2003-06-17
- Madam Speaker Braham took the Chair at 10 am.
MINISTERIAL REPORTS
South East Asia Australia Offshore Conference
South East Asia Australia Offshore Conference
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, it was an honour to give the opening address at SEAAOC yesterday with a record crowd of attendees. From the Territory’s point of view it was very timely to address such an eminent crowd of Australian and international oil and gas industry participants on the Territory’s vision for Darwin as Australia’s second international gas hub, and also on the need for Australia to develop a coherent national energy policy for the future. All of this, of course, has been in the light of the announcement that Bayu-Undan has been given the tick to go ahead following just 11 days ago after the announcement by Woodside and Alcan that they have reached a head of agreement on developing the Blacktip field. It is superb context for the Territory.
The creation of such a national energy framework would vitally assist the further development of prospective fields in the Timor Sea and Bonaparte Gulf. There is no doubt Australia has extensive proven natural gas reserves. These offer significant opportunities for the development of a gas-based industry in Northern Australia. Australia’s primary energy consumption is expected to grow by 30% over the next two decades. In pursuing a long-term vision for this country to be independent in energy sources, natural gas has an increasingly important role to play.
In government’s view, Australia is approaching a crossroads in energy policy. We are facing declining self-sufficiency in oil production and, without some firm action, we also face likely depletion of currently known gas reserves in eastern Australia within 20 years. Our reliance on existing sources is inevitably pushing gas prices higher in real terms, and the alternative of reducing gas consumption in favour of increased coal use will not be beneficial to our environmental objectives.
My government believes that Australia should move towards a balanced mix of fuel sources with improved levels of self-sufficiency in oil production and abundant supplies of low-cost gas. The reality is that in Australia few, if any, major greenfield gas projects have been able to proceed without some level of government underpinning or support; the North West Shelf being a prime example.
The Territory government is providing $20m worth of infrastructure - roads and utilities - to service the Wickham Point development. We have also established a project task force to work beside Woodside and Alcan to address the many challenges they will face bringing Blacktip gas to shore, and building a 1000 km pipeline from Wadeye to Gove. Looking at future developments, we believe it is unlikely that reliance on market mechanisms alone will deliver the required outcomes, particularly if we look at the national interest considerations. The presence of significant externalities associated with major resource developments, as well as issues relating to market power, mean that there will commonly be a misalignment between corporate self-interest and the national interest. Such circumstances warrant government involvement to achieve optimal outcomes.
Despite the fundamental importance of energy to every aspect of the Australian lifestyle, no overall guiding vision or strategy for Australia’s energy future has been adopted. We firmly believe a national energy policy is needed to fill this void. The development of a national energy policy would also provide an opportunity to take into account the greenhouse implications of future energy directions. Government believes that the governments of Australia should collectively determine ways to encourage investment in Australian oil and gas exploration and development, and the establishment of gas-based industries. I will be arguing this case strongly at COAG in August.
A national energy policy must include some key elements. The first is the role of government facilitation. This means encouraging investment in Australian oil and gas exploration and development of gas-fuelled industries based on strategic interests. It recognises not only the requirements of major greenfields projects to achieve critical market mass, but also the important environmental outcomes of increased use of fuels such as LNG for power generation. The second element is to recognise the role of government in resource management. Any policy should take into account the national interest implications of major development proposals, including the cost and benefits of alternative developments. It should ensure governments have the right to influence the nature and timing of projects to protect the national interest.
A national energy policy along these lines is essential to improve environmental outcomes by encouraging the increased use of less carbon intensive fuels, including natural gas, for power generation.
Madam Speaker, I will continue to push for the development of a national energy policy through COAG, and welcome the support of the Territory business community through Team NT for the government’s efforts to bring gas onshore.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr BURKE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for her ministerial report. The issue of a national energy policy is one that is well worth pursuing. We agree with the Chief Minister and the efforts that have been made so far. If you cut through a lot of the issues the Chief Minister raised, when it comes to the Northern Territory, primarily we are talking about how we get Sunrise developed in the national interest, and also to benefit Territorians. I have every confidence, as I am sure the Chief Minister does, that the hard work that has been done in the past on Bayu-Undan by not only my previous government, but has been continued with the very pleasing efforts that the current government has made in ensuring that the project proceeded following the commitments that were made in preparing the site and sticking to that one site.
National interest arguments are always hard to make. If you refer to the railway, for 100 years there was always a national interest argument that was compelling: that a railway should have been built to link the south to the north of Australia. The history of how that railway project was achieved requires the Northern Territory government to do more at the end of the day than ask for a national energy policy, important as that is. It really is, like the railway, where I believe Territorians need to make a firm commitment, and I believe Territorians would do that. If you point to the North-West Shelf issue, let us not forget that the prime customer was the city of Perth. It was the advantages that were given to the city of Perth and the numbers in that city that essentially created the equivalent of a Pechiney or one of those large prime companies.
In regard to the national interest argument, the opposition supports it. We will do everything we can to advance the Chief Minister’s case, but also stand ready with the government to ensure that if it takes large amounts of Territorian money, like the railway, to get it some greater momentum, we would back the government in that initiative.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I support what the government is trying to do regarding a national energy policy. However, I ask the government to remember a statement I made in the Alice Springs sitting about the possibility of geothermal technology. When you look at the cost of bringing gas from Sunrise to Darwin, which will be very expensive, can we still look at the possibility of using this hot rock technology, which is also very expensive? It has very low carbon dioxide emissions and, from the reports that are already being given through the Australia National University in Canberra, there is enough potential for electricity supplies for at least a century. I hope that when we see all the excitement about gas and LNG and all that sort of thing, we do not forget that there are other options for sustainable electricity supplies, especially in the Northern Territory. I hope the Chief Minister takes those thoughts to Canberra when she talks about the national energy policy.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank members for their support. What a national energy policy essentially does is get states and the Commonwealth together to decide where we are heading in the future with our energy needs. We have 800 years worth of coal available in Australia for energy supplies. But what we need to decide about our future is: where is the balance in gas? Where is the balance in importantly, as the member for Nelson said, renewable energy sources? We have no guiding policy for this. As the Opposition Leader alluded to, this is about dollars and infrastructure, and we are talking significant dollars here. When the federal government, through its mechanism, Invest Australia, is looking at where it should invest, let us have a strategy so we do not do it in an ad hoc way. We are doing it in a strategic, focussed way and in a way, I believe, that will very well serve the Territory and the national interest together.
Members: Hear, hear!
Alcohol Restrictions in Alice Springs
Dr TOYNE (Central Australia): Madam Speaker, I am now in a position to report to the House the formal results from the first year of alcohol restrictions and complementary measures in Alice Springs. In the area of consumption of pure alcohol, we achieved only a very modest decrease of 1.7% in total alcohol consumed, and there was a major shift from cask wine to port wine. That is an issue for the Liquor Commissioner, and I will deal with that later in this report.
Looking at the social outcomes, though, there have been quite dramatic improvements in what the police, the health services, and the alcohol treatment programs are seeing. Total arrests over that period represent a 32.3% decrease. Alcohol-related incidents were up 19.6%. However, the full amount of that increase was due to increases in public disturbances of a minor nature, so it is simply being reported by the Night Patrols and the police. For alcohol-related assaults, there was a 13% decrease. That decrease is largely connected to the delayed opening of takeaway outlets in the town. Protective custodies dropped by 34%.
In the health services, there was a 25% decrease of alcohol-related ambulance callouts. Presentations to the two main accident and emergency areas were Congress, a 23% decrease, and the Alice Springs Hospital Accident and Emergency, a 19% decrease of alcohol-related conditions.
In the alcohol treatment area, the sobering-up shelter had a 28% decrease in customers. The treatment programs received a 13.8% increase in clients. Those consisted of brief interventions, 89 clients, and further treatment of clients beyond the brief intervention of 13 clients. To put that into perspective, there are estimated to be about 150 habitual drunks in Alice Springs of whom this program has seen a little over 100.
The next step in this process, because it is a four-year funded process, is that the Liquor Commissioner will, by the end of this month, report on further changes to licences in Alice Springs. He is very aware of the change from cask wine to port products, and he is going to be looking at ways of further intervening. I can report that there will be no major shift in the structure of the restrictions in respect of takeaway opening hours. That has been universally accepted as a beneficial intervention. As to product restrictions, the Liquor Commissioner and his commission members need to work out what they are going to do about the pattern that has been apparent from the evaluation.
As far as the complementary measures and police work go, there is a changed pattern of drinking and disturbance around the town. We are seeing more incidents occurring in the town camps. It is now a matter of refocussing the work of the Day Patrol and the Night Patrols on the town camps that have proven to be a regular location for disruptive behaviour by drinkers, and to increase the work that is being done in those locations around Alice Springs to refer more people to the treatment programs and other measures that will change their behaviour.
Where are the public on this? Public surveys consisted of 484 households, from memory, around Alice Springs which were phone surveyed. There was an additional survey done of the town camps. Very quickly, in the households, 56% wanted to see the trials keep going; 37% wanted them to stop. On the restrictions themselves, 30% wanted strengthened restrictions; 24% wanted the continuation of the current ones; and 33% wanted the restrictions lifted. In the town camp group, 50% wanted strengthened restrictions; 22% wanted the continuation of current restrictions; and 17% wanted the restrictions removed. That shows that we still have the bulk of the town with us. They are still tolerating the trial, and what we are picking up is that they are very happy that someone is finally doing something about this very long-standing problem.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I am very eager to read what the Licensing Commission has to say about the trial for the 12 months from March last year to this year. I am also quite certain that the town, and the Licensing Commission, was very upset with the way the minister unilaterally extended the trial.
Having said all those things, the minister got up and started throwing statistics around. It is also very selective reporting by the minister when he talks about a reduction in police cases in Alice Springs. The police reported that they believe it is not due to the restrictions. It was, in fact, increased patrols in the CBD that eliminated the antisocial aspects of alcohol abuse in Alice Springs. The minister chose to leave that out. He then says that the Alice Springs hospital figures have decreased. But the minister would also know, and I quote this directly from one of the reports tabled for the ERG:
However, ASH inpatient separations for acute wholly alcohol-related conditions are 159% higher,
as are intoxicated presentations.
The minister needs to be very cautious. He reports selectively, obviously with the intention to coerce the Licensing Commission into having more restrictions in Alice Springs, when the town is definitely very divided on this issue. The majority is a very minor margin, so it is important for the Licensing Commission to consider the whole town’s wishes on this matter. The minister has to be certain that he tells Alice Springs that he presents the statistics fairly.
Dr TOYNE (Central Australia): Madam Speaker, unlike the member for Greatorex, I am not changing sides on this or any other issue. We will continue the work on this very important issue for Alice Springs. We are happy to see some improvements in the social outcomes. We have said all along that this is a very complex problem; it needs to be tackled with a whole range of measures. For the member for Greatorex to go picking through the heap of different activities that are going on, clearly he has not read the full extent of the reporting back. I can tell you this, Madam Speaker: we will continue on for the next three years to work beyond the gains that we have already made. We will evaluate throughout the whole period and we will be only satisfied if we can get the levels of consumption, and the social outcomes of that consumption, down to acceptable levels for the town of Alice Springs and Central Australia.
International Cricket
Mr AH KIT (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, in approximately 48 hours from now, two portable turf pitches will be installed at Marrara Oval, one of the final steps in getting international cricket to the Top End. You will remember only six months ago there were many doubting Thomases in Darwin, constantly bad mouthing the progress towards Marrara taking its place as one of the nation’s greatest international sporting venues.
However, thanks to some incredibly hard work by Darwin construction workers and local groundsmen, not to mention the MCC Curator, Tony Ware, things are well in hand for the Bangladesh versus Chief Minister’s XI match starting on 10 July. No less important have been the contributions and dedication of staff from the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment, and my own Department of Community Development, Sport and Cultural Affairs.
Exciting Australian players, Michael Clarke and Nathan Hauritz will be included in the Chief Minister’s XI. Clarke and Hauritz have recently returned from the West Indies tour and are emerging players on the international cricket scene, having represented Australia in one-day cricket. The four day match will be the lead-up fixture to the historic test and one-day international series between Australia and Bangladesh. These matches will be umpired by England’s David Shepherd, who was one of the two officiating at the recent World Cup final in South Africa. At the other end of the ground will be South Africa’s Rudy Koertzer, the number three umpire at the World Cup and recently voted as the best umpire in the world. The International Cricketing Council match referee will be South Africa’s Mike Proctor.
Ten players from the Northern Territory have been selected in the team, which will be an enormous boost to local talent. The inclusion of the two Australian Cricket Board players will give the local Northern Territory players an opportunity to play alongside two Australian cricketers of international standard and experience. The team is Michael Clarke, captain; Territorian Darren Treumer, vice-captain; Terry Bayly; Nick Berry; Anthony Dent; Mark Hatton; Brad Hatton; Nathan Hauritz; Tim Knox; Adrian McAdam from Central Australia; Ian Redpath; Ken Skewes; Ken Vowles and Ashley Williams. It should be noted that this is the first time a Territory cricket team has played an ICC-sanctioned international cricket match. I am sure everyone in the House will extend their congratulations to these fine young Territory cricketers and wish them the best of luck in their first game against Bangladesh. At $5 for adults and $2 a ticket for children, this is a great chance to support our young Territory players.
The $2.5m project at Marrara is, of course, not just about cricket; it is about developing the oval as an international standard, multipurpose sporting facility. Earlier this year, with the Aboriginal All Stars versus Carlton games and the Wizard Cup fixture, we saw what a fabulous ground Marrara is for Australian Rules. More recently, the ground hosted a national Women’s Australian Rules Championships to great acclaim from players and officials alike. There is nothing preventing Marrara also being used for other football codes and fixtures - for interstate or international soccer, League or, in that case, also Rugby Union. The improved facilities for players and officials have already been supported by the AFL and ICC officials, and you would have noted the recent praise of Marrara by John Buchanan, the Australia national cricket coach, not to mention the highly favourable opinion of the ICC international referee, Clive Lloyd. Vastly improved and expanded media facilities will now allow games to be televised by major free-to-air and cable broadcasters.
Tickets for international cricket are selling well, so I strongly advise people to get in quickly to ensure they have the opportunity to attend these historic matches.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, it is good to see that the vision for this fine facility is being continued and developed. The Marrara Complex is an icon facility and the work that has progressed in establishing the ground has received the support of the AFLNT, in particular. I will watch with interest the relationship between the AFLNT and the cricketing bodies as we develop and mature the relationship. This is a very first time that there will be that exchange between those two bodies, so I look with interest to see how the AFLNT is able to come out of this exciting phase for cricket. I note with interest the reference to using this facility for other codes. I take note of the mention of soccer and look with interest to see what the minister’s thinking is regarding the future of soccer, and what part Marrara complex plays in that.
There have also been issues raised which cannot be unaddressed with regard to contractors, some of whom, I understand, are still awaiting payment for work conducted on behalf of the Northern Territory government.
I acknowledge that this facility and the activities planned for this world class cricket match are not just for the showcasing of cricket generally but, very specifically, for the encouraging of local talent. It is tremendous to hear the line-up of young lads who have excelled themselves in profiling cricket in our community. It is also good to see that, maybe in indigenous communities, we can strengthen the profile of cricket as an alternative activity. I also note the number of Palmerston players in that squad and I am sure they will do exceptionally well.
Mr AH KIT (Sport and Recreation): I thank the shadow spokesman for his comments, Madam Speaker; they are very supportive. I can inform him that some time ago I spoke in the House about trying to ensure that we have international facilities and that we could see some multipurpose for those. The soccer organisation is coming back to me – I have had a couple of meetings with them – at the end of this month with a proposal on what their short, medium and long-term goals are going to be and we will work our way through that. We are still talking to the Larrakia people and the Northern Land Council about their preferred choice for that block, where the signs are up at the moment, but we are working our way through that with my colleague from Lands, Planning and Environment.
I will also pursue the issue of the contractors. If there is a problem, that concerns me, but as you know, DIPE is the contract manager and I will talk to my colleague about whether there is late payment to contractors.
Madam SPEAKER: Your time has expired, minister.
Arafura Tourism Recovery Campaign
Dr BURNS (Tourism): Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to report to the House on the success of the Arafura Tourism Recovery Campaign. The Arafura Recovery Campaign was developed by the government following the cancellation of the Arafura Games due to concerns over the outbreak of the SARS virus. The campaign sought to encourage existing Arafura participants to continue with their travel plans, and to entice new holiday visitors to Darwin to prevent a serious decline in visitor bookings due to the cancellation of the Arafura Games.
Our airlines and major hotels had high bookings from participant teams and were at risk of serious loss if booking numbers could not be filled with new business in the case of cancellations. To achieve these twin objectives a targeted sales promotion activity was implemented where Arafura participants who still came to the NT would be provided with a $200 tourism voucher. People who make a new holiday booking during May for travel before mid-June with a minimum of three nights accommodation with wholesale partners holiday packages, would be eligible for $100 vouchers. Qantas Holidays, Travel Point, Great Aussie Holidays and Territory Discoveries accepted the Tourism Commission’s offer to be partners in this campaign.
In addition to the voucher system, substantial cooperative marketing funding has been made available. Qantas Holidays, the retail holiday package arm of Qantas Group, has undertaken significant tactical advertising in major metropolitan newspapers in both Sydney and Melbourne. The benefits of this advertising have already extended beyond the May-June period and will assist in building tourism numbers through the rest of the year. Qantas Holidays has reported large increases in bookings for the Northern Territory over past weeks since the Arafura Recovery Campaign was advertised in southern markets. Bookings through Qantas for the NT were up 46%, compared to last year, in the first week of the campaign and that remains strong, despite the nay saying of members opposite, I might add. Virgin Blue has also reported positive forward bookings for both June and July this year and the new routes into the Territory that Virgin has commenced are clear signs of their confidence in the Territory travel market.
I am pleased to report that as of 17 June, 629 Arafura participants and 226 new holiday-makers have collected their tourism vouchers. Based on average expenditure estimates, these visitors represent a $607 350 injection into the Territory economy to date. This voucher system has resulted in $148 400 being spent directly with Darwin-based tourism operators and retail establishments with over $600 000 being spent more generally by these visitors.
These small businesses have been doing it tough given the recent circumstances that confront the tourism industry, most recently resulting from SARS. The Northern Territory government has listened to the industry and this campaign was one way to support tourism businesses. This campaign has injected serious dollars into the local economy - an undeniable success for the local tourism industry. The vouchers collected by these visitors are being redeemed at a range of tourist attractions and facilities and are contributing positively to the tourism sector at a particularly challenging time for tourism internationally and locally.
At the same time, these visitors are putting their own money into the economy across a variety of sectors. Combined with the reports and very positive forward bookings for airlines and a range of holiday retailers, these figures show that tourism in the Territory is slowly recovering from the damage inflicted by national and international events beyond its control. Holiday retailers such as Travel Point and Great Aussie Holidays have also reported strong forward bookings for the next few months, demonstrating the value in the government’s decision to direct funding towards cooperative marketing activities with the tourism sector. Whilst there is clearly more work to be done, these figures have provided a much needed confidence boost to the Territory travel market.
In conclusion, the initiative that was run during May and to 15 June has been very successful. The cut-off date was specifically chosen as, after that time, the Top End moves into peak tourist season and the challenges caused by the Arafura Games cancellation are eased by the traditionally high visitor numbers of the mid-Dry Season.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Madam Speaker, once again, the Tourism Minister has made an absolute mess of it!. He has said that the tourism industry of the Northern Territory is slowly recovering, but it has nothing to do with this minister and nothing to do with this government!
I am sure all members will be interested in visitor numbers to the Tourism Top End Visitor Centres recently. In March 2002, about 10 000 attended though those centres. In March this year, that number crashed to 3533. In May 2002, 15 750 people visited the Tourism Top End Visitor Centres. Last month, that figure was almost halved to 8667 people.
For this minister to have the gall, the hide, to stand up in this place and say: ‘Things are slowly getting better,’ well, a bigger load of crock I have never heard! To make it even worse, this minister has been going around telling the people in the tourism industry, who he obviously thinks are stupid, that: ‘This budget is good; government has helped you.’ This budget was a lost opportunity for the Northern Territory’s critical tourism industry and this minister, the third and most incompetent, has mucked it up! He should be ashamed. In the eyes of the members of the tourism industry, he is forever condemned.
As for the Arafura package, that was a stop-gap measure, and this government did not even have the wish to extend it for further months. In light of the figures - and everyone knows what the figures are - people are not just doing it tough minister; people are going broke. You would have thought that this government would have extended the package, but to this government’s and this minister’s eternal shame, he has not.
Reports noted pursuant to Sessional Order.
DESERT KNOWLEDGE AUSTRALIA BILL
(Serial 140)
(Serial 140)
Continued from 1 May 2003.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, the opposition supports the bill in the first instance. We believe that Desert Knowledge Australia will become a great innovation for Central Australia, and for arid zones throughout the world.
It is important to understand that Desert Knowledge Australia is about promoting not only intellectual property, but the various types of traditional and modern technology available in this country. Desert regions in Australia alone represent some 70% of the land mass. When you look around the world, something like one billion people live on one-third of the earth’s land surface which makes up the arid and semi-arid zones.
In a sense, Alice Springs is very privileged to be right smack in the middle of the arid zone of Australia, being able to coordinate interest, not merely around the country but internationally, and we can showcase what has been happening in Central Australia for past decades. I have been privileged to attend many of the public briefing sessions that have been provided by the leaders of this project, in particular, Dr Ken Johnson, whom I believe has a lot of expertise in this area and is a man of international repute.
I turn to the Chief Minister’s second reading speech. It is important to understand that the Desert Knowledge Project started in 1998. I recall when the current Leader of the Opposition, then Chief Minister, announced it in Alice Springs, and was then taken to the precinct south of Heavitree Gap in Alice Springs to see where the precinct would be developed. The concept of desert knowledge arose as a result of much public debate in Alice Springs following the Alice in 10 project, which was launched in 1998. Many community groups got together to look at what could be promoted in Central Australia and came up with the idea that Alice Springs has a lot of opportunities to develop desert knowledge and to export that across this country and overseas. Alice Springs is definitely the place with the potential; it is connected right across the country through its networks. It can service places such as Coober Pedy and Kalgoorlie, as far west as Karratha and Carnarvon, and through to Queensland and New South Wales.
The population of Australia living in the arid zone is not particularly high. However, when you count the numbers of indigenous people who live in the arid zone, particularly in the Northern Territory, that makes a significant difference. Desert knowledge obviously is something that is to be developed to capitalise on a synergy that could occur between traditional indigenous knowledge and first world technology. By combining the two, I believe you can develop great expertise that could be sold to interested parties all over the world.
Looking at Alice Springs alone, we are involved in the mining and pastoral industry, and desert arid zone tourism. It is unfortunate that at the moment we have a very poor manufacturing base. The debate could be had another day as to whether we will introduce lots of manufacturing into our pristine environment in Central Australia. I suppose there are opportunities to develop the type of technology that will enable maintenance of our environment, yet still be able to provide manufacturing. The issue about living in the arid zone also includes the cost of freight and transport, the cost of having energy brought in to such a remote area. Hopefully, the railway line that is now being completed may help in this instance, but another debate will have to be held about this.
Alice Springs is the hub for Central Australia. Things move in to Alice Springs prior to coming to Darwin and, hopefully, once the railway line is completed, Alice Springs will then be a hub to send things south also. While the economy of Central Australia at the moment is not particularly high because of its sparse population and limited opportunities in the developing economy, I understand that cattle production, for instance, could be anything from $20m to $80m per year. Mining brings in something like $240m each year. With the opening of the Giants Reef production, that might further enhance that aspect of the economy.
Tourism, something that has been very lacking in the last 12 months to two years, has been a very significant arm of the economy for us in Alice Springs. We hope that through the continuing promotion of an interest in arid zone tourism, this will improve. I look forward to the government continuing to support tourism in Central Australia.
The welfare and social services industry in Alice Springs is a major contributor to our economy. While that continues to prop us, it would be good to be able to see people who are currently on welfare diverted into gainful employment and contribute to the development of horticultural and other types of agricultural industries in Central Australia. For goodness sake, we have so much land in Central Australia and enough good quality water that we should be able to encourage those who are currently unemployed to look seriously at how we can improve the horticultural aspects of Central Australia.
I understand that Desert Knowledge Australia will be more a body or a board, rather than a business, that will help to facilitate and encourage opportunities and linkages with national and international interests to enhance the opportunities that we have in Central Australia. Part of Desert Knowledge’s responsibility will also be the Desert People’s Centre. While it is not directly governing the Desert People’s Centre, which I understand will have its own separate governance, there will be strong links there. The fact that the Desert People’s Centre has agreed to move to the Desert Knowledge Precinct is a good thing.
It is unfortunate, however, that the Institute for Aboriginal Development, which was considered to be one of the strong arms that could come in with the Desert People’s Centre, is still outside that loop at the moment. Hopefully, in time, as the Desert People’s Centre proves itself, IAD will see the value of coming in to be part of the whole complex that will be the Desert People’s Centre promoting indigenous education – not only for the Central Australian region but for the whole of the country.
I mentioned Alice in 10 earlier. This is a very great outcome that we now know as Desert Knowledge Australia. Unfortunately, many of the Alice in 10 projects have been languishing. I have said before that I believe it is important for the government to recognise that, when Alice in 10 was being developed there was a lot of community ownership of the projects that were coming through, and Desert Knowledge was one of them. However, over the last 18 months or so, because of the lack of support for Alice in 10 projects, people are struggling to maintain their interest in the many social aspects of Alice in 10 that were so strongly supported previously. It is important for the government to recognise that, and to now get behind Alice in 10 to at least give them further impetus in developing other projects. Desert Knowledge Australia is obviously a very exciting project and it should be recognised that other projects can come through Alice in 10 also.
Speaking to some people in Alice Springs though, Desert Knowledge Australia is also seen as a very public service driven project. Whilst there are other community people involved, what it really means for Central Australia has not been widely explained. People have said: ‘Oh, it is a great intellectual exercise’ - I would not use the word that they used with me - ‘It is a great intellectual exercise that really means nothing’. That is a real pity, because I believe in Desert Knowledge Australia; it is a great thing. It has the greatest potential to develop what we have known all along but not many people have recognised. If the community of Alice Springs takes ownership of this, I strongly believe that the promotion of it, not only into the community itself but overseas, will take off.
The Chief Minister, in her second reading speech, spoke about the issue of intellectual property. I have thought long and hard about this and I am not quite sure how this is going to be addressed by Desert Knowledge Australia. I had long discussions during the briefing I had on this matter and, to date, I have not been able to satisfy my mind on how intellectual property will be protected. I am sure there are many indigenous people who would have thoughts and expertise on matters in the arid zone. I look forward to Desert Knowledge Australia coming out more publicly and telling us how they will address this issue. I will wait to a later stage when we can talk about the amendments to the bill. I understand there are a few clauses that the Chief Minister wishes to amend.
In all, I believe the Desert Knowledge Centre will be a good thing for us in Central Australia. It is an exciting development that needs to be promoted to the public so that Alice Springs people really understand what it is about. Many of the briefing sessions I go to are not well attended by the average public person. The professionals are there; that is great. While the town council is involved in the discussions and the steering group, the aldermen should be involved in it and other corporate leaders in the town should be included in this on a specific invitation so that they turn up.
Madam Speaker, I support this bill. It is good for Central Australia and for the Territory, and I look forward to continuing promotion of it.
Dr TOYNE (Central Australia): Madam Speaker, I support this bill brought forward by the Chief Minister. As a Central Australian, I believe this is going to mark the beginning of a major new era. The most important aspect is that Desert Knowledge Australia and the Desert People’s Precinct developments are actually investing in the most precious resource that we have in Central Australia; that is, our people and their knowledge.
Often when you look at progressing economic development in a region, whether it is in the Northern Territory or elsewhere around the world, the bricks and mortar aspects of it, the infrastructural aspects of development, tend to take the fore. What we have with Desert Knowledge is we are looking at the less tangible but far more valuable property that is already in existence in Central Australia, and that is the vast store of knowledge. That knowledge spans a huge number of sectors. Whether it be the age-old knowledge of the indigenous people as regards their environment and social practices - everything from how to live off the land and how to care for the land through to methods of mediating social issues, bringing up children, maintaining extended families - it is very practical stuff. We can learn much from that indigenous sector.
Equally, we have mining camps out there, pastoral properties, remote tourist-based and service delivery-based operations such as remote roadhouses. Many things have accumulated just because they are there and because they have had to find practical ways of sustaining what they are doing, and accumulate a lot of specific knowledge about living in that environment. Similarly, the types of appliances, the techniques that are being used are unique to Central Australia in many cases.
I was surprised to hear the member for Greatorex saying that this is a very carefully kept secret. I attended the Desert Knowledge Symposium, a most exciting event that was highly publicised. It brought together for the first time representatives from all over arid zone Australia. It was a real tour de force of the type of knowledge and priorities that exist, not just in the minds of academics or business people, but in the minds of communities like Mt Isa and Port Augusta - communities that have a similar set of priorities.
The fact that Central Australia is now leading the way in what is a very significant national development is a credit to all those who have brought this idea together. I acknowledge that the history goes earlier than the beginning of the Labor government. There have been many people who have contributed to this. It is a community initiative, one that is thoroughly owned by the people of Central Australia despite assertions to the contrary.
What we are seeking to do is to bring together these interest groups and facilitate economic development and the development of the social strength of our communities. The Desert Knowledge Steering Committee should be acknowledged: Lhere Artepe, Batchelor Institute, the Centre for Appropriate Technology, Tangentyere Council, ATSIC and CLC on the indigenous side of the equation. Without the enormous support and shared vision of those indigenous organisations, we would not have Desert Knowledge to the stage it has reached with the introduction of this bill.
The purpose of the bill is to create a legal entity that will facilitate and encourage education and training, research, commerce and technology that is relevant to health, wellbeing, sustainable economic and social development and to improve livelihoods of all communities in deserts and arid lands. The entity will encourage and facilitate the formation of partnerships, joint ventures, alliances, networks and other cooperative arrangements that will further Desert Knowledge Australia objectives of harmony, sustainability and wealth creation.
The composition of the board of Desert Knowledge Australia is determined through this bill, and it makes provision for the nomination of members to the corporation who will be appointed by the minister. The aim is to achieve a board comprising suitably qualified persons who are representative of the interests of communities in deserts and arid lands, indigenous peoples of deserts and arid lands, people with special expertise and interest in deserts and arid lands, and people from different levels of government.
The board will comprise between five and 11 members including a chairperson and a deputy chairperson, with half the members nominated by participants. A participant is a person, authority or organisation who or which is contributing to building a body of knowledge and expertise about deserts and arid lands by means funded or facilitated, promoted or supported by Desert Knowledge Australia.
The minister must invite participants to nominate for appointment as members of the board who hold suitable qualifications or have suitable knowledge related to the objects and functions of Desert Knowledge Australia. The minister will make appointments from those nominated by participants after consultation and inquiry as to the suitability of each nominee. The bill requires a minimum number of indigenous people on the board. A board of five members must have at least two indigenous persons. A six, seven or eight member board will have at least three indigenous persons, and a board of nine, 10 or 11 members will have at least four indigenous members. The minister may also seek nominations to the board from other jurisdictions in Australia, including nominations from the Prime Minister, the Premier of a state or any other person considered appropriate.
This government is committed to do all in its power to facilitate a board that has a broad range of skills and represents the interests of those in desert Australia. The chairperson and deputy chairperson will be appointed by the minister from the board members, and at least one of these positions must be an indigenous person. The term of a member is four years, or a shorter term if notified on an instrument of appointment. A member may be reappointed as a member.
There are provisions within the bill which establish a high standard of public accountability for the board. The appointed members have specific duties and obligations under this legislation. For example, a member is required to disclose certain information, including any interests that are likely to give rise to a conflict with his or her duties as a member. The appointment of a member may be terminated on the grounds of inability, inefficiency, misbehaviour or incapacity. The appointment of a member will be terminated if he or she fails to attend three consecutive meetings without a leave of absence, fails to disclose a relevant interest, becomes bankrupt, or is found guilty of an offence.
The board must meet at least four times a year and may be directed by the minister to meet for a specific purpose. The board is subject to a written direction of the minister and the minister is required to table in the Assembly any written direction he or she has made to the board. Copies of the minister’s written directions are to be included in the board’s annual report.
The board must keep proper accounts and records of financial transactions and the accounting standards established by the Corporations (Northern Territory Request) Act 2001 apply to the board. The Treasurer has access to financial information of the entity and must approve the investment of money held by Desert Knowledge Australia. The board is required to prepare an annual report, including a financial statement. The report is to be audited by the Auditor-General and laid before the Assembly.
As regards the precinct in which Desert Knowledge and the Desert People’s Centre will operate, the bill provides for the minister to declare an area as the Desert Knowledge Australia Precinct, which will be the principle place where the affairs of Desert Knowledge Australia are conducted. The board is given the powers to make by-laws for the precinct, covering such areas as the establishment, management or control of cultural centres, halls of residence or other accommodation on site; the regulation of access to the site; regulation of conduct on the site; regulation of vehicles or animals on the site; and the creation of offences for breach of the by-laws.
The interim board, provided for in the bill, consists of three members appointed by the minister. The interim board is charged with responsibility for setting up and organising the precinct; setting up and organising participants; and other activities as directed by the minister.
Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I take part in this debate today, because this is, as I said earlier, a very important development for Central Australia and Alice Springs. We will literally be leading the nation in this very important area of development. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge some of the people who have taken part in this development: Ken Johnson, who is in the House today, and I certainly acknowledge his work; Mike Crowe, John Baskerville, Mark Stafford-Smith, Bruce Walker in the DPC area, Jim Bray, Veronica Arbon and Harold Furber. These and many other people have given selflessly of their time, expertise and energy to make this very important development come into being.
Mr BURKE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I make a few brief comments regarding the corporation that is, essentially, being established by this bill, called Desert Knowledge Australia. In that context, in setting up that corporation, the bill has appropriate checks and balances in it. There is sufficient information in the bill to assuage me of any concerns with the way it will be run, organised and overseen by the Treasurer, in particular. The opposition has no problems with the act in itself. I understand some of the amendments that have come through have arisen through discussions between the shadow minister for Central Australia and the briefing team, so I do not imagine we would have any problems overall with any of the amendments.
In the hurly-burly of politics, we politicians have many differences on either side of the House. We play those differences particularly hard, though I do believe, at the end of the day, each of us in our own way wants to see the Territory get better, and develop in the interests of all Territorians. It is in that context that I believe that this is one occasion when the whole concept of what Desert Knowledge Australia seeks to achieve should be applauded in this House. The Attorney-General was gracious enough to say that this has been coming to fruition for some numbers of years. It was, in its conceptual stage, embraced firmly by me and my government. It just seemed to synthesise everything that really needed to be emphasised about making the most of the unique cultural aspects of our population, and also leveraging off the position that the Northern Territory and, in particular Central Australia, has in the wider context. There are so many people around Australia and the world who are trying to capitalise on the indigenous experience they may have in a small or large way. When it comes to Desert Knowledge, you only have to look at places like Arizona, where they see themselves as the experts in arid knowledge projects.
Therefore, it is a great opportunity to do all of the things that the Desert Knowledge Australia Corporation is charged to do in this act - and it is there for everyone to read - which are all laudable functions of Desert Knowledge Australia. The list is extensive; the Minister for Central Australia mentioned one. I would like to emphasise, for the sake of Hansard, the three primary functions in the act: Desert Knowledge Australia is -
- … to encourage and facilitate the development of a body of knowledge and expertise relevant to
deserts and arid lands;
- to encourage improvements to the economies and livelihoods of communities in deserts and arid
lands and further the economic and social development and ecologically sustainable wealth
creation of those communities;
- to establish, develop and manage the Desert Knowledge Australia Precinct as a nationally and
internationally renowned centre of knowledge about deserts and arid lands and for its contribution
to education and training, research, commerce and technology relevant to the economic and social
development of communities in deserts and arid lands …
Those three functional areas seem to encapsulate what Desert Knowledge Australia is charged with.
I listened carefully to the Minister for Central Australia’s comments. I believe that he is one amongst many individuals who should be respected for the amount of effort he has put in over many years to advance the interests of Aboriginal people in particular. Despite our political differences, we need people like him in the Northern Territory. If there is concern about this particular concept being developed in a bureaucratic way at its outset, that is something we can all work to dispel because it is truly a people’s project. One of the difficulties with getting it progressed has been to get that communication and coordination. For those who have been involved in getting this project to the stage that it has reached, I have only the utmost admiration, and I thank them for their efforts. I noticed the minister named a number of public servants. One of the things that pleased me in how Desert Knowledge Australia is being progressed was to see Mr Larry Bannister as part of the team. Having worked closely with him over the railway project, there is no one that I would have more confidence in seeing work to ensure that this project reaches all of the objectives that have been set for it.
It is a great opportunity for Aboriginal people. It is a great opportunity also to combine the most basic information, as the minister said, in how communities can live better - not only in parenting skills but just in living in arid communities - and projecting that knowledge in a wider sense. It is very important that it is international, because a lot of work is being done internationally. The leverage and synergies with those other international bodies is extremely important.
The precinct conceptual design stages are absolutely exciting. I do not know how the government is seeing those design concepts being progressed, but it seemed to me when I saw those them that this was really something special. The design stage was done by a Territorian. The way the design encapsulates Aboriginal cultural aspects and dreaming stories is wonderful. I see it as an enormous boost to tourism. If there are priorities that need to be set in the early stages it seems to me that the tourism aspects of it need to be advanced as a priority. That will be a great way of getting a new experience in Central Australia and particularly in Alice Springs - an experience that everyone would enjoy and there would be no where else in the world that could match it.
Madam Speaker, with those few words, I congratulate the government for the further progress they have made with this concept. I congratulate all of those who have been involved with it, particularly the Aboriginal organisations, whom I know in the early stages approached this with some caution, and were concerned that some of their own independence and priorities might have been overwhelmed by this particular concept. I congratulate them for seeing and embracing the vision that is there in this project.
If I had any question at all, it would be to seek some comfort from the Chief Minister about the $94m program over seven years. I am not quite sure just how much of that money has been committed through the Cooperative Research Centre, how much is still to be achieved, what will be the contribution that is needed from the Northern Territory government in that period, and how that is being budgeted. It would be sad - and we know all the pitfalls that can come along; one organisation starts to get, for whatever reason, out of sync – if things stall in some way or another. It really needs to be progressed now, and progressed quickly. The composition of that particular board and the challenges that face the CEO, in particular, are challenges that government, I am sure, will recognise and support fully as they progress this initiative further. With those few comments, Madam Speaker, I indicate the opposition’s full support for the bill.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank members of the House for their support. This really is a very exciting initiative for Central Australia. The member for Greatorex mentioned that a billion people live in desert regions around the world. In Central Australia, in both our indigenous and non-indigenous communities, we have an incredible expertise, both formal and tacit, and this is the opportunity we can have to develop those skills and look at the end product of how we can commercialise them. It was with much pride that I stood at the historic Alice Springs sittings and introduced the Desert Knowledge Australia legislation into the parliament.
Just to pick up on a couple of points that have been raised, particularly the one from the Leader of the Opposition about what funding the Territory government is putting towards the CRC for Desert Knowledge. This is a separate operation to the Desert Knowledge Australia operation. The Desert Knowledge Australia Act will set up the statutory corporation under which the Desert People’s Centre will be built. The Desert People’s Precinct will be there, part of that will be the Desert People’s Centre, made up currently of Batchelor and the Centre for Appropriate Technology. What we would also like to see develop in that precinct, in time, is also a graduate School of Desert Knowledge, an international desert innovation centre and, of course, the $10m commitment that we have given as government to a cultural centre.
This is the umbrella body, the statutory corporation, that will be overseeing the precinct’s development, one part of which is the Desert People’s Centre. We would hope, as that centre is developed, that the CRC for Desert Knowledge, which was funded by the Commonwealth under its CRC program last December, would come in and have space in the Desert People’s Precinct. The funding for the CRC is $20m from the Commonwealth, the other contributing support will take that to $94m from all the contributors - about $18m of those to the CRC around Australia over the seven years of its operation. The specific Territory support is $190 000 for seven years and, of course, associated in kind support with that. In terms of dollars it is not a substantial contribution from the Territory; $190 000 for each year for seven years, and also further in kind support. The funding for the CRC, quite appropriately, comes from the Commonwealth government.
For the Desert Peoples Precinct, we have committed $2.2m this year for headworks so we will actually see that operation start this year. The member for Greatorex said it has been discussed as a concept and there has been some level of uncertainty about what it means, so to see headworks start this financial year and buildings being created whereby those concepts can be transferred into a reality is very exciting. It will transform what the Desert Knowledge project is about into reality for Central Australia.
It is related to the skills of living in arid environments, whether it be in an indigenous community, pastoral property or a mining camp. It is related to the expertise we have developed in service delivery, bush products, the built environment and the range of living skills that have developed, both in a formal and informal sense, over thousands of years. It is an opportunity to take those and develop them further and, as the statutory corporation is charged, to see whether there are commercial opportunities for those skills and capacities that have been developed.
It is a very exciting opportunity. As the Leader of the Opposition said, there is great tourism potential, particularly when you look at what the Centre for Appropriate Technology, Batchelor Institute and the Cultural Centre do. When you look at aspects of culture in Central Australia, it is a showcase for both the product and its creation. That will be a source of enormous pride to indigenous people, but also of great value to the tourism industry.
The member for Greatorex raised the aspect of intellectual property that I talked about in the second reading speech. I talked about the powers of the corporation. The reference to intellectual property was that the corporation’s powers would include the ability to create and hold intellectual property that then may be developed commercially; it will be done along the lines that you would expect with the development and protection of intellectual property. I am confident that the board of the statutory corporation for Desert Knowledge Australia will have the ability to properly manage that project. Nobody is saying that it is going to be easy, but that was the only reference I could find to intellectual property and it is within the powers of the corporation to develop.
The statutory corporation, as so clearly outlined by the Attorney-General, will have high standards associated with its operations, checks and balances, as you expect with any statutory corporation. Within the legislation, there is an appropriate representation of indigenous people – very appropriate to a Desert Knowledge Board - and appropriate checks and balances in reference to Treasury, ministerial direction and accountability, and reporting to this parliament through the Auditor-General. We have set it up very carefully. It is accountable, but it also reflects community and indigenous aspirations.
There are a lot of thanks, and those thanks have been given by other speakers. I particularly thank the steering committee which drove this over a number of years. It is a community-based project. I recognise the support of the CLP when in government in initiating this. We embraced it fully. It was a great project and we have recognised the previous government and their support of the project.
We have seen a community project supported appropriately by the bureaucracy, and that was a balance to achieve, but it has been done well, and it is now blossoming. It has a long way to go, but it has been given a great fillip by the federal government’s recognition of Desert Knowledge through a CRC. That has given it a real focus for the future.
The other aspects will be slowly developed with the buildings on site, working towards the whole process of Desert Knowledge from the concept it is now, becoming a reality. It will take time, but I believe with strong community support and with the overarching body that we have set up through the statutory corporation, that it holds well for the future. It is exciting in terms of new industries in the Territory. In Central Australia we have tourism, mining and pastoral, which are our traditional industries. What can happen through Desert Knowledge are those new industries for the future.
From my point of view, I would like to put on the record my thanks to the members of the steering committee, Lhere Artepe; the Batchelor Institute; the Centre for Appropriate Technology; Tangentyere Council; ATSIC and the Central Land Council, together with the Chamber of Commerce in Alice Springs; the NTU, soon to be known as Charles Darwin; CSIRO; the Alice Springs Town Council; and all aspects of government which have supported getting where we are now. I give thanks to two of those who have worked so hard to get Desert Knowledge where it is now, and that is to Larry Bannister and Dr Ken Johnston who are in this House - our thanks - and to all the others who have been involved.
Referring to the amendments to the bill; they are only small but significant. Clause 22 refers to disclosure of interests. Originally, it was requiring members of the board to provide a list of their interests and partnerships in accordance with regulations. We have decided to change that; that will then be disclosed to the board. It is simplifying the process that new members disclose interests at their first board meeting, and for the board to determine the manner of disclosure, rather than by regulations. That is a simple disclosure of interest.
Clause 47 looks at the annual report and the audit of the report. The amendment just has a tighter time frame for furnishing that annual report and providing an audited financial statement. The amendment states that it will require the board to report to the minister and the Auditor-General by 30 September in the year, not 30 November, and for the audited statement to be provided to the minister and the Assembly by 30 November, bringing it in line with all other reporting mechanisms.
I thank all members for their support and input, and hope that we, as a Territory, can support the creation of Desert Knowledge and see it flourishing, and see the real benefits we can gain for the Territory, particularly as those buildings progress, the CRC go through its seven year process and, hopefully, the creation of jobs and business enterprises from now. Madam Speaker, I thank everyone for their support.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
In committee:
Clauses 1 to 21, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Clause 22:
Ms MARTIN (by leave): Mr Chairman, I move amendments 45.1, 45.2 and 45.3 together.
Amendments agreed to.
Clause 22, as amended, agreed to.
Clauses 23 to 46, by leave, taken together.
Dr LIM: I would like to draw the Chief Minister’s attention to clause 25, Meetings of Board. I am not asking for an amendment, just an explanation for clause 25(4)(a):
At a meeting of the Board –
- (a) one member appointed on nomination under section 14 and one member who was not
appointed on nomination under that section must be present; …
Are we going to be able to definitely make sure that people in those two categories will always be at a meeting? Otherwise, you are going to end up with no quorum and no meetings.
Ms MARTIN: As I understand your query, if there is not a quorum, the meeting will not be able to go ahead. This is the regular framework you have for statutory corporations. I am sure with the commitment we will have from people on this Desert Knowledge Australia Board they will not be missing meetings. I am confident it will be fine.
Dr LIM: I take your assurances. That is normally more than half plus one.
Clauses 23 to 46 agreed to.
Clause 47:
Ms MARTIN (by leave): Mr Chairman, I move amendments 45.4, 45.5 and 45.6 be taken together.
Dr LIM: Mr Chairman, I am happy for the amendments to go through. I would like to draw the House’s attention to the fact that this amendment was something on which I sought at a briefing. We have heard from the Auditor-General that there are too many annual reports coming in very late in the calendar year and, by the time he audits the reports and puts his report to the House, it ends up in the next year and makes his audit and the report quite irrelevant to the financial year preceding. I believe by shifting the date from 30 November to 30 September, it brings it one quarter earlier allowing parliament to at least look at the Auditor-General’s report on the annual report within the same calendar year as the close of business.
Amendments agreed to.
Clause 47, as amended, agreed to.
Remainder of the bill, by leave, taken as a whole and agreed to.
Bill reported with amendments; report adopted.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 148)
(Serial 148)
Continued from 28 May 2003.
Mr REED (Katherine): Madam Speaker, this bill seeks to do a number of things; many of which are technical in nature. It is quite logical that those changes to facilitate reporting and other actions in accrual accounting be made, and that the arrangements are put in place for that to be done in a legislative authority, particularly in relation to Working for Outcomes which was an initiative put in place by the former government and carried through by this government. I am pleased to see that implemented. It is a logical direction to be proceeding in and one that will ensure that the processes that were intended by the present and former government are carried through.
The whole-of-government financial reporting provisions and appropriation arrangements for employee entitlements paid by the Central Holding Authority, is also appropriate and supported by the opposition. It is a move that is necessary, given the new arrangements, and it is appropriate that the act be changed to bring into a parallel arrangement the payment of those entitlements to those that exist for the superannuation act. There will now be direct similarity into how those entitlements and superannuation are employed.
There are an interesting couple of points I wanted to raise regarding former comments made by the then opposition, particularly the Chief Minister and shadow Treasurer, in years past. Together with her other Labor colleagues, as the members of the opposition, they were always very critical of Treasurer’s Annual Financial Reports, and the processes and the legislation that was in place to facilitate such reports, and the means by which they were debated in the House. It is interesting to note that when legislation of this kind is brought before the House by the Treasurer and the current government, all of the things that were going to be changed - the new light that was to shine upon us with the Labor government, how wonderful things would be and how much things would change, and the terrible arrangements that were put in place by the former government would be gone forever - no opportunity has been taken with these amendments to overcome those fearful and awful practices of the former government which were as portrayed then by the opposition.
It is another demonstration in a growing list of failure to act by this government on issues that were so important to it, so horrendous, so offensive and so obnoxious when they were in opposition, that they were going to be changed immediately they obtained government. Nothing has happened. The list continues to grow. We have seen many examples of it and there are other examples of it here today. This bill expands on what were considered horrendous practices by the now government then opposition; for example, in clause 5 of the bill, which proposes a new clause 8 (2), and I quote:
- In preparing those financial statements, the Treasurer may have regard to what is required to be
included in the final fiscal results report for the financial year under the Fiscal Integrity and
Transparency Act.
‘May’ - they were the very sorts of words that so offended the then opposition. That should have been ‘should’, it could be ‘should’ and it probably should be ‘should’ to ensure that the Treasurer ‘should’ have regard to what is required to be included so that it is more definitive than ‘may’.
A second example exists in clause 5 of the bill which proposes a new clause 9, Treasurer’s annual financial statement:
(2) The annual financial statement may incorporate the final fiscal results report for the financial
year under the Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act.
If there is a more appropriate example, I cannot think of it, but that should be a requirement for the Treasurer to have incorporated the final fiscal results; not he ‘may’ - not an option to do or not to do these things.
We see here a situation where the Treasurer is introducing legislation that could be called sloppy at best in the requirements that he has to fulfil and the information that he has to provide to this House and, in turn, the people of the Northern Territory, and the ability for him, should he so desire in times to come, not to include information that he considers appropriate to exclude at any particular time.
That is in direct conflict with the attitude of the then opposition and now Labor government when they were sitting on these benches. It is instructive for us to reflect on the sorts of things that the Labor opposition then railed against. It raised concerns in the business community and across the Northern Territory in relation to certain aspects of governance then undertaken by the then government, which have now been demonstrated by the actions of the current government to be totally false in that what they said was happening. What they maintained and expressed to Territorians as being something that should be feared, in fact did not have to be feared, and that is best demonstrated by their actions now.
It is a sad reflection on the current government. It is a record and a list that I am keeping of the issues that they pursued, the things that they said were awful when the CLP government was in power and what they would change for the betterment of governance in the Northern Territory when they attained government, and what they are failing to do. Indeed, as I have just demonstrated, they are not only failing to correct those things - and there is good reason for not correcting them because there was in fact nothing wrong. In terms of this bill, they are watering down the obligations of the Treasurer, or at best giving him and the government an out in the event that they do not want to report to a full extent at any time in the future.
It is wise that we pay attention to these things. It is only one word, ‘may’, which should be ‘should’. It is a very important omission and a serious failure by this government to demonstrate that they are, in fact, operating in an open way with integrity, reporting in full, and that they intend to do so. This bill does not demonstrate that they have an intention to conduct themselves in a way that will be one of integrity and transparency. It again demonstrates, as we pointed out when the legislation was first introduced, that the Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act is anything but that. That act enables the government to do anything. The only opportunity for Territorians to feel that the government must report in a full and open way is in the title of that Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act. The words under that act are hollow. They do not require a commitment that the name purports to reflect, and that is reflected in the fact that the word ‘may’ is used on at least two occasions in this piece of legislation where the word ‘should’ should appear.
With those reservations, and pointing out the inadequacies of both this piece of legislation and the failure of the government to act in a way that it demonstrated, or tried to demonstrate, that it would act when it was in opposition had it the opportunity to do so on winning government, is letting Territorians down, is not sticking to their word, is not keeping their commitment, and indeed, as I say, adds to a long list of actions in that regard. As regards other components of this bill, the opposition supports them. They are generally of a technical nature. With those words, I complete my remarks.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I listened closely to the member for Katherine’s comments, particularly in and around the use of the term ‘may’ in the Financial Management Act, and I take his point. I am not sure how hard we ever drove it among other issues that needed to be changed from the opposition benches. Certainly, some of the changes that we wanted to bring forward have been made in the earlier Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act. It is probably a fair call to say that there ought be a more mandatory word than ‘may’ in the Financial Management Act.
However, this was a question of wanting to get reporting lines locked down between all of the components. It was not intended to be a lengthy amendment bill. The use of the term ‘may’ was drafted deliberately by Parliamentary Counsel to mirror the terminology in the Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act and, of course, it has always been in the Financial Management Act.
The member for Katherine never had a difficulty with the word ‘may’ in all of the years that he was Treasurer. The fact that it is still there is now a huge issue. It was not an issue when he was Treasurer for quite some years. It is a discretion that that word ‘may’ has always existed in the Financial Management Act, notwithstanding some subtle element of hypocrisy here in the member for Katherine’s exploring this terminology. It is under consideration for future amendment in the planned review of the Financial Management Act and the Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act.
At this early stage of getting into accrual accounting at least, it is thought, as everything gets bedded down, it is better to retain that flexibility for whole-of-government financial reports. It has been discussed at length with the Auditor-General, and those issues that were raised by the member for Katherine clarified. He indicates he understands the reasons for the legislative approach being undertaken today, that it was not a more fulsome amendment bill. He says it is his job to point these things out, and we certainly accept that. We wanted this to get through. It has to be through by the end of the financial year.
I can indicate to the member for Katherine that it will be considered for future amendment in the planned review. I thank him for his otherwise support of the bill. As I said, it is early days in accrual accounting. That flexibility has been there for a long time. It is not going hurt being there for a little extra time until we get accrual accounting bedded right down across the system. It has always been recognised it was going to take a couple of years.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
DISTINGUISHED VISITOR
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I acknowledge the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of Hon G Bywaters, a former minister for agriculture in the Dunstan government in South Australia. On behalf of all members, I extend you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
STATUTE LAW REVISION BILL
(Serial 146)
(Serial 146)
Continued from 30 April 2003.
Mr MALEY (Goyder): Madam Speaker, I indicate that the opposition, having considered the bill, will be supporting it.
As the Attorney-General said in his fairly short - only a couple of paragraphs - second reading speech, the changes contained in the Statute Law Revision Bill (Serial 146), are substantial changes in policy. They include a number of minor amendments to correct errors that have come to light over the last year or so. The changes include things like correcting references to names of acts which may have been changed or repealed, correcting spelling mistakes and making some provisions gender neutral. There is an amendment to the Crimes (Victims Assistance) Act to make it clear that a medical report does not have to be annexed to an affidavit before it is tendered into court; it is evidence of the facts contained therein, in its own right. That resolved an inconsistency and reflects the intention of the Crimes (Victims Assistance) Act.
The bill is not contentious. The opposition having considered it, will support it.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I thank the opposition for their support for this bill. As in all Statute Law Revision Bills, it is really dealing with minor corrections to legislation rather than matters of policy or significant change. Again, I thank the opposition for their support.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
ENERGY PIPELINES AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 143)
(Serial 143)
Continued from 1 May 2003.
Mr DUNHAM (Drysdale): Madam Speaker, this is auspicious because, even though it is a small bill, it is to be passed on the day after the announcement that Bayu-Undan gas will come onshore at Wickham Point. There will be a number of small bills of this nature to make sure that this project is facilitated. It is evidence of the government’s bona fides and goodwill that they are continuing to make sure that matters such as this are in the best interests of not only the company but, eventually, Territorians as a whole.
It is a fairly minor proposal to align three bills, a Commonwealth bill and two Northern Territory bills, particularly insofar as to the term of condition. The opposition supports it, and supports any other amendments of this minor nature that might come forward, requiring this parliament to make sure that the facilitation of a project of the magnitude of Bayu-Undan is done as quickly as possible and without any issues of this nature acting to impede the project. It is supported by the opposition.
Mr HENDERSON (Business, Industry and Resource Development): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Drysdale and shadow spokesman for his support, and the support of members on that side. He is right. It is an auspicious piece of legislation. It is only a small piece of legislation but it does allow consistency between Northern Territory government legislation and Commonwealth legislation for the terms of the Bayu-Undan gas pipeline in the first instance, from the field to shore and then from the low water mark to the gas plant at Wickham Point. That pipeline cannot commence without this piece of legislation.
There have been a number of bills come before the House regarding the pipelines, both onshore and offshore, over the last 12 months. I am not aware of any other pipeline bills that need to come through for this particular project. It is an auspicious piece of legislation, a small piece of legislation, but this bill will assist the development of that $3bn project of the pipeline and the LNG plant. I am pleased that all members of the House support this bill.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr HENDERSON (Business, Industry and Resource Development) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
TOBACCO CONTROL AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 161)
(Serial 161)
Continued from 28 May 2003.
Ms CARTER (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, the purpose of the bill is to clarify a number of issues surrounding the operation of the act in liquor licensed premises other than restaurants; to clarify the restrictions relating to alfresco dining; to adjust some of the restrictions related to the display of tobacco products; and to introduce a definition of specialist tobacconists.
Since the act was implemented it has become apparent that certain points need to be made clearer to people. Specific changes include making it clear that restaurants, whether they have a liquor licence or not, must be smoke-free; dining areas within a licensed premises such as a hotel, must be smoke-free; equal amenity for smokers and non-smokers is to be provided throughout a licensed premises; a multifunction room within a licensed premise must only be smoke-free for a period of time it is used as a dining room; meals may be consumed in smoking areas if staff do not have to serve them there; bars can sell packet food like crisps without having to be smoke-free; and alfresco dining areas will be exempt from the ban of smokers from within 2 m of a doorway.
The proposed changes also cover limitations on tobacco retailers with regard to the number and types of products they can display, and the term ‘specialist tobacconist’ has been defined as a separate retail operation where 85% of the total retail operation is derived from tobacco.
A number of amendments are also to be made to the regulations once the amendments to the act are passed. These amendments will include casinos to provide smoking and non-smoking tables on the basis of equal amenity rather than just a 50:50 split by number; and smoking to be permitted in specially enclosed areas on oil rigs because of the explosive danger which could be posed to the rig and the workers if forced to go outside to smoke.
It is a shame that so quickly after the introduction of the original act which came into force on 1 January this year, we find ourselves back in this Chamber examining a significant number of amendments in order to clarify things. I would have thought the original act would have compared well to those already operating in other Australian jurisdictions and that the minister and her staff would have been able to identify and iron out these problems during the drafting of the original act. Be that as it may, this is the place to sort these things out and better now than later.
The minister is to be commended for her work, and that of her department, on the Tobacco Control Act. I believe smoking restrictions will help to encourage smokers to quit and, of course, it will allow many non-smokers to venture into venues they have up until now been reluctant to visit. The opposition supports the legislation.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Madam Speaker, I contribute to debate on the Tobacco Control Amendment Bill. As it has been mentioned in this House before, the Northern Territory has the highest rate of smoking in Australia - approximately 30% of Territorians. I wanted to express my views as a non-smoker in relation to my family background. I have five family members who are smokers, and this is an issue about leadership.
The Northern Territory government under Clare Martin has said: ‘We are going to introduce tobacco legislation and tobacco control’. The opposition never had the leadership to do this, never had the numbers, never had the gonads to make such a decision, because they were afraid of possible backlash from the community and some industries. The minister should be commended for her stance over the last few months and, in particular, her negotiating skills with the industry and community groups.
The most significant health hazard in the past 10 years, and possibly longer, in the Northern Territory has been related to smoking. I am sure many people would also argue alcohol. In this case, the smoking of cigarettes has been a severe detriment to our community. Again, as a non-smoker and as a member of a family in which five people do smoke, I have often had to make allowances for the smokers. You do become used to being in an environment in which people smoke. Unfortunately, it is not healthy for you to be in that environment. That is what this issue is about: health. It is not about people’s choices to smoke or not to smoke etcetera; it is about people’s health.
One of the things that I considered a lack of leadership from the opposition was the fact that for four years in a row, we won the Dirty Ashtray Award from the Australian Council on Smoking and Health. This year, the Northern Territory has been named the Highest Achiever on the 2003 National Tobacco Scoreboard. That is a fantastic achievement, and a great turnaround in a short time.
As everyone knows, the act was designed to discourage people from smoking for health reasons. I remember, shortly after being elected, being approached by some health workers. They named particular places in my electorate where restricting or banning smoking in those environments will increase people’s health exponentially. That reiterated the fact that we were the only place in Australia without appropriate tobacco and smoking laws.
Reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, that is passive smoking - I have put up with being a passive smoker for a long period of time. You do not like it, but it is a reality that some people choose to smoke and some choose not to. I know many people who are used to the idea of being surrounded by people who smoke. Again, this issue is not about the choice of whether or not to smoke, but it is about showing leadership in our community to ensure that people’s health is protected.
There is an issue of education as well. I am sure there are a lot of smokers who would like to give up their habit and, for whatever reasons, are struggling with that. That is why part of the act addresses support for people to stop smoking. Contributing factors are the environment they have grown up with, stress factors, work environments, etcetera have led them to smoke. As a government, we have taken steps to ensure that we support quitting for the proportion of the population that does smoke.
I would like to touch on a few areas, particularly preventing young people from becoming attracted and addicted to tobacco products. It is alarming - I was watching a documentary the other day on SBS where they spoke about the increased numbers of young women smoking cigarettes. It also mentioned that other drugs and alcohol-related activities in Australia has actually increased. For the first time in two years they suggested that this has occurred for a number of decades. We have to encourage people not to take up smoking at an early age. We have all gone through that peer pressure in the schoolyard, being encouraged by our peers to try something daring. I was lucky enough, in that I have never ever smoked one cigarette all the way through. You might have a test run at it, but I have never actually got to the end of a cigarette. I am not criticising members of this House, or members of the community who do smoke, because there are many, but I would like to encourage them to the reality that they can give up smoking.
On the clarification of smoking in licensed premises, in particular restaurants, whether they are liquor licensed premises or not, they must be smoke-free. Obviously, as a member of parliament, many people come up to you and ask you about what are the smoke-free laws. I am sure all members of parliament had to quickly get their heads around what the legislation meant, to inform people, because a large proportion of people do smoke and a large proportion of non-smokers would like to be clear on where smokers can smoke. The bill makes it clear that dining areas within liquor licensed premises must also be completely non-smoking, and that equal amenities for smokers and non-smokers will be provided throughout the rest of the venue. We have taken a common sense approach to this. The idea is to protect patrons who are eating, and staff who serve food - whether they work in a restaurant, club, or tavern - from being exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.
For instance, a commonsense approach has been taken by the Nightcliff Football Club, a community club in the northern suburbs. It is not actually in my electorate, but a lot of members are my constituents. I have family who play sports at that football club - cricket, Aussie Rules, lawn bowls etcetera. It is in the minister’s electorate and I would like to recognise that. There are people who do like to have a smoke while attending that community sports club, and others who do not. We have taken the stance that when there is food being served, it is only required to be non-smoking during that period that the room is being used as a dining area. That is very important. A dining room or food service area that has a multiple purpose needs to be non-smoking during that period of time. When it is not being used for a dining room or food service, then people can decide whether they smoke or not in equal amenity areas. That is the bottom line for this: equal amenity is the foundation of this legislation and the amendments, that there is recognition that people do choose to smoke, and people do choose to be in a non-smoking environment. By the commonsense approach that we have taken, hopefully, we are trying to represent all interests.
One of the other interesting things about the legislation is that a patron at a liquor licensed premises which is not a restaurant may be served a meal, and they may consume that meal. However, they can only be served in an area that is a non-smoking area. When they receive that meal, whether it is a T-bone, a hamburger, or fries, if they decide to go into a smoking area where their friends are having a beer and a smoke - or a soft drink and a smoke, or whatever they want to do - that is their choice. However, it is a commonsense approach that the staff are only able to serve in the actual non-smoking area. I hope that this gets promoted widely so people will fully understand the situation in liquor licensed areas.
The other side of that, of course, is that bars may serve manufactured pre-packaged snacks. I am sure many members in this House have gone to a bar or pub and bought a soft drink or beer, whatever they were drinking at the time, and thought: ‘I might get a packet of chips or peanuts’. It is important that we are still allowing this, and it is not breaching the smoke-free zone. The reason, of course, is that we want to encourage people if they are consuming alcohol to do it sensibly and responsibly by making sure they have food in their stomach, and not drinking on empty stomachs. This is a very commonsense approach.
This provision also does not allow food service to occur in a smoking area and thus expose wait staff to environmental tobacco smoke. Obviously, that is a big issue for staff working in these environments who are non-smokers. It is important to ensure that they have protection and, again, that is a commonsense approach.
As we have seen in Darwin recently, there has been an explosion of alfresco dining. There is an issue of smoking within 2 m of the entrances in small venues which continue to provide smoking tables in the outdoor areas. In those areas you will be able to smoke but, again, it will be equal amenity areas and the exception of 2 m from the entrance will be removed.
I would also like to mention just briefly the casino, signage, and oil rigs. Those amendments have significant importance. There are a large number of people, as we all know, who visit the casino for recreation, to gamble and, in some instances, to drink or get a meal. The line that we have taken in providing equal amenities for tables and machines in non-smoking areas will be fantastic. I have often gone to the casino and come home and smelled of smoke. It is on your face, your shirts your pants. I know a number of people working there who are constantly running up a dry cleaning bill because of the effect of the smoke on their clothes. They are looking forward to working in areas that will be non-smoking.
Finally, to mention the oil and gas platform. The outside smoke provision mentioned under the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act allowed for smoking in special enclosed areas on oil rigs - for obvious safety reasons. This is to be continued through a room that will be additional to the general staff recreation room, and will be fully enclosed and separately ventilated.
In conclusion, the amendments are a competent approach to inform the community in the education process and to clarify some of the issues that have been raised over the last few months. The minister and this government should be commended for showing the leadership skills and the gonads in introducing this legislation which has been needed in the Northern Territory for a long time. This is a question of leadership and the Labor government of Clare Martin has shown leadership in this matter. Members of the Labor government, smokers and non-smokers, are all behind their leader and shown great solidarity and support on this issue. This was 10 years overdue and confirms that we are a united front in the government and we are moving forward.
TOBACCO CONTROL AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 161)
(Serial 161)
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr DUNHAM (Drysdale): Madam Speaker, I contribute to this debate, particularly given the contributions by the member for Millner who spoke about gonads, politics and regulation. I would like to talk about those matters, too, but I will start with politics rather than gonads.
This debate has been marked by a bipartisan approach in this House. The member for Millner chose to inject a quasi-leadership issue in an attempt to blur this debate and it ill behoves him. If you look at the debates thus far, generally there has been broad opinion that there is a necessity for some legislative regime and legislative change. There is debate at the edges about how one controls these issues. I suggest that if he wants to be a contributor to a debate like this in the future, he desists from finger pointing into the past and matters relating to the fortitude of the current leader he has and the lack thereof in respect of other governments.
Regulation: smoking is a legal habit. It is important in our repertoire to address the ill health resulting from smoking, to have regulation - very important. However, for governments to rely on this as some sort of fix-it is very short sighted. We are continuing to see the uptake of smoking, particularly by young women. There are young people taking it up, and the member for Millner touched on this in that it is seen as a forbidden area and, therefore, something attractive to people who want to thumb their nose at society. As legislators, we have to be careful that we do not render this to be an attractive proposition by virtue of the fact that we are wagging our fingers at those who engage in the habit, particularly young people. I suggest that it has a very firm place in our repertoire of approach, but regulation by itself is ineffective without a very sound educative regime. I prevail upon the minister to make sure that is in place.
I note that there has been a cut to primary health care in the budget, and I note there has been a cut to community health. These programs are opportunistic interventions through community health, the public health interventions that can be put in place for smoking and chronic diseases. I am disappointed to see those cuts in this budget and I am hopeful that the minister is not relying on this legislative approach to modify people’s behaviour when, obviously, there are better preventative techniques that could be used more effectively.
Gonads: it is a brave and courageous decision to give up smoking. People who give it up should be applauded for their courage. I noticed a bit of banter between the members for Millner and Arafura, one being a smoker and one being a non-smoker. It is not a productive debate to talk about the strength of a government because it can introduce laws. We should be talking about the strength of smokers who can desist this habit. It is an immensely addictive substance, and the people who give it up go through formal styles of withdrawal of the ilk that are described in medical literature for other addictive substances. I prevail on the government to provide some support for those people with the courage to give up smoking. It will not be just by wagging fingers and saying that you can smoke in area A but not area B; it has to be a community ethic and attitude. It has to be bipartisan.
If the minister looks closely at this side, she will find that she has allies. Let us not polarise this debate. Let us look at the best way forward and let us hope that the minister has in her armoury of stratagems to look at this that she has some educative community, preventative and public health initiatives because they are sadly lacking in her budget.
In the next week, we will be interrogating the minister on those initiatives. If she is in a comfortable area in which she thinks by this parliament merely running off lots of copies of an act that she can make a big difference, I suggest she looks at other techniques as well.
Mrs AAGAARD (Health and Community Services): Madam Speaker, I thank all members for their contribution today, and I thank the opposition for supporting the amendment bill. The member for Port Darwin mentioned that this was largely a clarification bill and that is absolutely true. With the rolling out of this legislation for these last few months, it became fairly clear that there were some things which were quite difficult and complex, and with working with the industry and all stakeholders, it was decided that the amendments which we find within this bill would assist with making sure that this was a balanced act.
I agree with the member for Drysdale that tobacco is a legal substance, and I guess that is why we have not actually banned tobacco entirely. On health grounds, to ban tobacco entirely would be the obvious thing to do. But naturally, as tobacco is a legal substance, all we have to do is balance the health needs of the community with the rights of individuals who choose to smoke. So there is in this legislation, including the amendments, that type of balance.
I thank the member for Millner, and I offer him good wishes in trying to encourage his family of five to not smoke; an interesting contribution from the member for Millner.
After four years of being branded the Dirty Ashtray Award winner, on 30 May the AMA and the Australian Council on Smoking and Health named the Northern Territory as the highest achiever in the 2003 National Tobacco scorecard. This is a fantastic effort for the Northern Territory.
In relation to the tobacco legislation and its roll-out, there are a few people I would like to thank. In particular, the Tobacco Control Coalition, the National Heart Foundation, the AMA, and the AHA. The AHA have taken a very high profile in the rolling out of this legislation. In particular I thank Greg Weller and Mick Burns who have very helpful and worked closely with individual licensees to make sure that this legislation would be understood by its members, and by people using those licensed premises. I give my thanks as well to all the unions who have been involved, as well as to small businesses. This has been a big change for the Northern Territory, and a very significant one.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mrs AAGAARD (Health and Community Services) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
COMMERCIAL PASSENGER (ROAD) TRANSPORT AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 133)
COMMERCIAL PASSENGER (ROAD) TRANSPORT (CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS) BILL
(Serial 134)
(Serial 133)
COMMERCIAL PASSENGER (ROAD) TRANSPORT (CONSEQUENTIAL AMENDMENTS) BILL
(Serial 134)
Continued from 25 February 2003.
Mr BURKE (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I make some comments with relation to this legislation which, with much fanfare, was announced by the government two years ago, and it has finally, in its second stage, reached this House. The fanfare, announced by the government, was that this was an industry operating under a series of regulations and an act that was totally inadequate for the industry, that the government was receiving a great deal of concern from within the industry and, because of the regime that the CLP government had set up, change was needed, and needed quickly. In that regard, two years is a long time to act quickly.
It is interesting to see where we are at this stage of the debate; where the government has no option but to pass this act in this sittings of parliament. The act has to be operative by the end of this month. It has come through in two tranches. The first tranche has already been dealt with and was passed in November 2002. The minister, at the time, foreshadowed to this House that the second tranche would come through at a later date. That later date has been something the opposition has called for on a number of occasions. There have been two sittings of parliament, as I recall, when the minister has been asked questions and has remained silent on this particular subject. However, in casual conversation either with members of the opposition or elsewhere, he has created a great deal of confusion with regards to how the bill will operate in its entirety. One classic piece was stated in this House by the minister when I recall he said, not verbatim, but words to the effect of ‘read my lips; the words “private hire car” will no longer exist’. A very definitive statement, but a statement which was withdrawn fairly quickly by the minister after he thought further about the ramifications of what he was foreshadowing, and is reflected in the amendments to this particular bill.
Therefore, at this stage, we have the first tranche of the bill that was passed in November 2002, and an amendment schedule No 43 that was foreshadowed in June of this year, with a draft for that particular set of amendments that was put out prior to that. If one looks at amendment schedule No 43, the amendment schedule is a major change to the act itself. Essentially, it is a withdrawal of the initial proposals and almost a rewrite. The first thing I would say about that is that it is a very complicated set of amendments that the opposition has to deal with. That particular set of amendments were first foreshadowed to the opposition at a briefing last Thursday, as I recall. As late as 11.30 am today - I emphasise the fact that the schedule No 43 amendments are very complicated, very hard for people to get themselves completely around, considering the statements the government has made. I am sure the simple fact that anyone would understand that the industry out there is totally confused. I say that in all sincerity.
At my office at lunch time today I was receiving calls from the industry - not from individual taxi drivers, but from the industry itself - pleading that they had no idea what the government was up to, they were concerned about the changes that were coming through, and they wanted to know what the opposition could do about it. It is quite understandable; we now have two schedule No 43 amendments - the first as early as last Thursday, the other was as late as 11.30 am today. On top of that, we have now been given a new schedule No 44 series of amendments by the minister. We also have a schedule No 48 amendments proposed by a member of the opposition. They are amendments that deal with a serious concern of the industry with regards to courtesy vehicles.
The end result is that the only way the government proposes we can deal with this is by recognising how complicated this whole set of amendments is, and they have laid out a series of ways to understand this legislation. It might suit their purposes that this is somehow a way you can move this legislation quickly before the parliament, but it certainly does not give the opposition the opportunity to represent the concerns of the industry in a responsible way. I give you an example, which is in the second reading speech. I will quote the minister. If one refers to the short second reading speech of 1 pages dealing with all of this stuff that we are supposed to deal with, in fact, in the core sum of about three hours – and admittedly we have had about an hour of Question Time - there was a passage there that says:
- The creation of an executive taxi category was undertaken in the first stage of reforms and those
operators in the private hire car industry can now choose the appropriate category that best fits
their operation.
If you go to the table of understanding the amendments, clause 43(13) says with regard to one of the amendments:
- The references to standard and executive taxis needs to be omitted because the executive taxi category
is to be withdrawn.
Just in one example alone, if you look at the second reading speech there was a clear understanding that those options remain. If you look at the schedule of how to understand this particular mess, and it can only be called a mess, you get a totally contradictory point of view.
We in opposition do not intend to abuse the processes of this parliament. We have a responsibility to represent the concerns of all sectors of the industry and we intend to do that in a responsible way. I reiterate that to suggest that the industry understands the changes that are proposed by the minister is ludicrous. Get into any private hire car and they will tell you they have no idea what is going on. The taxi industry, which I would have thought the government was setting out to well and truly assuage with the changes that they intend to bring through - and I know that taxi industry was angry prior to the last election - was extremely hopeful and supportive that the government would come through with clear and understandable changes that would provide some clear direction for the industry in the future. The industry is not only confused, but feeling very let down. The minister needs to be condemned to suggest that any parliament, anywhere, could be expected to deal with this sort of legislation with the sort of notice that he has given for the detail and changes that are in this legislation. It is just hopelessly inadequate.
Madam Speaker, I propose this quite honestly and seriously: I move that my remarks be continued at a later hour and I implore the government to adjourn debate on this particular piece of legislation for at least 24 hours. Twenty-four hours in itself is not enough, but 24 hours is the least amount of time the opposition needs to get back to the industry with these latest amendments, some of which have come through since 11.30 am today, and to do that in a responsible way so that we as a parliament, can deal with this legislation. I do not say this in a threatening way, I say it in a responsible way: if the government refuses my request to seek to continue my remarks at a later hour and does not adjourn this piece of legislation, the opposition will not participate in any further debate of this legislation. We will depart the House.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, speaking to the motion that the Opposition Leader has before the House, my advice is that the schedule of amendments was circulated to the opposition last Thursday, and that the opposition had a briefing last Thursday. My advice is that the amendments they have before them here today are no different to those amendments that were circulated last Thursday.
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: My advice is that they have not been changed.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: The advice is they have not …
A member: Been changed!
Mr HENDERSON: … been changed.
A member: They have!
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: The advice is, unless I am corrected by way of a sheet, is that they have not been changed since last Thursday. What has changed?
Madam SPEAKER: Seek advice, minister.
Mr HENDERSON: I will just check because this is important.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, order!
Mr HENDERSON: This is very important because it goes to the heart of the credibility of the opposition in doing their job as an opposition in scrutinising legislation.
Madam Speaker, the advice is that there has only been one change which is the deletion of the reference to the ABN, the Australian Business Number, in the bill. That is the only change, a very, very minor change. So the …
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: Well, we can, ‘show me yours, I’ll show you mine’. That is the issue here.
What has changed since last Thursday is that they have spent the rest of the week fighting over the leadership. They are unprepared for parliamentary business before this House and are seeking to play catch-up football because they have not done the work. On the briefing that they were given last Thursday, the legislation is the same. There has been extraordinary and extensive consultation with the industry over a number of months about this legislation.
The amendments were given to the opposition last Thursday; they were briefed last Thursday. There is a small reference to the Australian Business Number that has changed. It is the opposition who have not prepared for today. They are seeking to play catch-up football by deferring this on a furphy until tomorrow so that Territorians and the public transport industry can be hoodwinked about the opposition not doing its job. They had the briefing last Thursday, then were involved in a leadership spill and have forgotten that they have to come into this parliament today to debate and pass this legislation, hopefully with bipartisan support.
So, Leader of the Opposition, this side of the House will not be accepting this motion to continue remarks at a later hour. There has been extensive industry consultation. You have had these amendments since last Thursday and in the interests of the industry, we will be passing this bill this afternoon.
Madam SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition has sought leave to continue his remarks at a later date. I allowed the Leader of Government Business to respond to it, but I am now putting the request for leave: is leave granted.
Leave denied.
Mr BURKE: Division, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Members, if I could just call you back again. It was not a question that was put; we were asking whether leave was granted, so there is no division to be called.
Mr BURKE: I sought to propose a motion that I continue my remarks.
Madam SPEAKER: You will have to do that by moving to suspend standing orders.
Mr BURKE: May I have that opportunity?
Madam SPEAKER: I will give you that opportunity.
Mr BURKE: Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would allow me to continue my remarks at a later date.
The Assembly divided:
Ayes 10 Noes 13
Mr Baldwin Mrs Aagaard
Mr Burke Mr Ah Kit
Ms Carney Mr Bonson
Ms Carter Dr Burns
Mr Dunham Mr Henderson
Dr Lim Mr Kiely
Mr Maley Ms Lawrie
Mr Mills Mr McAdam
Mr Reed Ms Martin
Mr Wood Ms Scrymgour
Mr Stirling
Dr Toyne
Mr Vatskalis
Motion negatived.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I cannot say too much about what is going on. I received these amendments today. I presume we are going to talk about the Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Act. These three amendments were placed on my desk this morning, not last week, but this morning. I heard the Leader of the Opposition say that he had a matrix. I do not have the matrix. I know that the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure said I should have received a briefing. Well, I am not exactly shy about receiving briefings. I have had briefings on the Firearms Act, the Land Development Corporation Act, and the Taxation (Administration) Amendment Act with regards the land rich companies. But I did not have anything to ask for a briefing on, because I had not received these particular amendments.
It is of concern. Well, put it this way: no one minds getting some minor amendments on the day, that is fair enough, but to get amendments this thick while parliament is sitting this morning and ask for me to comment on them - and they are fairly detailed amendments - is not the way we should be running parliament. I, too, have been approached by the taxi industry. I know I am probably only small fry in this business, but I did write a letter to the minister on 7 March regarding certain matters to do with the private hire car operators. They came to see me as well, so I put some questions to the minister. I have not yet received a reply, and we are now in June.
It is a little disappointing that I did not get a reply to some of the concerns I was putting forward to the minister which the hire car operators had put to me, and then to find that, now, on the very day this bill is to be passed, I have to dissect some fairly detailed amendments. I see it as my job, especially after I listened to some of the private hire car operators’ concerns, to take these amendments seriously and understand them. I certainly, if I had them earlier, would have asked for a briefing. It is not because I did not want a briefing, it is because I did not know these were going to be so detailed, or what was even in them. These are not spelling mistakes as we mentioned before; these are fairly major changes.
It is disappointing that people might think: ‘Well, you just voted’. I do not know whether I am allowed to speak on the previous motion, but I did not vote with the government on this because I just did not know anything about these amendments.
The other thing that concerns me is that if government believes this is the way to introduce complex amendments, and a large number of amendments, it is really making a bit of a mockery of why we are here. In theory, one could make so many amendments to an act that you could nearly change the entire act on the day, not even using the urgency motion. You could change it today by totally amending the bill. That is what I believe is wrong here. These are major changes; they nearly make a bill on their own. Yet, I have to make up my mind about these in one or two hours, with Question Time in the middle and a committee meeting as well, and some fairly serious discussions about the various statements made in this parliament.
Therefore, I feel it is beyond me to comment on whether these amendments are good or bad. I find it disappointing that people might say: ‘Serve you right, you should have looked at these things’. However, I do not believe that any member of parliament could have gone through these bills and looked at what changes there are against what was in the original Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Act, and made a sensible and reasoned decision. For that reason only, I could not support these amendments because I simply do not know whether they are good or bad.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Speaker, I sought a briefing on the proposed amendments last week and received a comprehensive briefing, and have spent several days looking through the amendments comparing them to the February bill before the parliament and the principle act, and I have my head around it. It was not that difficult, but I made the effort.
What the Northern Territory Labor Martin government inherited was a dispirited industry rife with internal fighting. Taxi driver standards were dropping and driver issues were making regular appearances in the media. Most drivers were good, but some drivers were bringing the industry and its reputation down. The industry was suffering a major drop-off in income. Part of this was associated with the downturn in the economy from 1999 onwards, but a significant element of it was due to the massive increase in taxi numbers introduced by my predecessor in Karama.
The market force designed to prove some flaw to competition in the industry did not work. Why is a bit of a mystery, but it relates to the way the industry is constructed, the accumulation of licences by a few big companies, and the size of the market. We also inherited an industry at each others throats; minibus drivers and taxi drivers were openly fighting. The delineation between taxis and private hire cars, particularly in Alice Springs, was blurring. Commercial vehicle licence cost did not reflect the access to the public, and was not based on any criteria.
Given the above circumstances, the government felt it had to act to correct this deterioration in what is a critical transport industry in the Territory. The minister called for input from all sectors into improving the way the commercial passenger vehicle industry operated. He received significant input from the different industry sectors. He put out to the industry and the public a white paper in May last year, and called for comments on that white paper. That produced further input with more than 30 comments being received. Those comments were assessed and the minister took to Cabinet a series of proposals for the commercial passenger vehicle industry. Those proposals were endorsed in October 2002. They were translated into legislation and Part 1 of those proposals passed through this House in February this year.
At the same time, the minister introduced a second and more complex round of reforms dealing with the nature of the industry. Those reforms proposed a clear delineation between sectors. The minister proposed the introduction of executive taxis, three new categories of limousines, special function vehicles and courtesy vehicles. He proposed the abolition of the private hire car category. Following the introduction of that proposed legislative change in February, the minister and industry engaged in yet further consultation. In fact, the minister not only met with private hire car groups here in Darwin and Palmerston, he also took the opportunity to discuss these matters with industry representatives in Alice Springs.
As a result of those discussions, he proposed to Cabinet amendments to the original proposals, and those are the amendments that we have before us today. Those are the amendments that were available last week to members of the opposition with detailed briefings by departmental officers.
The amendments do four key things:
they restore the private hire car category and eliminate the category of executive taxi - not too
difficult a concept to get your head around;
they sort out the communication networks that will be permitted in private hire cars and limousines.
Again, information being provided to the industry for a long time now.
they introduce a requirement for all taxi and minibus drivers to have income protection insurance.
Critical to ensuring that this is a mature, responsible and safe industry.
they put into place a ratio-based arrangement for the issue of taxi licences. Everyone in the Territory
is very aware that the industry has fought hard and long to sustain a ratio on the issue of taxi licenses.
In making these changes, the minister is demonstrating the ability of this government to listen, and to listen well, to the arguments put forward by industry and to accept change to legislation that reflects industry’s needs and desires.
The private hire car industry clearly made their case for being put back into existence. While the executive taxi category does have a future place in our market offerings, the minister has determined that there is still some time to pass before the population is large enough to sustain this new player. Instead, private hire cars will now be returned but will not be operating on exactly the same basis as before. Existing private hire cars that are actually limousine services will move over to the new category of limousine and will be limited to pre-bookings. No direct bookings will be allowed, and all bookings will have to be made through a base. That is, no direct phone calls will be allowed to drivers. This has been accepted by limousine operators, and private hires are going to move over to the limousine category. They operate that way now; they do not have an issue with that. Acknowledging that, in places outside of Darwin, some industry operators run independent limousines, the mobile phone will be allowed to be on-forwarded through a base direct to the driver. This will not allow the driver to dispatch. This allows those independent operators to stay in the industry. A useful compromise all round, and one which reflects again the government’s ability to be flexible in the face of sensible industry advice.
Private hire car operators will face a higher commercial vehicle licence fee and, in return, will be allowed to dispatch network and greater access to the public through ranking at special events. This is a welcome initiative in the private hire car sector. The government will introduce this fee in a step-up process for existing owners; fair and reasonable. This will sort out once and for all, and finally, the delineation issue between private hire cars and taxis. The government will also introduce changes to its proposed legislation in regard to drivers of minibuses and taxis.
The government wants to make it clear that the drivers must be protected through some form of insurance, either income protection insurance, or insurance in another way. The government will discuss this further with the industry but the fact remains that we are determined that the drivers who are attacked will have some protection while they await their convalescence to return to work.
The other significant aspect of change introduced by the minister has been the imposition of a population based ration for the issuing of licences for taxis in the Darwin taxi area - this includes Palmerston and Humpty Doo - and the Alice Springs taxi area. This is a brave move by government, and reflects our increasing frustration with the failure of the market theories that underpinned the previous government’s ridiculous efforts on licences that created the nightmare we have had to fix. We recognise that the market force theory was an absolute failure. The taxi industry, for reasons that are not always clear, has not effectively regulated itself.
The intention of the previous government was to make licences available to all. In that way, licences could be dispersed from the small hand of owners to a larger group of lessees. This really only worked in a very limited way. Some companies took control of a large number of licences, and the licensing arrangements appear to have been distorted as a result. In a small market, where buying power is great, multi-licence companies can put a cab off the road for a period while there is less work around. While they sustain a loss in profit, they can cope with this for a longer time than a single or minor operator-owner. That means that licences are not being surrendered, but mothballed and brought out every time there is an increase in business. That practice has distorted the marketplace.
Other factors have also come into play. Regardless of the overriding need for competition, the government has determined to take a stand where we believe it is in the public interest to do so. Therefore, we will be taking on the National Competition Council on this matter. We will be testing our approach with a public benefits assessment. I note that every other state is in the same situation, and even these changes put us way out in front of our neighbouring states. Perhaps they should be required to move a bit more before we are put into the spotlight again.
The minister will explain this ratio in a little more detail in the concluding remarks of his second reading speech, but the power for him to apply for the ratio is now clearly spelt out in the amendments to the bill today.
I have outlined what we inherited and I have spoken about the changes that the government is proposing.
I would like to conclude by looking forward to what the government is hoping to achieve in this industry. Rather than have an industry that is divided between the sectors, the government wants an industry that can look at itself as a whole and operate best within that context. The government wants the industry to also consider what is best for the public, no matter what sector they choose to take, and especially play its role in aiding tourism. The government wants to reduce unnecessary regulation on the industry wherever possible, and allow it to make decisions about the way it operates and markets itself. I note that one taxi company has recently moved towards the introduction of uniform standards and contracts for drivers. I encourage this approach, and I believe it is partly as a result of the government pushing and prodding industry into better performance.
The government wants the industry to ultimately govern itself completely. In the interim, the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Board will, over time, take on increasing powers to learn this self-governing process. The government wants high standards and has actively sought to encourage this through greater training requirements and the provision of an accredited skills base for drivers. Being a driver will provide a skill that will be transferable interstate. I am encouraged by all that the government is doing with industry, and I believe there will be a much improved industry as a result.
I have previously spoken in commercial passenger vehicle debates in this House because I have owner-operators and drivers living in the electorate of Karama. This affects their viability. The amendments the minister brings to the House today are amendments that industry has sought; that industry knows will enhance its viability; that ensure public safety and uniformity of standards within the industry; and that users of commercial passenger vehicles in other jurisdictions have come to know and expect.
Madam Speaker, I commend the amendments and the bill to the House. I congratulate the minister, his ministerial staff and, particularly, the staff of the department, whom I know have worked tirelessly in consultation with industry to bring this legislation before the House today.
Mr VATSKALIS (Transport and Infrastructure): Madam Speaker, first, I thank members for their contribution to this debate. I must admit that I am very disappointed by the stance of the opposition considering the fact that the members for Greatorex and Drysdale were briefed last Thursday and were given not only the amendments, but committee notes and a comprehensive briefing. It was very disappointing to hear today that members of the opposition were not briefed and, as such, they are not going to participate in the debate.
If that was the decision, why did the member for Drysdale this morning circulate his own amendments? If they did not want to participate in the debate they need not have proposed amendments. However, they were pretty keen to put their amendments. God knows what has happened between Thursday and this morning that all of a sudden they have changed their mind.
It was ironic to hear the Leader of the Opposition’s sermon about taxis and the private hire cars, considering the fact that the people who ruined the industry - a very good and viable industry - were the CLP government. They freed the market, bought back the licences after borrowing $25m, and it was a free-for-all. It was that government that actually abolished the ranking at the airport and the casino, something that even today the private hire cars are complaining about. It was that government that allowed the minibuses to come in for a very basic licence fee and compete, without the same problems, with the taxis. It was the same government that ignored the plight of the taxi industry, and all of a sudden they come here today, to plead for the taxi industry, especially the member for Greatorex.
I personally had a look at how many times the member for Greatorex spoke in support of the taxi industry. In the past four years, the member for Greatorex asked a question once of the ex-member for Karama, Mick Palmer, the then minister for Transport: ‘How good was the change for the taxi industry?’ They have all of a sudden discovered the taxi and the private hire car industry in the past year and ask questions about it.
I am also disappointed with some members of the House who said they did not have a briefing. My understanding is that we said many times that we are going to have changes and further, after we introduced the bill in February, that we would not hesitate to go back to the industry and listen to what the industry wants and re look again and, if necessary, change it. Some people said that you would be accused of a backflip. I have no problem making a backflip. I was dealing with the livelihood of people, the industry, the consumers, and if the changes I was going to make were called a backflip, so be it. I am brave enough and can live with it. However, at the same time, many times in the House, I suggested that there would be changes and I had an open invitation for everybody to get a briefing. I believe, Madam Speaker, you rang my office many times, and on every occasion members of my staff gave you information about the changes, about what was happening in the industry, and we were prepared to give briefings to whoever asked for them.
We bring this matter here today; it is a complex matter. I have to admit that I have struggled through that, but I managed to sit down and study it and understand it. Let us have a look at what we are actually going to do. In committee stage today, I propose to bring forward a series of amendments to the legislation that I introduced in February. I have briefed my Cabinet and Caucus colleagues, and as I said before, I briefed the members for Greatorex and Drysdale.
In November 2002, I introduced Stage 1 of the reforms. These reforms were passed in February 2003 and they include the establishment of a Commercial Passenger Vehicle Board, the issue of identity cards only to those drivers who meet standards and have done the required amount of training, and the requirement for a commercial passenger vehicle to be registered in the name of the licensee.
In February, I introduced the second stage of reform. The February bill introduced three new significant categories: the limousine; the courtesy vehicle; and special function vehicle, including licence conditions and minimum standards. It abolished the existing category of private hire cars and the existing supplementary taxi licence provision, and expands the existing communication network provision and codes of conduct provisions to include despatch networks, and allows taxis and minibuses to use urban bus stops outside route service hours.
The second stage reform bill has now been amended to accommodate the issues raised by the industry. I travelled to all the urban centres of the Territory and spoke to taxi drivers, private hire car drivers and minibus drivers. I use taxis and minibuses and have direct input from the drivers and, because of that input, we realised that there was no support for the executive taxis. The private hire car drivers wanted to maintain the private hire car category, but they wanted some changes. We actually sat down and considered those changes and that is what we bring today in the amendment of the February bill.
The private hire car category is not going to be abolished. The revised bill today retains the private hire car category and proceeds with the limousine category. This will cause some consequent rearrangement and moving around, and I ask the House for some forbearance as we proceed throughout these sections. Clear distinction between types of communication systems and ranking capacities mean that two categories can exist side by side with the one general taxi category. The private hire cars were very concerned about their inability to utilise mobile phones. On the other hand, the limousines were very keen to use a base. We spoke to both categories, and we have now agreed that private hire cars be allowed to get direct calls from clients by mobile phone, they are able to communicate with a base, and they will be able to get phone calls by mobile phone from their base or another communication system. The limousines will be able to get pre-booked fares; they have to have a base. However, the base can communicate with the limousines with a mobile phone but the client cannot directly call a limousine to make a booking.
We also agreed that we are going to return the $10 000 fee to all of these people. They will continue to pay their fees quarterly. The difference will be that the private hire cars fees will go gradually, in three years, to $6000, while the limousines will pay $2000. Of course, you may ask what the private hire cars will get for their $6000 fee. We will give them what the previous government took away from them: ranking at special events, ranking at airports, and ranking and other facilities with the agreement of the owners or the operators. I can tell you that since then we have spoken to them again, and they are quite happy. I recall a few months back there were constant phone calls to the radio stations, there were letters in the newspaper. However, since we met with them and put the changes, there were no phone calls, calls to the radio, or letters in the newspaper. We have now organised a viable industry, and we managed to sort out the communications problem. The previous CLP legislation prohibited a communication system in a private hire car without the approval of the director. In the whole Territory, there was only one operator who had a communication network approved by the director. We solved that problem.
I am also advised by the people who operate at the airports that it was the previous government that sought agreement by the airport operators to prohibit the ranking of private hire cars at the airports. They have the gall now to try to be the defenders of the taxi industry and the private hire cars. It is a bit rich.
In these amendments, we will see the withdrawal of the executive taxi category; we allow for the control of taxi licence numbers; we have a ratio of multipurpose taxis designed for wheelchair access; and we allow for specialised work insurance for drivers as a licence condition for the taxi and minibus categories. We have spoken and listened to the industry, and provided feedback to the industry all the time, either directly or through publications, and through the web page.
Cabinet also agreed to two other changes which have been added to the February bill by way of amendments. These are the requirements for some sort of protection insurance for drivers and the introduction of a population-based ratio for the issuing of taxi licences. In the case of the first item, the industry has raised safety concerns with the government on a regular basis. At this stage, the government believes that the industry must act on issues such as camera installation in vehicles. The government does, however, have concerns regarding driver insurance protection. Some drivers are protected by their owners, some are not. We wish to see all drivers protected, and will be conducting discussions with the industry to ensure that this is the case.
Recently, there was an incident in Casuarina where a taxi driver was stabbed. He was off work for a number of days; he did not receive a penny apart from what he was entitled from the state. We find this unacceptable. People have families and houses with mortgages, they pay loans, and they cannot survive on $200 a week; they have to have a decent income protection insurance. It does not matter whether they are taxi drivers or doctors or lawyers, they are entitled to protection of their lifestyles, their families and their mortgages. We moved to make sure this happens.
With regard to the ratio, I found it a joke that the Leader of the Opposition would stand up and say that the taxi industry is appalled and the Taxi Council is against us. The only thing I have seen up until now is the representative of the Taxi Council coming out and praising the government that took the bold decision to reintroduce a ratio. We know very well that we are probably going to raise the wrath of the National Competition Council, but are prepared to stand firm and provide a public benefit test and show them what happens when you free the market. As a matter of fact, we are the only jurisdiction in Australia that has freed the taxi market. Every time I go to another state, I have asked about taxis. You have to have $0.5m to buy a taxi licence in Sydney, $60 000 to buy a hire car licence in Melbourne, and they have so many restrictions. I wonder why the competition council just targeted the Territory and is not prepared to take the other states to task.
We can prepare a public benefit test. We can show what happened when the licences were freed in Darwin. We can show them what money drivers will take home; the list of articles that appeared in the NT News about taxi drivers who did not know anything about Darwin; did not know how to drive; and harassed passengers and sexually harassed female passengers, unfortunately. We have tried to prevent that. We are going to try maintain a ratio. It is not a cap. We do not say there are going to be 150 taxis. We say there is going to be one taxi for every 900 per head of population and that is a widely acceptable ratio in Australia.
Of course, if the population increases the taxi numbers will increase. We will be able, during the Dry when there is an influx of tourists and there is demand for taxis, to increase the ratio of taxis. How are we going to do that? We are not going to buy back licences, but when a licence is surrendered we are not going to reissue licences until the ratio is achieved. Currently, there are 122 taxi licences in Darwin. That has to be reduced to 119. In Alice Springs there are 32 and they have to be reduced to 30 to maintain the 1:900 ratio. If new licences have to be issued there will be a ballot - not just put your name there and hope for the best. Everybody will be called to put their name in and there will be a ballot and the licence will be issued by ballot. We have not pledged any ratio to any other commercial passenger vehicle types because we believe the taxi industry is a special industry and the same thing does not apply with the minibuses or to private hire cars.
The government is aware that this issue will cause some hurt to National Competition Council but, as I said before, we are prepared to fight for it because we are prepared to fight for the rights of the consumer and also for the driver.
We have taken some measures, especially with the introduction of a five-year driver’s licence requirement. However, we have an escape clause that if there are special needs, the director has the ability to discard this provision. We have put in some provisions about training and our training now is in parity with other states. Last week I was in Melbourne and I asked the drivers how much training they do. They have to attend a TAFE course to obtain a taxi licence - two nights a week for a period of six weeks, accumulating about 70 hours training in a TAFE.
We introduced 78 hours training and it is equivalent to what other states have. We are going to improve the standard of the drivers and, at the same time, make sure that these drivers, in combination with the introduction of the ratio, are going to maintain an adequate income. The reality is that if the income of the driver falls, the good drivers go away and you start getting the riffraff; people who do not know where Nightcliff or Larapinta is. The cowboys who work as a taxi driver for 12 hours increase the chance of an accident because, if a person is trying to make a living in a taxi working for $5 per hour, in order to make enough for a living you have to work 14 and 16 hours. Tired drivers cause accidents. Tired drivers can kill themselves or other people in the streets and that is what we want to avoid.
One of the things that we did previously was the establishment of the Commercial Passenger Vehicle Board –an interim vehicle until now. However, I am very pleased to announce that in the beginning every person on the board was representing his particular industry - the private hire car, the taxis, minibuses. Now all of them work together and they have evolved to represent the whole commercial passenger vehicle industry. That is very encouraging because people now see the industry as a whole, not as divided amongst sectors. I will, hopefully, be calling very soon for permanent members of the board in order to progress some of the issues of the commercial passenger vehicle industry. It should not be the minister who directs how they should operate; it should be the industry directing how the industry should operate.
The issue of consultation is a long and torturous one. I am aware that the opposition has been arguing that we have not been doing enough. The reality is we have been consulting and, because of the consultations, and the feedback we have had from the community as recently as a few months ago, we did the amendments in the February review. As to the year before, I am not afraid to say it, yes I did a backflip. However, this was because we listened to industry, something that the previous government constantly failed to do. They did not listen to the industry or the community. Today it was acknowledged by the Leader of the Opposition that he knew the industry was in trouble before the elections. But there was nothing that was done to support the industry even before the elections, even when he knew there were going to be problems.
Madam Speaker, during the committee stages, I will propose the amendments I have described. I commend the bill to the House.
Motion agreed to; bills read a second time.
In committee:
Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Amendment Bill (Serial 133):
Clause 1:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.1. Omit from clause 1, Short Title, the word ‘Act’, substituting the words ‘Act (No 2)’ which amends the short title to Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Amendment Act 2003 (No 2).
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 1, as amended, agreed to.
Clause 2 negatived.
Proposed new clause 2:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.2 inserting a new clause 2: Commencement, which changes the commencement date from 1 July 2003 to the date or respective dates fixed by the Administrator in the Gazette.
New clause 2 agreed to.
Clause 3 agreed to.
Clause 4:
Mr CHAIRMAN: These are the member for Drysdale’s amendments 48.1 and 48.2. Minister, will you move that they be taken together?
Mr VATSKALIS: No.
Mr CHAIRMAN: We will go straight to your amendment 43.3, minister.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.3. Clause 4(a) of the amendment bill is amended by inserting ‘private hire car’ in the definition of commercial passenger vehicle and courtesy vehicle.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.4. Clause 4 of the amendment bill is amended by inserting after paragraph (a) a new paragraph (aa) to amend the principal act section 3 by omitting the definition of executive taxi.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.5. Clause 4 of the amendment bill is amended by omitting all of paragraph (c) which amends the principal act section 3 by omitting the definition of ‘private hire car’ and substituting a new paragraph (c) to amend the principal act section 3 definition of ‘private hire car’.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.6. Clause 4 of the amendment bill is amended by inserting ‘private hire car’ in the definition of special function vehicle in paragraph (d).
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.7. Clause 4 of the amendment bill is amended by omitting ‘private hire car’ from paragraph (e) which amends the principal act section 3 by omitting the reference to private hire car in the definition of special passenger vehicle.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.8. Clause 4 of the amendment bill is amended by inserting after paragraph (e) a new paragraph (ea) to amend the principal act section 3 by omitting the definition of standard taxi.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.9. Clause 4 of the amendment bill is amended by omitting all of paragraphs 4(g), 4(h), and 4(i) which refer to provisions for executive and standard taxis in the definition of taxi in the principal act section 3, and substituting new paragraph 4(g) to amend the principal act section 3 definition of taxi by omitting standard and executive passenger limits and substituting passenger limits for taxis.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.10. Clause 4 of the amendment bill is amended by omitting private hire car from paragraph 4(j) which amends the principal act section 3 by omitting private hire car from the definition of tourist vehicle.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 4, as amended, agreed to.
New clauses:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.11. The amendment bill is amended after Clause 4, by inserting new Clause 4A, Director, to amend the principal act section 5 by omitting all of subsection (3) concerning the minister’s power to direct the director.
New clauses 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D agreed to.
Clause 5:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.12. The amendment bill is amended by omitting from clause 5, which is the insertion of new section 18A in the principal act, exemption from passenger limit the reference to standard or executive taxis.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 5, as amended, agreed to.
Clause 6 negatived.
Proposed new clause 6:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.13. The amendment bill is amended by inserting new clause 6 to amend the principal act section 20, Conditions of taxi licence, by omitting all references to standard taxis from subsection 20(3); omitting all of subsection 20(3A), which refers to executive taxis; including dispatch networks in subsection 20(5); substituting taxi for standard taxi in subsection 20(6); omitting all of subsection 20(7), which refers to executive taxis; and adding new subsection 20(9) which provides for work insurance for drivers.
New clauses 6, 6A and 6B agreed to.
Clauses 7 and 8, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Clauses 9 to 18, by leave, taken together and negatived.
New clauses 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.14. The amendment bill is amended by inserting a new clause 9 to amend the principal act section 30 by repealing section 30 and substituting a new section 30, Private hire car licence, which omits a reference to entitlement to hold the licence.
I move that the amendment bill is amended by inserting new clause 10 to amend the principal act section 31, Consideration of application, by omitting the reference to entitlement to hold private hire car licence in section 31(3) and adding new section 31(4), requiring that the director not grant a licence unless the private hire car endorsed on the licence is registered in the licensee’s name.
I also move that the amendment bill is amended by inserting new clause 11 to amend the principle act section 33, Conditions of private hire car licence, by adding new section 33(5), including that the private hire car be maintained to approved standards; and adding new section 33(6) requiring that the private hire car endorsed on the licence be registered in the licensee’s name.
I also move that the amendment bill is amended by inserting new clause 12 to amend the principle act, section 35, Term of private hire car licence, by omitting all of section 35(1) and substituting new provisions (a) requiring a 12 month licence term where a new license is granted, and (b) allowing for licence term not less than three months where a licence is renewed; and amending section 35(2) to be consistent with the new provisions in section 35(1).
I move that the amendment bill is amended by inserting new clause 13 to amend the principle act section 36, Transfer of entitlement and private hire car licence, which concerns processes regarding entitlement to hold a private hire car licence by repealing all of section 36 and substituting new section 36, Surrender of private hire car licence, allowing for surrender of licence and providing for a refund of the licence fee calculated on a daily basis, but only if there are at least seven days remaining in an expired term.
The amendment bill is also amended by inserting new clause 14 to amend the principle act, section 57, Director may grant exemption, by omitting the reference to entitlement to hold a private hire car licence.
Proposed new clauses 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 agreed to.
Clause 19:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.15. The amendment bill is amended by omitting from clause 19, which is the amendment of the principal act, by inserting new section 37A, Determination of fares and charges, all reference to ‘limousine’, and substituting ‘private hire car’.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.16 that the amendment bill is amended by inserting at the end of clause 19 a new clause to amend the principle act by inserting after proposed section 37A, new section 37AA, Ranking for approved functions or events.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 19, as amended, agreed to.
Clause 20:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.17. The amendment bill is amended by inserting new provisions at the start of clause 20 to amend the principle act by inserting new Part 5AA, section 37AB to 37AK, Limousines.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.18. The amendment bill, clause 20, is amended by omitting from clause 20, which is the amendment of the principle act, by inserting the new special functional vehicle category, the heading Part 5AA and substituting the heading Part 5AB.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 20, as amended, agreed to
Clause 21 negatived.
New clauses 21 and 21A:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.19. The February amendment bill clause 21 is amended by omitting all of clause 21 which amends the principle act section 38D, Conditions of minibus licence, specifically by including ‘dispatch networks’ at section 38D(5). I also move the amendment bill is amended by inserting new clause 21 to amend the principle act, section 38D, Conditions of a minibus licence, by including ‘dispatch networks’ in section 38D(5) and adding new subsection 38D(8) which provides for work insurance for drivers.
I also move that the amendment bill is amended by inserting after clause 21 new clause 21A to amend the principle act section 38H, Surrender of minibus licence, by omitting all of section 38H(2) and substituting a new section 38H(2), providing for a refund of the licence fee calculated on a daily basis, but only if there are at least seven days remaining in an unexpired term.
New clauses 21 and 21A agreed to.
Clause 22 agreed to.
Clauses 23 to 25, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
New clauses 25A and 25B:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.20. The amendment bill is amended by inserting after clause 25, new clause 25A to amend section 74 of the principal act, Driver must hold identity card; and adding new section 74(9) which allows for a prescribed fee for a replacement card if the identity card is lost or destroyed.
I also move that the amendment bill is amended by inserting a new clause 25B to amend the section 79A of the principal act, General offence, by including the verb ‘to permit’ in the prescribed actions relating to driving and operating commercial passenger vehicles; and including a defence to a prosecution where the conduct was without the defendant’s authority.
New clauses 25A and 25B agreed to.
Clause 26 agreed to.
Clauses 27 and 28, by leave, taken together and negatived.
Clause 29:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.21. The amendment bill is amended by inserting in clause 29, which is a transitional provision, Refund of entitlement fees for private hire car licences, the time by which the refund application must be made; that is, by 1 January 2004.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 29, as amended, agreed to.
Clauses 30 to 33, by leave taken together and negatived.
Proposed new clause 30:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 43.22. The amendment bill is amended by inserting after clause 29 new clause 30, Registration of private hire car in licence holder’s name.
Amendment agreed to.
New clause 30 agreed to.
Remainder of the bill, by leave, taken as a whole and agreed to.
Bill to be reported with amendments.
Clause 1 agreed to.
Clause 2 negatived.
New clause 2.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 44.1. The amendment bill is amended by omitting all of clause 2, Commencement, and inserting a new clause 2, Commencement, which changes the commencement date from 1 July 2003 to the date or respective dates fixed by the Administrator in the Gazette.
- New clause 2 agreed to.
Clause 3:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 44.2. The amendment bill is amended as follows: omit all of subclause (1) and substitute a new subclause (1), to amend section 5 of the Motor Vehicles Act by inserting after the definition of ‘licensee’ in subsection (1), the definition of ‘limousine’, which has the same meaning as in the Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Act.
Amendment agreed to.
Clause 3, as amended, agreed to.
Clauses 4 to 6, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Schedule:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 44.3. The amendment bill Schedule item relating to Motor Vehicle (Hire Car) Regulations is amended by omitting ‘limousine’ and substituting ‘private hire car, limousine’.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 44.4. The amendment bill Schedule item relating to the Motor Vehicle (Hire Car) Regulations, at the end is amended by inserting Regulation 5, Number of licences of hire cars and Regulation 71, Prohibition on touting, omitting the whole of those regulations from the Motor Vehicle (Hire Car) Regulations.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 44.5. The amendment bill Schedule item relating to the Motor Vehicle Regulations is amended by omitting ‘private hire car’ and substituting all of the words after ‘driver)’.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 44.6. The amendment bill Schedule item relating to Motor Vehicle Regulations is amended by omitting ‘limousine’ and substituting ‘other than a commercial passenger vehicle’.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 44.7. The amendment bill Schedule item relating to the Motor Omnibus Regulation at the end is amended by inserting Regulation 86, omnibus stops, and scheduling the omission of the words ‘exclusive use’ and scheduling the substitution ‘exclusive use (subject to section 26A and 38K of the Commercial Passenger (Road) Transport Act)’.
Amendment agreed to.
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 44.8. The amendment bill Schedule item relating to the Work Health Regulations is amended by omitting ‘limousine’ and substituting ‘private hire car, limousine’.
Amendment agreed to.
Schedule, as amended, agreed to.
Long Title:
Mr VATSKALIS: Mr Chairman, I move amendment 44.9. The amendment bill is amended by omitting from the Long Title the word ‘Act’, inserting the words ‘Act (No 2)’.
Amendment agreed to.
Long Title, as amended, agreed to.
Bill to be reported with amendments.
Bills reported; report adopted.
Mr VATSKALIS (Transport and Infrastructure): Madam Speaker, I move that the bills be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bills read a third.
MAJOR CRICKET EVENTS BILL
(Serial 144)
(Serial 144)
Continued from 1 May 2003.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, with regards to the need to provide some security for the holding of the international cricket matches, the opposition understands it is necessary to disallow any intrusion upon the playing field. When you see a world class event being presented here in Darwin, we realise that what comes with that is the loss of something we have enjoyed; being the capacity to jump over the fence and celebrate great victories. On occasions, we have seen at some of our grand finals or feature matches, some people provide a bit of additional entertainment by going for a run with nothing on. Rather than spend time worrying about that, as a level of maturity in this debate, it is understood that this is required and this passage of legislation will be fully supported by the opposition.
We recognise that this is an historic stage where we now enter into the capacity for the Northern Territory to begin its part in featuring international cricket. To that end, this passage of legislation will pass with the full support of the opposition.
Mr HENDERSON (Business, Industry and Resource Development): Madam Speaker, I speak in support of this bill this evening. This is really an exciting time for Territorians, particularly cricket loving Territorians, to see for the first time in the Northern Territory a test match and one-day games against Bangladesh this year, and Sri Lanka next year. This legislation, as the member for Blain states, is insisted on by the Australian Cricket Board in order to protect players, which is the primary reason why the ACB insists on this legislation being in all jurisdictions where the Australian cricket team plays cricket. It is to protect the players.
It also includes significant penalties for breaches of this legislation, particularly to prevent some potential unscrupulous corporate sector people paying somebody a significant amount of money to streak naked across the cricket field advertising a particular product. The member of Blain stated that potentially this is at a cost of some cherished part of the free-loving lifestyle of Territorians. I must admit, in the 21 years I have been here, at numerous sporting events, it is not an everyday or every match occurrence that somebody gets their kit off and decides to run across the pitch. Territorians will find that this legislation is a very small price to pay to secure international cricket in Darwin.
The last time there was a significant cricket event in Darwin - I do not recall the year but it must be going back at least 10 years, probably a bit longer - was at Gardens Oval when we had a demonstration team. I forgot what the occasion was but, certainly, some of the old champions from the previous Australian cricket teams turned out in Darwin. Territorians saw a great spectacle of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thompson coming in off their long runs and bowling to a Territorian side, and with Rodney Marsh behind the stumps. There was a huge crowd there that day. People had a great time and it was a fantastic event at Gardens Oval. We have not seen anything like that for many, many years.
I genuinely believe that there is a big buzz of excitement around Darwin and I reckon it will be a real boost for the tourism industry There will be people coming from other parts of the Territory, from the top end of Queensland and Western Australia, and many people from interstate to see this historic event. It is not only great for the tourism industry in terms of the hotels, taxis and hire cars, but also for restaurants, pubs and clubs, and retail outlets and tourism operators whilst they are here. It is a real opportunity to showcase Darwin to the rest of the country. There will be a live broadcast of the cricket, and we will be working with those operators to ensure that we highlight what Darwin has to offer outside of being a cricket venue.
It is good to hear that there is support from the opposition for this bill. I do not have the press clippings here with me this afternoon, but I take the opposition back to comments that were made by the Opposition Leader. I will leave it to the member for Sanderson who has the exact comment. However, there was a great desecration to our lifestyle - that was the Leader of the Opposition: ‘it was a shameful attack on the Territory lifestyle’. He received a fair amount of press coverage for it.
It has been an interesting day in the House today. Once again, the member for Blain was overruled in his bid to be Leader of the Opposition. Obviously, there has been a bit of a coup in the party wing regarding this particular bill, and credit to the member for Blain that he has managed to roll the Leader of the Opposition on this. The Leader of the Opposition is on the record that he was not going to support this in the Northern Territory until hell froze over; such was the sacrilege and the attack on the Territorian lifestyle that this legislation would impose on fun-loving Territorians who enjoyed getting their kit off at cricket matches - and it was an absolutely offensive attack on their right to do that.
Well, I am really pleased that the member for Blain has the numbers in the party room. He has managed to roll the Opposition Leader on this. Maybe it is a sign of the times to come when the member for Blain will be calling the shots on all legislation before this House. I have to say that I would probably support the member for Blain. He brings a more pragmatic approach to this legislation than the Leader of the Opposition, who just looked for a knee-jerk reaction, a quick headline, and an opportunity to get his mug into the media on this. The member for Blain is obviously a lot more considered, understanding as he does, that Territorians love their sport much more than they enjoy getting their kit off and streaking across a field. Therefore, a small price to pay for an offensive attack on the Territory lifestyle, as the Leader of the Opposition would allege, to bring test cricket and one-day cricket to the Northern Territory. It is Bangladesh this year, Sri Lanka next year, Zimbabwe in years to come and, hopefully in the not too distant future, the opportunity to see those great sides from the West Indies, Pakistan, New Zealand, and the UK. It is going to be absolutely fantastic.
I pay tribute to my colleague, the minister for sport, who has had the tenacity and the leadership in bringing international cricket to Darwin; and congratulate everybody who has been involved, including the NT Cricket Association, which has worked hard to bring international cricket to the Top End. I am sure that the thousands of Territorians who will be attending Marrara to watch the cricket and the one-dayers will not begrudge the lack of a lifestyle opportunity to get their kit off and streak across the pitch at Marrara. They will say: ‘Good on the government for bringing international cricket to the Northern Territory’.
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, I support the Major Cricket Events Bill that my colleague, the Minister for Sport and Recreation, has introduced into the House.
Cricket in my electorate is a pretty big thing. As members would well know, the stadium is in my electorate, and it is a place I go to quite often to see what is happening. I had the pleasure of reporting to my constituents of the time that I took a delegation from the Bangladesh parliament to the hallowed turf, as it was. They were pretty interested folk, going to have a look at that. We walked around and then went down and they felt the grass. They thought that this grass was better than the surface in their own country. They believed that their cricketers were going to put on a good show, because they knew about Warnie at that stage and they saw that, with him not being there, they were on for a real chance. These blokes knew their cricket. They were having a look and they wanted to know from which end they would be bowling, where the sun would be, what would be happening, what was the ground capacity, all these sorts of things. I had with me the CEO of sport and recreation because, as I said, we take our cricket seriously in Sanderson.
I am also involved - a few people would know this from my adjournment debates - on the periphery with the junior cricket in my area. I am a keen supporter of the Under-15s, because this government is about lifestyle, and our youth and growing our youth, and we support youthful sporting activities such as cricket – good wholesome games, growing our kids up great.
Frankly, I was a bit appalled when this bill was introduced into the House. The member for Brennan - what do you call him? - the transient or the itinerant Opposition Leader? I am not too sure which. There is so much huffing and puffing going on there. I know that he is not long for this world. I am having a bit of trouble working out who is the deputy. Member for Brennan, member for Blain - perhaps you can tell me. I understand that job is up for grabs. You should have offered it a bit harder and faster, I believe.
Anyway, I was appalled when he tried to make out that baring your bum at the cricket is an okay thing. This is what it has here in Hansard. He was interjecting, as is his want, for no real reason except to grab of bit of air – he is a bit of an oxygen thief at times, our Leader of the Opposition. Anyway, he said: ‘Why? All they do is bare their bum. What is wrong with that?’ Well, let me say, that is inappropriate behaviour for anyone. It is certainly inappropriate for the Leader of the Opposition to be saying to members of this community: ‘Go on, go down to the sporting event, bare your bum, no one minds’. Well, that is not the Territory way. I have been to untold sporting events and I have not been to a nudist sporting event which he seems to go to. Perhaps he was down at the Casuarina foreshore with the member for Macdonnell. We know that he goes down there with his camera and photographs toilets and other sundry things. Perhaps he was talking about nude beach volleyball when he said it was okay to go down and bare your bottom at these events. But at international events, it is not all right. It is not all right to go down and wangle your goolies at people who do not really want to have a look. This is what this legislation is all about.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Sanderson, refrain from such language, please.
Mr KIELY: But what else does he say here? He goes on in a press release which my learned colleague, the member for Wanguri quoted tonight. I will read this again. He says here and I quote:
- … that the Martin government was taking the fun out of the Territory.
Dear me, it has been a while since I have a good old chuckle with my pants down.
Rather than waving the big stick, governments would do well to appeal to Territorians’
good sense and judgment.
Now these are the Territorians he says get their clobber off at sporting events, who always showed good sense and judgment. These must be his drinking buddies at the football and cricket, but they are not my drinking buddies. They are not the member for Nightcliff’s drinking buddies. They are his, and probably other members of the opposition over there seem who revel in this sort of behaviour. He went on:
- No one likes to see a game disrupted. This is a childish and churlish reaction to the odd incident
that has never been threatening.
I will put it to you that if you are a sportsman out there waiting for a fast bowler to come hurtling down at you, you are concentrating. Next minute, when you see someone strolling across in front of you with god knows what little bits jingling at you, that is a distraction, and a deadly one. You face a ball at 100 km/h and see whether you think it is funny to find someone roaming about with no clobber on. It is dangerous and it incites the crowd as well.
The behaviours that the members of the opposition are saying are okay and are the Territorian way, rev up the crowd and cause all sorts of security issues. However, he does not seem to be concerned about that. We are; we want international cricket. We want good, world events here in the Territory. This is what we are working at. This is what we are going for. We are doing a spectacular job. The CLP was responsible for building Marrara Stadium, and good on them. But did they put any money into maintaining it?
It is a bit of a laugh when they say they will back soccer. ‘Here is the future site of soccer. We will bung up a couple of signs’. Everyone knew ‘Here is the site’. How much recurrent funding will you put in it? How much will you do to keep it going? Nothing. How did they know that? From the lessons of the Marrara Stadium, that is how they knew. We got into government. What did we do? We had to pump over $2m in there to bring it up to scratch.
Look at what we have achieved. Not only do we have international cricket, we have had great AFL games there. There is talk of the Western Bulldogs and Port coming up here, giving us two games. Two games a season, two real, action packed AFL games. This a great thing. This is a marvellous thing. I do not know how many people will be naked at them. According to the Leader of the Opposition, that does not seem to matter, but with our legislation possibly we will not have any, which is a good thing.
I was thinking about the Navy chap who was on leave. His ship came and they were out at the ground. He had a couple of beers, and what happened? He ran around naked – the Opposition Leader says it is okay – and what happened to him? It just about shot his career. I did not think that was a laughing matter. That poor bloke, when he woke up in the cells – and I do not know whether they found his clobber or not, so I do not know in what state he woke and with whom he was sleeping in the cells. That would not be a comforting thing to happen to some poor soul who had just come off a boat, but this is what happened to him. Our laws would have helped keep that bloke in the Navy instead of being bare-bottomed in some police cell. There are a lot of spin-offs to this law, which are good things.
Mr Ah Kit: A bloke got knocked out at the Aussie Rules Women’s tournament.
Mr KIELY: That is right. We talk about the streaking that goes on at the grounds, there was a woman down in Melbourne who streaked. What happened? She picked up a contract with Playboy. So, is the Leader of the Opposition saying that we should allow streaking and nude pitch invasions as a job creation scheme. Is that it? Are we going to make nude running on the pitch a CDEP endeavour? That is where it is leading. That is his answer for the 7.4% unemployment rate: we will get them all to streak and get them jobs in Playboy. I do not know how much I will get as a centrefold, Madam Speaker, but I am certain there are a couple over there who would buy a couple of photos of me, as long as they give the negatives back.
It is not only the opportunist employment that comes out of this. There is also the case of the Vodafone people. A radio station that I truly admire, Triple J, once again, brings new Australian music to the people of this country right around the world, a great radio station. For a few years running they had a competition, the Triple J drum - where would it turn up? It turned up in Atlanta City most unexpectedly. It has turned up at all sorts of places, with people having it painted on their bodies, etcetera. They were a bit of harmless fun; they were parading. But there was a mobile phone company who took it one step further which is one of the things that prompted this type of legislation. They were encouraging people to undertake actions that would result in the cameras being trained on them. As long as they had the Vodafone logo painted on them, they were guaranteed having all their fines paid.
Does this sound like good, clean fun? Not in my book. It sounds like gross exploitation to me. That is what was going on and this is what the cricket people are on about. That is why the sum of $5000-odd is a good, healthy sum to be charged for this sort of action. We are not about taking people’s fun from them. I would strenuously argue – and as I have pointed out in this debate - that I do not think dropping your pants at the cricket is such good, clean fun, nor is it a Territory lifestyle event. Quite clearly, the Leader of the Opposition goes to different sporting events to me.
That is why this legislation is being introduced. It facilitates the ability for us to keep bringing to the people of the Territory true lifestyle enhancement, things that they really want. For the member for Blain, that little comment by his erstwhile colleague, the member for Goyder, who does not seem to be saying too much today, it might have struck home. We had a rush of testosterone over there. They have all taken their Little Boy pills; they are all pumped up; and they are all growling and grizzling. I think it was a scurrilous attack, by the way, member for Blain. It verged on cowardly. I do have a lot of time and respect for the member for Blain. You came close to changing my opinion. You were the victim of malicious advice from other members of your team. That is something that you should consider in the future. I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and be forgiving about that.
A member interjecting.
Mr KIELY: Yes, and vote for yourself. That is good advice from the deputy over here. Member for Blain, do not be cajoled into thinking that those sorts of deplorable actions that you see are the way to get to leadership. You are an honourable man. That is the way that you will get to the top in this game. Gutter politics never – it is Archimedes’s theory about …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Sanderson, would you confine your remarks to the bill?
Mr KIELY: Oh well, all right, I did digress a little. I feel sad when I see someone misled by their colleagues, that is all. I am just trying to be helpful and sincere.
Madam Speaker, this is a great bill. It is a great bill because it supports a great Territory initiative, and is a great Clare Martin Labor government initiative. You never heard of anything like this from the CLP. They were flat out getting a scratch match going over there. Now look at this: we have international cricket, national football, and the drop-in pitches. It has created employment in my area, which I am really happy about. This has nothing but win, win, win all over it for Territorians, and I am proud to support it.
I commend the Minister for Sport and Recreation for his foresight, and I hope he is out there working hard for other major events for us. What is another great benefit about having a minister for sport who is genuine about the people here, is that he keeps the prices within range of the average family bloke, the battler, and the other wage earners. Everyone gets a go with this government, and that is because of members like the minister over there who genuinely care for the people of the Territory. There is a lot that the other side could do to emulate the fine, human characteristics of this generous and wonderful sporting minister. We are lucky to have him. I commend the bill to the House.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Madam Speaker, like previous members who have spoken today, I too am excited about the opportunity to watch, live - and this is the most important thing - for the first time in the life of the Territory an Australian cricket team play in the Northern Territory at Marrara. Many Territorians have taken the opportunity to see the Australian cricket team down south. We are going to get this opportunity in the Northern Territory.
I would have been seven or eight-years-old and I remember watching Dennis Lillee storm in at the MCG and thinking to myself: ‘This guy is an absolute idol, an absolute legend’. I had the opportunity to meet him at Perry Lakes in Western Australia. He is a class act and charisma personified. This next generation of young people living in the Territory are going to get the opportunity to meet Steve Waugh, McGrath, Lee and Hayden - the names go on and on and on. These guys are role models in their own right, family people. They represent something we as Australians are very proud of, the Australian Cricket Team. They have an outstanding record, and are arguably the most successful sporting team of any code in any country.
I had the opportunity as a 13-year-old boy at the Western Australian cricket ground to watch my first test, and I distinctly remember the crowd more than the game, because it is really a social event. It is an exciting event. The crowd turned up in force over a five-day period, and they got behind the cricket match and the team. Obviously, we were struggling back in those days and we did not have the world class players all through the team. We had some, but we did not have, right across the board, a world class team. It was a magnificent opportunity for me as a young man to see cricket live.
One thing I remember distinctly was when I was doing Year 11 and 12 in Perth. A cousin of mine came down from Darwin, and the first thing he said to me was: ‘This weekend is the one-day match between Australia and the West Indies’. I said: ‘Oh well, let’s go and get some tickets and watch the cricket match at the WACA’. So off we went. You had the legends of cricket - Clive Lloyd, Holding, Garner - all these absolute legends in cricket matches, these big, black men, dominating the cricket scene at the time, and they were coming in. There was Australia with Alan Border, and I think Marshy was at the end of his career then. It was a fantastic match, and the cricket ball was actually hit out of the ground for six and landed about five rows away from us. This was to the delight of my cousin, Jason, who is about the same age as me. This was the first time he had ever seen any of that. That experience is going to happen here in the Northern Territory and, obviously, we have taken that for granted with Aussie Rules. Australian Rules has been very, very successful, over many, many years here in the Territory. Cricket lovers are going to get the same opportunity.
I commend the Northern Territory government for getting behind this initiative, in particular, the minister for sport. Obviously, when these ideas rise, it takes a bit of gumption, guts, and leadership. We seem to be coming back to that word ‘leadership’ in this environment. We have seen the opposition struggling with the issue of leadership over the last few days, and no doubt they will struggle over the next few weeks.
However, there is no doubt that the Northern Territory government and the minister for sport has shown fantastic leadership in investing large amounts of money into the sporting arena at Marrara. Fantastic opportunities like cricket and possible AFL matches and other major sporting events will come out of that investment. It is like anything; when you invest in your community you put forward an amount of money at a risk, but you are hoping for a large return. I predict, from what I know and from talking to people in the sporting world and in the general public, we will get a huge interest in this cricket match. On the weekend we will pack this ground with 8000, 9000, 10 000 people over three or four days, particularly the Saturday and Sunday. Obviously, people are working on the Thursday and Friday.
What is the event, and what will it mean? You will be seeing people like Steve Waugh, an absolute legend and superstar in his chosen profession as a sportsman, but also as a character, a leader, and an individual – a man with absolute credentials in the world. There are people like young Brett Lee. We will be able to watch this guy bowl faster than anyone has ever bowled before. We do not know how fast this pitch is going to be, and we might see some records broken.
The people in the community will get behind it and I am sure that the opposition spokesman, the member for Blain, is glad to get behind it. That leads me on to an amazing thing I heard this morning: they still had not made up their mind, right up until this morning. As I was driving into parliament I was listening to the Daryl Manzie’s talkback show on 104.1FM, and there was the member for Greatorex. He was asked a question about the legislation being brought in – the Major Cricket Events Bill. There he was, going off on this tirade: ‘Oh, we want to be careful. We have to beware of the Northern Territory government, that they are not trying to affect our lifestyles, that they are not imposing some regime onto us’. What I found amazing was that he just did not seem to understand the whole reasoning behind why we are introducing the Major Cricket Events Bill. However, lucky enough, obviously Daryl Manzie is a bit more clued up than the member for Greatorex, and said: ‘Look, Richard, it is actually a requirement for cricket to come to the Northern Territory. It is one of the requirements of the …
Ms Lawrie: ACB and ICC.
Mr BONSON: Yes, the ACB and ICC. Straight away, there was a dead silence and the member for Greatorex had to get hold of himself: ‘Oh yes, of course, you are right, Daryl …’ blah, blah, blah. Here he was, with this huge backflip, but ever the politician, trying to grind out and find out the negative angle. This is what they are all about; finding negative angles.
We all wish we could say that everyone - every individual who is going to be at the cricket over the five days - is going to be a responsible individual. There is no doubt in my mind, 99.5% of them will be. However, there is always a possibility that somebody will not be responsible, and we have to have some kind of deterrent. Obviously, the biggest problem we are going to have is ensuring that no one actually gets onto the ground and does a streak or does a Vodafone exercise where they publicise a corporate body. This is why I welcome the penalties. They are to prevent or discourage people from jumping over the fence. The sports minister has taken responsible steps in that regard.
Just a comment on some of the comments that came from the Leader of the Opposition. I was lucky enough to ask a question on 20 February 2003 of the Minister for Sport and Recreation: ‘Could the minister inform the Assembly on the progress of the range of infrastructure developments to secure international cricket for the Territory in 2003 and the future years’. The minister proceeded to give an explanation of the responsible steps that our government has taken with infrastructure and investment into Marrara, the $2.5m upgrading of facilities etcetera, and also the recognition and realisation that we are going to have to introduce certain legislative requirements to make the ACB and the ICC happy with our accreditation. Then we have this interjection from a so-called leader of our community. Obviously, he is struggling with the leadership issue as people have read in the last few days, and the whole organisation of the CLP is struggling with the issue of leadership, and strong leadership is very important. They are like a ship without a rudder at the moment. The interjection was:
- Mr Burke: ‘Why, all they do is bare their bum, what is wrong with them?’
The realistic thing about this is that we cannot have people baring their bums because there are young families and young people who will be attending this event as well as grown men and women. It is just not behaviour that we ought to encourage. I cannot say that the member is encouraging it, but to dismiss it as a reasonable action that you might undertake at the cricket or an Aussie Rules match, I do not think it is on. The Opposition Leader needs to ensure that he refrains for making such comments.
We have good background here of the Opposition Leader criticising the introduction of this bill, even though it is an international requirement if cricket is to come to the Northern Territory. This morning, the member for Greatorex was still trying to make political points out of this issue right up until 8.45 am on the radio. Then we have the representative, or the so-called representative, of sport coming in here saying: ‘It is a great idea, it is a good idea, we are supporting it’. We have three different opinions here and people reading Hansard or the general public need to take this into account - they have to realise that the members opposite do not really have a coordinated position on this. This is dangerous for our democracy, in fact. The reason is that every parliament is as strong as the opposition and, at the moment, they have issues and they are facing those issues, I hope, over the next few weeks and months.
The issue of lifestyle is an important one, and this is a beautiful enhancement of what our lifestyle is all about. We are a crazy sporting part of this country. We have a 20% participation/representation rate in the Northern Territory which is larger than anywhere else in the world. When I grew up in the Territory, cricket was not a big sport. It was Aussie Rules, Rugby League, basketball and soccer. When I went to Perth for Years 11 and 12, I quickly realised that the football season ends, and wondered what these guys do in the summer. I asked the local boys what sport they played in the summer and they were all cricket crazy. I had the opportunity to play a season of cricket there. We were always scoring 100, with superstar spinners and speed bowlers in the backyard. I actually got the opportunity to play cricket over the summer in organised sport, even though I was not that successful at it, particularly the batting side of it when they were bowling a bit too fast for me. It was a great opportunity to participate.
However, the same message was coming through that sport: team work, fitness, outdoor, your friends, helping each other out, you are the committee person, you are the president of the club, you are the captain of the cricket club and you have a role to play. That is what we will be encouraging with this major event. We will be encouraging those fundamental premises of sports across the board. Teamwork, comradeship, leadership, community benefit, etcetera. We have to remember that if we can encourage participation by older people – into their late teens and early 20s – maybe they will not get into unnecessary mischief. There are law and order issues; we are looking at crime prevention and all those sort of things. I have met some of my best friends through sport, be they doctors, lawyers, media, labourers, plumbers, electricians, nurses - it does not matter. I have met those people through a common bond: sport. One of those people unfortunately recently passed away and his name was Wally Nickels. I met him through basketball. He was a fantastic individual.
They are the type of people who people involved in cricket will get to meet. My local cricket club is the Nightcliff Cricket Club, but I have many friends who play for Darwin Cricket Club. They love it. Norman Fry, the CEO of the Northern Land Council, played grade cricket down south and was part of the Aboriginal side that went to England to represent Australia. They were quite successful, beating a couple of county teams. It was an anniversary of the first Aboriginal cricket team that went to England. Obviously, that team was very successful and well known.
I have a couple of comments about the media release from the Australian Cricket Board. The General Manager of Cricket Operations, Michael Brown said:
- …the announcement was a further vote of confidence in bringing international cricket to Darwin.
‘‘The Northern Territory government has done a terrific job in preparing Marrara Oval for
international cricket, and bringing the venue into line with ICC standards’ …
‘‘This is an historic series and so far the response from cricket followers has been extremely
positive. The Australian team is genuinely excited about coming to Darwin, and we’re looking
forward to introducing international cricket to a new and deserving audience.’
It goes on further to say:
- As an ICC accredited venue, [ICC Regional Security Manager John] Rhodes said security arrangements
at Marrara Oval would remain consistent with standard security procedures at all other international
venues around the world.
All we are doing is introducing legislation that is going to give us credibility and accreditation.
- ‘The Marrara Oval is now a fully accredited venue of the ICC, and as such, the same player security
and spectator safety arrangements will be implemented as part of standard international security
procedures.
What are these? I will just put them on record for people who might wish to read Hansard.
- Under ICC guidelines for international matches the following security arrangements will be in place for
both the Test and one-day international.
This is accepted practice for any sporting body in the Northern Territory and is definitely not an attack on people’s lifestyle. It is about safety for the community and about a community club or organised league raising funds through sales at venues.
no tents or shade covering devices may be brought into the ground;
patrons’ bags and eskies will be searched prior to entry to the ground;
eskies, prams, pushers, bags and all other belongings must fit under seats if in areas
where seats are provided or without undue intrusion on other patrons in areas where
seats are not provided;
Obviously, this is a responsible attitude to excessive drinking.
smoking is prohibited in all parts of the ground except in designated areas;
Hooray! And:
collapsible seats and stools may be brought into the General Admission areas of the
ground provided that they are of a size for use by one patron and are considered not
to be intrusive or offensive to other patrons.
So, what we have here is a requirement, as Rhodes said also in this media release:
- … formal security policies including pitch invasion legislation – like that currently going through
Northern Territory parliament - were required at all international matches.
Madam Speaker, we accept the support from the shadow minister for sport. I wish that I could say that the member for Greatorex and the Opposition Leader were also quite clearly in support. I am looking forward to the cricket. I will be purchasing a ticket, I will be attending, I will be barracking, I will also be hoping, obviously, Australia bats first. I hope to see a big score and to see some outstanding bowling. I commend the bill to the House.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Speaker, I support the Major Cricket Events Bill brought before the House by the Minister for Sport and Recreation. As we are aware, the Major Cricket Events Bill ensures that we get to see an international test match and one-dayers here in Darwin for the first time. The bill provides for penalties under legislation for any offences that occur, and are aimed at preventing entering of the playing field or any other area where the person is not authorised to be present; throwing or projecting objects onto the playing field during the conduct of the match; conduct that interferes with or endangers a player or officials engaged in a major cricket match; or behaviour that disrupts the conduct of the match. The maximum penalty is 45 penalty units, which is $4950 for a natural person, and 450 penalty units, which is $49 500 for a corporation.
This bill ensures that disruptive behaviour at international cricket matches does not occur. As many speakers in this debate have already indicated, this is a requirement of the ACB and the ICC. Without such legislation in place, we would not have been able to secure international test cricket in the Northern Territory. That seems to have been the point that the members for Brennan and Greatorex have been unable to grapple with; a very simple requirement that our minister has taken on board, and that we are enacting through legislation this afternoon.
I want to touch on the cricket event itself. Bangladesh was admitted as the 10th cricketing nation by the International Cricket Council. The debate at that time centred on whether Bangladesh should come in as a 10th nation or whether Kenya should be admitted. The ICC was influenced by the fact that Bangladesh is a very large nation, home to some 120 million people, many of whom are cricket fanatics. At some stage, cricket commentators believe that, due to the sheer numbers and the fanaticism about cricket in Bangladesh, that Bangladesh as a team will become a force to be reckoned with at the international level of cricket. Bangladesh has just appointed a new coach and we will be able to see the results of that when they come here to play Australia.
Australia, we can proudly say, is the greatest cricketing team in the world. They hold the World Cup in the one-day series; the Ashes against our historic enemy, England; and they have just completed a very successful tour of the West Indies, taking out the Frank Worrell Trophy. For those of us who were cricket fanatics through the 1970s, we can appreciate just what a tremendous feat it is to see the Frank Worrell Trophy come back to Australia after being able to take that during the last tour. We certainly showed our sportsmanship during that West Indies tour. We allowed the West Indies team to win the odd one-dayer to restore some local pride over there.
Cricket has always been at the heart of this sports-mad nation of Australia. It has been one the great sports and has been embraced in the Territory for many years. I had the pleasure of representing the Minister for Education, Employment and Training just recently. On Monday, 9 June, I officiated at the opening ceremony at the Marrara cricket ground for the 2003 School Sport Australia Exchange. The exchange was for students 12 years and under. We had two separate competitions in cricket; one for girls, with representatives from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia participating; and a cricket exchange for boys, with representatives from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, ACT and the Northern Territory participating. The 120-odd participants and their families showed the commitment that occurs at a very early age and upwards through the various levels of cricket.
Cricket features as a regular event to be watched in our household. I live with a cricket fanatic and my husband holds the fervent hope that our daughters will be playing cricket for Australia one day. I confess to be encouraging them in the area of hockey, which is my sport of passion. Nevertheless, they know how to swing a bat, they have had a go at bowling and, in all good Aussie backyard traditions, we get out every now and again in our small court in Karama and have a spur-of-the-moment cricket match when the beautiful Dry Season weather is upon us.
I encourage the Darwin community to support wholeheartedly the Bangladesh/Australia test, the one-dayers, and the Chief Minister’s XI competition. It will be an opportunity to show the international cricketing world that Darwin is well and truly earning its position on the world tour map. I know that my husband will be there and will be loving every minute of it. He has attended just about every cricketing venue in Australia and is incredibly excited about seeing cricket come to our home town of Darwin.
I congratulate the minister for the foresight he showed in approaching the ACB in the first instance, and following up negotiations with the ICC to bring international test cricket to our beautiful tropical city. I congratulate the Chief Minister for the strength and support she has given her minister in this respect and for the enthusiasm she has shown, and for the dollars that our Northern Territory government has committed to ensure that we upgrade the facilities at Marrara and put in place all relevant measures required to bring international cricket to Darwin.
I believe we will see a boost in tourism as a result, and a lift in the confidence of our community. I do not say this lightly; people still talk about the impact the legend, the late Sir Donald Bradman, had on our nation during the depression era, simply through the majesty of his playing. I believe that many of us cannot quite anticipate the sheer level of excitement that many cricket fans in the broader Darwin community will have watching our Australian heroes walk out on to the hallowed Marrara cricket ground …
Mr Kiely: The MCG!
Ms LAWRIE: The MCG!
I support the Major Cricket Events Bill and encourage all members to support it. I recognise that the shadow minister for sport, the member for Blain, has indicated support for the bill, and I commend the bill to the House.
Mr McADAM (Barkly): Madam Speaker, I speak briefly this evening in support of the Major Cricket Events Bill (Serial 144). I begin by paying tribute to the Australian Cricket Board, the International Cricket Council, the Northern Territory government and, of course, everyone associated with the Bangladesh cricket team, particularly people in Bangladesh. It will be a very historic occasion in the context of sporting events here in the Territory, and will auger well in our future in that area.
I would like to give some background information regarding why we must enact this legislation - and it will become very clear – quite obviously, there were certain steps that had to be put in place for this event to occur.
Members may be aware that in January 2003, Clive Lloyd, a very well respected international cricketer, visited Darwin. His task was to inspect the facilities associated with the Marrara Oval. Obviously, that was part of compliance in respect to conditions that had to be met by the ICC. He reported that to the ICC and essentially said that the size of the pitch, the quality of the stadium, facilities for players, media and spectators were all satisfactory. He then also went on to praise the Northern Territory government for doing an excellent job in preparing the Marrara Oval for international cricket and bringing the venue in line with ICC standards. It is important to note that as a result of that, Marrara Oval is now a fully accredited venue and, as such, the same player security and spectator safety arrangements will have to be implemented as part of standard international security operations.
It is important to note that the arrangements that were put in place by ICC are, in fact, no different from any other country in the world which operates international cricket matches. As I said previously, there has to be compliance across the board. One of the key obligations, as it is with the Australian Cricket Board, is to ensure spectator safety, security of all players and officials, and there must be security measures in place including a formal pitch invasion policy. That is the reason why this government today is enacting this legislation.
The member for Millner mentioned some other conditions that had to be complied with and I will just mention a few, which indicates how very serious the Australian Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council takes their obligations: there is to be no alcohol, glass or cans brought into the ground; patrons’ bags and eskies will be searched prior to entry into the ground; and only low and mid-strength alcohol beer can and will be served in public places. That gives a reasonable background of why we have to go down this path. That is why I was a little dismayed, and I guess disturbed, when, on 2 February 2003 in the Sunday Territorian, the Leader of the Opposition, the member for Brennan, said that the Martin government was taking the fun out of the Territory, and would rather appeal to the good sense and judgment of the people in the Territory as opposed to us enacting this legislation. He went on to describe our actions as childish and churlish. Well, let me assure members on the other side that this is not the case. The simple facts are that if we do not enact this legislation, there will be no test cricket. It is very simple, it is very straight.
Madam Speaker, in conclusion I clearly support this legislation. I wish all the players associated with the game from both countries well, particularly all the Northern Territory players who will be playing in the Chief Minister’s XI. I feel particularly proud that my young nephew has been selected as part of the squad. I support this legislation. I wish everyone all the very best in the test match and the one day international.
Mr AH KIT (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, the Major Cricket Events Bill 2003 introduces legislation that makes it an offence for anyone to enter onto a playing field - a pitch invasion, in other words - and other behaviour that disrupts or interferes with a major cricket match in the Northern Territory.
The main objective of the legislation is to ensure the safety of players and officials during international cricket matches. It is a requirement of the Australian Cricket Board that the security of players and officials is addressed by prohibiting public access to the playing area or any other area of the venue where the person is unauthorised to be present at any time during the conduct of a match, and by prohibiting conduct that disrupts the match or endangers players or officials during the match.
As the member for Barkly just mentioned, if we were not enacting this bill, we would not have international cricket - full stop. I note the comments made by the Leader of the Opposition, and I suppose they were comments made on the run. I am hoping that he will take his family down to the cricket. I do not really think that he meant what was reported. As I said, they were off-the-cuff remarks, which do not genuinely reflect the member for Brennan’s interest in cricket. I would rather not dwell on those, but to note and pass over them.
The international cricket that is being planned - and we are not too far off - is going to be great for the Northern Territory. There will be many people coming from other states and territories. I am sure that there have been plans put in place for an influx of cricket lovers into the Territory, as there will be, no doubt, for the one day international cricket match with Bangladesh in Cairns.
In discussions with people from the sporting community - and not just the cricketing community but the sporting community generally - there is an overwhelming response from people out there who are really keen, eager and looking forward to the one-day international and the test cricket match with Bangladesh. I would like to add that I am certainly hoping, whilst I want Australia to win, that it is not a flogging in any way and that Bangladesh puts up a bit of a fight, as we all saw Kenya do in the recent World Cup series. They were a dark horse but, nevertheless, they made it into the finals and were a surprise package. I would certainly like to think that Bangladesh is going to provide a lot of opposition and a really good match for our spectators.
As I said this morning, the area in the centre of the Marrara Oval is being dug up. The two pitches will be in place. Tony Ware is overseeing that project, and as we have seen from the reports, the media releases from the Australian Cricket Board, and also from the International Cricket Council, he has done an excellent job to date. He is the Australian who has masterminded these drop-in pitches. That will be an exercise in itself. I am looking forward to seeing how fast those pitches are going to be. I had a look at them yesterday when we did a bit of media out there with Tony, and the wickets look like they are going to be fast. I am glad that I am not up one end having to face Glenn McGrath, or Brett or Shane Lee coming down at some 200 km/h. As we know, they can bowl these fast balls.
Madam Speaker, we have the accreditation. Clive Lloyd came out, and the Chief Minister and I inspected the oval with him. We took advantage of doing some media. Clive’s report to the International Cricket Council was obviously successful in recommending that we had good facilities, and we had a good venue. Many people need to be congratulated on all the work that has been taking place out there over the last six months. DIPE and their staff have worked very hard. We have kept the AFLNT in touch with everything that has been done to ensure that they are providing cooperative assistance to us. They know at the end of the day that they are going to benefit from a lot of the facilities that we have put in place there. We have a lease with them and we want to continue to work with them in a cooperative manner to ensure that sports of a national and international standard, when we bring them to town, have a first class venue.
We know that the penalties that have to be imposed are there for a reason. As I explained in the second reading speech, we do not want clowns down there, yobbos who are just going to disrupt it and be bad in conning each other or daring each other to streak across the oval. We also do not want glass taken into the grounds which can be thrown onto the oval. The last thing you would want on a beautiful oval like that is broken glass. You also have to make sure that there is player safety and security put in place. As we have seen at other matches around the country at other big ovals or venues on a few occasions, people get caught up in the sporting spectacular and, if it is not going their way, they will lose their temper and start throwing cans or bottles or anything of that nature on to the playing arena.
The ICC and the ACB have put tight controls on those, and we need to do that, because if we want to attract more national and international events, we need to ensure that we put in place proper procedures so that we can conduct these events at a very professional level which will, hopefully, encourage other sporting codes to think about using the Northern Territory, especially the Top End. We have not quite got there yet with Alice Springs. We know what we are doing there with the Traeger Park complex, and with the grandstand and lights, and we are certainly hoping to get some sport happening there next year with the AFLNT.
The bill, as it is at this stage, is sensible. I welcome the supporting contributions from members on this side of the House, and also the shadow sport and recreation spokesperson. This is not controversial legislation. There have been a few things said in the past that I touched on from the Leader of the Opposition, but I do not think we should dwell on it. We should move forward and this bill is taking us forward. It is a requirement, it is as simple as that. If we do not enact legislation, we do not have the cricket. I put on the record the good work that has been done by Phillip Leslie and the crew at Sport and Recreation in being able to negotiate cricket at an international level up here for five out of the next six years.
Madam Speaker, I conclude my comments and recommend the bill to members of the House.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Mr AH KIT (Sport and Recreation)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Dr TOYNE (Stuart): Madam Speaker, tonight I will report on the legendary Finke Desert Race which was held in Alice Springs over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, during 7, 8 and 9 June. The Finke Desert Race has been an event of great success for some 28 years, and the event has grown in reputation and stature, both in Australia and internationally. In fact, the race is commonly referred to as Australia’s premier off-road racing event.
This year’s event witnessed 239 bikes and 83 cars, a total 322 competitors, taking on the 460 km course over two days, plus the extra day for prologue. Fifty percent of all entrants this year were from interstate and most of those brought their families and friends along with them, which is great for the economy of Alice Springs. It certainly filled the town, as it always does at that time of the year. I must make mention of probably the craziest group of them all, the sidecar riders from South Australia, which consisted of some 140 people in their party. Anyone who has seen the way these guys race - and I saw them coming in at the Finke end of the track - and has seen them going over a jump in a sidecar outfit would say it is just pretty scary - but they seem to enjoy doing it and somehow they survive, although one did sustain a broken arm.
This year, the Finke Desert Race was once again well supported by the Central Australian community, with around 3000 people attending the scrutineering night at Blatherskite Park on the Friday. There was also an estimated 10 000 to 15 000 campers along the racetrack over the weekend to watch the race in typical Central Australian wintry, cold conditions. When we were flying back from Finke just after dusk, looking down on the ground you could see all those camp fires and it was a spectacular sight. It was almost like the Milky Way in reflection on the ground with the red of the camp fires. That shows you just how much the people of Alice Springs and Central Australia have embraced this event.
I thank the Central Australian people for this support, not only in going out and witnessing the event, but in the way they handled themselves down there. Although some of the camp sites get a bit wild, it is amazing that, year after year, there have never been really major incidents along the track, even though you have a high speed competition going past the camps that have been established.
I pay tribute also to the direct commitment of the Central Australian people to this event, with some 300 volunteers playing a part in the staging of this event each year. The commitment of the Finke Desert Race Committee, year in and year out, must also rate a special mention. I convey my congratulations to the Finke Desert Race Committee, consisting of Antony Yoffa, president; Nina Hargrave, vice-president; Brooke Fraser, treasurer; Kelsey Rodda, secretary; Sharon Hutton, executive committee and race secretary; Damien ‘DJ’ Smart, executive committee; and committee members Bob Baldock, Brian Shearn and Steve Marsh. I also give an additional thanks to Brian for sticking me in his buggy for the hot lap around the prologue track, which I just loved, as I always do. I have done it two years in a row now, and I just cannot believe these guys can get a car around a track at that speed.
I would also like to mention the Northern Territory Major Events Company and thank Paul Cattermole and Laurelle Halford for their efforts and contributions towards the event on behalf of the Northern Territory government. I also thank all the other Northern Territory public servants who have worked with the Finke Desert Race Committee, or worked as volunteers over the long weekend to make this year’s event such a success. With the event growing and gaining national and international recognition, the support of the private sector is essential. I would like to mention the contribution of Tattersall’s as the naming rights sponsor of the Finke Desert Race. Tattersall’s formed a partnership with the event some five years ago and remain firmly committed to the Finke Desert Race for a further two years. Tattersall’s managing director, Owen Gwynne, and Bob Elix, the Northern Territory general manager, have both shown a lot of confidence in the event and I wish them every success in their sponsorship arrangement.
My congratulations and thanks to other sponsors including Alice Springs Town Council through Mayor Fran Kilgariff, Carlton and United Breweries, Mr Leigh Jennings; Readymix, Mr Dave Fellows; Lasseters Hotel and Casino, Mr Bill Coffey; Mobil Sabadin Petroleum, Mr George Sabadin, Seven Central, Ms Karen Jones; CAMS, Mr Allan Denney, Chief Steward, Mr Dave Stimson; Mr Steve Lisk, and the Motor Cycling Australian representative, Mr Ian Jordan.
This year’s Finke Desert Race was again won by the buggies; Mark Burrows, with his usual impeccable driving winning back to back King of the Desert titles, the first and only buggy driver to have a repeat victory. However, the news was not all doom and gloom for the bikes. The bikes dominated seven out of the top 10 finishings for the event as a whole. You can say that we were previously wondering when the cars would ever beat the bikes. We are now starting to wonder about whether the bikes are ever going to beat the cars again given the track is more and more challenging as the years go by.
I extend my congratulations to all the class winners and all the competitors of this year’s event for their outstanding achievements over the two days of the event. I have already mentioned Mark Burrows, and Colin Hodge, his navigator, winner of the cars and outright winner. The time this year was 3:59:03. It is not super fast by previous times but the way the track was this year it was a fantastic bit of driving. Darren Griffiths, a real veteran, was the winner of the bikes and outright second. He has been competing in the event for 20 years and has finally cracked it for first bike home. Mark Sladek was second in the bikes and outright third. If you could bottle what competitors show in the Finke race it would be worth quids. Something comes over these guys. When I was talking to Jordie, the bike marshal in charge of the bike part of event, he said it is almost like the bike riders have a button on the top of their head and when it is sticking up their brain is functional, but when they put the helmet on it pushes the button down and they stop worrying about any commonsense at all. They just go for it. That was exactly what was happening again this year with all the competitors.
There was some spectacular heroics. I name one guy, Ray Doyle, from South Australia. He was on one of the bikes and we saw him go over the line at the Finke end of the race. He crossed the line pretty slowly and got about 10 m past the finishing line at Finke and just peeled off his bike and collapsed on ground. He was as white as a sheet. That guy had come off, absolutely totalled, about 30 km short of the finishing line at the southern end of the track; broken his shoulder in several places, got back on his bike and finished the course. That is what people do in Finke. It is just really fantastic courage and determination.
I cite another example where the buggies that came in fourth and fifth out of the cars came through into the loops leading into the finishing straight on the second day of the race. The two were neck and neck with probably 3 m between the fronts of the two of them and huge clouds of dust. They were dicing all the way through the loops and came into the final straight. When we finally got a good look at them because there were such big dust cloud you could not really see what was going on, the two buggies were side by side, one of them had a flat tyre on the front wheel and he was driving over 100 km an hour within millimetres of this other buggy, to decide who was going to come fourth or fifth in the race. Again, that just shows the enormous competitiveness there is in the Finke Desert Race.
That is why is Australia’s premier off-road racing event. That is why, through the up-links that we have established to cable television - people are watching this all around the world now - we expect very soon that we will see some international competitors come and take the locals on.
In the meantime, we have lots of work to do with the $300 000 that we have put into the development of a new start/finish area for the race. That will make a huge difference to the organising committee. They will have power, water and sewerage on site to cater for the 5000 to 8000 people who gather around that start/finish area. Spectators will be able to drive directly off the bitumen into the race venue and this is going to bring the event to a whole new level. We have also provided the land for that out of the old Quarantine Block. That land is extensive enough, and I thank my colleague the Minister for Infrastructure, Planning and Environment for helping us set up this fantastic new prospect for the event. That land will enable the prologue track - the track where the competitors time trial to decide which order they are going to start in the race proper - to go right round the crowd with safe viewing areas. It is going to be such a spectacular event to attend from next year onwards with these new facilities.
We have to do something about the track itself. Some of the bikers were saying that it really is to the point where you cannot maintain speed over the ‘whoops’, which are big mounds that have developed over the years on the race track. We will probably have to put in a new track alignment perhaps for the first 60 km and then some areas just north of Mt Squires. If we can get those areas that are becoming too challenging and dangerous at the speeds competitors race fixed so that it remains a very demanding race but is also safe and fair between the bikes and cars into the future, then I think we have assured the event a fantastic future development.
I will finish by saying that these competitors, men and women - there are quite a number of women competitors these days – in those buggies are hitting 230 km/h on dirt on the fastest parts of the track. The bikes are dragging along at 180 km/h. I do not know how they do it. They keep telling me to get into one of these buggies and have a go one year. I would have to think very hard before I did, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker. Congratulations to everyone who was associated with the event, a fantastic event again this year. Let us go on and build it into the future.
Mr MALEY (Goyder): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I place on the record some of the activities that have been occurring in the electorate of Goyder. Before I do that, I, too, attended the Finke Desert Race and it was a fantastic event. My brother, Gerard Maley, raced the four-wheeler class and came seventh in his first attempt at the Finke. He had ridden it a few times, but never as a full-blown competitor. As well as going to a few official functions and doing what I had to do, as you do in both government and opposition, I took as much time out as I could to go down to the track to have a look at what was happening and I camped a few nights in the desert. I also travelled to Finke, an Aboriginal community about 300 km from the start line, and spent an afternoon there.
A fantastic event, 10 times harder than I thought it would be. It is not just an open, flat desert track. It is really tough. It is a credit to the organisers and the people who get in and have a go, and I suspect it brought a great deal of economic activity to Alice Springs. There were people I spoke to at the casino who had flown in from Adelaide and Melbourne, and they come specifically for this race, either in a purely spectator role, or supporting teams and family members.
There is a new action group in the Northern Territory: the Kentish Road Action Group. It is a lobby group formed recently to lobby the Litchfield Shire Council, the Northern Territory government and the federal government to upgrade Kentish Road by the construction of a bridge over a creek, which will allow all year access by local residents to the Stuart Highway. The group is made up of a number of well respected local people and headed by Vic Statham.
Just to set the scene, there has been access to this portion of Kentish Road for about 20 years - or in excess of 20 years - along an easement where the old railway was. That access has now come to an end. One of the blocks has been sold and the new owner has told residents that he is going to fence it off, so it leaves a number of people in a very bad position of not being able to leave their properties and have access to the Stuart Highway for two or three months of the year over the Wet Season. The creek crossing on Kentish Road needs to be upgraded as a matter of urgency, and all three arms of government, in my view, should work together to solve this problem. Without the upgraded culvert or bridge structure, several rural families will not be able to travel to work or send their kids to school during the entire Wet Season. The Litchfield Shire Council needs to give this particular project urgent priority so that a proper crossing, or culvert or bridge, is constructed prior to the upcoming Wet Season.
There is another matter. It is a matter I intend to lobby the government on and see if I can get their support. It is a form of rural registration. I am in the process of preparing some legislation to introduce on General Business Day. In the rural area - Humpty Doo, Noonamah, Berry Springs - there are lots of ATVs, lots of four-wheelers. These four-wheelers are not designed, of course, for roaring down the road or going to work. These are bikes that you would go from your block down to the local creek. In some parts of Queensland, and I understand in New South Wales, they have a rural registration scheme where you can get these four-wheelers registered in daylight hours. You can ride on the verges, and you can go from your block, along the side of the road, visit a neighbour, perhaps cross the road only. You can travel around these rural areas without having to run the gauntlet of having the police apprehend you and charge you with driving unregistered and uninsured. I am keen to do what I can to lobby the government to support this change.
I had a recent tour of Freds Pass. I have grown up in the rural area and gone to pony club, polocrosse, Rugby League and Aussie Rules and played a few sports there. It is a fantastic facility. There is a real need for the government of the day to put proper resources into that facility. There are numerous teams of juniors playing soccer. Soccer is, I suspect, the fastest growing sport in the rural area. I do not know what the statistics would be; about 200 juniors play. I understand that my colleague and close friend, the member for Nelson, is in the process of becoming a referee in soccer, and it is good to see him supporting the juniors.
There is a need for further infrastructure out the back for the polocrosse. There is going to be a need for an area where horse events can be conducted under lights, not only polocrosse, but pony club, show jumping or the like. The land is there. There is very basic infrastructure in terms of access, water and power. What it needs is a commitment from government to make the Freds Pass Reserve a sporting and social focal point for the rural area.
Ms MARTIN (Fannie Bay): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, on Saturday, 14 June, I was pleased to attend the Sony Dragon Ball on the lawns of the MGM Grand Hotel Casino. Along with many of my fellow members of the Assembly and over 350 Darwinians, we were treated to a night of high glamour, great hospitality and terrific entertainment. The Sony Dragon Ball was organised by the Chung Wah Society as a fundraising event, with proceeds to go towards the building of a new museum wing to the existing Chung Wah Hall in Litchfield Street.
The president of the Chung Wah Society, Adam Lowe, on the evening described how the Chung Wah Society was working towards raising $200 000 from corporate sponsorship and community fundraising. Corporate sponsorship has now become essential for the growth and continued success of community organisations. I acknowledge the attendance of Toshikazu Mashima, Managing Director of Sony Australia, the major sponsor of the event. Mr Mashima’s presence in Darwin was an indication of the high esteem in which our local Chinese community and the Chung Wah Society, in particular, is held.
As part of the entertainment, the Chung Wah lion dancers performed athletic routines and the audience was treated to especially illuminated performance of the Dragon Dance. Chung Wah lion and dragon dance team members who performed were: Daryl Chin, Edward Chin, Ben Chin, William Fong, Andrew Chin, Leeonel Tchia, Bradley Yuen, Braydon Chin, Owen Chin, Edward Tsang, Wayne Lo, David Chin, Nathan Tam, Gavin Chin, Roland Chin, Robert Sarib, Timothy Ho, Des Yuen, Rowan Chin, Jeremy Chin, another Andrew Chin and Ricky Fong Lim. What on earth this community would do without the Chin families, I just do not know. I congratulate the members of the organising committee, Brad Griffiths, Jane DeGault, Tina Griffiths and Daryl Chin, for coordinating a very highly professional event that is bound to become an annual social highlight for Darwinians.
On Friday, 13 June, I attended the Royal Australian Institute of Architects’ Awards, the Territory Chapter, held at Pee Wees on East Point. It was a great evening and a privilege to share with all the talented architects and building industry people of the Territory. The judging team this year was Bob Nation, Chair, design director of Crone National Architects who is based in Sydney; Sharyn Yelverton - and certainly a welcome to Sharyn Yelverton back to Darwin - of Greening Australia and Landcare activist; and Sue Dugdale, an Alice Springs’ architect, and herself a Tracy Memorial Award Winner for the Lolly Houses at Yuendumu.
The awards were an exciting cross-section of some of the building taking place in the Territory. Winner of the Commercial Award was Jackman Gooden Architects (NT) in the Territory for the Forensic Science Facility at Berrimah. This building also won the BHP Colorbond Award for creative use of steel. The very prestigious Burnett Award was won, appropriately, by Hully Liveris for his work on Neil and Sue Philip’s residence in Larrakeyah. It was appropriate, not only because Hully Liveris is an architect known for his excellence, but his father actually built the basic fibro box frame which made up the core structure of this house. This building also won the People’s Choice Award. Platt Consultants received a commendation in the Burnett Award for their work on the Gillen Seniors Village in Alice Springs.
The prize for the Public Building Award went to the National Exhibition and Community Centre in Dili, East Timor, and was won by James Cubitt Architects. That is interesting, because I do not think that a building built outside the Territory has previously won one of our awards in the Territory. The prestigious Tracy Memorial Award also went to James Cubitt Architects for the same building - the National Exhibition and Community Centre in Dili. Suzanne Garske won the RAIA Student Award for Advancement in Architecture for 2002; Alison Shepherd won the inaugural 2002 RAIA Polyflor Jack McConnell Design Scholarship for Region 4, which included South Australia and the Territory. Congratulations to both those young women. In addition, Troppo Architects this year won an international competition for the Porter School of Environmental Studies, and the University Visitor Centre at the Tel Aviv University in Israel. Troppo were one of 14 practices invited to compete from around the world.
Congratulations to the industry, the architects, the builders, the landscape designers, the students, the engineers, the project managers, and all others who contribute to our wonderful built environment. From a Territory point of view, we are looking forward to next year, being the Year of the Built Environment, Australia wide.
Special thanks for the evening to Steve Huntingford. The Architects Awards would not be the same without Steve - who is currently the president of the Architects’ Chapter - for his wonderful wit, bizarre sense of humour, and for the unique presence he brings to the evening; to the state manager of the RAIA, Julie Calvert, and Melissa Sue, the executive assistant, who organised this wonderful night.
A few days before that on 9 June 2003, I officially opened the new Coles Darwin store at 8 am on the Monday of the long weekend. This new store is a tremendous addition to the retail shopping facilities in the inner city. The store will operate 24 hours a day and is the fifth Coles store in the Territory. The official opening was compered by the Manager of Coles Palmerston, Andrew Quinn, who led the small but attentive audience, many of them waiting to shop at that early hour of the day, through the procedures of speeches and ribbon and cake cutting. The new store manager, Darren Hansen, and the Territory and South Australia State Manager for Coles, Roger Savannah, took me through a tour of the new facility which encompasses state-of-the-art retail layout design and refrigeration. During the official speeches, Grocery Manager, Todd Martin, and Fresh Foods Manager, Darryl Patzel, were acknowledged for their hard work and efforts in ensuring that the store was ready for the official opening. They are but two of the keen and enthusiastic staff members I had the pleasure to meet at the opening.
The new Coles Darwin store will employ over 70 staff. Across the Territory in the five stores, Coles now employs over 610 Territorians. This store is evidence of the increasing investment by Coles Myer in the Territory. As well as the five Coles stores, Coles Myer operates three Bi-Lo stores, two K Marts, three K Mart Tyre and Autos, two Target department stores, six Liquorlands and a Vintage Cellars providing Territorians with choice and opportunity for employment. I look forward to seeing the success of this new store, and indeed, the Mitchell Centre which will be opening in stages as retail stores come on line.
On 30 May 2003, I was invited to open the Peppimenarti Arts Festival. Only a few hours drive from Darwin, or less than an hour by plane, the Peppimenarti Arts Festival was a wonderful event. I was fortunate enough to accompanied by my colleague, the Minister for Community Development who was there officially to open the basketball courts. Flying in across the famous plains of Peppimenarti, I was struck yet again of the origins of Aboriginal art in the Territory. Time and again this extraordinary variety of art has flowered in remote places. This is art that comes from the land that nurtures and inspires its artists. Peppimenarti was one of the first homelands set up in the region away from the influences of much larger communities in the region. As such, it has always demonstrated an independence of mind and spirit. Peppimenarti has formed a partnership with a commercial gallery in Darwin, the Karen Brown Gallery, and this partnership has uncovered and nurtured a new wave of talent, of new ways of looking at the land and it is quite different to models elsewhere in the Territory.
In fact, in less than three years, this partnership between Karen Brown and Peppimenarti has led to the exhibition and sales of work here in the Territory, interstate and internationally. So often when we hear the word export, we think of minerals or the live cattle trade. Peppimenarti, along with thousands of other indigenous artists here in the Northern Territory, turns that idea on its head. Artists such as these are exporting ideas and beauty and doing far more to bring recognition to the Territory than is generally recognised. We certainly need to thank the Brown family for their involvement in Peppimenarti. Warren Brown is the CEO of the council, and he is Karen’s dad, and her family are very involved. The commitment of families like the Brown family in building communities, in establishing enterprises, should be acclaimed in the Territory.
I was reminded of the role of arts when I also visited the Daly River region for the Merrepen Arts Festival. The Merrepen Arts Festival, which I am sure everyone is well aware of, is the annual arts festival held at Nauiyu on the Daly River and it was on 7 and 8 June this year. It was the 16th Merrepen Arts Festival. Merrepen has everything: sporting events – this year was significantly larger because Barunga did not happen; the Saturday evening concert with the Darwin Symphony Orchestra Under the Stars; traditional singers and dancers from the community; and an arts exhibition and sale and auction, among other events. The Darwin Symphony Orchestra had its ‘Symphony Under the Stars’ which featured the Baker Boys and their new world premiering rock opera. It also featured the Daly River Ladies Choir singing sacred songs, and then, just to be totally eclectic, included works of Strauss and Mozart - a lot of Strauss waltzes. Soloist Kathy Banks also performed. The evening was a delight. As I said when I congratulated Martin Jarvis and the others involved later, I am proud of the excellent standard of musical entertainment provided to us in the Territory through the Darwin Symphony Orchestra.
For me, a highlight of Merrepen was the chance to look at some of the wonderful arts and crafts of the region. The artwork is unique, highly decorative, and instantly recognisable as belonging to the Naiuyu community. This work always attracts a great deal of national and international interest, with paintings, screen printed items, batik and silk works, etchings, weavings, and much more. The Merrepen Festival is a wonderful example of community harmony, of people coming together to celebrate what is best about this region and the people who live there, and it was great to see so many visitors from so many places gathering for this 16th Merrepen Festival.
While I was at Merrepen, I was delighted to be able to launch a publication, Dadirri: The Spring Within. This is a catalogue detailing some of the wonderful spiritual art of the Aboriginal people of the Daly River region. Author Eileen Farrelly demonstrated her knowledge and love of the community through this publication, which features some of the artwork, the stories and biographies of some of the best known painters from the region. I cannot improve upon the words of Sister Jan Niall, IBVM, when she wrote of Eileen’s work:
- Eileen’s rich background in Aboriginal art, her skill and her empathy with the artists of the Daly make
her the perfect person to bring together this scholarly work of art and story. It is a beautiful gift from
the artists of the Daly to us, the newer peoples of Australia.
I can certainly recommend that book. It is beautiful; its artworks are delightful; and its stories complement those artworks. It is called Dadirri: The Spring Within written by Eileen Farrelly.
Speaking of indigenous art, I would like to pause here to pay tribute to Dorothy Bennett, who died last Sunday. Dorothy Bennett, who was a constituent of mine for many years, was best known as a dealer and promoter of Aboriginal art from the 1950s onward. She started out working with Dr Schougall, a keen Aboriginal art collector who put together the first important collection of Aboriginal art to be placed in a major state gallery, which was the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Dorothy was the first dealer of note to reside in the Territory and maintained a strong interest in Aboriginal art all her life. Until very recently, she was working on her autobiography at the NARU Institute. She was ahead of her time in recognising the importance of indigenous arts, and will be sadly missed by her friends and colleagues. Dorothy Bennett will be sadly missed. She has made an outstanding contribution to Aboriginal art and those 50 years of work promoting and supporting indigenous art has been an extraordinary contribution to Aboriginal art in the Territory. Whilst Dorothy must have been in her 80s, she had the energy and commitment of someone many years younger. It is very sad to say goodbye to Dorothy Bennett.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, today I speak about a number of functions and events I attended in the past few weeks. The coming of the Dry means a significant increase in the number of events in the Territory, and being the Minister for Ethnic Affairs, I have the privilege and the honour of being invited to attend many of these events. I admit I enjoy not only the friendship, the bright lights and the music, but also the fantastic food that the different communities in the Territory prepare and serve during their events.
On 30 May, I attended the Dripstone High School Year 11 Business Studies class quiz night. It was a fantastic night, and a lot of people supported Dripstone High School. The kids had prepared the food themselves; they ran the bar very efficiently; and also the questions. I had a great night. The event was organised by Adam Roth. I must confess we did not come first or second, but we had a great time and we enjoyed ourselves. We had a few drinks and answered a lot of the questions but, of course, you always miss the vital one, the critical one, that has the most points. The Year 11 class raised $1000. Congratulations to the organiser, Adam Roth, and all the students who took part.
On 31 May, I attended the Rose of Tralee Ball at MGM Grand, an event organised by the NT Irish Association to select the Rose of Tralee for the Northern Territory. The Rose of Tralee this year was Jessica McNeill, who came first out of a field of 11 young women who were competing not only with their beauty, but also with their charm, brains, knowledge, ability to partake in public debate, and ability to raise funds for worthwhile causes. Next year, Jessica will be visiting Tralee in Ireland where she will compete with other Irish young women from all over the world. I wish Jessica all the best. One of my constituents, Ms Sally Carson, was one of the competitors. Sally is a young woman who works for a computer company, and I was very happy to sponsor her.
What impressed me this year with the Rose of Tralee is the fact that all the young women seemed to enjoy themselves, they seemed to be friends with each other, and it was a very friendly feeling of competition, rather than winning at any cost. It was great to see. My wife and I had a wonderful time, and I congratulate the NT Irish Association and thank them very much for organising such a significant event and a great night.
On 2 June, I was invited by Carlo Randazzo, who is the Honorary Consul for Italy in the Northern Territory, to celebrate with the Italian community their Italian Republic Day. There was a cocktail function held at the Italian Club, and during that time, Peter Forrest, a well known historian in Darwin, presented a history of the Italian settlement in the Territory. It was a very well attended event. Many Italians were there, and they all celebrated with gusto the anniversary of the Republic Day of Italy.
Five days later, on 7 June, I was celebrating with members of the Filipino community, the 105th anniversary of the Philippines’ Independence Day at the Filipino Club in Batten Road, Marrara. The invitation was from the president of the club, Mr John Rivas. My wife and I attended and we had a great time. We always enjoy going to the Filipino dos, because they are full of dancing, singing, music, and colour. I always admire their presentations because they are very exotic, a mixture of Chinese finesse and Spanish flavour. I have to admit that I admire them very much, and I enjoy the music very much.
Of course, the event of the month, which I cannot forget to mention, was the Greek Glenti. It is in its 15th year now. It started as a very small affair in the grounds of the Greek School in Nightcliff in 1988 as part of the Australian Bicentennial celebrations, and every year from then went for one day on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend on Sunday. This year, the committee took the brave step to run the Greek Glenti for two days, on Saturday afternoon and Sunday, and I have to admit, it was a tremendous success. Congratulations to the organiser, Ms Lilliane Gomatos, the president of the Greek Community, Mr John Nicolakis, Mr Sam Hatzivalsamisfrom the Greek School, and the presenter, Mr Jim Hatzivalsamis, who spent hours on stage presenting and introducing all the people. My congratulations to a good friend, a young man from the Territory, Mr Evan Papandonakis, one of the Top End Boys, who did a tremendous job. On Sunday, he was brave enough to dress up as a Greek solider and go around with his sword, white shirt and skirt, wearing the traditional Greek hat.
Congratulations to all the organisers who took part. This time the Kalymnian Brotherhood had about 1000 kg of octopus, which they did very well. The Greek School and the Cypriots had some fantastic Greek and Cypriot delicacies. I believe they raised quite a significant amount of money selling food over the two nights. I am talking about in excess of $3000, I heard. The Pan Macedonian Association had their wonderful yiros.
I worked in the bar over the two days, and on Sunday afternoon at around 6 pm we had sold out of all Greek beer, so then we reverted to the old green can. The event was very well patronised; I believe 12 000 people turned up on Saturday night, and it was absolutely packed on Sunday night. We had a great time, enjoying the Greek delicacies, listening to Greek music. It was fantastic, and I believe it will on for two days every year. It is a significant event.
I have to admit that on Sunday I was stretched because I had to work at the Greek Glenti and then I had to rush to the mosque and to attend a farewell dinner for Asad Mohsin, the President of the Islamic Society in Darwin, who, unfortunately, is leaving for New Zealand. It was a great night at the mosque in Vanderlin Drive. There was a large number of people, with many speeches, and I had the pleasure to present a plaque on behalf of the Territory government which recognises his contribution to, and his significant leadership in, the Islamic community. I extend my warm wishes to Asad and his wife for their settlement in New Zealand. I invite him to come back to Darwin any time. I believe he is thinking seriously about coming back in the next few years.
On 9 June, I had to attend with my colleagues, the members for Johnston and Karama, the Portuguese National Day. We were invited by the President of the Portuguese Society, Joao Silva. It was a Catholic service in Portuguese, followed by the raising of the flag. One thing that impressed us very much was the presentation by a Portuguese poet of a number of poems written for Portuguese people around the world, and the national poem of Portugal. The presentation was unbelievable. It was all in Portuguese; we did not understand a word, but the expression on his face, his movements and the way he read the poems, made us understand the feeling and the warmth of the Portuguese Society. I congratulate him and all the Portuguese people in Darwin for their contribution for the Portuguese National Day.
I would like to speak about a very special friend and well-known personality in the Northern Territory and Darwin in particular. I have the pleasure to inform the members of this parliament about an honour bestowed upon one of Darwin’s citizen, Mr Karl Schrimpf, of German background, a long-time Territorian. He is a well-known and long serving member of the German community and of the Deutscher Club (Darwin) Incorporated. On 4 June 2003, Mr Schrimpf was pleasantly surprised when he was presented the Order of Merit by the German government. It was presented to him by the Honorary German Consul, Mr Harry Maschke. Maintaining secrecy about his award, friends and members of the Deutscher Club managed to get him to the Railway Club in Parap under the guise of attending a different function. As you can all imagine, great must have been his delight to suddenly realise that the occasion was to honour his contribution to the German community in the Northern Territory, and in Australia in general. Mr Schrimpf is only the second Territorian to be given a prestigious award by the German government, the first being Mr Harry Maschke who received the German Cross several years ago.
It may interest you to know that it took four years for Karl Schrimpf’s nomination to proceed. It may also interest you to know that 55 years ago, Karl Schrimpf’s father was awarded the Order of Merit for his valuable contribution to his country. The German government awards Orders of Merit service medals to civilians who provide continuous support of German culture, language, tradition and sport in the community.
Karl Schrimpf was born in May 1924 in Germany, and graduated from a military academy in 1944 as a lieutenant. Recently, Karl was talking to me about his experience in the war and the fact that he still cannot watch a war movie or documentary without it bringing back very sad memories. He also told me that he did not eat tomatoes for 10 years, and then only when he came to Australia. The reason for that is because he took part in the campaign in the eastern front in Russia and, one day while they were advancing, they were pinned down by the Russian artillery in a big field that was full of watermelons and tomato plants. The tomato plants were actually covered with ripe tomatoes. They were pinned down for hours - it felt like centuries but it was only for a few hours – and the smell of the ripe tomatoes, squashed by the exploding artillery, stayed with him for a long, long time. He could not eat tomatoes because the smell brought back these terrible memories of the war. He only managed to eat tomatoes after he came to Australia 10 years later.
Mr Schrimpf migrated to Australia in 1955 and became an Australian citizen in 1960. He had graduated as an architect in 1949 and when he came to Australia he worked in New South Wales, ACT and the Northern Territory. Karl Schrimpf has long been involved in German clubs in Germany, New South Wales, ACT and the Northern Territory. In the Territory, he was the President of the Deutscher Club Darwin, from 1976 to 1978, from 1990 to 1991. From 1994 to 2002 he acted as public officer and club secretary. He was also the president of the Concordia Soccer Club from 1980 to 1986. His active membership and demonstrated leadership in the Deutscher Club Darwin resulted in many activities and projects being undertaken by the organisation. Over the years, he has shown full support to the club through its good and difficult times.
The Northern Territory government recognises the contribution Mr Schrimpf has made to the German community in Darwin and the Territory as a whole. I would like to congratulate Karl Schrimpf, and his wife, for receiving the German government’s Order of Merit, a service medal he truly deserves Congratulations, Karl.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Arafura): Mr Deputy Speaker, I want to quickly touch on seven of the Tiwi Island people who have already received their Centenary Medals on 10 June. Unfortunately, I was out at Maningrida so I could not be here to see them, but the seven people are: Gibson James Farmer, for service to Milikapiti community; Walter Kerinaiua for service to the Nguiu community; Casimira Munkara for service to the Nguiu community - and Casimira has been an Aboriginal health worker for about 25 years; Barry John Puruntatameri for his service to the Nguiu community; Teresita Kilapayu for service to the Nguiu community; Hyacinth Abraham Tungatalum for his service to the Australian Society; and John Sebastion Pilakui for service to the Australian society and film production.
All of them are to be congratulated. They all do a lot of service in terms of the Tiwi community, whether it be on Bathurst Island or on Melville Island. I am certainly looking forward to seeing them when I go to the Tiwi Islands after these sittings.
The second thing that I just quickly want to touch on, is to read a poem that was sent to me. It was written by Glen Hoffman from within the Department of Health and Community Services, and this poem was about Dr Didi Devanesen. I wrote and asked if I could get the permission of Glen Hoffman to read this poem into Hansard but, more importantly, to talk about a person like Dr Didi, whom I have certainly had a lot to do with in working in the Aboriginal health sector. Didi has a long and colourful history in the Northern Territory where he worked as a medical practitioner in Central Australia. The communities down that way still talk about his unorthodox processes and other means of getting people out of the community, evacuating them into Alice Springs. So, I will just quickly read this poem for Dr Didi Devanesen:
- Can you write us a poem for Dr Didi’s farewell?
He is a long term employee with quite a story to tell.
I thought to myself it’s a pretty big ask
To do justice to Didi, can I rise to the task?
An unassuming bloke held in high esteem,
An Order of Australia recognised by the Queen.
He has a list of quals as long as your arm,
On the conference circuit presents with wit and with charm.
A degree from Madras, some from New South Wales too,
And a graduate diploma from the NTU.
He’s not the sort of chap to put on a show
But he’s a fellow of at least three colleges, I know.
To some, Dr Didi is quite an enigma,
Straddles culture with skill, originally from India,
So it’s no small wonder the Warlpiris didn’t have a clue
When they tried to work him out, out at Yuendumu.
At ease in the boardroom or on the stage taking a prize,
In the Todd River bed, treating trachoma filled eyes.
Never changing, happy character, always full of good cheer
At his desk in Health House or down the pub with a beer.
From Central Australia where it all began
His career would cover a 30 year span.
Not just a career but a way of life
Learning and teaching, helping others in strife.
They made a film about Didi in ‘74.
He knew the answers back then, he knew the score.
He listened to the community, let them have their say,
Respected their knowledge, practised medicine two way.
But those old days with Kerry and the crew
Are as far behind Didi as the evacs that he flew.
And when he’s sitting in the cool of the winter down south
He’ll remember Morrie Ryan and Tracker Tilmouth.
And we’ll think of Didi fondly, we’ll remember the bloke,
The doctor, the storyteller, who loved a good joke.
But as he leaves this department, we want Didi to know that
he’s a dead-set legend and unsung hero.
I thought that was quite fitting. I had experience with Didi in the Coordinated Care Trials and, previous to that as a Director of Wurli Wurlinjang Health Services and other places that I have worked. However, more so in the Coordinated Care Trials when the Commonwealth approved both the trial site on the Tiwi Islands. I know he did quite extensive work and is highly respected by the Tiwi people. He was seen as the Indian kwompi – which in Tiwi means ‘warrior’. They saw him as this Indian warrior who was able to integrate and take the Tiwi Land Council and the communities that wanted to develop a health trial to try to turn around the worsening statistics in health; looking at both their tribal laws and culture and integrating that in the hypotheses in what the Commonwealth and the Territory was seeking as outcomes to these health trials.
He certainly played a major role working with the Tiwi people, and also in Katherine, and guided a lot of health staff in seeing the cultural aspects and what a lot of communities were wanting to do. He had some input into the Katherine trial when I was working there and was asked to develop and establish the Katherine West Coordinated Care trial. He has a lot of knowledge. Didi still has much to provide by way of the value of skills and expertise to new people coming through the health system.
However, he is going. For me, it was a shock that he was leaving so soon. He highlighted sometime ago that he was feeling a bit tired, but I certainly did not expect to read in the paper that he was leaving. I will try to catch up with him before he leaves and bid him farewell.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I wish to report to the House tonight on a conference I was privileged to attend last week in Wilton Park in England. Wilton Park is an old establishment and the conference was held in Wiston House, which is in the very beautiful English countryside near Brighton. Conferences there usually cover the key political security and economic issues confronting the world, and the theme of the conference that I attended was: How can parliamentarians best re-engage with the public?
I was very impressed with this lovely old manor that is still privately owned but is leased by the British Foreign Office, which hosts conferences there. They have a long tradition of academic independence. This particular conference was held in conjunction with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and I appreciated the opportunity of being invited to speak at the conference with - might I add, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker - the CPA paying my air fare, accommodation and meals. It was a great honour to be there.
There were representatives from a large number of countries - not just Commonwealth countries, but many European countries - Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, and the Commonwealth countries of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, as well as England. There were countries from Africa including Uganda, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Cape Town in South Africa - a huge cross-section of the world’s population, all anxious to contribute and to be involved in discussions.
This paper that I delivered and spoke to in the discussion group was concerned about whether mandatory voting should be introduced to curb public apathy. It is interesting that Australia is one of the few nations in the world that has compulsory voting. It was introduced in 1925 in Australia, and the voter turnout in Australia is about 90%, with only about 3% to 5% of that vote informal. That contrasts starkly with the voter turnout in many other countries of the world where they do not have compulsory voting. I suppose one of the most recent examples is that of Wales, which fought hard to have some sort of autonomy and independence, but at their last election only 23% of people turned out to vote. So compulsory voting, although it may seem controversial, in fact makes sure that voters do come out and governments do get a good idea of the voter expectation.
Australia has also introduced many measures to make compulsory voting a lot easier for people, particularly as we see in the Northern Territory. We have mobile polls; a large number of polling booths very easy to access; voting on Saturday when people are not working, and so on. Some of the people indicated how hard it was for people to access voting in their area. One of the women from the African countries talked about her constituents who would have to walk 18 miles if they wanted to cast a vote, so it is no wonder they do not get around to doing that.
There was a very lively debate in the discussion group I held. There is almost a contradiction: compulsory voting, in a way, takes away a person’s right not to vote, but also makes sure a person does vote. Many of the countries that do not have compulsory voting indicated they felt that they could not now introduce that to their electors because of the fact that they would see it as a right being taken away. However, the majority of people who joined in the discussion indicated that they wished they had introduced it as far back as Australia had, where it is a culturally accepted tradition that you go to vote. In the same way you recognise that you have to do jury duty, pay your taxes, have a driver’s licence, you have to go to vote. It is a right that Australians take as part of their democratic lifestyle here.
Some of the emerging nations represented there felt that perhaps this was one way they could make sure that many people did have a vote in their democracies. It is something that they will probably take away and consider because I showed them how easy we make it for people. It is not hard to vote in Australia if you want to. In some of those countries it is obviously very difficult and governments do not make it easy for people to access the polling booth. It was interesting that there was a great deal of support for compulsory voting, and probably also a bit of envy that Australia has had such a long tradition. There were other countries, such as in Europe, which still do get a high voter turnout even though they do not have compulsory voting, but they say it is also part of the culture of the people that it is easy: they are small, dynamically small, geographically small, so they are able to do it, whereas in some of the larger nations, geographically it is much harder to do.
I was very impressed with the interaction and the discussion that my paper generated. People who did not attend the session requested papers and came to speak to me about it later. The contribution was obviously received with much interest and debate, and it is something that people were wondering whether it would enhance voter participation.
The whole theme of the conference centred around how can we re-engage the voter more, and how more credible can we make parliamentarians seem. At the conference, there were about two-fifths parliamentarians, and about three-fifths academics, research people, or bureaucrats. They had a totally different point of view from what the parliamentarians were saying. You really had a very mixed view coming across from all the people attending this particular conference.
I can only suggest that other members who would like to get involved in Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conferences should take the opportunity, because the extent of the network that you obtain is very valuable. I, of course, took along the visitors’ guide to Alice Springs, which were taken quite freely. I know there are some people who are going to visit Alice Springs in the next month or so. It is always an opportunity there to give publicity to wherever you come from. It was interesting to speak to some of the people from the Middle Eastern countries who did not realise that we export camels from Alice Springs. That is something else that we can follow up and send them some information about.
The conference was organised with the involvement of the CPA for this particular program, and the honesty of the speakers was most impressive. There is a doctrine, I suppose you would say, that when you attend a conference like that, many of the remarks that are made in the privacy and confidentiality of that conference are not to be distributed freely to the media unless you have that person’s permission. It was quite obvious that people felt very free to be able to react and talk on subjects that they felt very strongly about. I always admire some of the women from these African countries who seem to be so strong, but who seem to be always facing such uphill battles. Again, that was evident; that they were prepared at this meeting to speak very strongly on topics that perhaps in another venue they might not have had that opportunity.
The European Parliament and England’s involvement was a topic of discussion that we here do not hear a lot about. I guess we are a little remote from these issues there, but they are always interested to hear what is going on in this area of the world. I have to admit I always come away with the feeling that we are very lucky in Australia; that we live in such a lucky country. I had a very stimulating debate with a gentleman from Pakistan and a sheik from Oman on the involvement of the US in the Iraqi war. I would imagine that there are not many places that you can sit down and speak so frankly and freely with people on these type of topics. I hope that other people in this parliament will take the opportunity to attend a conference such as this.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to table the paper that I delivered at that conference.
Leave granted.
Dr BURNS (Johnston): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I am a great fan of the blind bowlers of the Northern Territory, and it was fantastic to hear again of the results of the Northern Territory blind bowlers at this year’s 24th Australian Blind Bowling Championships, which were held in Mooroolbark at the end of April and early May this year.
The final tally for the Northern Territory was two gold, one silver and two bronze medals, and I am sure you will agree that it was a great effort. This is the second year, that I am aware of, that the blind bowlers of the Northern Territory have done very well. Gold was won by Peter Alexander in the B3 men’s singles. Dennis Wormald and Dave Byars in the B32 men’s pairs - they are called the ‘Deadly Ds’ – scored a maximum of eight shots in the second end of their fourth round match against New South Wales; a great achievement.
Silver was won by Peter Alexander and Len O’Brien from Victoria in the B3 men’s pairs. Bronze was won by Dennis Wormald in the B2 men’s singles; and Vel McDonald and Dot Scombe of New South Wales in the B3 ladies pairs. Vel pairs with blind bowlers from other states because the numbers are not really large enough here in the Territory. That just shows the spirit amongst the blind bowlers, whether they are from one state or another; they just pitch in and help one another and have a great time in their sport.
The team manager was Laurie Reed and he assisted the team, together with Margaret Wormald, Marilyn Que Noy, Adie Bruce, and Jean McGill coached. Despite having to adjust to very cold and trying weather, the victorious team had a great time.
I found out about this latest triumph of our blind bowlers and Vel McDonald’s ladies pairs win when I ran into her at the Tuesday morning senior citizens on 3 June 2003. Usually, the senior citizens at Casuarina meet on a Tuesday which makes it very hard now for me to get along with Cabinet commitments, but that week Cabinet was on a Friday and it was great for me to get along once again to fellowship with the senior citizens in Casuarina. They get a good crowd and they really get along together and have a great time. As members would be aware, this is really a group of my favourite people. They get together, they chat, they socialise and play bingo - that is one of their favourite games. They sing and dance, and there are some tremendous dancers there. I was able to help a little with a CD player and a few things like that. They are a great group and they have a great time when they get together.
Doris Ford is a stalwart of this group. She is a great person and really puts a lot of energy and support into the group. Doris gets in there and battles and works hard and, really, she is a lynchpin of that group, and the group’s meetings are well run. They have been having, like a lot of community groups, troubles with insurance and Doris was able to negotiate a very reasonable rate of insurance. I was able to tell her about the government’s legislative action in this area. Hopefully, that will also provide some relief to community organisations like the senior citizens. On the day, I was able to present Doris, on behalf or the group, a cheque towards the group’s coffers to help out with that insurance bill and it was gratefully accepted. I am always very glad to help this particular group.
When I was there I ran into Arsenio de Guzman who does a great job at the door. He acts as treasurer and makes things on the money side run very smoothly. Of course, Arsenio’s wife, Ricarda, is also a great stalwart of the group. Peggy Ang is a pocket dynamo of energy and is great. June Daley lives in my electorate and she is also a very pleasant person with a lot of community engagement, and she and her son, are great people of Wagaman and very community minded.
There are many other people I could mention - Marie Heavey, Audrey Ellis, Kerry Harkin, Loraine Watts, Frieda Brocker, and Pat Wright who is the bingo caller. It is a tremendous group. I have just named a few there – there are many other people there and they just enjoy one another’s company and I say good luck to them.
On 1 June 2003, I was very pleased to be involved in an unveiling of a plaque to commemorate Stella Kirk. She had done a lot of work in the Rapid Creek area and was a stalwart in holding onto those heritage and environmental values which are so very important to Darwin. Her family was there; we had a ceremony. I saw all the planning that has been going on there - trees and revegetation - and that is a great group. Peter O’Hagan is a stalwart of that particular group and it is great to see the progress they have made in rehabilitating Rapid Creek.
Like many other members, I went to the Glenti and spent some of Saturday and lot of Sunday helping Hellenic soccer. I also helped Olympic for a while. There is a bit of friendly rivalry between the red and the blue, but they understand that I would like to help both and so I did. I think that was appreciated. It was great to see all the people working hard and raising money for soccer, and junior soccer in particular. Nic Boubaris lives in my electorate and Nic was making the yiros, the lamb and the chicken, and I was on the section making the pitas. Maybe one of these years I will graduate to the barbecue of the lamb and the chicken, but I am still learning on the pitas. It was great to see a great crowd at the Glenti. I was also glad to be able to help out with the organising committee in getting the TV crew from The Big Arvo to come. I was glad to be able to help John Nicolakis and the organising committee, and it gave great exposure to the Glenti.
On 7 June, I was very pleased to go to the Filipino Independence Day. It was great to see a big crowd, see all the young people involved in the dancing - and all the oldies as well promenading and parading around. Filipino Independence Day is a great time and there is a whole string of Filipino events that I know we as members are very pleased to attend.
On 8 June along with others, I attended a community dinner at the Islamic Society in Vanderlin Drive. It was a very sad occasion because it was the final farewell for Asad Mohsin who has been such a great part of the Islamic community, building bridges between the Islamic community and the Darwin community, and also as part of the Wagaman Residents’ Group.
As most people would know, Asad was an academic at the university here in the area of tourism and he has done a lot of research, thinking and writing about this. I have been privileged to have him share some of his knowledge with me. Unfortunately for us and fortunately for Asad, he has been offered a very good job in New Zealand; it is a step forward in his career. I am sure he will do very well. The sentiment of the night was: ‘Asad, yes, go, but we want you to come back as soon as you can’. So, Asad Mohsin, goodbye but we hope that we see you again very soon.
On 13 June, I attended the Family Fun Night at the Moil Primary School. It is great to see the work that Brian Bennett, the Principal, has done there. It is an event that has been going on for some years, but to see the whole community there gathered around the school at this events, the kids making musical and dance presentations, all the stalls, the face painting, the drink stalls - it was a really great atmosphere at Moil. It is a fantastic school, and it draws people from far and wide. It has a great reputation, and I commend Brian Bennett as Principal and the school council for a great night and for the great work that they are doing.
Finally, I would like to join the member for Arafura in paying special tribute to Dr Didi Devanesen. Didi has been in the Territory since the 1970s. He spent quite a lot of time in Central Australia and he is very well known amongst the Warlpiri people there. Didi talks about his experiences in Central Australia from the heart; he is a very spiritual man. Didi is regarded in Aboriginal circles as a very senior man. He has been through a number of rites and rituals. It is probably not appropriate for me to speak about them here, but he is a senior man and he has seen and understands a lot of things in that traditional Aboriginal spiritual sense. That has always suffused his work and attitude with Aboriginal people, whether they be from the Warlpiri in Central Australia or the Jawoyn, or the people of the Top End, or the Tiwis. Aboriginal people just warm to Didi because they know that there is someone there who understands, someone who will listen and will always be a great advocate for them.
Didi has had an incredible career with the Health Department in the Northern Territory. He has served under many health ministers and been involved in many different projects. He was a long serving member of the Menzies Board and brought his expertise to bear there. I have the utmost respect and affection for Dr Didi Devanesen. I am very sorry that he is leaving the Territory. He is retiring. He tells me he is probably going back to India but he does hope to come back here and work on various projects, whether it be in the Territory or north-west Western Australia, and I hope he does. I hope he takes a bit of a break and refreshes himself, and comes back and contributes. As we all know, those of us who have had a lot to do with him over the years, he can contribute to the Territory.
I know the history of Aboriginal health workers in the Northern Territory, which really led the way in Australia. It was Didi who had the concept about training, about moving forward with Aboriginal health workers because, up until that time, as he said himself, most Aboriginal people in health clinics in remote areas were just looked upon as the cleaning staff who might do a bit of translation here and there. Didi really saw the importance of drawing those people in to use their expertise, not just in translation, but their cultural expertise and knowledge about relationships, and also their knowledge about healing, disease, sickness, and ministering to the needs of their countrymen. It was Didi who really put the Territory on the map, with the Territory having a forward step and leading the way in Aboriginal health worker training and their roles.
He is a very important part of the living history of health in the Northern Territory. I know he is a very passionate person about it. I would like to end by wishing Dr Didi Devanesen all the best in retirement, and come back soon.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I congratulate students at Manunda Terrace Primary School who participated in the recent Harvey Norman OZSPELL Australian Spelling Championship. The district final was held at Howard Springs Primary School. The three students who represented Manunda Terrace were Jenny Woerner, Andy Tchea and Verena Mac. It is with great delight that I inform the parliament that Verena Mac won the Darwin district competition, which sees her travel to Sydney from 9 to 11 July, to compete with 160 students from around Australia in the national finals. The OZSPELL National Champion wins a $10 000 savings account and a trophy, and the school they represent wins $20 000 worth of computers and software, courtesy of Harvey Norman. Verena Mac has certainly done her school and the entire Karama community very proud, with excelling at the highest level to represent Darwin in the national competition. On behalf of the Manunda Terrace school community and members of the Karama constituency, we wish Verena all the very best for the competition in Sydney. We are sure that she will represent the Territory and acquit herself exceedingly well. She is a young, bright, enthusiastic and talented student of whom we can all be very proud. I am delighted that she is going to get the opportunity to travel to Sydney with her mother, and compete at the highest level in the nation in spelling competition, and enjoy the wonders that Sydney offers as a city. Good luck to Verena Mac.
Like other members who have spoken in the adjournment debate tonight, I attended a very multicultural day of functions on Saturday, 7 June. That included, of course, a wonderful afternoon at the Greek Glenti. I had the occasion to go there with my children, wander around, and participate in the many activities that were on hand. We watched some very fine performances from the Greek community, saw some lovely displays of outfits, and enjoyed the souvlaki that was on sale. I confess to not having octopus this year as I had last year.
I also attended the Portuguese Independence Day celebrations at the Portuguese-Timorese club. It was a very well attended celebration that evening. We returned on Monday to witness the Portuguese flag raising ceremony, which was a very moving ceremony, a ceremony that showed the pride and strength that exists within the Portuguese community in Darwin. It is actually the Dia da Comoes which honours Luis de Camoes the man who dignified the Portuguese-speaking world. There was a tremendous theatrical display on the flag raising ceremonial day that brought home to us the wisdom and strength of the Portuguese, who were a very strong influence in many nations around the world, including our near neighbour of Timor, and a nation I knew well during my time living in South-East Asia, Macau.
I congratulate the committee for the effort they went to in organising a very successful Portuguese Independence Day celebration on the evening of Saturday, 7 June, backing it up with a very moving, poignant and beautiful flag raising ceremony and theatrical performance on Monday, 9 June.
Also on the evening of 7 June was the Filipino Independence Day celebrations at the Filipino Club in Batten Road. Again, it was a packed event. The Filipino community really turned out in force to celebrate their culture. We saw fine performances with both young and older Filipinos participating in dances. The Filipino community is a very strong, vibrant community in Darwin. I feel very fortunate to know many members of the community and to be able to represent them well in Karama. There are a lot of Filipino people living in my electorate who come to me and let me know in no uncertain terms their needs and aspirations. They work very hard to provide a future for their children here in Australia. The parents do not do it easy; they work long hours. However, they are quite committed to ensuring that their children have the access to the highest possible education, and that their children lack for nothing. Meanwhile, they also send money home to the Philippines to provide support for less economically fortunate members of their family.
My thoughts go to a constituent of mine, Myrna Bacher, who is in the Philippines at the moment, having lost her brother. She has gone back to assist her mother in care arrangements. Myrna is someone I have known and cared for and taken care of for a couple of years now, as a constituent who has suffered the death of her husband and now, the tragic blow of the death of her brother. Myrna, my thoughts are with you and I know that you have received strong support from members of your own Filipino community here in Darwin.
On Sunday, 15 June, I had the pleasure of attending the Northern Territory Orchid Spectacular at Marrara. The Orchid Spectacular again ran over the two days of this weekend. The difference of the Orchid Spectacular this year was that Rotary, who normally organise and provide the staff for the Orchid Spectacular, had not participated to that extent this year. In fact, it was organised, run and staffed by the three orchid clubs of the Northern Territory; that is, the Orchid Society of the Northern Territory, the Nightcliff Orchid Society and the Litchfield Orchid Club. They worked tirelessly for months to organise this event and it was a spectacularly beautiful event at Marrara on the weekend.
People had the opportunity to see a variety of displays of gorgeous orchids and other species, such as bromeliads, and find out first-hand from the experts just what it takes to get your orchids to look as spectacular as some of the orchids on display there throughout the weekend. I learned why my orchid was not looking so healthy; I have been watering it after 3 pm, and the tip is water it before 3 pm. I will insert that as a little tip into my electorate newsletter, because many of us wonder why we cannot get the blooms quite so vibrant. Evidently, orchids like to feel quite dried out during the evening, otherwise they feel a little too cold. There is the tip for the orchid lovers. Many of us appreciate orchids are a beautiful tropical flower. We have a vibrant industry here in the Territory and we have a great future with orchid exports to other jurisdictions in Australia and, indeed, overseas.
I also congratulate the community surrounding Holy Family School in Karama. Yet another extraordinarily successful Holy Family School Fete was held on Saturday, 31 May. I make a special mention and commendation of a very hard-working parent at that school, Szabina Horvath. Szabina has consistently been the fete coordinator for some years now. Sadly for the school community, this year will be Szabina’s last year as coordinator of the fete. She is an absolutely dynamic hard worker. She has a clarity of thought; a great humanity of spirit; and always a smile on her face, even though she works excessive hours in the weeks leading up to the school fete. She is highly successful at her work, and again this year it looks as though this fete raised about $10 000 in profit for the school. This is a substantial amount for a local school fete and that gets churned back into improving the assets of the school for the students at Holy Family. I congratulate all of the Parents and Friends Committee members at Holy Family school. I know how hard you work. I have participated in that process for a couple of years. I continue to put in the hard, long yards on chocolate wheel duties that I carry out each year now at the Holy Family School Fete. It looks like we met our profit mark of the chocolate wheel again this year, and the silent auction.
I thank the parents, the teachers, the staff and the students of Holy Family for showing just how well a school can work to bring a community together. I know that there are people who attend the Holy Family School Fete from right throughout the Karama and Malak communities, including students and parents who actually rely on other schools for their day-to-day education needs. Everyone gets out and enjoys what is quite a fun, interesting, exciting and enjoyable community fair. It certainly shows the strength of a local community in pulling together. I will talk tomorrow night about the success that we have been having lately in my electorate in Eisteddfod results.
Mr AH KIT (Arnhem): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I speak on my visit to the Watiyawanu community and the Wangka Wilurrara Regional Authority meeting where I met people west of Alice Springs. I have wanted to speak about my trip to the community on 21 and 22 May this year. The purpose of my visit was to attend a meeting of the Wangka Wilurrara Regional Authority steering committee. An agreement on protocol arrangements between Wangka Wilurrara Regional Authority steering committee, the Northern Territory and ATSIC was signed during this meeting. There are many people from the four communities who are involved in the steering committee and consultative meetings that I would like to mention: Bundy Rowe, Richard Minor and Fabrienne Petersen from Watiyawanu; Sid Anderson and Katy Heffernan from Papunya; Victor Robinson, Monica Robinson, Nero Tjupurrala, Irene Nangala from Walungurru; and Alison Multa, Francis Marshall, Nebo Jugadai, Supakra Jugadai and J Jugadai from Ikuntji.
I would like to give a special mention to two of the driving forces behind the whole Wangka Wilurrara Regional Authority process. As you would know, we have been developing the COAG community out at Wadeye and we have been able to introduce the Thamarrur regional governance. We are also working with the communities east of Katherine with Nyirrangulung. The first of those two people who I would like to mention is Alison Anderson, a very strong, proud Aboriginal woman who is the ATSIC Central Zone Commissioner and chair of the Wangka Wilurrara steering committee. She has put a lot of hard work into all of the processes to date, particularly in her role in providing the cross-cultural interpretations at the meetings and being a strong advocate for the proposed regional authority. The second mention is to Jill Kleiner, the community development and regional projects officer from my Department of Community Development, Sport and Cultural Affairs in Alice Springs. Jill has worked tirelessly behind the scenes and has developed a strong relationship with the steering committee members which is an important ingredient towards moving forward.
I also congratulate the Community Government Council presidents, J Jugadai, Michael Nelson, Leo Peterson, and Andrew Spencer; council clerks, Scott McConnell, Steve Hanley, Mark Rodighiero and Tom Kairupan on their efforts and input into the process and for their support in hosting the steering committee meetings this year.
I was also very happy to be able to visit the school children of Watiyawanu. The children visited me in parliament in Darwin last year. They visited my office and I had a talk to them about politics, indigenous politics, how the Legislative Assembly works, and how important education is for them and their people. I must say the children had not forgotten me during my visit to their community. In fact, they presented me with a folder with photos of their visit to my parliamentary office last year.
I would like to pass on my appreciation to the school Principal, Maryse Turenne, and her staff and students for giving me a tour of their school. I once again thank the community of Watiyawanu for their hospitality during my visit, and in particular Mr Leo Peterson, the council president, and Mr Mark Rodighiero, the council clerk.
Finally, I would like to add that the flight out to Watiyawanu from Alice Springs along the spectacular Western MacDonnell Ranges was nothing short of magnificent. The flight took in many of our great tourist attractions in the Centre, such as Ellery Big Hole, Glen Helen, Mt Sonder, Central Mount Wedge and, in the distance, once could see Gosse’s Bluff.
I congratulate my colleagues the Minister for Tourism and the minister for Transport on their commitment to further sealing of the Mereenie Loop Road, something the CLP did not want to do much about. I have no doubts that this will greatly enhance the tourism opportunities in this part of Central Australia.
Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, establishing strong regions, strong futures is something that the Martin Labor government takes seriously, and we are working in partnership with groups such as Wangka Wilurrara to turn things around in the bush.
I congratulate all Centenary Medal recipients. I had a look through the list of some 200-odd and, as far as I am concerned, they are all worthy recipients; people who in most cases have gone unrecognised for their contributions to the Northern Territory. One prominent ex-politician, I thought, was a little unjust in his comments about these medals. I thought if that was his view, he should have kept it to himself. Nevertheless, the Council for Centenary Medals Committee faced an enormous task in assessing all of the nominees, and to make the final list is a very meaningful honour.
The overwhelming majority of Centenary Medal recipients were acknowledged for their services to the community. I congratulate the following people for their significant contribution and efforts to improve our way of life in the Territory. I believe this award provides well deserved recognition for their outstanding contributions.
First, Mr Tony Binalany from Milingimbi, which is in my electorate, for service to Australian society and the Miwatj Regional Council. Knowing Tony personally, and having dealt with him as a community elder and leader, and a land council member, Tony is definitely a worthy recipient.
Nellie Camfoo from the Bulman community for service as a senior Remnarrnga elder who provides much valuable advice to the Bulman community and to the Sacred Sites Authority. In fact, Nellie has been on the Sacred Sites Authority for quite some time, and has been doing an excellent job. I have known Nellie for some 30 years, and she continues to work hard for her community. The other day, as the minister responsible for the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, I signed off for approval by the Administrator for her to become the Deputy Chair of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority.
The third recipient, also from Bulman, is Nelly’s husband, Tex Camfoo, who was for many years a Northern Land Council member. He received his medal as a senior Ngalakan elder, and a legendary stockman and traditional owner for much of that country around where the Ngukurr community has been built. Tex has been very prominent in passing on stories for country. Not only that, Tex has a quite good array of stock gear that he makes, from saddles to stubby coolers, etcetera. Tex is quite good working with leather. He is well known in that Bulman/Ngukurr/Katherine region and is a worthy recipient of the medal.
The next is June Gallacher, who lives in Fannie Bay. Her partner, Jim Gallacher, who is no longer with us, provided a lot of his life, time and effort into getting the message of the importance of education across to young Aboriginal kids throughout the Territory. June has been recognised as a lady who was a pioneer volunteer teacher in remote Aboriginal communities for 50-odd years, and is also a worthy recipient of this medal.
David Gulpilil, from Ramingining, already has an Order of Australia medal. Many would recognise David as the actor who first started off in movies like Storm Boy, but has gone on and played a very important role in teaching Aboriginal culture to non-indigenous people, not only in Australia but also overseas. David is a worthy recipient for his services to Australian society through dancing and acting. David is also a prominent elder in the Ramingining region.
The next recipient was Judy King from Katherine. Judy and I spent many years working together at the Kalano Association in Katherine, and Judy always gave her best to ensure that programs, especially education programs, were being delivered to Aboriginal people and that they understood the importance of education. Judy has been unrecognised to date, and is duly recognised as being a worthy recipient of the Centenary Medal.
The next one is Nancy Lalara-Burgoyne from Alyangula on Groote Eylandt. Nancy has done heaps of work over the years in ensuring that Aboriginal people understood the complexities of government policies in regards to, not only women, but also to elders. Nancy and her husband, Grant Burgoyne, continue to provide very good advice and services to the people of Groote Eylandt, especially in the Anindilyakwa region. Nancy is a worthy recipient of the medal. She receives her medal for services to women, Aborigines and cross-cultural awareness and understanding.
Robert Lee is from Katherine. Robert and I have known each other for many years. Robert has worked tirelessly for the last 30 years, not only for the Jawoyn people, but Aboriginal people in the Katherine region, especially Katherine East. Robert has been a land council member over the years, and has been on the Conservation Commission of the NT, and the Tourist Commission. Robert has been very prominent in ensuring that communities that have Jawoyn people residing in them, are moving forward in ensuring that the planning is properly being put in place for the education of their people, and also for big economic development projects. Robert Lee, once again, is a worthy recipient of the medal. Robert receives his for more than just service to Aboriginal communities, because he is well known and well liked in the Katherine region.
David Ross from Borroloola, is also known as Weewak. This is not the David Ross that we know at the Central Land Council, or the David Ross Junior who is working with Centrelink in Darwin. This is David Ross ‘Weewak’, as he is commonly known. He has put in a lot of effort over the last 40 years in assisting Aboriginal elders, and Aboriginal children - in many cases homeless children - where he and his wife, Shirley, have taken them under their wings and raised them. They always have a place for wayward kids to camp over and have a feed until they get themselves organised and back on the road. David, over the years, has contributed much to the sporting community. Shirley has continued to work with indigenous ladies and to cook at the land council meetings on many occasions - and many other meetings for that matter - she is known as a very good bush cook. David ‘Weewak’ Ross is also quite a good cook himself. Besides raising nine or 10 children of their own, they have been able to provide assistance and support to many children over the years, both indigenous and non-indigenous, and are well respected throughout the whole of the Northern Territory.
Finally, there is Peter Ryan, who is a resident of Howard Springs. Peter receives his for services to the Aboriginal community and also to the non-Aboriginal community. Peter was one of the architects with Jackie Antoun who put together the law and justice strategy in minister Toyne’s area, and has worked for me in community development and may come back one of these days. Peter’s ambition is to continue to develop law and justice strategies that are workable in the regions. It seems that the work that he has been doing at Ali Curung, Yuendumu and Lajamanu is starting to reap rewards. Peter is a person who has gone unnoticed in the way he, as a public servant, has gone about his work. I have known Peter from when he relocated to Katherine back in the early 1980s, from Tennant Creek. He has not missed a stride in ensuring that his commitment and love for the Territory, and the work that he does, is beneficial not only to indigenous people but to non-indigenous people also.
Those are the people I wanted to comment on tonight. They deserve to be recognised, as with all the other Centenary Medal winners. Whilst it has been a long time coming, and the centenary year has passed, I am glad that the federal government was able to still issue those Centenary Medals and conduct functions to recognise people who have made valuable contributions to the Northern Territory.
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight in this adjournment debate, I was going to speak about matters in my own electorate and some great functions that I have been to. I will speak about those tomorrow night because tonight, I wish to speak about something different. I am moved to speak about something different because of the scurrilous attack that was launched against my colleague and good friend, the member for Johnston, the Minister for Tourism.
The nature of this attack is such that it was staged to, I believe, take the limelight off the troubles that they are having in the CLP benches in regard to leadership and the internecine war that is being waged amongst them. Today, you can see quite clearly that there is no comradeship amongst the team over there; in fact, they are poles apart, and at one stage on a vote, I know that not all members appeared to be in the House.
It is for this reason - this diversionary tactic, which was scurrilous, gutter tactics, gutter politics - that I believe it should not go unaddressed in this House. I do not believe that the Territory politics should be waged on such a low level, by grubs down in the gutter looking to score cheap mileage in the media to take the heat off their own troubles. Let them attack the government on our policy issues, and our performance issues, but let us not stoop to the sort of attacks that we saw today, on a personal level, against a man of high integrity who wishes nothing but the best and who performs with nothing but the highest ethic for the people of the Territory and of his electorate.
This scurrilous and unfounded attack upon my colleague, and my friend, was brought about, I think in May, because of the editorial of 16 June 2003 in the NT News. I will read this into the Hansard because it gets right down to the crux of what that low and despicable act by the CLP today was about. I quote:
- The Territory’s Labor government has been given an unexpected mid-term present. Denis Burke is to
lead the CLP to the next election. Labor would have preferred the CLP’s internecine warfare to continue
a little longer, but Clare Martin has got the result she wanted. On voting day she will face a man who
wanted to be remembered for bringing the railway, who will be remembered for losing the CLP the election.
Nobody doubts Mr Burke’s doggedness. He sticks it to the government relentlessly, but it must be remembered
that he lost the last election and has not taken that loss well. Two years on and his bitterness shows at every
turn. Sadly, Mr Burke is yesterday’s man. He drifts increasingly to the right as he searches desperately for
a vote winning cause, and he grows increasingly out of touch with the voters.
He talks of the battlers, but thinks nothing of taking a $42 000 taxpayer- funded around the world trip. He talks
of ordinary mums and dads, and yet can’t understand why anyone would raise an eyebrow when his
16-year-old son takes dad’s $50 000 government issued Landcruiser to school.
Apparently, Terry Mills lost the leadership vote 6-4. That means the CLP is still run by the same old
reactionary clique, the clique that was given its marching orders at the last election. The CLP had
a golden opportunity to make a break with the past and was just too timid to take it.
That, in essence, is why that scurrilous attack was launched today. That is the alternative that the CLP is offering to the people of the Territory.
I really hope that this Hansard is read and that people do see those members on the opposition benches for what they are. I have had a lot of respect for the member for Blain in the past but, as I said in an earlier debate, that respect has been somewhat shaken. I have always found that people with honesty and integrity are the ones who rise to the top. You do not get to lead with those sorts of attributes that we saw this afternoon. I am sure that the member for Blain will go home, and he will think hard and long about the part that he played in today’s scurrilous and unprecedented attack. I am sure that in his heart he will regret fully what he has done.
We can now see how correct this editorial is. Today, we saw the opposition lay down an ultimatum: that if we did not debate a law – and might I say it was a complex law which has been of interest to the commercial passenger vehicle industry. The opposition members turned their backs and said ‘We did not have enough time’, when, frankly, they did have enough time as they were given briefings last week. However, because of their own squabbles, they had not got around to researching it and formulating a position properly. To say, ‘We will walk out if you do not play the way we do’, is very petty, and does not show leadership. It shows petulance; arrogance; and an opposition that has not learnt. If they think that they can arrogantly demand of the government to run their agenda, well, they have another think coming.
This is the man who said: ‘Yes, I have learnt by my mistakes. I understand that I lost the election’. His words do not match his actions. He made the threat; he lost the vote; and what happened? He led his team out. What sort of alternative government is that? ‘I don’t get my way, so I am taking my bat and ball and I’m going’, and he led them out. I found it unbelievable that he did not lead them back in. Another bill has gone by. Members of the public should have a look at Hansard and see who contributed to the debates after that walk-out by the CLP. They should have a look and judge for themselves why there was only that number of contributors. I put it to you that while he might have led them out, the Leader of the Opposition did not have enough sense to lead them back in.
His time as leader of the party is doomed. I do not believe the deals that he has brokered with members from Alice Springs; for them to turn the way they did, to turn and betray him in a Judas Iscariot way. The 30 pieces of silver, from my understanding of the rumours going around the place, offered to the member for Araluen was that she would be offered the Deputy Opposition Leader’s position. I do not know what the current Deputy Leader of the Opposition’s plans are on that, but that is the rumour that I am hearing.
I have also heard that it was offered to the member of Greatorex first, and that some deal was done of which he was not aware. You have these deals within deals, this Machiavellian approach to how things are done and it is unfathomable. I could never, and I do not think anyone on this side could ever, be party to such Machiavellian ways. It is not the way that I believe politics should be done. I am pretty amazed that others should believe that this is the norm. I encourage members on the opposition benches to think hard and fast about just where and how they are being led, and by the team and by the proposed team. The team that is in there now, and the team that is proposed in the near future, as I understand it, is one that has not displayed a faithful trust in their fellow colleagues on the opposition benches. If the leaders cannot display trust in their troops, how are the troops ever going to reciprocate?
The Leader of the Opposition states that it is his military training; that he is going to crash or crash through. I would say it is more like a lemming. He is heading for the cliffs and he just cannot stop himself. He is going to plummet over and he is going to take 10 members with him, which, quite frankly, I do not mind. However, there are a couple of upright people on that side and it is not too late for them to put the brakes on this little bit of megalomania that is being thrown about over there.
Once again, I reiterate: I am shocked and appalled by the attack of my colleague. He is a man of great repute within the electorate and Darwin. He is well known; his integrity has never, ever been questioned before, and never to such a scurrilous level as today. I believe an apology is warranted. I doubt whether he will get it because if such an attack was launched, then clearly the moral fibre of the people launching it has gone; they are bereft of it. Today is one of the most appalling days that I have spent in this House.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016