2003-04-29
INAUGURAL ALICE SPRINGS SITTINGS OPENING CEREMONY
Madam SPEAKER: Please be seated. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the first Regional Sittings of the Northern Territory Parliament in Alice Springs, a great occasion for us today to celebrate our 25th anniversary of self-government. I am pleased that you were able to come to join with us on this very special day.
Members, before formal proceedings of the Assembly commence at approximately 10am, to commemorate this historic occasion, it is proposed that I invite presentations from His Honour the Administrator, Mr John Anictomatis, Her Worship the Mayor of Alice Springs, Ms Fran Kilgariff, and a representative of the Traditional Owners, Mrs Pat Miller, together with the Chief Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. With the concurrence of members, I propose to invite His Honour, Her Worship and Mrs Miller to take a seat on the floor of the Chamber.
Honourable members, I invite Mrs Pat Miller, who is a representative of the Lhere Artepe Body Corporate of the Traditional Owners, and also the Deputy of the Administrator, to address the Assembly on behalf of the Traditional Owners.
Mrs MILLER: Madam Speaker, honourable members, it is indeed a pleasure to be here today to welcome the parliament to Alice Springs, Mparntwe. As an Arrernte woman, it is an historic occasion. We have always looked forward to having more participation in government, and we can actually see today how proceedings take place.
On a number of occasions, I have sat up late at night and watched parliamentary sittings of the Federal government being acted out, so to speak. We can look forward to some challenging events in our own parliament over the next few days.
It is an historic occasion. I am sure it will not be the last time, now that the precedent has been set, for parliament to come to Central Australia. It certainly gives an opportunity for us, who hardly ever go to the Top End, to see how it is acted out. Many thanks, and I hope that the outcome is very positive.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I thank Mrs Pat Miller for her address. I now invite His Honour the Administrator to address the Assembly.
His HONOUR: Chief Minister, Madam Speaker, Deputy of the Administrator, Leader of the Opposition, honourable members, Her Worship the Mayor of Alice Springs, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the Northern Territory government represents Territorians including people with one of the longest continuous cultures on earth. It is appropriate, therefore, that I preface my speech with an acknowledgement to them, on whose traditional land this Chamber sits.
I am honoured to be here to mark this historic occasion. For the first time since self-government, the sittings of parliament are being held in Alice Springs. A parliamentary sitting away from the capital is not unique, but it is certainly unusual. I understand, for example, that the parliament of South Africa splits its sitting days every year between Pretoria and Cape Town. I also understand that both the Victorian and Queensland parliaments have held sittings in cities other than their respective capitals. I understand that neither state sought to replicate a complete sitting week with all the usual elements such as Question Time, ministerial statements, debates and passage of legislation, and public hearings.
This week of parliamentary sittings will allow the people of Alice Springs and surrounding regions to genuinely experience democracy in action, Northern Territory style.
Democracy is not a static concept: it is ever evolving, ever developing. These historic sittings are another step in the evolution of our own version of democracy. The ideals that form the basis of our democracy were founded in my birth place: Greece. The basic principles of democracy have withstood the test of time, and our version of Westminster democracy has served Australian democracy admirably.
In the Northern Territory, democracy began with an absolute rule of the Resident of the day and, through the following years, evolved into the appointment of the Legislative Council, a partially elected Legislative Council, and, finally, a fully elected Legislative Assembly.
The democracy we have today is truly representative of the needs and aspirations of the people of the Northern Territory. These evolutionary steps have, to a large degree, been facilitated by continuing advances in technology and associated improved access to information. It has given increasing numbers of the population access to information that had either not previously existed, or not been accessible. It has better educated them and it has facilitated them making more informed judgments. Today, it is the technology that is playing a very significant part in supporting this sittings. It is fair to say that, without the technology available today, this sittings would either not be possible, or would have occurred in a very different way, and most certainly, in a greatly reduced format.
So it is that these parliamentary sittings in Alice Springs provide an opportunity for an increased cross-section of our community who would not ordinarily be able to see democracy in action – to see it, hear it and experience it first-hand. I am sure that this will lead to a better understanding of the issues, the people involved in addressing these issues, and how the process allows a wide cross-section of input and discussions leading, eventually, to considered decisions. The more people who see and experience this process, the more tolerant and understanding will be our community and society.
I wish honourable members well as you proceed with your important deliberations this week.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: On behalf of honourable members, I thank the Administrator for his address. I now call upon the Chief Minister to address the Assembly.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, today is an historic occasion: the first day of the first sittings of our parliament in Alice Springs, and it is great to be bringing the parliament to the people of Central Australia. I thank the Traditional Owners for such a warm welcome to their land.
We strongly believe that the people of this region deserve to see their parliamentary representatives at work, and take part in this celebration of democracy. It is a sign that we are part of the community and that we serve the community, not the other way around. It is a sign that this Assembly is of and for the people – for all Territorians, wherever they live.
This year, on 1 July, we celebrate 25 years of self-government. It is fitting, at this time, to shine a light on our history as a Territory, and to look at our long journey to win proper government for all Territorians.
We were governed from the South Australian parliament in our early days, before losing all representative government when the Commonwealth took control in 1911. Due to the hard work of early Labor figures like Harold Nelson, we finally won a voice in the federal parliament and later, a proper vote in that place, although the Territory was still ruled by an Administrator reporting to Canberra.
During the war years, after the bombing of Darwin, the Administrator at the time, Charles Abbott, moved the Territory administration to Alice Springs. That was the first - and the last - time it could be said that the decision-making body of the Territory was here in the Alice.
Today is the first time the elected representatives of the Territory have met here in an official sitting of the Assembly. I am proud that my government has brought parliament here. I hope that all those who visit this place over the next three days, particularly the young people, will find our deliberations interesting, and our debates relevant to their needs. At the very least, I want them to get a sense of how the parliament operates and how we represent our electorates through public discussions and our law making.
I thank you, Madam Speaker, and all the parliamentary staff for the remarkable work that has gone into these sittings. I look forward to the historic first sittings of the Northern Territory parliament in Central Australia.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Chief Minister. I now call upon the Leader of the Opposition.
Mr BURKE (Opposition Leader): Your Honour the Administrator, ladies and gentlemen, Madam Speaker, the CLP joins in the great opportunity of being able to participate in parliament in Alice Springs.
At the outset, whilst we may quibble about timing in a political sense, I congratulate the Chief Minister and the government for making the decision to bring parliament to Central Australia. It is a very important part of our responsibility to ensure that all Territorians have the opportunity to see how they are governed. In doing so, it places a great responsibility on us, as parliamentarians, over these few days, to ensure that people do not go away disappointed.
As I look around, I see one area – and that is the young school children here – who have come, and will come over several days, to witness this parliament in action. Many of them in Darwin go away disappointed about the behaviour of politicians in Parliament House. One of the challenges that I hope we can overcome over these few days is that, from the school children’s point of view, we can leave them with a feeling that they understand more about their government, and they understand more about the way laws are made in the Northern Territory. I hope also that we give them a better understanding of the limitations that are placed on Territorians with their laws and, without dwelling too much on statehood, an understanding that anything that happens in this place can be overruled at the whim of the federal parliament – anything.
I said last night that the CLP always feels welcome in Alice Springs. We feel very deeply our roots in Alice Springs and we feel a great responsibility for the support that has been given to us over many years. I look straight ahead, and I see Mr Bernie Kilgariff, who in many respects is one of the fathers of the Country Liberal Party. We, in our small way, Bernie, do our best to carry on the traditions that you set, the example that you set in the way that you left your effort stamped indelibly on politics in the Northern Territory.
The government’s responsibility is to promote the fact that they are governing the Northern Territory well. It is the opposition’s responsibility to call them to account, and to ensure that it is a government that is delivering to Territorians what they expect. That is the Westminster system. Winston Churchill once said that the Westminster system of parliament is the worst system, except for any other system. That was a great statement because, whilst the system may have its shortcomings from time to time, it has endured. It has built great democracies all around the world. When we look at some other nations and other types of government – not least being centralist regimes and dictatorships in countries such as the Middle East – we should be forever thankful for our system of democracy and pay tribute to all those who have participated in it over the years.
I thank you for opportunity to say a few words. We hope, from our side of parliament, that we meet your expectations.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his remarks. Last, but certainly not least, I invite Her Worship the Mayor of Alice Springs, who has been great in her support for bringing parliament to the people of Alice Springs.
Her WORSHIP: Madam Speaker, honourable members, I am very pleased to be here after the representative of the Traditional Owners, the Lhere Artepe, and on behalf of the Town Council and the people of Alice Springs, I welcome you all to our desert community.
I am very pleased to be here today at the first regional parliamentary sittings in Alice Springs – and, I hope, not the last. It is a wonderful opportunity for the people of Alice Springs to witness our parliament in session. We are proud to be part of such an historic occasion.
I thank Madam Speaker and the Northern Territory government for bringing the parliament to our people. Alice Springs is a vibrant town, and the people here are very interested in the decisions that impact upon them. I know I speak for most people when I say that we look forward to listening to the debates this week, and gaining a first-hand insight into the proceedings of our parliament.
Over the next three days, I encourage all of you to get out into the community and talk one-on-one with some of the locals. They can give you the best overview of the issues that are unique to our community. I was pleased to see so many politicians at yesterday’s Council meeting at which we discussed some of those issues.
Another good chance to meet the public – and this is a little plug – will be on Wednesday at lunch time when Council is hosting a community sausage sizzle, and I am sure after the fine fare of this week you will be looking forward to something simple. We are hosting a community sausage sizzle on the lawns outside this building. Please come along for lunch and a chat with the locals.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your week in Alice Springs. You are always most welcome to return.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: On behalf of honourable members, I thank our distinguished guests and Her Worship for their addresses. I ask now for the Serjeant-at-Arms to escort our distinguished guests from the Chamber.
Honourable members, you will recall in February last year we unanimously passed a resolution of this parliament to have the sittings in Alice Springs. We did so bearing in mind that it was our 25th anniversary of self-government. It really is the start of celebrations for this historic occasion. I am very grateful for the support the Chief Minister and her government have given the Legislative Assembly in helping us come to Alice Springs. I thank also the Leader of the Opposition for his and his team’s support in what will be a very exciting week for the people of Alice Springs.
We are Centralians and, although we are Centralians, we are also proud to be Territorians. We need to bear in mind that the Territory parliament is for everyone – every Territorian - not just for the people who can access it very quickly in Darwin. We are fortunate that we have this beautiful centre here to house the parliament. My predecessor, Roger Vale, in fact, had approached the Clerk to see if we could hold a similar occasion down here in Alice Springs. However, at the time we did not have a venue to cope with it. We are fortunate to have this convention centre.
I place on the record my thanks to the convention centre staff for their fantastic cooperation in getting this going. I need to also express, dearly, my thanks to the staff: my personal staff and the staff of the Legislative Assembly who have worked tirelessly over the last few days to make this happen. To all the people involved – the people organising the schools, the volunteers who have come forward – it has been a great response and it says that we want to make these sittings, in particular, a very special occasion.
At the information desk we have a Visitor’s Book especially for this occasion. I invite all visitors to the Chamber to sign it before they leave.
Honourable members, that concludes the ceremonial opening of the regional sittings. In accordance with the routine of business agreed by the Assembly, pursuant to resolution dated 27 February 2003, it is now proposed to proceed with the formal business of the Assembly, commencing with prayers. I invite all honourable members and guests to stand for prayers.
Madam Speaker Braham took the Chair at 10 am.
DISTINGUISHED VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of a number of special people. Along with our distinguished guests who just spoke, we have the Honourable Brian Martin, Chief Justice of the Northern Territory; Senator Trish Crossin, Senator for the Northern Territory; Mr Warren Snowdon, member for Lingiari in the Northern Territory; the Honourable Fred Riebeling MLA, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia; the Honourable Michael Polley MHA, Speaker of the House of Assembly of Tasmania; the Honourable Peter Lewis MP, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of South Australia; Mr Bern Kilgariff AM, former member and Speaker of this parliament and former Senator for the Northern Territory; Mr Neil Bell, former member of this parliament; and Mr David Miller, Mrs Pat Miller’s husband.
On behalf of all honourable members, I extend a warm welcome to you all.
Members: Hear, hear!
MESSAGE FROM ADMINISTRATOR
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have received from His Honour the Administrator Message No 12 notifying assent to bills passed in the February 2003 sittings, and I table that.
COMMONWEALTH DAY MESSAGE
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have received from Her Majesty the Queen her Commonwealth Day message, dated 10 March 2003. With the concurrence of honourable members, I will have the Commonwealth Day Message incorporated in Hansard.
- From Her Majesty the Queen,
Head of the Commonwealth.
- Among my cherished memories of my Jubilee celebrations last year were those connected with the
Commonwealth – in particular the visits to Jamaica, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. There was
also the undoubted success of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester – both as a great sporting
and Commonwealth occasion, and as a tremendous expression of the host city’s community spirit. Launching
the Baton Relay from Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day last year was one of the many colourful
events leading up to the Games.
A few days before, I had opened the 2002 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Coolum, Australia.
That summit charted a new course for the Commonwealth, confident of the important contribution the
association can play as a force for good in the world.
What we have in common makes the choice of this year’s theme for Commonwealth Day, ‘Partners in
Development’, so fitting. We are reminded daily that we live in an interdependent world. And yet there
exist great global inequalities, with millions living lives of deep poverty and deprivation, which present
a great and constant challenge to the notion of commonwealth. Under these conditions, peace is often more
difficult to sustain while precious natural resources and the environment are threatened, economic growth
and activity may be impeded as well as the benefits of modern technology denied to many.
Working in partnership is essential if the nations of earth, whether they be developed or developing, are
to build a better, more secure and more sustainable world. Only together can governments and peoples
create just, open and democratic societies. And through a sense of partnership and mutual respect we
should be able to recognise that we all share a common humanity, regardless of who we are or where we
may be from.
In all this, the Commonwealth has much to offer. It is a unique global grouping, spanning every region of
the world and including in its membership countries of all sizes and stages of development. It is an
association of peoples as well as governments and, as we particularly celebrated last year, it is a body
which cherishes the richness of its diversity. The special role of the Commonwealth in development was
spelt out once again in the Coolum Declaration and at the meeting of Commonwealth Finance Ministers
in London last September.
2002 was for me personally a special year – and it was also an opportunity to recall those elements of my
life, notably the Commonwealth, which have been of enduring importance. Appreciating just how far the
Commonwealth has developed in the last 50 years is surely a cause for great hope in the future.
PETITIONS
Fog Bay Road Upgrade
Mr MALEY (Goyder): Madam Speaker, I present a petition from 276 petitioners requesting that the portion of Fog Bay Road from Cox Peninsula to the beginning of the tar at Leviathan Creek be upgraded. The petition bears the Clerk’s certificate that it conforms with the requirements of standing orders. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read:
- To the honourable Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory, your
petitioners will therefore humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly undertake the following remedial
action:
the government give priority to upgrading the portion of the Fog Bay Road from Cox Peninsula to the
beginning of the tar at the Leviathan Creek as a matter of urgency, and that such road works and
bridge infrastructure is undertaken before the portion of the road closer to the coast and the
lodge at Dundee is upgraded.
Restoration of Postal Delivery
to Borroloola
to Borroloola
Mr McADAM (Barkly)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a petition, not conforming with standing orders, from 159 petitioners relating to the restoration of mail delivery to Borroloola. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read:
- We the undersigned businesses and residents of the town of Borroloola NT, strongly petition for the
restoration of the previous postal delivery schedule in prayer.
Second Airline for Central Australia
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, I present a petition from 3525 petitioners praying that the Legislative Assembly commit the necessary funds and resources to bring a second airline to Central Australia. The petition bears the Clerk’s certificate that it conforms with the requirements of standing orders.
Reinstatement of 24-hour Medical Service for Palmerston and Rural Area
Mr MALEY (Goyder): Madam Speaker, I present a petition from 210 petitioners praying that the 24-hour medical assessment services be reinstated, and a 24-hour chemist facility be established for the Palmerston and rural area. The petition is similar to a petition read in the Assembly last year. The petition bears the Clerk’s certificate that it conforms with the requirements of standing orders. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read:
- The petition of residents of Palmerston and the extended rural area of the Northern Territory draw the
attention of the House to the lack of medical and pharmaceutical facilities available on a 24-hour basis in
your rapidly growing community. Your petitioners will therefore humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly
undertake the following remedial action:
service, allowing Palmerston and the rural residents personal access to medical advice
from nurses, paramedics, and registered general practitioners, or the ability to be transported
by ambulance to Royal Darwin Accident and Emergency;
24-hour medical assessment service.
Proposed Rezoning of Land at Palmerston
Mr MALEY (Goyder): Madam Speaker, I present a petition from 134 petitioners praying that the land on the corner of Farrar Boulevard and Temple Terrace be not rezoned, redirecting the funds into under-funded medical facilities. The petition bears the Clerk’s certificate that it conforms with the requirements of standing orders. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read:
- To the honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory,
the residents of Palmerston and the rural area wish to register their opposition to the following
rezoning and development:
the purpose of building a new medical centre; and
Aboriginal people only.
- Our present medical facilities are already grossly lacking in funds. The Royal Darwin Hospital is currently
underfunded by $35m, and the newly established $12m 24-hour Farrar Medical Centre is only open 12 hours
a day. Both of these facilities are there to provide services to everyone, regardless of their race, religion, sex
and culture. Medical services are an essential service for everyone.
Your petitioners therefore humbly pray that the Legislative Assembly undertake the following remedial action
of (1) not rezoning the mentioned land, and (2) redirecting the allocated $11m approximately into our
already underfunded medical facilities for improvement of these facilities for everyone.
RESPONSES TO PETITIONS
The CLERK: Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 100A, I inform honourable members that responses to Petition No 20, Petition No 21 and Petition No 27 have been received and circulated to honourable members. The text of the responses will be incorporated in the Hansard record.
- Petition No 20
Genetically Modified free Northern Territory
Date petition presented: 8 October 2002
Presented by: Mr Maley
Referred to: Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries
Date response received: 5 March 2003
Date response presented: 29 April 2003
- In response I can advise of the national arrangements that apply to genetically modified organisms in
Australia.
The Gene Technology Agreement (GTA) is an inter-governmental agreement which sets out the
understanding between Commonwealth, State and Territory governments regarding the establishment
of a nationally consistent regulatory system for gene technology. The GTA came into effect in September 2001
and has been signed by the Commonwealth and all State and Territory Governments. The GTA creates a
Gene Technology Ministerial Council (GTMC) comprising relevant Ministers from the Commonwealth and
all State and Territory jurisdictions.
The Commonwealth Gene Technology Act 2000 establishes the Office of the Gene Technology Regulator
(OGTR). The Gene Technology Act and the OGTR control all dealings with live, viable GMOs in
research, manufacture, propagation and importation and including genetically modified (GM) crops. The
growing, importation, transport and subsequent disposal of GM crops cannot proceed in Australia without
a licence from the Regulator. The Regulator will issue a licence only after carrying out a comprehensive
risk assessment process to ensure that risks to the Australian environment and human health and safety
are adequately addressed.
Conditions can be placed on dealings where the Regulator believes these are necessary to protect the health
and safety of people and the environment.
The only GM crops that have been approved by the OGTR for commercial release in Australia are carnations
and cotton. The OGTR is currently considering applications for the commercial release of GM canola. There
are no commercially growing canola or carnations in the Territory. GM cotton has only been approved for
limited experimental use in the Territory.
There is a considerable amount of misinformation in the community. Approval of release of GM crops with
adverse environmental, public health or safety impacts would be a breach of the Commonwealth Gene
Technology Act 2000. Concerned citizens should be directed to the OGTR web site for further information.
It is understood that Tasmania is considering declaring the island a GM crop free area for marketing
advantages. Under s21 of the GTA, the GTMC may issue policy principles, including those which recognise
any areas that might be designated under State/Territory law to preserve product integrity through to consumers.
If such provision is made, there may well be advantages for the Territory to consider similar declarations for
areas in the Territory where there may be a market advantage for organic, GM free crops if this can be
practically implemented.
Petition No 21
Women’s Information Centre
Date petition presented: 26 November 2002
Presented by: Ms Carney
Referred to: Minister for Health and Community Services
Date response received: 28 February 2003
Date response presented: 29 April 2003
The establishment of the Women's Information Centre was initially established some 10-15 years ago in
response to service gaps and community needs. Since that time there have been welcome improvements
in the availability of services for women in the Alice Springs area such as Alice Springs Women's Shelter,
Domestic Violence Services, Women's Legal Service and a range of counselling and support services.
Concurrently, there have been significant advances in communication technology that have greatly
improved access to information, particularly for women in rural and remote areas.
The existence of a significant number of additional and varied community based services and support
options available to women in Alice Springs has dramatically reduced the critical nature of the Work of
the Women's Information Centre. My Department has a responsibility to ensure that any services delivered
within its domain meet contemporary, emerging needs so that program and activities meet outcome and
performance measures.
Petition No 27
Continuity of bus service
Date petition presented: 25 February 2003
Presented by: Mr Dunham
Referred to: Minister for Transport and Infrastructure
Date response received: 25 March 2003
Date response presented: 29 April 2003
Darwinbus network services aim to provide safe, reliable, accessible and comfortable transport to people
from across the greater Darwin area.
An extensive fleet of buses is provided by the various contractors that provide the network services, some
60 per cent of which are air-conditioned, and most of these are also low-floor, easy access.
Service standards continue to improve to better meet changing community needs and expectations. The
current review of routes and timetables is one part of this improvement process.
It is important that all passengers are provided with a reasonable opportunity to travel on the more modern
and comfortable buses. It is also important that the overall network is able to quickly respond to changes in
passenger numbers on individual runs, to meet the needs of people for low-floor buses, and to avoid
potential disruptions to services (such as when vehicles require repairs).
This need for flexibility and fairness, as well as the related practical requirements for efficient scheduling,
mean that it is not possible to always provide the more comfortable buses on any particular run.
Over time, as older buses on the public Darwinbus fleet are replaced by new air-conditioned vehicles the
likelihood that passengers have air-conditioning will also increase.
MINISTERIAL REPORTS
Australian Service Personnel – Return from Iraq Conflict
Australian Service Personnel – Return from Iraq Conflict
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, the Territory is home to large numbers of Defence personnel, the Army and Navy largely in Darwin and Palmerston, and the RAAF based in both Tindal and Darwin.
Many of us have friends or family involved in the armed forces, and they are an important part of the social makeup of our community. Because of this closeness, we are always concerned when they are in harm’s way. We know and understand they have a job to do in defence of this country, but we always hope that their skills will not be required. However, as we all know, these skills were called upon recently in the war against Iraq.
We are proud of the way they carried out their duty. As we expect, they do their job with professionalism. This professionalism has been evident in Timor on a large scale over the last few years, but they are also involved in many peacekeeping efforts around the world.
There can be no hiding from the fact that there was division in the Australian community over the war in Iraq, and I will not canvass those issues here this morning. However, there has been no division over support for our troops.
In a democracy, it is essential that our armed forces respond to the directions of the elected government. Any political argument is the province of the civil section of our community and particularly the politicians. It is important for decisions such as the commitment of troops to battle to be the subject of scrutiny, but it is equally important that the debate does not reflect on or undermine the soldiers, sailors and air force personnel. In this, I feel we were successful.
I visited Katherine in early April to show the support of the Northern Territory government for the families of air force personnel deployed in the Middle East. The core of the air force deployment was 75 Squadron, made up of 14 aircraft supported by 322 Combat Support Squadron from RAAF Base Tindal, and by 282 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron from Amberley in Brisbane. There are about 250 people from Tindal and about 50 from Amberley.
The Chief of Defence Forces has announced that 75 Squadron is returning by the end of May. They will be returning as a unit so that all families and friends will be reunited at that time. The focus of efforts of our air crews was varied. I am advised that it included close air support missions in support of marine expeditionary forces, escort duties for various coalition aircraft including both the US and British forces, and strikes against various ground targets in the south of Iraq. No missions were undertaken by our air force over Baghdad itself. It is with relief that I record that none of our aircraft sustained any damage and none of our air crews were injured during these dangerous missions.
The Australian contingent comprised both men and women. While none of the women were part of the actual air crews, they provided invaluable support as ground combat support personnel. I am advised that they acquitted themselves in an exemplary manner throughout the war.
I am sure I speak for all here when I say that we are delighted and relieved that there have been no casualties. This is also the case for our soldiers and sailors posted to the area and for this, we are thankful. They all have acquitted themselves as we expect: with courage and professionalism.
Throughout their deployment, the community of Katherine has been very supportive, as we all know. The Federal Member for Lingiari was at a function for the families of personnel on Sunday, and in discussions with the Mayor of Katherine, Jim Forscutt, was told the Mayor wanted a ticker-tape parade for returning troops. Warren has passed on that idea, and I thank him. I agree that this seems like a very good proposal. I understand that the RAAF is pleased with the suggestion.
My staff were in contact with the Mayor yesterday to offer our support and involvement so that the whole of the Territory can be part of welcoming them home. We will be working with both the council and RAAF Tindal to put on a fine welcome home parade in Katherine, and it is an idea that will probably be repeated when our soldiers and our sailors return.
I know, Madam Speaker, that all in this House will join with me in giving thanks for their safe return.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr BURKE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I am sure we will. All Australians are proud of the effort of our defence forces, but let us get this into perspective: the Labor position on our involvement in Iraq has been sparked by hypocrisy from go to woe.
One only has to look at the way their leader, Simon Crean, now features in the opinion polls of Australians to see what a mess the Labor party made in terms of articulating to Australians their position on Australian involvement in Iraq. It is the height of hypocrisy to say what Simon Crean said - articulated by Maxine McKew in a recent Bulletin article : we support the troops but we don’t really want you to go, and by the way, we’re not sure we want you to win.
That was the way the Labor argument fell eventually on Australians. When the Chief Minister comes here and says we will welcome our troops home, let us not forget the debate that occurred at the beginning of this year, at the first parliamentary sittings of this year, when it was this Labor government in the Northern Territory that proposed a motion to say that those troops should not be involved in that operation without UN support. It was this Labor government that made the most atrocious comments, I believe, with regard to our Prime Minister - and when I say this Labor government, I say this Northern Territory government is part of the federal Labor Party. The comments made that were anti-American were absolutely disgraceful, and to say that this is supporting our troops is just plain hypocrisy.
You did not even want those troops predeployed. You did not want them even prepared for operations. Yet you come in here now and say how well the FA18s acquitted themselves in Iraq. You did not even want them out there being prepared, so that if they were involved in an operation, they could have acquitted themselves well. So let’s not have this sort of hypocrisy …
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, your time has expired.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, my speech this morning was about support for our troops. My speech was about saying they have acquitted themselves with professionalism and courage. It was about recognising that democracy is about debate and dealing with the important issues, but never has this government not supported fully our troops and what they are doing overseas.
It is very disappointing that a man who is the Leader of the Opposition does not understand the fundamentals of democracy, does not understand what the role of a parliament like this is. It is disappointing as we have these historic sittings in Alice Springs that he could be so churlish and not wholeheartedly support our troops and what they did in Iraq, and welcome them home. I hope he will be there.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, your time has expired.
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Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of a number of school children. Unfortunately, I may have missed them. We did have students from Braitling who are leaving at the moment. We have students from Araluen Christian School. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to the students a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: It will be difficult for me to acknowledge each of the schools as they come, but if you wish to have a roster of the students coming through, please ask for it and then you may know which schools are there.
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Centralian College and Northern Territory University – Amalgamation of Campuses
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report to the House on the amalgamation of Centralian College and the Northern Territory University.
The Northern Territory government has announced that the new Charles Darwin University will be created through an amalgamation of the Northern Territory University and Centralian College. The details of the close relationship the new university will have with the Menzies School of Health Research are still being worked through.
The Charles Darwin University will seek to be a world class university, contributing to world knowledge and serving the economic and social needs of the Territory through education, research and community service. Initially, the Charles Darwin University will have campuses in Darwin at Casuarina and Palmerston, in Alice Springs and in Katherine. Study centres will be located in Nhulunbuy, Jabiru, Yulara and Tennant Creek.
Academically, the university will have two main components: an institute of advanced studies and faculties that deliver both higher education and TAFE courses across the campuses and in the study centres.
Centralian College already has an excellent record - and I do not need to tell the people of Alice Springs that - and reputation, not just here in Central Australia but right through the Northern Territory. There are significant benefits that will flow to the people of Central Australia from this merger of Centralian with our university.
Four new higher education offerings from the university have already commenced this year in Alice Springs. In addition, the ongoing successful Bachelor of Business and second year of nursing, law, science, education and information technology are now being offered here on campus in Alice Springs.
The amalgamation of Centralian and the NTU will stimulate a more coordinated delivery of TAFE in Tennant Creek by using the combined resources of the two institutions, as it will throughout the Northern Territory. There is potential for the Tennant Creek Study Centre to increase opportunities for students that encompass the entire range of university offerings, including support for higher education students. The new university will gain a permanent presence in Yulara for the first time, and will continue to be based in the community centre.
There is significant TAFE delivery expertise here in Central Australia that is both responsive and flexible. The new university will provide a structure and methodology to use this expertise throughout the entire Northern Territory, and continue to spread best practice in education and training delivery. Equally, the expertise in managing the interface between secondary school and TAFE and higher education that has developed over the past decade in Alice Springs will now be made available throughout the entire Northern Territory.
We are confident that the amalgamation of Centralian and the university will lead to improved information and communication links between Darwin and Alice Springs. There has already been a sharing of expertise and knowledge between the university and Centralian staff.
Highlights include the NTU’s practice firm, co-development of course materials, and tourism expertise from the Centralian College education travel program catering for about 35 overseas study tours each year. The merger will provide for top level stage 2 NTCE students with access to first year university courses. There will be a greater number of clear articulations between TAFE and higher education available in Alice Springs. The path from health worker to enrolled nurse to registered nurse is one example.
I am also pleased to advise the House that the university will place a professor at the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre.
I take this opportunity to thank the current members of the Centralian College Council under the chairmanship of Mr John McBride for their service and dedication to the college. I am pleased the Vice-Chancellor is committed to reserving at least one position on the Board of Trustees for a person from Alice Springs. In addition, there has been a commitment to an advisory committee to the Charles Darwin University Board on Central Australian issues.
Overall, the merger of Centralian College and the university will result in a greater university presence here in Central Australia that will provide an increase …
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, the vision that has been articulated by Professor Ron McKinnon has been fully supported by this side of the House. We welcome the announcements that have been made in the Chamber.
Reference must be made to the extent of the unfolding of this vision as it relates to Centralian College because it is in a phase of evolution, from the beginning of tertiary education in the Northern Territory, which was fully supported and born through great opposition, to have its place established here in the Northern Territory landscape. Having this positive effect in Central Australia is certainly to be applauded.
Aspects of managing change, however, need to be very carefully addressed. We now have the vision; we have aspects of the implementation of this vision on fine details with regard to the melding of EBAs between two different agencies. That needs to be watched and managed very carefully - not to say that it cannot be done but, with the spirit of goodwill prevailing on both sides, we can get through these things.
I have a particular interest …
Madam SPEAKER: Your time has …
Mr MILLS: I have another minute.
Madam SPEAKER: I am sorry, one more minute.
Mr MILLS: I have a particular interest, however, in seeing how the interface between tertiary education is going to be relating to Centralian College in this instance. We hear talk around the place of Palmerston High School being brought into line with this new model - which is slightly different from Centralian College and from Casuarina Secondary College. It is around the traps, but we are not hearing anything in detail about it. However, many people seem to know that the review under way is already being implemented in some people’s minds. That is the sort of issue that we need to have before us so we can discuss the effect of these changes to our secondary education through this review which has yet to be announced.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I thank the shadow minister for his comments. Professor Ken McKinnon does deserve the commendation of this House for the work he has done in bringing the university to the position it is in today.
In relation to a Palmerston secondary school, whether it is a comprehensive high school, whether it is a senior college, whether it is a senior college based at the NTU site in Palmerston in a similar vein, I suppose, to what we have here at Centralian College with the amalgamation with NTU, they are valid questions. We would welcome your input on that. Certainly, there is a place for debate in terms of the secondary review because the secondary review, as we know, is already looking at secondary right across the board in the Northern Territory.
The situation at Palmerston regarding secondary education has to be addressed in the next eight or nine months and very clear decisions made. I think that there could be very real strengths and advantages in adopting a model similar to Centralian College and coming under NTU at the Palmerston site.
______________________________
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is my pleasure to acknowledge the first of the out of town schools to arrive. We have a small group of students from Tennant Creek Primary School with their teacher, Angelika Herzod. On behalf of all members, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Crime Statistics – Alice Springs
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I have been very disappointed with the opposition, particularly the members for Araluen and Greatorex, who persisted in misleading the Alice Springs public over crime statistics, contributing to unnecessary fear of crime and talking Alice Springs down, talking our town down.
Because of the commitment of our government to open and accountable government, the public and members now have the facts on crime, independently produced from our police, courts and corrections databases and released each quarter. The facts are clear and show the complete opposite of the CLP claim of recent rises in crime in Alice Springs, and claims that the CLP saw lower levels of crime. Crime has actually dropped in Alice Springs under our government.
Members: Hear, hear!
Dr TOYNE: The last crime and justice statistics which are embodied in these quarterly reports that are released show a decrease in crime in Alice Springs from the December quarter 2002 compared to the same quarter in 2001. Although there were some increases recorded when comparing quarter to quarter, the September quarter to the December quarter 2002, crime statistics in the Northern Territory tend to be volatile with our smaller population base, and a much more accurate picture is found looking over the longer term.
A clear picture of the rates of crime in Alice Springs emerges when we compare the December quarters 2002 and 2001. The December crime statistics for Alice Springs show: a decrease of 17% of offences against the person; a decrease of 24% in property offences; a decrease of 16% in house break-ins in Alice Springs; a decrease of 4% in business break-ins; and a decrease of 19% in assaults. The underlying average level of break-ins and assaults are also at their lowest level for a two year reporting period.
Given the claims of the opposition, I thought it might be interesting to compare the crime statistics over the last 12 months of the CLP government with the last 12 months of our government. These figures are drawn directly from the police …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Leader of the Opposition!
Dr TOYNE: These figures are drawn directly from the police database: a 30% drop in reported house break-ins in the last year of the CLP compared to the last year of the Labor government; reported property crimes in Alice Springs, a 10% drop comparing the last year of the CLP to our last year in government; reported crimes against the person in Alice Springs, a 9% drop in our last year compared to your last year when you were in government.
We are all going to have to learn to live with these figures. These are independently put together; they are the official figures from our authorities, and we will live with them - good, bad or indifferent. The CLP has to get used to doing exactly the same. Where the figures are there, and they show that crime is going down, don’t go around talking about increasing crime in Alice Springs. It is not good for the residents; it is not good for our visitors to this town.
We will live with the figures. You have some explaining to do. Why didn’t mandatory sentencing keep crime down the way you claimed? Why have we got property crime down to lower levels one we repealed mandatory sentencing? We are very interested to hear the answers to those.
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Given the Labor Party’s sorry history with data such as this, I would ask that those tables be tabled in this parliament so they are available for the scrutiny of the opposition.
Madam SPEAKER: The papers are tabled.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, Since the Attorney-General has referred to me in his speech it is appropriate that I reply.
Minister, people in this Chamber do not believe you. People in Alice Springs do not believe you. Crime has risen. This minister is a man who believes in Santa Claus and who believes that the earth is flat. The facts speak for themselves. Last week, he blamed what he called the Murdoch Press for beating up law and order. It is not the press that is the problem, it is the Minister for Justice - or the minister for no justice, as he is increasingly being called.
Since the Attorney-General had some documents, we had plenty of documents as well, and I think out of all the documents, out of all of the headlines, out of all the attacks, out of all of the crime, one of the best ways to illustrate the crime is an extract of a court list. This is a court list from the Alice Springs Local Court of how many people go to court on an average day in Alice Springs.
Madam Speaker, here is the list. It is 12 feet long! Is 12 feet long, and your government does nothing about it, Mr Attorney-General. You should be ashamed. You should also remember that no one in this Chamber believes you.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I can only quote the member for Araluen from a recent interview she did on Daryl Manzie’s show. ‘Have you ever smoked marijuana?’ was the question, and it was a very enlightening answer that she gave: ‘In fact, Daryl, I was told that it does not really matter what the truth was necessarily, as long as long as you gave an answer’.
This is the person who is going to debunk the official figures of our own police. Are you now going to say that our police are not telling the truth? Are you now going to say that the four or five thousand offences that are in the official figures are over-ridden by a couple of headlines that you want to wave around here in the Chamber? We will have an informed debate about this and I am looking forward to it.
Mereenie Loop Road-Sealing
Mr VATSKALIS (Transport and Infrastructure): Madam Speaker, I formally advise the House of an announcement made by the Chief Minister, myself and the Minister for Tourism yesterday regarding the sealing of the Mereenie Loop Road from Hermannsburg to Kings Canyon, a $30m project that will take 10 years to complete.
To start these works, the government will commit $3m in the 2003-04 budget, but this year we will commit $400 000 to start sealing the road to Hermannsburg. The announcement has been made now because the government and traditional owners have reached an agreement for sealing this road, an agreement that will be signed in the very near future. Our government has brought about this agreement in less than 20 months of taking office. In fact, we have been negotiating for 12 months only. The previous government signed a Head of Agreement with the traditional owners in 1993, and up until August 2001, they had done absolutely nothing.
Mr Dunham: Not true. Absolutely not true!
Mr VATSKALIS: Well, it is still unsealed, it is still a dirt road. This agreement follows hot on the heels of the agreement reached between this government and native title holders in Alice Springs for the release of 20 hectares of land for residential development. The agreement has now been reached on a 100 m wide corridor for the road, a 99 year lease, acceptance of road closures for traditional purposes with appropriate notice, managing the roads under the Control of Roads Act, and permits for travel as per current arrangements. I thank the traditional owners and the Central Land Council, and members of my department for their constructive approach to negotiations for this agreement.
Work will be done in major trouble spots. These will be fixed progressively throughout this section of the road. However, the initial $3m will be spent on both ends of the road. The section from Kings Canyon to Jump Up is notorious. It has been the scene of many major accidents and road trauma in recent years. The road to Hermannsburg is also a major trouble spot. By fixing the major trouble spots first, the government will make the road safer almost immediately, leaving the more manageable sections of dirt to be sealed later in the program.
Everybody is a winner from this announcement: it means more job opportunities and more investments in Central Australia. Tourist operations and rental cars are also big winners. The rental car companies lose about seven to 11 cars per year through accidents on that road. The Aboriginal communities are also big winners: no more social isolation; access to services; certainly, no more people killed on that road; and also opportunities for tourist businesses and operations throughout the Mereenie Loop Road.
Finally, the road construction industry is going to be a big winner: 10 years work, $30m. There will be more jobs in Central Australia, more tourist opportunities, greater safety. It is appropriate that, on this historical occasion of the first parliament to be held in Alice Springs, that a far-reaching announcement such as this should be made. I am very proud of this achievement that our government is bringing to Alice Springs and the people of Central Australia in general.
Mr ELFERINK (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, the opposition welcomes this announcement from the government. This follows on from a commitment from the former government, and I take this as great personal vindication of something that I have been pursuing proudly through my electorate for several years.
I have to also say that the commitment from the former CLP government had a time frame which was a whole lot shorter - a whole lot shorter than 10 years. Nevertheless, they have made their commitment, and it is $3m per year over the next 10 years. I would have hoped that it would have gone a lot more quickly but, nevertheless, it is a step in the right direction.
I am overjoyed to hear that it is going to create a safer environment. I have had the experience of helping with evacuations of injured people on that road. Indeed, it was not that long ago that I stopped at a motor vehicle accident on that road where, unfortunately, it looks like the fellow will never walk again or have use of his arms. That it obviously a grave thing.
The economic advantage to Aboriginal communities along the way is something that we look forward to. I hope that Aboriginal communities take great advantage of the opportunities that are provided. I know that certain individual Aboriginal people along the way have been trying to establish business opportunities on that road already. They do have the bureaucracies of their own representative organisations as well as other bureaucracies that often make that difficult for them.
I look forward to seeing the new spirit of economic development in Aboriginal bureaucracies develop and allow these entrepreneurial people to create an ability to make wealth for themselves. I hope that this road assists those Aboriginal people in pursuing that.
Mr VATSKALIS (Transport and Infrastructure): Madam Speaker, I recall very well, soon after my appointment as minister you approached me to ask me what was going to happen to Mereenie Loop. I have to admit I did not have a clue about Mereenie Loop at the time. However, last year when I came to Alice Springs, I travelled Mereenie Loop from Kings Canyon to Hermannsburg. I gave a commitment to you that the Mereenie Loop was going to be fixed. I believe the member for Macdonnell is the only other member of this parliament on the other side of politics who has ever travelled the Mereenie Loop. Otherwise, if any of them had bothered to do it, the Mereenie Loop would probably be sealed by now. But it never happened in the past 10 years.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Daly, settle down.
Reports noted pursuant to Sessional Order.
TERRORISM (NORTHERN TERRITORY) REQUEST BILL
(Serial 127)
TERRORISM (EMERGENCY POWERS) BILL
(Serial 128)
(Serial 127)
TERRORISM (EMERGENCY POWERS) BILL
(Serial 128)
Continued from 19 February 2003.
Mr BURKE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, notwithstanding the wonderful set up in this room, I sometimes think that it might be biased against left handers because if I turn this way, my voice has been disappearing. Mind you, it sounds like it is all right now, so thank you for fixing that.
This is very important legislation. The legislation being enacted in the Northern Territory is essentially model Commonwealth legislation, and part of this act, as I understand it, uses terminology and instruments that were brought through in the New South Wales legislation, but, essentially, this is Commonwealth legislation with the aim of giving special powers to police officers and others to deal with terrorist acts and imminent terrorist acts to protect public health, public safety and property in the event of a terrorist act or imminent terrorist act and for related purposes.
There has been a considerable debate on this legislation in the federal parliament and in other parliaments in Australia. There is no doubt that the powers given to police are extensive and the only issue, really, is for the police to be given those extensive powers, is it absolutely necessary and do we need legislation of this type to ensure it?
For those who would not be aware of the content of the legislation, it is worth going through a couple of aspects of it just so everyone is clear on what it means. First, it deals with an act of terrorism, and in the legislation in section 5, the meaning of a terrorist act is defined:
(1) In this act, ‘terrorist act’….
(b) is done with the intention of advancing a political, religious or
ideological cause; and
(c) is done with the intention of –
(i) coercing or influencing by intimidation, the government of the Commonwealth
or a state, territory or foreign country, or a part of a state, territory or foreign
country; or
(ii) intimidating the public or a section of the public.
It goes on to say:
- (2) Action falls within this subsection if it –
(a) causes serious harm that is physical harm to a person;
(b) causes serious damage to property;
(c) causes a person’s death;
(d) endangers a person’s life, other than the life of the person taking the action;
(e) creates a serious risk to public health or public safety; or
(f) seriously interferes with, seriously disrupts, or destroys, an electronic systems including
but not limited to –
(i) an information system;
(ii) a telecommunication system;
(iii) a financial system;
(iv) a system used for the delivery of essential government services;
(v) a system used for, or by, an essential public utility; or
(vi) a system used for, or by, a transport system.
They are pretty extensive powers for the police to have. The way the authorisation can be given is quite simple. So I say again the issue of this legislation is: should police have these powers, what is the atmosphere that we live in today, and are these extensive powers necessary for police other than the normal way they would have to apply to a magistrate for such a power?
The act creates, in section 5(3), a caveat that says action does not fall within this legislation if it:
- (a) is advocacy, protest, dissent or industrial action; and
(b) it is not intended
(i) to cause serious harm that is physical harm to a person;
(ii) to cause a person’s death;
(iii) to endanger a person’s life other than the life of the person taking the action; or
(iv) to create a serious risk to public health or public safety.
So the act does not attack those people who are exercising their democratic right to protest. What it does is clearly aim itself at terrorist acts or terrorist acts that are imminent. The fact that those terrorist acts are imminent requires the legislation, as I understand it - and I am sure the minister with carriage of this legislation will correct anything that may not be correct in my interpretation …
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: The Chief Minister interjects and says it is a shame you did not have a briefing on this legislation. We always have this little banter that ‘you should have a briefing’, but the purpose …
Ms Martin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, order!
Mr BURKE: The Chief Minister is upset that I did not have a briefing. Okay, I do not get a briefing on lots of legislation.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, order! It is not committee time.
Mr BURKE: And I do that purposefully because I think it is very important that …
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr BURKE: I trapeze into this house of debate, that is so important that the people of the Northern Territory need to listen to this debate. It is really important that the people of the Northern Territory understand how their laws are made and how the debate goes, how strong the debaters are, Madam Speaker said, but if you raise an issue, the government says: ‘Oh, you should have got a briefing. If you got a briefing you wouldn’t have to say anything’.
Ms Martin interjecting.
Mr BURKE: People will read the Hansard historically.
A member interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Hysterically. The member for - where are you?
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Government members, if you stop interjecting, the Leader of the Opposition might get on with it.
Mr BURKE: I need to dwell on it, Madam Speaker, just for a moment because it is too trite. It is too trite to come in here and say that because you raise an issue with legislation, you are wrong because you did not seek a briefing.
This is a house of debate. This is where the government proposes legislation and the opposition has the opportunity to question that legislation, not only for their own enlightenment, but for the enlightenment of the public who may be in this Chamber, and could not get a briefing, and the enlightenment of those who will read the Hansard record in the future. So, when I raise these points, I raise them in that context.
Madam Speaker, the authorisation that is given to the police is quite easily obtained. The act provides for, in the best circumstances, the police minister to give that authorisation, but it also provides for circumstances where there is a time limitation whereby that authorisation can be given by the Police Commissioner and it can be given orally.
The powers that are given to the police are: the power to make a person disclose their identity and address, the power to search persons, the power to search vehicles, the power to enter and search premises, the power to enter premises for surveillance and to protect persons.
There are a range of powers that are given to public health authority individuals or organisations in terms of their ability to cordon off an area, to stop people from entering an area, to actually detain people for 48 hours or more if there is a public health issue. As I said, areas may be cordoned off, people may be directed not to enter or leave an area and, under this authorisation, with the agreement of the Chief Health Officer, there can be significant inconvenience to the general public in order for the police to ensure that they deal with the terrorist act as effectively as possible. That is the context of the legislation.
There has been some debate around Australia about whether this legislation is necessary. Are the powers given to police too extensive?’. I know that the member for Nelson has foreshadowed some amendments. I understand one of those amendments is that the police have to report back to the parliament, as I understand it - but I will listen to what he has to say - on the way these authorisations are given, and that may be a reasonable suggestion.
In a general sense, I believe the legislation is absolutely necessary. I believe that Australians agree with that. We live in a different world in Australia from the world we lived in prior to 11 September. We have also seen a terrorist act very clearly performed on our doorstep. So, in that context, the opposition gives this legislation full support. We will listen to the amendments that are proposed by the member for Nelson, but I will not foreshadow my position on them until I hear his explanation for each amendment.
There were some in the Labor Party who said that because of the Prime Minister’s rhetoric prior to involvement in the Iraq war that Australia would become a greater target for terrorist attacks. Of course, that is wrong. If you look at a number of countries that have not only experienced terrorist attacks in the past but also have experienced those terrorist attacks since the war in Iraq, some of those countries did not, in fact, support the American effort to act outside the UN’s sanction.
So, when it comes to terrorism, it can be particular in some instances and fairly non-discriminatory in terms of: ‘Well, you have spoken well for us on our cause so we will leave you alone’. It does not work that easily. Australians were targeted in Bali. Australians were not targeted in Bali because of the Prime Minister’s rhetoric with regards to Iraq because there was no involvement in Iraq at that stage. Some have tried to suggest there was. Australians were targeted in Bali primarily because of the effort of Australia to assist the East Timorese. It was in that context that there were extremist factions that took action in those Bali attacks.
It then boils down to: how do you defend yourself against terrorism in this modern day and age? One of the interesting parts of the minister’s second-reading speech is this strong statement to the effect of ‘This government will not allow terrorists to threaten our way of life’. Well, that sounds great in the second-reading speech, but what you have to do is say: ‘What has this government done in fact?’ The only thing this government has done in fact is produce Commonwealth legislation. It has done what every other state in Australia has done. That is the effort of the Northern Territory government.
What has the Labor government done to support its stance that it will not tolerate terrorism? The first thing they have done is everything possible to undermine the United States alliance. That is what they have done.
A member: Rubbish!
Mr BURKE: It is worth remembering these things. When you come up with second reading speeches and say: ‘We are strongly in support of our troops. We are going to make sure that terrorism does not enter our door’, what you have to do is remind yourselves of some of your statements in the past.
This government proposed a motion in the February Assembly that called on the Prime Minister, John Howard, to do a number of things but, in particular, to only commit Australian Defence personnel to combat as part of a United Nations sponsored coalition. The Chief Minister, at the time - and this motion was proposed just after a number of large peace marches around Australia – proposed it very soon after that. I made the point at the time that they were levering on the anti-American sentiment and I thought it was disgraceful. I made that point strongly in the speeches that I made at that time.
The Chief Minister said in that motion:
- People around the world voted with their feet over the weekend with a large presence in Australia’s major cities
and, of course, here in Darwin. There is no question but that these people want this issue settled peacefully,
and that they do not want any nation acting unilaterally to engage in armed conflict in Iraq.
She went on to say:
- It would be a good thing for our Prime Minister, who is playing an active role in the international campaign
against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, to listen to the people of Australia on this issue.
I made the point that I believed it was a motion that was purely political; it was designed to try and lock the CLP in a position of supporting the notion that the Prime Minister should only act with the sanction of the United Nations. I proposed an amendment to take out the subsection where the Chief Minister said we should only act with UN approval and proposed instead:
- Supports the Australian, United States and United Kingdom governments which have demonstrated a unity
of purpose to deal with Iraq’s defiance of the United Nations and its continuing threat to world peace.
I thought it was reasonable: the parliament of the Northern Territory supported the governments of Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom which had demonstrated a unity of purpose in dealing with these terrorist threats. Remember at this stage, troops had not been committed. This government nullified that amendment. They would not agree to the amendment, and the reason they did not agree, as I said at the time, was because it was too good a political opportunity to try to, I believe quite wrongly, skate off the sentiment that they believed was popular sentiment in Australia overall, to skate off the fact that John Howard would be a loser and that they would be on a winner.
One of my colleagues reminded them of some of the things that were said by some of their federal colleagues. This is very important. When you say you will not tolerate terrorism, you need reminding of some of the things you yourself said. For example, the minister who introduced this legislation to the House said:
This government is about Territory leadership and respect for international relationships and not about
crusading and conquering.
So the minister who is going to deal forcefully with terrorism is not about dealing with countries like Iraq; he is not about supporting the strong alliance with the United States; he is not about supporting the stance of Labor Prime Minister Blair in terms of how you deal forcefully with international terrorism. The sentiments were not his alone. In debates in the federal parliament, Mr Latham, who is being heralded as one of the possible candidates to lead the Labor Party in the future, said about our Prime Minister and President Bush:
Mr Howard and his government are just yes-men to the United States. They are a conga line of suck holes on
the conservative side of Australian politics. The back bench sucks up to the Prime Minister and the Prime
Minister sucks up to George W. That is how it works for these little Tories - and they have the hide to
call themselves Australians.
He went on to say:
- I oppose Prime Minister Howard’s toadying to the United States
and said:
- He has forgotten to be a good Australian, not some yes-man to a flaky and dangerous American president.
Now, what do you reckon the sentiment of Australians is today? The sentiments of Australians today are reflected in the opinion polls that have Simon Crean on a hiding to nothing.
Mr HENDERSON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! We are debating the introduction into the Northern Territory of counter-terrorism legislation. The Leader of the Opposition hypothecating on opinion polls in relation to the Prime Minister which has absolutely nothing to do with the legislation before this House. If the Leader of the Opposition does not want to contribute to debate on the detail of the legislation, I suggest he sits down.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Mr BURKE: Thank you, Madam Speaker. My sentiments come from the second reading speech of this minister, the minister who raised the point of order:
- This government will not allow terrorists to threaten our way of life.
That’s it. Strong words. Strong words. What did you do when called upon? What did you do? You did everything possible to lever anti-American sentiment in this country and Australians, at the end of the day, didn’t buy it. If you still don’t believe it, stick with Simon Crean because, as Maxine McKew said in her article, even one in four Labor voters thought it was the …
Mr Kiely interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Sanderson, order!
Mr BURKE: When it comes to leadership, and we are talking about the supremo of the Labor Party, you are a standing joke all around Australia. This is the country …
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing order 67 [inaudible].
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, try to keep your remarks relevant to the legislation you are debating.
Mr BURKE: Madam Speaker, thank you for your ruling. It is entirely relevant. When the government says in a second-reading speech that they will not allow terrorists to threaten our way of life, we need to understand how they have dealt with terrorism in the past. Not one peep in support of our Prime Minister, not one word in support of Australian troops going overseas. Their leader said they should not have even been deployed, and as I said earlier, they have the hide to say now: ‘Oh we are really pleased they did well, we are really pleased no-one was killed’.
One of the reasons that no-one was killed is because they were over there and they were training and they were predeployed and they were in the country, but you did not support that. You did not support the fact that the Prime Minister of Australia, the Prime Minister of Great Britain and the President of the United States were dealing forcefully with world terrorism, and the way that they dealt with world terrorism was not skidding off the opinion polls at all. It was courageous, and it was the right thing to do, and I believe if you look at the sentiments of Australians today, when you look back at the debate, the sentiments and the way your leadership - there was none in the Northern Territory - federally, dealt with this issue, it was an appalling disgrace, and that’s why you now have Mr Beazley looking for the job, if he’s available. He said he is available.
A member: There are a few people on your side looking for your job.
Mr BURKE: Well, so you say, so you say. When it comes to leadership, what we do know is that just about every one of my parliamentary ring has been identified as a potential leader, which is great, but if you look at this lot, I tell you what: it is a bit of a worry. That is why you are safe for a while, Clare.
When it comes to the issue of dealing with terrorism, it needs recognition that you don’t deal with terrorism by making yourself victims. Unfortunately, under this government that is what is happening in Alice Springs. It is the lawless ones who run riot; it is the victims who find themselves locked in their homes and cannot walk along the Todd River. That is what you want Australia to do: you sit there, you batton down the hatches and you hope terrorism does not come near you. No! What Australians did, rightly, was support the United States and Great Britain, and dealt with the issue. There are a couple of countries out there that have seen that they are firmly in the bull’s eye now. One thing I will say quite strongly: I reckon that George W Bush is one of the most under-rated presidents in history, and I believe that no-one could have anything but the greatest admiration for the way our Prime Minister has led Australia through this issue.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, I am sorry, we have to adjourn for Question Time, but you can continue your remarks at a later date.
Mr BURKE: Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Members, you will have to be tolerant. We are going to have to be flexible. I know it is difficult. There is a small clock over the exit sign for you to refer to, but in this case the Leader of the Opposition is welcome to continue his remarks after lunch.
Debate suspended.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Move Motion of Censure
Move Motion of Censure
Mr BURKE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion of censure.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of Government Business, do you accept the censure motion?
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, the government will accept this censure motion. It is the most important and serious motion that can be brought before the parliament, so we are prepared to accept it.
Madam SPEAKER: In that case, I need to advise the media that you shall stop filming at this moment. Question Time has finished. For people in the gallery, we will not go on with Question Time now. We will go into a censure debate. Media coverage of Question Time has finished.
MOTION
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister and
Minister for Central Australia
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister and
Minister for Central Australia
Mr BURKE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I move that this House censures the Chief Minister and Minister for Central Australia for:
(1) overseeing an escalation of lawlessness and antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs;
(2) neglecting the wishes and aspirations of decent, hard working people in Alice Springs by
failing to provide a safe environment for them and their families;
(3) overseeing an increase in the number of drunks in the Central Business District of Alice Springs
who make the lives of people who frequent areas such as the Todd Mall intolerable;
(4) refusing to allocate sufficient police and/or police resources to deal with crime;
(5) failing an election promise – their six-point plan to ensure that offenders who commit serious crimes
such as housebreaking, burglary, entry and damage to homes, cars or businesses go to gaol;
(6) the deafening silence on how to deal with rock throwers who are causing fear amongst many citizens of
Alice Springs;
(7) being devoid of practical ideas and mechanisms to deal with juvenile crime in Alice Springs; and
(8) supporting the extension of alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs which are regarded as little more than
a joke by the majority of people in Alice Springs.
Madam Speaker, this is an historic occasion, one I believe most Territorians, and particularly the people of Alice Springs, welcome, but it is meant to be a full session of parliament, and not just a public relations exercise for the government to announce feel good initiatives.
As you well know, the people of Alice Springs have one issue that concerns them above all else, and that is the breakdown of law and order. That is why we proposed this motion. While you and other members from Alice Springs acknowledge the growing problem of lawlessness, the Minister for Central Australia seems to think he has it under control. Worse, he has convinced the Chief Minister that her six-point plan is working a treat in Alice Springs. He claims his stats tell him that everything is okay.
Perhaps he should do what we did at the weekend and doorknock a few of the good citizens of Alice Springs. Go out and speak to those Territorians, and you are left in no doubt what they think the number one issue is. Perhaps he and the Chief Minister should look at the reports in the newspapers. What does the Chief Minister say to the woman who was attacked at the Wills Terrace footbridge? Or the two people set upon by a machete-wielding man at the Gap View Hotel? Or the backpackers who confronted a thief in the middle of the night in their accommodation, or the young man who lost everything when his car was stolen and torched?
What has the Chief Minister to say for her plan of protection, punishment and prevention when mothers are ambushed in their cars by rock throwers, when businesses, schools, cars and buses are smashed up by rock throwers? When a father of two has his skull fractured in three places and his eye socket cracked by a rock thrower? When, in one month alone, there have been 13 separate rock throwing incidents officially reported to police in Alice Springs? Will she stand up today and apologise to these people for the failure of her government to provide them with a safe and secure town in which to live, and will she admit that in the time this Labor government has come to power, violent crime in the Northern Territory has gone through the roof?
Will she stand up today and admit that her law and order policy has been smashed into little pieces by these rock throwers? No, she will not! She will get up and say: ‘Everything is okay. We inherited this problem. We are doing something and it is working because my Minister for Central Australia told me so.’ She will say, and has said: ‘Don’t believe what you read in the newspaper. They get it wrong. My government has law and order under control’. She will say to all the people of Alice Springs that they are wrong to think that lawlessness is a problem in Alice Springs. She will say that they might think that they have a problem, but, really, it is under control, it is getting better, and you are being misinformed.
Why will she say all these things? Because she believes what her statistics and what her minister has told her. She believes the statistics, not the people. She believes her own fairy tales, not the brutal reality the people of Alice Springs are living with. The Chief Minister and the honourable member for Stuart should revisit their own statistics. When I look at those statistics, I see figures that reflect what the community is actually saying. I see figures that show recorded assaults increased by 15% from the September quarter to the December quarter.
I see figures that show house break-ins rose 61% in the same period. I see figures that reveal there was a 40% increase in break-ins to commercial and other premises, and I see figures that show substantial increases in break-ins, property damage and stolen cars when you compare the last 12 months of this government with the last 12 months of my government. This appalling picture is painted by the government’s own figures. Even the year-on-year figures for Alice Springs show a 3% increase in house break-ins, a 17% increase in break-ins to commercial or other premises, and a 12% increase in motor vehicle theft.
This Chief Minister and this Minister for Central Australia say: ‘Do not worry, we have it all under control’. They continue to bring out the statistics. We had a Ministerial Report this morning during which the minister brought out figures never seen by the opposition before. He keeps going on about: ‘These are the published crime figures’. Yet, today he comes into this parliament purporting to quote figures that he has never published, and we are expected to believe him. He has gone back to August 2000, yet he has not published those figures in his quarterly reports. He has gone forward to March this year, yet he has not revealed those figures, and we are expected to believe them. We know his form on statistics: he will move the goal post at every opportunity and every question in order to get the picture from the statistics that he wants.
Let us look at what this government promised it would do before the election. They had a plan, they said. They were ready to govern and they had a plan to deal with crime - a six-point plan to get on top of crime. The six points were: serious crime means serious time; making you safe at home; getting help from police when you need it; putting victims first; getting tough on the causes of crime; and the establishment of a central crime prevention agency. Let us look at those points one by one, and see why this Chief Minister and her Minister for Central Australia have failed to deliver and, in particular, have failed to deliver to the people of Alice Springs.
Point one: serious crime means serious time. What was the first action of this government? They abolished mandatory sentencing, made up some new offences, and said a break-in was not serious unless damage of property totalled more than $5000. When this minister talks about serious crime and about his statistics, what he has to have his teeth pulled to tell you is that serious crime is more than $5000, in the Labor Party’s opinion. Go and tell that to the average person out there and see what they say to you! Go and say that to a person when they have had their washing machine or their refrigerator pinched or their home trashed, and some assessor says: ‘Well, it is less than $5000’. You go and tell them that that is a minor crime. That is what you are trying to say with your statistics; that if it is less than $5000 it is a minor crime.
They went out and created a crime called ‘home invasion’. Remember that? They were going to create this new crime called home invasion, and that was really going to deal with property offences. That home invasion would make sure that those home invaders got gaol. Guess what? From October 2001 - and they came into office in August 2001 - until December last year, not one home invader has been gaoled by the courts. Not one.
So this new offence of home invasion that was going to deal with, forcibly, better than the CLP had; different and better than mandatory sentencing; your one shot in the locker does not work; we have home invasion - not one since they have been in office has been gaoled under that strong, tough, ‘serious crime means serious time’ law. In fact, since mandatory sentencing was abolished by this Labor government, there have been 37 566 property offences recorded by police, but less than 500 of those ended up with a gaol sentence.
The Minister for Central Australia protests when you quote those figures to him. He says those 500 recorded by his statistics were serious crimes that fall under the new aggregated property offences of his government. Let us not forget what serious crime means to the Labor government: ‘Anything less than $5000, you are kidding yourself. It is not serious, get real’. This is the new Labor government: ‘Even if I trash your home, trash your house, messed up your bed, graffiti your house - less than $5000. Steal your washing machine, steal your TV - they only steal one, minor offence. Don’t worry’.
Mandatory sentencing, I tell you, for all of its faults, if you walk into a person’s yard and you get caught, you go to gaol. You do it twice and you go to gaol again. You do it three times and you go to gaol for 12 months. That is the difference. Serious crime, more than $5000. Under the CLP, you start walking into people’s property and you are in for deep trouble, and the least of it you are going to gaol.
Who believes what the honourable member for Stuart believes are not serious crimes would have ended up in a gaol sentence under his government? The honourable member for Stuart also says it is clearly not true that property offenders are walking free. By his own statistics, they show that of those serious offenders in the last six months of last year, only 65% revealed an actual imprisonment order. So of those serious offenders that actually made it to a serious offence, 65% ended up with a gaol sentence. The others received either a Community Work Order or some order other than gaol.
Now, he might not think that it is walking free, but I challenge him to ask the people of Alice Springs what they think. Remember, this is not your ordinary thief or house breaker; these are the serious offenders. Serious crime means serious time under Labor means that only 1% of offences are in fact punished with gaol. That is the fact of it. That is their own statistics. This is the new Labor government approach to crime: serious crime means serious time means of them, 1% in gaol.
So point one of the Chief Minister’s plan is shown to be a total failure and for that, she and her minister deserve the censure of this House and the people of Alice Springs.
Point two of the plan is making you safe at home. I would like to see the results of any survey that asks the people of Alice Springs whether they felt safer in their homes now than they did six months ago. People are feeling so safe in the Northern Territory that they are packing their bags and they are leaving. You talk about our door knock on the weekend, I can tell you what I got on my door knock on the weekend at a few houses, and that is people said to me: ‘We thought we would see our future in Alice Springs. We are seriously considering going’.
That is not unique to one section of one electorate. That is an endemic problem across the Northern Territory. I accept that both sides of House have to deal with this issue, but you are in government. You are the government. You are the party that said the CLP were getting it wrong. You are the party that said that you were ready to govern. You are the party that said you had a six-point plan. You are the party that would put the victims first. You are the party that has to accept the simple fact that people are saying: ‘We have had enough and we are going some where else to find a safe place’.
It is an indictment that in a place like Alice Springs, single women cannot even walk along the Todd River with any feeling of safety. It is an indictment for any government - in particular this government who was so strong on criticising my government and reckoned they would fix it, and the opposite is the case.
I have said that home invasion is a total failure. The second tactic they had in terms of making you feel safe at home was to increase police resources. What have they done, in fact? There are fewer police now than there were in June 2001 before Labor came to government. That is an indisputable fact, admitted in the Estimates Committee, and the police minister can say there are more coming through this year, but the fact of the matter is there are fewer police now in the Northern Territory than there were when this government came to power. Indisputable fact.
They have decreased police resources, not increased them. Now they have been dragged kicking and screaming to have a review of police resources because they could not stop the call that was coming from the Police Association and, I might add, the fact that we promised prior to the last election that we would have a full review of the police report - it was the CLP government that instituted the McAulay Bowe report about six or seven years ago and it was the CLP government that proudly implemented the recommendations of the report and increased police resources in the Northern Territory enormously and the police budget by over 50% from that report.
It was time to have another report. We committed to have that review prior to the election. This government came in and said no review was necessary and, 12 months later, they back-flipped on that. They claim they are training new police, but they do not mention the fact that the attrition rate is robbing us of experienced police officers and a higher rate than ever before. As one policeman said to me the other day: ‘We need to face the facts in the Northern Territory and that is that we have a temporary police force’. It is not only a temporary police force because of the attrition rate, it is also becoming more and more inexperienced because of the number of experienced officers who are leaving.
It is intolerable that police stations are expected to deal in …
Mr Henderson interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Alice Springs is the classic. You talk about the workload of the Alice Springs police. The Alice Springs do a superb job, but have an under-strength staff and, of that under-strength staff, many of them are required to fill in at bush stations. Not only that, they are not only under-strength, they are not only filling in, they are not only doing an enormous amount of overtime, but the experience level is going. It is an enormous problem. The attrition rate was 7% when my government was replaced, then last financial year it reached 8.6% and now it is around 10%.
So, do the people of Alice Springs feel safer in their homes with fewer police to provide protection? Do the people of Alice Springs feel safe in their homes when they know the clear-up rate of the crimes committed against them in their homes has fallen since Labor came to government? The answer to everyone but this government is: ‘No way’. People do not feel safer in their own homes. This Chief Minister and her Minister for Central Australia who think they do and say they do and say they have crime under control deserve the censure of this House.
The third point of this great plan is getting help from police when you need it. Remember the promise that if you had a break-in, the clean-up squad would be on your door? As soon as you had the break-in, you reported it, not only did the police come to your house but also the clean-up squad came along and made sure it was cleaned up.
A member interjecting.
Mr BURKE: I would like to know how many Territorians have experienced that enormous initiative since it came into place. You just cannot do it. You cannot do it with fewer police to provide a greater response to an ever-increasing level of crime, and that is the simple fact of it.
At the Estimates Committee debate, the government revealed that Alice Springs Police Station was under staffed. It was meant to have 128 police but it only had 112, and that does not take into account the number of police from Alice who are filling in at remote stations at any given time. You say to me: ‘Talk to the police’. I spoke with the superintendent here last night; he will tell you that one of his biggest problems is filling in on bush stations, and that is the fact of it. Those who are left have to work harder and longer to serve their community. The cost of overtime increased by almost 40% between 2000-01 and 2001-02.
No one has any doubt that the men and women of the Territory Police Force are doing their absolute utmost with the numbers and resources that they have in order to deal with the growing levels of crime. I have the greatest respect and admiration for our police men and women, but I do not expect them to perform miracles and Alice Springs people certainly do not expect them to do it either. This government does because it has a head-in-the-sand approach. This government refuses to acknowledge that crime is increasing. This government refuses to acknowledge that its plan is a failure. This government refuses to acknowledge that fewer police cannot respond every time someone needs them, especially when that need is constantly growing. The attitude of this government deserves censure if, for no other reason, than to try to get them to pull their heads out of the sand and to try to get them to get their nose and their eyes out of the statistics and back out on the street.
Point five: putting victims first. The number of victims are growing, yet this government refuses to believe it. They are not putting victims first; they are ignoring them. The Minister for Central Australia would have us believe that these victims that are reported are, in many cases, media myths. He and his government refuse to believe the victims. He says that these people are telling lies and those lies are then put in the paper. He says this because he believes he is solving the crime problem, so he cannot believe there are more and more victims. There are victims in increasing numbers directly because of crime in Alice Springs and right across the Northern Territory and, indirectly, because of crime, in the way they have to organise themselves and organise their life in order to avoid being either harassed or threatened.
I reckon one of the great sadnesses is, as the father of two kids of 14 and 16, is to talk to some of the young kids around the place and see the way they have to organise their lives so that they get home safe. For God’s sake, we are living in the Northern Territory! There are only 180 000 people. We pride ourselves on being one of the best parts of Australia. We have two major cities - this is proudly called a town but I consider it a city - and we cannot even provide a safe environment for ourselves and, more particularly, for our children. It is an indictment and, worse than ever, it is a growing indictment because the violence associated with crime is getting worse and worse. There are victims, and the number of victims is growing.
Point five of this abject failure of a plan is getting tough on the causes of crime. This means more money on education, health and creating jobs. Well, the facts are: there are fewer jobs now than there were even earlier in this government’s term.
Ms Martin: Rubbish!
Mr BURKE: Health is an abyss. The Chief Minister says that it is rubbish to say that there are fewer jobs now than there were earlier in your government’s term. Wrong! You accepted it. There was an increase in employment because of the railway. That was the increase in employment. Now that railway construction is starting to fall off, the increase in unemployment is rising, and that is the simple fact of it.
Health: where are we going with health? Health is an abject failure! This incompetent - I like the lady, but when it comes to competence, she is an incompetent Health minister - has overseen probably an injection of about $80m extra into the Health budget, an enormous amount of money, and who has seen the result of it? The result of it is we had to commission a report called the Bansemer Report to find out where the money has gone. By the way, we are in such awful shape, we have to cut elective surgery at Alice Springs Hospital. A situation …
A member: Wrong!
Mr BURKE: Wrong, I am told. This government knew last December that we need six anaesthetists at Alice Springs Hospital, and only had three. From last December until now, they have done nothing. So what do they do in April? Cut elective surgery! Cannot do it, sorry, too hard.
Mr HENDERSON: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This is a censure motion regarding crime in Central Australia. I do not see what elective surgery at Alice Springs Hospital has to do with this motion before the Chair.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, keep your remarks relevant, but there is no point of order. In a censure motion, you can be wide ranging.
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Madam Speaker, I was speaking to point five of the plan.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes. Member for Drysdale, do not speak when I am.
Mr BURKE: Their plan was to deal with the underlying causes, which were health, education and creating jobs. I am very much on the issue.
When it comes to health, it has been a disgrace. There has been enormous amounts of additional money put into the Health budgets since this government came to power. The government will admit to around $80m; we have calculated to around $120m. We will find out in Estimates.
In any case, I can remember times when health ministers had money taken from them in health budgets overall because of federal cutbacks. I can remember when I was health minister, I had a $7m increase one budget and I was nearly dancing in the street. This minister has had $80m in about 18 months - we reckon about $120m - and they have no idea where it has gone. Worse than that, there are cutbacks everywhere. Royal Darwin Hospital cannot open its new Accident and Emergency Centre because they do not have enough money. It has been delayed. Elective surgery, whether you like it or not, has been cut back because you do not have enough anaesthetists. Worse, you have cut back elective surgery even for those who need local anaesthesia. So, when it comes to the priorities in health, there are a couple of examples that you want to attend to.
Walk out and look to the new private wing of the Alice Springs Hospital. We committed to that redevelopment because there was one message I was getting loud and clear from the people of Alice Springs: ‘We want a private facility in Alice Springs’. The wing is there. You know what is in it? Chairs and desks. That is what is in it because you have no commitment to a private facility at that hospital, but you do …
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: You have plenty of commitment to committees around the place. Plenty commitments of ‘gunadoo this’ and ‘gunadoo that’, plenty of commitment to writing up new strategies, but we are yet to see what has happened in any of those key focal areas: health, education, and creating jobs. Anyone noticed a difference in education? I have not. Are there fewer kids on the street now at all hours than there were before? Are kids so enamoured of this extra spending on education that they are busy at home doing their homework rather than roaming the streets and shopping malls? I was out the other night at Kentucky Fried Chicken and there were about 10 nippers on the street – more, in fact: 10 or 15. Some of them would not have been anymore than 10 years of age and all of them were begging. It is just a disgrace.
When you talk about what you are doing with education, this great Labor government that is going to its roots and going to the real causes of dealing with the lack of effort by the CLP government, go and walk around the streets and see what the real result is, see where the improvements are, then go and door knock a few people and see what they are saying. Ask yourself honestly: are more kids committing crime now than 18 months ago? Is grog less of a problem than it was? Does putting restrictions on everyone …
A member interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Yeah! There you are: the Chief Minister said we door knocked the minister for Central Australia. See? We will try every vote.
Mr Henderson: [inaudible] door knocked Madam Speaker’s electorate.
Mr BURKE: We know some are tougher than others, but you never know. We may not win the minister; we might win someone else. So we were out there.
Does putting restrictions on everyone mean the drunks are drinking less and causing fewer problems? The answers are obvious to everyone, but this government doesn’t hear them and, for that, deserves to be censured.
I believe these grog restrictions in Alice Springs are a total failure. I am waiting to hear someone convince me otherwise. What I do see - and the government, I can tell you, are looking to introduce the same thing up in the Top End - is the average, law abiding person having to suffer and have their freedom reduced and restricted to cater for a minority. That is what I see. When people say to me: ‘Why are you against grog restrictions in Alice Springs?’, I say: ‘I’m for the majority. I’m for the law abiding people. I’m for the person that can go down to the corner store, buy themselves a six pack and take it home. I’m for the person who wants to buy a four litre cask. I’m for the person who used to buy that cask for about $15 and now it costs them double just because they want a glass of wine out of a cask’. What are they doing now? A two litre cask costs them double. That is why I am against these restrictions. We have to deal forcefully with the minority, recognise that it is the minority that is causing the problem and the whole of the community should not be bearing the brunt of it.
The final point of the plan was creating a central crime prevention agency in the Chief Minister’s department with a statutory independent officer heading up the statistics unit. They couldn’t even get that right. Instead of an agency, we now have an Office of Crime Prevention. Instead of it being at the centre of government in the Chief Minister’s department, it has ended up as another unit of the justice department. Instead of a statutory, independent head, it has a director who takes his place in the hierarchy of that department.
So Madam Speaker, if you look at the results of the six-point plan in the short time I have had to articulate it here - I know that there are a number of my colleagues who want to expand on the point - if you face the facts, government, and realise that you do not have an improvement in law and order, what you have is a very despondent and depressed community - not only in Alice Springs, but right throughout the Northern Territory - a community that is seeing its lifestyle continually eroded. This government has failed in its promise to get law and order under control and, for that, they deserve to be censured.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I will allow the Chief Minister her right of reply before we break for lunch. For people in the gallery, we normally finish at 12 noon and we will resume again at 2 pm, but the Chief Minister has her right of reply now.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I will look at all the points of this censure because we in government take a censure very seriously. As I indicated during Question Time, the issue of crime in any part of the Territory, the issue of crime, raised now by the opposition, in Central Australia is one of key importance to this government.
To respond to those closing comments from the Leader of the Opposition: to say that Alice Springs is a depressed town, that the people are in fear of their lives, I am aware that the members of the opposition door knocked your electorate on Sunday, Madam Speaker. I am aware that they called people to a community barbecue and I think the number which turned up was still single figures in the end. So, I am wondering who they did door knock and what kind of response they had. I am sure, Madam Speaker, that the issue …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Ms MARTIN: It is interesting. The Leader of the Opposition had half an hour and still could not make all the points that he wanted to make, and we had a roaming through many issues.
The issue is about Alice Springs and Alice Springs people. The Leader of the Opposition says that in Alice Springs, people are depressed, they are fearful about their futures. I disagree. I think Alice Springs is a vibrant and delightful community. Talking to many people in the community - which I do regularly; I do not need to come down, as the opposition has done, and in a desperate attempt go door knocking on one day. This is a vibrant community; it is a growing and imaginative community, and I apologise for the words of the Leader of the Opposition because I do not think it reflects this community at all.
That is not to say that crime is not an issue. I have said repeatedly that crime throughout the Territory, whenever it happens, is an issue. But let us contrast very starkly what we have done in government over 21 months with what the Country Liberal Party did in 26 years, and oversaw a growth in the level of crime, used rhetoric to deal with it, used policies that did not work and stuck to them, clutched them to their hearts collectively, even when they knew that policies were not working, because they were more stuck on the rhetoric than actually tackling the causes of crime.
It is hypocrisy we have heard from the opposition - a party that was in government for so long, that held every seat in Alice Springs for so long - to suddenly discover that Alice Springs does exist and there are issues here. For the first time, I receive questions about Central Australia. I said that the Opposition Leader had not asked me any questions about Central Australia. We have discovered one, a very small one, that he asked about Central Australia and staffing in the office of Central Australia. But that is the entire interest that he, as the Leader of the Opposition, has taken in Central Australia in 21 months.
A member interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: I am very pleased that we have had the opportunity to bring parliament to Central Australia and get this opposition focussed on what is happening that is positive for the Centre, some of the strategies that we have in place, working with the Alice Springs community, to tackle the issues that are of concern.
I am not denying that crime is of concern. It is one of the key focusses of my government. One of the issues that we have demonstrated very clearly over the last 21 months is that if you have an issue like crime and the incidents, or you have problems in health and education, you cannot deal with them in the siloed approach that we have seen from the previous government. You have to take, with these issues, a much more comprehensive and more effective whole-of-government approach to these issues because they will not be tackled by having ministers work independently or work without reference to other ministers. This is what we are doing, effectively, right across the Territory and we will continue to do this.
This, again, is not to say that there are elements of crime that are unacceptable in our community. They are unacceptable, but we are tackling them. We do not pretend that we have solved them. The figures still show that there is a high level of crime that is unacceptable, but we are tackling them. It is all very well for the opposition to try and whip up the concern of a community - of course there are incidents. We have a police force that is tackling them. Take, for example, the rock throwing. The member for Greatorex stands up and says: ‘This government is doing nothing about rock throwing’. Had he asked for a briefing, he would have seen the comprehensive strategies the police have in place, the success they have in identifying who the rock throwers are. He would not come in here in his ignorance and say: ‘What are you doing about it?’, if had he asked for a briefing. How is the member for Greatorex representing the people of his electorate when he does not seek answers to the problems that there are? He did not seek answers. Question Time is a proper forum for raising these things …
Members interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: … but these incidents have happened over a period of weeks and we have not had the member for Greatorex ask for a briefing about what the police are doing. Is this ignorance or laziness? We had the Opposition Leader, on a major bill in front of this House, refusing to ask for a briefing. He said: ‘Why should I get a briefing?’. We see that all the time from members of the opposition. You do not ask for briefings on important legislation; you do not ask for briefings; and you are not asking to find out what measures we have in place, what the police are doing with operations like Operation Hurricane to target those who are rock throwing, the use of night goggles to find out who is doing the rock throwing, to actually apprehend the culprits. This is happening, but the best we heard from the member for Greatorex is: ‘What are you doing and have you offered a reward?’ We are way ahead of you, member for Greatorex, way ahead of you. This has exposed your ignorance.
Then we have the member for Araluen, who makes up figures and gives them to the newspaper. Never, never …
Members interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: No, we have a member who says: ‘Well, you have to answer questions, but do not worry about the truth here’. So, we have a member …
Mr DUNHAM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The censure is on the Chief Minister when it comes to matters of the truth, and she cannot reflect on my colleague here about bringing matters to this House that may be untrue.
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, it is an important point because we are dealing with figures that are produced about how strategies are working on tackling crime. We have the member for Araluen simply making it up. Maybe she cannot count. Maybe this is the problem; maybe she cannot count. In doing her law degree, they forgot to tell her how to count. What we have is distortions being presented. When we have had success in bringing the incidence of crime down, we have the member for Araluen - who is like Henny Penny and the sky falling in - who does not believe the figures so she makes them up and puts the negatives in another direction.
Then we have the member for Katherine who has to be spoken to severely by a senior police officer for distortions in the media about not getting it right about what is happening in his own electorate of Katherine in terms of public safety ...
Mr Reed: I have not been spoken to by any police officer.
Mr Henderson: Max Pope.
Ms MARTIN: Max Pope was very clear when he spoke to the media about what he thought of your comments in relation to Katherine. So it is all …
Mr Reed interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: Look, I was in opposition for a long time. I understand you are suffering in opposition. If there is a real problem …
Mr Reed: You soon will be again if you keep lying like this.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member for Katherine cannot make a claim about the Chief Minister lying.
Mr Dunham: Of course, he can. it is a censure, you goose! You know she is a liar.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes, we are in censure motion.
Mr Reed: And if she lies, she lies! I am very sorry.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Katherine, settle down. Good try.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I would like to reflect a little on being in opposition. There is a problem, when you have been in government, of relevancy deprivation. This is what we are seeing the opposition suffer from. After all those years in government, after ineffective public policy, after lack of focus on the real issues for Territorians, we now have an opposition which is not listening to the community, not seeking briefings about the issues that are being tackled. They are coming in and saying - even if the figures are showing we are tackling crime and the incidence of crime is being reduced - ‘We simply do not believe it because we want to run another strategy’. So what we have is a debate that is distorted.
Let us look at the facts and what has happened …
Mr Reed: Let us look at the bloke with the plate in his head, the steel plate in his head.
Ms MARTIN: Let us look at the facts, Madam Speaker.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, we appreciate when the member for Katherine does participate in debates, because it is a rare thing over the last 21 months.
Members interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: Certainly, my words in this …
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Greatorex, order!
Ms MARTIN: My words, Madam Speaker, do not say that incidents that have happened are acceptable. We are tackling crime. We are supporting victims and we are tackling the causes of crimes. That does not mean that I can stand here and say we have a 100% success rate. You would not believe a Chief Minister, a head of government, who said: ‘Crime has gone away’. It, unfortunately, is a fact of life. It grew under the last government; it certainly grew. We have put effective policies in place to tackle it.
Let us just look at the figures, because they are convincing.
Mr Reed interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: They are convincing, Madam Speaker.
Members interjecting.
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Drysdale, I have spoken to you a number of times. It is the Chief Minister’s turn.
A member interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: We produce figures that reflect what is happening. As the Minister for Justice has said very clearly, the Office of Crime Prevention will produce those figures on a quarterly basis and we do not, as the previous government did, put our hands all over them and change little figures for presentational purposes.
To hear the member for Drysdale, who was the health minister when that 2001 budget came down and never said a thing about the fact that his figures were bodgied, to have …
Members interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: Figures were bodgied, and, for presentational purposes, we saw a little change to the bottom line, to reflect on the credibility of every figure that is produced, it is more an indictment of what you are saying than anyone else. These are ….
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: A point of order, Madam Speaker.
Ms MARTIN: Yes, I think he should withdraw the ‘darling’.
Madam SPEAKER: Yes, I think you should withdraw it, and I think you should also be quiet.
Mr DUNHAM: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, let us just look at the facts of what is happening in Central Australia, what has happened in the last 12 months, compared - let us just pull a time period out of the air. The last 12 months of the Country Liberal Party. Let us look at what has happened.
In Alice Springs, for the last 12 months of the Country Liberal Party compared with the last 12 months of the Labor Party - these come from the NT Police PROMIS data - crimes against the person have dropped by 9%. The facts. Published. By 9%. This does not mean that all crimes are gone. It is a very convincing figure, very convincing data. This is an indication that crime has not gone away, but we are tackling it.
Let us look at recorded house break-ins in Alice Springs. Let us compare the last 12 months of the Country Liberal Party with the last 12 months of the Labor government. House break-ins dropped by 30%. Using police data, by 30%, a significant figure. That does not mean that there has been a stop in house break-ins, but our policies are working, they are effective and are seeing that drop.
Let us look at recorded property crimes in Alice Springs. In the last 12 months of the CLP compared with the last 12 months of Labor, property crimes dropped by 10%. These are figures that show our policies are working, are focussed on tackling all levels of crime, on those causes of crime, supporting the victims, are working. I am not saying we cannot do better. I think we can. But compared with what was happening under the previous government, the figures say we are being effective. They are a measure of whether our policies are working. If you look at this, in terms of house break-ins, another chart that shows that it rose under the Country Liberal Party and it is decreasing under us. We don’t have the rhetoric, we don’t have the one shot in the locker approach that was the CLP’s approach in government. Despite the fact that house break-ins were rising, we still had the then Country Liberal Party Chief Minister, now the Opposition Leader, saying: ‘It works. Mandatory sentencing for property crime is working’, yet it was increasing. Nobody was being caught, the number of house break-ins was increasing, yet no recognition that the policy wasn’t working.
Our policy is working, and I say to the people of Central Australia that one of the other measures you judge by whether our policies are working is that we do have more people in our gaols than ever before - 750 people in our gaols. What measure does the Leader of the Opposition use to say: ‘This mob are soft on crime’? We have more people locked up for the crimes they have committed and been convicted of than ever before. You say: ‘Do the crime, do the time’. That is what’s happening under our government, but we are also working constructively to tackle those causes of crime.
The Leader of the Opposition stands up and says: ‘It’s all very well for this government to have a focus on health, on education and on a safe community, but is it working?’ The focus on those areas is tackling the causes of crime, and our focus on creating jobs, on working in partnerships with communities rather than the previous approach that we saw for so long under the Country Liberal Party, will work. It does take time. It would be great to stand in here and say: ‘It was possible to achieve all this in 12 months’. It is not, but we are committed and we are focussed, and my government is driven by creating a safe community right around the Territory, whether that is Alice Springs or Nyrripi or Ngukurr, Nhulunbuy, Darwin, Palmerston, we are driven by creating safe communities.
That means getting our kids to schools. We have truancy officers in place, we are increasing that program. Getting our kids to school, getting them educated is one of the ways that we will tackle the causes of crime; making sure that there are effective health services in place is another part of it; seeing economic growth in the Territory happen is also an important part of it. It is gratifying to see that the growth figures that plummeted so dramatically under the Country Liberal Party have turned around, and respected analysts looking at figures of over 4% growth over the next five years in the Territory economy.
All those aspects of tackling the causes of crime will work. It takes time. Twenty-six years of a previous government, of their neglect, particularly when you consider how many seats the CLP held in Alice Springs and yet how strongly the people of Alice Springs felt neglected by the government in Darwin. That is palpable: holding the seats in Alice Springs and yet watching the problems grow, particularly the problems of antisocial behaviour, yet nothing was done by the Country Liberal Party.
The Berrimah Line was alive and well. Sadly, it is still alive and well. It is going to take time to turn that around. One element of that is bringing the parliament to Alice Springs. Other elements are having community Cabinet in Central Australia, where we bring Cabinet ministers and CEOs to communities, to Alice Springs. We are engaged with and responding to the issues of building a community like Alice Springs. Proudly, this afternoon, I will deliver a ministerial statement that outlines our vision for the future of Central Australia. It is an exciting vision.
This is a magnificent part of the Territory and the opportunities are here for growth in those traditional areas of tourism, mining and pastoral, but also the new industries, the knowledge industries, and there is a real excitement in Alice Springs about those possibilities. That does not mean that crime does not need to be tackled. That does not mean that the strategies put in place to tackle antisocial behaviour do not need to be better honed, do not need more resources. We are doing that in the next budget because it is important to us. The safety of our kids on our streets is paramount. The safety of older people in the Territory, those prized people - we do not have many of our older citizens when you compare us with interstate – they are prized, and we want to make sure that our streets are safe, that our communities are safe.
So, we are working to do that. We have the strategies; we are putting more resources into them, and I say that every time an incident of crime occurs, we have to work harder, more effectively. We are increasing police numbers. We are having the O’Sullivan Review to look at the police numbers we need, and we have committed to 50 more police officers and a commitment to the recommendations of the O’Sullivan Review. We are doing it effectively, and with commitment.
While I understand that the opposition is looking for relevance and wants to raise important issues, they have to keep to the truth. They have to accept that we have strategies in place to tackle problems. Crime is an important one to tackle, but we are doing it as the government in partnership with the people of Alice Springs.
The issues raised by the Opposition Leader – yes, very important issues - yes, we are tackling them. I think the opposition should recognise that when we produce figures to show that the trend lines are coming down, they are the figures. We can do better. We can do more, and let me say, Madam Speaker, we will.
While I recognise why the opposition has raised this censure, it does not go to the heart of what is happening. It is not accurate. It is full of rhetoric and hot air. We, on this side of the House, reject it.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, we will resume this debate immediately after the luncheon adjournment.
I believe there is a Public Accounts Committee meeting to be held in the Business Centre. The Chair will resume at 2pm.
Madam SPEAKER: While we are waiting for the microphones to be adjusted, for your information there were 850 people come through the door this morning. If we take off perhaps 10% for staff, that has been a good roll-up. We will keep you informed on how many do come through.
MOTION
Proposed Censure of Chief Minister and Minister for Central Australia
Continued from earlier this day.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): I should declare at the outset, Madam Speaker, that it really does not give me any joy at all to participate in this censure debate today.
However, the government has said that they are here to listen. I am a paid representative of the people of Araluen and, more broadly, the people of Alice Springs, so it is appropriate that I give the government the message that my constituents and other residents, friends and associates have given to me in Alice Springs.
It is also appropriate that the Chief Minister and the Minister for Justice be censured for their performance - or, more particularly, their lack of it - in relation to law and order. By any measure, it has been appalling and firm action needs to be taken. Unlike the Minister for Central Australia, I am in contact with a diverse group of people on a regular basis. Not only are they my constituents, but friends, colleagues, and even family visiting from interstate tell me very clearly how much worse things have become in Alice Springs.
The government calls it crime prevention, but that expression, in my view, is both ridiculous and meaningless. The fact is that this Labor government has failed to overcome the problems that all of us who live here see every day. It is no coincidence that the problems have become worse in the last 18 months. Let us call it what it is: it is drunkenness, lawlessness, violence, vandalism, house and business break-ins. It is clear, on any view, that the government and, more particularly, the Attorney-General and the Minister for Central Australia have failed to protect decent and hard-working people who live and work in Alice Springs. The Minister for Central Australia and the Chief Minister should properly be called to account, and this sittings in Alice Springs gives us the opportunity to do so. There has been, regardless of what they say, an escalation of lawlessness and antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs. They have failed to provide a safe environment for all of us.
There has been an increase in drunks, more particularly in the CBD of Alice Springs. There has been a failure to deal with offenders; they will not go to gaol despite the government’s promises. The Minister for Central Australia’s deafening silence in relation to rock throwers leaves us all to ponder what planet he lives on. Supporting the alcohol restrictions is also worthy of censure. Most people, rightly in our view, believe that the alcohol restrictions amount to little more than a joke.
In parliament months ago, the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General talked about Labor’s six-point plan. The six-point plan is a very small document. In fact, it amounts to little more than an A4 piece of paper folded, like this, handed out to people prior to the election. There is an Internet version which is a little longer. However, this is the Labor Party’s six-point plan: one A4 page with photographs detailing how it proposes to deal with law and order, and it has clearly failed. The minister has spoken in glowing terms about Labor’s six-point plan and he has talked about serious crime meaning serious time, how he wants to make us feel safe in our homes, how we can be assured of getting police when we need them, putting victims first, getting tough on the causes of crime, and establishing a central crime prevention agency.
It is not the case under a Labor government that ‘serious crime means serious time’. It is just not the case and, regardless of what the government says, no one believes them. When the Australian Labor Party had the chance to govern the Northern Territory, they abolished mandatory sentencing, as they promised to do, but replaced it with nothing. In fact, we even have the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General considering, it would seem, supporting the release of convicted killers. All of us in Alice Springs remember the sad, sad tale of Anthony Scotty and the murder he committed some years ago. This man, under this government, may face release. That is not something that my constituents or, indeed anyone in Alice Springs, would welcome. The bottom line is that there is a fundamental difference between the Australian Labor Party and the CLP. The CLP is of the view that if you break the law, you should go to gaol. The ALP seems to think that if anyone breaks the law, then it was not their fault. These two things will always be the major difference between the ALP and the CLP. The voters of the Northern Territory know that, and this government will be called to account at the next election.
Another part of their six-point plan is: ‘Making you feel safe at home’. Well, I do not think so, Madam Speaker, and I know that this applies to your electorate equally as it does to mine. Labor’s own figures show that, in the last quarter in Alice Springs, house breaks were up 61% on the previous quarter, and people are leaving town because of the violence and vandalism that goes on and no assurance from this government indicates that there is not any light at the end of the tunnel. This morning we have seen government members wave about various figures. The bottom line is no one believes them. It is really hard to imagine that the Attorney-General lives in Alice Springs. I know, quite rightly, he spends a lot of time out of it. However, surely he does not walk the streets of Alice Springs as many of us do. If he does, then I do not know how he sleeps at night, to suggest that everything is fine and dandy because it is not.
Another part of Labor’s six-point plan is that they promised the people of Alice Springs and the Northern Territory that we could get help from the police whenever we needed it, and that they would put victims first. Labor did promise more police and it hasn’t delivered them. Government has not put victims first; its priorities have always been and will always be the offenders, especially juveniles who the government seems to believe can be completely rehabilitated by basket weaving type activities rather than ensuring that victims can see that if they make a report to the police, those criminals will go to gaol - and they are criminals.
I was talking to someone earlier today who said that she has been taking part in self-defence lessons - and I am told that the industry of running self-defence classes is on the rise in Alice Springs, and it is directly targeted towards women and the classes are full. That is a direct indictment of this government.
Some weeks ago, the Minister for Central Australia berated me for talking down the town. Well, for as long as I draw breath, I will continue to put to him that this Labor government has presided over an increase in lawlessness in Alice Springs and there can be no doubt. In the Northern Territory News - I am sure the government will remember this one - on 15 April, on the front page it said, and I quote:
- Begging and antisocial behaviour is now rife in most Territory towns. Nearly every shopping centre in
Darwin and Alice Springs is plagued by itinerants.
Again, when I said much the same thing, the Minister for Central Australia has a go at me and suggests that I am talking down the town. Well, as a citizen of this town, I would never talk down Alice Springs, but as I said, for as long as I draw breath, I will continue to tell the minister and the Chief Minister who, although they do not want to hear it, things are worse under their government and they should quite rightly be censured.
People ask me: ‘Is the minister blind? What planet does he live on? Where does he live? Doesn’t he see what is going on?’ Early in 2002, this government, in addition to taking away mandatory sentencing, repealed what were commonly known as the move-on laws, namely the Public Order and Anti-Social Conduct Act. They were move-on laws because they gave the police the power to literally move people on. These laws gave the police the power to deal with perpetrators of unacceptable behaviour, and it was aimed at a small section of the community who did not respect other people’s rights and freedoms. We are seeing an abundance of this under this administration.
Police did have the power to deal with problem offenders, which included removing people from certain areas, confiscating goods and applying to the courts to have places declared a public area which made it easier for police to target. But what did this government do? They repealed them. The irony is an interesting one. In the same week that this government repealed those laws, the government introduced legislation that was targeted at drug dealers which gave police similar powers in terms of moving suspected drug dealers on.
Clearly, this Australian Labor Party government is obsessed with the drug problem, which it perceives as real, but ignores in the face of overwhelming evidence, some of which we have seen in the Chamber this morning, the most obvious problem that we are all faced with in Alice Springs, that we see everyday in the streets and that is antisocial behaviour and itinerants.
Over and above the influx of drunks on the streets, there are serious crimes being committed in this town and this government is sitting idly by and watching it and trying to convince those of us who live here that everything is fine. Well, it isn’t. In addition, in Labor’s Six-Point Plan they promised that people ‘will go to gaol unless extenuating circumstances exist’.
You will recall that this morning, I produced a court list from a typical day in Alice Springs Court - and for people in the gallery who were not here this morning, here it is. It is 12 feet long. I have a sample over a two week period. There is another one of these which is 10 feet long, another one that is eight feet long and this is some of the crime that people in Alice Springs are reporting. Some people are going to court. Are they going to gaol? I do not think so. It is in black and white in this sexy little minute document. It says …
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I would ask that the …
Madam SPEAKER: Wait until you get to the microphone before you speak, would you, minister?
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Speaker. I would ask that the member table the document so we can have a look at it, please.
Ms CARNEY: What, your plan?
Members interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: I am very happy to table this document, Madam Speaker, now or later, and I seek leave to do so.
Leave granted.
Ms CARNEY: Madam Speaker, under the CLP, and this is an interesting point, we had two magistrates in Alice Springs. Under the Australian Labor Party we have three. Is it because the court lists are 8, 10 and 12 feet long? I think so. I was a lawyer in this town before this job, and I cannot remember going into court and seeing court lists that long. Crime is rife and this man, the Minister for Central Australia, refuses to see it.
When I go out doorknocking, as I try to do every month, I talk to people in my electorate. They talk to me about crime and lawlessness.
Members interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: You bothered to come down here, minister, if you don’t want to hear it, be it on your head. The government assured us all that they would listen to us, they were to keen to hear the views. Well, it is my job; I am paid to do this, minister, so I will continue to tell you all sorts of interesting things about which you are in total denial.
People say that they are sick and tired of seeing drunks, they are sick and tired of seeing offenders get off scot-free. They want them locked up, they want their streets to be made safe again. Early this afternoon, we heard what could only be described as compassionate drivel from the Chief Minister. She said what a nice town it was and how happy she was to be here, and how things are really going well, yes, there is more work to do, but Labor is doing a good job.
The people I door knock, my constituents and others, agree wholeheartedly with us bringing this censure on today because they know that this is their opportunity because the government, when we are in Darwin, despite the pictures they try to portray, when we are in Darwin, the words ‘Alice Springs’ very rarely come up, I can tell you. And they have the audacity to come here and say: ‘We care, Alice Springs. We love you, Alice Springs. What lovely weather you’ve turned on for us, Alice Springs’, and as you are going to all of your cocktail parties throughout the week, you should pause to consider - maybe I will go for a walk down the mall with the member for Araluen. Maybe I will come shopping later tonight when the member for Araluen heads home so that they can stay with me outside Coles and Woolworths.
Members interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: Alas, they simply do not want to hear it. Now, the issue of rock throwing obviously is something that we have talked about this morning in the Chamber. In the Centralian Advocate on 25 March, a report said as follows:
- Alice Springs has been hit by another wave of vandalism from juvenile rock throwers. Five incidents of
throwing rocks occurred at cars and stores in Alice Springs in the 24 hours to 9am on Saturday.
There have been numerous reports since then, and the most serious one appears to be Brendan McGrath, who now has a metal plate in his head as a result of a rock thrower. We called for this government to offer a reward, see if it can turn its collective minds to dobbing in a rock thrower. What did we hear from the Minister for Central Australia, he who represents all of us? Nothing! Very little at all except, except that I was talking down the town.
The alcohol restrictions - again, when I go doorknocking, when I talk to the people, my neighbours here in Alice Springs, they say that the alcohol restrictions are a joke. The only thing that’s happening with the alcohol restrictions is that the drunks - and that is what they are; they are stinking drunks who obstruct, spit, swear and make life unpleasant for all of us - are lining up two hours later to buy their grog. That is the only change. Yet, this Labor minister, the Minister for Central Australia, says, whenever he is able, things are much better in Alice Springs and, as I said this morning, the minister clearly is of the view that the earth is flat and that Santa Claus is a really good bloke.
There is no doubt that violence and vandalism and antisocial behaviour are in plague proportions. The minister said recently that it was the fault of the Murdoch papers, which is an extraordinary statement and one, no doubt, he will live to regret.
In the absence of government rhetoric, I go about getting my own information and figures - and I will seek to table this document shortly. This is a document from a local glazier in Alice Springs. He did not want to be identified for understandable reasons. He has provided me with a summary of glass replacements to windows and doors for January, February and March of this year: $101 278 worth of business for this glazier. Now, on the one hand, he may be grateful to the Labor government. On the other hand, he and his family live here. They are sick of it; they are thinking about leaving town. $100 000 worth of replaced glass in this town because the adults and children running around the streets of Alice Springs - whom the minister seems to think are not doing anything – breaking the windows and doors of businesses and homes It is appalling, and it is an escalation.
People are leaving town as a result of this government. They are sick of this government. they are sick of the drunks; they are sick of the violence. When I went out doorknocking a month or so ago, I came home and was pale. I could not believe it: 70% to 80% of the people I door knocked said, in the case of young families, they did not want their kids growing up here. They were about to leave and their houses were on the market. Older people, some of whom have lived here for 20 or 30 years, said they had never, ever contemplated leaving town. Now, under this government, they are going. They are not happy about it. None of us are happy about it …
Mr Henderson: What is your plan? What is the alternative?
Ms CARNEY: I hear the smart-alec member for Wanguri saying: ‘What can be done?’ Lock them up, would be a start …
Mr Henderson: No, no, I said: what is your plan? Whingeing, whining, carping.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, minister!
Ms CARNEY: Put them in gaol, punish them, make them learn. Another thing that could be done is the installation of security cameras in the mall. Again, some time ago, the Minister for Central Australia, in response to a letter I wrote to him, said that people in the mall were not interested. I went up the mall, and I spoke to most of the traders. Were they interested? Too right they were interested! They are of the view that security cameras - which is now a problem that the Alice Springs Town Council will deal with, because this government is refusing to deal with it. This government will not even turn its mind to security cameras. It is something positive that can be done, yet this government refuses to deal with the problem. Then we see policy documents and announcements that say: ‘We have this thing called the Office of Crime Prevention and it has $2.4m’, and so on. But no money was allocated for security cameras. That is a practical measure that can be applied for security in the Todd Mall which, I might say, is in my electorate.
People are leaving town and the government knows it. In fact, all of us know it because it is likely, in terms of the Top End indeed, we have lost a federal seat. People are leaving here and the ABS figures demonstrate that. There is no answer. There is nothing this government has said to provide the people who are contemplating leaving Alice Springs with any hope. That is all we want. We live here because there is beautiful weather; because of the fabulous MacDonnell Ranges. But we want to live here safely. We want to be assured that when we go out at night, our cars will not have rocks thrown at them; that when we get home, our televisions and videos will be there; that on our way from the car park to our offices we will not be tripping over drunks who are making the lives of all of us incredibly difficult.
Madam SPEAKER: Your time has expired, member for Araluen.
___________________________
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Before I call the member for Nelson, I missed the students from Gillen Primary who are in the gallery. I now want to acknowledge the students from ANZAC Hill High School. On behalf of all members, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
__________________________
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, one of the problems with law and order debates is that whenever they are debated in this Chamber, it is always: ‘My way is better than your way; my laws are tougher than yours. If we were in government, this would not happen, and we would have the foolproof fix-it plan’. It is a crying shame when we come to debate these issues. Criminal issues are not a new problem. They are problems, for sure, and I doubt that we will ever see the day when we do not have them.
As a member of the Substance Abuse Committee, I see criminal activity Territory-wide all the time; it is not just an Alice Springs specific problem. We are all concerned about crime and law and order. I do not know anyone in this parliament who sits here today and would say they do not care. That is one of the problems with this debate. For sure, the Opposition Leader has raised some legitimate issues, and so he should. But I do not necessarily believe that this requires a censure motion.
What we need is to work together to find ways we can fix these issues. Issues relating to problems associated with law and order are mixed, are complex and are sometimes deeply rooted in our society. We have some serious underlying problems in society. One would only have to look at alcohol and the reports that we have had from the police that 70% to 80% of offences in the Northern Territory that they are called out for are alcohol related. So, even though a minority may appear to have the problem with alcohol, society in general has a problem with alcohol.
We have high divorce rates, broken homes and homelessness. In some communities, we have high unemployment, regardless of CDEP. I have said on a number of occasions I think CDEP should be scrapped, and if the federal government wishes to continue the philosophy that Aboriginal people, for instance, should live on their own communities, they should make the funds available for full employment on those communities.
We have other issues related to discipline and to boredom. These issues stretch out longer than this government. They are not government-specific. It is interesting also in this debate to see how each side approaches this debate. One of the favourites is to use the stats, the Northern Territory Quarterly Crime and Justice Statistics. The government has said that, according to this, recorded crimes against the person in Alice Springs has gone down in the last 12 months. That may be so, but if I was on the other side, I might look up assault offences recorded in Alice Springs during this quarter, an increase of 15% from the previous quarter but a decrease of 19% from the same quarter the previous year.
Property crimes: there were 317 property damage offences in the current quarter, a decrease of 6% on the previous quarter and a fall of 29% when compared to the same quarter last year. House break-ins: according to the Labor Party, over the last 12 months, there has been a decrease of 30%. But then, if you read the quarterly report, there were 61 house break-ins in the current quarter, an increase of 61% on the previous quarter but a fall of 16% from the same quarter last year. So you can do lots of things with statistics, depending on which way you want to argue the case.
On the other hand, one can show headlines and one can mix it up with statistics and you can prove anything to suit your argument.
Naturally, at the first sittings in parliament at Alice Springs, both sides are going to try to impress their Alice Springs supporters. But let us not let populism get in the road of reality. Just take rock throwing. I do not know whether people are just like me. When I was a kid, I used to like to throw rocks on Mrs Smith’s roof and I would be gone in five seconds. No-one would have known. By the time the little old lady came out, I was well and truly gone.
A member: Gerry!
Mr WOOD: I know, I know. My mum found out.
Dr Lim: I hope she gave you a good spanking for that.
Mr WOOD: Rock throwing is unacceptable but, in reality, while we might talk about it being unacceptable, it is very difficult to catch a rock thrower in the dark. The action takes a few seconds and the perpetrator has gone. It can occur anywhere, any time, and I am sure the police are trying to do their best and, from what I read in the Centralian Advocate today, they have reduced rock throwing incidents by targeting those areas and doing more patrols, I think under Operation Hurricane.
A member: Not Spitfire?
Mr WOOD: Not Spitfire, no.
Mr Henderson: Spitfire is next week.
Mr WOOD: I hear one member of the opposition say that sexual assault in Alice Springs has gone up 90%. Again, if you look at the statistics, you can say it certainly went up 90%, but it was zero for the previous two months. So, you can say it went up, but it also went down to nothing in the previous two months. There is also a question, which was put to me during lunch time, as to whether recorded sexual assaults are in Alice Springs, the town, or the Alice Springs region where they were attended to by the Alice Springs police. Again, statistics are important, but one has to analyse them carefully before they make statements.
As I said before, law and order issues are now entrenched as issues which are more about winning votes than solving problems, and that is what the censure motion is about. Voting on this issue, for me, is a waste of time. I believe the government still has a way to go before it can say it is succeeding. The statistics show that they are not perfect, and I think in some cases crime has gone up. I would still like to see a proper analysis of sentencing versus the punishment received, an accurate assessment of those crimes that go to court and what punishments were received. I have opposed mandatory sentencing, but I have supported mandatory punishment. I do not agree that to pinch a small item from a shop is worth 14 days’ gaol at taxpayers’ expense, but I do believe that person should receive some punishment, and punishment that at least tells that person that they have done the wrong thing. I do not believe that they should get off scot-free.
I am also concerned when I hear the Chief Minister say that we have more people in gaol than ever before, and I find Wildman River camp closed. It is a shame and a worrying concern that we are sticking juveniles in other areas that perhaps are not suited for them. In fact, coming back from the Substance Abuse Committee in Tennant Creek a couple of weeks ago, it was put to me that we should have some low to medium security prisons in local areas like Tennant Creek, and I see a lot of value in that. I would ask the government to at least look at that as an initiative.
I do believe that there is no one in government who is not genuine about trying to solve issues. It may not be the way the opposition says is the way to go, but who says their way will succeed? I believe it is about time we got together as Territorians, regardless of our political philosophy, regardless even of the Westminster system, and work together to find solutions.
We are a small population in a large area. As you know, we have committees set up. We have an Environment and Sustainable Development Committee. Perhaps we should have a Human Environment Committee, or a Law and Order Committee where both sides and the Independents can get together to try and work through some of these issues we are debating today. We are too small to point-score on this issue. Debate it, yes, but work towards a common goal. I think our constituents deserve it.
Dr TOYNE (Central Australia): Madam Speaker, I would like to say, first to the opposition, that I am delighted if you want to censure me every time we get a 30% decrease in house break-ins because that is 100 fewer households that have been victimised by this offence. I am delighted if you want to censure me for a 10% decrease in property crime. That is 200 fewer victims of that crime in Alice Springs compared to the time that the CLP was last in power. I would be delighted if you want to censure me any time we get a further 9% decrease in crimes against a person. That is the important one, because that is 80 fewer victims of things like assaults and sexual assaults, particularly the women not only in the itinerant camps, but women generally around the town.
I am going to attempt to balance the picture here, because when you hear the ravings of some of the opposition members on this - thankfully, broken by the very measured contribution of the member for Nelson - you get a picture of Alice Springs as being the streets of Baghdad with people frightened of leaving their houses to go anywhere.
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: Look, it is a bit rich. I have lived here for 23 years now, either coming in from the bush and having time in town. I have lived here continuously with my household here for the last seven years. There are places you can go in Alice Springs, particularly after dark, where you will see antisocial behaviour and crime. For many years that has been so.
I can remember, even in the very early days of Alice Springs settlement where there were major problems with metho drinking in the itinerant camps. So this has a very long history to it. I am sure those long standing residents of Alice Springs know that this place has always had, like all towns do, areas that attract antisocial behaviour and crime. The other thing I can say is that I personally know victims of crime in Alice Springs, and you meet those people in the course of what you do around this town, whether you are a member of sporting associations, or whether you meet them in the street or at a community function.
The victims are here; we are not denying that. The victims have been here in quiet unacceptable numbers for many years before the Labor government was returned. What we are saying is that if we are going to talk about Alice Springs, let us keep the picture balanced and not present this place as if it is a total basket case as a population centre. That is what the tourists and the residents are going to hear time and time again, day in day out. I go around and talk to people as much, I am sure, as the CLP members and the Independent from Alice Springs do. I hear hundreds of people in an average month talking about their town. I discern a level of concern from those talks, but I do not discern the disaster scenarios that we have had presented to us today.
I will take it all on board. There is a balance point in there that we will respond to. We want to have, and certainly work towards, a public debate on these issues as informed by trustworthy information. That is why we have taken the very courageous step for a government - foremost of any jurisdiction in Australia - to release crime figures of the comprehensive nature that we put into these reports, and to release them every quarter, with a more extensive analysis released each year.
If people want find out about the crime trends in their community according to what the police are saying, what the courts are saying, what Correctional Services are saying, they have these statistics. They are our agencies that deal with these matters and with the numbers. This is the most accurate way we can inform Territorians about what is going on in their community. It is the most accurate way we can avoid the claptrap of pulling out in a really hysterical way a small context of crime, with no rigour in the way that that is applied to the general situation in communities.
Every crime is important in a community, but so is the general picture of crime trends within our society. It is what we have to base our public policies on, whether they are produced collaborably within a bipartisan process or whether they are produced by the government through its normal acts of parliament. However, it has to be a hell of a lot better than cruising along completely blind in an information-free zone which is what the previous government managed to promulgate for most of the time they were in power. It was almost impossible for the general public in the Northern Territory to find accurate information about what crimes were occurring in their community.
The other thing I have very clear memories of - and this is not years away; it is only probably a couple of years away – is you could walk down near the Todd Tavern and you would see probably 300 or 400 people down in the Todd River there waiting to get grog at the take-aways. You would then see grog spread right along the creek in both directions, despite the fact that the previous government introduced the 2 km law years before they lost power. They never enforced it systematically, never applied a systematic approach to try and clear that activity out of the areas where it was spilling over into the activities of the other citizens of Alice Springs and visitors. You do not see that down there now. You can go down to the Todd River and you will see clear space as far as the eye can see. A lot of these people have now gone back to the town camps, and that is where we have to follow this problem because the town camps are now going to suffer the same jeopardy that was widely spread around the town.
We will continue to hold this up, and the CLP has to learn to live with this. These are the figures that police collate. If you want to debunk these figures, you are telling your police force, your courts, Correctional Services that they are a bunch of liars. If you want to do that, good luck to you, but I do not think they are going to love you for it.
Why do we have these early improvements in some of the key areas of crime? I can flag that there is not going to be much good news for the opposition in the next release of figures that is coming along shortly. We are satisfied that our reform laws on property crime, replacing mandatory sentencing, have targeted particularly serious repeat offenders. A lot of those have now been taken out of the system, particularly when it has been linked to very focussed police work. I would like to play tribute here to Paul White, our new Police Commissioner, and to Gary Manison down here in Alice Springs, for the effectiveness of these new campaigns the police have been waging like DNA matching: 130 offences cleared up.
The Police Commissioner and his police force are doing a fantastic job in targeting the area of offenders that is going to have the most impact on these crime levels in the community. You take out some of these serial offenders and you might take out someone who has committed 60 burglaries. Take them out of the system, and it makes quite an impact. We are seeing some of the early results of that change of operational direction from our police.
Here in Alice Springs, I see the CLP have now abandoned the bipartisan support we have had for the grog trials and complementary measures. It seems now fashionable to say: ‘Oh, they’re all terrible’ and that we should now …
Ms Carney interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: I will tell you why they are working, member for Araluen. I will tell you exactly what they are doing that brought benefit in the first year: the police report that because of the delayed time before they have to deal with drunk and disorderly situations, they are turning their attention to other crimes. We have had significant busts of drugs around Alice Springs. We have had quite a big impact on the property criminals around Alice Springs, and that is feeding into these figures that we have presented through these reports.
The grog reforms have also led to lower presentations for serious assaults into the Accident and Emergency and Congress in town here.
A member: It sounds like a war zone.
Dr TOYNE: Now, if you want to - it was like a war zone before we started these reforms. We are now making some early progress.
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: You are saying they are leaving. It is not me saying that.
We have made some early and encouraging progress in some of these very crucial areas. As I said before, these assaults are not just anonymous people in the river bed. They are assaults on often helpless women, helpless kids, and male on male, which just overlays the tragedy of the substance abuse that was there before.
We have committed to four years of concerted effort that is already funded in conjunction with the federal government. We will be there seeing that through, evolving these projects, gaining further benefit.
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: Whether the members for Greatorex or Araluen want to sit there and carp and whine and knock what we are doing, we will be working with the Alice Springs community to get further progress on top of the early encouraging results that we have from the first year of those trials.
Just to correct the member for Greatorex, who does not seem to understand how statutory positions work, there has certainly been no decision on my part to do with extending the grog trial time period. That is the Liquor Commissioner’s call and that is the commissioner’s decision.
A member interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: Unlike you, I do not pull statutory officers into the back room and start to tell them what to do and what decisions to make. I do not do that, and nor does our government.
We have a lot of work to do on grog and antisocial behaviour. We have a lot of work to do on crime levels that remain unacceptably high by our standards - the CLP did not seem to lose as much sleep over it as we do.
I now turn to whom else you are insulting by this litany of negativity. The Regional Crime Prevention Council of Alice Springs was established out of Quality of Life, and we have said repeatedly that our approach to crime involves a very strong formation of the partnership with the people of Alice Springs. I will tell you who is on our Crime Prevention Council. The Lord Mayor, Fran Kilgariff, Superintendent Colleen …
A member: Lord Mayor? Isn’t she the Mayor?
Dr TOYNE: Well, I have just promoted her. That is all right. I think she is a wonderful lady and she should be Lord Mayor. Superintendent Colleen Gwynne of NT Police; Karen Walshaw of Central Australian Young People’s Information Network; Colleen Devlin, Career and Transition; Amanda Bowen, Good Beginnings; Charlie Larkins, Relationships Australia; Pastor Colin Griffiths, the Anglican Church; Paul Robinson, representing the Chamber of Commerce and Anglicare; Sue Hanson, Hanson Training Services; Tim Hampton of Tangentyere Council; Helen Kantawarra from ATSIC; Peter Hanson and Geoff Thomas from Neighbourhood Watch; David Ross from FACS; John Gaynor from the Commonwealth Family and Community Services; Priscilla Collins from the Department of Community Development.
These people have come together for one reason and one reason only: they care about their town, and they believe that they have some constructive ideas to put towards the alleviation of crime and antisocial behaviour in our community. They are there giving their time, their energy and, more importantly, giving us access for advice to a very wide selection of people through Alice Springs. I contrast that process to going for a couple of hours doorknocking around Braitling and coming back immediate experts on what the people of Alice Springs think.
Members interjecting.
Dr TOYNE: These people work and live in Alice Springs, and have, in many cases, for their entire life. I would back the advice we are going to get from the Crime Prevention Council against the half-baked ideas you have brought in here today.
I would also like to talk about what we are spending money on. The member for Araluen was keen to see us spend $250 000 on a video camera system in the Mall. I do not know what sort of value that might bring to the town. I will tell you what we are funding, though. We have just put out $150 000 - in fact, I announced it yesterday - for groups within Central Australia to carry out their crime prevention ideas:
Alice Springs Women’s Shelter to set up domestic and family violence audio kits to publicise
issues on domestic and family violence;
such as the sports weekends;
and antisocial behaviour by the men there, but to prevent them coming in here to Alice Springs and doing
the very things that you are carrying on about;
getting those kids off the streets and that is how we are going to do it. We are not talking about it; we are
putting the money out there and we are getting people to go and do it.
prevention strategy there; and
Alice Springs High School, to get kids that are going towards the crime cycle straightened out so they can
go back into a normal relationship with their community.
Madam Speaker, I hope that we have cut through a lot of the rhetoric and hot air that has come out of the opposition’s proposed censure motion today because we are seriously working on these things. We have things happening on the ground. We are working with our community to put shape into these crime prevention initiatives. No-one is saying that crime is not still a problem for Alice Springs. No-one is saying that antisocial behaviour is not still a problem for Alice Springs. What we are saying, and we have the absolute right to say, is if the authorities that report back to us on the level on these types of behaviour in our community are saying ‘good on you, you have made some early impact on these offences’, we have a long way to go, but we have some early encouraging signs, why shouldn’t we get up and talk about it? Why should we be howled down by the opposition on the basis that it does not suit their opportunistic political position of the day?
I would really like to see us take note of what the member for Nelson said. I have said, probably for the last four or five years in Alice Springs, that substance abuse, antisocial behaviour, these types of offences in our town are too important to play around with. We cannot afford to keep sensationalising particular incidents, ignoring the facts and, worst of all, refusing to constructively have an input into what the townspeople are trying to do. Where were you at the meetings where we formed the Crime Prevention Council? No representation. Where are you when we are …
Ms Carney: You are the government. It is your show, sport.
Dr TOYNE: You are a member of the Alice Springs community, member for Araluen, and you stand up here saying that you are paid to represent them. Where were you? Where were you when we were talking about the very issues that you have brought into this censure motion?
I make you all an open invitation: you will be welcome at any meeting that we call to progress these issues, unlike the member for Greatorex who tried to throw me out of one of his grog meetings. But I think that the …
A member: There is a meeting tomorrow. Are you coming out?
Dr TOYNE: I will come and talk to them, no problem at all.
I would like to close by echoing the member for Nelson’s call: this is too important to play crass politics with, and that is exactly what you have done today. This censure motion has absolutely no merit in our eyes; it is simply hot air.
Madam Speaker, I move that the question be now put.
Motion agreed to.
Madam SPEAKER: The question now is that the censure motion be agreed to.
The Assembly divided:
Madam SPEAKER: For the information of people in the gallery, in a division, members move to the side of the floor according to how they are voting. The ayes go to the right, the noes to the left. The bells are rung for three minutes to enable anyone who is not in the Chamber to return to the Chamber for voting. The doors will be locked and we will take a vote. The vote will be recorded in Hansard. Normally, if we just vote on motions, we do not list the names of members but, in a division, the names will be listed.
___________________________
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: I acknowledge, while we are listening to the bells, the presence in the gallery of students from St Philip’s College. On behalf of everyone, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: This is our first division of the day, so you are here for a special occasion.
_____________________________
Ayes 10 Noes 13Mr 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 Mr McAdam
Mr Mills Ms Martin
Mr Reed Ms Scrymgour
Mr Stirling
Dr Toyne
Mr Vatskalis
Motion negatived.
Madam SPEAKER: Members will move back to their seats now, and we will resume Government Business.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Move Motion of Censure
Move Motion of Censure
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, as there is no business before the Chair, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent me from moving the following motions:
I move that this Assembly censures the Chief Minister for failure to allow a full and open debate on the issue of law and order.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Madam Speaker. There is very clearly a question before the Chair. Debate was suspended prior to lunch for Question Time, to be resumed immediately after by the Leader of the Opposition. There is a question before the Chair.
Dr LIM: Madam Speaker, speaking to the point of order, there was no business before the Chair. There was …
Mr Stirling: Yes, there was!
Dr LIM: Madam Speaker, I am speaking to the point of order, and I wish to be heard in silence.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! The member for Greatorex has the floor.
We did have Government Business and we suspended the Leader of the Opposition’s remarks to be continued at a later stage before Question Time. Now, what is your point of order?
Dr LIM: My point of order is that I rose and sought recognition from you, Madam Speaker, prior to you calling on business of the day. I believe that I …
Madam SPEAKER: No, I believe I had called business of the day straight after that motion had been resolved. That is why I was calling the Leader of the Opposition to see if he wanted to continue his remarks but if you wish to, you may try to move a suspension of standing orders.
Dr LIM: I wish to do so, Madam Speaker. I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent me from moving the following motion, and I will read the motion:
I move that this Assembly censures the Chief Minister and the government for –
1) failing to allow a full and open debate on the issue of law and order and the increasing level of crime
and violence in Central Australia, and
2) preventing members of parliament, particularly from Alice Springs, from expressing, on behalf of the
people of Alice Springs community, concerns about crime and violence in this community.
Madam SPEAKER: The question is that there be a suspension of standing orders.
The Assembly divided:
- Ayes 10 Noes 14
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 Mr McAdam
Mr Mills Ms Martin
Mr Reed Ms Scrymgour
Mr Stirling
Dr Toyne
Mr Vatskalis
Mr Wood
Motion negatived.
TERRORISM (NORTHERN TERRITORY) REQUEST BILL
(Serial 127)
TERRORISM (EMERGENCY POWERS) BILL
(Serial 128)
(Serial 127)
TERRORISM (EMERGENCY POWERS) BILL
(Serial 128)
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr BURKE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I noted that as we were about to begin. the member for Sanderson said: ‘Let’s talk about something relevant’. So, if anything is relevant, it is the debate on these bills that deal with terrorism Australia-wide and also in the Northern Territory. I have spoken at length on this legislation this morning. Whilst the opposition supports the bills in their entirety, I understand there are some amendments to come through from the Independent member for Nelson, and I will listen to his comments about those proposed amendments.
However, I did make the point that the minister sponsoring these bills, in his second-reading speech, was very strong on saying that this government will not allow terrorists to threaten our way of life. It is very important that we Territorians know how this government has acted in the past when terrorism has been on our doorstep.
It is an important issue also for the people of Alice Springs when we consider that in the Alice Springs community, there would be probably more than 1500 families who are American and involved in the base at Pine Gap, who have been valued members of the Northern Territory community for many years and who are wonderful contributors to that community. One of the sad things that happened in the national debate in Australia, to which this Labor government was a full party, was the way that the actions of the Australian Prime Minister and the Australian government were portrayed by the federal Labor Party, and the result of that betrayal, led by their leader Simon Crean, has been clear for everyone to see. That is that Australians have rejected his approach; they have rejected the way he tried to run the argument. Inherent in that rejection is the underlying abhorrence of Australians in the way the rhetoric, which was clearly anti-American, was run during that debate.
I said in an earlier debate that the ANZUS Alliance between Australia and the United States underpins the whole fabric of our security in Australia. It is a very important alliance and, notwithstanding the robustness of our democracy, the low standard of debate that some Labor federal members engaged in, with the most disgraceful comments about the President of the United States, was one of the lowest points of Australian politics, led by the federal Labor leader with quiet acquiescence from federal Labor members in the Northern Territory.
It is not good enough now to start reinventing yourselves in terms of support for our Defence Forces and support for the fight against terrorism. When the fight was called, when the decision had to be made, when it was a decision between strength or acquiescence, it was the Australian Labor Party that did more than acquiesce, they did everything possible to tear apart the fabric of the Australia-United States alliance.
Whether they regret that or not is up to them to decide, but it seems that many in the Labor Party have been disappointed and disgraced in many respects by the way that debate has been run. Support for the federal government by Australians generally has increased and, overall, I am a strong believer in the fact that Australians support our Prime Minister, not only the decision that he made but in the result that has occurred.
That is the way that you deal with terrorism when it is on our doorstep. That is the way the Australian government has dealt with it and that is the way, I believe, Australians, if necessary if called upon in the future, should act again. I hope the Labor Party shows more maturity in such debates in the future.
This particular legislation stems from the fact that Australia has been a target of terrorists in the past, directly through the Bali bombings and that, because of the stance that we hold in the world community against global terrorism, undoubtedly we are a target amongst other countries. We have to protect ourselves as far as possible against attacks.
This legislation gives strong powers to the police to act to prevent acts of terrorism - enormous powers to police that can be given at short notice. I believe Australians support those powers. The legislation is good legislation that has been tested in debate in many other parliaments in Australia. The opposition supports its passage in this House today.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, Benjamin Franklin once said:
- Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither
Liberty nor Safety.
I know we live in interesting and unsure times, but Mr Franklin raised a very important point. After all, these bills do take away some of the liberties we would normally expect. They give police wide-ranging powers to search and detain people, and to search premises and vehicles, and to seize objects, documents and vehicles. The bills avoids the usual procedures of using a magistrate for approval and, instead, uses the minister for police, who is not a member of the judiciary.
Do we need this legislation? With any new legislation, this should always be asked. Where exactly do the powers currently available to police in the Northern Territory fall down? Do they not already have the powers that they need to act against any potential threat or to deal with the aftermath of a terrorist attack? My understanding is that we do have the powers under existing legislation to deal with terrorism. One reason given for an authorisation is so that details of informants will be kept secret, and that is fair enough. No one would want to put these people’s lives at risk. But could not the same details be given to a magistrate in private? I believe that can and does happen presently.
Could it not be said that parliament is passing legislation simply as a knee-jerk reaction to fear when, in fact, it may be restricting the freedom and civil rights of Australians? I quote from the NT News - normally a paper very strong on law and order – and this is an editorial from 13 January this year, headed: ‘Terrorism and Rights’:
- The Territory government has wholeheartedly embraced Prime Minister John Howard’s support for an
international war on terror. The weekend announcement that police would be given rights to detain anyone
engaging in acts of terror is part of an Australia-wide push to boost the country’s internal security. The
states and territories have been understandably quick to introduce laws to give their police officers strong
investigative powers to tackle terrorism. Since the Bali tragedy on 12 October, no government leader wants
to be seen ignoring the threat of a terrorist attack inside their jurisdiction.
New South Wales got the ball rolling last year, introducing laws to parliament giving police the power to detain
without charge anybody suspected of engaging in terrorist acts. The Territory will follow suit next month when
similar legislation is introduced here. The devil will be in the detail. For instance, the legislation should clearly
define the meaning of ‘engaging in acts of terror’. Will that mean family members or associates of suspects can
also be held without charge? What time limits, if any, will be put on police to either lay charges or release the
suspect? Where will the role of Territory police finish and the Federal police begin?
Australians have always been wary about giving too much authority to the police. Maybe it is a throwback to our
days of an English prison colony. It is important to win the war on terror but one eye must also be focussed
on maintaining the rights and liberties that are part of being an Australian.
I quote that to back up some of the questions that I am posing today and need to be asked as this legislation is debated.
We are giving up some freedom and liberties, and we are passing those powers to police and government. For instance, could the proposed legislation be used in the case of industrial action, despite the assurances of the bill, under section 5? Could low level civil disobedience become a terrorist act? Could a strike or a sit down, which can be handled under existing legislation, now be dealt with under this act if someone thought serious harm could be caused by that act?
The reason I mention the issue of industrial action is that under section 5, a terrorist act means an action that, under subsection (b), is done with the intention of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause. Certainly, there have been strikes that have been ideological in their intent. Does that really mean they are a terrorist attack? The strikers might give us the proverbial at times - to the public, to employers and the government - but I am not sure that should be classified as a terrorist act.
Peter Breen, a member of the New South Wales parliament, said this when their parliament debated the bill:
- The Premier said in his second-reading speech that legitimate non-violent protest could not trigger the
proposed laws. The corollary of that statement is that a legal protest and public assembly will trigger the
laws.
Madam Speaker, these are my concerns. This government might say it will not abuse these laws, but who speaks for future governments?
Whilst I am not totally convinced that terrorism cannot be handled under existing legislation, I do understand the arguments that by having all the emergency powers in one act, it makes it easier for police officers to understand their powers. So I will support the bill, subject to a number of amendments which I will now summarise, but debate at the committee stage. These amendments are being introduced to make sure that these bills have some checks and balances. It is to make sure that parliament and the community know what is going on, and to make sure that the act is being enforced according to its stated objectives.
In summary, the first amendment requires the police minister, within six months after receiving the Commissioner’s report on an authorisation, to lay a copy of that report with the Legislative Assembly. The reason for this is to allow the Legislative Assembly to know what authorisations were given, to make sure that parliament is able to scrutinise those authorisations, to make sure there were no abusive authorisations, and to allow enough space, six months, between the report being given to parliament and when the authorisation ceased so that any security issues relating to those authorisations will have been avoided. Under the present section 13, the report stops with the police minister and goes no further. This amendment takes the reporting one step further to parliament.
The second amendment relates to section 58. It is a small but important change which requires a police officer to tell the person who is subject of the authorisation under this act the reason for the exercise of that power. It surely should be the right of anyone to be told why they are the subject of the authorisation. They should not have to ask for it.
The third amendment is, I believe, a vital part of this type of legislation. The bill needs to be subject to review as a safeguard against it being used for purposes not originally intended. It will also allow a full debate in parliament about the merits of the bill and may, if circumstances change, even allow for the rescinding of the bill.
Madam Speaker, I hope that both sides of the House will support those amendments. I will be grateful if they give that support. I also hope that these changes will make Mr Benjamin Franklin rest a little easier, knowing that although some of our liberties may have been lost, hopefully that will have been temporary, and there will be sufficient safeguards to make sure that these laws cannot be used in matters for which they were never intended.
Mr HENDERSON (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, I thank honourable members for their contribution in debate of these very extensive powers that we are proposing to give our police to deal with any imminent or actual terrorist threats to the Northern Territory.
I particularly thank the Independent member for Nelson for a very thoughtful contribution to the debate this afternoon. It is indeed the most significant increase in police powers that has passed through the Northern Territory parliament for many, many years. It is not lightly proposed by this government, but the member for Nelson has done his homework; he is across the detail of what is proposed.
I will get to the amendments that he is proposing a bit later. The government is happy, in terms of his contribution, to ensure from this parliament’s point that the powers being provided to the police in exceptional circumstances, with checks and balances, are never misused. I have every confidence in the integrity of our police force at all levels, every confidence in the Police Commissioner and his senior executive officers, and every confidence that they would not use these provisions lightly. However, the amendments that the member for Nelson has foreshadowed in the committee stage, we will be happy to accept.
I would like to contrast that with the contribution from the Leader of the Opposition, and the shadow police spokesperson. The contribution from the Leader of the Opposition, although I welcome his support for the legislation, dwelled on politics at a federal level, the war with Iraq, Simon Crean’s opinion poll results, where John Howard is in the opinion polls, and did very little to address the detail of this legislation.
We have a responsibility, and the opposition has a responsibility in this parliament, as government proposes legislation to the people of the Northern Territory, to extensively scrutinise the legislation, to consult with the broader community and, very importantly, when extensive legislation such as this is proposed, to actually get their head around what is proposed.
The Leader of the Opposition and the Shadow Police Minister, I have to say, has been totally negligent in his responsibility to the people of the Northern Territory by not seeking to avail himself of a comprehensive briefing from the Northern Territory police in terms of the structure of this legislation, how it would work, how it would be applied, when it would be applied, the checks and balances that are inherent in the legislation - unlike the member for Nelson who does take his job seriously and avails himself of a briefing opportunity.
It is a very important check and balance that we have in our system of government where shadow ministers are provided, for very good reason, with opportunities for full and detailed briefings from the areas of the public sector which propose or are responsible for legislation. It is there for a reason, it is to ensure that the detail is scrutinised. We do not have a second House in the Northern Territory to thoroughly scrutinise legislation, and from the years that we spent in opposition and the two years that I spent in opposition, we on our side took our responsibilities very seriously in terms of legislation that was proposed. We took our responsibilities seriously and availed ourselves of detailed briefings.
I would like to quote from, and table, correspondence from me as police minister to the Leader of the Opposition dated 25 February 2003:
- Dear Mr Burke,
As you are aware, the government introduced significant legislation into the parliament in relation to
counter-terrorism during the February sittings. It is our intention to debate these bills during the April
sittings in Alice Springs. Given the significance of these bills, it strikes me as important that the opposition
be informed on their content and impact. As shadow minister for police, if you could avail yourself, I would
be happy to facilitate a briefing on these bills. Please contact me if you would like to take up this offer.
No contact at all. The abrogation of responsibilities by the shadow minister and Leader of the Opposition is absolutely appalling, especially when he talked about the extensive powers that were being granted to the police under extenuating circumstances. He went on, basically, to slag members on our side and our federal colleagues in respect of positions taken on the war in Iraq. I am not going to revisit those; we have had that debate and it is on the record everybody to see.
He went to talk and muse about the tragedy in Bali. I am absolutely convinced that these powers are needed in the Northern Territory. They are needed in every jurisdiction in Australia. We live in a very changed world from where we were only a couple of years ago. I had the opportunity, a few months ago, to be at the site of the Bali bombings. I laid a wreath on behalf of the people of the Northern Territory as a mark of respect for the people who lost their lives there. It was truly a chilling experience, particularly the briefing I received from the head of the Australian Federal Police who was leading the investigation over there, who went through in very explicit detail the coldly calculated and executed act of terrorism that was absolutely calculated to kill and maim as many people as possible. Two bombs went off in that area; the initial blast designed to force people out into the street to be on the receiving end of a second blast outside.
These people will stop at absolutely nothing to advance their political agenda. There can be no political agenda that can justify the acts that we saw in Bali, 11 September, terrorist acts around the world for many, many years. I agree with many commentators who say that Australia lost its innocence in the October 2002 Bali bombings.
Mr Dunham interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: I believe that these powers are required. It is disappointing that the member for Drysdale always has something to say, mumbling from his chair, but he very rarely contributes to debate. He had an opportunity, if he wanted to speak in this debate, to rise and have his say but, again, his laziness has him sitting there mumbling from his chair.
The impetus for these bills is not at the whim of the Northern Territory government to bring this type of legislation before the House; it is the result of a COAG resolution at a Leaders Summit in April 2002 where all Premiers and Chief Ministers agreed with the Commonwealth that we needed to seriously upgrade our capacity of responding to an imminent or actual terrorist event. This legislation, yes, is modelled on Commonwealth legislation as well as the New South Wales act.
I can assure the member for Nelson - who quoted from Benjamin Franklin and talked about giving up our freedoms and liberties - that we in the Northern Territory are not giving up our freedoms and liberties. This legislation will only be put in place under extraordinary circumstances. The period for which the legislation is allowed to stay in force is clearly identified under clause 10 of the legislation. It states that the initial authorisation can only take effect for seven days and then has to be reapplied for via the Police Commissioner and the Police minister for periods of up to 14 days at a time. However, it is not legislation that is enacted without an authorisation. It is only there for a defined period of time.
I can assure Territorians, through this debate, that if - and I sincerely hope the day never arises in the Northern Territory - this legislation was ever to be utilised, it would only be authorised for the minimum time period possible to allow the police to respond and do the work that they have to do, that they are trained to, in order to respond to an imminent or actual terrorist threat.
Our prime responsibility here is the protection of Territorians; the protection of not only people but also of property. In terms of the scenarios under which this legislation may be applied, it can only be contemplated if significant evil was being forced on the people of the Northern Territory. So the checks and balances in taking away people’s freedoms and liberties, I believe, are guarded in this act, inasmuch that it does not come into effect unless an authorisation has been granted by the Police Commissioner and myself. If I cannot be contacted, I have to be advised within 48 hours at the latest, and that authorisation can only be in place for defined periods of time as identified in clause 10 of the bill.
The issue of industrial disputes raised by the member for Nelson - and heaven forbid that a Labor government would do this, but I take his point that you could not trust a potential government of a conservative hue not to use this legislation to intervene in an industrial dispute, not that we have many industrial disputes in the Northern Territory; we have a pretty harmonious industrial climate. However, again, in clause 5, it is very clearly stated that this legislation cannot be used to intervene in an industrial dispute if that dispute is not intended to cause serious harm - that is physical harm - to a person, to cause a person’s death and to endanger a person’s life other than the person taking the action, or to create a serious risk to public health or public safety. It is hard to think of any industrial action that goes to intending to cause that type of physical harm or death. So I can assure the member for Nelson that we will not be using these powers in any potential industrial disputation in the Northern Territory.
The Leader of the Opposition was critical of all we have done as a government to respond to a potential terrorist threat in the Northern Territory, to walk into the parliament legislation that we have taken from other states. That is an insult to the Northern Territory police who are engaged in numerous forums, activities, scenarios, and exercises that are undertaken with the aim of appropriate responses to a potential terrorism threat. If he had availed himself of a briefing, we could have taken him – and the offer is here, if he wants to do it - through the extensive work that the police are doing in preparation - heaven help the day where these …
Mr Burke: It is not the police I criticised; it is the hypocrisy of the Labor Party.
Mr HENDERSON: … would have to respond to it. But it shows his ignorance when he says that …
Mr Burke: It is the hypocrisy of the Labor Party that I criticised.
Mr HENDERSON: No. The words are there on the Hansard, when he says that all we have done to respond to a changed international climate in regards to terrorism is to walk into this House legislation that has been copied from the Commonwealth and New South Wales. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The police are engaged, as I said, in numerous forums and exercises. Following security audits across the Northern Territory, a Counter Disaster Coordinator has been appointed in the Northern Territory. There is a whole raft of work that the police are engaged in. To say that nothing is happening just shows the ignorance of the Leader of the Opposition and the Shadow Police Minister.
Madam Speaker, I am flagging to the member for Nelson that we will be accepting his amendments. I have a committee stage amendment myself that I wish to propose. I would like to reinforce, for the people of the Northern Territory, that this legislation is not presented to this parliament lightly. It is presented in an extraordinarily changed global climate where terrorists are becoming ever more brazen in the devastation that they are inflicting on innocent people around the globe. We have to respond to that.
This legislation does give our police powers in exceptional circumstances to respond and react as quickly as possible to any potential threat in the Northern Territory. Those powers are only enforced for a defined time period and they will not remain in place any longer than is absolutely necessary.
Motion agreed to; bills read a second time.
In committee:
Terrorism (Northern Territory) Request Bill (Serial 127):
Bill taken as a whole and agreed to.
Bill to be reported without amendment.
Terrorism (Emergency Powers) Bill (Serial 128):
Clauses 1 to 3, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Clause 4:
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Chair, I propose an amendment to clause 4(1), definition of ‘decontamination procedure’, in the Interpretation clause. I propose to omit the whole definition and substitute:
- ‘decontamination procedure’ does not include the internal examination of a person.
This has been picked up as a drafting error and a minor change. The original clause, as it stood - I remind honourable members if they do not have the bill before them - stated that:
- ‘decontamination procedure’ does not include the internal examination of a person, the taking of samples
of blood or tissue from a person, or a treatment that is required to be taken internally by a person.
as a definition of decontamination procedure. The reason for the change is that, in the event of a terrorist act that has as its genesis a biological organism or some other poison or substance, there may well be occasions, as part of the decontamination process, that a blood or a tissue sample may have to be taken from a person to identify the biological organism the source of that, and as part of a decontamination process, a person may be required to take medication orally to respond to that contaminant.
By omitting the words ‘the taking of samples of blood or tissue from a person or a treatment that is required to be taken internally by a person’ means that, in the decontamination that would be supervised by the Chief Health Officer, if it is a requirement to take a blood or a tissue sample to identify the contaminant and to treat the contaminant, that ability will be there. I move the amendment.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 4, as amended, agreed to.
Clauses 5 to 13, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Mr WOOD: Madam Deputy Chair, I propose a new clause 13A which stipulates that the Police minister must, within six months after receiving the Commissioner’s report on authorisation, lay a copy of the report in the Legislative Assembly. Presently, under section 13, it states:
- As soon as practicable after an authorisation ceases to have effect, the Commissioner must provide a report
in writing to the Attorney-General and the Police minister..
That is basically where it sits.
I believe, as one of the checks and balances in this bill, that report should come back to the Legislative Assembly. I move that new clause be inserted.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Deputy Chair, the government will support this amendment. In terms of additional accountability to the people of the Northern Territory as to why an authorisation was issued, and reporting to the people of the Northern Territory the outcome of that, we are happy to put this level of detail in the legislation.
However, I cannot conceive of any circumstance where, as Police Commissioner or minister, government would agree to an authorisation for the use of these powers and not make it known to the people of the Northern Territory that an authorisation had been issued as a result of a imminent or actual terrorist event, and have continual updating for the people of the Northern Territory as to the status of that event.
Certainly, in accountability to the people of the Northern Territory through the parliamentary process, at the next available sitting day of the Assembly - or heaven forbid if circumstances were so exceptional that the Assembly would have to be recalled - that a full report would have been made back to parliament in due course. I cannot think of any set of circumstances where an authorisation would be issued in secret, reported back to the minister in secret, and the fact that an authorisation had been issued and the powers had been utilised under that authorisation, would never be made public by the minister of the day.
However, as an accountability measure and in terms of transparency, we are happy to put this requirement into the legislation.
Mr BURKE: The minister said he was quite happy to instruct me on my ignorance in these matters, so I am here to be instructed.
With regards to the amendment proposed by the member for Nelson, the minister says he could not conceive of a situation where an authorisation would be issued where a full report would not be made public to the parliament. I can think of a number of occasions when information could come to the police, where they would be required to act quickly, based on possibly even an oral authorisation because of the imminent nature of the threat that they had to deal with and assess. The authorisation could be issued, people could be interrogated and, at the end of the day, no charges laid because the information that they received was found to be having little basis.
It would seem to me that to present a report to the public or to the parliament in that context would very easily prejudice police informants, could easily libel people who could have been innocently involved and quite innocently caught up in that chain of events. That is why I was troubled, actually. I could see the government agreeing to the member for Nelson’s third amendment, but I thought that, based on my own ignorance in the opinion of the minister, it would not be as easy as it sounds for the government to report fully to the Assembly in the way the minister for Nelson expects.
I could imagine that there might be a report to the Assembly that a number of authorisations were made, or one authorisation was made, and that was the end of it. However, I could see many instances where it would be in the interest of the government, the police and the public to ensure that as little as possible was said about the event or the persons involved for the protection of those persons and the privacy of all those involved.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Deputy Chair, responding to the Leader of the Opposition, as minister, I have not agreed to these amendments without consulting with the Police Commissioner as to whether these amendments would in any way derail the intent of this legislation and reduce the effectiveness of it.
The content of a report that would be handed to the Assembly would be at the discretion of the Commissioner and minister. Police informants and details as to where and who the source of information was, who was detained and questioned by police, and if no charges were laid in the circumstance that the Leader of the Opposition articulated, of course if no charges were laid, the report would be coming to the Assembly stating that information had been received, people have been questioned and no charges were laid.
The potential for making available police informant information, and evidence that they may have gathered to lead them to the conclusion that they needed to utilise these powers is restricted by checks and balances. At the end of the day, as a result of invoking this legislation in extraordinary circumstances, people end up in a court of law charged with offences, obviously, that then becomes a public forum unless the magistrate or the judge determines that sessions need to be held in camera to protect the identity of a police informant.
The nature of the report that would come to this Assembly in the event of a scenario that the Leader of the Opposition recounted, obviously the detail in that report would not go to the definitions and identities of informant or people who were questioned.
Mr WOOD: Madam Deputy Chair, clause 13 does set out what should be in the report, subclauses (a), (b), (c )and (d), which I would expect is what will be reported to parliament. The idea of having the six months was to at least allow some gap between when the authorisation ceased and when it was reported. I would imagine that, in the reporting, if there was some possibility that some people’s lives were at risk if they were mentioned in that report, the minister would explain that, anyway.
There has to be some common sense applied, but there also has to be some reporting. I suppose, if you take the amendment coming up later, if there are problems with the reporting, then that is part of what can be debated in parliament when the review is done.
The amendment is a good start, and we will just have to see how it goes when the minister does report back, but if the minister does report as set out in the bill, that is a good start.
New Clause 13A agreed to.
Clauses 14 to 37, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Clause 38:
Mr WOOD: Madam Deputy Chair, I invite defeat of clause 38.
Clause 38 negatived.
New Clause 38:
Mr WOOD: Madam Deputy Chair, I move that a new clause 38 be inserted. As I said before, this is only a minor thing. If a police officer came along and grabbed me, the first thing I would ask is: ‘What are you grabbing me for?’, but the way this clause was written, the person has to request that information from the police officer.
My proposed amendment requires the police officer to tell the person why they are exercising the power over them. That is basically what the amendment is about.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Deputy Chair, this is really a change in drafting proposed by the member for Nelson that the government is happy to accept after discussion with the Commissioner.
Again, it is hard to envisage any circumstances where a police officer seeking to use these powers granted under the act would not make that information known at the time immediately they were exercising those powers. Essentially, the redrafting codifies and clarifies that in the legislation.
Police, as a matter of course, if they are apprehending a person or issuing instructions, would say under X powers: ‘This is the reason under which I’m ordering you to do’ whatever it is the police are doing. Essentially, it is a minor drafting change. It does not in any way negate the actions of the police given under the exceptional circumstances provision of this bill, and after consideration and consultation with the Police Commissioner, we are happy to accept this new clause.
New Clause 38 agreed to.
Clauses 39 to 45, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
New clause 46:
Mr WOOD: Madam Deputy Chair, I propose clause 46 which is a new clause providing for a review of the act. As I said during the second reading debate, I believe this is vital to this type of legislation. We are certainly removing some of the rights of people, and I understand why. To counteract that or to keep a check on that, a review of the act is vital.
The clause is self-explanatory and if there are issues that might have been raised today about reporting, and other issues, then that certainly can come back to parliament and the report debated when it is given to parliament.
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Deputy Chair, after consideration, we are happy to accept this new clause 46. If you go back to the second reading speech that I gave a couple of months ago, it was the intent to review this legislation and its appropriateness to be on the statutes of the Northern Territory. Again, it is for the comfort of people who might seem to think that this, as the member for Nelson said earlier in his contribution, is reducing the civil liberties of people in the Northern Territory, and we are happy to put this into the legislation.
There has been much debate about this type of legislation around Australia that other parliaments have either introduced or are in the process of introducing. Certainly, the conspiracy theorists are out there in the minority stating that governments around Australia are taking away rights and liberties of Australians by the implementation of this sort of legislation. We do live in a democracy and, in terms of our bona fides as a government in the Northern Territory, we are happy to come back and debate, as often as the parliament wants to debate, the appropriateness of this legislation on our statue; why we have it on our statute; how often it has been used; and to provide the level of transparency. We want to give people in the Northern Territory comfort, understanding that this is exceptional legislation, so the outcomes and the use of it can be debated in the people’s House at any point.
We will bring back a full review within 12 months of assent to the legislation. Who knows what the global climate is going to be then? I am sure we will have a full debate at that point in time. However, as Police minister in the Northern Territory, I hope most vehemently that I never have to authorise the powers that are available under this legislation; that the Northern Territory never is facing an imminent or actual terrorist threat; and these powers sit on the statute books and, hopefully, will never be used.
Mr WOOD: Madam Deputy Chair, I should articulate what is in the new clause for those people who are listening in the galleries and would not have seen this. It reads:
- (1) The Police minister must, within 12 months after the date of assent to this Act, review this Act to determine –
- (a) whether its policy objectives remain valid; and
(b) whether its terms remain appropriate for securing those objectives; and
(2) The Police minister must, within 12 months after the review is finalised, lay a copy of the report on
the outcome of the review in the Legislative Assembly.
I thank both the government and the opposition for their support.
New clause 46 agreed to.
Bill to be reported with amendments.
Bills reported; reports adopted.
Mr HENDERSON (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, I move that the bills be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bills read a third time.
PRIVATE SECURITY AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 136)
(Serial 136)
Continued from 27 February 2003.
Mr REED (Katherine): Madam Speaker, at the outset, it has been very useful that the second-reading speech provided by the minister in relation to these amendments is a lengthy and detailed one, and as such describes the extent of the amendments very thoroughly to those who are interested in it.
The intent of the legislation is both to pick up national competition principles which former Territory governments signed up to some years ago and which the current government is pursuing as, of course, are the other jurisdictions.
To pick up on a few of the issues in relation to it, I note and support the fact that the minister and relevant agencies have consulted extensively with industry and relevant community organisations in relation to these amendments. They are quite extensive. Some of them could be considered minor, but it is fair to say that all of them are worthwhile and they will be supported by the opposition.
In relation to some of the matters, there are amendments: to take into account that employees undertaking the role of security officer as their prime work duty are subject to the licensing requirements of the act. I think that most appropriate; whether or not there are opportunities for employees of certain commercial operations to be put in the role of security officers, if that does substitute a significant part of their duties, it is appropriate that they be so licensed, and so able to undertake the duties of that job; and staff performing security type duties as their prime work role must be appropriately trained, qualified and licensed for this work.
It has been a bit of a chequered industry in years past, not so much today, and that rather shadows the fact that it has been an industry that has developed considerably over recent years, probably over the last eight or 10 years, in that private security operations have become more common and prevalent across not only the Northern Territory but across Australia.
It is an industry that has been well developed overseas for many years, but only in recent times have we seen the need for a higher level of application of private security operations in the Northern Territory and Australia generally.
A requirement for training competencies is included in these amendments and that, too, is appropriate. If we are going to have a security industry, then those participating in it should rightly be fully trained and that training should be to minimum competencies and meet those requirements. In that regard, where someone in the workplace acting as a security officer does not meet the overall requirements, and some of them might be minor - the example that is given in the second reading speech of the minister is not wearing their work shift identification number, for example - then an infringement notice system is to be applied so that those issues can be addressed and, importantly, that the standards of the service can be kept to a minimum level. That is important, given the scope of the industry, the duties that people take in relation to performing their responsibilities as security officers and the expectation that the community is entitled to have.
Licence renewal and current first aid certificate requirements are also appropriate in relation to security officers, that they are trained in first aid and with the renewal of a licence, if they do not have one, there will be a requirement for them to get an up to date first aid certificate and, again, meet with the requirements of their training.
Overall, we do support the legislation. There are other components of it, complaint provisions, which currently the legislation does not have, but this bill by amendment proposes to establish a formal complaint provision in the act, and that, too, is appropriate in terms of the types of duties that people have to undertake in this industry, the possibility that might generate complaint from persons against whom they have to take some action, and it is appropriate there be a complaint provision in it. I notice that that was supported by the industry and the concept of a complaint provision’s introduction is justifiable and will serve the community well.
With those comments, Madam Speaker, the opposition supports the amendment and the bill.
Mr STIRLING (Racing, Gaming and Licensing): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Katherine and the opposition for their support of this bill.
Registration in this industry with private security has meant a lot of change to the industry. If we were to go back eight or 10 years in the Northern Territory, there was room for considerable concern with activities and presentation of some representatives within this industry. Licensing has gone a long way to cleaning the whole of the industry up, and the amendments today also ensure from the government’s and the Northern Territory’s point of view that this bill certainly will not jeopardise any competition policy payments due from the Commonwealth, given that this amendment bill makes sure that the act conforms with competition policy principles.
I noted the comment made by the member for Katherine in relation to the second reading speech. I, too, appreciate a detailed second reading speech in dealing with each of the elements of the bill. It is not something that we always have; it certainly was not something we always received in the past, but the second reading speech, as we know, is there on the record and remains as a record for any interpretation if a court was to have difficulty with interpretation of any part of the act.
I commend the work of the officers, and Peter Jones in particular. When you have a second reading speech such as this, going to the detail of each of the clauses of the amendment act, it leaves very little room for error, for misinterpretation or ambiguity as to the intent of the act.
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Katherine for his comments and I thank the opposition for their support.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr STIRLING (Racing, Gaming and Licensing) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
KAVA MANAGEMENT AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 132)
(Serial 132)
Continued from 25 February 2003.
Mr REED (Katherine): Madam Speaker, the Kava Management Act is an unusual one in that it only applies to a small part of the Northern Territory and, in the main, a small number of communities in Arnhem Land where kava is consumed.
That does not detract from the importance of this legislation. The complexity and the extent of the amendments demonstrate the difficulties in policing kava import, its sale and its consumption. Those difficulties have not only emerged in recent times, but have existed over a long period of time. Kava has had a chequered history in the Northern Territory, and in some communities it is consumed in a responsible way and in quantities that probably would not be considered excessive. It is not the same in other communities where consumption can be excessive and, indeed, enormous quantities of kava are imported. It has many and varied effects on the community and the behaviour of some people in relation to its consumption.
The amendments before the House today will assist in a number of ways: in policing kava in the context of both its packaging and its labelling; the ability for the Northern Territory police to have better defined legislation to pursue, bearing in mind that, from memory in the last year or so, there was, near Katherine, one apprehension of kava of something in the order of 800 kg, nearly a tonne. The amounts that have been historically dealt with illegally and apprehended by the good work of Northern Territory police officers have been very substantial, which clearly demonstrates the opportunities that exist for those who want to deal illegally in this drug and many other illicit drugs.
Again, I commend the agency for the extensive notes and the detailed second reading speech, which is very useful for us, as legislators, being aware of what the circumstances are in relation to these amendments and their scope. I note also the broad and extensive community, government department and agencies, police and other interested bodies who have been consulted in relation to the preparation of this legislation and its coming before the House.
Just to touch on a few of the issues which it encompasses, it is important to recognise that there is a need for harm minimisation programs. These amendments further reinforce those sorts of programs, both in the context of their scope and later on in the second reading speech, a reference to the practices and a need to disclose the practices of licensees in relation to their harm minimisation and the policy objectives of communities. It is important to underline that requirement and to strengthen the need for harm minimisation programs and for their recognition.
There is provision in the amendments to enable the Licensing Commission to set the price of kava following community consultation. That, too, is relevant and appropriate to the varying communities in which it is traded, and the need to have some form of price control or ability to set a price in relation to the trade of the product. Complementing that, to some extent, the bill proposes that a community government council may apply to the minister to declare a part, some parts, or all of the council area to be a licensed area in relation to the sale of kava. That is most appropriate. Members of the House who have been to communities where kava is consumed would be aware of the differences in some communities regarding the views as to whether it should be consumed and readily available or not and, flowing on from that, the need to be able to determine what parts of a community it is appropriate for it to be traded and consumed in. The best people to decide that are those community government councils and the community members who live there, know what the circumstances are, and the expectations of their community in relation to these issues.
The bill also proposes that the number of wholesale and retail licences granted under the act shall be determined by the minister on a recommendation from the Licensing Commission. It is appropriate to have the ability to increase or, indeed, decrease the number of licences. It does suggest in the second reading speech there is no intention to increase the number of wholesale licensees or the number of retail licensees currently operating. However, it is appropriate, in the circumstances of these amendments, to make provision in the legislation to have those variations. They are logical, and they may, from time to time, be useful and, in the event that they are, it will avoid the need to come back to the Assembly to achieve that ability.
Just touching on one more: the suspension of sales in emergencies is an interesting consideration in terms of the bill proposing the addition of a provision similar to section 48A of the Liquor Act allowing for suspension of sales in emergency situations of community unrest, natural disasters and the like. That, too, is a practical application of a law and an extension to the Kava Management Act from similar legislation, as I said, in the Liquor Act, and one which, if it is required, clearly should be available. It is a logical extension of the powers in the Liquor Act to the Kava Management Act.
To reiterate, as was the case with the previous legislation, the stimulating activity in relation to these amendments was the National Competition Policy, and the need for this legislation to comply with it. Obviously, the minister has decided it is an appropriate time also to introduce the range of amendments which are so conveniently and, in a well detailed way, explained in this amendment.
The opposition supports the amendments, Madam Speaker.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Kava Management Amendment Bill.
I wish to briefly mention as a first-time elected member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, I feel a great honour and indeed a certain amount of pride in being part of the first ever sittings in Central Australia. Madam Speaker, all credit goes to yourself, the Legislative Assembly staff and this government for making this happen. I will be supporting any such future exercises that forever bury the Berrimah Line.
I shall return to the Kava Management Amendment Bill, and commend the opposition for their support.
As with all introduced substances to Australia, there is a need to maintain certain checks and balances. The concept of kava legislation comes from a real concern for the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Territorians living in remote areas of the Northern Territory, particularly in Arnhem Land.
This is why the government has introduced a kava licencing and monitoring process for the sale and consumption of kava. The amendments arise as a result of the National Competition Policy review of kava legislation. They particularly place great emphasis on harm minimisation, principles and activities. It is important that harm minimisation is mentioned in the legislation because this shows the government’s direction in respect of kava.
As the Deputy Chief Minister has stated, the need for amendments to kava legislation has arisen from the National Competition Policy review which included extensive stakeholder consultations. The stakeholders should be recognised. They include: Aboriginal Resource and Development Services; the Regional Chair and senior staff of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, East Arnhem Land office; the Northern Land Council; NT Police, and particularly officers from the Nhulunbuy station; the Department of Health and Community Services, both hospital and health department staff in Nhulunbuy; Drug and Alcohol staff in Darwin; Menzies School of Health Research; Miwatj Health; staff from the Laynhapuy Homelands Association; and the Ramingining, Warrawi and Yirrkala community councils.
Through exhaustive stakeholder consultation, it was agreed that the legislation would be improved by adding objectives to the act, adding provisions to enable regulations of kava price, extending and clarifying periods for objections, renewing licences for one year from the date of grant, formalising the involvement of the police and health agencies in the consultation and approval process concerning Kava Management Plans, enabling the minister on advice from the Licensing Commission to determine the number of wholesale or retail licences to be in place, and lodging documents electronically.
I know the member for Nhulunbuy has worked tirelessly on this matter of public importance. The minister, through the amendments being debated today, has worked to ensure that the Aboriginal community councils and the local community organisations are directly involved in the management of kava in their communities.
I am reliably informed stakeholders were pleased with the consultation process and particularly happy with the minister’s commitment to finding workable processes to properly regulate and monitor kava in the Northern Territory. I also understand that the legislation and consultation process has a history of bipartisan support dating back to 1998. It should be noted that this legislation has been designed to address black market kava operations which have been occurring in Arnhem Land for some years. By adding the involvement of the police to the process to develop Kava Management Plans, police will be able to more directly assist Aboriginal communities with kava management issues.
It should also be noted that kava was originally introduced to Arnhem Land Aboriginal communities with good intentions. Historically, kava was seen as an alternative to alcohol in north-east Arnhem Land. Indeed, it was an attempt to minimise harm caused by alcohol abuse. Unfortunately, like many good intentions, they can often be compromised by unscrupulous people. Indeed, there was a group of people who corrupted the sale and consumption of kava to such an extent that the Northern Territory government acted in the public interest to protect communities from them.
I will briefly outline the objectives of the act that are added to the legislation through the amendment bill. They include:
the establishment of mechanisms and procedures for prohibiting and regulating the supply,
possession and consumption of kava, and for controlling the price of kava;
implementation of harm minimisation principles and other responsible practices relating to supply,
possession and consumption of kava; and
of kava, and the implementation of harm minimisation principles and other responsible practices relating to
the supply, possession and consumption of kava in their communities.
Madam Speaker, I would briefly like to mention the government’s policy on harm minimisation. It is in line with the key principles underpinning the Australian Drug Strategy since 1985.
I support harm minimisation policies and programs aimed at reducing drug-related harm. I believe human nature drives a small section of the community to try substances defined as drugs. No government in the world, including western democracies, has been able to wipe out drug use and the harm caused by it. However, we cannot give up. Harm minimisation aims to improve health, social and economic outcomes of both the community and individual, and it comes with a wide range of integrated approaches including: supply reduction strategies designed to disrupt the production and supply of illicit drugs; demand reduction strategies designed to prevent the uptake of harmful drug use, including abstinence orientated strategies to reduce drug use; and a range of targeted harm reduction strategies designed to reduce drug-related harm for particular individuals and communities.
In summary, the purpose of the amendment bill is: to manage kava supply and consumption, not to stimulate growth of the kava market; add objectives to the act; enable the Licensing Commission to set the price of kava; formalise the involvement of the police and health agencies in the consultation and approval process concerning Kava Management Plans, provide a greater flexibility concerning what may be sought as a kava licence area and the number of trading licences to be issued; enhance the licence application renewal and objection provisions of the legislation.
I commend the minister and the government for the work they have done and I commend the Kava Management Amendment Bill 2003 to honourable members.
Mr STIRLING (Racing, Gaming and Licensing): Madam Speaker, I thank the members for Katherine and Millner for their supportive comments in relation to this bill.
It is unique legislation in the sense, as the member for Katherine said, that it does apply to a relatively small area, because it is the Yolgnu of north-east Arnhem Land who have adopted kava quite strongly over the last 20 years or so as a substance to use.
There was a time some years ago when I was concerned, and I know others were concerned, that with the westward drift of the use of kava, it was going to swallow up more and more communities on its march westward. The whole issue of kava is one that our predecessors in government struggled with, from the perspective of both policy and a regulatory framework. They recognised the need for strict regulation, as we did, but the regulatory framework that was in place for a number of years was so discredited and the black market so out of control, it led to the member for Brennan, I believe, in his capacity as minister for Health at the time, banning the substance for a couple of years to try to get on top of it in both a policy and a regulatory sense.
Nonetheless, it is important legislation. I believe that, where we were headed a few years ago with the substance out of control, it was doing widespread damage. There was a small marketing clique making obscene amounts of money and profiteering and exploiting the communities, many of which comprise the poorest people both in the Northern Territory and Australia. Of course, there was a damaging flow-on effect to families, children, diet, and family wellbeing overall.
For those very reasons, we need strict legislation on this. We need to monitor it very closely, and the amendments to the act will help us in that process. Competition policy has not been a bad thing from the point of view of forcing governments to have a look at all the legislation on their books from the point of view of compliance with competition policy, but it will also give governments and parliaments the chance to make those changes to the legislation that might not otherwise come about.
The single most important issue in the bill goes to the clear set of objectives at the outset pointing very clearly to harm minimisation as an object of the act. Really, everything that flows after in the Kava Management Act is as a result of those very clear objects at the front. Again, a clear recommendation coming from the review due to National Competition Policy.
I thank the agency. I thank Peter Jones again for his expertise; he has a long history with kava. He knows the communities intimately; he knows the people. He knows the players involved; he knows the trade and he understands it; and he understands the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land. I thank him for his work. I thank him for the effort he has put all the way through this kava legislative process: the second-reading speech, the bill, the amendments, the consultative process, all of which he has been heavily engaged in. I commend him for his work, Mr Deputy Speaker, and I thank members for their support.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr STIRLING (Racing, Gaming and Licensing) (by leave): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
TABLED PAPER
Auditor-General’s Report – Analysis of 2001-02
Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement
Auditor-General’s Report – Analysis of 2001-02
Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement
Mr Deputy SPEAKER: Honourable members, I lay on the Table the Auditor-General’s Report to the Legislative Assembly on the Analysis of the 2001-02 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement.
MOTION
Print paper - Auditor-General’s Report – Analysis of 2001-02
Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement
Print paper - Auditor-General’s Report – Analysis of 2001-02
Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note paper - Auditor-General’s Report –
Analysis of 2001-02 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement
Note paper - Auditor-General’s Report –
Analysis of 2001-02 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the report and that I have leave to continue my remarks at a later hour.
Motion agreed to.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Development and Vision for Central Australia and Its People
Development and Vision for Central Australia and Its People
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Mr Deputy Speaker, I am delighted to be part of the first sittings of the Legislative Assembly in Alice Springs. Having parliament in Alice is both symbolic and a practical example of our approach to government. We are a government for all Territorians, regardless of where they live. My government is determined to abolish the Berrimah Line and these sittings are an important part of that process.
Central Australia, including the Barkly and surrounding communities, is an important part of the Territory economy and society, and Centralians are entitled to see democracy in action with these parliamentary sittings.
It is timely to look again at our history, a long struggle for proper democratic representation for Territorians. The Labor party was vitally involved in winning a seat for the Territory in federal parliament in the early part of last century. Labor’s Harold Nelson was the Territory’s first federal representative; his son, Jock, become the longest serving federal MP from the Territory, the first mayor of Alice Springs and Administrator, and both men were very active in Central Australian politics. Their legacy lives on in this region.
In that tradition, my government came to office with a promise to strengthen our regions in partnership with indigenous and non-indigenous communities. My government’s top priority is jobs growth and economic development to benefit all Territorians. We know an investment in the economic and social infrastructure of Alice Springs and surrounds is a vital investment in the Territory’s future. Our challenge is to ensure access to jobs, health, education and other services across the Territory. To do this, we need new and creative ideas and the vital involvement of all our communities. This is as true today as it was 100 years ago.
Today, I would like to reflect our strengths and challenges in the region and want also to outline our vision for Central Australia in partnership with its people.
There have been some excellent recent indications of a bright future for the Centre. The announcement that Virgin Airlines will fly to Alice Springs from June has come at a good time for the tourism industry, and is a great return on all the hard work by the government, NT Airports Corporation and the business community. Qantas is also putting on more flights during the tourist season, a vote of confidence in the Centre.
There is the planned expansion of the West MacDonnell National Park as my government continues its negotiation-rather-than-litigation approach to land issues which will add to the attraction to the region. There are significant new mining projects, encouraged by our good working relationship between the mining sector and the Central Land Council, which will bring new opportunities to small businesses providing supplies and services to the mines.
The Desert Knowledge project has won substantial funding from the Commonwealth under the Cooperative Research Centre program, and my government is vitally involved in getting this and associated projects up and running with their promise of future commercial spin-offs.
Timor Sea gas coming onshore in the north and the central trade corridor established by the new railway will also bring trade, commerce and jobs to Central Australia in the coming years.
With all these projects, Central Australia is at the start of an exciting phase in its development. There are many opportunities waiting to be grasped by those working in the best interests of this region. There are new industries and technologies that will help beat the tyranny of distance, but we must work together to create partnerships for the future.
Our plan is for all Territorians to be in a position to contribute constructively to our society and economy. That is why this government has put so much emphasis on negotiations rather than litigation to resolve land issues, and this has paid off in many parts of Central Australia. There is more land open to development around Alice Springs, many more exploration leases granted on Aboriginal land and opportunities for economic growth, but there is more to be done, as identified by our Indigenous Economic Forum held in Alice Springs in March. As a result, we have set up a high level task force to develop a coherent policy framework in this important area, and further details on our plans for indigenous economic development will be announced soon.
It has always been our view that social and economic issues must move forward together in order for us to have confidence in a safe and prosperous future. That is why we are committed to a stronger investment in education and employment; that is why we are focussing health on the delivery of quality services; and that is why we are paying so much attention to crime prevention and law enforcement. It is why the priority areas of education, health and police have all received significant boosts to their budgets to record levels. That is why we backed the community-based Alice in 10 initiatives, and that is why we are supporting the Liquor Commission’s trial of alcohol restrictions in Tennant Creek and Alice Springs.
Alcohol problems are a major blight on our community. My government has been prepared to bite the bullet and support alcohol restrictions with a raft of increased services. Antisocial behaviour is unacceptable and causes misery for many Territorians. It is a problem which has developed over decades and will not be fixed overnight. There is no easy solution but, for the first time, we have a government committed to tackling this problem head on. Preliminary reports show the alcohol restrictions are clearly having an impact. There will need to be further evaluations to see how effective they have been. Whatever the outcome, the government is committed to continuing to work to reduce the effect of alcohol-related problems in our community.
I want to talk further about crime prevention and law and order but, first, let us look at Central Australia’s economic development, something that will underpin all attempts to improve living standards for those in this region.
Last year, my government announced its economic development strategy, with the aim of building on past successes and creating new industries. This applies just as strongly to Central Australia as to our Top End communities. The mining, pastoral and tourism industries are the backbone of the Centre’s economy and will continue in that role for the foreseeable future. But, here in the Centre, there are some exciting developments in building a knowledge economy through the Desert Knowledge Project and through innovative communications and information technology projects connected with other industries.
This region is also well known for its small business or family business enterprises. This small business orientation has resulted in a culture of entrepreneurialism, of seizing opportunities and making the most of them. These are the strengths of the region. However, we all acknowledge the Central Australian economy is susceptible to external influences out of our control. My government recognises that we have a special role in this economic environment. We believe the government must continue to invest in infrastructure, while keeping a firm eye on good budgetary management, and this is particularly true of tourism.
A successful tourism industry is fundamental to the strength of the Centre’s economy. This vital industry has been hit hard by tough times over the past two years. The collapse of Ansett, 11 September and Bali terrorist attacks, the Iraq war, SARS and other international events have cast a pall over international and internal Australian travel. On the home front, Australians are taking fewer holidays, the national population is ageing, other leisure activities are increasingly popular. The Territory also has problems with access, distance between attractions and the fact that our offerings tend to remain pretty constant year in, year out.
To look at these issues, the Tourist Commission last year undertook a strategic plan covering the next five years. It provides a framework for tackling these larger tourism challenges. Our investment in tourism is aimed at increasing access to existing attractions and opening up new ones, at strengthening the industry’s image and marketing capability, and at developing infrastructure to support tourism. We are working closely with CATIA, the Central Australian Tourism Industry Association, and I pay tribute here to their professionalism, their vision and constructive approach under Chair, Trevor Cox and General Manager, Craig Catchlove.
The arrival of Virgin on 5 June is a powerful symbol of confidence in the region and is expected to make an extra one thousand low fare seats available to Central Australia each week. Virgin’s arrival will double the airline seating capacity available for Alice. We always believed the business case was there to support an additional carrier, and this is further supported by the strong forward bookings for the Alice.
Qantas is also continuing its long standing support of the Centre, with increased flights over the tourist season, including one extra service from Perth, one from Broome and two additional services from Cairns. It will also reintroduce its direct Alice to Brisbane seasonal route earlier this year than last year due to consumer demand. My government has boosted the Tourist Commission’s fire power this season with an extra $1m into its domestic marketing campaign, and this is the largest boost since the mid-1990s. In a difficult market, we are determined to fight hard for our share.
Yesterday, I announced the government would begin sealing the Mereenie Loop Road, a $30m project over the next 10 years, with $3m allocated in next month’s budget. As a key loop road from Alice to Kings Canyon and Uluru, this will be a major boost to tourism in the region. It will encourage traffic to come from Uluru and Kings Canyon to Alice. Importantly, this will open significant opportunities for Aboriginal communities.
Our next step is to promote the West MacDonnell Ranges as one of the Territory’s major tourist icons. This area is outstanding …
Members interjecting.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I would have thought this House was interested; I know our community is.
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, member for Greatorex!
Ms MARTIN: The West MacDonnell Ranges is outstanding in cultural and ecological terms. Its extraordinary landscapes must, and should, become a national and international drawcard. Our efforts to make this a major tourist area include putting significant parts of Owen Springs into the West MacDonnell National Park, improving and promoting the Mereenie Loop Road, completing the Larapinta Walking Trail, and banning mining in the national park.
In Tennant Creek, we have invested $1.5m in the development of the Nyinkka Nyunyu Cultural Centre, and have recently announced the resourcing of the Battery Hill Mining Centre to ensure it has a firm footing for the future. I know the member for Barkly has been strongly involved in these issues, and I congratulate him for his work.
Events are also important tools in positioning the Centre as a unique and interesting destination. The Finke Desert Race and the Masters Games are two community favourites that bring significant benefits to the region. The Masters Games alone contributes over $7m to the Alice Springs economy. New sponsors of other events are also raising their profile and growth potential. I especially mention here the Voyages Camel Cup and the Assa Abloy Henley-on-Todd.
All of these events rely heavily - sometimes totally - on volunteers. It is a tribute to the Alice Springs community that it supports these internationally recognised events year after year, continually increasing their profile.
Since Labor came to government, Alice has hosted two nationally significant events: the Yeperenye Festival and the Year of the Outback. There is a huge creative and organisational talent in Alice that can be harnessed even further. The Minister for Central Australia has sponsored a meeting of those involved in events management to get together and work out how Alice, as a community, can do more with events management. There are plans for an event business planning and marketing kit, and for greater coordination of agency support. I look forward to further developments.
Turning now to the mining and pastoral industries, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek both have important futures as mining and pastoral service centres. In the mining industry, my government has granted more than 500 exploration licences in 18 months. This is more than double the number the CLP granted in its last four years in government. The Central Land Council alone has entered into 14 Indigenous Land Use Agreements over the last 12 months. It is an important time. Central Australia is highly prospective for a wide range of minerals, and there is good potential for new mines. Currently, there are nearly 1000 people in this region employed directly in mining.
In the past few months, we have seen an announcement of a proposed expansion of the McArthur River Mine; a potential development at the Bootu Creek manganese mine north of Tennant, and the proposed Garnet Sands operation at Harts Range. There is also significant diamond exploration being conducted by Elkedra Diamonds, east of Alice Springs.
Let us look at Newmont, the operators of the gold mines in the Tanami, where I will be visiting on Friday. Newmont is planning to spend $64m on new capital projects in the Territory this year, including a new mill at The Granites processing plant, as well as two new vent shafts and extension to the Callie decline. Last year, Newmont spent $73m on goods and services in the Alice Springs area, and supported around 300 local businesses. The company is a major contributor to this region’s economy, employing around 700 people in the Tanami area and, importantly, a quarter of Newmont’s employees in the Tanami are indigenous. Newmont is aggressively exploring for new mineral deposits to secure the long-term future of its operations. This will mean more jobs and new opportunities for small businesses. The economic stimulation to local economies from expansion of all these projects will be felt over the next decade.
Our primary industries are expanding in new directions. Central Australian pastoralists have traditionally produced British breeds of cattle for domestic sale and slaughter. This is slowly changing as new opportunities emerge, such as the trade in live camels. A shortage of cattle for live export from the Top End recently provided an opening into the lucrative live export market. Now, up to 30% of Central Australian product goes to live export. Adding value to our product before it goes to market also has potential. That is why my government has commissioned a feasibility study into a range of options for the processing of red meat in the Territory. The options will include an export standard abattoir that can cater for camels as well as cattle and other animals which could provide the necessary stimulus to the fledgling but growing camel industry.
Table grapes is another new primary industry. The Ti Tree-Pine Hill area has close to 400 hectares planted on a number of properties. This employs over 20 permanent workers and up to 300 workers at harvest. Annual production is now valued at more than $20m for all fruit and vegetables in the Alice Springs region. My government is working with the industry and the Central Land Council to open up a further 600 ha to 800 ha of land for table grapes and other horticultural production in that region. Closer to Alice, we have the Rocky Hill Vineyard on Undoolya Station, an entrepreneurial venture we wish every success.
The construction phase of the railway has been a huge boost for the Centre. As at the end of March, 47 Alice Springs people were directly employed on the railway’s construction and 755 contracts had been awarded to Alice Springs companies. In the Tennant Creek region, 146 people were employed and 1053 local contracts awarded. Once the railway is completed, there will be further opportunities for local companies to be involved in maintenance, both south and north of the town. Tourist numbers will gradually increase with the commencement of weekly passenger rail services to Darwin and what a boost for the positioning of the Centre - to be right in the middle of one of the world’s great transcontinental train journeys. The benefits to trade and freight will be even greater. Business opportunities from Alice will open up, benefiting the region with mines able to move their goods in and out more cheaply. FreightLink is working closely with the trucking associations to ensure good working relations and to strengthen the short and long haul requirements of the region.
Central Australia has unique talents, skills and energy, and its people and institutions are strong producers of new ideas. This is what modern economies thrive on: innovation, the process that brings ideas to the marketplace. The knowledge economy is all about building on the ideas that built our existing industries and creating new ideas to build new ones. The Territory’s economic base to date - primary industries, tourism and mining - always depended on innovation and new ideas, and they are the key to the future. However, there are now unprecedented opportunities through new economy industries.
Our science and technology capacity is crucial to our ability to participate in new global industries, as well as to continuously improve the more familiar ones. Desert Knowledge initiatives are all about creating and sustaining new partnerships and alliances. The Desert People’s Centre, a joint initiative of the Centre for Appropriate Technology and Batchelor Institute for Indigenous Tertiary Education, will be a crucial part of the Alice Springs Desert Knowledge Precinct. It has a vision that the development and sharing of knowledge and skills will be a key catalyst for change in desert Australia. The Centre will provide education, training and other services to enable desert people themselves to lead research and debate. This will be a real investment in the future of the Centre.
Another important part of this overall project is the Cooperative Research Centre, which won funding last December from the Commonwealth of over $20m over seven years. This centre will work to a comprehensive vision and business plan for collaborative research and development in Central Australia, described in the bid for that successful Commonwealth funding as ‘the science of living in extreme conditions’. This is a big task and one in which I am proud that the NT government will be a major participant. As an ongoing sign of the government’s commitment to the Desert Knowledge project, I will shortly be announcing the allocation of further significant funding in next month’s budget.
I am particularly proud of the partnerships we have fostered with indigenous people in Central Australia in these recent knowledge ventures. The necessary foundation to the knowledge industry is a good education system. We are proud to be increasing investment in education at all levels. The Charles Darwin University will be formed out of a partnership between NTU and Centralian College and will provide significant benefits to Central Australian residents.
For the first time, students graduating from senior secondary education in Alice Springs will have the option of a seamless pathway to tertiary study without having to leave home. It is hard to overstate the benefits that this will bring to Alice Springs families. Mature aged students who have long wished to return to study will now be able to complete degrees, including law, in Alice Springs. This will help to ease the so-called youth drain and brain drain from the Centre. Nyangatjatjara College has provided an inspirational model to the challenge of providing secondary education in remote Australia, and I acknowledge the commitment of the Anangu of the south-west of the Territory who developed this innovative model.
The college is supported by both the Commonwealth and Territory governments, and demonstrates the necessary partnership between us in the task of secondary delivery. The Ramsey Review of secondary education and the Collins implementation committee on self-managing schools projects will provide important guides to the development of government policy in the region where the majority of students are indigenous, most residing in remote locations.
We are uniquely placed in the Territory to develop solutions in remote communications and we are working to position the Territory’s IT industry as a leader in this area. There are many challenges in education, and my colleague the Deputy Chief Minister will be talking more about our plans to increase attendance and improve outcomes in this region in his response to this statement.
Turning now to the arts, let me say at the outset that Central Australia is already a magnet for creative people. We not only have a vibrant art scene, but our arts industries are thriving, are a very important part of the economy and are ripe for development. Film, television and ‘new media’ are small but already significant earners for the Centre. This region has internationally recognised film makers; it has production companies and infrastructure; it has indigenous and non-indigenous talent; and it has fabulous locations. The flow-on benefits to the economy are substantial. This industry is labour intensive and a prolific generator of good jobs. We estimate that about 20 full-time jobs are generated from every $1m of investment. Late last year, this government issued a discussion paper outlining some options through which government might work with the business and community to assist the development of film, TV and new media, and I look forward to announcing the government’s decision on how we best support this industry in a difficult fiscal environment.
Our visual and performing arts have similar potential, as the Alice Springs Festival has shown for the last two years. Just this month, I announced a multipurpose art space for small arts organisations and individuals. This has been identified by the arts community as a priority since 1997. The site, the former Repco building on Stott Terrace, is likely to include space for a workshop, offices, rehearsals and possibly studio and exhibition areas. Funding has been committed to stage one of the process, with major repairs to the building at this stage including a new roof, guttering and an upgrade to the airconditioning. Work on the building will begin shortly. Arts NT has called for expressions of interest from groups who want to relocate to this exciting shared space.
My government is also developing an Indigenous Arts Strategy, the first state or territory in Australia to do so. There is a real opportunity for economic growth through indigenous arts, but it must be realised. A recent ATSIC study conservatively estimated the indigenous arts industry in Australia is worth $84m annually, with 51% of all art centres located in the Territory. Most practising indigenous artists live here, many Central Australian indigenous artists are household names. Indeed, one of our internationally renowned, decorated Qantas planes is painted by Rene Kulitja from Mutitjulu. But the sector can do much more. To guide this growth, Professor Jon Altman has developed an Issues Paper on Indigenous Arts and is currently engaged in a consultative process exploring ways in which my government can assist this industry. In addition to supporting enterprise development and job creation, the importance of art in supporting culture will be a key factor.
Turning to our focus on building safer communities, government is committed to crime prevention initiatives in Central Australia. Our approach is to attack the causes of crime and to build partnerships with the community to fight crime. The Territory’s first regional Crime Prevention Council was established in Tennant Creek, followed soon after by the Kurduju Committee - encompassing Lajamanu, Yuendumu, Willowra, Ali Curung - and the Alice Springs Regional Crime Prevention Committee under the Alice in 10 Committee. These partnerships are already producing targeted strategies, including the development of Child and Youth Safety Strategies in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek, both funded $30 000 to develop these action plans through the $400 000 Crime Prevention Grant Scheme.
Alice Springs received a significant slice of the Crime Prevention Grant Scheme, with $150 000 worth of crime prevention grants announced this week. These grants included targeted initiatives developed at a community level in partnership with the Office of Crime Prevention. For example, a domestic and family violence project; diversionary programs for youth at risk; extension of the Night Patrol to attend events at outlying communities; extension of the youth Night Patrol; and the Alice Springs Child and Youth Safety Strategy.
In addition to attacking the causes of crime, we are giving the police the powers they need to fight crime. Our new drug laws saw the first ever drug house closed down in Alice Springs. We are attacking the link between illicit drugs and property crime, with the first ever drug court set to start soon in Alice Springs and Darwin. Our magistrates will now be able to enforce compulsory treatment for illicit drug addicts who commit crime to fund their habit. The link between illicit drug use and property crime is real and, for the first time, is now being addressed. This government is releasing comprehensive crime and justice statistics, and will continue to do so, whether good or bad. We stand by those statistics, and I can tell the people of Alice Springs that crime is coming down.
The underlying average crime trends show house break-ins, break-ins to commercial premises, and offences against the person are at two year lows. These figures are encouraging, but we will not rest on them. Comparing the past 12 months of my government against the last 12 months of the previous CLP government, crime has fallen in Alice Springs. Since my government came to office, property offences have fallen 10%, offences against the person 9%, and house break-ins are down by 30% in Alice Springs. These are the facts, but there is more to do.
Alongside the focus on crime prevention initiatives, our police force in Alice has been doing a great job. They have been working with the Regional Crime Prevention Committee, Tangyentere, the youth Night Patrol, and Family and Children’s Services to assist youth at risk and, with the Night Patrols, Aboriginal community police officers, town wardens and traditional owners, to stem violence in town camps.
We have seen targeted operations from police, like Operation Hurricane, to address the recent spate of rock throwing, an opportunistic crime with no discernible pattern. On the first day of Operation Hurricane, police detected an incident and apprehended some young offenders before harm occurred. A 28-year-old man was also apprehended and charged with being armed with an offensive weapon, namely rocks. During the operation, there were 13 arrests for other offences, including seven unlawful entries and a drug offence. Over 30 people of interest were identified.
I am very pleased to advise the House that police will be renewing and extending this operation, to be labelled Hurricane Two. This operation will not just cover rock throwing, but will include a host of antisocial and criminal behaviour. The police have continued their foot, bicycle and trail bike patrols to target antisocial behaviour, with some encouraging results reported in the most recent figures from the liquor trials including a 12% reduction in alcohol-related assaults; 66% fewer incidents of alcohol-related loitering; 20% fewer incidents of drunkenness and breaches of the 2 km law; 39% fewer protective custodies; 27% fewer admissions to sobering-up shelters; 23% fewer alcohol-related ambulance call-outs; and 19% fewer presentations to emergency departments. However, we must work harder in partnership with the community to reduce the overall level of crime. That is why further community safety initiatives will be included in next month’s budget.
One of our biggest challenges lies in the area of health care. I believe we are seeing a long-overdue change in policy and service delivery that will reap rewards in the years to come. A strength of the recent Bansemer Review is in its recognition of the need to strengthen our capacity in Aboriginal health and in community health development. Specialised units are going to be established in both areas in the Department of Health and Community Services as a result of the review. These moves can only be good for Central Australian health workers.
Another positive direction for Central Australia is our principle that health services need to be much closer to where people live, wherever that is possible. A good example is our establishment of an interim Tennant Creek renal unit that will shortly have the capacity to provide services for eight to 10 patients. By February 2004, we will have dialysis chairs for up to 32 clients. This means that up to 32 families will not have to live in Alice, when they would much rather be at home in the Barkly. An after hours general practice will open up in Alice Springs by mid-year. This will provide access to after hours GP services in Alice and should help relieve pressure on the hospital’s emergency department which currently provides a significant level of these services. My colleague, the health minister, will have more to say on health issues in her response to this statement.
I would like to add a special note of thanks to the 3000 employees of the Territory government in this region who staff our hospitals, clinics and schools, and look after the infrastructure and safety needs of people here. These public servants are unsung heroes, and it is important their contribution is acknowledged.
In conclusion, Mr Deputy Speaker, the government’s commitment to Alice Springs and surrounding regions is evident here today as we honour our promise to bring parliament to the Centre.
The Territory can look to the future with confidence. All the economic forecasters believe that our growth rates over the next five years will be above the national average. The government will certainly be doing its utmost through good management and wise investment to achieve this potential. Importantly for Territorians, this means confidence in our jobs and confidence about a good future for our children.
I certainly am proud to be the first Chief Minister to bring the parliament to Alice Springs. I look forward to these historic sittings, and take this opportunity to acknowledge your efforts and those of the staff of the Legislative Assembly, Mr Deputy Speaker and Madam Speaker, and the Convention Centre to organise what will be a productive and successful three days. This is a remarkable and beautiful part of Australia, and I am glad that our focus for the coming days will be on a place that is truly the heart of Australia.
I look forward to meeting more people of this region and sharing their views, contributing to their vision of what we can achieve together.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mr BURKE (Opposition Leader): Mr Deputy Speaker, the Chief Minister finished her statement by saying that Alice Springs is truly the heart of Australia, and everyone would agree with that statement. As I said at the reception last night, we in the CLP have been intimately involved in the history of Alice Springs and residents have proudly supported the CLP. We have been honoured and proud to represent them over many years.
The government is happy to reinvent history and say that the CLP government did nothing in all the time it was in power. That implies that the people of Alice Springs themselves were pretty dumb if they voted for the CLP over those years. When we talk about the development of Alice Springs, the first thing I believe any government should recognise is that those who should be congratulated for the development of Alice Springs are those Centralians who have come here, decided to invest here, and bring their children up and commit their future to Alice Springs.
The most a government can do is to work in partnership with them in terms of meeting their aspirations for the future. Certainly, neither a CLP government nor this new Labor government can point to anything more than facilitating the inherent resilience of the people of Alice Springs. It is a unique part of Australia. It has a history of adversity in terms of distance from other major centres, the poor infrastructure that existed through the Northern Territory over many years, the poor infrastructure that existed around Alice Springs, apart from the spine of the highway that exists now from Darwin to Adelaide, there are major problems in terms of putting real ribs on that spine. Those are the sorts of issues that people in Alice Springs have had to deal with: isolation, high cost of living, isolation from a whole range of services that people in the larger cities take for granted. Out of that has come a marvellous resilience in terms of facing setbacks that may come along from time to time.
As I said, when we look at the development of Alice Springs against that adversity, it has grown a wonderful pastoral industry. Alice has become a centre for the mining industry and has developed an enormously successful tourism industry. We all want, in this parliament, to see Centralians grow and prosper and, as I said, the CLP can point proudly to a long history of development of Central Australia in partnership with the people of Central Australia.
The list of achievements is quite extensive: one only has to point to the development of Uluru as a tourist resort, the Araluen Centre, our Desert Park, the Centralian College and this convention centre in which parliament sits, as some examples of what has been achieved. It is churlish in the extreme to turn around and say: ‘You did nothing’, because it is not the truth. Anything we did, though, we did in partnership with the people of Central Australia, and we wouldn’t have got anywhere without that support, and we thank them for that support.
Now the responsibility has changed. We have a new government on the scene and the Labor government, with this statement, has laid out a series of initiatives that it believes will continue the vision that has been set for Alice Springs. I say at the outset that I have no argument with the statement the Chief Minister made; in many respects it is a continuation of the partnerships for future strategies that were in place, and other strategies that have been in place for some time in Alice Springs.
When we look at the track record since the Labor government came to power, it is not something that you could scream from the roof tops in terms of achievement. Last budget, when you cut through the rhetoric, Alice Springs, at the end of the day in real terms, got little more than a new airconditioning system for Alice Springs High School. When you look through all of the garbage and rhetoric, it wasn’t much more than an airconditioning system for Alice Springs High School.
If we talk about the arts, and the Chief Minister is the minister responsible for the arts, the truth is Alice Springs receives 4% of the arts spending budget. So that is your commitment to the arts on your own budget last time. I think the Chief Minister said, Alice Springs is a magnet for creative people. I met a creative person on Saturday night. His name is Henk Guth, and he has been in Alice Springs for 40 years. When I was Chief Minister, I had the privilege of going to the Panorama and looking at what that gentleman has developed in Alice Springs over the past 40 years. At the time, when I was Chief Minister, he was looking to see that Panorama and the artefacts that were there, preserved for Centralians for the future, and he wanted to leave that as a legacy to the government of the Northern Territory.
I was the Chief Minister and I was pretty inspired by what I saw - apart from the paintings that were there, the wonderful way he has maintained that venue over many years. What struck me was that the Aboriginal artefacts that were in that Panorama were unique. I cannot point to anywhere else in Australia – now, I haven’t been privileged to see the Strehlow collection in its entirety, and I doubt that many people will see it for many years - but anyone can walk in to Panorama Guth and see the Aboriginal artefacts that are there, many of which are not available anywhere in Australia or the world, and some of those artefacts could never be replaced. They are in wooden display boxes. Certainly, Mr Guth has done his best to display them to the best of his ability, but it seemed to me, when I went through that place, that this was something that the Northern Territory government should get hold of because it is not only a great tourism venture, it was already successful in that so many tourists came to Alice Springs …
Dr Toyne interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Stop mumbling; I am talking.
So many tourists came to Alice Springs to see it. If you talk to the people of Alice Springs, they say that everyone goes there. I thought: ‘Righto, if Mr Guth wants to sell this, we should get hold of it’. I gave it as a direction to the department to look into. I can only apologise as Chief Minister that I did not follow it through personally because as things transpired, I understand the recommendation that came through was not to purchase it, and the government changed.
Mr Guth has been trying to seek the same visit from the Chief Minister, and the Minister for Central Australia, to come and discuss this proposal with him. Not one answer. No one …
Dr Toyne: I have been there. Rubbish!
Mr BURKE: I talked to him on Saturday night. He told me.
Dr Toyne: I spoke to him on two occasions.
Mr BURKE: He told me how badly he had been treated by this Northern Territory government; the absolute disinterest that they had in purchasing that Panorama. I reckon that, first, it is really sad that the government did not grab it. I think ...
Dr Toyne interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Well, the minister seems interested at this stage, Mr Deputy Speaker. So, if you just listen for a second, will you take on this suggestion? Luckily, it has been bought by Mr Terry Lee, the Lee family, a wonderful Alice Springs family. They have taken it on themselves to invest in that project. It is going to be a very challenging investment for them. It is a difficult project for one family consortium to display it in the way it really needs to be displayed. I reckon if some of those artefacts were presented properly, you could put a wing in there that would beat anything in Australia. That is in having the Aboriginal artefacts displayed properly.
Will you please get the Chief Minister down there to have a look at it, talk to the Lee family and see what the government can do in terms of providing a grant and expertise to assist that family? They are pastoralists! They are good Alice Springs people. They want to see this preserved for Alice Springs. It is now owned privately, but the government can do a lot to ensure that - what is it they call it? Public-private partnerships, which is a whole new reign of this government. Well, here is one: a public-private partnership for Panorama Guth. If you want to demonstrate commitment to Alice Springs with the arts, that is one you could get into straight away.
The Grants Commission for municipal councils has been reduced. That was a great decision for Alice Springs Town Council in the last year, and that has put a lot of pressure on Alice Springs Town Council to deal those issues that fall on all councils in the face of reduced funding from the government. So, to date, we have not been overawed by the spending, interest and investment from this government in Alice Springs.
It is typical with this statement - and fairly typical of any government, I guess - to claim credit for all the good stories and blame all the faults and problems on their predecessors. Of course, in this statement, that strategy has been raised to a high art. There is no better example of this than this statement by the Chief Minister: she claims credit for significant new mining projects, encouraged, she says, by a good working relationship between the mining sector and the Central Land Council. As her government’s own submission to the federal parliamentary inquiry states, that she fails to mention in this particular statement, this is a process that has been under way at least since the year 2000, well before her government came to power. It is a process that has been ...
Dr Toyne interjecting.
Mr BURKE: Speeded up all right, speeded up by the federal minister. Speeded up by the federal minister and the federal tribunal; that is what sped it up, when they started sorting out some of these delays and said they would not accept any more of the delay mechanisms. That is what sped the process up, and you know it. The minister knows also that that is in your submission to the federal government. Also in there is the fact that the Northern Land Council are finding other mechanisms to delay, and to the credit of the Central Land Council, I believe they have taken a far more responsible approach to the granting of those exploration tenures.
The Desert Knowledge Project was an initiative of my government that this government has picked up, and we welcome that because it promises great things not only for this region but the economic spin offs and other benefits have the potential to improve life in many parts of the world.
The railway between Alice and Darwin, completing the north-south transcontinental link, will bring benefits to Central Australia. It will bring tourists; it will enhance the economic of Alice Springs, and that is why the CLP fought hard for years to get the railway. What we want to see, as this government now has the levers of power, is to turn that railway into a success and that is a challenge in itself.
The expansion of the West MacDonnell National Park with the inclusion of significant parts of Owen Springs into the park – again, we applaud that move because that is why the CLP government bought Owen Springs for the people of the Territory, an act that was criticised at the time by members of the Labor Party. Now the Chief Minister cites it as one of her government initiatives for the Alice Springs region.
The Chief Minister talked about Alice in 10 initiatives and her government’s backing of them. Once again, why would not we back the Alice in 10 initiatives? That initiative was put in place by the CLP government, but it came very truly from the community. When you are talking about Alice in 10 and how you are continuing to ensure it progresses, let us not forget the six projects that were identified as priorities for the region:
to develop Alice Springs as a mining service centre, improving opportunities for local businesses and
services and supply mines in Central Australia - I would like to hear what the government has done in
the last 20 months to enhance that situation for businesses. It is there as a priority;
to develop Alice Springs as the centre for arid zone excellence. Well, good. A tick for that. That was a
promise at the last election by the CLP government, not mentioned by the Labor Party at the time, but now
proudly picked up and we support the development of this area as the zone of excellence, as a Desert Knowledge centre. It will be a great project in every respect for the people of Central Australia and a great
tourist experience for anyone who comes to see it.
one, but we have had a debate on that. I will leave that alone.
in government for 20 months now. I have not seen much dirt turned around there. I have not seen any footpaths
put in that area. It is all there as community priorities. I understand, though, in fairness, that there is some
money coming through supposedly to the Town Council in the future to kick off some effort in that regard.
what we could do about way this town presents itself in the future in terms of zoning and architecture. I do not believe that anything has happened there; and
We welcome the government’s decision to seal the Mereenie Loop, announced in the last couple of days by the minister. We need to ensure that Alice Springs people understand that this is over 10 years. I understand that the $3m allocated is a little bit weasely in words because there is $400 000 allocated in the next 12 months. The $3m will come through at some stage, but I am told that over the next 12 months you will not see a grader out there because you will be spending all of that money on the planning. I applaud the initiative of the Mereenie Loop, if it is to be done. Everyone believes that it needs to be done. If there is money there to do, get on and do it and let us not spend too much time on the planning. It will add to the work we did over the years to the Lasseter Highway, the Luritja Road, Larapinta Drive and Namatjira Road to create a major tourist attraction linking Kings Canyon, Uluru and the Alice.
We welcome any initiative that will improve and further the development of Alice Springs. We welcome the government continuing to progress many of the initiatives we put in place, and we would welcome any initiative from this government, but in many respects we are not seeing too many of them. We hear about them coming but we are yet to see them. We certainly hear about committees that are being put in place, and the Chief Minister did it again today when she said that she has set up a task force to, and I quote: ‘…develop a coherent policy framework…’. That is political speech for ‘we ain’t doing anything; we are thinking about it’. It is about time that this government did more than just set policy. What we want to do is see policy being implemented, because we are sick of the number of task forces that have to follow up and fill out these frameworks - come up with the initiatives and actually have them implemented.
One of the main criticisms of this government is that it is a ‘gunna do government’ - it’s gunna do this; it’s gunna do that - but it just has to look at another committee and set up another task force before we get on to it, but don’t worry, progress and prosperity is just around the corner. Herbert Hoover said that, and he was out of government at the next election.
If we look at economic development, and what is going to happen to Alice Springs, one of the easiest ways is to look at the Labor government’s Northern Territory major projects book. I found this on the Internet this morning. These are the major projects for the Northern Territory that have been set for the next five to 10 years. The foreword, with the Chief Minister’s photo on it, says:
- This is a summary of the major developing projects that are expected to have a significant impact on
the Territory economy over the next five to 10 years.
Now, that suite of government’s web site – and nothing is doctored, it is all there – it lists the committed, planned and proposed projects under headings of Agribusiness, Commercial, Defence, Infrastructure, Minerals, Oil and Gas, Residential and Tourism. In Agribusiness, the only committed project in this area is the table grapes expansion that was referred to. There are no planned or proposed projects. Under Commercial, there is the committed the Yeperenye Shopping Centre, but, again, no planned or proposed projects. For Defence, it is all in the north and in that regard, I guess that is understandable.
Under Infrastructure projects, we have the Tanami Road upgrade as a committed project. That is good, but tell the people it is not much more than regular maintenance. It costs about a million dollars a year to maintain that road, and it cost a hell of a lot more when you have had a decent Wet. So don’t trot that thing out as some wonderful change to the Tanami Road. That is a very expensive road to bring up to the standard that you are leading Centralians to believe will happen almost overnight. Under the heading of Planned, there is the Desert Knowledge Project and nothing under Proposed, but, as I said, to be fair, we should add under that the government’s announcement about the Mereenie Loop Road.
The next heading is Minerals and, sadly, there are no committed projects listed for anywhere in the Territory. Next is Oil and Gas and that is all happening in the Top End. The next heading is Residential and, again, nothing listed for Alice under committed, planned or proposed. The last heading is Tourism, a vital part of the Centre’s economy and, again, there are no committed projects and only one proposed project: the National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame, and there is no timing on that project. That is a bit slow. That was a pretty urgent project when I was Chief Minister, as to what was going to happen to the old gaol, and in terms of the National Pioneer Women’s Hall of Fame, it is listed in your directory. You reckon you have to focus on Alice Springs, you reckon you are looking for new tourism ventures, well what has gone wrong and what is happening with that one?
As I said, this is from the government’s own directory of major projects, which is a summary, according to the Chief Minister, of the major developing projects that are expected to have a significant impact on the Territory. So where are these initiatives for Alice Springs? The place has a great future, but not without government doing something about lawlessness, and not without real assistance from government in those areas which are most needed. The Chief Minister said in her statement that there has been a million dollars extra added to the tourism budget. I would like to hear from the minister, in his reply to this statement, more information with regards to what that $1m is for. Is it to assist with the voucher money for those to offset the downturn in the Arafura Games? Is some of the money going for that, or what is the $1m for?
I am happy to be corrected, but I understand from the tourism industry that the new advertising campaign called ‘It will never, never leave you’ did not have enough money. What it had was enough money to get the print advertising done, but not enough to get the TV ads done. So, at the last minute they slipped $1m into them and said: ‘Quick, let us get some TV ads done so we can get this thing sorted out properly’. I would like to know from the minister: is that what the $1m has been put there for? If that is the case, it has been a very expensive, ad hoc and poor campaign if the television aspects of the campaign have not been integrated into it at the outset. I cannot remember seeing any TV ads that say ‘It will never, never leave you’. Perhaps someone else has.
The Chief Minister also spoke about what her government was doing in the Health area. I did note a glaring omission: there was no mention of the private hospital. In that respect, you need to look at another Labor document. This was a Labor Party document prior to the last election; another one of their well thought out strategies. It said this:
- Labor is committed to Territorians having the choice to access private hospital facilities and services. Labor will
work in the spirit of true partnership with the operators of Darwin Private Hospital and the private wing at
the refurbished Alice Springs Hospital.
This was Labor’s policy before the election. What has happened to the private wing at Alice Springs Hospital? It is there because we put the money in before the election to build it, but if you go and see what is there, it is chairs and desks because the commitment to that private wing is gone. That is the substance of the commitment that Labor had to their own policy before the election. I believe that it is an indictment because if there is one thing that is a priority for the good people of Alice Springs, it is that we need to ensure - to the largest extent possible - we give them some private facility in their hospital in this great town. That has not been done, notwithstanding the fact that the CLP put everything in place to ensure it did happen.
There are other members, my colleagues, who wish to speak on this statement. I do not wish to take up any more of the House’s time. As I said, Alice Springs and the development of Alice Springs is important in any respect. Everyone applauds initiatives that are being put in place by this government - or any government - to ensure that the resilience, determination, strength and commitment of the people of Alice Springs is advanced.
I hope that the government follows up this statement, this rhetoric, with real substance. I look forward to the budget, and I am sure the people of Alice Springs look forward to other comments from ministers in regard to this statement.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Mr Deputy Speaker, it is good to be here, and I share the sentiment expressed earlier by the member for Millner that it is an honour to have the opportunity to address the Chamber here in Alice Springs on what is an historic occasion.
Our young people hold the key to the future economic and social prosperity of the Territory. An academic, Neil Postman, once said:
- Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.
That is why this government has education and training as one of its highest priorities. One of our greatest responsibilities is to ensure that our children have the skills, the knowledge and opportunity to enjoy a productive life and to become valuable members of the community. The message I want this generation of Territory children to take to the future is one of prosperity, hope, equity and empowerment. I cannot, and will not, countenance that we will send forward as our legacy to the future, young people who are disempowered, despairing and have little or no skills to play a part in the governance of their own country.
As minister, I want to ensure every child, no matter where they live, has equal access to a quality education. In the Central Australian region, there are 55 government schools and nine non-government schools spread out over a large expanse of land. These schools face specific challenges, not least of which is that are around half of all school age children in Central Australia are indigenous. Many of them attend school in small towns and communities and, after 26 years of neglect, suffer some of the worst educational outcomes in the country. The government is committed to turning around these poor outcomes with an increased focus on literacy and numeracy. We are already seeing positive preliminary results from this increased effort, with literacy and numeracy levels for Territory students in Years 3 and 5 showing marked improvement from 2002. The improvement is undoubtedly due to the enormous effort both teachers and schools are putting in to lifting literacy and numeracy standards with the support of a number of initiatives.
They include development of the first ever Northern Territory specific cirriculum framework, implementation of Collins report, Learning Lessons, recommendations and the development of a literacy and numeracy plan for all government schools. Gillen Primary is one Centralian school that has reported significant improvement in literacy as a result of this increased focus. Gillen, with an indigenous student population of around 65%, is one of several schools implementing an accelerated literacy program. A total of 142 Gillen students from Years 1 to 6 were monitored as part of the program. Of these, 114 are indigenous. Last year, 84% of Year 5 students at the school achieved the literacy benchmark compared to the achievement in Year 3 of 57%. Similarly, the performance for the same indigenous students across the two tests showed a marked improvement from 33% in Year 3 in 2000, to 78% in Year 5. These improvements in the space of just two years are testament to the hard work of staff at the school, but they also show, critically, it is possible to make that difference.
This government’s commitment to employ an extra 100 teachers in our first term will also go a long way to enhancing educational outcomes. Forty of these positions are now in place with particular focus on specialists teaching areas such as English as a Second Language and remote education.
Attendance and enrolment of students is another key educational challenge we face in Central Australia, particularly in the remote areas. The average attendance rate for urban schools in the region is 89%. In remote area schools, the average attendance is around 70%, but some schools barely reach 50%. Continuity of student enrolment and attendance in this region is a critical issue and one this government is addressing through the implementation of a comprehensive enrolment, attendance and retention strategy for government schools. We need to ensure the costs of this strategy are recognised by funding bodies such as the Commonwealth Grants Commission because the cost of delivering education services, particularly in remote areas, is significant. The Grants Commission largely recognises this, but the additional cost we face in boosting enrolment and retention of students is not explicitly recognised and we are currently arguing the case very strongly before the Commission that they should be.
Under the strategy, each school is required to meet specific targets. Data is now being collected on student attendance, enrolment and retention, and being used to ensure there is increased effort in areas of greatest need.
The government’s support for alternative provision programs, the employment of Attendance Officers, are an integral part of the strategy. Currently there are six alternate provision programs operate in Alice Springs. They are aimed at re-engaging or continuing engagement of youth at risk in education training programs. In 2002, 313 students enrolled in alternative provision programs in Alice Springs who would otherwise not have been engaged in either school education or training. These alternative provision programs will be supported by the recent appointment of an Attendance Officer in Alice Springs. The new position is part of a government initiative aiming to give young people currently not enrolled in school the opportunity, support and encouragement to return to the education system or become involved in some form of vocational training. A total of eight Attendance Officers will be employed throughout the Territory by 2004-05 at a cost of around $680 000.
The new Alice Springs Attendance Officer, Arrernte woman Anita Kruger, will work closely with Tangentyere Council, key indigenous organisations, families and schools in the urban area to re-engage young people with education or training. These sorts of partnerships are critical to our success in enhancing educational outcomes in Central Australia, and there are a number of positive examples that bear this out.
Nyangatjatjara College’s success in effectively delivering secondary education to remote youths over the past five years is the direct result of cooperation and cohesion between community members, families, school staff, Northern Territory and commonwealth governments. The college has demonstrated the importance of innovation and cultural awareness in the delivery of quality education in remote areas.
Central Australia also has a number of dedicated private providers delivering education services to students. St Philip’s College, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College and Yirara College deliver secondary schooling to almost 50% of Alice Springs students.
This government has entered into creative partnerships with some of these providers to improve student outcomes. For example, DEET is supporting the provision of a Secondary Education Officer to the Yirara College/Papunya CEC Secondary Retention Project. Under this project, DEET officers, principals and staff at each school work together to improve student retention, increase their academic and VET levels of achievement, facilitate the transition of students from primary to secondary, and extend the involvement of families and communities in the education of their children. Government is also fulfilling its commitment to implement recommendations from the Learning Lessons report into Indigenous Education. One of the major projects that the Learning Lessons committee is currently working on is the establishment of Self-managing/Community Controlled Schools. Two of the pilot schools are in Central Australia: the Alyawarr/Anmatyerr cluster; and the Warlpiri Triangle.
The outcome of these projects will provide important guides to the development of government policy in this area of secondary education provision. They will also tie in with government’s current review into the Future Directions for Secondary Education in the Territory. The aim of the review is to ensure that secondary education better suits young people and meets each school’s community needs. It will give us a blueprint of how we can equitably provide a quality education to young people in remote communities without compromising our commitment to quality outcomes in our urban schools. I would urge as many people as possible to have their say on this important issue with public forums to be held in Central Australia in the next few weeks.
The vastness of the Territory with its dispersed population is one of the biggest challenges we face in the delivery of education. New technology is helping to overcome that challenge. The Northern Territory government is proud to be part of this extremely exciting initiative which will place the most isolated and disadvantaged Territory students at the forefront of telecommunication services. The initiative, known as Interactive Distance E-Learning, is School of the Air for the 21st century. Infrastructure currently being rolled out across the Territory will deliver cutting edge learning technology to School of the Air and distance education students, isolated indigenous communities, TAFE outreach students and adults seeking vocational education. Teachers will be able to deliver live lessons to demonstrate skills and learning processes, including music, singing lessons, science demonstrations, physical education skills, drama, poetry and art. Distance E-learning teaching studios are being established in Darwin and Alice Springs, with 152 two-way satellite receivers to be sited across remote areas of the Northern Territory. The Territory government is contributing more than $3.6m to the initiative, while the Commonwealth government is contributing $8m towards its roll out across both the Territory and New South Wales. I am looking forward to taking part in the official launch of this initiative at the Alice Springs School of the Air late in May.
Government also sees it as critical to provide flexible learning opportunities for young people beyond the school gate. For many young people, formal schooling is simply not a feasible or appropriate option. One government initiative to show early signs of success in the area of flexible community-based training is the Training for Remote Youth, or TRY, Program. Government provided $1m this year for the program which aims to encourage 14 to 19 year olds living in remote areas to undertake vocational training. There has been significant interest in the program from communities throughout Central Australia and the take-up rate has been beyond expectation.
In order to better direct resources towards needs, government also recently established an Employment, Education and Training reference group for the Central Australian region. Membership of the group includes key indigenous organisations, principals of government and non-government schools and senior officers of the Department of Employment, Education and Training. The initial meeting was held earlier this year. The group’s terms of reference include:
- sponsoring innovative education and training programs for indigenous students;
identifying appropriate indicators of education and training success for indigenous students; and
identifying strategies and programs that enhance indigenous involvement in education and training
decision making.
The group will help to ensure that those resources currently available are used to greatest advantage.
Centralian College pays a pivotal role in the delivery of vocational education and training for Centralian residents. During 2002, the college maintained or improved its outcomes compared to previous years, issuing 547 VET certificates for qualification levels 1-4, as well as 19 diplomas. It delivered more than 630 000 contact hours across the Territory and enrolled 4279 students in accredited training courses. Training delivery in remote indigenous communities remains a major component of the college’s core business.
One recent success story has been the Indigenous Housing Association Northern Territory program, being run in conjunction with DEET. The program, operating in five Centralian communities, has developed to the stage where there are 20 indigenous construction apprentices employed and undertaking training at the Certificate II level. It is crucial that any training our young people undertake can be and will be translated into meaningful employment.
The Learning Communities Project is one pilot project supporting people in remote communities and town camps to move from participating in training programs to making a living from the knowledge that they have gained. It has shown encouraging results in the Alice and Barkly regions. Government is providing around $100 000 to support Centralian College’s efforts to work with numerous communities throughout the Barkly and Central Australia to develop small enterprises and industries. Examples of tourism and cultural activities being undertaken are Julalikari Council in Tennant Creek and Stage 2 of the grape plantation at Oak Valley are moving toward a first harvest in December this year.
Footprints Forward is another Central Australian initiative aiming to link young indigenous people with jobs. It is the direct result of strong involvement and strong direction from representatives of all sectors of the Alice Springs community, including very strongly from business, and I commend them for that: Tangentyere Council, Alice Springs Town Council and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Footprints Forward will provide employers, particularly the business sector, with a central point of contact to access information and support to help them to employ more indigenous people. Government’s initial contribution of more than $100 000 will help to establish Footprints Forward Inc over the next six months. We will also continue to work with the Footprints Forward Management Board and the Commonwealth Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to develop an ongoing funding partnership for this initiative.
This region is also on the verge of some exciting developments in the area of tertiary education, with Centralian College set to merge with the Northern Territory University to become the Charles Darwin University. Charles Darwin will seek to be a world class university serving the economic and social needs for the whole of the Northern Territory, not just Darwin. Initially, the university will have campuses in Darwin, Palmerston, Alice Springs and Katherine, with study centres in Nhulunbuy, Jabiru, Yulara and Tennant Creek. It means for the first time Central Australian residents will be able to undertake tertiary study without leaving home.
The newly-established Desert People’s Centre will also provide a significant boost to education and training provision in Central Australia. Government has already provided around $600 000 towards initial establishment of the centre. A joint venture, it combines the resources of the Centre for Applied Technology and the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. It will provide indigenous Territorians with increased opportunities to learn in their own communities. They will be able to undertake tailored, flexible, and responsible vocational education and training, and higher education programs based on community need. Government is committed to investing in projects such as the Desert People’s Centre, which aims to enhance education, training and employment opportunities for Central Australians. We will continue to maintain and build on the partnerships we have forged with communities and stakeholders in this area.
While there has been some headway made, there are significant issues that still need to be addressed, but we will continue to work to overcome the difficult challenges we face, so that every Centralian has the opportunity to become a well educated, skilled lifelong learner.
Turning now to the public sector, government has also committed to making the Northern Territory Public Service a leader in flexible and attractive employment conditions. There are more than 2500 NTPS workers in Central Australia, and government is implementing a number of initiatives that will provide them with significant benefits. Last year, we set the benchmark for public sector maternity leave provisions, becoming the first jurisdiction in Australia to increase paid maternity leave from 12 to 14 weeks. The provision recognises the challenge Territory families face in juggling work, family and other commitments. Government will also remove the compulsory retirement age of 65 from the public sector so that older employees have the option of staying on in the work force if they are willing and able. Legislation to this effect is being drafted. In the meantime, interim arrangements are in place to allow workers turning 65 to stay on in the public sector if they so choose.
The government is also committed to creating a public sector that is representative of the people it serves. Currently, the Northern Territory Public Service has an indigenous employment rate of around 5% despite the fact that indigenous people make up close to a third of the Territory population and are among the highest users of government services. Our five-year indigenous employment and career development strategy for the public sector aims to address this critical under-representation. Under the strategy, agencies are required to provide a range of appropriate recruitment, career development, and retention initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to advance their employment at all levels of the NTPS.
Government also recognises the important and sometimes difficult role of our public sector workers in remote communities. That is why we allocating an extra $1.3m each year to new initiatives aimed at improving their living and working conditions. The initiatives, to be introduced next financial year, will include around $1m to improve remote area employees access to skills development, increased freight allowances and increased accommodation allowances to employees travelling to town for skills development courses. We will also review the current classification system for determining which areas are defined as remote localities. By improving conditions, not only are we further developing the Northern Territory Public Service as an attractive employer, it will assist us to attract and retain quality staff.
I now turn to the portfolio area of Racing, Gaming and Licensing. For the majority of people, gambling is an enjoyable recreational activity, but for a small minority who have a problem with gambling, it can have a profoundly negative impact on their lives, the lives of their loved ones and the community as a whole. In an effort to promote responsible gambling, government has joined forces with the gambling industry and gambling intervention services to produce a responsible Gambling Code of Practice.
Around $50 000 from the Community Benefit Fund has gone towards production, promotion and implementation of this code. It is accompanied by a manual that will be used to train gambling industry staff to identify and help problem gamblers. Government also provided additional funds to Amity Community Services and Anglicare this year to support their services to problem gamblers. Funding support for these two worthy organisations totalled around $200 000. Of that, around $77 800 was allocated to Anglicare for its Central Australian services. These funds ensured that Anglicare’s Alice Springs service could be expanded from 15 to 20 hours per week to 30 hours per week, and its important outreach services to Tennant Creek and Yulara could be continued. Problem gambling is an issue of concern to this government, and we will continue to work with the gambling industry and gambling support services to assist those people for whom gambling has become a problem.
A topical issue here in Central Australia is that of liquor, particularly the role it plays in antisocial behaviour. In a effort to curb antisocial behaviour fuelled by excessive alcohol consumption, the Licensing Commission decided to trial restrictions on alcohol sales in Alice Springs. In December 2001, government announced that it would provide $250 000 to fund additional, complementary measures to run in tandem with the trial. These complementary measures include increase in funding for community patrols, to introduce day patrols to the Alice Springs town area and increasing funding to extend sobering up shelter hours. There was also funding to train and subsidise the wages of 100 local liquor industry employees so that they could attend Responsible Service of Alcohol courses.
An independent evaluation reference group was formed to monitor the effects of the trial restrictions and to provide regular reports to the Commission and to the Alice Springs community at large. The trial period ended on March 31 and preliminary evidence shows that there have been significant gains recorded in terms of health and antisocial behaviour. Initial data from the reference group indicates that alcohol-related assaults, alcohol-related criminal incidents, admissions to Alice Springs hospital and self harm related injuries are lower than for the corresponding periods in the previous year. While the trial period has now ended, the Licensing Commission has determined that restrictions should remain in place until it has completed a full review of alcohol issues in Alice Springs in conjunction with the community.
Government recognises that there has been a great deal of community debate about the restrictions, but it is important to look at them in the broad context. That is, liquor restrictions alone will not curb antisocial behaviour. They can be an important element in what has to be whole-of-government, whole-of-community approach to the problem which is why government is ensuring a range of other measures and support services are in place to address this issue.
While we cannot solve the situation overnight, neither will we let it continue to worsen as it did under our predecessors. It is also appropriate that this community has the fullest opportunity for input on the development on a long-term liquor policy for Alice Springs. Any final decisions made by the Licensing Commission will feed into government’s recently announced plan to further address antisocial behaviour caused by excessive alcohol consumption. I make the point strongly that this plan is not about denying people the right to enjoy a drink.
Mr HENDERSON: Mr Deputy Speaker, I seek leave for an extension of time such that my colleague may conclude his remarks.
Leave granted.
Mr STIRLING: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I will move quickly.
I was making the point that the plan is not about denying people the right to enjoy a drink; it is squarely aimed at minimising the harm caused by alcohol abuse. It is another step in dealing with what is an important social issue and will be linked into work already done through government’s Illicit Drugs Strategy and the Select Committee on Substance Abuse. Alcohol and other forms of substance abuse affect the entire community. That is why government is committed to developing long-term, workable, holistic solutions to these difficult problems.
Turning to Treasury, recently the Australian Bureau of Statistics released estimates which suggested that the Northern Territory population was lower than previous ABS estimates. The reduction was due to a revision of the methodology that the ABS has used for population estimation in each Census prior to 2001.
The Territory is concerned that the ABS has chosen to review one part of its methodology while not examining a critical area for the Territory: that of under-counting the indigenous population. While this is an issue across Australia, the inadequacies of the current methods used by the ABS have minimal effect on other jurisdictions. However, for the Northern Territory the consequences are significant, both financially, giving us an ongoing loss of around $25m from 2003-04, and in terms of the unreliability of Territory population data for future planning purposes. I have taken this matter up with the Commonwealth Treasurer at the recent Treasurer’s conference. He has given me a commitment that he will take the matter up with the ABS and federal Treasury, and we will continue to pursue this very important matter.
Turning specifically to Central Australian region, the population data is at odds with other economic indicators such as employment figures, vacancy rates and land prices which suggests that our population is in fact increasing. For example, the residential rental vacancy rate for Alice Springs in March 2003 was 5%, well below the long-term average of 5.6%. The average price for established houses in Alice Springs increased by 11.5% in 2002 - not quite the sign of a population walking out the door. This was the highest price for any Territory centre, and compares with an average 7.2% increase for houses across the Territory’s urban centres. The low vacancy rate, record residential land prices and strong increases in house prices are consistent with a rising population and are at odds with the ABS estimate of a decreasing population.
Recent data from the Commonwealth Department of Employment and Workplace Relations also shows a strengthening labour market in Alice Springs. In December 2001, the labour force was 15 528 people with 14 564 employed. In September 2002, the labour force had increased to 15 886, with 15 027 employed. The unemployment rate fell from 6.2% to 5.4% over the same period. Data for remote areas around Alice Springs, including Petermann, Sandover and Tanami, also shows strengthening labour markets. Another positive economic indicator for the area comes from Treasury’s December 2002 grocery price survey, which measured Alice Springs as the cheapest centre for a basket of groceries at $157.54.
The Chief Minister outlined in her statement how Central Australia and the Northern Territory as a whole have felt the negative effects of a number of significant external events in the past two years. In addition, when this government took office, it inherited the worst fiscal circumstances of any government in the country. Not only did we have the highest per capita debt of any jurisdiction, we were not told the truth about the precariousness of our financial position prior to the 2001 election. These issues have presented us with enormous challenges. We believe we have responded responsibly to that challenge.
The Territory economy, while still experiencing difficulty in some areas, is recovering from the recession and the legacy of the previous government. We are carefully targeting our policy responses to address the long-term problems the Territory faces in terms of health, education and community safety. We have put more resources into capital works to help sustain the construction industry through a difficult time. We are putting more resources into bush communities to overcome 27 years of neglect. And we are doing all this in a way that enables the government to adhere to its deficit reduction strategy, unlike that of our predecessors who simply did not care how much they forced future generations of Territorians to pay for their excesses. This government, above all else, has proven and will continue to prove it is a responsible, fiscal, economic manager.
Mr REED (Katherine): Mr Deputy Speaker, I take the opportunity to contribute to this debate and the ministerial statement delivered by the Chief Minister, which raises a number of issues that will no doubt be of interest to the people of Alice Springs.
It is a statement that is long on rhetoric but very short on content and assumes very tenuous ties to industry in a desperate attempt to expand the government’s claims of achievement since they have been in government over the last 21 or so months. By way of example, I point out that the Chief Minister has taken credit for the table grape industry which, in the terms that she presents the reference in her statement, are ‘another new primary industry’. The table grape industry has been in place in the Northern Territory for well over a decade. The former member for Stuart, Brian Ede, used to make constant reference to them, having been in his electorate, and rightly so.
It ill behoves the Chief Minister to be taking credit for a table grape industry which she says is ‘another new primary industry’, completely overlooking the fact that the private developers of those grape farms have expended tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of dollars over more a decade in the case of Territory Grapes and other farmers who have put in an enormous commitment. They are ill served by the comments by the Chief Minister in relation to her reference that it is ‘another new primary industry’, because they have worked hard and established markets nationally and internationally. They saw the opportunity over a decade ago to fulfil a market niche in that their grapes are harvested leading up to Christmas, prior to the maturity of grapes in other farms across the country, taking advantage of the climatic circumstances in the Ti Tree area.
That is but one example of the Chief Minister’s attempt to try to broaden the benefits that she perceives of a Territory Labor government. Similarly with the Centralian beef industry which she refers to as ‘traditionally produced British breeds of cattle for domestic sale and slaughter’. She goes on to say that is slowly changing as new opportunities emerge. Well, Centralian cattle producers saw the advantages of other breeds a decade or so ago and they, too, have been changing. They, too, have been adopting new blood lines. The Chief Minister is somewhat late in recognising the cattle industry’s efforts in that regard, and the fact that Centralian cattle have been subject to live export now for many years. That the Chief Minister should try to take some credit for that is - well, deceitful, I suppose at best. It was used as an attempt to pad out what are considered to be achievements of the current Labor government when in fact they are achievements of those two industries in particular that have worked hard for well over a decade to achieve the outputs that the Chief Minister is now trying to take credit for.
Some of the other points that the Chief Minister raised which are worthy of visiting are refocussing health on the delivery of quality services. You would have to ask Alice Springs people whether they think they are receiving quality service from their Health department at the moment and, in particular, the Health minister. When elective surgery is not an option for them, and there are examples of people presenting for treatment at Territory Health Services and not being able to avail themselves of the service that they previously could, you have to ask: are people in Alice Springs and, indeed, elsewhere in the Territory, better off? Clearly, the answer is no. If elective surgery has been cancelled at Alice Springs Hospital - and it has been for a number of weeks - then it ill behoves the Chief Minister to say that they are refocussing Health in a way that is going to benefit Territorians. They are certainly refocussing Health, and they are refocussing in a way that they are saving money, reducing services and providing a lower level of service to those Territorians who want to avail themselves of it.
Another example is the fact that we have at Alice Springs Hospital a private hospital facility which is being used as a store room. The duplicity of the Labor government is such that, prior to the election they made all sorts of commitments and promises that they would establish a private hospital in Alice Springs, and thought that it was a good idea because the then CLP government was pursuing it. Now in government, they are of the view that it is not a priority. They have changed their view and approach, and they are not proceeding with a private hospital service for the people of Alice Springs. So, again, the changes in direction of the health service provided by this government are downwards to a decreasing level of service, rather than an increase.
A very important industry in Central Australia and elsewhere in the Territory, Madam Speaker, as you would be aware, is the tourism industry. It is experiencing very difficult times, not all because of the lack of action by this government. Some of it – 11 September, the Bali incident, the collapse of Ansett - is beyond the responsibility of this government, but what is its responsibility is to find means of sustaining our local tourism industry, and promote the Northern Territory as a holiday destination at a time when other jurisdictions in Australia are doing that. I give the example of South Australia, which is currently embarking on a very aggressive promotional campaign to attract visitors from the more populous states of New South Wales and Victoria having recognised that international tourism is in decline and is likely to be for some time. They are focussing of the domestic market to try and fill that gap. This government is not doing that to any great extent. It is certainly not fulfilling the obligations …
Dr Burns interjecting
Mr REED: The tourism minister interjects. Hopefully, he will say something in relation to these matters, and when he does, I hope that he will explain to Territorians why the major promotional campaign elsewhere in Australia to attract people to the Territory as holidaymakers will not be commencing until late May or early June, a ridiculous time to commence a major …
Dr Burns: Just the right time.
Mr REED: Just the right time, interjects the minister. As you will all know …
Dr Burns interjecting.
Mr REED: That is why I am pursuing this issue, to pick up the interjection, because industry is not very happy. The time to promote the Northern Territory as a holiday destination is January and February when people are planning to visit the Northern Territory. It is no good having a major promotional program in place, going into the empty homes of people in the south because they have either decided to go somewhere on holiday or are already on their way come June.
From the point of view of an effective promotional campaign, it will be pointless embarking on a campaign some months - bearing in mind that places like South Australia and Western Australia are already well advanced in relation to their promotional activities and the Territory has yet to start. I was speaking to a prominent member of the tourism industry, only a couple of days ago, who had received a telephone call from a person who was very active for a number of decades in the tourism industry up until last year in the Northern Territory who has now retired interstate, and simply phoned a friend in the industry in the Territory to find out: Why am I not seeing any advertisements on television in southern Australia to attract people to the Northern Territory? Why is there no promotional activity to support the Northern Territory tourism industry? This was a person who was very experienced, had many years experience, many decades of experience in the tourism industry and, although now living interstate, was so concerned by the lack of promotional activity by the Northern Territory government and the Tourist Commission that she found is necessary to phone a friend here to do so.
Only the last week or so, we have seen the unfortunate collapse of VIP, a major tour operator in the Northern Territory. They would be one of the most enduring operators in the Northern Territory, Territory-based. They started, as I recall, in the early 1960s. There would not be many other Territory tour operators with that length of service. To see companies like that falling over should be sending very strong messages to this government, and they should be responding in a very strong way in support of the industry. We have seen none of that in terms of promotional activity to the extent that it should be. I do give credit to the government to some extent for bringing Virgin Airline services to Alice Springs, although that was principally a decision by the company based on commercial assessments of the loadings they were likely to get, but I take the minister’s word that he and former ministers had lobbied the company to come to Alice Springs, as had the opposition spokesperson, the member for Araluen.
We have a rather startling remark by the Chief Minister in her statement and I quote:
- On the home front, Australians are taking fewer holidays. The national population is ageing, other leisure
activities are increasingly popular.
That is a statement of defeat. What the tourism industry would have been looking for in this statement from the Chief Minister was an indication of aggressive marketing, very strong promotion of the Northern Territory, and at least meeting the activity that has been put in place by other states in Australia that are not conceding defeat, that are committing a lot of activity and funding to promoting themselves as a holiday destination, and we see quite the opposite from this government. That is a great shame.
The Chief Minister proudly stated that her government is putting significant parts of Owen Springs into the West MacDonnell National Park, amazing credit to claim, given that she and other members of her party opposed the purchase of Owen Springs when the former government did it. We made the purchase because it is a large area of land adjacent to Alice Springs; it has enormous tourism and community benefits if developed in the right way. It is fascinating to see the change of hue and approach of the Chief Minister, and how quickly she can change from opposing an action that only took place a couple of years ago in the purchase of Owen Springs, to now taking credit for doing something with it and heralding it as a Labor government initiative. I am sure the people of Alice Springs will see through that as well as the other matters that I have raised.
There is very little else in the statement of any depth. All Territorians are becoming very tired of references to statistics provided by this government, ever-changing as they seem to be, in relation to crime and violence in the community. The government is in very strong denial in relation to what is happening across the Northern Territory as regards violence, home invasions, break-ins and property damage. They are comfortable in mouthing the words that crime is decreasing when, at the very same time, community members across the Northern Territory are expressing their concern at the extent of criminal activity.
Madam Speaker, in your very electorate last Sunday, I spoke to a lady. I introduced myself as the member for Katherine and she said: ‘We had some friends in Katherine until just a week ago. They left because of concern about the security of their kids’. This lady expressed that she, too, had concern for the security and safety of her family, and that she also had friends in Alice Springs who had recently left. I use that example because it should be ringing bells in the minds of the government. Being in denial mode about these issues will not work. These people are not concerned with statistics; they are concerned about what they see and experience on a day to day basis. These people are friends of the people we referred to earlier today, reported in the newspaper, who were so readily dismissed by the Justice Minister and the Chief Minister this morning.
For example, the woman who had to throw someone off a bridge because she was being assaulted on the way home, and the guy who has a steel plate in his head, but could not get any assistance from this government in the services that he sought - if the newspaper report is correct - they all have friends in this community. People read the newspaper, people talk to these people who have been assaulted. It is fine for the government to be in denial, but it ain’t working. It ain’t washing out there. People are concerned about their safety. People are finding themselves in a position where they have to spend their hard-earned money on putting up a higher fence to keep intruders out. They are feeling besieged; they are not letting their kids go down to the corner shop. They are concerned that they might be hit by a rock, their car might be stolen, and a whole range of other activities that have been spoken about at length today, but which this government so readily dismisses. They do so at their own peril.
In my closing remarks, I want to make some comments in relation to those made by the Treasurer, particularly in relation to his comment that in 2003-04, the Territory will receive $25m less in Commonwealth funding. That is very much of their own making. In last year’s budget, this government said it would have population growth in the order of 1.4% and the Commonwealth was suggesting 0.7% growth. In the budget papers, it is clearly enunciated that the Territory government rejected the Commonwealth growth rates and they included in the budget financial estimates based on their population growth predictions, not those of the Commonwealth. As a consequence, they inflated what they expected to get from the Commonwealth and they are now suffering the consequences.
The financial position that the Treasurer referred to, and painted a glowing picture about people not leaving the Territory and all the services are expanding – there is something funny going on because in his analysis of the Treasurer’s Financial Report …
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
A member: Debate it now!
Dr BURNS: We will debate it when the time comes. Madam Speaker, under Standing Order 68, Anticipation of a Subject, I believe that the member for Katherine is debating something that has already been foreshadowed will be debated in this parliament. I do not believe he should be.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you for pointing that out to us, minister, but I am afraid I was not paying that much attention.
Mr REED: Well, it is a public document, Madam Speaker, that has been tabled today. Members of the media have it and …
Madam SPEAKER: You are referring to it. We can allow that leniency. Your time has nearly expired.
Mr REED: I simply point out that, because of lower interest rates and lower taxation revenues because of less activity …
Mr AH KIT: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member’s time has expired.
Madam SPEAKER: I am still waiting for the blue hand to go around.
Debate adjourned.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: You have misunderstood. They just adjourned the debate on the ministerial statement. We are now into adjournment. The minister has the floor. We are into adjournment.
Mr HENDERSON (Wanguri): Madam Speaker, I urge members opposite to pay attention as to where we are …
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, you really need to walk to the microphone. I remind everyone, when you are raising a point of order, we cannot hear you if you do not move to the microphone. Now, do you understand what we are doing? We adjourned the ministerial statement. Okay?
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Macdonnell, withdraw that remark. That is unparliamentary. Withdraw it, thank you. Stand up and withdraw, thank you.
Mr ELFERINK: I withdraw it, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you! Do the right thing.
Dr Lim: Madam Speaker, may I ask a question? Are we now in adjournment?
Madam SPEAKER: We are into adjournment.
A member interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: I am not quite sure what your problem is. This is normal. We adjourned the ministerial statement; we are into adjournment. Minister, you continue. I do not want any more debate.
Mr HENDERSON: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Parliamentary procedures are pretty simple. It is amazing that members opposite cannot follow them.
Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a long-serving member of the Northern Territory police force, Superintendent Gary Allan Smith, or ‘Smithy’ as he was known to all who knew him. Born on 27 September 1949 in South Australia, he served four years with the South Australian police before joining the Northern Territory Police Force on 1 February 1971. He went on to serve the people of the Northern Territory for a further 31 years before medically retiring on 15 February 2002.
Initially, he was stationed in Darwin before moving to Nhulunbuy where he served for three and a half years, establishing a great rapport with the Nhulunbuy and Yirrkala communities. The young people in particular held him in high esteem for his participation in sports and community activities and the establishment of a Student Driver Education program.
Promoted to Sergeant in 1975, Gary moved to Groote Eylandt as OIC where he drew praise from all sections of the community for his efforts in what was a difficult policing environment and, Madam Speaker, still is. He took a keen interest in improving the relationship that existed between police and Aboriginal communities, replacing confrontation with cooperation. Upon leaving Groote in 1978, the managers of BHP showed their respect for Gary by formally acknowledging his commitment to the community and commenting on the excellent way he handled the difficult role of Senior Police Officer in a remote area.
Gary then worked in Community Affairs where he earned the respect of the then Police Commissioner, Peter McAulay, for improving the public image of the force. After holding various positions in Darwin, including the Criminal Investigation Branch, Gary was promoted to Sergeant Second Class in 1980. Stints in Task Force, Marine and Fisheries Enforcement and Forensics Services followed before transferring to Tennant Creek in 1983. It was here he met his wife, Jenny.
In October 1984, Gary was promoted to Senior Sergeant and posted to Alice Springs as Watch Commander. He remained in Central Australia for several years and was promoted to Inspector in August 1988. He then served as a Divisional Officer both in the Southern and Central Commands until 1992. During this time, he attended a Senior Officers course at the Australian Institute of Police Management.
Gary then transferred to Darwin as Superintendent and worked in the Community Relations and Media Unit for the next two years. In 1994, he became Superintendent Aboriginal and Ethic Affairs. However, his love for operational policing saw him transfer back to Operations Command in mid-1995, serving in both Darwin and Central regions over the next three years.
Gary again showed why he was known as the man for a crisis with a proven ability to react well under pressure when he resumed responsibility for the evacuation of the Douglas-Daly community during the floods of 1998. He was later involved in the recovery phase when appointed the Interim Chair for the Douglas-Daly Reconstruction Task Force. The previous Commissioner of Police, Brian Bates, commended him for his leadership, professionalism and dedication, whilst the Aboriginal community at Daly River also recognised his outstanding contribution in the crisis.
When the Jabiluka process came along later in 1998, it seemed only natural that Superintendent Gary Allan Smith, a Commissioned Officer used to working in the field under adverse conditions, was the first to volunteer. However, as his wife, Jenny, was later to say, she saw more of him on TV for that six-month period than she saw of him in the flesh, so there was a personal price to pay for Gary doing his duty.
Gary then tried his hand at various support officer roles before getting back into the thick of things as Superintendent Northern Crime Division. He was occupying this position when he fell ill, doing the sort of hands-on police work that he loved.
He lost his battle on 7 April 2003. How will Gary be remembered by all those people in the community who came to know him in so many different ways? As a professional and practical police officer, a colleague, a friend, a man with a great sense of humour, an entertainer who always managed to brighten things up. His long-time friend and colleague, Commander Bob Field, said, and I quote
Gary was just a bloke who absolutely enjoyed life and married that enjoyment with his great love of
policing. Although the community, his friends and family with be the poorer for him going, they will
certainly be all the richer from the experience of having known him.
I wish to convey my personal condolences to Gary’s wife, Jenny, and their two children, Tania and Patrick, and put on record Gary’s dedication and service to the Northern Territory police force and the wider community of which his family can be proud.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): First of all, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I would like to start with the wish that people of the Greek, Russian and Serbian communities [inaudible] for the next 40 days. Christ is risen because, as you are aware, this Sunday we celebrated Greek Orthodox Easter. Many members of the Greek, Russian and Serbian community celebrated the resurrection of Christ at midnight Saturday, and we made sure that everybody in Darwin knew about it because there were quite a bit of dynamite thrown at the Greek Church on Saturday at midnight. I am pretty sure many Darwinites were woken by the noise. The day after, the Chief Minister and I visited approximately 3000 Greek people at East Point. They were celebrating - traditionally, I might add - Greek Easter with lamb on the spit and big barbecues, a lot of wine and beer, and enjoying the celebration. It was a good experience. They were very hospitable, offering food and drinks to us. We had to make a hasty retreat otherwise we would be stuck there until now. It was really beautiful.
I also pay tribute to the Guide Dogs Association of the Northern Territory for their initiative to install two CCTVs, closed circuit televisions, at the Casuarina and Palmerston Libraries. This equipment assists people with vision problems to be able to read books: you place the book under the camera which projects it to a big screen to make it easier for people with visual difficulties to read books, but also personal documents because it works for any document - handwritten letters or newspapers. Guide Dogs NT received a Community Benefit Fund grant of $3000 and a Territory company, Newfield Exploration, kindly donated $5000 towards the two machines. I was invited to launch the two machines on 28 February at the Casuarina library.
On 7 March, I was very pleased to officially open the Territory Kidz Childcare Centre. Before the election, the member for Wanguri and I attended several meetings of the childcare centre that was at the time operating out of the old Tiwi campus. As you know, it was a site of controversy because there was a lot of asbestos on the site and the previous government decided to demolish the campus to make space for the Masonic Homes facility while this childcare centre was still operating; something that did not please parents of the children attending the childcare centre. They reacted quite vocally before the election, but no members of the previous government were brave enough to attend any of the meetings until just before the election when the then member for Casuarina, Peter Adamson, attended and tried to explain that there was no problem about the asbestos being demolished while the childcare was operating, which of course did not please the parents very much.
The owners, Louise Fitzmaurice and Anton Bullock - I have to admit we had some robust discussions with Louise and Anton - accepted our offer to move out of Tiwi campus to a block of land adjacent to the Tiwi campus. They have now built a purpose-built childcare centre which I was asked to open officially. They now have 75 positions for young children, something that is vital for Casuarina and the Tiwi area, since many young families are moving into the area and they want these kind of facilities. I congratulate Louise and Anton on the new facility and I wish them well in the future. It is a great facility for the Casuarina area.
On 10 March, at Casuarina Square, I attended the official opening of the National Harmony Day with the federal Minister, Gary Hardgrave. With us was Ms Thyra Ou, a Territorian who developed the slogan for Harmony Day: You + Me = Us, a powerful slogan that has been adopted by the federal government for all Harmony Days throughout Australia. I have to admit that Gary was very impressed by the attendance, the different dances, and about the spirit of harmony that he witnessed several times in the Territory when he visited previously, and he was so impressed that he told me that he made up his mind to come to Darwin to launch the federal Harmony Day because of the level of multicultural and multiracial harmony he witnessed in Darwin.
We had several functions in Casuarina and Darwin and, of course, we had several functions here in Alice Springs. My Office of Ethnic Affairs contributed a significant amount of money in Alice Springs and in the Territory for various functions to be conducted by high schools, local councils and community organisations to celebrate Harmony Day.
In March, I presented, together with Senator Crossin, a medal to Mr Glen Denmeade, in my office in Parliament House. Glen received the National Service Medal. He told us how he joined the Australian Army initially, then moved to the Air Force, then he moved to New Zealand where he joined the Air Force in New Zealand. He came back to Australia and, despite his retirement, he still contributes to the community because he is a volunteer for St John Ambulance. He showed us his medals, and he has quite a few of them. We were very impressed and very proud to be part of that small ceremony to give him another medal to add to his collection.
Let me tell you about some young Territorians in Casuarina. Alisa Clark and Simone Liddy, from Nakara were chosen to represent the Northern Territory in hockey at the Under 18 Championships in Sydney. I happily donated money to the fundraising efforts, to assist them in proudly representing their state.
Another fabulous sporting achievement was by Jayne Robinson of Nakara, who was selected in tennis for the Pizzey Cup at Perth in May. At the recent Red Centre Juniors Tournament, Jayne won the Under 14 singles and the Under 18 consolation. She was also the runner-up in the Under 14s doubles, so she had a very successful tournament. Best wishes Jayne, and I look forward to hearing of her continued success.
A young lady from my electorate, Sally Carson is participating in the annual Darwin Rose Pageant. Sally has been working hard to raise money for the Northern Territory Irish Association, and hopes to represent Darwin in the Rose of Tralee pageant in Ireland. I wish good luck to Sally and all the other entrants.
As for some of the problems in Casuarina, one of the major ones is television ghosting, and quite a few people complain that they are unable to watch the football or other sporting events because of problems with television transmission. I am very pleased to say that recently our government has awarded a contract to a consultant to investigate the causes of ghosting and the proposed solutions. I am very hopeful that in the near future, people in Casuarina - especially in Tiwi - will be able to watch football without any problems.
Mr MALEY (Goyder): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, it is indeed a pleasure to be here today and part of the first parliament to sit in Alice Springs. The electorate in Goyder and the people I represent are, of course, a long way away from Alice Springs. However, there are certain values and a rural feel which we share and have in common.
Last Friday was Anzac Day, and in the rural area, in the electorate of Goyder, Anzac Day is becoming a bigger and bigger event. This year, I attended the Humpty Doo Golf Club dawn service and, whilst I am fairly average when it comes to estimating numbers, there were at least 250 people who attended, and lots of young people. I then went to the Humpty Doo Village Green where there was a service run by the local Lions Club, and then attended the Mandorah celebration – a flag raising ceremony and a BBQ in the afternoon.
I was given the privilege and honour of making the address at the Humpty Doo Village Green. This was also very well attended. There were many young people, and probably the most marchers involved in the march from Taminmin High School to the village green that I have seen in the last three or four years that I have played a more proactive role – and even before then when I used to go along with my dad when he was the Litchfield Shire President.
As I told the people who were gathered and the service personnel who travelled to the rural area to help conduct the service, I felt unqualified to talk publicly as to why we, as a group of rural people, gathered together on Anzac Day. However, to be given the chance was an honour and I did my best and endeavoured to speak from the heart.
I told those gathered that I have never experienced war or deadly combat; I have never had to worry about someone attacking me or my family or my land; I have never had to endure the sadness and desolation of losing a mate, a neighbour or a family member in battle; I have never had to sit and comfort the casualties of war; or help rebuild shattered lives or care for children who have lost a parent.
During the course of my address, I asked: ‘Why am I so lucky? Why were all my peers lucky? There was Taminmin High right behind me, and probably a third of the crowd I knew from school or sport or growing up in the area. Most of us were in the same boat: we were born in Australia and we have been spared the horrors which faced men and women who decided that they would have a go in building and enriching our society free from aggression and under a mantle of protection.
Coming here today, only a few days after Anzac Day, just confirms that we are all beneficiaries of their courage, their fortitude and the love for their country. Today we can sit in free assembly in parliament in Alice Springs, and it drives home the point that I have never gone hungry or witnessed the horrors of war, and I pray to God I never will. But those men and women whose memory we honoured on Anzac Day went through all of that tragedy. Even today, those in our Navy, Army and Air Force continue to do their duty notwithstanding the horrors they are sometimes called on to deal with.
There are many in Australia, service and civilian, who were caught up in many wars - they endured, they suffered and some fell, but their conduct and integrity glorified human kind because they chose to do what they thought right. They got in, and fought to the end, they punched above their weight, but they were never brutal; they were and are good people from a great country.
Today in the Northern Territory and in Australia, we enjoy a golden harvest of freedom that many on the face of this earth can barely imagine. Sometimes, however, we are caught up - all of us - in every day issues and we tend to take things for granted. So that very moving Anzac Day ceremony, the biggest yet in the rural area, confirmed that there is something mystical, even spiritual which draws Australians together wherever they are on that day.
On Anzac Day, probably more than any other day, we tend to look within ourselves and be thankful for what we have and feel sorrow for the sacrifice of others. We tend to see each other in a more kindly light and our melancholy fades as we embrace the beauty of our land and realise the value mateship in our way of life. Do not ask me how this happens on Anzac Day, but if I had a wish, it would be that it happens every day. What a society we would have then, and how ideal a bequest it would be for us to pass on to our children.
As I said during the course of the address, constant, enduring appreciation of country, family and friends, a determination to do the right thing, to help not hinder, to be good neighbours and compassionate citizens, happy to live within just laws. These ideals are the full measure of the real gratitude we owe to those who give service to our nation.
Honour is amongst the noblest of human qualities, and I can say that there were tears at Humpty Doo. Everyone there honoured the sacrifices that members of the Armed Services have made in the past and continue to do. I thought I would, in a summary fashion, record what occurred at Humpty Doo. It seems, in the cold light of parliament, similar to many other Anzac functions that occur, but I can tell you as a bloke who is not easily moved, this was a powerful experience.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services a few minutes ago paid tribute in the Assembly in his adjournment speech to Superintendent Gary Smith who passed away recently. In that vein, I thought I would take the opportunity to say a few words as well. The minister spoke about Gary Smith’s long and distinguished career in the police force, and I thank him for that. I am sure his family, when they read Hansard, will also be very thankful that his record was placed on it by the minister.
I wanted to say a few words myself because the minister did leave out an important aspect of Gary Smith’s contribution to, not only the Territory, but the political process of the Northern Territory. I was privileged to be asked by the family to speak at his funeral. I spoke not as Denis Burke - and I am sure I was asked not particularly that it was Denis Burke as a long time friend of Gary’s, although I had met him and admired him immensely, and also was well aware of his contribution to the CLP - but as the Leader of the CLP because amongst the many attributes that Gary Smith had, it was his support and work for the Territory through his contribution to the political process. I spoke about that, and I would like to place it on the Parliamentary Record.
Gary was a longtime, passionate and hard-working supporter of the CLP, and once stood as a CLP candidate for election to the Legislative Assembly. It was back in the 1987 general election, when he carried the CLP banner against the former Chief Minister and leader of the breakaway Joh Nationals, Ian Tuxworth, in Tuxy’s own domain of the Barkly. It was a time, as many would remember, that there was some political turmoil for the CLP with the breakaway Nationals, but Gary stood up for his beliefs and for his party. It must have been very hard in such a small community as Tennant, where Tuxy had held sway for so long and still had such strong support, but Gary stood by his party, the CLP.
Still only recently wed, he put his police career on the line by standing for his party and his political beliefs and for that, he has the eternal thanks of the party. He ran a great campaign, but the Tuxy factor was too much to overcome. As those around at that time remember, even as defeat loomed on election night, the Smithy smile was still there. Some longtime party workers told me that that will be their enduring memory of Smithy, and one said: ‘… that bloody smile and the laughter’. One said she hardly ever saw Gary when he was not laughing, and I could say that that is a wonderful epitaph for anyone to have uttered.
Of course, his experience in Tennant was not so much notable for his defeat in an election, but for his great victory in winning and wooing Jenny, whom he met there.
There were occasions when his open support for the CLP caused him problems and aroused suspicions within his beloved police force, but the authorities need not have worried. Gary knew where the boundaries were drawn and he would never do anything that would jeopardise either of the two institutions to which he gave so much time and effort.
He was a founding member of the then Flynn Branch of the CLP in Alice Springs. Gary held a number of executive branch positions and was a longtime delegate to the CLP Central Council. He was as passionate about his politics as he was about his life. Just as he served the community right across the Territory in his role as a police officer, he offered his support and help to the CLP wherever he was stationed: whether it was campaigning out in the bush in support of CLP candidates during elections, or helping organise branch functions, Gary was there. He made a significant contribution to the CLP and would have made a great contribution as an elected representative in the Territory’s parliament.
As I said at Gary’s funeral, I did not speak about his distinguished career because his mate, Bob Field, did that at the time, and the minister has done that for the Hansard record. In terms of his career in the police force, I do know that as he rose through the ranks, he maintained the support and admiration of those with whom he served, no matter what their rank. His humour, showmanship and ability to entertain endeared him to people. His capacity for getting on with people from all walks of life and communicating with them served he, our police force and our community well for over 31 years.
Over his far too short a life, he fought for his family, his community, his political beliefs, his Territory, and his police force. His final fight against cancer is now over. May he rest in peace and may those of us left behind rejoice in those moments of life we shared with him and long remember him. He is another Territorian gone too early from among us, but I am sure amid the choirs of angels, there is a barber shop quartet that has a new member.
Mr ELFERINK (Macdonnell): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, at the outset I also pass on my condolences to the Smith family on the loss of their husband and father. It is always a great tragedy to see somebody you know die of that horrible disease I hope one day they find a cure for. Smithy has gone. I worked with him professionally and I knew him through the CLP, and his loss is something that I feel as well. I add my sentiments to those of the minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
I touch on an issue tonight that I have touched on before in adjournment debates, and that is the matter of the Central Australian Drag Racing Association, which is still looking for a home. The Central Australian Drag Racing Association is an organisation of which I am a member. Indeed, I have a trophy sitting in my office, the result of my poor, old, much-thrashed Harley Davidson which was lucky enough to win a trophy. It had a lot more to do with the mechanics than the rider. It is a trophy that sits high and well positioned in my office because it is one of which I am particularly proud.
The problem is that if I want to defend or recontest that title, I shall not be able to do so because the Central Australian Drag Racing Association no longer has a home. There is no shortage of land in Alice Springs that can be used or identified for the purposes of giving these people a home, and letting them get on with the very good job they do of keeping amateur drag races off the streets. CADRA was established, not essentially as a sporting organisation, although that is what it does. It was designed at the outset to do something else: to keep illegal drag races off the street. All too often, people would go up to the Tanami Highway, just near the Stuart Highway turn-off, and drag race up there. Drag racing on public streets is an extremely dangerous exercise. CADRA went to great lengths to accommodate off-the-street motor vehicles at their meetings so that they could drag race legally with proper timing equipment and, much more importantly, in as safe an environment as possible, as well as being in a competitive environment and keeping the community safe.
Because of the loss of home, CADRA is no longer able to provide that service. I am terrified that, as a consequence of that, we are going to see head lines like we have seen in the last day or so in the NT News of rolled over vehicles, teenagers and young people of the Northern Territory becoming road statistics. I hope that the government does get into contact and pursue CADRA’s new home as a matter of public safety, as well as supporting a local sporting organisation.
I know that land had been identified near the existing motor sports complex in the past; I know that other land has also been identified on the quarantine blocks. This portion of land could well be used to satisfy the needs of CADRA. As an investment, the Northern Territory government could make the roads of the Northern Territory safer and give this very important organisation a home.
So far, the government has been silent on CADRA and what they can do for them. I beseech, plead, demand – beg, if you like - that the government at least contact CADRA and start taking positive steps. I know that there was one meeting some months ago. That seems to have gone absolutely nowhere. I hope the government makes a real effort to support this important community organisation.
Tonight I also want to talk about the doctor’s position, which is topped up the Northern Territory government, at the Hermannsburg community. The people of Hermannsburg have been notified that top-up funding for this position will not be available after a certain date later this year. Once again, the people of Hermannsburg find themselves fighting to try and extract out of this government proper funding so that they can maintain their doctor in their community.
The government has managed to provide the funding in the past, but in their slash and burn policy towards health care in the Northern Territory, despite their promises, their assertions that they were going to provide proper health care in remote communities, they are withdrawing funding from this important service which is provided to the people of Hermannsburg and its environs. I am deeply concerned that the people of Hermannsburg are not going to have proper health care as a result of this government’s decision.
We have heard statements today from the government about SARS. As I understand it, the infection kills about one in 10 people who contract the disease, assuming that they are healthy people and close to proper medical care. That being the case, I am concerned that in a lot of remote communities, and Aboriginal communities in particular, where resistance to disease is not high, the fatality rate may be a great deal higher if SARS should infect remote communities in the Northern Territory. Hygiene in many of these communities is not what it could be. The immune systems of the people who live in these places are often not what they could be, and as a consequence, I am deeply concerned that threatening to withdraw medical services at this stage with the potential of a SARS outbreak is sending the wrong message.
Now, the government this morning did talk about SARS and how concerned it was, but what the government giveth, the government taketh away. I hope that the minister takes note of what I am saying and the problems that the people of Hermansberg will encounter should the funding arrangements be withdrawn from Hermannsburg. I urge the government in the strongest possible terms to continue funding the position and continue looking after the people of Hermansberg and people in remote communities, as they promised to do.
Another issue is the need for a recreation hall in the Imanpa community. Imanpa is a community quite close to the Lasseter Highway, struggling along like so many other communities. I believe it is time that this government started living up to its commitments in terms of expenditure in the bush and started looking after these communities. I spoke to a couple of the councillors, including the Vice-President of the community, last night at a function where they were delighted to be, celebrating the coming of the parliament to Central Australia, but they expect to see some results from this parliament in Central Australia. They expect the government to listen to their representative – me, at the moment – about their need for a recreation hall in the community of Imanpa to support many of the community functions that go on in their community.
They are looking for some funding to help put a recreation hall together. So urge the appropriate minister to contact the community at Imanpa and pursue the rec hall idea that they have, and start supporting that community with proper infrastructure so that it can provide a safer environment for its community and the kids who live there. Imanpa has traditionally been one of the more challenged communities, but they are certainly taking steps in the right direction. I think that they should be encouraged to take those steps and to make the community a better place in which those kids live.
Departing from electorate issues, I wish to raise a matter of some concern that I have raised in this parliament before in relation to the open, honest and accountable processes we see in this Chamber. In this Chamber today, I sat patiently, wanting to contribute to debates in relation to the crime issue in Alice Springs. I found that the only thing that the government was prepared to bring on in relation to crime issues was the Attorney-General’s ministerial report. As members are aware, a ministerial report has a two minute right of reply.
This is an issue which has occupied the people of Alice Springs long and hard for many months - I daresay well over 18 months now. It is something that is talked about in the public houses of this community on a regular basis. To then flippantly or dismissively come in here and deal with the issue in a ministerial report with a two minute right of reply is, in my opinion, far from satisfactory. The government should hang its head in shame over avoiding this issue the way it has.
In response, the opposition had to go down the road of a censure in an effort to discuss crime in this parliament. After two speakers from the opposition side of the House, what do we find? The government shutting down debate on the issue by bringing the motion on. In desperation, Alice Springs members then tried to bring on a new censure to continue the debate, and what did we find? That debate is gagged from the outset.
The process of allowing other speakers to speak in front of yourself, allowing your Leader and your Deputy Leader to speak, is good manners. But what it means is that you go down this pecking order a little bit and you have to wait your turn to speak. I waited patiently, and I thought: ‘Well, as the Chief Minister has touched on crime in her ministerial statement, I will wait patiently and I will have my bite later on’. What do I discover? The government wants to adjourn parliament quite early – it is still not 7 o’clock yet. This parliament is fully capable of working until midnight.
I am quite happy to sit here and wait my turn if I have to wait until midnight to have my say. But no, the government has other reasons to shut down this parliament - functions or whatever else - yet it says it is in this town to seriously engage in the business of parliament. I find that shutting down the parliament at 7 o’clock after a few hours work is not an effective way to allow me or any other member to have a debate and have my say.
Even a few years ago in this parliament, when a ministerial statement was made, that statement was generally completed on the day. More regularly, we find ministerial statements and such items sitting on the Notice Paper for months before they are attended to. I am told: ‘You will have your bite tomorrow’. I would like to see the guarantees for that. The fact is that I would like my bite today. Is this the only ministerial statement that this government intends to present in the whole three days in Alice Springs? Or does the government have other ministerial statements that the people of the Northern Territory need to hear about? I am starting to think: ‘No, it does not. We are going to have one ministerial statement over three days, and the government will shut down the parliament nice and early so we can all be in bed at a reasonable hour and go to our functions’ - and they expect the people of Alice Springs to believe that this parliament is here to work.
I am here to work, and I am quite happy to work until midnight every night if I have to during this parliamentary session in Alice Springs. But I am utterly convinced that the government is not. For its convenience and agenda, it is quite prepared to sweep major issues under the carpet so it can go out and have drinkie-poos, functions and sausage rolls and spring rolls. The government’s performance in this farce has been reprehensible. This is a working parliament. I came to this parliament with an intention to work. I hope that tomorrow we actually get some work done.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I join the Leader of the Opposition in sending my condolences to Jenny Smith, following the recent passing of Gary. I knew Gary when he was working in Alice Springs in the police force, and we continued our association when he went to Darwin. Gary was a member of the Flynn Branch, and achieved a significant role within the CLP hierarchy. He was a very strong member who contributed over many years. I send Jenny my condolences. I hope she continues her contribution to the Territory, as she has been doing for the many decades that they both lived in the Northern Territory.
Tonight, I would like to speak about two people who have lived in my electorate. The first is Norma Margaret Leigh. I had known Norma since my arrival in Alice Springs in 1981. She was not really a mother, but a very senior member of our party and has contributed significantly to my political fortunes in the Greatorex Branch.
Norma was born in Narrabri, New South Wales, on 9 February 1936, to Sid and Girlie Fetcher. She was an only child who remembered having to play hide and seek with herself among the trees on Jews Lagoon Station. She was schooled at home and later at boarding school, and went into nursing in 1953, a profession she practised until her marriage. Norma kept up her registration every year, and went to several reunions at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital. She met many of her life-long friends during her training and years of nursing afterwards in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
In 1959, Norma sailed across the Great Australian Bight to Perth on a nursing holiday with friends. From Perth, they drove to Alice Springs for a short stay before continuing to Darwin - or that was the plan. Luckily, she never left because she met Terry Leigh at a picnic at the Telegraph Station. They married in 1962 and lived in the farming district of Alice Springs, where Sean was born in 1963.
Norma adjusted well to life in what was the then a small bush town. She vividly remembered cleaning her house, preparing dinner and setting the table for the first visit she had from Brother Bennett. That afternoon, a huge dust storm swept over the town, penetrated the louvres and covered everything, including the tripe, with a layer of fine red dirt. As she looked at the disaster, Brother Bennett arrived, helped Norma scrape the dust off the tripe, and all was well again.
Later in 1963, Norma, Terry and Sean moved to 45 Gap Road; a house Norma adored. She recalled thinking she was in a palace and revelled in the airconditioning which meant dust storms could come and go and her dinners escaped unscathed. It was at Gap Road that Norma and Terry completed their family with the arrival of Kathryn in 1965, Brian in 1967, and Anthony in 1969. Their calls throughout childhood for a dishwasher always met with the reply: ‘I have four dishwashers here, why do I need another?’ The words ‘I am bored’ were always met with a rake, shovel and half an acre of garden needing work. Norma, with Terry’s stern back-up, instilled in her children a knowledge of right and wrong; a strong sense of just getting things done; and her own desire for all her children to be simply happy.
The Leighs gathered together a wide circle of friends, proving to Norma one of her favourite truisms: ‘Old friends are the best’. She was a splendid entertainer, a great cook, and had the outstanding ability to have a house spotless after dinners and barbecues before she went to bed, no matter what the hour. All the children were sent to boarding school and, over the years as they came and went from school, the bush, university, interstate, and overseas, Norma’s interest in their experiences, understanding of their problems, and pride in their successes underlined everything they did. Even when dark times came, as they do in all our lives, Norma was the rock on which they leant and never faltered.
Lyn joined the family in 1988, marrying Sean and bringing Norma and Terry their first grandchild, the beautiful Sophie. Norma and Terry’s lives took on the extended role of doting and adoring grandparents. David married Kathryn in 1988. The loving relationship Norma had with her grandsons, Stuart and Toby, was always a great joy to her and to them, though they both knew the sharp end of the blue stick when it was called for. That stick, along with some heartfelt artwork, was placed in Norma’s casket - and the boys are happy about that.
Norma and Terry’s move to 8 Range Crescent, a house she loved designing and decorating, saw their nest gradually empty and her interests expanding. While she had always run the family business, she also found time to sit on government committees in Darwin, kept in contact with all she cared for, played bridge and mahjong with friends, oversaw the care of her elderly mother, travelled with family and friends, and excelled in her role of grandmother.
Norma took Terry’s Irish family as her own as much as they embraced her. She loved London and Paris as much as Ireland, but Alice Springs was always her home. Norma’s strength of character, sense of humour, faith and love of family were with her in her very last days, and we know that this is how she would like us all to remember her. My condolences go to Terry, her husband, Sean, Kathryn, Brian and Anthony, and her grandchildren Sophie, Stuart and Toby.
Another person from my electorate who recently passed away was Mr Peter Beale. I knew Peter for only a short while. I was privileged to have invited him to attend the showing of Cats when it came to Alice Springs. Peter Beale was a blind man. He lived by himself, cared for himself, in his small Territory Housing unit at the John Hawkins Court.
Every time I went to see him, he would be dressed immaculately, always wore a tie. His comment to me was: ‘ I wear a tie every day because the moment I give up looking after myself, things will start to deteriorate’. He maintained that attire every day that he was able. Mr Beale and I enjoyed great company. We had some talks when I would go to visit him at this unit.
Today, I have a eulogy that was written by one of his close friends, Ross W Henwood, on 11 March 2003 and I will read it in for the record:
- A few words on my mate Peter Beale as said at this funeral service held at the Anglican Church,
Bath Street, Alice Springs at 10am on Saturday 8 March 2003.
daughter Tabitha, husband Robert and son David, dear sister Beryl, husband Des and sons Peter
and Scott, and the five grandchildren, and to all of Peter’s friends affected by his passing.
Ti Tree and Warrabri. With Bob Dashwood at the helm, we built houses during the day and bent
the dry community rule at night by washing down the sawdust with a few ales. Our mateship
developed from there.
of worldly matters and his general outlook on life. I was fortunate to spend time with him fairly regularly
over the past 13 years. I could arrive at his place feeling a bit down, but after an hour or so of reminiscing,
yarning, laughing and joking, I would leave feeling invigorated and ready to tackle the next hurdle.
reunited with daughter, Tabitha. I believe this association lifted him enormously and kept him in high spirits
through times of failing health. I have never seen a father so overwhelmed, proud and happy as when he
walked his baby down the aisle when she married Robert in Melbourne in March 2001.
worked as a rep for the local liquor agency. As he put it: ‘It was necessary to frequent licensed premises and
at times he even had to sample the wares’.
‘the eagle’ to us, brought Peter out to see Sandra and the kids and I. Peter, at the time, was convalescing from
a recent heart attack and upon his arrival hobbled in with the aid of a walking stick. Peter sat down, then
proclaimed that he needed to give up the cigarettes and the grog. About a carton and half of green cans later,
when we drank every beer we could find, including some of the exhibits, my guests decided it was time to leave.
Peter opened our front door threw his walking stick 30 metres over our front fence to where the car was parked
and instructed Bob to get him back to Alice quick before the bottle shop closed.
fraternity told him during a consultation that he doubted Peter would see his 80th birthday in January of this year.
In typical Peter style, he said: ‘I’ll show this bloke’, but not in quite that vocabulary ‘that I will see my 80th birthday’.
Peter, despite his failing health, enjoyed his 80th birthday eight weeks ago in the company of Tabitha, with his
lifelong friend, Puxie, and her daughter, Helen.
In closing, I will say I reckon a bloke is lucky if he makes a handful of fair dinkum mates in a life time. I lost one of
mine on Wednesday.
I commend Peter Beale and Norma Leigh to members in the Chamber. They were two very good and long-term Territorians whose passing leaves us all the poorer.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I rise this evening to note a wonderful celebration in Darwin’s Smith Street Mall on Saturday, 8 March. The women of the Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory are a very energetic and intelligent group of women, who often are a source of inspiration for me in the hard work that I do to meet the needs of my multicultural constituents. They have tremendous organising skills. A very apt way of marking International Women’s day was to hold a women’s market day in the middle of the Smith Street Mall.
I want to read into Hansard the names of the International Women’s Day collective who worked tirelessly to organise what turned out to be a spectacular market in the Smith Street Mall. I congratulate Emma Sullivan from our Samoan community, and a representative of the Asia Pacific Cultural Village; Paia Ingram from the Papua New Guinea community, also from the Asia Pacific Cultural Village; Emmi Koenig from the Filipino community. Emmi was also a fantastic Master of Ceremonies, and showed her incredible singing talent; Myrna Smith, Benita Bernabe from the Filipino community; Amy Culder, Peggy Ang from the Chinese community; Wina Arawan from the Indonesian community; Thyra Ou from the Cambodian community, and a former Volunteer of the Year for the Multicultural Council Northern Territory; Fumiko from the Japanese community; Michelle Scott representing the belly dancers; Maria Koukouvas, a tireless worker for the Multicultural Council; Umi Rasmi from the Indonesian community and the Multicultural Council; Leelamani Gunaratnam, Sri Lankan community; and Beena Vaikyl from the Indian community.
There were about eight stalls representing mainly Asia and Pacific nations, and there was a great deal of interest from people who happened to be in the Mall that day. People came up to the stalls. Some of the goods were for sale, but some of the goods were for display, just to explain the culture and the significance to the people of many of the artefacts on display. I saw some beautiful Indonesian and Timorese artefacts, amongst many others.
There were many performances on the day. The morning started with a tremendous dance from the Indonesian community, after the formal opening that I had the pleasure of performing. We had a Rokatenda dance from the Indonesian group which was quite majestic. There was a beautiful jubilee song from Emmi, who was a crowd stopper, people just pulled up from shopping in the Mall and stood there and listened to Emmi’s beautiful voice. The Filipino group entertained us with a Subli dance, following a song, Give Peace a Chance, from students from the Adult Migrant English Program.
The Chinese community then came along, the Chung Wah Senior Citizens and the Chinese Children’s Group; both performed beautiful songs and dances with a lovely traditional Cantonese performance. The Kiribati South Sea Island Dancers are no strangers to many Territorians in the Top End because they are often called upon to perform their beautiful South Sea Island dance and, again, the gorgeous Kiribati women and children entertained us tremendously.
There were also dances from the Samoans and the Cambodians. The Indonesian children’s group put on a Tempurung dance; the Multi-Ethnic Social Association provided us with an Igorot dance; and African women organised by Frederika Gaskell, who is a tireless worker for newly settled migrants to the Territory, also entertained us with a dance. Women United For Peace performed a song, Where have all the flowers gone?
There was a lot of acknowledgement and recognition of the hard workers, a plug for the International Women’s Day dinner that has its notorious Misogynist Award which continually seems to be taken out by CLP members and, finally, the beautiful market day finished off with a lovely song from the very talented Bernadine Crute, We are one.
There are truly magical moments in Darwin, when we see so many women from so many different cultures working together, surrounded by their children, ably assisted and supported by their husbands and the men of their communities.
I especially congratulate the Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory for continuing to show us that harmony and tolerance are very much cornerstones of the Territory lifestyle that we enjoy. The acknowledgement of Larrakia land was foremost in the proceedings of the day. The Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory is growing stronger and stronger links to indigenous Territorians. I have been working on a very exciting project within government to see that these multicultural groups can continue their hard work behalf of our diverse Territorians. I send my congratulations to the International Women’s Day Collective, and look forward to working with them again next year.
Mr BALDWIN (Daly): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, to begin, I place formally on the Hansard my condolences to Jenny, the wife of Superintendent Gary Smith who passed away recently. Gary, as we know and have heard tonight, had a long and distinguished career with the Northern Territory Police Force. I had the pleasure of working with Gary during the Daly River floods in 1998. He was a great bloke, loved by many - not just his family, but a wide and varied cross-section of the Northern Territory community. It is sad that he was taken at such a young age.
I would like to raise a local issue while the Minister for Lands and Planning is in this Chamber. It is to do with the Dominguez family who have a property at 46 Taylor Street, here in Alice Springs.
There is an issue, minister, concerning a development next door to the Dominguez house at 46 Taylor Street, that is causing them great concern. The property next door is being built of materials that cause reflection of both sunlight and heat into their home - when I say into their home, I mean right into their home - that is causing them great discomfort and a loss of amenity in their own property.
It is an issue that has been going on for quite some time. In fact, they tell me for some four months they have tried to have this issue looked at by various government agency people, and have not to date been successful in having anyone come out to their property to look at the concerns they have, apart from - and I am not quite sure on this - the Chairman of the Development Consent Authority might have gone along. They have telephoned all sorts of people. I am sure you are aware of this. They have even called your office, where they were given a promise of a return call that never eventuated. That is as recent as last Tuesday.
Minister, having been in your position, when you have an issue like this that is ongoing for such a long time, it requires some action of intervention between the two neighbouring properties. Somebody should be instructed to have a look at this issue. Given that you are down here at this historic parliamentary sittings in Alice Springs, you may like to visit.
I can tell you that the Dominguez family is away at present, but I am sure the member for Greatorex, who visited there again last week, would be happy to escort you to the property to have a look around and see what the issue is, and how bad the problem is. You should take up that opportunity so that when they call you on their return - which I am sure they will - you will know what the situation is all about first-hand.
As you know, you have had a number of letters - one from Madam Speaker, one from the member for Macdonnell, and one from myself. I am waiting for a reply to that letter but, in the meantime whilst you formulate that reply, it would be a good idea that you take the opportunity to visit the property and talk to both neighbours so that you can have a look at what sort of action can be taken to ameliorate the problem that has been caused by the development next door. So, there is a challenge for you, minister.
I would also like to mention the unveiling of the Katherine icon at a recent ceremony where a lot of Katherine people - but particularly the people of the region of Katherine - came together to celebrate the opening, along with government members, ministers, local members and all sorts of dignitaries to unveil this great icon that now stands in Katherine. It is a bronze sculpture of a stockman on a horse - no ordinary stockman. Many of you here would have heard of Sabu Sing who was the person chosen to represent all cattlemen in the Northern Territory and, particularly the Katherine region, for pioneering for what has been and continues to be a great industry: the cattle industry.
My congratulations obviously go to the coordinator of this Katherine icon, who took up the challenge, Terri Underwood from Riveren Station. Terri took it upon herself to organise not only the icon, but its artist, Archie Sinclair, who is a well-known local from this area involved in the cattle industry. He is also a helicopter pilot who was terribly injured in a chopper crash along with his then wife, who was told that he would never walk again let alone become a very good sculptor. That came about because of the rehabilitation work that he took up in sculpturing. It is a fantastic sculpture. It has a lot of detail and it is a credit to not only Archie but all of those involved, all of the sponsors. A list of sponsors was read out by Terri Underwood, some 80-odd who contributed many thousands of dollars - in fact, over $100 000 to get this sculpture in Katherine. I would like to thank all of those people for taking part in the construction and the unveiling of the Katherine icon.
Tim Fischer was there – passionate, as always, about the rural regions - for the official unveiling with the Chief Minister. As usual, Tim gave a great spiel prior to the unveiling. His memory is fantastic for detail in him being able to remember everybody’s names and a lot of the history and, as usual, never failing to mention the Alice to Darwin railway in every speech.
Congratulations to all of the people involved in that. That has become already a tourist draw card. Every morning or afternoon that you go past it, you will see caravans pulled up there taking photos and reading the history that is depicted by that icon. The opening coincided with the annual conference of the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association. I would like to put on record my thanks to Val Dyer, the outgoing President, for the work that she has done for the association and the relationship that I have had professionally with her in her position there. Congratulations to John Armstrong from Gilnockie Station as the incoming President of the Cattlemen’s Association. They do a great job representing their membership and that great industry, the cattle industry, that is doing quite well at this time and has a great future. John has, like all presidents, challenges ahead of him in terms of the association, and I am sure that with the right help from his membership, he will do a great job. I look forward to working with John over the coming months and years of his reign as the new president.
I would also like to put on the record my congratulations for a great job that Bob Lee did during his time as the CEO of the Cattlemen’s Association. As the Executive Officer, Bob is well known right across the Territory, not the least in the Centre - he used to live down here - and he has done a great job in promoting the industry, not only in the Territory, but internationally, as well as right around Australia. Bob has moved on, and I thank him for his contribution to the industry in the Northern Territory, and look forward to meeting the new Executive Officer when that person is appointed, whoever he or she may be. It was a great annual conference for those who attended. I know that Minister Burns was there, and others, and my own colleagues. As usual, the night was a great one. I certainly look forward to some good things coming from the Cattlemen’s Association throughout this year.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I would like to use this opportunity to ventilate some concerns of the local tourism industry during these sittings in Alice Springs. Not surprisingly, and I think appropriately, I wish to deal first with the government’s performance in relation to the second airline issue. It was touched upon earlier today during these sittings, but I would like to discuss some of the damage that was caused by this government’s failure over an 18 month period while it sat back and did very little indeed, while it watched members of the industry in Alice Springs experience problems that they have not experienced since the pilots’ strike. The present tourism minister - of course there have been three, but the current tourism minister - and the government, on any view, should be ashamed of the way they have conducted themselves.
We welcome the announcement made last month, but it is important that we remember that I and others within and outside the industry called repeatedly for the better part of 12 months for government to do something. In fact, everyone was calling for it. The industry, led by CATIA, individual operators and, most importantly of all, the travelling public of Central Australia were desperate to see a second airline.
I note with interest that the Minister for Central Australia was suspiciously quiet about the issue for about 16 months. It would appear that he did not think it was an important issue. For 16 months, he apparently sat in silence and appeared to do very little for the travelling public in this town, and he should be condemned for that.
On any analysis, the government only acted when the cries from the people of Alice Springs became too much. It is the people of Alice Springs who can take pride in this achievement, and they learnt a valuable lesson from this exercise. The people of Alice Springs learnt that if they want something from this government, they must petition, they must become active, they must take to the streets. Here we have, during this sittings, this arrant nonsense about this government’s determination to break down the Berrimah Line when actions speak louder than words; when actions speak louder than just calling in for a few days and being thoroughly entertained by the cocktail circuit.
In any view, it does not come as a surprise that the forward bookings for Virgin Blue are very good, and we are all very grateful for that. It also probably does not come as a surprise that the Minister for Tourism sidled up to me during the last parliamentary sittings and inquired as to whether I would present the petition calling on government to do something about Virgin Blue - whether I would table that petition during the Alice Springs sittings. I honestly said: ‘Yes, of course we will’. It is no coincidence at all that the announcement was made prior to the Alice Springs sittings; the pressure became too great. The people of this town should be congratulated. Members of this government should hang their heads in shame. It was abundantly clear that the pressure was getting too much not only for the Minister for Tourism, but also his parliamentary colleagues. I know that almost everywhere they went, people were at them to do something for a second airline so that the people of Central Australia could have something like their fellow Territorians in the Top End have had for approximately 18 months.
In short, we are delighted that Virgin Blue will fly to Alice Springs, absolutely delighted.
Dr Burns interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: Absolutely, Minister for Tourism, I will be one of the first, I hope. Unfortunately, I do not travel to Sydney very often. In fact, my main travel tends to be within the Territory but where the price and the time is right, you can bet that I will be hopping on a Virgin Blue aircraft.
It is terribly sad, however, for the people who make their money out of tourism that for a period of 18 months we did not have a second airline. People will not forget that; they are still talking about it. I anticipate that they will continue to talk about it for quite some time to come.
Having dealt with that issue from the past, I want now to look to the future, as so many who are eternal optimists - that is, people involved in the tourism industry - want to do. There was level of excitement about the announcement the minister made in Alice Springs last month about an advertising campaign. Many thought, as did I, that it would go some way to repairing the damage experienced by the Territory, and Central Australia in particular - not only by the government’s failure to act in relation to a second airline but because of global events and the changing international situation.
We accept, clearly, that the global situation has nothing to do with the Territory government, but members of the industry expect government to lead. They expect government to come up with ideas to stimulate the industry. So they were all terribly excited when the word went out that the minister was going to make an announcement last month. He did. He came to Alice Springs and told us all about a campaign. Unfortunately, though, the $3.8m campaign has turned into something of a farce. I am sure the minister is aware of this. One part of the campaign - and there are a few parts of it - involved a direct mail-out to 500 000 Australian households. However, the result was that only 12 phone calls to the Holiday Centre were received in the first week. I am advised, reliably, that advertisers expect a return of about 1% from a mail-out of about 500 000 brochures so you would expect perhaps 5000 calls, not just 12.
To make matters worse - and arguably much more embarrassing for the government - about 800 people in Darwin received the advertising material which was supposed to go to people in other states and territories. All of this shows that Labor’s third, and probably the worst, most incompetent Tourism Minister cannot even oversee an advertising campaign.
Mr Kiely interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: But wait, member for Sanderson, there is more - let me tell you. The minister admitted that television and cinema advertising will start in the middle of the year which is too late, so I am told by many in the industry. It does not take a rocket scientist to work out that it is too late. The minister seems to have an expectation that if very powerful mediums such as television and cinema advertising occurs in the middle of the year, that either Australians can just down tools immediately and say: ‘Let’s go to the Northern Territory’, or that they need, as most people do, a couple of months to do the planning. He expects that they will come up here in the stinking heat of Alice Springs. That is not the peak tourist season; the peak tourist season is from about now for the next few months.
Mr Henderson interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: Well, member for Wanguri, when and if you decide to come to Alice Springs a bit more often, you will experience the extreme heat that we have in Alice Springs, unlike the humidity up there in Darwin.
In any event, Australians do need time to plan their holiday so one wonders how effective this advertising will be. I do know that members who were present at the announcement told the minister fairly and squarely that the advertising was too late. I hope that he has taken that on board for the future.
Members interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: I wonder whether the minister, who seems to be mumbling away, might be good enough perhaps over the course of the next few days, to dispel a rumour doing the rounds at present. That is that out of the 500 000 brochures and cards that were sent, only, I am told, 89 000 of them referred to Central Australia in the advertising. If this is the case, then perhaps you could explain why that was they case, given the importance of Central Australia to the Territory’s tourist economy. Or does he simply think that, notwithstanding trends over the last couple of years which have shown that more tourists come to Central Australia than the Top End, why it was that out of 500 000 brochures only 89 000 apparently referred to Central Australia?
Moving to another matter, today I noticed in the Chief Minister’s statement that there was an announcement - although it has been doing the rounds for a while now - of an extra $1m from government funding to the Northern Territory Tourist Commission. What was noticeably absent from the Chief Minister’s statement was she did not tell us how much, if any, of that $1m would be spent in Alice Springs or, alternatively, for and on behalf of the Central Australian tourism industry. If it is an increase of funding of $1m, that is great, but those of us in Central Australia would like to know at some point whether all of that $1m will be directed to encouraging tourism for the Top End or if the tourism industry in Central Australia will receive some of it.
As I said, the story has been going around for a while. It is fairly obvious, on any view, that the announcement of $3.8m for the advertising campaign, apart from being a disaster pretty well from the start, showed that the minister and the government realised that it needed much more than $3.8m to stimulate the Territory’s tourism industry. We are being outgunned by other jurisdictions in tourism and when the domestic market is so important in light of global events, one would like to see any government in the Territory pumping more money into the advertising dollar. I am hopeful that, in the forthcoming budget, we will see more funding.
It is the case that this government’s performance in relation to tourism has not been very good. In fact, someone I bumped into in the mall on the weekend said that it was nothing short of abysmal. That is a fairly succinct expression. The minister was caught out some months ago when he went on radio - Julia Christensen’s show, I think - in relation to someone from the Katherine Regional Tourist Association, who raised the issue that the RTAs had not received confirmation of their funding. Minister, it is still the case that there may well be nods and winks to the Regional Tourist Associations, but I am reliably informed that CATIA, the Central Australian Tourism Industry Association, has not received anything in writing confirming to that association its funding for the forthcoming financial year. Its funding stops on 30 June. There is certainly no word as to an increase, and there would be a lot of people terribly disappointed in the event that no increase occurs.
Dr Burns interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: I note the ongoing, useless mumbles of the minister. He can hide behind anything he likes. He can say: ‘Oh, the budget process, oh, the budget process’. Well, if he is a force to be reckoned with in the Cabinet - and we all know he is not - he will have the guts to stand up and say: ‘I am trying my best to manage this industry. We would like some more money for it, Chief Minister, Treasurer. We are desperate. Please help us’. But, no, he goes to the back of the queue. This was always the problem with giving it to a new chum, a junior minister: the second biggest revenue raiser in the Northern Territory, and it is paid very scant regard indeed by this government.
Moving to a couple of other things in the time I have left, we are suggesting to government that now is an opportunity, in light of global events and particularly the SARS crisis, for the government to consider redirecting some of its international marketing budget to stimulating the domestic market. It might like to consider, in due course, once the SARS crisis is over, approaching Australian Airlines at some point and possibly offering similar incentives that have been provided to Virgin Blue. I think we are all agreed that international aviation access is critical to Darwin and also very important to those of us in Alice Springs. It is a time for creativity and innovation, and I really do implore the minister and his government to do all that they can to stimulate this terribly important industry.
Again today, we had the Chief Minister talking about the measures that she would implement in relation to the Arafura Games athletes: basically, it is people, for the month of May, will get some assistance. Well, we say extend it to all Australians, extend it to the other 11 months, there being 12 in any calendar year, something that even Labor Party politicians should be able to cope with.
So there are some ideas. We are often accused of whinging a bit in opposition. I suppose that is the mantra of any government, but we do try to be constructive, and we do seriously analyse and critique this government’s performance. It is a joke. People in the industry are very unhappy, and this minister has much more work to do. There is much more work to be done, so I implore the minister, if his parliamentary colleagues listen to him, to do his best in the budget process.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016