pretending that parks which used to belong to everybody and have now been given to sectional interests, is somehow racist for me to say. Rubbish! Hogwash! Hogwash!
If the people do not own them any more, they are given away! Go and do a title search! See if your name is still on the top. It is not. It is gone. You do not own it any more. It is very simple conveyancing. I will tell you: they are gone. That is not what I want you to confirm because we have had that debate. We know the Chief Minister is empowered through three different pieces of legislation, seven muck-ups and a barrage of legal advice to now give our parks away. We know that. We know that and, as tragic as it is, that has happened.
What I want her to confirm, though, is the statement that she has made in this little piece of evidence to parliament and that is ‘at no cost in terms of litigation’. I do not believe that to be the case.
A member interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: How much did Keep cost? The Keep River will probably cost a lot of money. The Keep River people have issued a media release and said that they are going to take this government to court. So good is this great method of negotiating that the people at Keep River are so aggrieved, they are going to see you in court. So at no cost in terms of litigation? Well, I believe it.
The operation of the Ghan: 1000 passengers a week. How many were there last week? What else do we have in here that is worth a look? Desert Knowledge! If it is hard to build a dirt road, if it is hard to put some bitumen down, if that is ambitious and challenging, wait until you get to Desert Knowledge. Desert Knowledge is bold and ambitious. You know who the bold and ambitious people who put it on the plan were? Us! We did that. I did not think we were being bold and ambitious when we did it.
Members interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: I did not have a clue I was being bold and ambitious. I was in Cabinet. We signed off and we said, ‘This is great!’.
Members interjecting.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order! Stop. Everyone stop. We will have no more comments like that across the floor, member for Araluen. I ask you to apologise or withdraw that remark.
Ms CARNEY: What remark?
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: The ‘get your hand off it’ remark, member for Araluen. That is the remark you will withdraw.
Ms CARNEY: I will gladly withdraw that remark, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
Mr DUNHAM: No, I do not mind if he has got his hand on it. Anyway, back - I do not mind. It does not offend me.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order! Member for Drysdale …
Mr DUNHAM: What?
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: We will not have any of that here. Now, you will withdraw that.
Mr DUNHAM: I withdraw, ‘I do not mind if he has his hand on it’. It is withdrawn. Okay.
If you thought it was hard to build a road, the Desert Knowledge is bold and ambitious. I sat in Cabinet, I read the papers and thought, ‘Gee, this is a good idea’, and we put the money in. Little did I know that I was being bold and ambitious. Little did I know. But, here we go! It is a great idea nonetheless and I am glad the Chief Minister takes such a swagger when she talks about it.
The best thing for her to do is to catch a cab, put some sunnies on, a scarf over the head, catch a cab and say, ‘I would like to go to the Desert Knowledge park, thank you’ and see what he tells you. I tell you he will laugh all the way there, and as he drives into Avenue of Honour and you say, ‘Drop me at building 13, will you?’, he will say, ‘No, that is it, lady. Get out here’. It is a little bit of bold, ambitious roadway going in, coming out and out there is mulga scrub. The irony is that this is the repository of great knowledge in the Labor Party. We are going to the world with this little cul-de-sac and they are going to swoon.
It is interesting that the Chief Minister wants to acknowledge the importance and value of the pastoral industry and the government has allocated $3m for roads on the Sandover, Finke and Plenty Highways, $3m. No wonder bold and ambitious comes into it: $3m will not scrape the gibbers off the top of it. If you think the pastoral industry is valuable, you need a lot more than $3m, and we know you have a lot more. You are building a hostel here, an Aboriginal hostel, which Aboriginal hostel people build as well, but you have decided to build one as well – that is $3m – it is cheap. You have a petrol sniffing program that is going to cost $10m. These things make money. These things make cash.
Social programs are good, petrol sniffing is bad, I agree with you: $10m for petrol sniffers; $3m for pastoralists’ roads. That is not a good priority, and …
Mr Henderson interjecting.
Mr DUNHAM: The interjection is, ‘It is not a priority to save kids’ lives’. If you want to enter this debate, mate, about saving kids’ lives, you will call your colleague to apologise because what he did to my colleague, the member for Macdonnell is, given his great strength and fortitude, probably not going to have a massive impact on him, but it does on others, it does on others. So if you want to stand up here and piously claim your morality, mate, you do it in that debate. And you will not bring it on, we know, because of a thing called courage.
Anyway, I will leave it there but, for those members of Alice Springs who want to know how to vote, get this thing and have a read. I will footnote it for you if you want, I will show you where the ideas come from, if you think they are broke, I will show you the budget papers, and if the Chief Minister stands and says, ‘Woe is me’ …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Your time has expired, member for Drysdale.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Industry): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker and, as my colleague said, thank heavens for that. If there was ever a performance that just goes to show the arrogance of the CLP and the member for Drysdale - heaven help if they are returned to government. The arrogance that they were booted out for is alive and well. Again, from the member for Drysdale, an opportunity for the CLP, for somebody who was a minister in the previous government, to put forward their plans and agenda for developing the economy and social fabric of Central Australia, and what did we hear from the member for Drysdale? Nothing but a tirade of tired abuse.
People in Alice Springs, and I am sure every word that is uttered in this parliament is recorded on Hansard, have seen the member for Drysdale in his true colours here, but I will remind people of a comment that the member for Drysdale made in the parliament in Darwin probably 12 months ago now. They certainly have no plans for the Northern Territory, but they certainly believe they have a rightful inheritance in terms of returning to government. The member for Drysdale stood up in the parliament in Darwin, proclaiming how good one of their new candidates was and, in extolling the candidate’s virtues, said that, ‘One day we will return to our rightful inheritance in governing this place’. And that is just what you heard from the member for Drysdale. The arrogance knows absolutely no bounds.
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker!
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is a point of order. One moment please, minister. Member for Drysdale, do not yell at the Chair.
Mr DUNHAM: I did not think you could hear me.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Do not yell at the Chair, member for Drysdale, or I will put you on a caution. What is your point of order?
Mr DUNHAM: My point of order is that if members are quoting other members’ contributions to the Parliamentary Record, it should be read directly from the Parliamentary Record.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Drysdale.
Mr HENDERSON: If the member for Drysdale wants me to dig it even deeper for him, I will get the exact quote, because it was appalling. I can tell the member for Drysdale it will certainly be appearing prominently in our television advertisements in the lead-up to the election. The people of the Northern Territory need to understand that the CLP has no plans for the future of the Northern Territory. They just believe they have a rightful inheritance in terms of governing this place. Well, they do not. What they should be doing in this debate is putting forward bold and courageous plans for the development of the Northern Territory and Central Australia. What we heard from the member for Drysdale was a trip down memory lane and just how arrogant they were when they were in government. I am sure the people of the Northern Territory will have long memories of the 26 years of arrogance when the CLP were in power and the neglect of so many areas of their responsibilities of government. I am absolutely appalled.
I only did two years in opposition, many of my colleagues did many years more, but this is a contest of ideas in this place, and there are always going to be different priorities for expenditure between what the government of the day is spending public money on and what the opposition believes would be a priority for them in government. $3bn is a pretty big budget to identify some priorities, to say, ‘$3m in beef roads, well that is not too much. We would double it or triple it. We would put $10m in, not $3m’. It would not be very difficult to find $10m out of a $3bn budget that you could point to as saying excess glossy brochures, or too much ministerial travel, or too much hospitality and entertainment. There would be many areas where you could find $10m.
However, for the opposition to point to a program to try to reduce the harm caused by petrol sniffing in the Northern Territory as some sort of waste of money or wrong priority for the government to be spending money on …
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: Whether it is $20m or $10m – you are supposed to be a doctor! You should be ashamed of yourself! You should be ashamed of yourself, member for Greatorex. Out of a $3bn budget, you would begrudge the government of the Northern Territory trying to reduce the harm that petrol sniffing causes - not only to individual kids, but to the communities they live in. The legacy cost that those petrol sniffers are going to incur on the budget in years ahead in medical and clinical care is an absolute outrage. Any wonder that the opposition does not like the government calling the opposition dog whistlers because that is exactly what they are doing. They are pointing to this government somehow prioritising money on social programs for Aboriginal people ahead of the economy. Well, as a father …
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: One minute, please minister.
Mr DUNHAM: I am not sure what the word means, but I wonder if the phrase ‘dog whistler’ is allowable under the rules of parliament?
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Drysdale.
Mr Dunham: It is allowable? That is all I am asking.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order, member for Drysdale. Please take your seat.
Mr HENDERSON: As a father and somebody who has been elected to this office, I find nothing distresses me more than going around the Northern Territory and seeing kids walking around with cans of petrol under their noses, and the fact that they are destroying their lives.
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: One of the most significant pieces of correspondence that came across my desk as a minister - again, somebody who is supposed to be a doctor of medicine who had a professional commitment to healing the sick …
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: … it is outrageous that he would deny spending money in this area. Again, it is just beyond …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex!
Mr HENDERSON: … belief, the member for Greatorex. He really is beyond belief. Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, you …
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex!
Mr HENDERSON: Devastation is occurring in the Northern Territory due to petrol sniffing and, as a developed first world country, other states, other countries, and people around the world are looking at the Northern Territory and asking how we can allow this to happen - and continue to happen - in a first world country. Well, again, it is something that does deserve to be tackled. The government is not the entire panacea for this; communities have to take responsibility, as do parents. We cannot sweep this under the carpet.
For the opposition to continually use this expenditure of money in trying to alleviate the harm caused by petrol sniffing in the Northern Territory as some sort of wrong priority or a waste of money is absolutely outrageous. And, like a dog returning to its vomit, the CLP opposition is certainly going back to the sad, old, tired days of the past where they seek to divide and rule this community in the Northern Territory, and return to their rightful inheritance of dividing and ruling.
I urge the opposition that, if they are seeking to enter into a contest of ideas and priorities in expenditure in the Northern Territory, find something else - glossy brochures, travel, find something else, but not petrol sniffing. We will get out to all those communities and say, ‘The first thing that they will cut when they get into government will be the petrol sniffing programs and your kids, as far as the opposition are concerned, can go to heck and back’. That is what we can see from the member for Drysdale: a rightful inheritance, no plan, and a return to the bad old days of divide and rule in the Northern Territory.
Let us move on to the economic debate and talking about the government rolling in money that the CLP did not have. Let us go back to what we did inherit - again, instructive for the people in Alice Springs.
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: This is to do with the budget. Following up on the member for Drysdale, I am sure my colleague, the Chief Minister, in reply will follow up even further.
I remind Territorians of exactly what we did inherit, and the collusion and the falsehoods that were delivered to the people of the Northern Territory in the last budget the CLP produced just weeks prior to the last election. They handed down a budget which projected a budget deficit for the financial year 2002-03 of $9m. Let us look again at a letter from the then CEO, Paul Bartholomew, which was tabled in this House which went to show the member for Drysdale’s complicity in the cover-up …
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: They do not want to hear it because this is the truth. This is not the government. This is the CEO of the Health department, and let me just talk about this.
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: Well, they do not want to hear it. They do not want to hear the falsehoods they perpetrated on the people of the Northern Territory. This is a letter from the then Territory Health Services CEO to the new Health Minister, the member for Nightcliff:
- Attached, as requested, is an explanation of THS’ budget situation for 2000-01 and 2001-02 as compared
to that presented in the last budget papers.
- In summary, there was an artificial reduction of $8m in THS’ 2000-01 budget in order …
A member: $8m?
Mr HENDERSON: Oh, it is only $8m! That is okay. He has finally agreed to it. There was an artificial reduction:
- … so that the 2001-02 budget figure could be presented falsely as a 2.5% increase. In reality, THS’
2001-02 budget represents a reduction on the final 2000-01 approved budget.
- I rang minister Dunham and expressed my alarm at this proposed deception. I advised him that, in my
view, this arrangement would undoubtedly be discovered in the due course by the Auditor-General and
would reflect poorly on THS and the minister.
In addition, I expressed concern that, as a consequence of these artificial adjustments, THS would be seen
to be exceeding its approved budget by $8m when this was demonstrably not the case.
Minister Dunham expressed serious alarm at the information I conveyed to him and he indicated he wished
to be kept informed of all developments.
The minister was continually kept informed as the budget process continued, but there was no change in the
decision to artificially reduce by $8m the 2000-01 budget.
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: He is now saying, ‘Oh, it is only $8m; it does not matter, it is only $8m’. Well, certainly, they would go back there again.
Yes, there are increased revenues coming to the Northern Territory, however, those revenues are being expended in terms of more police out on the beat, more nurses in our hospitals and clinics, more teachers in our schools, a bigger mental health budget, funding for additional resources for the fire services in the Northern Territory and our corrections services. All of that money is being expended on delivering better services to the people of the Northern Territory and record tax cuts.
The member for Drysdale did not mention that the Northern Territory is the lowest taxing jurisdiction for small business in Australia, and that is something that we will certainly keep in place, as a result of record tax cuts. Currently, we are the smallest taxing jurisdiction for small businesses with 20 employees or fewer. From July 1, Territory businesses with 40 employees or fewer will be in the lowest taxing jurisdiction in Australia, a great record from this government.
This myth that people are leaving the Territory in droves - I keep saying that the member for Drysdale needs to get out more. Obviously he is wallowing in his own misery since he was confined to the opposition benches. Again, I will point out to honourable members that we live in a market economy and, yes, I agree with the member for Drysdale, I am a bush economist as well. However, I do know that in a market economy it is all about supply and demand. If you look at the real estate monitor which is not a left-wing, chardonnay-swilling, Labor supporting lobby group. This is the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory, and one of their candidates in Alice Springs is a member. These are not government figures, or an allegation that the crime statistics are all part of some police fabrication on crime figures. This comes from the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory. What does it say about the housing market in the Northern Territory? I will tell you what it says about Alice Springs.
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: There you go, come in spinner. This is for the December 2004 quarter and, again, the member for Drysdale should get out more and actually see what is happening in this great Territory of ours. I quote:
- Alice Springs has seen major growth in the median unit price in the last six months with the total value of
unit sales for the quarter reaching a record level.
Everyone is leaving town, but unit sales are at a record level! Everyone is leaving town, according to the member for Drysdale.
The median price rose again, surpassing the overall Darwin figure for the first time - for the first time! Even when the CLP was in government the overall sales in the unit market had never been above the Darwin market. So this left wing rabble group, the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory, is saying that the market is going pretty well at the moment. People are coming to the Territory and buying real estate in record numbers.
Let us look at the Territory’s growth rate. Let us read this:
- While vacancy rates increased in the September 2004 quarter of 3.8% to 4.1% in the December 2004 quarter,
this is a reduction of 2.5% from the December 2003 period of 6.6%. This is indeed heartening when compared
with the December 2001 quarter when vacancy rates reached 12.7%.
There are graphs in here. When they left office the vacancy rates in the housing and unit markets across the Northern Territory were in the realms of 12%. It is now down to 3.8%. How does that happen when everyone has been leaving the Northern Territory? It then goes on to say:
- Couple this with the abundance of rental stock that has come on to the market …
So more stock has come onto the market since December 2001.
- Couple this with the abundance of rental stock that have come on to the market since 2001 and the Real Estate
Institute of the Northern Territory would suggest that this is another indication that the economic climate in
the Northern Territory continues to be strong.
So, we have the bush economist, the member for Drysdale, saying people are leaving the Territory in droves, we are going backwards at a rate of knots, the economy is in an absolute shambles and one of the fundamental indicators of the economy, the vacancy rate in the housing market across the Northern Territory is at an all time low. So the great bush economist from Drysdale certainly needs to be able to get up and explain how that works to an Economics 101 class. Really, he needs to get out more and see what is happening across the Northern Territory.
Let us talk about Alice Springs. Things are so bad in Alice Springs that people are leaving in droves, no one is going to get any return on their investment. Let us look at the paper for Tuesday, 22 March 2005:
- A $20m holiday resort on the Stuart Highway drive-in site is going to be developed.
So the private sector has just recently invested $20m, which is a pretty significant project here in Alice Springs. Now, if everyone was leaving the joint, if tourism was falling through the floor, if there was no vision for the place - the only people who do not have confidence in the Northern Territory are the mob opposite. They are the only people in the Northern Territory who do not have confidence because investment is at record levels across the Northern Territory at the moment.
The biggest single issue that we are facing is getting enough skilled workers to develop these projects. You get out and talk to any businessman in the construction sector and they say: ‘Look, I would love to tender for this work,’ or ‘I would love to put my hand up,’ or ‘people are approaching me for work all the time and I cannot take it on because I am flat out and I cannot get enough staff.’ If that is an indication of an economy that is falling through the floor, it certainly is not indicative of what is happening out there in a market economy.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, the only people who are doom and gloom about the Northern Territory are the opposition. They have no plan. They have no plan for the Centre, they have no plan for the Top End, and they have no plan for the Territory in between. All they have is a yearning for their rightful inheritance to government, and a very lazy inheritance it was, given the huge problems that we inherited coming to government just three-and-a-half years ago.
I will pick up on the member for Nelson’s comment on the initiatives and investing for families. I could not agree more and it is certainly something that should tax a lot more of this parliament’s debate in terms of how we should be supporting families and investment in the Northern Territory in first homes and, again, one of the legacies that we inherited was the lowest home ownership rate in Australia by a long way. I pay tribute to my colleague, the member for Arnhem and Minister for Housing, for the great initiative of HomeNorth because we have seen, unlike the rest of Australia, a massive increase in first home purchases …
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale!
Mr HENDERSON: … in the Northern Territory. He does not like a good story, you know. He really does not like anything positive. We can see that the first home market is growing rapidly out of proportion, out of kilter with the rest of …
Ms LAWRIE: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I move that the member be granted an extension of time such that he may conclude his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
With regard to the first land release in 10 years, we heard the traditional owners at the welcoming ceremony for the second Alice Springs parliament say it was fantastic to be able to work in partnership with the government to secure the land release at Larapinta. I was out there three weeks ago and drove over the country that is being subdivided. It is absolutely fantastic to see that, for the first time in 10 years, we will have land released, and I am sure a significant number of those buyers out there will be first home owners. There is money in the budget for headworks to open up Mt John, and with the goodwill that has been engendered with the Larapinta land release, we have confidence that that goodwill will flow through to the Mt John land release. It just goes to show that if we work together in partnership in the Northern Territory we can achieve outcomes.
This is a government that is not going to talk about winners and losers. This is a government that is going to talk about partnership. The rhetoric from the opposition about giving our parks away conjures up this picture that the parks are somehow going to be given to Aboriginal people, nobody will be able to access them, the land will be locked up – nothing could be further from the truth. This is an investment in the future, investment in our park estate, and investment in the tourism sector, and has been very visionary. I am absolutely confident, in the years to come, it will be seen as one of the great initiatives and partnerships in the Northern Territory’s history to develop a world-class park estate. Certainly, there is more land release to come.
I did have a prepared speech of all the work that my department is doing in Alice Springs in terms of business growth and the trade support scheme. I will quote from a couple of business people who are investing, who are doing very well, and are not negative like the opposition. I think everybody in this House knows Neil Ross, who said:
- We have used the business growth program to be able to access a consultant to assist us in our ongoing
commitment to continual improvement in our business.
Bill Comley, Alice Coffee Services outside, providing wonderful coffee to the members, said:
- The business growth enabled us to plan for our business for continued growth and financial stability.
I am sure Bill Comley does not see doom and gloom. Roger Oakden, Prime Cut Meat Supplies, said:
- The business growth program allowed our business to assess where it is at the current market and what is
required to make sure it continues to grow in a competitive environment
In a competitive environment more people are coming here to compete, not the doom and gloom that the member for Drysdale would have us believe. I pay tribute to the people in my department in Alice Springs who are doing a great job working with the private business sector.
We discuss law and order in debate all the time, and again, the police in Alice Springs are doing an absolutely magnificent job. Property crime is definitely down 43% in Alice Springs since we came to office, that is a lot of people who have not had their houses broken into that were having their houses broken into when the CLP was in power in Alice Springs and, again, another legacy of an under-funded, dispirited police force with low morale when we came to office. The police are doing a magnificent job. They are clearing up property offences in Alice Springs, and across the Northern Territory. Yes, we still have problems. We are not going to say to Territorians that we have a crime-free society. There is no crime-free society on earth, but certainly all the statistics show that we are heading in the right direction.
As I said at the Chamber of Commerce breakfast the other day, again, the born to rule, rightful inheritance rhetoric of the opposition when they were in power, we can introduce all the laws we like, we can have mandatory sentencing, but what on earth is the point of having legislation like mandatory sentencing which applies when charges are laid, go before the courts, a guilty verdict is found, then mandatory sentencing did apply - and appalling legislation it was at the time. The reality was that there were no cops out there. There were no police out there; they were totally under-funded and under-resourced. We had a pretty tough looking headline, but the reality and impact in terms of output and crime was that crime rates were through the roof. Crime rates have certainly come down across the Territory. We are tough on crime. Unfortunately, the gaols are full - fuller than ever before. However, if people do not break the law, they will not go to gaol.
To try to conjure up this image that the Territory was some Nirvana free from crime when the CLP was in office – well, the facts certainly do not support that rhetoric from the CLP. As I get around my electorate, people are noticing a very big difference in crime. In my electorate, property crime is at its lowest rate in 10 years; the police are seen to be doing a great job; they are visible out on the streets; they are making a great difference. That is where some of that GST money has gone: into resourcing our police force and other areas of service delivery to Territorians.
The challenge for the opposition has to be: when they want to hand back the GST revenue to Territorians, what are they going to cut? What are they going to cut if they are going to do that? Are they going to cut back on the number of coppers again? Stop recruiting for four or five years? Are they going to sack the 100 nurses and the 100 teachers that have been put on? That GST revenue is spent. We have spent it on enhancing service delivery to Territorians and on delivering tax cuts.
That money is committed. To give all of the GST revenue back, to abolish $90m worth of payroll tax and stamp duties - something has to give. Are they going to plunge us back into the red again and send the Territory broke?
It is going to be an interesting contest in the lead-up to the election. We will put our plans to Territorians. The CLP will be there yearning for their rightful inheritance. I am confident that Territorians will make the best choice in the interests of the Northern Territory.
Mr McADAM (Barkly): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, a very hard act to follow in respect to some of the comments that have been made in this House this afternoon. Nonetheless, I speak in support of the Chief Minister’s statement in respect to Central Australia. Like many speakers, I also share the optimism about the potential and capacity of Central Australia – Alice Springs, Tennant Creek – and I am very privileged and honoured to be here today representing the people from the Barkly.
There can no argument that most certainly the future of our region very much relies upon our young people who reside not only in this area but right across the Northern Territory. I had the privilege and honour on Monday to attend the Youth Parliament. I congratulate the Speaker whose initiative it was, I understand. It is something that will bear fruit for the Territory in the years to come. The reason I raise it is because they are our future. It is the young children, the people out there in the communities, the people in the regions, the people in our major towns.
As I said, on Monday I had that privilege and was very proud in particular of the students from Tennant Creek High School. It is important to understand that these children were late inclusions for the Youth Parliament. I know that they were given about two days to do the appropriate research for the matters that they were debating. I also know that schools around Alice Springs had probably in excess of two weeks. The students from Tennant Creek were at least two years younger than the majority of those students who were participating.
The bill they were debating at the time was mental health and how it impacts upon young people, particularly those people who live in the regions - people such as those from Tennant Creek, Yuendumu, and Ali Curung communities. They knew what they were talking about, and they were talking from the heart. They were talking with immense passion, and conviction as they knew what was going on in their communities and they believed in what they were saying. They talked about things like drugs, and issues such as excessive alcohol abuse. These are not just indigenous kids; these are young non-indigenous kids as well. They spoke about issues which are very dear to them at a local level. I do not mind saying that it is probably one of the proudest moments I have been associated with in this House, particularly Monday of last week.
It was truly inspirational, and I want to acknowledge those students here today. I refer to Emma Alexander, Corey Baxter, Nadine Bouchier, Reece Watts, Ben Aldrick, Greg Harmon, Dzenita Zendelli and Nick Rothery. I also pay tribute to the Tennant Creek High School principal and teachers who attended.
I mentioned previously the passion, conviction, and the manner in which they spoke about things which impact upon them, and I referred to alcohol and drug abuse, and that is why I am very concerned. I am disgusted by the actions of the member for Drysdale, not only in this House this afternoon, but over a very long period of time. I know the member for Drysdale. He was born in the Territory and should truly understand some of the situations, some of the problems that are impacting upon our young people. For him to drive the wedge between the black and white communities for the sake of $3m is possibly a return to the bad old days; the days when the CLP, who essentially were first-class in respect to how they drove the wedge between blackfellas and whitefellas in this country. We now have the member for Drysdale going down the same path. I say to the member for Drysdale …
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order Mr Acting Deputy Speaker. I believe the member’s comments contravene standing orders in that he believes that my comments drive a wedge between blackfellas and whitefellas. I think under Standing Order 62 that is offensive and should be withdrawn.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: I do not quite understand what part you find offensive.
Mr DUNHAM: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, what if I had said ‘you drove a wedge between blackfellas and whitefellas’? Would you find that offensive? Use your judgment.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, I do not find a point of order.
____________________
Member Suspended
Member for Drysdale
Member for Drysdale
Mr DUNHAM: Okay, well, I think you drive a wedge between blackfellas and whitefellas!
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Are you addressing me as the Speaker there?
Mr DUNHAM: Yes.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Then I suspend the member for Drysdale from the Chamber for one hour pursuant to Standing Order 240A on account of challenging the Speaker’s ruling.
_______________________
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Please continue, member for Barkly.
Mr McADAM: Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker. Perhaps by way of explanation, there is a gentleman sitting behind me in the gallery. His name is Mr Granites. Like so many other people throughout the Northern Territory, he has contributed much to our community, not just the blackfella side, but the whitefella side. If people want to begrudge Mr Granites and people who live in the bush $3m for petrol sniffing programs, then the member for Macdonnell and others, tell him! Tell him …
Mrs Miller interjecting.
Mr McADAM: … the member for Katherine says it is so wrong.
Mrs Miller: You have it so wrong.
Mr McADAM: I do not have it wrong, member for Katherine. I have it absolutely correct, and you cannot hack it.
A member: You are driving the wedge.
Mr McADAM: I do not have a problem in driving any wedge. I went on radio this morning and I made it very clear what you blokes are up to …
Mr Mills: Yes, you are driving a wedge.
Mr McADAM: … and, Terry – I am not driving a wedge. What I am doing is I am reminding the people who live in the Northern Territory …
Mr Mills: Yes, you are driving a wedge.
Mr McADAM: … that the days of wedge politics are over …
Mr Mills interjecting.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Blain, order! Through the Chair please, member for Barkly.
Mr McADAM: I apologise, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker …
Mr Mills: You are driving a wedge.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Blain!
Mr McADAM: I will get back to what I was going to speak about. There were some other comments made in the House during the course of this debate. I refer, of course, to some of the health issues in Tennant Creek. I would be the first to acknowledge that we have some real health issues in Tennant Creek. About five weeks ago, just prior to the sittings and, indeed, well beyond that time, I had meetings with the Minister for Health, Dr Peter Toyne, and Marion Scrymgour and these discussions have been going over a very long period of time.
We acknowledge that there have been problems, but we do things about it, we try to fix them up, we are human. It is for that reason that I would like to advise today - and there was a media release last week - that there will be senior welfare workers who will commence work in Tennant Creek very shortly. There are two midwives who will also be commencing, and an infant health nurse will be starting at Tennant Creek very shortly. The women’s health position has been filled.
I interjected when the member for Port Darwin was making some comments in respect of the provision of health care in Tennant Creek. I have a lot of respect for the member for Port Darwin because I think she is an honest, decent person, unlike the member for Drysdale and some of his colleagues in this House.
Dr LIM: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker. That is alluding that the member for Drysdale is dishonest and that is not right and he should withdraw that.
Mr McADAM: I did not say ‘dishonest’.
Dr LIM: You did!
Mr McADAM: Sit down!
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: I remind members about Standing Order 62, I believe it is, about offensive or unbecoming words in respect of another member. So, if you did not say that, I won’t ask you to withdraw.
Dr Lim: He alluded to that. He did.
Mr McADAM: Alluding and saying are two different things.
Dr Lim: He should withdraw …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Through the Chair, member for Barkly.
Mr McADAM: Okay, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
Dr Lim: Are you going to withdraw?
Mr McADAM: No.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: I did not ask him to withdraw, member for Greatorex …
Dr Lim: I asked for a ruling …
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Do you have a point of order, member for Greatorex?
Dr LIM: My point of order is that I asked you to get him to withdraw. He intimated that the member for Drysdale is dishonest, and he is not.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, he did not do that, member for Greatorex. There is no point of order.
Mr McADAM: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, as I mentioned, the women’s health worker position has been filled. What I was saying about the comments made by the member for Port Darwin is that she got it a bit wrong because there is an occupational therapist in Tennant Creek, and there has been, as there is a domestic violence worker.
The other matters which are being addressed are that there is a speech therapist, a physiotherapist and a dental service at present which is being provided on a three-weekly basis from Alice Springs. Of course, once these positions are filled, they will be based in Tennant Creek.
The member for Port Darwin referred to Dr Tonga, our local GP, who chose to move to Darwin for personal reasons. Dr Tonga is a much valued and respected member of our community in Tennant Creek, as he will be in Darwin. I am not too sure what the member for Port Darwin was referring to, but I think it should be made clear that I do not think Dr Tonga left because of what was occurring in Tennant Creek; there were other personal reasons and we should respect that. We should not draw conclusions as to why people make decisions unless we really know.
This morning, there was a meeting chaired by the Mayor of Tennant Creek in respect of the GP’s position. It is very difficult to recruit. Most people would be aware that there is a shortage of doctors right across Australia, and the Northern Territory. I was told last night there are about 10 vacant positions in the Northern Territory. Territory Health has offered a surgery, and I know that the Tennant Creek Town Council is working with the local community and Territory Health Services to have a look at other possibilities for recruiting people. I might relate this: I spoke to a friend of mine who is a GP last night seeking advice on how we might go about recruiting a doctor into Tennant Creek. He advised me that, for about 55 hours a week in a surgery in Darwin, where you have no overheads or no costs, they are normally a consortia, you are just a GP in a practice …
Dr Lim: Just a GP!
Mr McADAM: Well, just a GP, okay, I apologise if that offends you, I do.
Dr Lim: It offends the GPs of the Territory.
Mr McADAM: I apologise. Well, I apologised, what else do you want? I was advised that a GP in the Northern Territory on about 55 hours a week without having to run a GP practice could earn possibly in excess of $255 000 a year. That is what you are up against in terms of recruiting GPs, doctors into the remote communities. Then you have to find appropriate housing, probably a vehicle and a package which is going to attract people. I say that to alert people to how difficult it is.
The other matter which is very important is that the Department of Health has indicated that they will be looking at the placement of a regional health services coordinator into Tennant Creek, and that position will work within the community across other stakeholders for a period of about 12 months, and basically it is to look at our existing service and how we can enhance that, and enhance it out of Tennant Creek, being a service centre.
The other issue which the member for Port Darwin referred to is Children’s Services. I have already mentioned that there will be two workers who will be starting pretty soon and, hopefully, there are still negotiations going on, but the Family At Risk program - there is some potential for that to be outsourced to an NGO and to have a look at how we can enhance that, and I really do trust that will occur.
There are a number of issues that I wanted to address but I am not going to have the time. One has been the provision of air services in Tennant Creek. People would be aware that Airnorth basically pulled the services around 5 January this year. Airnorth is a great Northern Territory company. They have provided great service up and down the track but, very clearly, the numbers were not there so they made that decision. Aboriginal Air Services, a small indigenous company which started 23 years ago and services much of the country round this region and Central Australia, were approached to see whether they could fill the gap. Over a period of time, they were able to negotiate with the local community and Giants Reef about providing a service.
Most people will be aware that they commenced their services into Tennant Creek on 10 January with minimal numbers but, as of last week, there is a 70% occupancy rate of Aboriginal Air Services. They do not receive government subsidies, other than a $50 000 contribution from the Northern Territory government in respect to some of the airstrips between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. They started with two days a week and they are now looking to go to four days a week. They have gone to America to look at purchasing another plane. To me, that is a great milestone for an indigenous company, a Northern Territory company, which has taken the risk.
It is for that reason that I raise it, because the CLP candidate for the Barkly, Val Dyer, whom I respect, has contributed much to the Northern Territory. However, I say to Val: do not go down the track of referring to it as a tin-pot company just because it is an indigenous company. Do not go down that path because it is not going to get you anywhere. Just respect them for the efforts and contribution that they have put in, and the dollars they are investing in it. I am surprised that the member for Katherine did not make mention of Aboriginal Air Services because she may not be aware that they will be commencing a service between Darwin and …
Mrs Miller interjecting.
Mr McADAM: Yes, I know, because I told you in November last year, because you were being negative, carping, whinging and a whole lot of other things. Anyway, I thought I would just do it for your benefit and you could send it to your friends in Katherine.
But you will be aware that they start – when is it?
Mrs Miller interjecting.
Mr McADAM: I am asking you! You know all about it! I will tell you when they are starting. They are starting on 4 April 2005. They will be flying from Darwin to Katherine …
Mr Henderson: With no government subsidy.
Mr McADAM: No government subsidy. They will be leaving Katherine at 10.30 every morning and they will be coming back from Darwin 3 pm every afternoon. Obviously, they see a new market. The other thing is that there is some discussion taking place that, potentially around May, you could see flights from Darwin bypassing Katherine, landing in Tennant Creek to Alice Springs and return. That is something to look forward to.
Mrs Miller interjecting.
Mr McADAM: You draw your own inference. The other thing …
Mr HENDERSON: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I move an extension of time to allow my colleague to complete his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr McADAM: Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I will not be much longer. Other speakers have spoken about the mining and pastoral industries, and I would just like to touch on them very quickly. I have one concluding point.
People will be aware that the mining industry in Tennant Creek is going reasonably well. Giants Reef remains on target in respect to their production. They are looking at two other potential mines around that area, and I refer to Golden Kangaroo and Black Snake. This will add jobs and economic opportunities in the town and enhance existing businesses. I raise this in a context that when Malbec West’s mining management plan was committed to government, to the minister for Mining, it took a six week period from the moment it was lodged until they actually started the open pit. That is world’s best practice. That is why the Northern Territory government, including the Chief Minister, the minister for Primary Industry and the Minister for Mines and Energy, are respected in the industry. The industry understands that they have the capacity to deliver. I will give a challenge to the Minister for Mines and Energy - the same challenge applies to Golden Kangaroo and Black Snake. Let us see if we can beat six weeks should they decide to go ahead.
The other mine is Bootu Creek which is 110 km north of Tennant Creek - a manganese mine producing some 600 000 tonnes of manganese which will go via rail to the port and then to China. I was out there two weeks ago, and I was very impressed with the operations. The road is almost complete and will be at the end of April. The actual mining area is now commencing and they have a village there for some 80-odd people. I do know that many local businesses have work over the duration of that project.
I share with the pastoral industry concerns about a lack of rain, particularly in those areas south of Tennant Creek and even a little to the north. Those people are doing it hard. I know that some of them are agisting cattle interstate, and are looking for other properties to agist. I am absolutely confident that the minister for Primary Industry is on top of that. I know he has had discussions with his counterpart, the shadow opposition spokesperson, and I think they both share the view that there could well be a time when some options are put in place to address that. Having said that, people should also be aware that cattle prices remain high and, indeed, there are some cattle properties to the north of the Barkly which are opening up more country. They are bringing 25 000 head of cattle in from interstate; they are buying, and all that augers well for the Northern Territory.
In conclusion, and I say this in a constructive way, as you travel throughout the bush communities you really do understand and appreciate, and you respect the efforts which they put in - not only indigenous people but non-indigenous as well - and they work hard under some very trying circumstances. I am referring now to a couple of indigenous communities. Everyone would have heard of the term ‘mutual obligation’, and it is something which has been pushed by Minister Vanstone and the Prime Minister. I do not think anyone has a problem with mutual obligation, and I know there are some communities which agree with it. In the case of Corella Creek in my electorate, they want to run a VET work program with Brunette Downs, which is great. I guess what ICC is saying to them is, ‘That is okay. If you want to do that, get your get your kids into school and we will have a look at options in respect to funding, say, a vehicle’.
Where you have that agreement, it is good. However, what concerns me is that there are some communities which were once recipients of CDEP, and if you are a person on CDEP, you are worth about $3000. If you live in a place like Lake Nash and you have 110 people on CDEP, you have an income of around about $330 000. You use this for the women’s programs, rubbish collection, night patrol, and for a whole host of essential service-type programs, which would not otherwise be funded. I hope we do not go down the path of willy-nilly propping up big regional service providers. In the case of that community, they are entitled to $330 000. They received $69 000 last financial year to run a program, which they ran the year before at $330 000, and there was something like $700 for their women’s program. I am asking members to be aware of that, because increasingly there is a gutting of dollars into the bush, and we should make every effort to ensure that the hopes and aspirations of people living in those small communities are those which are shared by people who live in the bigger regions such as Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, as the member of parliament with responsibility for representing the people of Blain, I also have responsibilities as a shadow spokesman from the opposition, and to that end I have taken the step of ensuring I am in the Centre every four to six weeks. That sounds like a noble thing, however, underneath that, is a delight in being here. It is a wonderful place to be. Many of us have stories of our homes, and just as the previous speaker referred to remote Australia, I grew up in the dry and dusty mid-west of Western Australia. Many Australians would have the view that Central Australia is hot, dusty, dry and miles from anywhere, and we sometimes forget the distinct and unique pressures that are upon those who seek to strive to make a living and create a future in remote communities.
I enjoy coming to Alice Springs and learning about the Centre. As someone who has a little interest in history, I have not done enough research on Alice Springs, but I had occasion to visit the Telegraph Station last year with my parents because I kept telling them Alice Springs is a marvellous place to visit and they should come. We had a magic afternoon at the Telegraph Station where we were entertained by Mr Alex Ross. Mum and Dad still speak of him and of the time they spent as he told us stories about the history of that section. What attracted our attention was that the spring on the Todd River was named after Alice Todd. We all know that. We know the Todd River and we know The Gap all have names. But who were they named by? We learned it was named by a Mills and, of course, we were further curious about this Mills. I had a strange experience when I arrived in the Northern Territory. An old Aboriginal lady eyeballed me and said, ‘You’re a Mills from Alice Springs.’ I said, ‘No, I have never been to Alice Springs’. Anyway, that is spooky and I will visit that at another stage.
However, what I did discover was that this gentleman, I think it was Charles Mills, had the authority of the Governor of South Australia to name certain places in Central Australia. As a modest gentleman, he named places after other people, particularly his benefactors and sponsors, which is not the form of the current government which seeks every opportunity to name things after themselves and claim credit personally. Had Mr Mills named certain features within Central Australia after himself we would have Mills River, perhaps Mills Springs and Mills Gap, but he named none of those things after himself.
We do recall that there are signs all over the place, some of which were reluctantly removed by the Chief Minister, which were promoting the Labor government and their great initiatives. An interesting one was removed at the cul-de-sac of knowledge - for two reasons: it was an embarrassment to have it there because in fact it did not show any great initiative or progress; and it was blatantly dishonest and the federal government kicked up a fuss because it was largely federal money that was in that aspect of the project, and glory was being claimed by this government. We see that with glossy brochures left, right and centre, and a massive exercise of self-promotion from one end of the Territory to the other.
Anyway, back to Mr Mills. He was encouraged to name something after himself, so he went so far as to name The Gap ‘Heavitree Gap’ after the primary school he went to in Devon in the south of England. That is when our interest was raised because that is where our forebears came from, just near Heavitree, near Tottness, and so that leaves a question which I prefer not to be answered. We can make the assumption that we are related without investigating it any further.
I will contain my remarks most generally to tourism, but, time permitting, I may wander further. The tourism potential of the centre of Australia is unquestioned, as it is for the Northern Territory. The centre of Australia has some unique features. I acknowledge the great work of Liz Martin and her team at the Transport Hall of Fame and the sheer enthusiasm of communicating the wonderful transport heritage of our nation housed in Central Australia. They need massive support and should have it, both now and into the future, and they will have it, I am sure, from both sides of government.
I have already mentioned the Telegraph Station. I have been hosted at Panorama Guth on a couple of occasions by Mr Terry Lee and all those who have supported that enterprise and kept that going, tremendous potential. I have heard wonderful stories from people who have travelled from other places in Australia and have visited that place and go away with stories to tell and tell other people they should come. I have visited Hermannsburg with the member for Macdonnell on a couple of occasions. That is a marvellous place to visit. There are some tremendous stories of the heritage of that place with the missionaries and the work they have done and what still stands there today. There is a certain vitality there and we all know about Albert Namatjira.
I was in the United Kingdom in the year 2000, and I was again reminded of what a place we live in, what great potential the Northern Territory has as a tourism product. On television, in the quietness of my hotel room, I saw the Northern Territory three times. That is why films that are created within the centre of Australia and right across the Territory are so important - they communicate into hotel rooms, cinemas, on television right around the world, what marvellous icons we have here, what tremendous features we have that attract the attention of the world, and we even have interstate and international film crews coming to the Northern Territory to capture this unique vision.
On that, I specifically refer to the great work of David Curl. I have seen two of his films and I am deeply impressed by his work in communicating and capturing that which is unique, particularly about the centre of Australia, and communicating it right around the world, and acknowledge the recognition that he has received internationally. If you put a figure on how much it would cost to communicate and to translate images of the centre of Australia around the world, our budget would not be able to contain it. There is tremendous value from film, and that is why film should be fully supported. I acknowledge the Chief Minister’s comments on this, but I, for one, will ensure that the film industry of the Northern Territory receives very strong support because it can promote this unique place in a way that I believe has not yet been properly realised.
Two days ago, I met Warren H Williams, and it was tremendous to catch him again, and to be reminded that everywhere he and John Williamson sing, they sing It’s Raining on the Rock, communicating what a wonderful place we live in, and that image of the Rock and having Warren singing away - he is probably in Sydney again, I believe he flew out - we have this magic place being promoted. The potential is unquestioned. But what is questioned is which of Australia’s tourism ministers, of state or territory, consistently raises SARS, 11 September, Twin Towers collapse, the Bali bombing, the Ansett collapse as reasons why the tourism industry is facing difficulty? Which of Australia’s state or territory ministers consistently raises these as reasons why we are having a difficult time? There is only one: our Chief Minister, the Minister for Tourism and the member for Fannie Bay.
Yes, tourism in the Northern Territory is facing some immense difficulties. The evidence of these difficulties is contained in the Chief Minister’s own publications or publications from the Tourism Commission when they realise their tourism statistics - their key results. This is evidence of the real difficulties that Territorians are facing. Behind these figures are resilient, tough and enterprising Territorians from one end of the Territory to the other. Despite difficult times, they are continuing on as true Territorians, but these figures indicate how difficult things are.
The Centre has lost 102 000 visitors since 2000-01, evidence of the difficulty the tourism industry has and is facing – 102 000 fewer visitors. In one year alone, from 2002-03 to 2003-04 – this is the most recent - there has been a reduction of 54 000 visitors to the centre of Australia. It is unquestioned potential, but we are receiving significantly reduced flows of visitors to the Centre. The Northern Territory has received 826 000 fewer visitor nights than 2000-01. That is close to a million less than 2000-01. The Chief Minister looks puzzled. Chief Minister, check the web site of the NT Tourism Commission statistics. I will pass them across to you later on. These are facts.
Since 2000-01, the Northern Territory has seen 35 700 fewer backpackers. However, are other tourism ministers raising the spectre of SARS or the Bali bombings as reasons for the reduction of figures? What about the Ansett collapse? Are the other tourism ministers standing up and saying: ‘We are similarly experiencing very difficult times and it is because of SARS, the Bali bombings and the Ansett collapse’. Or perhaps it is Krakatoa! Who know what it is, but there is definitely a reason for it. The fact is there is only one minister who is saying such things, because New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria had more backpackers today than they had before. Whilst we have lost 826 000 visitors, Queensland and other states have increased. There are fewer visitors to the Northern Territory, and those who are visiting are reducing their stay.
Chief Minister, why is that so? You are charged with the responsibility of taking up the real challenge and providing real leadership to the tourism industry involving true Territorians who are resilient, but are experiencing plainly difficult times.
If this as a business was receiving a reduced turnover, it would have a clear economic effect. Well, it does have an effect on the economy. On your own web site, you have a calculation of the economic value of tourism. From that data you can work out what is the average value that a tourist brings to the Northern Territory. These figures are frightening when you consider the economic effect of this reduction of numbers to the Northern Territory. It has made a real difference. Notwithstanding, to be fair - because I am not gilding any of these figures; I am speaking plainly from your own figures - this is a reference that would not be contained in any statement that the Chief Minister would make. People have had enough of the gloss, the hype, and the spin and they need to be recognised for the difficulties they are actually facing.
We have talked about a range of economic difficulties in the Northern Territory. I do not think we need to look much further than how much revenue has been lost to the Northern Territory as a result of the Territory - and the Territory alone - receiving such a reduced share of tourist visitors to the Centre and to the Northern Territory, generally. From 2001-02, you calculated in your own publication that the average return of one visitor was $605. Up until today’s figures, tourists are spending more money on average - and the average is $773 per head. We have actually lost in one single year 91 000 international visitors. That is just from last year.
We are having a fair bit of gloss and hype with the minister creating the impression in the community that they are out there; they are in the region. Well, he must be doing something in the region that is causing people not to come here, particularly within our immediate region. There are 28 000 fewer from our immediate region who chose not to come last year. That is a reduction of 51% from our immediate region. There are also 27 000 fewer from Europe, a drop of 35%; 22 000 fewer from North America, a drop of 29%; and the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia dropped by 14 000 - the only saving grace there was that they actually spent a little extra money so it did not put us so far behind. Nonetheless, it was 91 000 fewer.
It is not a difficult calculation to make that if we had have received 91 000 visitors, rather than go back the other way, it would have translated, in the Chief Minister’s own figures, as an in-flow into our economy of $70.34m. That is turnover. That is money which would have flowed into the Northern Territory economy. It did not because 91 000 international visitors chose other destinations.
What about the centre of Australia? 102 000 fewer visitors to the Centre under the time most of those in the Labor government Cabinet have had a shot of being tourism minister. During that time, the Centre has received 102 000 fewer visitors. If I make a reasonable calculation on the more modest figure - not to inflate these things and to provide gloss to suit my own argument, but on the Chief Minister’s own data, that is a loss to the centre of Australia, to the tourism industry and all that is related to tourism of $62m to $79m which has not flowed into the Central Australia tourism industry. That is turnover. It is people choosing to buy an extra cup of coffee, another night at the hotel, another restaurant meal, some more souvenirs, or perhaps another trip. That, bit by bit, has had an effect on the entire industry here in Central Australia. In the last year, this is turnover which was lost to the industry on the Chief Minister’s own calculations. You will not find this, of course, in that nice statement, and that is a loss of $42m on those same figures.
That should be evidence enough that the tourism industry is facing some real challenges. We have established that the tourism industry has huge potential, and that it faces real challenges, however, we do not find those real challenges addressed in any real way within the Chief Minister’s nice statement. We should have. If real leadership is to be provided to the tourism operators, and all those who are related to the enterprise of tourism within our community, we should have the addressing of the real challenges, and to overcome real challenges, we need ingenuity and commitment. These are the issues which need to be addressed if we want to progress tourism. We need to remove the presence of public drunkenness and antisocial behaviour. We need to have tourists leaving here with better stories to tell than recounting their meeting drunks and beggars. I am not over-inflating this - and before we get sensitive on the other side - I have taken the time to listen to those who drive coaches. I asked them what people talk about on their first visit to many of our places in the Northern Territory, and that is one sight that causes concern and conversation that needs to be dealt with.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I move for an extension of time to allow the member for Blain to conclude his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr MILLS: Thank you. These are the issues which must be contained with any meaningful address so people can gain confidence in parliament and the office of minister, so we make a difference rather than a good show for ourselves for our next round at the polls.
It is to deal with real issues as we have a tonne of good people out there who need real support. They need someone to identify the real challenges, and to recognise and honestly address them. We need things such as getting that second regular flight from Sydney back into the Centre of Australia. Make it happen. You have been given a shot. Make it happen. Do not stand on the sidelines and issue a media release when it looks like the wind is blowing in the right direction, then when it blows in the other direction stand back from it and hope that it will all turn out. Get in there and provide leadership and make it happen!
Second, make sure you make strong leadership claims on driving the international airport status for Alice Springs rather than issuing media releases when a plane arrives at Uluru and claim that is a result of your conversations with people in Japan. We need to have this Chief Minister standing up for the airport and arguing for that elevated status for Alice Springs. These issues need to be addressed. With your increased budget allocation of $27m it is very hard to get information as to exactly what you spent that on. Journalists ask and are told to go away and do their homework: ‘We are not telling you’. Whose money is it? They are reporting on behalf of the wider community. It is Territorians’ money that has been entrusted to this government to produce a result. My comments this evening have demonstrated that the results are very scant.
So, Chief Minister, you have taken this course. Spend your budget: $41m you have allocated and you have only spent $18.5m on my understanding. It is very difficult to get information. Give a very clear account of the dollars that are spent and what we are getting for it. I just cannot believe it. I am hearing, since the very beginning of your time on that side of the Chamber, the Mereenie Loop with breathless enthusiasm for the wonderful vistas that it will open up and the great support that it will provide for tourism. What we actually see in black and white is that there are three tenders, and this is on the eve of an election after a full term, and the first tender has not actually been let. The road has not progressed an inch. We have had a tonne of talk, enough talk to pave the bloody road! We have not had it changed one inch! We have had talk.
Read your own statement, Chief Minister, and you will find three contracts that are talked about, and the average person would think: ‘Gee whiz, I would like to trust these guys, but when you read it, nothing has actually happened’.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Blain, do watch your language.
Mr MILLS: I heard another bit of gloss and hype at the breakfast the other day. It was said fairly quickly and those who would let it pass would probably not pick it up; but we talk about The Ghan and the passengers on The Ghan and how wonderful that is that we have 1000 passengers a week. When you translate that, it is probably about 50 000 a year travelling on The Ghan. They were referred to very cleverly by the Chief Minister - she is very good at this - she said there are 1000 potential travellers on The Ghan to Central Australia. They let that pass. One thousand, they heard. Well, I ask you Chief Minister: how many actually break their trip here in Central Australia? How many do? There are 1000 who travel; they get on in Adelaide and they get off in Darwin, but how many of these potential 1000 have you actually tapped? I think the figure is actually more like 5%. So you can say that in a way that it sounds like 1000 people are getting off here and running up and down the mall and buying coffee and sandwiches and the like, but it is nothing like 1000 people. There are not many people who break their trip here.
What about dealing with another issue? Provide that leadership, Chief Minister, to ensure that our disabled have a more dignified means of leaving the train when it pulls up in Alice Springs rather than a forklift and a cage.
What about the parks? Please assure us, as you have not been able to do so far, of how much it will cost Territorians to lease these parks back. Will the tourism industry be given a guaranteed freedom of access? That has never been given, not clearly. That has not been given. There have been many fine words spoken during the course of these sittings, and many more things I would like to talk about.
I would like to finish, though, with reference to the way this started on Monday with the young people in this Chamber. I believe I speak for every member who had the time to either have breakfast with them, or listen to them through the course of their debate during the day. It was inspiring and those are the sorts of occasions that lift each one of us. We just look and think a little more deeply about our role as parliamentarians because those young ones demand that we play a better game. I take that challenge from watching these young ones, as I do from those who are in business, and those in the tourism industry.
The figures that I have outlined here are not really presented to score a point from government but they are to demonstrate that, for anyone who has any understanding of taking a risk in private enterprise and having your turnover reduced, it makes things very difficult.
Everybody who works here in the Centre and right up and down the Territory knows the great potential of the place. They have chosen to live here, they have chosen to invest now, they have a dream, they have a belief in what this place can produce, but currently, the truth is the figures are not encouraging. Yes, I know the Chief Minister can say there has been an upward trend and whatnot but, nonetheless, we have to acknowledge that there has been great pressure placed upon many average Territorians who are having very difficult times over the last few years, and in all the gloss and hype of going into an election, it may be overlooked that there are many Territorians who have had a very difficult time. I hope that there are better days ahead.
I hope that this new and latest advertising campaign works, and that the Chief Minister provides real leadership on this, rather than standing on the side, putting the public servant out there and watching how it goes and giving little bits of strategic comment. If it goes well, I am sure the Chief Minister will be there front and centre; if the wind blows in the wrong direction, well, I think the Chief Minister will stand somewhere else.
Chief Minister, my advice to you, and you probably do not want to take it from me, is that to make this happen you need to get out there at the front and sell it. Push it hard, commit yourself to it, tie yourself to it, and run all the way through and excite people about the Territory, because there are stories to tell. It is a great place, and it is far more than rocks and rivers. There are people behind every great story, and the Territory has massive potential …
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr MILLS: Oh, you are a wag! The truth is, the Territory has massive potential and that potential is in the people and I believe that will be released with real leadership in the Northern Territory.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank members for their contribution. As the tourism spokesman for the opposition has just spoken, I cannot start my address without talking about what he has just said. I know that sometimes it is difficult to get across initiatives, and what is happening in tourism, but to stand up here, and expect to get credibility, when you say the Territory is more than rocks and rivers, it is about our people - what do you think Share Our Story is about? What do you think? You have the Opposition Leader who says it is virtually save our souls, and you are calling for us to do exactly what we are doing, which is a very interesting thing …
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, would you address your remarks to me and not the member for Blain.
Mr Mills interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes, member for Blain, you have had your say. Let us settle down.
Ms MARTIN: It is a serious issue, and I am happy to address my comments to you, however, when the member for Blain was speaking, he did not address the comments to Madam Speaker. When he was speaking, he very specifically addressed his comments to me and said, ‘she’, ‘Chief Minister this is my advice to you’, so excuse me for just slipping a little.
The issue of Share Our Story, the brand refresh for the Territory, is an exciting one. When you have the shadow tourism minister exhorting me to think of more than rocks and rivers when we sell the Territory and think of our people, he is in direct conflict with the Opposition Leader who thinks the whole Share Our Story is a load of rubbish. That is echoed by the member for Port Darwin. Therefore, the opposition cannot get their stories right. The shadow minister thinks it is a great idea and is exhorting me to actually lead the whole campaign, and the Opposition Leader thinks it is a load of rubbish. I would like a consistent line.
I got bagged by the member for Blain for saying that there were factors that affected the Territory’s tourism industry. He said that no other tourism minister has actually referred to some of those world factors that affect the tourism industry. Let me just state some facts here. Let us go back to 2001: 50% of the Territory’s tourists were international. We were proud of that; that was terrific. That compared with 25% who were international visitors in all other states, on average. Here we are, 50% of ours are international, and we have some very big international events that affect tourism. If you use your brain, you will see that, logically, it is going to have a more dramatic effect on the Territory’s tourism numbers, proportionately, than any other place. It makes sense, and that is why it has had such a dramatic impact on the Territory.
What we heard through his half-hour diatribe from the opposition’s spokesperson on tourism - almost gloating in the fact that we had lost numbers of tourists, and not ever recognising the strategies, the additional dollars, the marketing strategies we have put in place - is typical of what we have heard from all opposition spokespersons on various things through this whole debate. It is a gloating on the negative, a lack of confidence in our future and is absolutely typified by the Opposition Leader who said we are all mediocre; who said this wonderful Territory is all mediocre.
Ms Carter: Your government …
Ms MARTIN: No, it was not. It is all very well for the member for Port Darwin to say he was saying, ‘Your government’. He did not say that, he said, ‘The Territory is mediocre’.
Which Territorian would put their hands up for an Opposition Leader who thinks that this wonderful Territory of ours - this inspirational Territory with Territorians who are innovative and imaginative and committed to this place – is mediocre? That was the most telling comment in everything we have heard in this debate.
We heard from all ministers the achievements and cohesive plans that the government has in place in Central Australia - and done with pride. I thank my colleagues for their contribution. In stark contrast, from the opposition members, we heard only one thing very clearly – bagging the Territory, bagging what has happened. They certainly have no plans for the Territory. We heard the member for Drysdale bag what the government is saying about Central Australia, about putting money and resources into Central Australia. We have initiatives and there are none from the opposition. We listened carefully to what the opposition members said - no plans. Stood up here …
Ms Carter: You will get it.
Ms MARTIN: Oh, the member for Port Darwin says, ‘You will get it’. Oh, great! This is an opposition which has plans for the future, but where are they? Silence! There was no better opportunity than being here in Alice Springs with the Alice Springs community supporting the parliament being here, for the opposition to outline the plans they have for the people of Central Australia. However, they did not, and that is because they have no plans, no ideas and, basically, no commitment to Central Australia.
The negativity! How can you say that you have a commitment to Central Australia when all we have heard is negative comments? All we have heard is negative comments about the people of Central Australia and the mediocrity of Territorians, and criticism for spending money.
What did the Opposition Leader say? The Opposition Leader said the Chief Minister talks about hundreds of millions of dollars going into Central Australia, but it means nothing to people who worry about $10. Criticising us for putting money into police, the health system, education, and infrastructure. He says it means nothing! The negativity we have heard consistently from the opposition I find bewildering. Opposition does not mean you have to oppose everything, that you have to be negative. Opposition has to mean that you have alternative plans and ideas; and if you are going to judge the opposition by what the Opposition Leader said - and all we ever hear in Question Time is questions from the Opposition Leader - then the Opposition Leader has no ideas about the future for Central Australia and is critical of every single thing, including the spending of dollars, that this government has done.
The opposition, typified by the Opposition Leader and the member for Drysdale was a close second, consistently talked down the strength of people and communities in the Central Australian region. They dismissed the achievements of our businessmen and women, and belittled the hard work carried out by our public servants. They talked down the Territory, they all bagged the Territory, and the quote from the Opposition Leader that the Northern Territory is mediocre compared to the rest of Australia! Madam Speaker, I am sure as a local member here, you would not agree the Territory is mediocre. I am sure the member for Araluen would find that a very harsh comment on her community, but she did not stand up and say so.
Mr Elferink: Perhaps he was referring to your government …
Ms MARTIN: Oh, perhaps, says the member for Macdonnell, they are referring to our government. That is not what the Opposition Leader said.
Mr Elferink: It is actually what he said.
Ms MARTIN: That is not what the Opposition Leader said, and you can go to the Hansard and have a look.
We have brought the parliament to Alice Springs, to Central Australia, and we are proud of it, and the opposition bags it. Bags Central Australia and, with that mediocre comment, bagged the whole of the Territory. Any sign of optimism about the future of the Centre, about prospects for tourism, about the future of educational results? The opposition binds together and mounts a concerted campaign to douse it with doom and gloom. You could say negativity is often a sign of laziness. It is much easier to bag something than to come up with plans of your own. You would have to then draw the conclusion that we have here a very lazy opposition, resorting to criticism and negativity, rather than coming up with any plans of their own.
Looking at the contribution from the opposition, it is very confused. They are so determined to bag everything, they start forgetting what they are attacking. In almost the same breath, they attacked the government for spending too much money - that is what the Opposition Leader said, ‘You are spending too much money’ - and then we get bagged for not spending enough money. The Leader of the Opposition says we are spending too much on education; but then says in the next breath that we need to spend more. He says we are spending too much on health, but then again, that we need to spend more; and he says we are spending too much on police, but then turns around and says we need to spend more.
You would have to say that this opposition will do or say anything, and you say those things because you have no plans and no ideas. Apart from this confusion where you say one thing, and then the opposite in the next breath, many of the things you say are simply plain wrong. This opposition is plain wrong on GST revenue, and I suspect they know it. Our population, according to many of the speakers from the opposition, is declining and they gloat and rub their hands together. They are wrong: our population is increasing. In May last year, our population was forecast to grow at 0.3%, however it has grown at 0.7%. This puts us among the strongest population growth in the country. Do you think the opposition would cheer it? No, Madam Speaker. No support for this. No ‘what do we do with this growth in population’, just saying, contrary to the facts, that the population is declining. What did the Opposition Leader say? He said, ‘Population is decreasing’ and he gloated that removalist companies were the only ones making money as they moved people south. It is wrong, wrong, wrong. He is putting the Territory down and selling the Territory down. No wonder he says, without any shame, that we are mediocre.
The Leader of Government Business certainly challenged what the opposition was saying about residential vacancies and population decline. Residential vacancies right across the Territory are at record low levels. If you compare the 12% when the CLP left office and what it is now at 3% and probably lower, the facts you are presenting are wrong. It is an indication of growth and it certainly is this Territory moving ahead. It is not mediocre.
Interestingly, on that issue of residential vacancies, at the last Business Round Table in Darwin, the biggest issue was being able to find enough properties to house people who come to the Territory to do the jobs we need them to do. That is tougher to find. It is very difficult to find rental properties, to find properties to buy. We are building as fast as we can, and I congratulate the private sector for how much growth they are stimulating and what they are building, but we simply cannot keep up. It is a real indicator of how much we are growing.
Madam Speaker, I could go on about how negative the opposition is and how confused they are and how wrong they are and how they do not have any plans, but, really, it is an unconstructive thing to do.
I pay tribute to your very positive contribution, Madam Speaker. I was particularly pleased to hear you say that there is a positive feel in Alice Springs at the moment, and I share that. There is a positive feel among our business community; there is a positive feel among our tourism community which is talking about a good season to come. We should be supporting them in that, rather than what the opposition is saying. Madam Speaker, I want to quote you when you say that you think Alice Springs is maybe on the verge of a boom. That is the sense here. I am not one to say we should have booms; I think steady, strong growth is the way to go. However, if that is what the business community is saying, then we need to be listening.
Unlike the opposition, the member for Braitling had some ideas. She talked about the need for skilled workers in Alice Springs. I share that. She talked about the need to encourage apprentices - something we are doing through our Jobs Plan. There are more apprentices than we have ever had right throughout the Territory.
The member for Braitling talked about the need to look after our seniors and keep them here in the Territory. I was pleased on Monday to announce changes to the Pensioner Concession Travel Scheme so that senior Territorians who are losing confidence, as they get older, about travelling out of the Territory and taking that entitlement can now bring family and friends to the Territory. Family and friends to the Territory means a lot to those senior Territorians. The response from my electorate has been terrific and I know that when we released the policy at the Gillen Seniors Village the other day, another construction program completed by this government, there was a lot of enthusiasm.
Madam Speaker, your proposal for a self-funded retirees village in Alice Springs is a good one and government will see what we can do to facilitate that.
I talk about the member for Braitling because she had ideas about this place. She had ideas about Alice Springs and the Centre in stark contrast to the members of the opposition. On tourism, she talked about how she feels there is a lack of beds in Alice Springs, was quite clear that Jetstar was not wanted, that bigger planes were wanted, which is something we are working towards. You wanted the airport upgraded to international standard, and I share that. We want more beds, more flights and more tourists to Central Australia, which is why we are putting $1.2m into the Destination Alice Springs marketing. I thank the member for Braitling for her contribution and we will look at the ideas that you raised.
The contribution from government ministers outlined the achievements we have made and the comprehensive plans we have. There have been some very real achievements, but, also, as a government, we acknowledge there is a lot more to be done.
If you want to look at specifics, there are 28 more teachers in Alice Springs than three years ago. There are 39 more nurses in Alice Springs than three years ago, and there are 25 new police recruits in Alice Springs just this year. And yet we get battened by the opposition for doing that. People look to government to provide these services, we have and we are. We have a plan for health, Building Healthier Communities, which outlines our five-year action plan. The Minister for Health talked about this plan and what it is doing and what it will do for Central Australia. The minister for Education outlined our plans for schools. More teachers and $42m extra is being injected into secondary education and, proudly, that money is going to the bush. The previous government never provided secondary education into the bush. It was a policy that they had. We are turning that about and we are getting results. We have plans for community safety; rebuilding our Police Force has been a focus, and Building Safer Communities is a plan that builds on recent reductions in crime.
Madam Speaker, these are plans for our future and they are a direct contrast to the opposition, which simply does not have any. We have spent $100m on infrastructure in the Centre in the last three years. The opposition dismisses this as simply a number. It is just a dollar figure that does not mean anything. Well, it means a lot to the contractors who carried out the work. It means a lot to the people of Central Australia. An investment in infrastructure is just so important to a developing area such as Central Australia, and $100m is a very substantial commitment.
The best thing about coming to Alice Springs is getting out and about and talking to the people of Alice Springs, and hearing their ideas. The Leader of the Opposition opened his remarks to this statement by dismissing the importance of talking to locals as ‘just another sausage sizzle’. Well, it is at a sausage sizzle that people come up to you and tell you what their ideas are, and I am proud of the fact this government is, without doubt, the most approachable in Australia. As someone said on the ABC news the other night, where else in Australia can you just walk up and talk to a politician. We would not have it any other way, despite what the Opposition Leader says.
This statement and the responses to it have clearly outlined the difference between the government and the opposition. The government is getting on with the job of moving the Territory ahead. We have achieved much, however, there is more to be done and we have more plans.
On the subject of why we brought the parliament to Alice Springs, it is interesting to go back and look at the record of what was said when we came two years ago. It is interesting that the member for Araluen was very negative two years ago about bringing the parliament to Alice Springs. She was talking on ABC radio on 17 April 2003, and said, ‘Clare Martin would have us believe that the people of Alice Springs are jumping for joy and counting the sleeps until parliament comes. Well, 1500 school kids have been dragged along by their teachers’. What else did she say? ‘Will the punters in my electorate give a toss?’ The straw polling I have done suggests that not many of them actually do’. Well, here we are. The member for Araluen thinks that bringing parliament to Alice Springs when we did it first two years ago was a real drag and that Alice Springs does not care. Well, let me tell the member for Araluen, they do. The Alice Springs community enjoys having this parliament, enjoys knowing that this parliament, this government, is focussed on the needs of the region, so much so, that we are here in Alice Springs for two days. The member for Araluen bags it; we rejoice it, Madam Speaker.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
MOTION
Note Statement - Northern Territory Police – Attacking Drug-Related Crime
Note Statement - Northern Territory Police – Attacking Drug-Related Crime
Continued from 10 February 2005.
Mr ELFERINK (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, I rise to contribute to this debate, and for those people in the gallery who are unaware of what is going on at the moment, there was a debate started in Darwin which was considered to be essential and important by the minister for Police, so important indeed that the minister for Police wanted to have a couple of speakers on it and then leave it sit on the Notice Paper so it could come back in Alice Springs at some later date.
I would have preferred to deal with the important issue like drugs in our community in a fulsome debate, not something that is fractured over two sittings to suit the grandiose grandstanding by the minister himself.
Before I start, I accepted the challenge made by the Chief Minister in relation to what the Leader of the Opposition had to say when she accused him of calling the Northern Territory ‘mediocre’. I refer honourable members to the debate of yesterday, page 26 in the Daily Hansard, and the paragraph starting at the bottom of page 26 in column 1. Mr Burke, the Leader of the Opposition started with: ‘… the test for the government is …’. He then talked about the way that any person or fool can walk around and throw money about. He then talked about ‘the’ government’s credibility. He then talked about how the nurses ‘under the Labor Northern Territory government’ are suffering. He then talked about ‘the’ government further in that particular paragraph. Then he said that, under that government the Territory is at best mediocre when compared with other states. He was referring directly to the performance of this government and this Chief Minister and he has hit the nail on the head. Under this government and this Chief Minister, we have not enjoyed successful growth rates. As the Chief Minister has …
Mr HENDERSON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The debate that is currently on the Notice Paper is in relation to drug-related crime, not growth rates in the economy. I urge the honourable member to get back to the Notice Paper and back to the debate before this House at the moment.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes, member for Macdonnell, I allow far-reaching comments, but we should get back to the debate. Make it relevant.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I was merely rising to the challenge …
Madam SPEAKER: I know.
Mr ELFERINK: … that the Chief Minister had put to me, but I accept your ruling. I am, of course, appreciative of how incredibly sensitive the Labor government is to criticism.
We turn to the issue of drugs in our communities. This debate, which the minister brought on in Darwin, was one that I thought could be visited with great gusto. There was much to do because drugs, as we all agree, is a serious issue in our community. However, what the minister has talked about is the operation of legislation which government introduced – and, in my opinion, is good legislation which was supported - which enabled the government to set about seizing the clandestine drug world. The statement which I pulled out of Hansard to refresh my memory from the February sittings, is from the minister and is three-and-a-half pages long, and half of that is propaganda about the new $75m budget spend over three years for the Northern Territory Police Force. Good. However, the fact is that the report that the member had given to this parliament was actually fairly light on detail. It rambled off a few statistics about how well this legislation is operating.
I would like to compare and contrast it to the operation of other drugs in our communities - namely the legal drugs and other chemicals such as hydrocarbons which are abused on a daily basis. I make the observation that I am glad that the police are using this legislation, and that they are having some success. I turn to the fifth or sixth paragraph of the minister and I quote:
- Since the commencement of this legislation, the Northern Territory Police have seized drugs with an
estimated value of $953 000 from alleged drug houses.
Good:
- This has included 18.23 kg of cannabis, 668.5 gm of amphetamines, 67 cannabis plants, and 48 tabs of LSD.
To date, 208 notices have been issued under the legislation throughout the Northern Territory
Later on in his speech the minister went on to talk about the purpose of this legislation which was to extract a penalty on those people who gained wealth from their crimes. The crime is selling drugs in our communities. I cast my mind back to a time when I was a police officer and did a whole bunch of work to bring a drug seller into custody and put him before the court. He was ultimately found guilty. He was unemployed and drove a BMW, which I thought was very impressive. I would have loved to have been able to see that BMW seized under forfeiture of crime legislation. Unfortunately, this was impossible at that stage because of the way he had the car registered in his girlfriend’s name. Although it was far beyond her capacity to pay back the loan, somehow she seemed to manage, and it was all beyond the realm of being able to seize the vehicle itself, therefore, we missed out.
At the end of the day, we are talking amounts, which, when you look at the overall problem in our community, are fairly limited. As much as I congratulate the police on doing this work, $953 000 worth of drugs? I wonder if members contemplate how many drugs are in our community – I am talking about the illicit ones at the moment - and what the effect of this legislation is. Although it is part of the crime fight, at the end day, this represents a minor tax on a very large, and very black, illegal market.
That brings me to the philosophy which drives us as a community to deal with drugs in our community. Drugs, both illegal and legal, have always been a problem in our communities and, as long as humans continue to be human, will continue to be a problem. I often wonder what makes the difference between a legal and illegal drug. If you were to line up all of the drugs which are available on the market today – both licit and illicit – and say you can have two or three of them legal and the rest illegal, I would suggest, in terms of harm, both alcohol and tobacco would probably be on the list of very illegal drugs. It is the fact that we have become used to using them by virtue of common usage, that we have come to accommodate them so readily in our society.
Every society uses drugs. I know that in my electorate the traditional drug of choice amongst Aboriginal women is pituri, a locally grown plant that has a barbiturate effect. You burn the plant, create the ash, roll the ash in tobacco and stick a wad of tobacco in the corner of your mouth. As far as I am aware, there is no illegal aspect to pituri as a drug. So drugs are common.
We as a society make a decision to determine which drugs are illegal and which are not. Then we determine the way we control those drugs in our community. I, for one, believe there have to be controls brought to drugs in our community. We do it in the case of licit drugs, such as alcohol – the Liquor Act which is as thick as the Criminal Code in terms of how complicated it is - and tobacco legislation preventing the use of tobacco in certain areas, indoors and public buildings; and the selling of tobacco to minors is considered a serious offence. We also have other drugs listed under the regulations or the appendices and schedules of the Misuse of Drugs Act, and these are the ones we all know such as cannabis, amphetamines, opiates and hallucinogenics. We have a random way of saying that is illegal, that is not illegal, that is legal, that is not illegal.
The policing effort into drugs will always be a serious one. When we talk about drugs in our community, I ask members to be mindful of, and look at, the expense and damage which illicit drugs do, compared to licit drugs. The minister in his statement talks about locating 76 grams of cannabis stuck in a mincemeat tin, and 28 grams of cannabis discovered in a radio system, in an attempt to smuggle them in to remote communities. These are small amounts. We talk about 208 notices being issued to Territorians for breaching the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Let us compare it to the licit drug we have. From the minister’s own police annual report last financial year 19 000 Territorians were taken into custody for the use and abuse of the licit drug, alcohol. The concentration of the minister with efforts onto these areas, including with policies being designed by the Minister for Community Development, we are seeing increasing numbers of people abusing and using the drug alcohol, and those people being taken into custody.
It is happening in our communities. How do I know this? If I trace the number of people being taken into protective custody over the last four years, gradually, it has risen from 11 000 being taken into custody Territory-wide, to 19 000.
Mr Henderson: That is because there are more coppers.
Mr ELFERINK: The minister says that there are more coppers. I suggest to the minister that what is actually occurring is because of the expenditure and welfare approach that is being applied by this government: if you come into town you will get better services than you could possibly hope to have in your own community; we will dedicate $5m to improving the services and sobering up shelters; you will get a feed and a blanket and it will run 24 hours; we will put a lot more money into protecting you if you find yourself drunk in our community; and we will put a lot more money into putting a roof over your head if you are drunk in our community. In Alice Springs we now see a further $2.2m being dedicated to specifically improving services again. As much as I bitterly complain about this, what the minister and the government must realise is that if you improve services in a particular area, you will attract people to those services. It is not more police that have the effect of arresting people or more drunks; it is because there are more drunks in our communities. It is as simple as that.
The number of drunks is reflected in the number of itinerants we see in our communities. We have a social policy being driven by the Minister for Housing to use housing stock in our towns to offset what he identifies as a housing shortage in remote communities. He is correct; there is a housing shortage out there, so he brings those people into town and houses them. Often, those tenants are not the problem. It is the 30 or 40 people, the hangers-on, who turn up the next day, that see headlines day after day, week after week, in the Centralian Advocate saying that people are being attacked in their homes, that people are unsafe on the streets, and noise continues to be a major problem.
In fact, as late as two days ago, I was still receiving complaints from people living in the Larapinta area about Territory Housing tenants. If you have the audacity to complain about it, the Housing minister says you are a racist. He says: ‘Oh, the only reason that someone would complain about a housing tenant is to prevent a blackfella from moving in’. If you should have the audacity to complain, as the member for Araluen did, you are labelled as a red-necked dog whistler. The first position of this government to deal with anyone who criticises them is to abuse them. We heard that from the Chief Minister, and we hear it from the ministers for Housing and Police.
Let us go down to the real heart of this problem in these communities and I would like to do a quick comparison between a couple of communities. If I go and look at many of my communities in the bush, one of the great problems is that even if you deal with all the petrol sniffing issues, even if we do what the Administrator suggests and shoot the dogs which cause disease, create wind breaks and build new houses and canteens - let’s say that we provide every person out in these communities their own private butler, what then? What happens next? How does that fight boredom? How does that fight the lethargy we see in these communities every day?
That is where the real licit and illicit drug problem begins. It is people with too much time on their hands, and an inability to be able to do something with that time. This is not an issue of race. If I go to Brooklyn, or Brixton in London, I will find exactly the same story being played out as I do in Papunya and in places like Yuendumu. People with too much time on their hands are people who get bored and find ways to occupy themselves, and to use an old proverb, the devil will find work for idle hands.
How is this for an idea? Let us create an environment of work and development in remote communities which will provide jobs for people so that they do not find other ways to use their idle hands. A classic example is the community at Titjakala. The community at Titjakala is in a very unusual situation in that the land trust that they sit on is actually not land trust which has been created under the Aboriginal Lands Rights (Northern Territory) Act. This was only discovered a few years ago. The land was handed back in 1974, before there was a land rights act. The local community realised that they could directly negotiate with a company in Sydney to develop some jobs. What did they do with those jobs? Well, with that negotiation they put up some luxury tents and created an arts centre which had a commercial basis attached to it. The first guy who came in was a fellow from Macquarie Bank, if I am not mistaken, who dropped $3000 in the luxury tents and, as he drove out of the community, dropped another $3000 at the arts centre. This has been a resounding success story!
I went to Titjakala recently - and guess what? - the people around there have jobs. When you drive into Titjakala and go to the office you will actually find a list of jobs on the office wall – full-time jobs, a couple of part-time jobs, and a couple of jobs two hours a day. There are several people who have employment there. Guess what? If you have a look at those people they are like a bunch of cats, and their tails are straight up in the air. They are proud and have dignity, and have a sense of direction that gives me goose bumps just to think about it - because it can be done.
What we have to do is start trusting Aboriginal people in these remote communities to be able to negotiate these outcomes for themselves. At the moment, we have far too many wealthier oriented gatekeepers standing in the way saying: ‘You need protection from these dreadful, nasty, horrible companies that will come and spend money on your land. You need protection from being ripped off by these people’. The walls of protection that were built in the 1970s have become a prison for many of these people. I encourage Aboriginal people and the people who are afflicted with the outcomes of the licit use of these drugs in our communities, to get involved in the general community and the general economic community, and start using that wonderful asset they have to provide them with an income in a way different, but philosophically the same, as it has done for the last 40 000 years. That is how you are going to start dealing with the social problems and the social dislocation our communities
In the meantime, governments - both CLP and Labor - will have to come up with patch-up jobs. Sadly, all of the legislation that we have to police drugs and alcohol in our community is to patch up that running sore which is social disharmony and social dislocation. I trust Aboriginal people and those people who live in remote communities to be able to negotiate for themselves. I urge all governments - Labor and Liberal, federal and state - to start disengaging with the welfare approach, and start engaging with approaches which will develop wealth.
The Minister for Housing complained bitterly that they need $800m to bring Aboriginal housing up to standard. Well, here is a stunning thought! Could you imagine a situation where Aboriginal people living on their own land, like everyone else in our community, built their own houses and paid for them, because they were able to buy the land in the first place through a leasing process or whatever and, secondly, because they had jobs which enabled them to do it.
Mr MILLS: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I move that the member be given an extension of time to complete his remarks.
Motion agreed to.
Mr ELFERINK: It would be a wonderful thing if those people living in those remote communities could buy their own houses like the rest of us.
One of the reasons, and one of the great tragedies that exists in the current world, is that we still have to identify people by their cultural group and set a set of rules to that cultural group. We discussed cultural diversity in this House yesterday and all the rules we have to apply to cultural diversity. If everybody lived by the same set of rules, and those rules allow enough liberty for a person to protect their own cultural diversity, you do not need a set of rules to protect cultural diversity; it happens anyhow.
I look forward to a day where Aboriginal people who are so sadly over-represented in the misuse of licit and illicit drugs in our community are not over-represented, and the statistics that surround them are exactly the same as the statistics that surround the rest of the community. The beginning point will have to be when they start being treated at an economic level in the same way as everybody else - that means the same set of rules. Once you start to achieve that, and you actually allow Aboriginal people to succeed as well as fail then, finally, the decisions that Aboriginal people make about their own lives and futures will be decisions that have some weight. At the moment, the experience of the average Aboriginal person is that, if they have a choice between A and B, and outcome C is invariably the same result, it makes choice useless and meaningless.
I look forward to a day when this legislation is not required because our community is truly wealthy - not just wealthy in places. For that to occur, the whole community has to be in the same economic melting pot. After that, you will find that legislation like this is going to be largely redundant. However, having said that, I am not critical of the legislation; it is necessary for the environment that we find ourselves in. It is the environment that we find ourselves in we should be challenging and taking to task - not just the symptoms, but the causes.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, at the outset, I will respond to the member for Macdonnell’s contribution, which I found quite thoughtful, and say that, in previous debates in this House that we have both contributed to, it is remarkable how similarly the bush members view these types of issues. Blind Freddy can see the current lack of economic activity in our remote communities - the lack of job opportunities and support economic prospects – and the damage that it is doing to our Aboriginal people, family by family, individual by individual. There is no question that we need to be working towards greater economic participation by the indigenous people within their home communities and on their homelands.
I point out that our government has certainly not been blind to that responsibility and need. We have been working on an indigenous employment strategy, Territory-wide. On last report, there was something like 1000 jobs that have been sourced and had indigenous people recruited into them. So, there is work going on. I absolutely agree with the member for Macdonnell that the current dependency - the current welfare basis, I guess - for many of our remote communities is a root cause of many of the ills that we have to deal with as a government. There are things such as the health profile, the education outcomes, the lack of employment outcomes which are all a witch’s brew, if you like, which is a huge challenge to not only our government but any government that would be current in the Northern Territory.
To get to the actual point of this debate in particular, substance abuse in general is very much a symptom of the fundamentals that have been spoken about. Until the fundamentals are dealt with, I quite agree we have to simply control the symptoms while looking for some more fundamental solutions.
Turning now to the actual topic of the statement, attacking drug-related crime, we recognise in our Building Safer Communities that further work has to be done, not only on combating both the distribution and effects of illicit drugs in our community, but also on licit substances such as alcohol and tobacco. It is a fallacious argument to say that because alcohol and tobacco quite clearly cause significant damage within our communities, it is a reason to not tackle illicit drugs. That is silly and, as a health minister, there are additional reasons why illicit drugs are far more significant than perhaps the amount of distribution around the Territory today might have indicated. There are flow-on effects both economically and in health, and we are seeing a major increase in demand for mental health services directly as a result of drug abuse.
Consequently, there are very good reasons why licit drugs should be one of the responsibilities our government should tackle. We would consider it irresponsible to pretend, as the Opposition Leader did when he was Chief Minister, that drug-related crime in the Northern Territory was a minuscule problem. I know he was comparing that to licit drugs and their effects, however, it is not a miniscule problem and there is more and more evidence surfacing to substantiate that.
We knew action had to be taken and that is why we came to government with a three point plan to combat the distribution and use of illicit drugs in our community: first, through law enforcement with zero tolerance on drug production and distribution; second, through compulsory treatment of addicts arrested on drug-related crimes; and third, with a sound drug prevention strategy including family support policies and education campaigns directed at young people.
In the law enforcement area, as has been previously commented on, we have brought in a civil-based Crimes (Forfeiture of Proceeds) Act making it easier to move against criminals who have accumulated property. The earlier act, which was based on a criminal level of proof, was introduced in 1988 and, after many years of operation, had only resulted in $7000 of criminal proceeds being confiscated as a result of action under that legislation. Absolutely ineffective as a piece of legislation. We have introduced a far more effective vehicle. Our legislation was aimed at preventing the unjust enrichment of certain individuals as a result of criminal conduct, and established a mechanism outside the criminal jurisdiction for forfeiture of property used in, or in connection with, the commission of a criminal offence. In particular, the legislation made provision for the forfeiture of property of a declared drug trafficker - a person convicted of three serious drug offences.
This government believed, and still believes, that criminals have no legal or moral entitlement to the proceeds of their crime, and where property is used to facilitate criminal activity that property will be forfeited to the Territory. At the time I described our legislation as important law which would greatly assist in fighting crime in our community. As the minister outlined to the House during his statement, the law has indeed proved to be a great success and the NT Police are to be congratulated for their efforts in that regard.
To update the House on the current levels of forfeiture, police have now issued 112 restraining orders relating to more than $2.5m worth of property, including cash, real estate, vehicles, computer equipment, and hydroponics equipment; $1.67m worth of property is under restraint; and 59 forfeiture orders have been granted, representing $348 784 worth of property.
We have also promised to crack down on those who have manufactured and distributed drugs, causing so much harm in our community and did this by comprehensive reforms to the Misuse of Drugs Act. Before we introduced our reforms, drug dealers were able to dodge the law in various ways. The result was that drug premises operated openly in our suburbs, particularly in Darwin. The amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act gave police the extra powers they needed to close down these drug premises and to target the dealers and traffickers who peddle drugs. They gave the police the power to identify, search and place upon a declared drug house a Drug Premises Notice, warning that anyone found in possession of drugs will be facing aggravated drug charges.
Our laws also gave police the power to charge for possession of drug manufacturing equipment or drug recipe books. The member for Goyder, at the time of the debate on this bill, expressed some concern where he felt that there may be some unfair singling out of licensed premises. He also seemed to be of the opinion, or repeated the opinion of the then Executive Officer of the AHA, that these reforms would bring organised crime to the Northern Territory for the first time. I think we can agree, after the operation of this legislation for some time now, that these fears have proven unfounded.
Drug courts are another element of our crack down on drug use in the community, with drug courts offering an ability to attach to a bail arrangement the attendance of an accused person at drug rehabilitation. When coming back to face the charges, that can then be tendered on sentencing as a mitigating factor; in other words, potentially a lighter sentence for the offences for which they have been charged. That is a very well known mechanism from other states in Australia, New South Wales and Victoria in particular, and at the last briefing I had on this, nearly 100 alleged offenders have now gone through a drug court process and none have appeared as re-offenders. That is a very important mechanism for getting heavy drug users out of criminal behaviour associated with drug use.
That brings me to one of the major insights that our government brought to this legislative reform and that was the very strong connection that was apparent right around other parts of Australia and overseas between property crime, particularly serial offenders, and drug use. Surprisingly high numbers of serial property offenders have a drug habit and thereby it offers a very powerful tool to make inroads on the levels of property crime in our community.
It is not hard to imagine a serious drug user having to maintain a habit that is going to cost hundreds of dollars or more in a week, having to take to property crime, house break-ins and car theft and the like, to maintain their drug habit. That is exactly what we are seeing in many of the cases that have come through our courts. That is exactly one category of offenders that our police have targeted in their campaign against the level of property crime in our communities, and we have seen that insight of the relationship between property crime and drug use being a very effective contribution to the continuing good trends in property crime in the Northern Territory.
There is no other jurisdiction in Australia that has achieved the reductions that we have achieved in the Northern Territory on property crime and the police are to be commended for that. Despite the strenuous objections of the opposition, governments do get things right occasionally - quite often if you are a bit more generous about it - and this is certainly one occasion on which it was the right call to work on that relationship to use it as a basis of both our laws and of our police operational arrangements to take that class of offenders off the streets, out of people’s homes, out of people’s cars, and put them out of circulation in their criminal activity.
We will continue to closely follow that pattern of behaviour in our community. That is one of the reasons why we could aspire to keeping the property crime levels at the much lower levels than since the heyday of the CLP era.
The other area is a properly resourced drug prevention strategy. The development of a sound drug prevention strategy will ensure that we are doing our utmost to discourage our children and young people to see drug use as an attractive option. The Martin government has made unprecedented inroads into tackling the impact of drugs and alcohol upon our community. Spending in the area of alcohol and other drugs has increased by 40% in the last three years. Our reforms in this area and our treatment programs will have lasting impact on future generations. It will significantly reduce the burden of our health and justice systems for those people addicted to or harmed by drug abuse.
In conclusion, our increased penalties for those who manufacture drugs send a clear and unambiguous message to the community: that this government repudiates those people who seek to traffic in drugs and cause such misery, not only to the individual, but to the community as a whole. We promised a comprehensive package to deal with people in our community who are drug-addicted through educational programs in schools, prevention programs, drug courts, and harsh penalties for those who deal in or profit from drugs. More is being done to tackle illicit drug use in the community. A raft of new measures has been introduced including drug house laws to shutdown drug houses, making it harder for traffickers, dealers and manufacturers to peddle illicit drugs. The new Criminal Property Forfeiture Bill is targeting criminal profits and personal assets of drug dealers and others involved in the drug trade, allowing for confiscation of property of declared drug traffickers. There are new drug courts to help drug-addicted property offenders break the crime cycle through comprehensive treatment.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, this government has kept its promise made in the last election. Our three-point plan on drug use is fully out in the community and is having very clear and beneficial results.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I concur with the member for Macdonnell and the Attorney-General on issues relating to what really is the biggest drug related to crime. We all know that the figures say that 70% to 80% of crime in the Northern Territory is alcohol affected or as a result of alcohol abuse. I suppose, when you see the headlines today, you think of those illicit drugs. I agree with the member for Macdonnell; the drug that really causes the most problem by far in the Territory is alcohol.
I have said here before that we have to create and give Aboriginal people employment. We have to start somewhere. I know there are people saying: ‘Private investment jobs will come along’. Having worked on Aboriginal communities for many years, to me, the biggest downfall was the introduction of unemployment benefits. It created the welfare state we have today. I believe big decisions have to be made by the Commonwealth government to put in enough money in Aboriginal communities - and other communities, not just Aboriginal communities but small towns around the place that have high unemployment rates - and create jobs. There is no reason why governments cannot create jobs.
In America during the depression, what did governments do? Create jobs. Why are we not doing the same thing today? Governments have responsibility to pull people out of these low economic conditions of unemployment because we know that they are the groups of people who will be most in trouble with the law. Statistics show that most of the people who are in gaol are from a low economic basis. We certainly need to make some big decisions. The member for Stuart mentioned that the Territory government is putting 1000 people into employment. I am not sure where that was directed, but that is still a long way off what is needed.
The other issue in regards to alcohol is that we are all too scared to look at the influence of the alcohol industry, which is a very powerful industry. It has great pulling power with regard to sporting activities in the Northern Territory. It knows it can make a large profit by being involved in sporting activities whilst, at the same time, many of the people we talk about who are involved in crime and crime-related activities, in this case, Aboriginal people - which we know because they are over-represented in our gaols by far; there are three-and-a-half times the number of Aboriginal people in gaol compared to non-Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, when they represent a quarter to one-third of our population. Yet, we have issues of alcoholism and the effects of alcohol and, at the same time, the alcohol industry is very powerful in the Northern Territory. Of course, that is very difficult to change, unless the government has the will. And I have spoken about those issues before.
I would like to look at a positive move that the government has made recently in the rural area. I would like to use this opportunity to say thank you to the government for fulfilling its promise to build the Humpty Doo Police and Fire Station. It is an important statement in the rural area. It shows that the rural area is, at last, being recognised as an important part of the Territory community. The rural area and, more specially, the Litchfield Shire, is continually growing and that can be seen by the strong demand for land and the price being paid for this land. As well, there has been strong growth in both commercial and industrial development in the area. Not only do we now have two Woolworths’ supermarkets but, believe it or not, the first fast food franchise has now opened at Coolalinga – Domino’s Pizza. With all this growth in population and business, it is no wonder that it is the right time for a Police and Fire Station to be established.
That was no more obvious at the opening of the station on 27 February, when many rural people turned up to see for themselves what their new Police and Fire Station looked like. The kids certainly had a great day checking out the building, the holding cells and the fire engines. In fact, a number of prominent people were seen occupying the back of the paddy wagons - and I have the photos as evidence. I know there have been some comments about so-called inadequacies of the building, and perhaps the minister could respond to those comments.
After speaking to senior police, my understanding of the reason why the holding cell does not have a toilet is that prisoners are only kept for a maximum of 20 to 30 minutes before they are transported to the watch-house. The holding cell also has two large windows so prisoners can be viewed from the office, which would make it interesting if someone wanted to use the toilet - if there was a toilet in the cell. If someone wanted to use the toilet, they would just be escorted around the corner. However, if that is a real problem, it should not be of such significance that it spoils the fact that we have a significant improvement in government services in the rural area.
I have heard it said that we need a medical centre rather than a police station. Well, that may be the next project. We do not need a medical centre, because we are well served by the private medical services at Humpty Doo but, more importantly, we need a community care centre similar to the one at Palmerston. However, that is another issue to be debated at another time.
I thank those business people who were responsible for the eventual building of this police station. They lobbied for a police presence in the rural area after a spate of criminal activity in the business area around Humpty Doo. I congratulate those people on their foresight, and the Police Commissioner for his assistance. I know some people have asked: ‘Why do we need police in our area?’ The obvious answer is law enforcement. Even though we do have a lower criminal activity than in the more built-up areas, we do have crime. We have drug-related crime such as drink-driving and domestic violence. Just recently, there was a spate of break-ins and vandalism at the school, businesses at Howard Springs, and at the Noonamah Hotel. There are some very serious crimes on record that have occurred in the rural area; for example, the shootings at the Humpty Doo pub, the rape and robbery of an elderly couple at a house in Humpty Doo, the alleged drug-related shooting of a man at Bees Creek, and the horrible killing of the two prostitutes at Adelaide River.
However, police are not just there as law enforcers; they have to attend car accidents, drownings, farm accidents - those things we probably would not like to attend - visit schools to talk about drug-related issues, visit businesses, and may even have to sort out the odd dog problem in the Litchfield Shire which might mean, sometimes, they have to become law enforcers in that area. As people get to know them better, they will become part of the community, which in turn will lead to an understanding of what is happening in the rural area.
Another matter raised is the hours which the police station will be open. I would hope that this will be reviewed on an annual basis to make sure the hours are adequate to cover the work; after all, many crimes are at night. Our police station is a positive statement to community and a deterrent to those who are thinking about doing the wrong thing.
In relation to the drug-related issues that are before us today, the police will be involved in those issues. Whilst we are not talking about the philosophical side of drug-related issues, here is a physical presence of police in our community which can help in deterring people in drug-related matters. Whether it is the illegal growing of dope, or the abuse of alcohol, we now have police in our rural area who can do something about those issues.
Minister, I know there are other issues related to this police and fire station which need to be sorted out, such as with the volunteer fire brigade and whether we will have an ambulance station there as well. One of the unusual things about this police station is that it does include the fire station and, to me, that makes sense. If we can eventually include the ambulance services we will have the three most important emergency services people in the one building, which is a great idea. Also, I hope St John Ambulance Humpty Doo cadets can set up a training room so they can also have a permanent home, and I will continue lobbying for those changes.
Minister, I thank the government for fulfilling its election promise. As you would have seen from the number of people who turned up, there was no doubt that an overwhelming number of people are very pleased we now have a police and fire station in our community. It shows that the rural area is coming to maturity and it is not the feral area, as some people might say. It is an important area, both from the economy and a place where families can set up home, even though it has the same problem as Alice Springs - high prices for land which are making it harder for young people to live in the area, and I have said before I think the government can play a role in changing that. However, we now have a police and fire station, which businesses, the local community, schools and, in general, the whole community, are very pleased to see.
Thank you, minister. I will be waiting for the swimming pool.
Mr HENDERSON (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, in regards to the swimming pool, I am pretty sure my colleague, the Minister for Local Government, did offer the Litchfield Shire $1m for a swimming pool and Litchfield Shire knocked it back.
Mr Wood: The minister said he would build it for $1m. I am waiting for him to get the shovel out.
Mr HENDERSON: $1m is a pretty gift horse that has been looked in the mouth, I think. $1m was a commitment, but we will see what we can do.
I thank honourable members for their contribution to the debate. Picking up on the comments from the bush members, and also for all of us here, we acknowledge as government that the vast majority of police activity and social dysfunction in the Northern Territory is caused by alcohol. We are attempting to address that particular issue with other strategies, and this was a debate on attacking drug-related crime in the community. It was a key election commitment of the government to tackle this issue which the previous government had basically determined did not exist - that it was not a problem - however, increasingly in our last couple of years of opposition it was becoming a very big problem in the Northern Territory.
When in opposition we were absolutely convinced that if you wanted to get ahead in tackling property crime, if you tackled the supply of drugs, illicit drugs in the first instance, that would be part of a comprehensive and overall strategy. Crime figures have fallen across the Territory very dramatically – the average is 50% - in the last three-and-a-half years, and this great attack on drug-related crime by our police force has played a significant part in that reduction. I thank our police for the great part that they have played in tackling this issue.
The member for Nightcliff made a very worthy contribution to the debate. Her work on the Select Committee on Substance Abuse certainly gave the member for Nightcliff a very good insight to the link of drug use and crime in our community. She also commented on the great results achieved by our police force.
The member for Millner also made a worthwhile contribution and hit the nail on the head. I quote the member for Millner:
- The real issue is minimising use of illicit drugs and the consequential damage or costs to individuals, families
and society. So how do we do that? By minimising access to them. If we minimise access, we will reduce crime,
which will have a positive effect on the wider community.
That is exactly what we have seen over the last three-and-a-half years. In terms of the reduction of crime, as the member for Millner pointed out, there has been a reduction of almost 9000 property offences than under the last year of the former government. It is a magnificent effort and, as I have said before in this parliament, when you take that amount of grief and hurt out of the community, it is palpable. Members on our side of the House get out and knock on doors, and we know what it was like two or three years ago: that grief is not there in the community now.
The member for Sanderson talked about the great feedback he has had from people in his electorate because people can see and value the work that our police force is doing and recognise that they are seeing a lot more of them out there in that community. The great work and support for the police has seen fewer drugs on the streets, reduced crimes and a safer community.
The contribution from the Leader of Opposition was predictable. Again, there were two constant themes in his criticism of the Northern Territory Police. First, according to the Opposition Leader, they produce, in his words – ‘they’ being the police - woeful results. I do not know when the Leader of the Opposition is going to get off the police’s back. He is constantly talking down the work that our police do. The Leader of the Opposition thinks that the $75m we committed to extra resources in the police is a lot of money, but we are seeing property crime down across the Territory. We are seeing all crime down across the Territory. We still have problems, lots of problems, but the problems we face in this community will not be solved by fewer police and the commitment is something that his government refused to do.
The member for Brennan had the temerity to suggest, and I quote:
- … that the police department is struggling with the priorities and objectives they have been given with the
amount of money flowing through from the government on an annual basis.
One can only assume from that comment that this river of money which is flowing through the police force - producing woeful results, according to the Leader of the Opposition - means that he has one plan and one plan only: to go back to previous CLP policy and starve police of money, resources and personnel, and reduce the police budget. That is the only way that you can take his constant comments, because they have a track record. After 26 years in government, they have a track record of consistently, year after year, failing to fund police to the extent that they knew they needed to.
He also went on to say that the police wrongly designed the Humpty Doo Police Station. He blamed the police and said that they got that all wrong. He could not be bothered to attend the opening of the Humpty Doo Police Station, but he ordered out Private Phasey to do the reconnaissance on his own and he came back and bagged the police and the design of their station.
He also went on to say that the police have blown their budget by $14m this year. Again, that is an attack on the capacity of the commissioner to do his job. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, the police budget will over-run this year, as it has for at least the last 10 years that I have been back through the figures because it is a very inexact science in terms of assessing how much the police need in their budget every year. Every day, as any police officer will tell you when they get up to start their shift, they do not know what they are going to face in terms of crime across the Territory. The capacity to gaze into the crystal ball and allocate a budget down to the last dollar for the police is certainly an inexact science, but to say that the police have blown their budget by $14m is quite incredible.
You have to ask why he keeps bagging our police force in the Territory. I believe it is because he does not like to see progress for which he cannot take the credit.
Getting back to the issue of drug abuse in our community and the role that the police have in tackling that drug abuse, the bush members - certainly as Cabinet has travelled around the Northern Territory from regional centres out into remote communities - the No 1 issue that is raised, particularly in remote communities, is the issue of cannabis in those communities, and the appalling harm that its starting to cause there. Again, the Leader of the Opposition has a track record in believing that cannabis use is something that can, and should, be tolerated. He certainly condoned that when he was Commanding Officer in the Army. Who can forget his comments in November 2003 - and I am reading from the NT News:
- An angry Australian Defence Force Chief General Peter Cosgrove yesterday branded Northern Territory
Opposition Leader Denis Burke a goose over this revelation that he tolerated marijuana use as a senior
army officer.
Mr Burke cast doubt on the Australian Defence Force’s claim of zero tolerance towards illicit drugs when
he recalled on Darwin radio yesterday his experience with marijuana as a cavalry regiment commander.
‘It’s never bothered me, in the same way that people don’t get into me because I like a few drinks’, the
former lieutenant colonel told ABC radio.
‘But there were many people, and I noticed it especially when I was a CEO of 2 Cav Regiment, there were
many people that will not drink alcohol, but will have the occasional smoke’.
‘Now you know that’s for them to decide’.
Asked if Mr Burke had made the comments, General Cosgrove replied: ‘He did, the goose’.
General Cosgrove suggested that he would have punished Mr Burke if he had made his revelation before
he retired from the Army in 1994 to join the Country Liberal Party.
This is General Cosgrove:
- ‘Lucky I didn’t know at that time … ’, he said.
That shows when the then Chief Minister, the member for Brennan, the now Leader of the Opposition, when questioned about the links between drugs and illicit crime, said, and I quote the Parliamentary Record of 9 August 2000:
- There is drug-related crime in the Northern Territory, there is no doubt about that, but compared to other
jurisdictions it is minuscule.
Here we have an Opposition Leader, a former Chief Minister, believing that marijuana use should be tolerated and that drug-related crime is minuscule. He needs to get out into those communities a bit more and hear from the mothers, in particular, about the devastation that the drug use is causing.
I thank my colleague, the member for Casuarina, who is serving in the Defence Reserves, because the Leader of the Opposition really did fail in his duty as commanding officer to take action, particularly given his own words, he knew that people were smoking marijuana whilst he was the CO.
If you go to the Defence Force Discipline Act 1982, section 59, the legislation actually states:
- 6. A person who is a defence member or defence civilian is guilty of an offence if the person uses cannabis,
whether within or outside Australia
- (a) …
- (i) in the case of a first offence - a fine of the amount of the members pay for 14 days; or
- (ii) in the case of a second or later offence - dismissal from the Defence Force ...
- 7. A defence member is guilty of an offence if the member:
- (a) …
- (b) is in possession of a quantity of cannabis not exceeding 25 grams in mass; and
- (c) knows that he or she possess the cannabis and knows its nature.
It is actually an offence under the Defence Force Discipline Act for a serving soldier to be in possession of, or to consume, cannabis. Therefore, as a commanding officer, he should have known that. What are the powers of a commanding officer knowing that his members are taking cannabis, particularly under the legislation? Again, from the Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 Part 5, Summons, Arrest, Custody and Suspension from Duty, ‘Summons and order in the nature of summons’:
- 1. Where an authorised member of the Defence Force believes, on reasonable grounds, that a person has committed a service offence, the authorised member may:
- (a) if the person is a defence member:
- (i) charge the defence member with the service offence;
(ii) cause a copy of the charge to be given to the defence member; and
(iii) order the defence member to appear before a summary authority at a specified time
and place to be dealt with in accordance with section 110 or 111 …
He had the power to charge those soldiers that he knew were taking or were in possession of marijuana. He certainly had the power, as CO, to do something about that. However, it gets even worse for the member for Brennan. It is amazing that he did escape by the skin of his teeth because, as a CO, he had the responsibility to charge all reports to an MP, and failed to do either.
Also under the same act, Division 4, section 35:
- A defence member who, by act or omission, negligently performs a duty that the member is required by the
member’s office or appointment to perform is guilty of an offence for which the maximum punishment is
imprisonment for 3 months.
The Leader of the Opposition, who not only, as a Commanding Officer, knew that his soldiers were in breach of the Defence Force Discipline Act, but deliberately failed by omission or negligence to actually perform his duties and charge those soldiers. I have to say that the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Brennan, is very lucky, indeed, that he did not see what was quite a significant military career crash on the rocks by his failure and omission to charge those soldiers, which he was required to do under the legislation. However, it does explain why he has an attitude that illicit drug use is not harmful, it is minuscule, and something that should be tolerated in our society. We in government do not believe that and we will continue to give our police the legislative powers and the tools to do the job.
The member for Drysdale - again, the member for doom and gloom in this parliament – said, and I quote:
- This notion that Foils at Moil was obvious and trading - Foils at Moil was raided on a number of occasions prior
to any of this legislation, and it was rarely that people were arrested. The reason for that is that there are
extensive surveillance lookout and possession techniques that are used by people who trade in drugs that make
it very difficult for police.
He then went on to say again, regarding closing down these drug houses that were operating with impunity through the Northern Territory, that the police did not have the powers to deal with them. The member for Drysdale stated in his comments, and I quote:
- To take a lot of comfort from the fact that you have shut two houses or whatever it was and the former tenants
have now joined society - I think is good; if I were the next door neighbour, I certainly would not want to have
them next to me - really, you are driving it further underground.
So, in reality according to the member for Drysdale, you should not close the drug houses down because you drive the distribution further underground.
That would indicate that maybe, if the opposition did get back into government, they would repeal the drug house legislation. I hope that they would not. What you have to do is to attack crime wherever you see it and, as people move their distribution techniques, you have to give the police the power to keep up to date. The member for Drysdale also believes that these powers were not worth the paper that they were written on because it was just going to drive drug distribution further underground. If you get out there and talk to people in the community who have benefited from these houses being driven out of business, then it is a hard argument for the member for Drysdale to sustain.
We also have the former Leader of the Opposition, the member for Blain, with form in being soft on illicit drug use in the community. We revealed during parliament six months or so ago that the then Leader of the Opposition, Mr Mills, quite proudly states in his biography on the CLP web site that, in January 2004, he became a member of the Australian Parliamentary Group for Drug Law Reform. That particular parliamentary group, which is a bipartisan and cross-party group, is a group that, in Australia, includes - in terms of their policy - the legalisation of heroin and heroin injecting rooms. It is a stated objective which that lobby groups seeks to pursue. The member for Blain at the time said he was going to review his membership, I think he said, given that he was not aware the group he belonged to advocated the legalisation of heroin and heroin injecting rooms.
However, I see from his biography today that he is still a member. We have brought it to his attention, and one can only assume that it is the belief of the member for Blain, and the CLP wing, that legalisation of heroin and heroin injecting rooms is going to be future opposition policy. It will never be government policy, and I am astounded to see the member for Blain is still a member of this group given their stated aims and objectives.
I am sure this is not the last time this issue will be debated in this parliament. Illicit drug use is a concern for the vast majority of Territorians, particularly parents. The last thing they want to see is their kids caught up in illicit drug use, and young people will experiment. Many members of this parliament would have experimented. However, that is no excuse for the government of the day not to make access to these illicit drugs as hard as possible, and to have legislation in place which gives the police the powers and resources, and the courts the will, to do the job so that the people we are really after - those who profit from growing the market, and getting kids addicted - are hunted down, charged, and driven out of business.
We will continue to give the police the powers to do the job, and I and this side of the House believes the police have done a magnificent job with these new powers and tools over the last couple of years. I am sure they will continue to make further inroads.
The two drug dogs, Scent and Monte, are doing a magnificent job. I have been speaking to police officers in communities throughout the Territory, and they think they are getting great support from the remote drug desk. We are starting to make an inroad. We have a long way to go, however, we have the will to tackle the job which is more than can be said for members of the opposition.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
STATEMENT BY SPEAKER
Anniversary Booklets
Anniversary Booklets
Madam SPEAKER: Welcome everyone for our Question Time tonight. You might have noticed that there is a book on your seat. Please take it home with you. It was a book published in 1995 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fully elected Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory. If you do not have one, please feel free to ask the people at the front office. I am sure they will be only too glad to give you one to take with you.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Member for Nhulunbuy
Member for Nhulunbuy
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that leave of absence be granted to the Treasurer, Mr Stirling, on account of his required attendance on official business interstate. As Leader of Government Business, I advise I will take questions on behalf of the Treasurer and the Minister for the Department of Employment, Education and Training.
Motion agreed to.
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Member for Arafura
Member for Arafura
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I also move that leave of absence for this day be granted to the member for Arafura, Ms Scrymgour, for health reasons. Questions for the minister in regards to Family and Community Services and Environment and Heritage are to be directed to my colleague, the Minister for Mines and Energy.
Motion agreed to.
DISTINGUISHED VISITOR
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of the President of the Legislative Council of Western Australia, Hon John Cowdell MLC, and the federal member for Lingiari, Hon Warren Snowdon MP. On behalf of all members, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Move Motion of Censure
Move Motion of Censure
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent this House from censuring the government for:
- (a) failing to act in response to a report of April 2003 detailing fire and safety and other defects at the
Alice Springs Hospital that, potentially, compromised …
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, the government will accept this censure motion, even though it has been very weakly prosecuted and all the answers have been given by my colleague. However, we will accept the censure motion and I ask that the cameras cease filming.
Madam SPEAKER: Visitors in the gallery, when a censure motion has been called, we then cease Question Time and we ask that television cameras cease. The member for Araluen, in a moment, will be able to move her motion.
MOTION
Proposed Censure of Government –
Alice Springs Hospital
Proposed Censure of Government –
Alice Springs Hospital
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, I move that the government be censured for:
- (a) failing to act in response to a report of April 2003 detailing fire safety and other defects at the
Alice Springs Hospital that, potentially, compromised the safety of patients, staff and visitors to
the hospital;
(b) refusing to table or make public any or all of the 24 reports and assessments that exist regarding the fire
safety and other safety at the hospital;
(c) misleading Territorians by constant reassurances that recruitment of nurses was going well when that was,
and is not, the case;
(d) mismanaging the Alice Springs Hospital, and presiding over low staff morale and ongoing industrial action
brought about by frustrated and exhausted nurses; and
(e) presiding over a waiting list of 1600 people in Alice Springs.
First, I will deal with building defects of the Alice Springs Hospital. The minister has claimed that the safety of staff and patients at the hospital has not been compromised as a result his failure to fix various defects. We ask how their safety cannot be compromised in light of matters raised in the April 2003 report, such as:
- a battery room was not ventilated allowing potentially explosive gas to build up;
emergency generator for a time;
power sockets coming out of the walls; and
no child-proof exit gates in the Paediatric Ward existed.
Yesterday, we were horrified when a government minister said there were live electrical wires at the Alice Springs Hospital. If that is not a risk to the safety of all who enter the hospital, I am not sure what is.
The minister maintains that the safety of patients and staff has not been jeopardised. How, then, does he describe incidents such as: a nurse being trapped in a coolroom for 45 minutes due to a faulty door release button; the main switchboard being faulty for 15 months; and fire safety measures in high risk areas being insufficient? We ask, in particular, why the minister failed to act.
Had it not been for a leaked report that fell off the back of several trucks, we would never have known about these sorts of problems nor the extent of them. We call again for the government to make its 24 reports and assessments public. When it was ultimately leaked, the CEO of the Department of Health, Mr Robert Griew, was reported in the Northern Territory News on 7 February as saying that some defects had, in fact, been repaired but others had not. Despite knowing about the faulty switchboard since April 2003, he said it ‘is now due to be redesigned’, the faulty hospital pager system ‘is now set to be replaced’, and the entire electrical system ‘is now being reviewed’. We asked why these problems were not fixed earlier. The minister knew about them for two years, the CEO knew about them, and what was being done? It seems as though any activity only commenced after the leaking of a particular report. The Minister for Health said yesterday, and I quote:
- I was in a ward a week ago and what I saw was an absolute disgrace for a hospital building.
We ask; what has he been doing? What is alarming is that in the Government Gazette on 16 February, was information about a tender let to a company replacing the existing fire detection system. We ask when was it let and how long was the problem known for? In October last year the health minister advised parliament, and I quote:
- Major building rectification issues have been brought to the attention of the government, including
fire safety, the failure of redevelopment to meet Building Code of Australia standards …
and that significant redevelopment works would need to be undertaken.
In the government’s own glossy blue print Building Healthier Communities, the Labor government says it would put into practice policies for a safe working environment. In light of the defects that we know about, ignored by this government for the better part of two years, it is very difficult, in our view, to argue that people’s safety was not compromised.
There are two issues as to timing of the government’s announcements. First, we know that the report of April 2003 listed defects and problems. We also know about the remaining 24; people in the department knew; the CEO knew; the minister must have known, and we ask for how long? Why the inaction and the delays, and what, if any, discussions have occurred with the contractor about the problems? Second, notwithstanding these massive problems, in January this year the minister announced that the hospital gained national accreditation for, and I quote: ‘… meeting rigorous national standards’. Only three weeks after announcing the hospital gained accreditation, he said a detailed examination had revealed that the problems at the hospital were more serious than first thought. Curious timing indeed, minister. It does appear, and I have asked 57 questions on the Parliamentary Record during the last sittings, that the minister may have acted with undue haste to gain accreditation, or he may have waited until accreditation was gained before announcing the extra $8m for the massive repairs.
Labor has tried to twist this issue to sink to new low depths by suggesting that it was all our fault. Rubbish, absolute rubbish! Labor cut the ribbons, took the applause, signed off, issued the final certificates, wrote the final cheques, and did not even give us the courtesy of an invitation to the opening. Took the applause on the day …
Dr Toyne interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: This is not about us. It is about you, minister. It is about you, Chief Minister. It is about your absent and usually absent-minded Treasurer. These things happened on your watch. You were the captains of the ship. You sat by and did nothing while there were huge delays that potentially, and probably actually, put the safety of visitors, staff and patients in the hospital at great risk. A total of $10m has now been allocated; $2m in May last year, despite the fact the Treasurer said in a letter to the public servants, and others, in his May budget last year that it was only $900 000. I am not sure whether the Health minister usually takes the liberty of doubling what the Treasurer says, and perhaps alternatively the Treasurer was wrong. In any event $10m - almost one-third of the whole cost of the project. These are massive costs; these are massive defects.
We ask that the government provide some fair dinkum answers. Table, or make public, the 24 reports and assessments which you say exist. Your refusal to do so makes you look as though there is something to hide. If you have, as a government, clean hands, tell us. Do not go around making scurrilous accusations about the former government. This is about you. It is your story, your conduct, your failure to act appropriately. The delays, I say again, occurred under your watch.
Moving to other matters in the censure motion, Madam Speaker, it pains me, and I know there are some nurses here tonight, and the general community of Alice Springs that nurses have embarked on industrial action. Nurses do not do so lightly. However, they did. They felt driven to put an advertisement in the Centralian Advocate, a big advertisement. People will remember it. It said amongst other things that they were:
- … sick of excessive workloads arising out of continuing staff shortages. Nurses are exhausted and now
recognise their own goodwill is not going to solve the long-term staffing problems at the Alice Springs
Hospital.
They went on to say:
- We have voted in large numbers to impose the bans because nurses are now desperate.
In May after the budget last year, the Treasurer, in his letter to nurses and other public servants, said:
- Nurses play a particularly valuable role in our hospitals. We want to recruit and retain quality nursing staff
in the Northern Territory. That is why they are the focus of our budget in 2004.
Well, you would not know it, Madam Speaker. You would not know that nurses were a priority at all for this government despite its rhetoric. There is no doubt that part of the reason nurses have embarked on their industrial action is they are sick of working double and triple shifts because there are not enough nurses.
In terms of the government’s efforts in relation to recruitment, it would be a joke if it were not so serious. Labor politicians have lauded themselves in relation to their recruitment efforts. Let us look at what some of them have had to say. The first Health minister, the one who was sacked, said in parliament in February 2002:
A concerted effort is being made to increase the recruitment and retention of nurses in the Northern Territory.
She went on to list a number of initiatives, which included, and I quote:
- … ongoing general and specific advertising nationally … and a recruitment and retention task force …
and she went on and on and on. So certain was she that the government was tackling this matter very well, she issued a media release about it. Curiously, in her media release, she said, and I quote:
- Mrs Aagaard said a recent review of activity and staffing levels found that nursing shortages was one of the biggest issues of concern at the hospital.
That was February 2002; the government telling the people of the Northern Territory, and Alice Springs in particular, that they were onto it, but it does not stop there, Madam Speaker. Wait! There is more. The current minister who lives in Central Australia had this to say in parliament last year, and I quote:
- We are doing a lot of work now to increase the recruitment and retention prospects of bringing nurses to
the Northern Territory.
The General Manager of the Hospital said on ABC radio on 15 February, and I quote:
- We’re happy with the amount of recruitment that we have been doing and we have recruited a substantial
number of nurses over the last two or three weeks and doing a lot of advertising on television and also
through the print media.
Curiously, at about the same time, the minister announced a new recruitment campaign. We were not sure whether it was part of many other recruitment campaigns, but he announced another one. The people, a company, anyone in the Northern Territory, could apply for the job of undertaking this recruitment campaign. It was a tender. We looked at the tender and nearly fell off our chairs when we saw a relevant part of it. In relation to this government’s recruitment efforts, it said, and I quote:
- There has been no consistent, coordinated and strategic approach to recruitment. Recruitment efforts have
been ad hoc.
Not what the minister was telling the rest of us, Madam Speaker. So, despite his repeated assurances that recruitment in the Northern Territory was in hand, the facts speak for themselves.
Another arm of government said the minister was not doing a good job. Nurses accordingly undertook their industrial action – well, they took their industrial action as a result of this very issue, recruitment. The minister has been in denial about the nurses and, in particular, their concerns about lack of staff. In a radio interview on 24 February, when this industrial action was arguably at its hottest, the minister said about low staff numbers, ‘Nurses are not a problem in terms of numbers’. He went on to say, ‘The number of nurses was up to scratch’. If that is not denial, I am not sure what is.
The nurses, and I have spoken to many, tell me all sorts of things, but a constant message that is coming through is that they want some leadership from this minister. They say that the minister has abandoned them. They also say, and the minister will be delighted to hear this, his heart is in the right place. I agree. I think his heart is in the right place, but it is head I am worried about. It is his ability to think his way through a problem, and these problems at the hospital in particular, which are a worry, not just to everyone who might be going into the hospital as a patient or a visitor, but to the nurses who work there so tirelessly, diligently and in such a dedicated way.
Madam Speaker, you will be aware that the ANF recently, I think in the last couple of days, issued a media release in relation to another act of madness it seems that this government has undertaken, and that is in relation to cutting the wages of agency nurses. When a nurse in this country can go anywhere he or she likes because nurses are in such demand, this government cuts the rate of agency nurses - absolutely scandalous. In its media release, the ANF said that the move, ‘… was designed to alienate, wilfully alienate, nurses generally and, in particular, agency nurses’. They want leadership, minister, not lip service.
There are a number of other matters in relation to recruitment generally. People here tonight will remember that Dr Charles Butcher and David Hamilton’s contracts were not renewed, and it caused great anger in the community. Dr David Meadows, the AMA President for the Northern Territory, described it as crazy. He also said, ‘It is absolutely ludicrous. We need to find out how this has happened at a time when we are desperately trying to find doctors’. That was only last month. It goes on and on and on. So recruitment is a problem. Government says that they are addressing it. We say, obviously not. It is not just us; the nurses say, obviously not. The facts speak for themselves.
In terms of what I am told is incredibly an unprecedented low morale at the hospital, I refer again to the nurses being forced, or feeling compelled, to put a large advertisement in the Centralian Advocate, trying to reassure those of us who live in this place that they were pushed to an extreme length. These are people who do not, in the normal course of events, embark on industrial action. Some people will remember that the nurses wanted to meet with the minister. He gave some spurious, and I call it that because it would be unparliamentary to use any other word, but a spurious reason as to why he should not meet with them. We say he should have been interested enough in staff concerns, he should not have hesitated. CLP ministers for Health have met with the staff in the past. There is no excuse to hesitate, not even for a minute. Then the CLP, ‘I made an offer to meet with the nurses’. Well, you would not know it, later that day or the next day, the minister agreed to meet with them. This minister had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to meet with and talk to the nurses at the Alice Springs Hospital. My view is that the Chief Minister should have stepped in at that stage. The minister has been in denial about problems there and, of course, that of itself adds to what I am told is the very low staff morale at the hospital.
I just must revisit - I know I have mentioned it or it came up in a question - how surprising and astounding it was when the minister was censured on this and other matters pertaining to the Alice Springs Hospital in June last year, when he said, ‘It is a great time for health in the Northern Territory’. Government spin at its worst. Was he lying? I do not know. Perhaps he honestly thought it was a great time for health in the Northern Territory. Well, I live here, minister, and it is not a great time for health in Alice Springs.
Either way, minister, it is a disgrace. I feel sorry that the nurses are stuck with you. I know many of them - as do I in a personal sense - have a fondness for you. However, fond of you though we are, we want action. You are a minister of the Crown; you are paid handsomely to undertake the rights, responsibilities and privileges that that affords, and we want you to do your job - nothing more, nothing less.
Part of the censure motion in June last year was that the minister had, and I quote:
- … [mismanaged] the Alice Springs Hospital, which has resulted in low morale, staff resignations, closure of
the Intensive Care Unit, poor recruitment and retention of staff, budget mismanagement …
The minister refuted all of these things. He said we were talking down the hospital. It is one of his favourite and most predictable lines when he cops some criticism. We knew then what the minister should have known; that the staff were exhausted - they were working double and triple shifts - and that it would lead, inevitably, to industrial action.
What was also concerning about that censure – and it was a very passionate debate; in this place some debates are more passionate than others - I remember the debate well, as I know all members do. I have to say that what was concerning were some comments made by the member for Braitling – a person for whom I have great respect, who lives in this town. However, the member Braitling agreed with everything the government said. She said that things at the hospital were okay, and how dare anyone suggest otherwise. In fact, what the member for Braitling said was this, and I quote:
- You may have a … core of disgruntled staff, but I tell you what, there are hundreds of … staff who are not very happy about what you are saying.
She accused us of talking down the hospital. We were not talking down the hospital; we were fulfilling the job that we are paid for - that we are paid handsomely for - by voicing the concerns of the people we represent, either as local members or in our role as shadow ministers. It is what we are paid to do. What was interesting, and I might say very reassuring, was that in relatively recent times, I saw a media release issued by the member for Braitling where she talked about why it was that the minister refused to meet with members of the hospital board. She directed her release to the minister and said, and I quote:
- The issues you need to address are not just the building problem. It is about staff morale, work overload.
I could not have said it better myself. I was delighted when I saw that media release. Not for a moment did I or my colleagues doubt what we were doing by raising these concerns either in parliament, in our own media releases or in the media, generally. Not for a moment did we doubt the information we were getting from the nurses. The reason for that is we trust nurses; we take nurses seriously. It is a crying shame that members of the government apparently do not.
Finally, the fifth part of this evening’s censure motion pertains to the waiting list at the Alice Springs Hospital. Yesterday, as we were talking about what the Chief Minister described in her statement as initiatives and achievements that the government has made in Alice Springs – which we questioned because we did not think they were initiatives or achievements – I asked the question of members on the government side, most of whom are from Darwin: how many people in Alice Springs do you think are on our waiting list: 200, 300, 500, 800, 1000, 1600? Most people in this room will know someone who is waiting for elective surgery at the Alice Springs Hospital. I know them, and part of the reason I do, apart from some being my friends, is that they ring me. A constituent rang me to say she could not wait; she could not stand to be on the waiting list for another 12 months. She was a public servant and, with her husband and at great cost to themselves, took off and went to Adelaide. This is Australia, minister, in 2005. Not good enough. Just not good enough.
Someone else at a function not so long ago needed an eye operation. I forget the details, however, he needed an eye operation and was told he had been moved, I think, from priority 3 to priority 1. When he was told that he became fairly enthusiastic, but when he asked, ‘What does priority 1 mean?’ he was told that it could happen within the next 12 months. Not good enough, minister.
The health budget is $650m. You will probably hear the minister in reply - there is no polite way to put this – slag-off at the former government, and say how little we spent on health. This government has received, I think, $600m extra from the federal government as a result of GST revenue. Some people will know that the Treasurer was in Canberra today to talk about giving some money back to Territorians. The money from the GST has been significant, which is why the health budget has increased to $650m. People often say there is never enough money for health. There is a lot of money for health in the Northern Territory.
If there is that much money for health, we ask why the government is seemingly so obsessed with outputs and not outcomes. Surely it is the case that any government worth its salt - any government regardless of its political colour - strives and, in light of a massive budget, actually delivers outcomes for the people it serves and represents. On this side of the House we do not think that is too much too ask.
The stories go on an on regarding people I know, and people I do not know but who contact me, some in tears and some ridden with anxiety and frustration about the waiting list. I do not think it is good enough. Only six or seven months ago, the minister said it is a great time for health in the Northern Territory. It is not a good time for health if you are a resident in Alice Springs.
This is a worthy censure. It arises as a result of concerns expressed to us. I can assure the minister I do not lie in bed at night inventing problems to talk about the next day, however, there comes a point where you must, as an individual, nail your colours to the mast and say, enough is enough. We are paid to call you to account, minister. We do so tonight. We know that you are not in this alone. We know that you had a predecessor - there was another minister for health. The Chief Minister and the Treasurer, and your other Cabinet colleagues, are in this together. You should all be censured. I know I am arguing this, but I do not think I have seen in recent times a more worthy censure.
Minister, with the greatest of respect, your conduct - shake your head, do whatever you like - has been atrocious. I am embarrassed and saddened that we need to bring on this censure motion. It is appropriate we are in Alice Springs. The minister, ladies and gentlemen, will no doubt say many things; as a former lawyer there is nothing like a good argument, however, all I ask is that the truth be adhered to. Do not dig away from the facts. Do not tell the nurses in Alice Springs that your recruitment efforts have been wonderful. They have not. Why would the nurses be on strike if the recruitment had been up to speed?
Minister, I now look forward to your response. No doubt I, and I suspect some others here this evening, will not agree with much of what you say. I simply ask, however, that you stick to the facts.
Dr TOYNE (Health): Madam Speaker, after a very long diatribe, it is a pleasure to provide for the people of Alice Springs and Central Australia the facts of what is going on in the hospital as regards to the issues that have been raised in this motion.
Before I go into detail into the areas of which I have carriage, I want to indicate how we will deal with the building issues. My colleague, the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, has carriage of the repair program in the building and can speak authoritatively about the chronology and genesis of the state that the building is now in.
What I can talk about is the safety of patients and staff in the period between now and the completion of the repair work in that building and, second, the plan that we have put in place to protect services from any disruption associated with the repairs. I will deal with that now as part of my reply and my colleague, the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, can go into a lot more detail and refute many of the assertions that have been made by the member for Araluen in the process.
Regarding the safety of patients and staff, our Chief Fire Officer in Alice Springs, Paul Herrick, was asked to do a full fire audit of the building and his report arising out of the non-compliant state of the building was reassuring. It basically said that the fire systems in the hospital such as sprinklers and the fire walls, such as they are, and evacuation procedures for staff and patients are adequate to protect the life and interests of both patients and staff while the repairs are being carried out.
Suffice to say if the report had come back with any qualification on that finding, we would be dealing with it right now. However, our Chief Fire Officer has said that it was the situation and that we can proceed with the repairs without fear for the safety of patients and staff. This is an issue of compliance to the code. It is about the building complying with a national code of fire safety protocols and that is what we are dealing with in the repair process, not the issue of the safety of the patients and staff themselves.
The plan that has been put in place will take three years. A wing of the hospital is currently being prepared and brought up to the standard that can support an Intensive Care Unit and High Dependency Unit, which means that the bedside services have to be at a very high level and, of course, that wing of the building has to be fully compliant with the national code before we move in any of the other working sections of the hospital while their areas are being repaired in the ongoing program.
I have assured myself in detail on the plan on which I have been briefed that it will minimise disruption to the working sections of the hospital. They will move twice: once into the spare wing while repair work is being done to their section; and a second time to go back to their normal working place. That, and that alone, will happen for each of the working sections. The first section to go in there will be ICU and High Dependency area of the hospital and then new sections probably every three or four months.
Regarding the nursing issues that were brought forward by the member for Araluen, I have indicated already that, on the invitation of the nurses, I have now met with delegates from the nurses twice from the hospital. There is no backflip or disgraceful change of heart or anything; it was simply a matter of working out with their union the boundaries of the matters I talk about. It is not appropriate for ministers to delve into issues of personal promotion or pay conditions. They are industrial issues; they are a matter for the CEO of my department and his management staff. What I can do, first of all, is to listen carefully to what the nurses have to say about their situation in the hospital and, secondly, to deal with issues of resources, policy and, of course, work with my CEO, Robert Griew, to address all of the nurses’ problems appropriately across that boundary line. That is exactly what we have done.
When I spoke to the group of nurses, the issues that they brought forward were the overtime levels over this recent summer period. As I said in answer to a question during Question Time, yes, there have been high levels of overtime, particularly in the critical care area, such as the emergency department and the ICU and High Dependency. There is no doubt about that, and I have been very clear about that many times in public, that the high level of patient presentations and fewer nurses than usual is the seasonal pattern in that hospital. That was clearly an issue, and there was no doubt there were some nurses who were pretty tired working double shifts, and so on.
I will get to the issues of agency nurse reforms. We do want to phase out agency source nurses and replace them with permanently employed nurses.
The management style of the hospital and the feeling that they needed to be brought more into the information flow in the hospital and be listened to and have accurate information presented about the number of nurses that are available in the hospital, and plans to replace nurses that are leaving, or plans to deal with the change of the status of the nurses from being agency-sourced to being a permanent staff appointments.
In response to those issues, when I have spoken to the nurses, I spoke to my CEO, Robert Griew. He then issued a letter to the ANF which made the following undertakings:
- there would be no sudden change from use of agency nurses to non-use of agency nurses;
that there would be a phased and gentle change from one position to the other.
there would be detailed briefings of the nurses on a fortnightly basis, and that is certainly still
occurring, and that that meeting would provide nurse delegates with accurate information about
what the situation was with the recruitment of nurses and the replacement of agency-sourced
nurses as their contracts expired. In Alice Springs Hospital, that was 33 nurses who were on
medium-term contracts of periods of, for example, three, four, six or twelve months. The
termination of those contracts was spread over a period right through to July.
as regards recruitment, we were able to give information about the 26 new nurse recruits that have
resulted from our national recruitment campaign and the 21 newly-graduated nurses who have been
sourced from nursing courses around the country, places like the Catholic University in Melbourne
was one that I recall, but nurses were sourced from quite a number of nursing courses around the country.
The Robert Griew letter, in my view, adequately addressed the industrial-type issues that the nurses were concerned about. They were the issues that I cannot directly intercede on. We certainly look forward to taking the nurses now permanently into a joint consultative committee for ongoing planning of staff and operational issues in the hospital. It is very appropriate to have clinical nurse managers and other nurses involved in that planning process. I understand that there have been a number of meetings held across the different professional areas in the hospital to get that planning process going in a completely inclusive way.
The other aspect of this is the overall resources that are available to the hospital. Of course, that is a budget issue which I have taken into our budget process. Obviously, we are still in that process, but I have certainly indicated to the nurses that I will be making very clear to the budget priorities the types of issues they were bringing forward regarding the actual quantum of nurses who are included in the establishment of the Alice Springs Hospital. I hope to report to the nurses fairly soon about the outcomes of that budget process. Of course, it does not take a brain surgeon to work out that that will be in May when we announce the budget and the contents of the budget.
Regarding the agency nurse reforms, the main concerns that we have with the current arrangements, particularly out-of-scope agencies - in other words, agencies that are not in an agreement with the Health Department for the supply of contract nurses – is that the pay of those nurses has got completely out of sync with the pay that is being offered to the permanent nursing staff of hospitals. It was interesting in the NT News editorial today that the agency received very strong support for the stand that they are taking on this reform. You cannot have one nurse working for $50 an hour in the same ward doing the same job as someone who is being paid $30 an hour as a permanent staff member. In many cases, the agency sourced nurses are doing a short-term stay and are not familiar with the operational details of that ward. You will find that a $30-an-hour nurse is then supervising a $50-an-hour nurse because they are not able to immediately pick up all the intricacies of the operation of an area of the hospital.
They are, basically, saying yes, this needs to be done for the sake of equity and for the sake of staff morale, which seems to be of great concern to the member for Araluen. I agree that we do not want arrangements in the workplace that undermine the self-value of a nurse. What would a nurse feel like, given that a majority of nurses are permanently employed nurses within our health system? The majority of nurses are seeing a minority getting much higher pay levels to do the same job. That is simply not an equitable situation, and it is not a sustainable situation in terms of morale. Therefore, that is the underpinning of the reforms.
In Alice Springs Hospital, every fortnight the nurses are meeting with management. They will audit each of the agency contract nurses as they exit from the hospital, and what arrangements have been made to put a recruited replacement nurse in place at the same pay levels and conditions as the bulk of the nursing staff around them. If we can get to a stage where all nurses are on the same conditions, then that has to make for a more stable work force that we can retain in the hospital, and hope to contribute to what is already a great staff tradition in the hospital.
I know the member for Araluen has gone to great pains to paint this black picture of plunging morale in the hospital. I am not seeing it. I have been to the hospital repeatedly. I have met with many areas of the staff, and I am not being told of, or seeing, people drooping around the wards at the end of their tether. I can certainly guarantee that I have seen probably many more nurses than the member for Araluen may have in recent times.
In terms of general recruitment to the hospital, we get a picture from the member for Araluen that we are not doing very well, and are struggling to keep all the activities at hospital fully resourced. I can say that as we currently stand we have a General Manager, an Executive Director of Nursing, the corporate service position has been filled, however we have to resolve the issue of the Director of Medical Services. The heads of department - this is a crucial thing as the clinical leadership in that hospital is ultimately going to come from the heads of department - we now have a full complement of heads of department in place, working in that hospital all at high levels of skill and expertise. In fact, I can say for a regional hospital the size of Alice Springs, we are doing very well on the recruitment of senior clinicians.
I will name them: Head of the Department of Medicine, Dr Steve Brady; Maternity, Simon Kane; Surgery, Jacob Jacobs; Paediatrics, Rob Roseby; Intensive Care - this is a real catch - Sydney Jacobs who is a very experienced intensivist. He is going to provide, for the first time, the senior leadership in our Intensive Care and High Dependency Unit to make it a genuinely solid unit, providing that level of care, which is a level two ICU level. Anaesthetics, Rod Mitchell, a fantastic clinician who has come in to underpin the surgical work in the hospital, and other duties in the Intensive Care and Emergency Department areas. Elizabeth Mowatt, who re-won her position within the Emergency Department, has been a given a chance to bring that department up to a high level of management, as well as its already high level of clinical care. And so on through our clinical nurse directors; I see Angie Ratsch is here tonight; Bronwyn Taylor from Maternity and Childcare Services; Adult Care Services including Renal, Robyn Cross; and through to our clinical nurse managers and allied health workers and managers.
The situation regarding recruitment and the staffing of the hospital is in good shape, especially when you take into account the fact that our nursing numbers are up close to establishment. What I am hearing now in the hospital is that the levels of overtime have receded. Our junior doctor positions are over 90% filled. Therefore, if you are going to the Alice Spring Hospital for care, you are never going to see a better level of staffing than we have managed to install.
Whilst it is easy to score cheap shots by making these types of allegations, I point out that this is a hospital which is pulling its operations together, and adopting safety and quality protocols. It is a hospital that is starting to take charge of its own clinical and management issues through its …
A member interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: Well, perhaps it is about time, perhaps it has been 20 years in the coming, and a lot of that was in your era. What I can definitely say is that it is happening right now, and this is not the time to be bagging this hospital and the staff.
I dealt with the issue of elective surgery in answer to a question during Question Time, but to reiterate, there are now two anaesthetists appointed to the staff; we have two full-time surgeons, and the nursing staff to sustain surgical activity. Whether it is day surgery, emergency surgery, or other elective procedures, we have the staffing to attempt to make inroads into that waiting list, and we will be trying to do that.
Mr Deputy Speaker, it is probably good to recap the key achievements just by summary before I close with a couple of other opinions about the situation in the Alice Springs Hospital.
In summary: we have brought the overall funding for Alice Springs Hospital up 30% in just three years, from $57.2m in 2000-01 to $75.5m in 2003-04; we have committed extra funds to Alice Springs Hospital for special purposes, which is the $11m being provided over four years starting 2004-05 for the additional staff in ICU and High Dependency; the $10m, which my colleague will talk further about, for the repair of the hospital facility; and we have met national benchmarks.
Despite all the unfounded allegations that the member for Araluen has been making for some time now, we have had assurances both from the Australian Council of Health Care Standards and from the agency itself that all information was given to the survey team when they went to Alice Springs Hospital to determine the accreditation of that hospital. It is now accredited to national standards in terms of its operations, safety, and the quality of its operations. That is not something I have invented; it is not a process or a set of criteria that I have invented. They are national criteria that are applied equally to every regional hospital and major hospital in Australia.
All five of our Northern Territory hospitals are now fully accredited to the national standard. I am very proud of that as an achievement for the staff of those hospitals. I say, ‘Good on you! You have satisfied a very respected national body, the Australian Council of Health Care Standards, that the services in the hospitals are of national accreditable standard and that is a major achievement’.
We have employed more nurses, as I have already indicated; 39 more nurses on establishment in Alice Springs Hospital, up from 277 at the end of the year 2000 to 316 in 2004. I hope we can add some more nursing positions in there - if I can get them out of the budget process, I will be the first to celebrate - along with any other health professionals I can get into this hospital and other delivery sites around the Northern Territory. I will be in there trying to do that. I have covered filling of the key medical staff positions. We have increased the number of junior doctors in the hospitals. We are doing all right, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is not the doom and gloom that you have heard from the member for Araluen.
I now go to a letter that I received today from the Alice Springs Hospital Management Board. I want to read it in full to make members and, more importantly, the people of Alice Springs, aware of the position of the Alice Springs Hospital Management Board on the issues that have been raised today. The Alice Springs Hospital Management Board is a statutory body which oversees and monitors, as an independent board, the activities and interests of the Alice Springs Hospital. This letter is from Margaret Wait, the Chair of the Board:
- Re: Progress in Alice Springs Hospital.
You will be aware of the deep concerns held across the Central Australian community following the
spate of negative publicity about the Alice Springs Hospital and various related recent developments.
Please be assured that the Board has been addressing its duties under the relevant act to assure itself
and you that appropriate plans and actions have been implemented to address the various areas of concern.
It is extremely important that our hospital’s dedicated staff are enabled to get on with the job of running a very
busy and demanding hospital by any standard. Of course, constant negative publicity and half truths have an
extremely demoralising impact on them.
The board has taken a keen interest in the various staffing challenges that have faced the hospital over the last
12 months. We are very pleased with the recruiting of key medical staff from both here and overseas and the
nurse recruiting initiatives in recent times.
The very complex morbidity profile of the hospital’s patients means that our staff must meet constantly high
demand. Addressing such changeables as their accommodation is therefore a priority interest of the board.
Hence the additional accommodation program is also most welcome.
We are confident that senior hospital and departmental staff are now putting in place appropriate procedural,
problem solving and planning initiatives to meet the ever changing needs - from the clinical quality and standards,
risk management, and human resource planning points of view.
The board was anxious to see that such measures would be widely involving of the hospital staff and we are very
pleased to see that this will occur.
The board has recently acquainted itself with the extent of poor quality of recent new works. The hospital staff’s
approach to this very disturbing and costly matter is both responsible and assiduous. While the repairs and
restorations are clearly out of their hands, the board is sure that they are planning and problem solving to
minimise the impact on patients and safety while the extensive repair program goes ahead.
On behalf of the board, I am very hopeful that all concerned will feel supported, not demoralised, through
factual parliamentary debate, to get on with the ever challenging job of running this hospital that we are all
so proud of.
Mr Deputy Speaker, this letter is written by the statutory body that overseas our hospital in Alice Springs.
Ms CARNEY: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! It is predictable one. I ask, since the minister is quoting from that document, that he table it.
Dr TOYNE: I am very happy to table the document even though I know that it does not confirm what the member for Araluen has been trying to assert from her contribution.
Mr Dunham: You should tell the truth …
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, member for Drysdale!
Dr TOYNE: Moving along to another letter from a concerned body of people in Alice Springs, and that is the Aboriginal Medical Service Alliance of the NT. This is a letter from Stephanie Bell, the chair of AMSANT, and also Director of Congress in Alice Springs. This is an open letter to the Centralian Advocate, dated today, I believe - no, it does not have a date on it but I received it today, so I presume it is today:
- Dear Editor
The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT) does not believe there is a major crisis at
Alice Springs Hospital.
Fifteen years ago, our member services joined with trade unions, health professional groups and others in
calling for a public inquiry into the Central Australian health system because we had major concerns about
the quality of care in Alice Springs Hospital. Aboriginal people were dying in hospital due to poor care. It
is clear that since then, and especially in the last few years, there have been significant improvements in the
quality of care.
In addition, quality improvement has become a systemic focus of the department’s approach and the hospital has
agreed to participate in a major research project into ischaemic heart disease which is openly and transparently
assessing areas where improvement is still required. There was no such openness in the system a few short years
ago and there were no forums through which issues of concern could be effectively raised.
AMSANT has been working in partnership with government to gain a substantial increase in its investment in
the health system. We believe the quality of services at Alice Springs Hospital has improved in recent years.
Although there is room for significant further improvement, we are satisfied that the hospital is actually in
a continuous improvement cycle that is progressing forward. This will require additional resources and it is
not good if an impression is created that increased investment does not lead to better outcomes.
There has been a major increase in base expenditure for the Alice Springs Hospital over the three years from
2000-01 until 2003-04 from $57.2m to $75.5m per annum. These figures are publicly available. Increased
funding, along with higher quality staff, better management and more focussed strategic direction have all
helped to create the following improvements.
The quality of care in renal unit has been remarkably improved. The general community would not be aware
of how poor the care was a few short years ago, and there was a very damning internal report into what
had been happening. Under the medical leadership of the current Director of Medicine, with good assistance
from Royal Darwin Hospital, major improvements were made. This has culminated in the recruitment of
two renal physicians.
Secondly, for any patient presenting to the hospital with chest pain and who then is found to be having a
heart attack, the quality of care has also improved. The emergency department has significantly lifted its
standards …
Mr Deputy Speaker, I will not have time to read the rest. I will table it so the opposition can have the benefit of the opinion of Congress and AMSANT. From my response, you probably gather that I believe that this censure is baseless. This is an excellent hospital and it is improving by the day.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, I wish to make some remarks to this motion moved by the opposition. First of all, let me clarify the comments made by the member for Araluen which she attributed to me that I made in June 2004. I made them at a time when there were slurs and headlines that I felt was giving a picture about this hospital that was not true. There were headlines such as ‘Patient dies as unit closes -Hospital deaths calls for inquest’. I felt very strongly, and so did some of the staff I spoke to, that it was reflecting upon the staff’s performance and that is why I made those statements.
Also, the member for Araluen has selectively quoted from the speech. If I could also selectively quote, I said: ‘Also, if you want to bag the Minister for Health, fine, that is your job, do it. But, for goodness sake, do not it at the expense of our staff, our doctors and the 700 people who work there’. I still say that. It is the medical staff that I am most concerned about. That is fine, go for the minister all you like, but do not go for the staff.
Minister, you have some problems. The feedback I get paints a very sad picture of low staff morale, regardless of what you have just said. Although there has been much debate on staff numbers, programs and what is going on, the main concern seems to centre around the executive management of the hospital and the department. I am always very careful about talking about public servants in any way, but I do not think we can have this debate without making this clear to you. There is a distinct impression that the new guard of management is uncomfortable with the long-term, experienced staff who are willing to challenge and question decisions. So much so, there is a perception that anyone willing to speak up will be ostracised and – to put it bluntly - got rid off. It is the divide and conquer mentality of many people in senior positions who do not have, perhaps, the confidence they should.
This particular way of working may assist management to get rid of their so-called troublemakers but, what worries me is losing that corporate knowledge of many years of experience of dealing with clients in Alice Springs Hospital - clients who have a special need. We have a cross-cultural population and they are the key people who keep this hospital running. I know you have mentioned a number of key staff, and most of the ones I did note you mentioned – yes, you are right, they are very experienced high-level performers. And yes, you are right, we are pleased to see that you have appointed people like Dr Ron Mitchell to come to the hospital. We want them because they are the people who will make sure our hospital works well. However, how can these highly qualified specialists offer the service they are employed to give if they are not given the respect and the necessary support that they deserve - especially by someone who is in charge who has never had experience in hospital administration? How long before these people will actually leave? That worries me also.
Minister, I have raised with you the issue of the attitude to the hospital board. That board is representative of our community. Those reps who have been appointed by you are meant to be our representatives. I was pleased to hear tonight that you had that letter from the board because, obviously, you are listening to them. The board, in my opinion, always has been the Alice Springs Hospital; a board with primary responsibility to ensure checks and balances that are needed in times such as this when there is a lot of unrest and perceptions in the community, as well as many staff who are not quite sure where everything is going. There are a few glaring problems with the running of the hospital at the moment; one of them is the lack of a local Director of Medical and Clinical Services. I am not sure whether you said that you had appointed one, however, the responsibility of that position, and the decision making, has gone to an officer in Darwin who seems to have little affinity or regard for the Alice Springs Hospital. I am not sure why we should not have that person on the ground here in this hospital.
Secondly, the hospital was well on the way to establishing a reputation as being a very good teaching hospital, but concern is mounting as the medical staff are being ignored into obtaining the requirements to do this training well. Minister, you need to ask yourself a few hard questions. Why are our experienced, permanent staff leaving, or being asked or coerced to leave? Why was a person who did not have any prior hospital experience appointed as the General Manager of the hospital? What was the criteria for that appointment? Minister, I would challenge you to say that given that appointment, the selection advisory panel was not carried out in accordance with public service regulations. The regulations I have here, Merit Selection Guide, states very clearly:
- …process of a merit assessment is usually carried out by a panel, as distinct from one person. A panel is usually
made up of a group of three or more people who understand the requirements of the job; have the skills necessary
to make an assessment; reflect the diversity of the NTPS work force; have no conflict of interest, real or apparent …
and I could go on.
Minister, the panel that appointed the general manager of the Alice Springs Hospital was a two-person panel, and both those people were referees. If that is not a conflict of interest, I am not quite sure what was. No one else was interviewed, although there were five applicants altogether. I am asking you why this was not open and transparent, and why were the regulations for employing someone for such a senior position, that you should keep, not adhered to? Why did you allow this appointment to go through a process which was not in keeping with the requirements of the public service, and had two people on it who had a conflict of interest as they were acting as referees? I know that is a strong accusation to make, however, it is true. That is why I say to you, minister, you need to ask yourself some hard questions.
I worry that some of the information you are receiving is in fact fudgy; that it is not accurate. For instance, I heard at one stage that the numbers you were quoting as the number of nurses you had included the nurses from the Renal Unit. It painted a big rosy picture of how many nurses we had, but in fact was not true in regards to how many nurses were actually working at the hospital. It worries me that perhaps you were not receiving the correct advice you should have been, and you may be beginning to realise that somewhere along the way you must question a bit harder yourself. You just do not take everything for granted - question.
Minister, do you want to develop a team that respects and trust you? As a former minister, that is what I would want. I would want people to say, ‘We have a good minister; we can go to him with our problems; he will listen to us, and assist us as best he can’. People have said to me, minister, on many occasions, that you are very a sincere person. They believe that you are a very caring person, and I worry that perhaps that you are not getting the right information.
I have also said on many occasions that to appoint a person to the Alice Springs Hospital who did not have hospital experience was not a wise decision. The appointee may have had clinical experience - I believe the person was a dietician - but no experience in the running of a hospital. Minister, if you appointed an administrator to a school as principal instead of an educator, you would have the same problems. Staff would not respect that person as an educator or a leader. I strongly believe that is where some of your problems are coming from.
I believe there are a couple of options open for you. I would like to see you bring in an outsider to run an independent inquiry into hospital management and why we have this unrest among staff. You should consider appointing someone not associated with the upper executive management of the department to avoid cronyism and conflict of interest. I know they are strong words, but if we are going to find the cause of the problem in the Alice Springs Hospital, we need to bring someone in, and I ask that you get the board to do it. Surely, that is the role of the board, to have these checks and balances. You could go to a body such as the Australian Association of Hospital Management to ensure a fair and thorough investigation. I do not have the knowledge of all the ways or the organisations you could go to, but I believe the board would have that knowledge and could do it.
You could appoint an additional medical clinical person for the governance of the hospital to work with the medical staff there. If you did that and gave the person currently in charge of the administration of the hospital, but take away that medical clinical governance, perhaps you would restore the faith of the medical staff in the Alice Springs Hospital.
Minister, this hospital is worth the effort. I have had my children there, I have broken my arm and had it fixed there, I have had all sorts of interactions with my family so I know it is a good hospital. I continually hear people saying what good service they get when they go there. Sure, we hear about people and the delays of elective surgery, but I do not know of anyone who has not been treated well in an emergency. I do not know of anyone who has not been treated well when they need that assistance. Staff work their butts off, there is no doubt about it. They work long hours, they do double shifts, but they are at the stage now when you are asking a little bit too much of them.
You will never solve the problems you have, no matter how much rhetoric there is in this parliament, while you continue not to listen to the board and the staff. I honestly believe that while you do not listen to anyone other than those appointees in the executive management, that these appointees have created this disaster for you.
What I am saying to you, minister, is you need to think about these hard questions. You need to take it on board and find out what the heck is going on at the Alice Springs Hospital. You need to make sure you have the right expertise there in the hospital governing the hospital for the sake of the people and patients of Central Australia. Minister, will you do it?
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Mr Deputy Speaker, in the time when the members opposite were in opposition, they took every opportunity to criticise the government of the day on health issues. So do not come holier than thou with me, minister, when you tell us that we should not be telling you that the health system is in disorder.
In my former life, I was a private medical practitioner in this town. I also serviced the hospital in various capacities, including being a Medical Registrar, an Anaesthetic Registrar, an Obstetrics Registrar, having delivered several hundred babies in this town during the time I was a private GP. For a couple of years, I was a half-time Medical Quality Assurance Officer for the hospital. In other words, I know the hospital and I know it well. Not only do I know the physical structure of the hospital, but also the workings of it. I know the staff and I have long connections with the ever-professional, hard working people at the Alice Springs Hospital.
What I have witnessed in the past three-and-a-half years, the same three-and-a-half years that this government has been running things, is the continuing deterioration of the hospital and the services it is supposed to deliver.
We have heard how this government signed off on a building with all its inherent defects and now dare to blame others for the fact that they have accepted it and paid in full for a faulty building. We have also heard of the dismal state the management of the hospital has been in over the last three years. Since the departure of Joyce Bowden, management has got worse and worse. It is no wonder that industrial action is being taken by nurses with overtime bans and working to rule. Had it not been for the professionalism of our staff - medical, nurses, allied health, and support staff - that place would have fallen around our ears a long time ago. They have been overworked and stressed out to the max. There is not enough staff. Ongoing training to maintain standards for professional staff have been cut. In some sections, staff numbers have been cut, cleaning services have been cut, patient services assistance has been cut, equipment orders have been postponed by management, bed numbers get changed from day to day. Elective surgery has not resumed, never mind the spin you try to put on, trying to tell Alice Springs people that it is different.
Elective surgery - what does that mean? Elective surgery is surgery you need that is, at the moment, not life threatening. Your doctor checks you out and determines that you need have to elective surgery, surgery such as hernias, or surgery for your bladder problems, or a cataract, or trachoma, or arthroscopy for your damaged joint, hip and knee replacements, ear nose and throat operations and the like. Have you seen this picture in the Centralian Advocate? The leading sentence says, ‘Elective surgery at Alice Springs Hospital will resume at the end of this month as a full team of anaesthetists began work this week’. The minister nods his head. Now, that was on Tuesday, 28 February this year. So, I asked the question, has elective surgery fully resumed? The answer is a resounding no.
The minister admitted himself, whenever there is emergency surgery, elective surgery has to be put off. That is not elective surgery. When I was working there, elective surgery went on day by day, and if there was an emergency, a second theatre was opened. While I compliment the doctors for taking up the anaesthetic positions, one which I shared with them several years ago, the article neglected to report that theatre nursing staff numbers were, and are, inadequate, to such a degree that, whenever an emergency case comes to theatre, an elective case has to be put off. Elective surgery has not resumed. In the words of one of the anaesthetists, ‘elective surgery has not resumed since it was put off three years ago’. Sure, some elective surgery has been done, sporadically.
You can go around Alice Springs and ask anyone, and you will know of someone whose operation has been put off. I have had calls from disgruntled patients who have complained to me that their surgery has been put off, that their arrangements for time off from work, arrangements for care for their family, all the alternative arrangements that have to be done for a person to go into hospital have to be put off. The disruption to the patient who is already worried about going for surgery is compounded by the cancellation of the surgery. Ask your friends and neighbours, and many of you would know of someone, or a friend of yours would know someone who has decided they could not wait any longer, or that they could not put up with the mucking around. At their own personal cost, they fly out of Alice Springs to Adelaide or any other city to get private medical or surgical care.
That is how this government is managing health care in Alice Springs, by reducing services locally to us, and making us pay for our own health care through the use of services outside of Alice Springs. I repeat: elective surgery has not resumed. Do you know how many cases there are waiting in Alice Springs? Sixteen hundred cases. At the change of government three-and-a-half years ago, there were about 450 cases. In three-and-a-half short years, the numbers have quadrupled. If elective surgery is on, as the minister is often heard to say, the list would not have gone through the roof. Talk to your local hospital doctors and nurses. Talk to them outside the earshot of those bureaucrats and they will tell you in confidence that elective surgery has gone back – and if it is back, it is pretty pathetically back.
The minister said he has spent more money on the Alice Springs Hospital - gone up by 50%. However, services have obviously gone downwards. It does not make sense, does it? You spend more money for services and you get fewer services. Any householder with a budget would know that you go broke if you do that.
Let me now give you some examples of how badly the hospital has been managed. Remember the case of the Intensive Care Unit? The opposition told the minister that he had a problem there; that, in fact, the hospital had closed down the Intensive Care Unit. He lied to Alice Springs, telling us that everything was hunky-dory. Within hours, staff from the hospital had rung the media to say that the minister had lied. He had to back down on that lie. The minister has continued to mismanage the hospital here. He refuses to listen to what people are telling him. The nurses asked to meet him, but he declined. However, when he heard that the opposition had made an offer to meet with the nurses, he was quick as a flash and got there to organise a meeting - but at such short notice that not many nurses could attend.
Let me give you another example of how this minister and his Department of Health works. The minister, bless his boots, was out doorknocking his electorate in the bush. When his department heard that he was out and about in his electorate, driving around in the electorate of Stuart, an edict from the departmental heads went out to all the staff in the bush health clinics instructing them not to talk to the minister about working conditions in the clinics, or else. That is what they are doing for you. This has to be one of the most serious examples of how this minister is not across the problems within his department. Similarly with the problems with the Alice Springs Hospital. He works in a vacuum; in la la land.
Let us go to the medical and surgical wards in this hospital, which are almost always overflowing. Why do I know that? I know that medical and surgical patients get transferred to the obstetrics unit. Imagine if you are an elderly person with a medical or surgical condition being bedded among young women with their babies. How appropriate is that? Just recently, the medical ward was down four nurses and the nurse educator. A nurse educator, for those who do not understand, is a senior nurse who floats around a ward keeping an eye on the newly-graduated nurses during their first weeks and months in a hospital setting. The ward responded by closing down three beds and refused to accept any more admissions to the ward. That was the only way they could manage the ward with the staff numbers they had.
Around the same time, the Intensive Care Unit was down between five to eight staff, depending on the day and the shift. The Emergency Department was down 10 staff at one stage. Frequently, in the Emergency Department, paramedics from St John are invited to fill in. Is that how you manage a hospital Emergency Department? It is fine if you allow paramedics to go into the Emergency Department to gain experience; that is what they need and what they can do. Is that how you replace your nurses by filling those positions, those vacant shifts, with paramedics?
As for the Intensive Care Unit, I told you that the opposition advised it was closed and the minister had the audacity to lie to the people of Alice Springs, telling us everything was okay. That lie was what fired up the staff at the hospital. They came out immediately to refute the minister. They had had enough of those lies and the minister was forced to retract his lies. Over the past year, intensive care patients have gone up by some 100 patients; that is two patients more every week who needed intensive care management. For the non-ventilator patients, some 150 patients in the last year – or three patients more each week. You can see the nurses are working under a huge load and, when they are forced to work overtime, double shifts, errors will creep in through fatigue. That is why they had to close the Intensive Care Unit.
To say that the nurses at the Alice Springs Hospital are under intense work pressure would be an understatement. I know of one senior nurse who refused to be made team leader of a unit. She feared, with the understaffing of her ward, she would come under the hammer if anything went wrong. Administration was so vindictive she feared her professionalism would be questioned if something went wrong in the ward, and she was not prepared, unfortunately, to speak up publicly for fear of the vindictive manner in which management deals with people who speak out. This minister supports this type of management style. If not, then come out publicly and say you do not support such a management style.
The minister revels in the repeated announcements of new nurse recruits to the Alice Springs Hospital. I recall he announced the recruitment of some 40 Filipino nurses for the Territory a few months ago while they were working in Ireland, and some 15 of them were coming to Alice Springs. Where are they now? How many are left now? Not many, I suggest, as they are all voting with their feet.
Dr TOYNE: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! The member is misleading the House. I made no such announcement of Filipino nurses. That was before my time as minister.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, you know the way you can challenge it if you think the member is misleading the House, or you can reply at another stage. You can give a personal explanation at the end of the speech.
Dr LIM: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. The minister is a corporate body, and he is the minister. See this newspaper clipping: ‘Pay cuts for agency nurses’? This is what this health minister wants to do. Do you know how to manage, minister? Do you think you are going to find more nurses when you tell them their services are not worth much? In the latest Australian Nursing Journal the article reporting on the Northern Territory has this to say: ‘nurse bans overtime’. It then goes on to talk about what you are proposing to do. In an article adjacent to that, was another written by the New South Wales people, and this is what was quoted in the article:
- I am getting feedback from many nurse managers in rural areas that the directive could have unforseen
consequences for many rural hospitals and health services. Many of these hospitals depend on agency nurses
for their very survival. There are also problems with nurse managers, clinical consultants and nurse educators
being forced to do clinical shifts at this time, as the hospital system is currently in the throes of absorbing
hundreds of new graduate nurses who need orientation and mentoring.
Does that sound familiar? Those words from New South Wales could easily describe Alice Springs, and this government is going down the same path.
With the limited time that I have, I want to go to other parts of the hospital. Today, according to the Territory Health Annual Report of 2003-04, there are 164 beds, six of which are mental health patients’ beds. In other words, the hospital now has 158 beds to cater for a population of some 50 000 in the town and surrounding country, however, not all beds are available at any one time. Bed numbers fluctuate around that based on the number of nurses we have, and this is how this minister manages health care in Alice Springs - rationing services by closing down beds. Is that the level of patient care we want from our hospital? We do not have the luxury of a private hospital in this town. Darwin has a private hospital, and all we want here is a private wing at the Alice Springs Hospital. Darwin has one; what is wrong with us in Alice Springs?
Dr Burns: Why did you not do it?
Dr LIM: The CLP provided a private wing in the Alice Springs Hospital during the refurbishment, but after the change of government in 2001 everything was shelved and the ward is now an administrative wing.
I want to talk about some of the other issues in Alice Springs. The hospital Patient Service Assistant, a most important element in the chain of patient care, help with the care of patients, helping nursing staff lift patients, preparing beds, cleaning up rooms and the ensuite for new patients to occupy, moving them from ward to ward, for instance taking them to x-ray or surgery, and taking specimens to the labs. One of the critical functions they also perform includes tidying the laundry room by removing soiled linen from the wards. Their numbers have been cut. Since this government has come to power, they have cancelled training of PSAs. There is no hospital-based training for anyone in Alice Springs who wants to be a PSA and, because there is no training, there is no pool of people they can call on. So when a PSA is sick or takes leave, the ward is left without a PSA. Then what happens? The nurses once again have to carry the load.
Cleaning services have also suffered. I recently spoke to a team leader of one of the cleaning teams. The team leader is absolutely fed up to the teeth with the reduced resources that he has. He has to keep the hospital clean and is struggling to do so. The people of Alice Springs will tell you the hospital needs to be better kept. I do not know whether the minister is interested in that, or whether his own hygiene standards are like mine, but let me say this: the hospital is where I go to get well. I therefore want it to be clean and healthy so that I can get well, not go there and get ill or, worse still, get some nasty infection because of the reduction in cleaning services.
One of the most disgraceful things that this minister has done is the complicit way he has dealt with Dr Charles Butcher and Dr David Hamilton, people who have been here for decades serving the people of Alice Springs, two highly regarded professionals, most respected men who have spent 25 and 10 years respectively caring for the lives of people in Alice Springs. You could not even hazard to guess how many people they have helped and saved. My whole family all have had surgery at this hospital under these surgeons. The dismissive way that you have dealt with those two surgeons is unforgivable. When the hospital is crying out for more doctors, you get rid of those two.
I was very glad to hear the member for Braitling so supportive of what the opposition has been trying to tell the minister for a long time, but I was also curious as to why she attacked the opposition some six to eight months ago when we brought the same censure into this Chamber. She was very defensive of the minister then. However, I welcome her comments tonight because what she said was very relevant, accurate and to the point: the hospital administration is in a diabolical situation and this government, this minister, must get his act together, focus properly and get something done about this hospital. Without it, we are going to get worse and worse.
If the minister is not prepared to work, then he should leave. He is a dead man walking. I said it to him 12 months ago and I say to him now. Get out, let somebody with the energy to do it do the work because you are not able to do the work that we need so desperately in Alice Springs.
Dr BURNS (Transport and Infrastructure): Mr Deputy Speaker, my role is to address those parts of the censure motion that go to my areas, and I will try to address some of the issues that are being raised by other members which fall within the purview of the Minister for Health.
I will first go to some of the issues that were raised in relation to the Minister for Health and his department, and the administration at the hospital, because it is important that some of these issues do not go unchallenged. In particular, the member for Braitling made some very serious allegations about selection processes of the General Manager. I have some advice to address the issues raised by the member for Braitling. Essentially, she alleged that the selection process for the General Manager was flawed, that people who were on the selection panel were also referees for the general manager. Of course, if that were true, that would be a conflict of interest and absolutely untenable and the whole process would be flawed.
I do have some advice on that particular matter. Basically, some of those public servants who are involved cannot come in here and defend themselves. As you will see from the advice that I have, the allegations made by the member for Braitling are not appropriate. They are entirely wrong. The member for Braitling said that there were two people on the selection panel and both of them were referees. I am advised that there were actually three people on the selection panel, plus one observer who was also on the panel - not two. The three names I have here who were on the selection panel were Peter Campos, Len Notaras and Jan Evans, plus the deputy chair of the board of the Alice Springs Hospital as an observer - that occurs because of the set up of the act, however I am assured that the board, through their deputy chair, did have input into the selection process. I am further assured that none of the three people whose names I have read out were referees for the general manager.
In addition, I am advised that a complaint making similar allegations was investigated by the Public Service Commissioner by an independent process and the Public Service Commissioner did not accept this complaint. I believe it is important to place it on the record that what the member for Braitling was alleging is untrue. Maybe someone told her these things and she has brought them into the House, I suppose that is part of her job, but this is the advice that I have.
The minister, in his summing up and response to the censure motion, was very comprehensive. I was quite assured by the letter from the hospital board that many of the issues raised by various speakers were acknowledged in the letter from the hospital board, and they are being worked through. It is important that I read once again from that letter from the hospital board because it is a powerful letter. It is from the hospital board to the minister:
- You will be aware of the deep concerns held across the Central Australian community following the
spate of negative publicity about Alice Springs Hospital and various related recent developments.
Further on:
- It is extremely important that our hospital’s dedicated staff are enabled to get on with the job of running
a very busy and demanding hospital by any standard. Of course, constant negative publicity and half
truths have an extremely demoralising impact on them.
In essence, that paragraph addresses many of the issues raised by the member for Greatorex. The theme of what the member for Greatorex was saying was about staff shortages and problems there. As someone who has worked in a quite large hospital myself as a pharmacist, working very closely with nursing staff, I am always in awe and admiration of the work that nursing staff do under very trying conditions. I would also add that, for quite a number of years as an academic, I was proud to participate in educating nurses, both undergraduates and postgraduates, and they are incredibly dedicated and committed people. As the member for Braitling said, they just work so hard they will work themselves into the ground. I can understand problems with morale, particularly in a hospital like Alice Springs where the cases are quite complex and the workload is very, very heavy.
I believe the minister would want me to commend nursing staff here. The minister and the board have indicated that they are trying to work through the various issues related to morale at the hospital. Morale is always an issue in hospitals, but we need to work through them, and the minister has indicated that substantial resources have been put in there. There are changes afoot. Changes are always very hard for people to accept and cope with in some circumstances, particularly in stressful circumstances such as I am sure many of the nursing staff at Alice Springs Hospital find themselves in. I commend the staff. I can assure them, on behalf of the minister, that the government is committed to trying to work through the issues. We do recognise the hard work and commitment that you show.
I believe I have addressed some of the issues from the member of Braitling. I am assured that, in relation to the member for Greatorex, elective surgery has resumed. That was something that the member for Greatorex alleged. It is not going as fast, or working through the case load as fast as people would want, but …
Dr Lim: Sixteen hundred cases!
Dr BURNS: Well, 1600 cases, member for Greatorex. There is a lot of work to be done, and I am sure that there is a commitment to really work through that issue.
The member for Greatorex mentioned cleaners at the hospital. I suppose I sound like the bloke who has done everything, but I have also, as a student in my holidays, worked as a cleaner in the hospital. I am a bit of an admirer of cleaners in hospitals. The member for Greatorex indicated the important job they do in hospitals. It is very important to have hygiene within the hospital, and I commend the work that cleaners do, often under quite trying conditions. The …
Dr Lim: Spit and polish is what they have to do.
Dr BURNS: They are good people, and they work very hard, member for Greatorex.
I turn now to some of the issues that were raised regarding my portfolio responsibilities. In essence, the first point of the censure motion moved by the member for Araluen is ‘the government’s failure to act in response to a report of April 2003 detailing fire safety and other defects at that the Alice Springs Hospital’ - I am having a bit of trouble with the grammar here, member for Araluen, but I think you were saying that the defects potentially compromised the safety of patients, staff and visitors to the hospital. I will try to address that particular issue.
I can only reiterate what the Minister for Health has already said about the safety of staff and patients at Alice Springs Hospital once these fire defects were recognised and identified. The building is not, and was not, compliant with the Building Code of Australia at that time in relation to fire separation and fire issues. At that stage, my department and the Department of Health and Community Services went to the Fire Service and sought the Fire Service’s advice. The Fire Service looked at fire and smoke detection and evacuation systems, and said while the building was not compliant, the people were safe. In other words, the evacuation procedures that were in place were sufficient to protect people’s lives, both staff and patients. However, it is very concerning that this situation arose in the first place.
In relation to the specific question asked by the member for Araluen about the report of April 2003 which, as she said, has been leaked to the media and other places, I received a letter from the member for Drysdale, my shadow, in relation to this matter - I am just looking at the date of the letter from the member of Drysdale - dated 1 March, in which he stated that there were four issues that he sought answers to at the head of his letter, and a further nine that he asked. I replied to the member for Drysdale on 17 March and, I believe, he would have a copy of that particular letter. I will reiterate what I said in Question Time in relation to the matter of this report. I am quoting from the letter:
- An audit report was provided to the principal contractor who was offered the opportunity to undertake
the identified rectification works. In April 2004 …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! As the minister has spoken directly from the letter, I would like to see the whole letter tabled.
Dr BURNS: Yes, I have no objection to that.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: You can do that at the end of your speech.
Dr BURNS: Yes, of course, and it has been sent to the member for Drysdale so you know it is basically …
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Dr BURNS: Yes, okay. I will keep quoting:
- In April 2004, the principal contractor was advised that DIPE would do the works without prejudice to the
Territory’s legal rights.
In other words, legal proceedings are on foot in this matter. This has come out to $10m. It is quite substantial money, and we believe that the principal contractor should be rectifying these defects. We have engaged legal counsel to look into and proceed with this matter. I will continue to quote:
- Government agencies have commissioned a range of consultants and contractors to assess the issues identified.
It is vital that the Territory’s legal position is not affected by poorly informed commentary and it is appropriate
that I offer you a full briefing on these matters. Please contact my office if you wish to arrange such a briefing.
Following that paragraph, I detail and answer the questions raised by the member for Drysdale and, of course, I am happy to table this letter.
In essence, as I outlined during Question Time, the contract that was entered into with the principal contractor was a design, construct, certify and commission contract. I believe it was in August 2002, certain problems, particularly with the fire issues, started to arise and, over the next 12 months, there was quite some negotiation between the department and the principal contractor in relation to these matters, as was appropriate because with defects that are identified it was up to the principal contractor to rectify those defects by a certain date. I think it was October 2003 when the principal contractor said they had fixed everything, everything was all right and they had no further work to be done. In the process of giving Certificates of Occupancy a bit later, I think, in October 2003, further defects were identified. Early in 2004 is when government was asked to put $2m up to further those rectification works. As that proceeded, even more defects became evident and, earlier this year, Cabinet approved more money so that money now totals some $10m.
It was interesting to hear the member for Araluen talk about a problem with a cool room in the pharmacy. That was a problem, along with many others, as I outlined before, that was first evident in 2001. I will come back to the point that I have made during Question Time: the former Chief Minister, the member for Brennan, has his name on two plaques at the hospital. I think he commissioned eight units down there, including the pharmacy, in 2001 before the election; one was in July and the other eight were commissioned in August. Those two plaques are there and anyone can see them. So for the opposition to pretend that this is our government’s problem - I think it is a bit of a shared problem.
Dr Lim: You signed off on it!
Dr BURNS: Well, the certificates of completion were signed off progressively, but the very nature, member for Greatorex, of the contract meant that the principal contractor was assuring the department that they had addressed all the defects.
This is subject, as I said, to legal proceeding. We have engaged an eminent counsel who is both an engineer and a QC, I believe. He has been to Alice Springs Hospital, had a look at some of these works that have been exposed as some of these walls have been taken off and the advice that we have received is that government does have a very good case of pursuing this matter. Nonetheless, the CEO of my department has contacted senior executives within the principal contractors and they will be coming to Alice Springs to inspect these works.
At the end of the day, possibly it can be solved without going to court. That is the way I would like to see it, but that is the way it is looking at this stage and that is why we are not tabling that report. I am advised to do so publicly could prejudice our case at this stage. That is the answer to the member for Araluen.
In summary, Mr Deputy Speaker, it is a serious matter …
Ms Carney: I do not think that is what your lawyers told you because you are able to table those documents.
Members interjecting.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order!
Dr BURNS: I have offered a briefing to the member for Drysdale on his issue, and I hope that he will avail himself of that because to quote again from the letter, what I have said is:
- It is vital that the Territory’s legal position is not affected by poorly informed commentary, and it is appropriate
that I offer you a full briefing on these matters.
We talk a lot about briefings, but I suggest that the member for Drysdale avails himself of this opportunity and then he can make his own decision on these matters. There are a couple of lawyers on your team. So, with advice from the lawyers, I would like to see us try to work through this without prejudicing the position of the Northern Territory.
In short, this is a very serious issue indeed and I reiterate what I said in this place yesterday: that whenever government has been made aware of defects and faults and issues, we have moved to work through and solve them. I stand by that. That is my advice and I will stand by it. The safety of patients and staff at Alice Springs Hospital comes first. There are major works, particularly in terms of the fire compartmentalisation, and we need to work through those.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I reject the censure motion. It is ill-founded. The opposition has form on this issue. They probably should not have gone there. They should be asking other sorts of questions, but I think they have exposed themselves as the authors of many of these problems. As a government, we are picking up the pieces, trying to work through and address them. We have a plan to rectify the faults in Alice Springs Hospital over the next three years. We are spending $10m. We value Alice Springs Hospital. All the issues that have been raised here tonight are important issues. I reject the censure motion.
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! The minister has offered me a briefing and I would ask, while the Assembly is sitting in Alice Springs and it is convenient for me, if at lunchtime tomorrow I could be briefed on the grounds of the Alice Springs Hospital and view some of these problems, with two of his ...
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I do not think there is a point of order. That can be sorted out away from this debate.
Dr BURNS: I can respond to that, if that is all right.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Can you make it short, please, minister?
Dr BURNS: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. That was a good suggestion by the member for Drysdale but many of the team that would be involved in this briefing, particularly members from the Department of Justice, are not in Alice Springs. This is not only an engineering issue, it is also a legal issue, so you need to be briefed together on those issues.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, minister. The question now is that the motion be agreed to.
The Assembly divided:
Ayes 10 Noes 11
Mr Baldwin Mrs Aagaard
Mr Burke Mr Ah Kit
Ms Carney Mr Bonson
Ms Carter Dr Burns
Mr Dunham Mr Henderson
Mr Elferink Mr Kiely
Dr Lim Ms Lawrie
Mr Maley Ms Martin
Mrs Miller Mr McAdam
Mr Mills Dr Toyne
Mr Vatskalis
Motion negatived.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr HENDERSON (Wanguri): Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise tonight to speak on the long-term contribution to the work of the Northern Territory government that Ms Helga Floeth has made over a period of close to 41 years. Last night, I had the privilege of putting on the Parliamentary Record testament for long-serving public servants – one of 35 years and one of 28 years. Ms Helga Floeth has made a great contribution over a period of close to 41 years as a public servant in the Territory.
Ms Floeth resigned from her client service officer position in DCIS on 11 March 2005. Soon after leaving school, Helga commenced work in a bakery shop. After 10 years, Helga started employment with the Northern Territory Department of Administration on 25 November 1963 when I was the grand age of 1 year and 2 months old. It is an extraordinary period of service by Helga to the Northern Territory people.
In 1976, she moved to the then Northern Territory Electricity Commission where she was employed as a finance clerk for 16 years before moving to the Department of Transport and Works Accounts Section in 1992. Helga’s performance in these areas was considered commendable by her colleagues, and she was always willing to lend a hand to new staff. In October 1998, she became the inaugural member of DCIS when it was established. During her six-and-a-half years with DCIS, Helga has become proficient in staff travel, accounts payable and accounts receivable products. She will be missed by her colleagues who wish her a long and happy retirement.
Helga was an original employee of the new Northern Territory Public Service in 1978; which is extraordinary. I am trying to discover how many original employees we still have in our system. I believe it is very few. Helga joined and was an original employee in 1978, and this is a great opportunity for this House to recognise her long-term employment and dedication to the Northern Territory government and its community.
I thank Helga for her contribution. I am sure all members of this House thank Helga for her contribution to the Northern Territory over the 41 years, and wish her well in her retirement as she has certainly earned it.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr HENDERSON: As member for Wanguri, I would like to speak about a number of great things that have been happening in my electorate.
We have a new parish priest at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Wanguri. I had the pleasure of meeting Fr Shane Carr, who has been appointed to replace Fr Stephen Hackett who has taken on a new role as Vicar General in Darwin. I wish Stephen Hackett all the best in his new role. He has been a great priest in the local community in Casuarina, and I thank him for his involvement and work which he has put in for the community over the last few years. I am sure that Fr Shane Carr will fit in well with the Wanguri community; he has a great sense of humour. I have already had a few chats with Fr Shane and look forward to working with him in the electorate. I am lucky to have one of the most religiously diverse electorates in Darwin, with six churches in the area. It is great to see different beliefs and cultures all come together in one area.
Leanyer school has just elected their SRC. Being on the student representative council is a great honour for our kids, and I am always thrilled to attend the annual SRC badge presentations and present the badges to the newly-elected students. This year was no different, with a special inauguration ceremony for SRC reps and house captains, with house captains receiving their badges from Charlie King from the ABC. There is a big list of names of the members of the SRCs and house captains for 2005, and I seek leave to have those names incorporated into the Parliamentary Record.
Leave granted.
- SRC for 2005: president, Nicholas Triantafillos; vice presidents, Magan Phelps and Rhiannon Oakhill;
secretary, Stacie Reissis; vice secretary, Elish Moloney; treasurer, Sophie Dodd; media, Matthew Nowland,
Daniel Banfield and Stephanie Smith; continuing members, Stevie-Rae Green, Toby Phelps, Nicola Leach,
Eliza McClelland, Dimitri Sofatzis, Sonia Vaikyl; newly-elected members, Haylee Williams, Jaimee Lee Ede,
Matthew Phelps, Lewis Mulvena, Monique Favretto, Tylah McDowell and Rachel Fegan.
House Captains:
Kakadu – captains, Corey St John and Sophie Dodd; vice captains, Anthony Chisholm and Nicola Leach.
Litchfield – captains, Hadlee Whyte and Kellie Longman; vice captains, Toby Phelps and Anika Sorensen.
Uluru – captains, Jeremy Hayward, Daniel Banfield and Marley Soares; vice captains, Jason Timm and
Stevie-Rae Green.
Coburg – captains, Jack McEwin and Stacie Reissis; vice captains, Brendan Hartell, Nerida Liddle and
Ashleigh Church.
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you, colleagues. I wish all the SRC members and house captains the best for the year, and congratulate them on putting their names forward and being leading examples in their school in taking leadership positions. I know that they will work very well over the year.
Wanguri Primary School has always prided itself on being a very environmentally friendly and conscious school. With such initiatives as the Biodiversity Garden and the recently opened Bush Tucker Garden, when I heard that they were successful in winning an EnvironmeNT Grant from the minister’s department, I knew the money would go to good use.
The school’s environmental committee is headed up by Ester McAdam, and she has done a magnificent job over many years, leading the environment committee at Wanguri school. I challenge my colleagues in the northern suburbs: I believe the grounds at Wanguri are the best grounds in the northern suburbs, and that is a testament to Ester McAdam and her team. I was pleased to present committee members, Andris Bergs and Sandra Brittain with a cheque for $1617 last Friday at the school’s assembly. The grant will be used to make their prestigious Biodiversity Garden cane toad-proof, by installing a fine wire mesh fence with an obstacle on top to prevent the toads from climbing, and the base buried down to 0.1 m to prevent burrowing. The kids are really looking forward to getting involved in that project.
I congratulate two students from Wanguri Primary School for their outstanding performance at the 63rd Commemoration of the Bombing of Darwin. Liam Blakely and Tori Lockley read the poem A Soldiers Prayer by Corporal Lawrence at the ceremony on the Esplanade. They read that poem with a great deal of dignity and performed very well on behalf of the school. Well done, Liam and Tori.
Hibiscus Shopping Town in my electorate is a very busy shopping centre, and is receiving a significant facelift at the moment. I congratulate owner, Paul Smith, who is investing a significant amount of money upgrading Hibiscus with new shade structures and an overdue new airconditioning plant which I am sure all of the retail tenants will be very pleased to see. It is great to see, in our northern suburbs, business people investing significant amounts of money to upgrade their premises and everyone is pretty excited about that. There is not an empty shop in that shopping centre, which is testament to confidence in the business community.
Unfortunately, I and my colleagues from the Northern Suburbs have not been available this year to attend Harmony Day celebrations, but Wanguri School is celebrating Harmony Day this year in style. Congratulations to the team behind the organisation of tomorrow’s event, Susan Neal and Liz Veel. I know there is a great round of activities for students to celebrate Harmony Day and our cultural diversity.
The day will kick off with an international breakfast for parents, students and teachers followed by the Best Dressed competition, with students wearing traditional country dress and an international assembly with around-the-world performances by the students. I am sorry I cannot be there to enjoy the day, but I am sure that everyone is going to have a great day at Wanguri.
At Tracy Village, it was great to see so many people lose their precious locks for Leukaemia Day to raise much needed dollars for research into leukaemia. I make special mention of the principal of St Andrew’s Lutheran School in my electorate, Tom Leach, who donated his hair and his much-renowned beard to raise money. I think Tom raised a couple of thousand dollars, so well done Tom. A special mention, too, of the Tracy Sports and Social Club for putting on a Crop and Colour night and contributing to the cause. Congratulations also to my former electorate officer, Ryan Neve, who generously donated all his locks that he grew on his sabbatical to Europe, and he raised over a thousand dollars. Well done, Ryan.
Wanguri Primary hosted a Board Shorts day on Friday, 18 March. Teachers and students donned board shorts to raise money for the Hero of Life Organisation. The school enjoyed a day of sandcastle competitions and surfboard races, in which I participated much to the mirth of the students. It was a great day at the school and everyone had a great time. Thanks to Mrs Canning and the team for organising the day; the kids had a ball and a fair amount of money was raised.
I congratulate a constituent, Susan Farquhar of Wanguri, who is a product of our local schools, on becoming the first successful recipient of the Minister for Mines and Energy’s Earth Sciences/Geology cadetship. My thanks to the Minister for Mines and Energy on this initiative. It is great that a constituent of mine took out the first cadetship. This will provide Susan with financial assistance, working with professionals within the industry, but also secure her to study in the Northern Territory. Well done, Susan, and all the best with your studies. Again, thanks to minister Vatskalis for supporting young people in pursuit of a career in earth sciences and geology.
In Leanyer alone, we have a great many sporting talents and tonight I congratulate three very talented hockey players who have rececently been selected to represent the Territory in the Under-18 Women’s Hockey team at the national championships in Queensland next month. Congratulations to Zoe Smith, Amy Dienhoff and Lisa Visentin and my best wishes to you as you represent the Territory at the championships. I was pleased to be able to sponsor the young ladies for their trip. I will put them into the next electorate newsletter and encourage all constituents to help the three young ladies represent the Territory in Queensland next month.
Leanyer Primary School has always been renowned for producing well educated young people into our community, but a new reputation of rugby champions is starting to emerge from the school. For the second year in a row, Leanyer has won the Walla Rugby Northern Suburbs Exchange. Leanyer battled it out with Holy Spirit Primary School, both schools in my electorate. Well done to Leanyer and Holy Spirit on their efforts.
The build-up to the NTFL grand final last week was felt at my electorate office and what a grand final it was. My team, the mighty Saints, got up in a very, very close game and it was great to see Damien Hale go out with his third premiership win. My electorate officer, Jarna Neve, is a physiotherapist at Wanderers and I could not believe that when I arrived at my electorate office on Friday, it was decked out in blue and yellow, much to my embarrassment. It was made even worse when the President of St Mary’s, Adrian Moscheni, dropped in to see me at the electorate office, and he nearly sacked me from being vice-president because my office was decked out in Wanderers’ colours, but he did forgive me. Well done to Saints for another great premiership win. It was a fantastic game. I look forward to another NTFL season next year.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I would like to speak about Barry Robert Burns, a man I have known in Alice Springs for a few years, who passed away recently at the age of 56. This eulogy was read at a church service by Sandra Clyne. I am reading it in full as it is written:
- My name is Sandra Clyne. I have been privileged to have known Barry and June for the past 12 years in my
capacity as a Community Health Nurse.
I have been asked to speak on behalf of Barry’s family: June, his beloved wife, Maria, his only daughter;
Mary and David, his in-laws; and Tracy, a family friend. They wish to share some thoughts, feelings and
memories of Barry who played such an important role in their lives.
Barry and June arrived in Sydney from England in 1974 as $49.10 immigrants. Ironically, the name of the
Qantas plane they arrived on was Spirit of Alice Springs. They lived in Sydney until they made their home
in Alice Springs in the mid-1980s. Barry’s occupation was a fitter and turner.
Barry was a great adventurer. I was amazed when I was told of some of his achievements. These included
building and racing a Formula 4 racing car. Barry was a qualified scuba diver and enjoyed sky diving.
He was an enthusiastic trail bike rider, four-wheel driver and loved camping in the bush.
He became a proud Australian citizen in 1984 and, as many of you know, was a mad Manly rugby league fan.
He did not mind a punt on the horses as well. He always showed an interest in the horses I owned and always
had a punt even though the returns were not great!
Always seeking an adventure, the Burns family began a trip around Australia from Sydney. They got as far as
Alice Springs and remembered the name of the aeroplane that had brought them from England, Spirit of
Alice Springs. Was that an omen? They settled in the town and made it their home.
Barry found a job at the Old Camel Farm and then at the Youth Centre until his health began to fail.
Even though his health was deteriorating, Barry’s adventures continued. He went gliding at Bond Springs
several times and participated in the Masters Games Mile, racing his motorised wheel chair down Gap Road.
Obviously, his disabilities did not prevent him from having a good time.
June, Mary and Dave have asked me to say: Our fondest memories of you, Baz, are when you went blind in
Hillend. They were on a camping trip, and Mary and Barry consumed a rather large amount of whisky. Later
in the night, Barry was lying in his swag and called out to June that he had gone blind. On further investigation,
June realised that he had pulled his beanie down over his eyes! We also remember the four-wheel drive trips
and especially the special breakfasts we enjoyed together.
The list of memories we all have together is too long to tell, but we will always keep them in our hearts.
So, Baz, we will see you when we get together again in heaven. Don’t forget the whisky. Loads of love.
Maria, Barry’s only daughter, says: Dad was with us for a great 56 years. Within the 33 years I had with him,
Dad was and always will be everlasting in my heart. Dad always told me: ‘Live your life to the fullest and don’t
mourn someone’s passing, but celebrate the life they had’. He also said: ‘Be positive about life. Do not talk
about it. Actions speak louder than words’. This was Barry’s philosophy of life which he passed on to his whole
family.
Tracy, a family friend, said of Barry: ‘He was always positive about everything, even when he was unwell. Barry
included me and my children as members of his extended family. Barry always put a smile on your face. If you were
feeling down, he made you see the good side of things with his happy and cheeky attitude. We will miss him deeply.
Tracy, Melinda and Emma-Louise.
Barry lived his life to the full. His courage and sense of humour was an inspiration to all who came in contact with
him. His love for his family was obvious and his grand daughters, Toni and Natasha, were very special to him, not
forgetting his beloved animals. Over the years, Barry had many dogs and cats, but latterly Q and Mister will really
miss him.
Our thoughts today are with June, his soul mate of 37 years. As Maria said, they were joined at the hip. June’s
love and care for Barry enabled him to stay at home and remain with his loved ones as he wished. With her help,
he was able to live his life to the full until he died.
I do not know who wrote these words, but I like the notion: ‘Their lives are our lives and while we live they shall
continue to live, safe and secure within our hearts, urging us on when we falter and laughing with us when the
world shines roundabout. No they are not gone. They live within as long as we live’.
- I am sure that is what Barry will do for you. He will always be remembered as a very special person.
When I first met Barry, he was already in his electric wheelchair. I would often see him racing down the street in his wheelchair with June perched on his lap. Barry and June were very good supporters of mine. They helped me letter-drop my electorate, Barry and June doing it from his wheelchair and that was the best part of it all. I would see them occasionally at their home. All I can say is, Barry, we will all miss you and June, hang in there, we are all there to support you and if there is anything I can do, please let me know.
In the little time that I have left, I would like to speak about what happened today at lunchtime. Some 100 teachers gathered outside Parliament House today to demonstrate to government that they have not listened to teachers’ concerns about their current EBA. Without a doubt, teachers are now down to about the third-lowest paid in the country, and even if the government were to offer the 11% wage rise over the next three years, they will continue to slowly erode their position and they are not going to be in any competitive salary scale.
I know that, right at this very moment, New South Wales is some 10% higher than the Northern Territory. Come the end of this year, there will be a new EBA signed off in New South Wales which will probably give them another 4% extra, so our teachers are going to struggle to keep parity with their interstate colleagues. That has been the problem. What they are concerned about is that, as the parity starts to erode, it becomes more and more difficult for teachers to be recruited into the Northern Territory. When you then add the issue of large class sizes, what happens is, our teachers get significantly disadvantaged. If no teachers come to the Territory, our schools are going to get more and more disadvantaged in terms of larger class sizes and, with each coming year, recruitment will get more difficult.
It was for that reason that the CLP decided that we will make an offer to the teachers to show them that, yes, we do value them; yes, we respect their professionalism; yes, we want them to teach in the best environment that we can possibly provide for them. For that reason, the Leader of the Opposition wrote to Australian Education Union NT Branch with the following offer. I quote from the letter from the Leader of the Opposition to the AEUNT. I quote the relevant section that states the conditions that we will provide:
- As leader of the Country Liberal Party, I make this undertaking to teachers of the Northern Territory. That,
on attaining government in the Northern Territory the CLP will:
(1) agree to a two year enterprise bargaining agreement;
childhood education – meaning transition to year three - commencing with transition the
first year of the term in office and moving upwards by one year each year of the term of
government;
learning ability across all primary schools, based on an annual assessment using the ratings
model to fit students into a maximum class size of 22 students;
provision of relief teachers; and
number of students in a cluster of schools in any area reaches 300 students.
This was signed by Denis Burke.
I hear the Chief Minister chuckle under her breath.
Ms Martin: That means four more schools in my electorate of Fannie Bay.
Dr LIM: The Chief Minister might say there will be four more schools in Fannie Bay. At least the CLP, in government, built an average of one new school every year. You, in three-and-a-half years, have not even proceeded with one. Why? Because you have lost so much population from the Northern Territory that our schools have now lost some 1000 primary students in the last two years …
Ms Martin interjecting.
Dr LIM: That is the unbelievable statistic: you have caused the Northern Territory population to decrease and that is why you have no need for the recruitment of our normal number of teachers. Each year, on average, we would recruit 200 to 250 teachers. What has happened now is that, because of the reduction of students, you do not need as many teachers and you recruit fewer teachers …
Ms Martin interjecting.
Dr LIM: You ask the union and the union will explain exactly. Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, do you want to stop the Chief Minister from prattling on? Thank you.
That is the reason why teachers in the Territory have been so dissatisfied with this government. Today, outside Parliament House, one teacher said: ‘Three-and-a-half years ago, when we came to argue the first EBA with this government, the teachers were told: “Hey guys, you are on our side of politics; you have to help us. We have this big black hole that we need to fill, and we cannot afford to give you a good EBA”’. Those teachers believed them! The teachers believed this government and said, ‘Okay, if you have this big black hole, as you said, then we will take a smaller wage rise’. Well, three-and-a-half years later, they have now learned that this government has misled them. We have had $600m extra from GST - more than the CLP ever received from the federal government - so there was never a big black hole. This government has bluffed their way through.
This time around, the teachers are not going to roll over on the government’s wishes; they are going to demand that the government deliver. The government is not prepared to deliver. I know the teachers have asked for 18% over two years. However, the CLP believes that offering them a 15% rise over two years, with the other conditions included, will more than satisfy most teachers. We hope the teachers will consider our rock solid commitment. It is a rock solid commitment we will not resile from. Once we are in government we will be able to deliver. Yes, we will have the money to deliver. With $600m extra from GST, yes, there is money to deliver.
I believe the AEU’s assessment of what it costs to deliver our promise versus what Syd Stirling decided to do in his office with a little pocket calculator - he worked out that it was going to cost $60m using 18% over two years whereas - and funnily enough - the OCPE, only a couple of days earlier, suggested that the 18% over two years as demanded by the AEU will cost $50m. Who is right? Is the OCPE right with $50m, or Syd Stirling and his pocket calculator in his office at $60m? The AEU, working on the average of a tier 6, I believe, teacher average, works out to be around $20m to $25m. That is affordable.
The CLP gives this undertaking now: we are committed to this undertaking and we will provide this agreement to teachers without sacking teachers as the Chief Minister would like to suggest. We can do it because we are able to do it. We know we can do it; it has been costed. The Chief Minister needs to understand that, if she does not consider the teachers EBA seriously, she is going to rue the day she decided to ignore them.
Education is very important for all of us; our children need to have the best education that we can provide. Teachers are committed people who love children, who want to do the right thing by the children. All they are asking is for the Chief Minister and her government to stick to the 2001 pre-election promise they made. It is people like them who break promises. People do not want to see politicians break promises; they want politicians to make a promise that they will keep or else do not make the promise. This is where this government is going to come unstuck.
Ms MARTIN (Fannie Bay): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, in response to the member for Greatorex, I am interested to know how many teachers the CLP is intending to sack to afford the promises, to afford the four new schools in the Fannie Bay electorate. I wonder how much this is going to cost. If you propose a new school for when a school goes over 300 in size, you will build five new schools in the Fannie Bay electorate alone. You will have to build a new one at Stuart Park, a new one at Parap and, because Darwin High has 1250 students, there are another three schools there. That is the commitment you have made and, when you think about it, it is blatantly stupid. Here are the educational experts we have on the side of the opposition, and they know nothing!
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex! Member for Greatorex, could we have some decorum, please! Continue, Chief Minister.
Ms MARTIN: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I recently had the great pleasure in congratulating an outstanding young woman in being awarded a prestigious scholarship to study for a Doctorate. Sarah Milne has been awarded a General Sir John Monash Award valued at $150 000 over three years, which is one of only eight such awards for 2005.
The Monash Awards were founded in 2002 to recognise academic excellence and leadership and to provide Australia’s own prestigious postgraduate awards equivalent to the Rhodes scholarship and the Fulbright program. After graduating from Melbourne University with First Class Honours in Engineering as well as a degree in Science, Sarah was employed as a Research Engineer at the Centre for Appropriate Technology here in Alice Springs. At CAT, Sarah worked with remote Aboriginal communities examining indigenous and non-indigenous environmental management systems to identify appropriate technology solutions for sustainable livelihoods.
Sarah is currently employed by the non-government environmental organisation, Conservation International, where she is managing their community engagement program in south-west Cambodia. She is working with the local villagers towards improving welfare, including health, food, security and education, as well as achieving biodiversity conservation goals.
A well rounded young woman, Sarah speaks five languages besides English and is an accomplished musician, playing both violin and piano. She will commence studies for her PhD in the UK later this year, after which, in her own words:
- When I return to the Northern Territory, I would anticipate becoming involved with the joint management
of national parks (between government and traditional owners) … There is a lifetime’s work in supporting
appropriate and collaborative management for Australia’s landscapes.
Young Territorians like Sarah Milne inspire me and should inspire all of us with great confidence in the future. Congratulations to Sarah, a great ambassador for the Territory.
I would now like to recognise the efforts of Rob Hobbs and his partner, Barry Rowlands, for the wonderful way they have restored the old Rum Jungle Mine Manager’s house in Batchelor. I joined my Cabinet colleagues in Batchelor and Adelaide River for Community Cabinet earlier this month and had the opportunity to officially open the historic retreat, along with Tourism Commission CEO, Maree Tetlow.
The historic retreat is a wonderful old house that has a strong cultural heritage theme. It is a tangible reminder of another time. We all know that back in the 1950s when the Mine Manager’s house was built, the words ‘uranium mining’ held a very different connotation than they do today. It was a period when the Australian government played a very active role in developing uranium resources to supply our nuclear allies in America and Great Britain. In fact, the federal government held a competition, offering a cash prize of 25 000 to the first person to discover uranium in Australia. That prize was won by Jack White, a local prospector from the Finniss River, for discovering what was to become the Rum Jungle Mine, the biggest industrial enterprise in the Territory.
The town of Batchelor was created to service the mine and was to become the third biggest town in the Territory. This house not only provided a home for the Mine Manager, but also for visiting dignitaries in the 1950s and 1960s. The Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, stayed there, as did the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who stopped on his way to the Olympic Games in Melbourne.
This is one of a number of sites around Batchelor associated with Rum Jungle, a place that forms an important part of the cultural history of the Territory. I congratulate Rob and Barry who have shown a real entrepreneurial spirit and I especially commend them for nominating the Mine Manager’s house to the NT Heritage Register themselves. The retreat was heritage listed by Environment Minister, Marion Scrymgour, earlier this year. It is the first time in the Territory’s history that a private developer has pursued this type of accommodation for heritage listing and subsequently turned it into a tourism and business venture. I wish Rob and Barry the best of luck.
It is always a joy to be able to celebrate the achievements of Territorians. As Minister for the Arts and as a great supporter of Tracks Dance, I am very pleased to inform the house that Tracks has won the prestigious Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award for 2005.
The Sidney Myer Performing Arts award pays tribute to outstanding achievement in drama, dance, music, mime, opera, circus and puppetry. While the award is on a past achievement, either for a single outstanding performance or a sustained contribution, consideration is also given to the potential of an individual or group to continue their contribution to Australian society through the performing arts beyond the time at which the award is made. Past winners of this award have included Geoffrey Rush, Circus Oz, the Bangarra Dance Theatre and the Sydney Dance Theatre, so our Territory-born company, Tracks, is in very good company indeed.
Co-artistic directors and founders of Tracks, David McMicken and Tim Newth, are amazingly talented individuals. David and Tim are responsible for the company’s program and conception and artistic direction of all productions. It has been their vision that has sustained this company and it is their enthusiasm and skill that has encouraged the large number of youth, seniors and ethnic community members to participate in their increasingly challenging productions. The other staff of Tracks are: Company Manager, Sue Mornane; Dance Animateur, Julia Quinn; Development Consultant, Suzanne Fermanis; and, and until very recently, the company Bookkeeper, Heather Richards.
Tracks’ work is highly original, strongly visual and exciting. The company is known for its innovative, large scale outdoor performances that bring together participants from diverse cultures and artistic disciplines. I remember laughing at the football players challenging the women’s circus performers in 4WD Sweat, Dust and Romance held at the botanic gardens and, last year, many enjoyed the fun of A Bowls Club Wedding, featuring Yoris Wilson, Gail Evans, Julia Quinn and the now both infamous and famous Grey Panthers.
I especially want to acknowledge the youth who performed in Fast, an original show choreographed and developed by our upcoming youth dancers. The core performers for this show included Marco Taupo, Erwin Fenis, Byron Low, Jessica Rosewarne, Ruttiya Suansri and Justine Clarke. Along with many other emerging youth talent, this core group held audiences spellbound for their fast paced performance held in the car park of the new Mitchell Centre in Darwin last year.
Tracks is committed to involvement of the community, and they have certainly been able to make their point with their shows now being sell-outs each season. Acknowledgement should also go to the Tracks Committee of Management comprised of local volunteers with a strong commitment to the work and philosophy of Tracks. They include Jackie Wurm, Chairperson, Glenn Bernardin, Sonia Brownhill, Ken Conway, David Taylor, Donna Quong and Jill Macandrew. The committee recently farewelled valuable members Kay Brown and Kyleigh Hinson.
Tracks’ work with local community groups, the seniors, various ethnic groups, youth and indigenous communities has made them leaders in the national arts forum. I congratulate all of Tracks staff and, in particular, Tim and David for this well deserved recognition by their peers.
Finally tonight, it was with much sadness that I learned last week that Muriel Spillett had died. My colleagues may well remember Peter Spillett died just before Christmas. Muriel has joined him. I knew them both very well because they lived in my electorate of Fannie Bay and I will miss them a great deal. Peter used to talk about Muriel a lot to me, always admiringly and in contrast to himself. Her skills around the house, her ability to fix, repair and undertake home improvements, her excellence as a cook and how she had always looked after him selflessly. Indeed, even when very ill, Muriel always put the needs of Peter and her family ahead of her own concerns.
I will always remember a story Peter told me about going to dances at the old RSL Hall in town in the 1950s – since sadly destroyed by Cyclone Tracy. Peter said there was a line along the floor where women were not allowed. Muriel said, ‘Well, I think that’s rubbish’, and just ignored it. Peter said that when she came to Darwin to be married she was very badly bitten by sandflies and had to attend her own wedding with her arms covered. I do not know if all the stories Peter told me were exactly true – he was a great raconteur – but I do know that the Territory owes a great deal to the contributions of Peter and Muriel Spillett and it is a great loss to us all. They were married many years and, in death, not divided. My sincere condolences to Simon, Richard, Anna, Annie and Stephanie.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I wish to talk tonight about this Labor government that prides itself, if you follow its rhetoric, on being open, accountable and transparent. It is a pity that so many of the people who were here earlier have gone, however, I can say for the sake of the Parliamentary Record that I propose to send my comments tonight to many of them.
This government is not open, accountable or transparent, and there are numerous examples of this. Tonight, in essence, I really wanted to concentrate on my experience of this government in terms of me asking questions of it and in particular written questions. Members will recall that, prior to estimates in June last year, I submitted approximately 70 questions to the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General. Despite the minister saying in parliament that he would answer them, he did not. I wrote repeatedly to the minister from June onwards without success for many months. The questions related to the budget. Labor has introduced a budget process which, they say, allows great scrutiny, but it is clearly not true.
In any event, after many months, I decided to write again. When I did, after several letters, I removed references to ‘the budget’ and I simply said that they related to the minister’s portfolio and, accordingly, he was bound to answer them. I eventually received some but not all of the answers I requested of the Department of Justice budget in early November last year. I received the remaining answers on or about 30 November last year. So, from June to November, it took five months to get answers about the allocation of a budget of somewhere in the vicinity of $400m to the Department of Justice. I thought that was appalling. Hardly open, honest, accountable and transparent. It was not good enough, but it seems to be becoming the hallmark of this government and, in particular, my dealings with the member for Stuart in his capacity as both Minister for Justice and Attorney-General, and Minister for Health.
In relation to health, shortly after being made shadow minister for Health, I sought and obtained a briefing on 26 October last year. I was given an hour. I had a number of questions. At the expiration of the hour, with an advisor and the CEO, Mr Robert Griew, we agreed that I would fax to the minister’s office the 20 or so questions that I had left. To those questions the minister should have known the answers. Some were as simple as: how many hospital beds are there at each hospital, and how many nurses have you recruited? I wrote a number of letters. In fact, I even tried to embarrass the minister into answering the questions I asked by issuing media releases. I wrote him more letters.
On 26 November, I wrote:
- I am concerned that I am being obstructed in the ability to perform my function as shadow Health minister
by the delay caused in providing answers to the apparently straightforward questions.
I eventually received the answers in a letter dated 24 January this year, three months after asking the questions. This was, for all intents and purposes, a garden variety briefing. Some of the answers were rubbish, in any event, such as the minister’s assertions that there were 345 beds at Royal Darwin Hospital when we learned last week that that was patently not the case, because the nurses at RDH did a count and found only 279.
I obtained a briefing in relation to breast screening services across the Northern Territory on the 6 December 2004. I wanted some information that arose from a ministerial report that the minister gave. There were letters and faxes because there were some issues outstanding from the briefing. The saga went on. I eventually received answers to questions on 18 February 2005 - a long time, indeed!
This is not honest, open, accountable, transparent government. I have written a number of letters to the minister. When most of us came back from whatever leave we took in January, there was a flurry of letters from the minister’s office. Some of them were letters that simply did not answer some of the questions I asked. However, I recall writing one letter in reply to the minister saying that the flurry of correspondence had the appearance of a new year’s resolution, and that I was hopeful that he would continue to reply to my correspondence, at all, although it is the case that delays continued.
What is really concerning, however, is that - there are only three letters that I have in the file with me but there are more - I am sure that my colleagues have received letters from the minister that are stamped with a rubber stamp. I am glad the Chief Minister is with us because my view is that it is completely unacceptable for a minister of the Crown - whether he be a Minister for Health or Minister for Justice and Attorney-General - to send me letters in that capacity that he clearly has not written and has not seen - hence his rubber stamp. There is no doubt that the signatures on these letters are a rubber stamp.
One of the letters I wrote was regarding staffing levels at the Alice Springs Hospital. The letter of reply is two pages in length. Is it any wonder that the minister is in trouble when it comes to his lack of knowledge about issues at the Alice Springs Hospital when, clearly, either members of the department or, I suspect more accurately, ministerial minders, write letters, purport to sign them, and stamp them with a rubber stamp with his signature. This is outrageous! I hope - and I know that the government advisors are listening tonight - will reflect on their conduct and the minister his, because it is not open, honest, accountable, transparent government when I receive, as shadow, letters from a minister of the Crown that he, as I say, has not written and, clearly, has not read. These are just three letters; there are other examples, no doubt. I wonder how many other Territorians have received this sort of rubber stamping exercise. It gives new meaning to the term ‘rubber-stamping’. It is appalling, and it is as simple as that.
However, I just do not direct my comments to the member for Stuart. His other part-time Health Minister, the member for Arafura, gave a statement on child abuse in the House on 13 October 2004. It contained a number of sweeping statements. I raised some issues ...
Ms Martin: You – talk about sweeping statements!
Ms CARNEY: Oh, wait for it, Clare, wait for it. … a number of sweeping statements. I raised my concerns at the time. I wrote a letter shortly after returning to Alice Springs from the sittings. I will read extracts of it:
- In your statement, you said that your government was building economically and socially sustainable
communities that were more confident and capable when it comes to child rearing. Would you please
advise how economically and socially sustainable communities have been built, and the basis of your
claim that communities are confident when it comes to child rearing?
Another question I asked:
- You advised that you were reviewing family support programs and targeting more vulnerable families.
No details of the review process were provided. Would you now provide them? In particular, please
advise of the nature of the review, who is conducting the review, the stakeholders advised, time limits
for outcomes and whether any interim measures have been agreed and/or implemented.
Another one in the same letter:
- You advised that child abuse in Aboriginal communities is being addressed. In my reply, I noted that
you did not advise how child abuse is being addressed. Would you please provide specific details in
this regard?
Another question I asked in my letter:
- You advised that you were optimistic about overcoming child abuse in remote communities. Please
advise the basis of your optimism.
I go on:
- You advised of an integrated response to children and their families. Please provide details of this
integrated response. You also advised that this would need to be done in a way that strengthens
communities and makes them safer places for children. Please advise how communities have been
made safer since August 2001.
Another question:
- In your statement, you advised that you have started to implement a series of measures that will improve
the way children with disabilities are protected and families are supported to care for children. Please
provide details of those measures.
There were 12 questions in all and I will not quote all of them, but the last one I asked was:
- Elsewhere in your statement, you advised that you reviewed contemporary practice models across
Australia as well as completing a detailed analysis of our Northern Territory data. Please provide
the nature, the basis and details of the detailed analysis.
Not unreasonable questions. On a topic as serious as child abuse, all of us need to question. When the minister said these sorts of things in her lengthy but largely rhetorical statement, I did not think that it was too much to ask her to provide details backing up some of her claims, some of which were simply unbelievable.
I eventually received a reply to my letter. She basically said staff were busy and tried to suggest in the parliament that I was satisfied with figures provided. That was not the case and I pressed my case in relation to the unanswered questions that I wrote in my letter of 23 September. I wrote back to the minister on 20 October 2004 and said that there was no excuse for not answering the questions. I heard nothing. I wrote again on 18 November last year. Nothing. I wrote again on 10 December last year. I have not received a letter of response.
This is outrageous and appalling conduct. I expected more from minister Scrymgour. I thought, at very least, she would do me the courtesy, as a parliamentary colleague, of answering my letters. I also had a reasonable expectation that on the topic of child abuse, an issue which the minister purports to take seriously, that she would reply, but when she declines to answer perfectly reasonable questions, I am, frankly, appalled.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: I do not know what it is - well, the Chief Minister is laughing and it really sums up how the government reacts to the child abuse. She is the woman who will not even sack the member for Johnston for his outrageous conduct. This is a bloke who reckons that boys who are sexually abused turn out to be homosexuals. That is what the member for Johnston thinks of …
Mrs AAGAARD: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! The member for Araluen is making allegations which have no basis in the facts of what happened in the last sittings. I would ask her to withdraw.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, I do think it is a big jump to presume that the member for Johnston suggested …
Ms CARNEY: Speaking to the point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, the minister, by his comments, we all know what they were, asserts, by his comments and conduct, that boys who have been sexually abused are homosexuals.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, I would ask you to withdraw that. I think it is a big jump to presume that …
Ms CARNEY: Of course, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, because you have asked me, I will withdraw it, albeit reluctantly.
In any event, the Chief Minister giggles in her girlish way when I start talking about child abuse. Some of us do not think that is funny. Some of us do not think the puerile, disgusting, offensive, disgraceful comments made by the member for Johnston in the last parliamentary sittings were appropriate. We thought that those comments should be withdrawn. We think, as do many Territorians, many of whom are Labor voters, that this Chief Minister who giggles at child abuse does not think that the member for Johnston should be sacked. You are a weak, useless individual, Chief Minister!
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, I will ask you to withdraw those comments and please direct your comments through the Chair.
Ms CARNEY: I will withdraw those comments, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, but since you are asking me to direct my comments to you, would you afford me the same courtesy of inviting the Chief Minister to do so as well?
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: I will, but I do not think her interjections have been stopping you from contributing tonight.
Ms CARNEY: No, well, they probably wouldn’t. In any event, the conduct in terms of the letters and questions I asked in relation to child abuse are not unreasonable. I invite anyone to tell me why they are. Part of my job is to bring this government to account. The Chief Minister does not have the intestinal fortitude to bring her own ministers to account, which is why the member for Johnston remains a minister of the Crown, having made a disgraceful slur on boys who are sexually abused and the homosexual community generally.
However, we know what she is like. She will not even pull into line ministers who do not answer questions in a timely way. She is a disgrace, and so are they.
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Nightcliff.
Ms Martin: Do you know what a sweeping statement is, Jodeen? Peppered through your whole adjournment.
Ms Carney: Oh! Pressing some buttons, are we, Chief Minister?
Members interjecting.
Madam ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, please sit down. Chief Minister, could we listen to the member for Nightcliff?
Mrs AAGAARD (Nightcliff): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, first, I would like to make a comment about the last comments of the member for Araluen. I am probably one of the best behaved members in this House and, to be quite honest, this debate regarding these matters to do with the members for Johnston and Macdonnell has gone too far. Both members have undoubtedly behaved in ways which were not acceptable at the time, and certainly the general community would find some of the things that happened very difficult, but there is a time when you just have to move on and I think we have reached that moment. The continuing conversations, discussions and innuendo that have been made in this House during these sittings are completely unnecessary and unacceptable.
I have full confidence personally in the member for Johnston. I know that he has been very embarrassed by the comments – actually, he did not make comments; he apparently mouthed some words across the Chamber. I know that he has been very embarrassed. I know that he has apologised both in the House, to members of the gay community in the Northern Territory, and to various other people.
Those of us of goodwill in this House would accept that in quite a reasonable way. The intimidatory comments that are clear in the Hansard of that day indicate that the member for Macdonnell needs to apologise to the member for Johnston. Clearly, that is not going to happen so I think it is time for everyone to move on so we can get on with the business of the day, which is the running of government and for the opposition to ask questions relating to the government and not make personal innuendoes.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, after those remarks, I place on the record my congratulations to the Speaker, the Clerk and Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly for their hard work in once again organising a very successful sitting in Alice Springs. It is a huge task, putting together this kind of event. Once again, they have shown what a fantastic group of people they are in the Legislative Assembly. To all of the staff, let me say thank you very much. We certainly appreciate all the effort you have put into it.
It has also been great to see so many people from Alice Springs taking a real interest in this Assembly and it is great to know that Territorians are interested in the democratic process. It adds to the whole process of government.
In the last couple of weeks the Australian Hotels Association has announced it annual awards. I congratulate the Beachfront Hotel and Turtles Bar at Rapid Creek for being awarded the best hotel in the Territory and the best retailer. I congratulate Doug Sallis and the staff at the Beachfront for this tremendous success. The hotel has certainly come a long way from when people ‘raged in the cage’ at Lims. The renovations at the hotel, good food and service make it a very pleasant place to have a sunset drink or a Sunday breakfast. So, congratulations Doug and your staff and I wish you continued success over the coming years.
It was a pleasure to officially open the Anglicare Family Fun Day on Sunday 20 March at Mindil Beach on behalf of the Chief Minister. Anglicare agencies around Australia celebrate National Family Day on 20 March, and Family Fun Day is an opportunity to focus on the needs of families and communities. It was a time to take note of the responsibility we all have to ensure that our family members are cared for, nurtured and supported. Anglicare NT has been operating in the Northern Territory for 40 years and, in that time, the range of services provided by Anglicare NT has grown to an astounding 62 programs across the Territory, working to assist families and children in crisis, providing home support for the frail, elderly or disadvantaged, and working with indigenous people to develop appropriate and needed programs.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge a special lady who I know was dear to many of the staff and volunteers of Anglicare. Rita Mason passed away only two weeks ago. She was an amazing woman whose energy and enthusiasm was inspirational to the many who worked with her. It was Rita’s dream to honour the family on National Family Day, and to encourage the strengthening of family ties by providing a free event that families of all ages could attend. Rita’s volunteers were present, and even in the midst of their sadness, they worked very hard to make sure that this Family Fun Day was a great success as Rita would have hoped. I suppose it was very fitting that Anglicare dedicated this year’s event to the memory of Rita Mason. May she rest in peace.
I would now like to update members on the schools in my electorate. It has been one of the great pleasures being the member for Nightcliff to get to know so many parents, teachers and students at the many schools in my electorate. I have always taken an interest in education matters, and have been a parent member of school councils for many years, separate to my work as a member of parliament.
I have several schools in my electorate: the Nightcliff Primary School, the largest primary school in Darwin with around 600 students; the Milkwood Steiner School, probably the smallest school in Darwin with 55 students; the Essington School, Darwin, which has more than 600 students this year; the Nightcliff High School, with around 300 students; St Paul’s Catholic School, which has about 140 students; the Northern Territory Open Education Centre; and the Greek Orthodox School of the Northern Territory.
Nightcliff Primary School had its annual general meeting on 7 March, and the council farewelled and thanked Mr Byron Olstad who chaired the council for the past year and was a member of the council for many years prior to that. I would like to add my personal thanks to Mr Olstad for his hard work and commitment to education at the Nightcliff Primary School. Other council members retiring were Chris Baldwin, Annie Villeseche, Charlotta Brown, Carol Hitchcock and Susan Willis. I thank them for their hard work and commitment to improving the Nightcliff Primary School.
I congratulate the new members of the school council for nominating to be part of the Nightcliff Primary School governance process. The 2005 council includes the new chairperson, Mr Murray Fuller, who takes over from being the deputy chair last year; Mr Anthony Williams, who becomes the deputy chair; Dr Joe Wright and Ms Kanchana Bishop, who will work cooperatively as minute secretaries; Ms Katrina Pullion, the correspondence secretary; Mr Peter Morris, Ms Alex Knowler, Mrs Ellen Reisinger, Michael Storrs, Ms Debbie Guy and Adrian Curry.
I extend my thanks to the principal of Nightcliff Primary School, Mr Steve Marshall, for his continued excellent service as a principal. Steve is always accessible to parents and his students, and his hard work, professionalism and dedication is greatly appreciated by the school community. I wish him continued success in his leadership of the school.
I also place on the record my continued thanks to the two assistant principals, Ms Jill Finch and Mr Greg Robson for their continued dedication to the school community.
In relation to student leadership at Nightcliff Primary School, this year the school trialled a new method for students to apply for the student representative council. Applications were sought from students from Transition to Year 7. Over 100 students applied. The initial application was a written expression of interest and, from the applications, over 50 students were selected to proceed to an interview stage. Students were interviewed by a teacher and Year 7 students. I understand that Tom Sierakowski, Molly Hoskings and Emir Howell were very professional as panel members and I extend my congratulations to them. I understand that there was a very high calibre of students who were applicants, and all students who applied should be congratulated for their efforts. Unfortunately, not all applicants can be successful, but I congratulate all students for applying and encourage them to continue to seek ways to show leadership at the school and in other community endeavours.
For 2005, congratulations go to Isabella Politis, Louis Ruben, Shauna Maguire-Oldstad, Kieran Whatley, Nikita Chisholm, Morgan Dowell-Wise, Tennele Shields, Michelle Winch, Courtney Hart, Caroline Jackson, Elise Robson, Erin Jose, Isabel Marshall, Liam Osborne, Amanda Harper, Tessa Wallace, Myra Hayles, Koula Politis, Tessa Freeman, Rebecca Winch, Nathan Guy, Lucy Murray, Kenya Rae Archer, Dana Harper, Abby Nelson, Frankie Gardner, George Politis, Jack Dalrymple, Liz Ease-Class, Scarlet Gray, Jaiden McGregor, William Dalrymple - Mrs Bryce’s class.
Each student has chosen a subcommittee and the four committees are: the meet and greet committee, student welfare, fundraising, and the environment. All students will undertake a probationary period and, after this time, they will be officially recognised at a whole school assembly. I really look forward to meeting with those young people and to their success in their new leadership roles.
I now move to Nightcliff High School. I thank Mrs Rosemary Campbell for her continuation as chairperson of the Nightcliff High School Council and thank her for her very professional chairing over the past year in her role as chair. As an aside, I would like to congratulate Rosemary and her business partners in Merit Partners for their first anniversary as a new Territory accounting firm, and wish them continued success over the coming years. I also thank Mr Bill Bean who continues as deputy chair, Ms Lindy Coates as the very capable secretary, and all members of the school council.
Mr Paul Atkinson, principal of the Nightcliff High School, continues to show dedication and leadership to our students at Nightcliff High. I thank him and his colleagues and assistant principals, Mrs Jean Loke and Mr Keith Moyle on behalf of the Nightcliff community.
I also offer my congratulations to the school captains for 2005: Ms Mi Fa Jong and Mr Akim Lay, and school vice captains, Ms Marisha McPhee and Mr Rohan Kelly. I offer my congratulations to the members of the 2005 student representative council, and also to the Nightcliff High School house captains. I seek leave to table a list of the names of the students since it is a large list.
Leave granted.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I firstly thank the member for Nightcliff for referring to Rita Mason and her passing. For those of us - and there are many - who knew Rita Mason, it is very hard to accept that Rita has left us.
Tonight, I would like to make some comments about youth programs, and a program that I believe is needed in the Northern Territory and that I would like to see developed. I make these comments tonight under the watchful eye of Uncle Kwementyayi Turner, whose home is here in Alice Springs, and who has been maintaining a watchful eye over the proceedings of this Chamber, faithful to the end.
We often talk about our young people, and many times over this last two days we have referred to the young leaders in our community who shone their brightness in this Chamber in the Youth Parliament. They are indeed inspirational. There are a number of such programs that give opportunities to young people to shine, and it is a genuine encouragement to see such quality in our young people.
I again recently participated in the Lions Youth of the Year competition in Palmerston. It has been hosted by Palmerston Lions for a number of years and is now going to be run by Nightcliff Lions, I believe. For many years I have been involved in this because I get a charge at the seeing these quality young people standing up and demonstrating their passion, commitment and belief in what the Territory, or their world, or Australia can be. I acknowledge the great work of Lions Clubs around the country which support the Youth of the Year program.
I acknowledge the existence of a very effective program, Junior Police Rangers, which has been operating for many years. My own two children have been through that program and I believe children of members of this Chamber have also been through it. I acknowledge also the work of the Baldwin family in supporting that program, particularly Mr Terry Baldwin who has strongly supported that very innovative and important program because it supports youth leadership.
I have spoken a number of times about cadet programs that have run successfully in other states, and I believe we could elevate their profile in the Northern Territory. They run successfully at Port Keats, Melville Island, Tennant Creek and a number of places in the Top End. There is great scope for investment in our young people through increasing cadet programs through our high schools. There are not many opportunities for young people to learn and develop leadership skills, and this is a proven vehicle for the teaching of leadership skills in young people. It has been very successful in many other states, was pioneered in Western Australia and has existed in Australia in one form or another since Federation. However, under the Whitlam government, funding was phased out. There has been an increase in funding under this federal government and I must say it is a program that has enjoyed unexpected success in many quarters.
There are also some amounts of money from the Office of Youth Affairs that flow into mentorship programs. Some of our young people shine and are given opportunity to develop their leadership skills through their involvement in sports, sports coaching and some of the mentorship programs assisting in the development of those skills. There is the fine work of the Beacon Foundation in Palmerston, which is working with Palmerston High School with a Positive Futures program whereby young people are encouraged to make a quality decision with regards to their future, making a decision for active employment rather than countenancing the prospect of welfare, saying ‘no’ to welfare and making proactive decisions today with regards to subject choices and, with the support of the local business community providing mentorship and guidance in decision-making as to career.
I have already mentioned Youth Parliament. All members here and those who read these words in Hansard have children and we want them to thrive, just like a gardener wants the plants in their garden to thrive. We want our children to thrive. We want them to grow. We want them to become independent contributors to their community.
Sadly, there are a number of young people in our community whom we term as being ‘at risk’. We identify them through our education system. Ask any teacher and they can identify a cohort of students that they predict, for many good reasons, and they are great observers of young people, who present the attributes of being ‘at risk’. They have difficulties at home generally, they are given to antisocial behaviour and are difficult to manage in class, they disrupt the learning stream in classrooms, they manifest most strongly in junior high school and into senior high school if they manage to stay at school. If you speak to the local police, they generally know the names of two or three or four of these young people. They know them readily because they are often in trouble with the law. The parents have largely given up on them because they do not know how to control them any more. We can only look at them and be concerned at what lies ahead for them.
Some of us have visited the Don Dale Centre. If we look at what that offers, there appears to be a program missing, a gap. Many of those we can identify within our own electorates and urban communities do not qualify for Don Dale, but there is certainly no program that effectively reaches them because we know that, one day, they will most likely end up in Don Dale or in prison.
They are certainly not independent contributors to the community and are not making a difference in a positive way to our community. There are, I accept, diversionary programs and much effort made to reach these young ones. Nonetheless, we are missing an important program, which, in some form, was demonstrated through the Wildman River program that won national recognition.
This debate is being revisited largely because of a very interesting program on the ABC in November last year called Brat Camp. It caught the imagination of a number of people. It is easy to get in the media and talk about a boot camp, which is a fairly evocative moniker that you can put on youth programs. It has avid supporters and it has its detractors. What was broadcast in the Brat Camp was a modern variant of a boot camp, which is a military-style program, very structured, very disciplined and an ordered lifestyle. Through that means, there is an element of rehabilitation. However, we need to go more to the wilderness-type programs which incorporate elements of a boot camp, but take us much further and reach more deeply the young people. I have long looked at boot camps and I am attracted to them because I believe that young people need that structure and order to gain some kind of self confidence.
Brat Camp is a United States program run in Utah, and it incorporated elements of structure and discipline, but it brought young people to a greater sense of responsibility by being more directly immersed in nature, running up against strong, resolute principles by trained counsellors who worked alongside them and who would not be shifted, who were imminently patient and gradually wore them down. There were six youngsters from the United Kingdom who were involved in this program. I watched week after week to see whether these young ones would manage to get out of this program - one of them even feigned madness so that he could go home; others tried every trick in the book to endeavour to get off the program. I thought, ‘This is just going to be interesting viewing and I do not think it will get anywhere’.
However, those who watched the program over four weeks saw that these young ones were actually reached. They were put through immense hardship and personal challenge. They were put in direct contact with themselves and with nature. The process, first of all, allowed them to detoxify as many of them were involved in binge drinking, drug taking and they were abusive and disrespectful of authority: ‘Do whatever you like buddy, but you are out there by yourself and if you do not want to carry your pack, you have nothing to eat tonight, and it is very cold and you will be cold as well because you will have nothing to warm you’. It was basic concepts such as that which built in an idea of personal responsibility that ultimately wore them down. It was stunning to see, at the end of this program, that these young ones had a great sense of dignity because they had struggled and overcome. I would like to go into greater depth about this program. If anyone has an opportunity to look at this program, this is the sort of program we need in the Northern Territory. I would like to see it taken further and developed in the Territory in this way.
I have had encounters with many young people who I can see will end up in some kind of difficulty and we need to intervene. I have also had the great fortune to have some very impressive men call into my office with concern for young people and offer their assistance. I have had two indigenous leaders walk into my office and offer assistance of any program that we could possibly develop. I have had business leaders and business men, people who grew up as apprentices who run their small businesses. They want to make a contribution of one kind of another. An Aboriginal stockman who now lives in Palmerston wants to spend time teaching young people to ride a horse. There is enough evidence to show that if you put a young person on a horse and allow them to have a relationship with a horse, with that element of risk, and take them out of their normal paradigm and develop a relationship with an animal, that they would be able to think in different ways. Take them out in the wilderness. Take them away from their normal circle of friends and influence and let them start to think different thoughts.
The program that was aired, Brat Camp, also had a fair aspect which dealt with the parents. The parents also contributed to the problems that were manifest in the young people. There is enough depth of research and support that is offered to the families to allow a changed young person - the reporting shows that around 80% of those youngsters who go through programs such as the wilderness programs have very positive long-term change. It was evidenced in the program, it was no holds barred. It was a real viewing of the progress of eight youngsters. It was quite stunning to see them re-emerge and go back into urban life, and to be followed up months and months later and to hear the words out of their own mouth to say that, ‘Now, I have the opportunity to think my own thoughts, to experience pressure but to manage pressure rather than allow pressure to manage me’.
I will talk more about these programs and how a program such as this could be developed in the Territory. One way or another, it needs to be developed because we do need to reach a certain cohort that is in real need.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I am aware of the late hour, it is ten to midnight, and the staff who are kept working. I will be as brief as possible. I take this opportunity to thank the staff of the Assembly, the Speaker’s Office, the Chief Minister for the wisdom of having the regional sittings in Alice Springs, and the staff of government who have all worked tirelessly to bring this sittings to Alice Springs. It is a wonderful opportunity for members to come here and immerse themselves in the wonderful hospitality of the Centralians.
I have brought my family with me. My son is of an age that I could not leave him in Darwin for a week; he is still being breastfed. Therefore, I have brought the entire tribe - the husband to take care of the baby, and the other two kids have come along because they are too young to be left alone at home. They had a very enjoyable experience yesterday at the Desert Park, and my daughters are looking forward to their first camel ride. Whilst I am in here working, they are enjoying the beauty of the desert country – the red heart of Australia. It is an experience that I enjoyed as a child. I came here every year from age 11 through to 18 when I was representing the Territory in hockey, and spent a week in training camps here in the Red Centre to acclimatise during the Dry Season - the cold period - before we went on to play national competition in winter down south. I have very fond memories of a childhood with yearly sojourns to the Red Centre. Experiencing life being billeted with families here in Central Australia really opened my eyes to an aspect of the Territory that, as a saltwater person, a Top Ender, I would otherwise not have experienced. It is a joy to be back, and I am very much enjoying the cut and thrust of the Alice Springs sittings.
I also want to use the opportunity tonight to acknowledge the very fine work that is being done in the public primary schools in the electorate of Karama. I will seek leave to table the list of names of Malak Primary School school captains and school council; Karama Primary School’s school captains, school council and SRC; and Manunda Terrace Primary School council, captains and SRC members. Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to have their names incorporated in the Parliamentary Record.
Leave granted.
- Malak Primary School
School Captains: Appointed School Captain - Jane Abril; Elected School Captains - Jennifer Mu and
Robbie Adams; Elected School Vice Captains - Katelyn Simpson and Mark Dayadaya.
SRC: Raymon Munich, Gemma Pusterla, Dylan Cunnigham, Audrey Soares, Syarif Al Jonaedi and
Jaqui Carter.
School Council: Chairperson - Chris Kelly; Deputy Chairperson - Lynn Chong; Treasurer - Leigh Kariko;
Secretary - Tammy Tartagila; Councillors - Karen Jipp, Claire Dodt, Donna Smith, Sue Carter,
Gillian Furniss; Sharmini Edwards, Loene Wilson, Alex Kraus.
Karama Primary School:
School Captains: Chelsea Gargan and Shaun Kerinaiua; School Vice Captains - Jade Ponter and
Apara Brewster-O'Brien; House Captains - Minnie Marchant, Edward Mareko, Alex Ferro Ah Wong,
Rachael Hill, Rhiannon Raymond, Matthew Machin, Shaun Pollock, Jamie Farrow; House Vice
Captains - Coby Weetra, Emil Djawas, Brenton Robertson, Shaun Ahmat, Melissa Morgado,
Anthony Gugliotta, Tarissa Pitt, and Gabbi Ferteklis.
SRC: Ebony Philpott, Dina Spyropoulous, Beau Hamlyn-Diederich, Alice Edwards, Mikayla Brighton,
Sean Harvey, Charlene Garcia, Peter Ah Sam, Drew Thomas, Rachel Ponter, Cheyanne Howard,
Damien Andreae, Shane Pitt, Rachel Gargan, David Precoma, Ranty Labasi, and Jason Clements.
School Council: Kim Hill, Lisa Harrison, Debbie Harrison, Sharon Stubbs, Kerry Wetherall,
Sheree Ah Sam, Joanne McDonald, Tracey Scofield, Katerina Kouros, Vickianne Purcell,
Tania Hill, Kate Trenow, Claire Hodgkinson, Donna Robbins, and Marg Fenbury.
Manunda Terrace Primary:
School Captains: Peary House Captains - Amy Salva and Adam Day; Tulagi House Captains -
Nadia Tchong and Trevor Staib; Neptuna House Captains - Mehak Ahmad-Lopez and DJ Haynes.
SRC: Katelin Salva, Matthew Lee, Joshua Lidgerwood, Brandon Spina, Jake Burgess,
Jahmin Monteiro-Pereira, Lucy Motlop, Jospeh Friel, Giovanni Valadares, Kieran Gillespie,
Courtney Banks, and Rebecca Keeley.
School Council: President - Barry Brown; Vice President - Mick Keeley; Secretary - Marilyn Galt;
Treasurer - Margie Hansen; Parent representatives - Pornthip and Keith Moulding, Kathy Griffin,
Ted McLennan, Miranda Brittain, Heather Scott, and Lyndal McGrane. Teacher Representatives -
Paulina Motlop, Katherine Dinoris, and Chris Cardow. Ex Officio - Raylee Broome, and Mem McDonald.
Invited member - Delia Lawrie.
Ms LAWRIE: I take this opportunity to thank the outgoing chair of Malak School Council, Lynn Chong. She did a fantastic job as chair last year; her first year in the role. She was very busy. I know she is a very busy mother and very busy with her work. She very ably took the school council through a very positive year, and I thank Lynn for her dedication. She stays on as deputy chair. I congratulate Chris Kelly, whom I know has worked very closely with Lynn on the school council, on her elevation to chair. I look forward to working with the leadership team at Malak.
I also take the opportunity to thank Katerina Kouros who is the outgoing chair of Karama school council. She has been a fantastic hardworking chair for Karama school. Katerina is a dynamic woman; a very well respected member of our Greek community. She is a fantastic mother. I have chatted to her on many occasions and talked about our community life. I admire and respect Katerina in the role she has played, and thank her for her efforts as chair of Karama school council last year.
I also take the opportunity to welcome wholeheartedly the incoming chair of Karama school council, Akarriyuwu Hill, otherwise known as Kim Hill, former ATSIC Commissioner. We could be in no better and capable hands at Karama school than to have a chair of such great standing in our community with so much respect. I am very excited about the year ahead, working with Mr Hill in his role as chair of school council. He is a fantastic role model for the young children in the electorate. I know he has spoken on many occasions of the very positive work we can do with the youth of Karama electorate. I am extremely excited to welcome him as the incoming chair.
Manunda Terrace continues to have Barry Brown in the role of chair of the school council. Barry and his wife, Deana, are phenomenal workers for Manunda Primary School. They are wonderful people and I am thrilled to be able to work with them through the year.
We have three fantastic principals who are very dedicated to their school communities: Russell Legg at Malak, Marg Fenbury at Karama and Ron Abbott at Manunda Terrace. We have a very high standard of public education in the Karama electorate. These three schools are all very strong and vibrant in their own right and I encourage the efforts of the school captains, the SRCs, the council members and, indeed, the leadership of the principals. I look forward to a very exciting year and working very closely with them.
I finish the adjournment on the note that some people might want to make political mileage of the fact that I have my family here with me. However, I am very proud of the fact that I bring diversity to this parliament. I am a young mother in a parliament and I do not take the decision lightly to travel with my family. I take it knowing that there will be some detractors for that decision. I say to them that I am very much an advocate of family-friendly employment policies. People who have to travel for significant periods of time in employment in the public and private sector are afforded the opportunities of travelling with dependants. I have taken up that opportunity and I know that my experiences as a young mother add to the debate and the betterment of our caucus and, hopefully, the parliament. I look forward to the rest of my stay in Alice Springs. I look forward to participating in debates, and I acknowledge the extremely hard work of the Assembly staff, the Speaker’s staff and the government staff in bringing sittings of parliament in Alice Springs.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016