2005-06-29
ASSEMBLY CONVENED
The Tenth Assembly convened on Wednesday, 28 June 2005, pursuant to notice by His Honour the Administrator.
OPENING OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE TENTH ASSEMBLY
The Serjeant-at-Arms conducted the Administrator of the Northern Territory, Hon Ted Egan, and Ms Nerys Evans into the Chamber.
His Honour the ADMINISTRATOR: Members of the Legislative Assembly and guests, please be seated.
Members of the Legislative Assembly, pursuant to section 22 of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 of the Commonwealth, I appointed 10 am on Wednesday, 29 June 2005, as the day for the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory of Australia to assemble for the dispatch of business, and required all members of the Legislative Assembly to give their attendance in the Legislative Assembly Chamber.
I declare open this First Session of the Tenth Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory.
ADMINISTRATION OF OATHS AND AFFIRMATIONS
His Honour the ADMINISTRATOR: Members of the Legislative Assembly, pursuant to section 13 of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 of the Commonwealth, it is, among other things, enacted that every member of the Legislative Assembly shall, before taking his or her seat, make and subscribe before the Administrator, or a person authorised by the Administrator, an oath or affirmation of allegiance in the form in Schedule 2 of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978, or an oath or affirmation of office in the form in Schedule 3 of that act.
RETURN TO WRIT
The Clerk laid on the Table the return to writ for the election of members of the Legislative Assembly held on 18 June 2005.
The following members named in the returns made and subscribed the oaths or affirmations required by law.
Electorate Member
Arafura Marion Rose SCRYMGOUR
Araluen Jodeen Terese CARNEY
Arnhem Barbara Anne McCARTHY
Barkly Elliot Arthur McADAM
Blain Terrance Kennedy MILLS
Braitling Loraine Margaret BRAHAM
Brennan James Patrick BURKE
Casuarina Konstantine VATSKALIS
Daly Daniel Robert KNIGHT
Drysdale Christopher William NATT
Fannie Bay Clare Majella MARTIN
Goyder Edward John WARREN
Greatorex Richard Soon Huat LIM
Johnston Christopher Bruce BURNS
Karama Delia Phoebe LAWRIE
Katherine Christina Fay MILLER
Macdonnell Alison ANDERSON
Millner Matthew Thomas BONSON
Nelson Gerard Vincent WOOD
Nhulunbuy Sydney James STIRLING
Nightcliff Jane Lesley AAGAARD
Port Darwin Kerry Denise SACILOTTO
Sanderson Leonard Francis KIELY
Stuart Peter Howard TOYNE
Wanguri Paul Raymond HENDERSON
ELECTION OF SPEAKER
His Honour the ADMINISTRATOR: Members of the Legislative Assembly, it is now necessary that a Speaker be chosen. You, members of the Legislative Assembly, will now proceed to choose some proper person to be your Speaker. Following the presentation of your Speaker to me this day, I shall address the Assembly declaring the causes for calling the Assembly together.
His Honour the Administrator, escorted by the Serjeant-at-Arms, withdrew from the Chamber.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Mr Clerk, the time has come for the Assembly to choose one of its members to be Speaker.
I propose to the Assembly for its Speaker the honourable member for Nightcliff, Mrs Aagaard, and move that the honourable member for Nightcliff do take the Chair of this Assembly as Speaker.
The member for Nightcliff is respected by government members as a fair and even-handed parliamentarian. She has a strong understanding of the workings of the Assembly. As a proven hardworking local member, I am sure that she will deliver the same commitment to the role of Speaker. I am very proud today to propose Jane Aagaard, the member for Nightcliff, as the new Speaker.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Mr Clerk, the opposition supports the nomination and seconds it. I understand that it is unusual for an opposition and, I suspect, unprecedented in this parliament, that the opposition supports and seconds the nomination of a Speaker.
We support your appointment because we believe it is in the best interests of this parliament that we do so. Whilst we are pleased with your appointment, I propose to remain silent about the forthcoming nomination of the Deputy Speaker.
We extend our congratulations on your nomination and appointment. I am sure that you will act with scrupulous impartiality. Your calm disposition and considered manner will ensure that you perform your function with distinction.
We look forward to your wise counsel and prudent judgment. For my part, I cannot absolutely guarantee that I will always be compliant, but I will do my best, partly because the dynamics of the Chamber have changed and also because of the respect I have for you. We entered the parliament together only four years ago, and our new positions show how quickly life can change.
With the Chief Minister, I look forward to being a part of what is being described as the new women’s triangle in this parliament. On behalf of the opposition, I wish you well.
Mrs AAGAARD (Nightcliff): I accept the nomination.
The CLERK: Is there any further proposal?
Mr WOOD (Nelson): As one of the Independents, I also support the nomination of the member for Nightcliff to the position of Speaker. Without casting any aspersion on the member, it would be remiss of me not to comment on what is happening today. We will no longer have an independent Speaker in parliament, a position held by the member for Braitling over the last four years.
I said in my maiden speech in 2001 that I was very pleased to see that we now have an independent Speaker. I even described this as revolutionary, a word which, you would have thought, had warm and fuzzy connotations for the Labor Party. In fact, I thought the Chief Minister must have agreed with me when, after announcing that she would nominate both independents for the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, she said, and I quote from the Adelaide Advertiser:
- Labor has the majority of seats in the Assembly so there is no necessity to do this; however, as I outlined
during the election campaign, Labor is committed to improving the standards of parliamentary debate and
ending the era of government domination of this vital organ of democracy.
Obviously, the principle of ending the era of government domination of this vital organ was something dispensable because, after just four years, we have returned to that very era of domination.
I ask the question: why is it this principle only applied when the government had a one-seat majority? If it was a principle the government really and truly believed in, why does it not believe in that principle when it now has a majority of 19 seats? William Somerset Maugham said:
- You can’t learn too soon that the most useful thing about a principle is that it can always be sacrificed to
expediency.
How true! It is a sad day for democracy when you see that this pre-flirtation with an independent speakership was simply a political convenience, a smokescreen, perhaps even a con. If something is true today, it will also be true tomorrow. If you are sincere in your beliefs with a one-seat majority, why not the same sincerity with a 19-seat majority? Was I just a foolish dreamer or idealist who was used by the government when their numbers in this parliament were tight? I wonder.
So as the revolution crumbles, I would like to wish you, member for Braitling, a fond farewell and also a fond welcome to the cross-benches, where I know you will contribute much to debate in this House, which, as you can see by the numbers, will certainly need some assistance. I would also like to thank you for your time as Speaker and for your impartiality and firmness in that role, although there were times when you believed you were still the principal of Braitling Primary School.
I welcome the member for Nightcliff as the new Speaker. She has been one of the Deputy Speakers in the previous Assembly and she has done her job admirably. I believe she will continue to do that in her new role, and I say that in all sincerity.
My earlier comments are not, as I said before, a reflection on her person, but I feel that when things are said by government and then thrown out as if insignificant or a minor detail when it suits them, it needs to be highlighted so that people can make a judgment on the integrity or otherwise of what has been espoused.
Mr Clerk, I support the nomination but am saddened that the revolution is over.
The CLERK: Is there any further proposal? There being no further proposal, the time for proposals has expired.
Does any other member which to speak to the motion?
I declare the honourable member for Nightcliff elected as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in accordance with Standing Orders.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I thank you for the high office you have bestowed on me. I promise, as your Speaker, to work as impartially as I can, especially for the member for Nelson.
I will reflect on the debates of the last Assembly, and I believe we can expect to hear many debates in this House about all manner of things. In the adjournment debates, we hear about people in the Northern Territory. That is one of the most special things about this place. We hear about young people in schools achieving in all kinds of areas; we hear about seniors, and about people whom we would probably never hear about at all, except that members in this Assembly from the 25 electorates tell us and the people of the Northern Territory about those people. There are some very special people who are often mentioned here, and there will be some of them here today in the galleries whom I look forward to hearing adjournment speeches on.
There are other kinds of speeches in this parliament, and the main business is the legislation. If we can go on the last Assembly, we can look forward to a great deal of variety in the kind of legislation we have here. I have to say that most legislation is fairly mundane. Some is very unremarkable, some is very remarkable, and quite a number are curious and controversial. There are a few bills, which I am sure the Attorney-General will remember, which are almost not understandable at all!
Honourable members, it is my great honour to be here today. I can assure you I will deal as firmly and fairly as I can in this place. I look forward to meeting with each of you individually and, if you have any particular concerns, to helping you.
Members: Hear, hear!
PRESENTATION OF SPEAKER TO ADMINISTRATOR
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I am informed that it is the intention of His Honour the Administrator to attend at the Office of the Speaker. It is my intention to present myself to him there as the choice of the Assembly as Speaker. I invite honourable members to accompany me to present myself to His Honour the Administrator.
The sitting of the Assembly is suspended until the ringing of the bells.
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Sitting suspended.
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Sitting suspended.
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Madam Speaker Aagaard resumed the Chair.
COMMISSION TO ADMINISTER OATHS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that, accompanied by honourable members, I presented myself to His Honour the Administrator as the choice of the Assembly for its Speaker, and His Honour was pleased to congratulate me.
I inform honourable members that I have received from His Honour the Administrator a commission to administer to honourable members the oaths or affirmations of allegiance and of office. I table the commission. The Clerk will now read the commission.
The Clerk read the commission.
ATTENDANCE OF ADMINISTRATOR
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I am pleased to inform the Assembly that His Honour the Administrator will attend the Assembly immediately to declare the causes of the calling of the Assembly together.
Serjeant-at-Arms, please inform His Honour that the Assembly is ready to receive him.
His Honour the Administrator took the Chair.
ADMINISTRATOR’S ADDRESS
His Honour the ADMINISTRATOR: Members of the Legislative Assembly and guests, please be seated.
Madam Speaker, honourable members, on 18 June 2005, the people of the Northern Territory re-elected the Labor Party, an historic event in our history. The election result represents an endorsement of the government’s actions and policies of the last four years. More importantly, it was an affirmation of the hopes and expectations we share for the future.
We in the Territory are the youngest, most diverse and vibrant society in Australia. For this reason, our government was entrusted by Territorians to bring forth the ideas and energy required to realise those hopes and expectations.
The fundamental goal over the next four years is to represent and serve the interests of all Territorians. Much has been achieved, but Territorians and their government have much more to do together.
The five core goals of my government during its second term in office will be to:
- strengthen economic development for the Territory in which major projects complement the needs of
small business, and where our first Australian brothers and sisters can participate as partners;
safety programs as fundamental building blocks of economic and social development for all Territorians;
and
The electorate has provided a mandate, and Territorians now expect the government to continue to move the Territory ahead and get the job done.
The Territory enjoys strong growth in private sector investment in major industrial facilities. The more than $5bn worth of projects under way, committed or anticipated in the near future, will make a significant contribution to our long-term productive capacity, expand our export performance, broaden the economy, and provide jobs for our people. These projects deliver two challenges: the first is to align governmental activities with the needs of projects through project task forces and major projects groups; the second is to use the opportunities created by pioneer investments and to drive further investment opportunity.
A key objective of our government’s economic development strategy is to achieve a balance between major projects and the needs of small- and medium-sized enterprise. Record capital works expenditures in the last four years will be matched in the coming term to support such enterprises. Long-term planning will be critical to avoid the boom and bust cycles that have characterised the Northern Territory economy over much of the last century.
The first signs of the $1.1bn Darwin City Waterfront project will soon start to appear on Darwin’s foreshore. This fully integrated development of tourism, commercial, residential, and community facilities will reconnect Darwin to one of its great assets - Darwin Harbour. During construction, it will create almost 1000 new jobs.
Great strides have been made in promoting the Territory as the gateway to Asia. Government will continue to work with key shipping lines, freight managers, and FreightLink to broaden the base of trade into and out of Darwin.
The Territory’s economic growth is set to outpace the rest of Australia over coming years, with solid employment and population growth, and construction and production associated with major resource projects to continue. At over 7%, the Territory is expected to record strong economic growth in 2004-05, with solid growth set to continue in 2005-06. Annual growth is forecast to average 4.6% in the five years to 2008-09.
The economic base in the Territory is expected to expand significantly with Timor Sea gas and mining developments, opportunities associated with the operation of the railway, the recovery in tourism, and further business opportunities arising from the Defence presence.
This government will continue to focus on ensuring that the Territory is in a financially and economically sustainable position. The ability to deliver on this commitment was demonstrated prior to the election, when it was confirmed that the government’s election promises could be achieved within the targets set out in Budget 2005-06, with the budget returning to a balanced position by 2008-09.
Many Territorians will be helped to buy their own home through reducing stamp duty on the purchase of homes and providing greater assistance through the HomeNorth Extra initiative.
Tourism is one of the Territory’s main industry sectors and employs over 15 000 of our citizens. The government rolled out a new $1.2m Destination Alice Springs campaign over the past 10 weeks and it is the first Northern Territory domestic campaign to incorporate fully elements of the recently refreshed NT brand.
The arrival of the new Ghan service from Alice Springs to Darwin has seen a significant boost in tourism numbers for the Territory. Since the service commenced in February 2004, there have been nearly 100 000 passengers. An extra weekly service was added this year, for the three months from May to July 2005, to cope with the ongoing demand. With the rise in popularity of cruise ships, a new purpose-built cruise ship facility is to be built at Fort Hill Wharf, which will now be incorporated into the Darwin Waterfront redevelopment project.
The wellbeing of Territorians is absolutely dependent on investing in the future of its people, recognising the interrelationships between economic advancement and social wellbeing, and there must be a concentration on education, health, and community safety.
Education and training: in securing the prosperity of Territorians, the most important considerations for our government are education and training, because education and training are vital contributors to good health. They maximise each individual’s opportunities in life and are the basis of secure employment in the work force. Schools are the backbone and foundation of any education system and, over the next four years, my government will introduce a $50 back-to-school payment for families; provide 40 extra teachers and specialist staff in government schools; set and achieve bold new targets for literacy and numeracy results; provide an extra $42m to improve secondary education; and spend $150m to upgrade, repair, and improve the physical infrastructure of schools.
Education for our first Australians: first Australians represent 38% of Territory students and that percentage will increase. Education is vital to their participation in the social and economic future of the Territory. Our government will continue to work to improve outcomes for students in the areas of literacy and numeracy, and will deliver the national Accelerated Literacy Program to improve outcomes across 100 schools in the Northern Territory.
Addressing our skills shortages: in a period when the Northern Territory is experiencing skills and labour shortages, it is important to focus on maximising training and employment opportunities. Our government is working collaboratively with industry to prepare Territorians for employment in those industries where there are skill shortages through the upskilling of existing workers. To increase efforts in the area of apprenticeships and training over the next four years, our government will train 10 000 people as part of Jobs Plan 2; upskill existing workers in the automotive, building and construction, hospitality and mining industries; increase the Workwear/Workgear Bonus for apprentices in identified skills shortage areas; and assist young Territorians to move from school to work, including an increase in school-based apprenticeships and prevocational courses.
In the sector of health and community services, the pattern of growth and demand on health services in the Northern Territory varies markedly from that of the rest of Australia. This is not only because of the high proportion of first Australians in the Northern Territory, and the high prevalence of chronic disease, but also because of the high fertility rate and consequent youthful population.
My government will focus on primary health care and preventative health programs, including child and maternal health. We will work with communities and Australian government agencies in the provision of family-centred services across the Northern Territory. A key to this work will be the closer cooperation between government health clinics and community services. We will focus on further developing our public hospital system. Extra funding will build on the undertaking by the Australian government to establish Royal Darwin Hospital as a national trauma centre. We will use this opportunity to further the development of our hospitals to better serve our communities and regions. Hospitals will be networked to share leadership and expertise and support the prevention and early intervention work of our clinics and community services.
Giving infants and young people the best start in life, and supporting families and communities to look after themselves, will drive our effort. High on the agenda will be the reform of the child protection system, including new legislation to replace the Community Welfare Act. Good care during pregnancy and the first years of a child’s life is critical, so we will establish universal hearing tests for newborn babies; expand the successful child health initiatives with community-based child healthcare workers across the Territory; set up a community midwifery program to provide care for women before and after childbirth, with additional midwives to support women from remote areas; and provide midwifery training to Territory nurses to support local recruitment.
With a strong focus on developing our public hospital system, this government will undertake a $25m upgrade of the Royal Darwin Hospital tower block; employ 75 more nurses; open 48 more beds in Territory hospitals; expand the Hospital in the Homes program; and provide a 12-bed hospice at Royal Darwin Hospital.
Community safety: safety in the community is the foundation of social wellbeing for our people, and also has a strong bearing on economic development. In May 2003, the previous Martin government announced a commitment to extend the itinerants project to all major centres in the Territory. The Community Harmony strategy confronts the serious social problems we face in dealing with homelessness and cultural and social dislocation. The strategy is a whole-of-government arrangement and, in the coming four years, my government will focus on the damage caused to individuals, families and the community by habitual drunks.
Those people identified as chronic, habitual drunks - that is, those placed in protective custody for drunkenness six times in three months - will be on notice. If they are convicted of a crime committed while drunk, a refusal to participate in alcohol rehabilitation treatment may be taken into account by a magistrate or judge as an aggravating factor in sentencing. Depending on the seriousness of the conviction, the habitual drunk may well face gaol as a consequence. Discretion will remain with the judiciary. Our government will investigate chronic drunkenness and its consequences, with the possibility of rehabilitation, and we will provide adequate funding for treatment.
There is a sincere commitment to enhancing the rights of our citizens to quiet use and enjoyment of their homes and neighbourhoods. We will be introducing written, acceptable behaviour agreements between Territory Housing and tenants, whereby tenants will agree to ensure that they, their household, and guests do not behave in ways that are disruptive to others.
The first Martin Labor government arrested the decline in the resources available to our police service with a four-year commitment to increasing the number of police personnel and expanding the legislative and physical tools police require to service the Territory community. In the next four years, the government will continue the implementation of intelligence-led policing, and a crime reduction strategy focusing on targeting repeat offenders, crime hot spots, patterns of criminal activity, and visible police prevention.
We will continue our focus on drug-related crime including our commitment to the remote communities’ drug strategy, and the prevention of drug suppy into communities. We will focus on antisocial behaviour. We will continue our commitment to the personal and domestic violence reduction strategy, focusing on repeat victims and repeat offenders. We will implement the recommendations arising from reviews of the Police and the Fire and Rescue Service, and we will continue implementation of the joint Emergency Services call centre. Our government remains committed to ensuring that our system of law creates, supports, and maintains communities in which people feel safe and secure.
We will implement all recommendations of the review of prisons to ensure that we have a safe, secure and humane correctional system. This includes increasing the chances of effective reintegration into the community to reduce the rate of recidivism.
New youth justice legislation will ensure an appropriate and flexible framework to respond effectively to the circumstances and needs of young people who become involved in the criminal justice system.
An expanded Charter of Victims’ Rights will be entrenched in legislation to ensure that victims are treated in a sympathetic, constructive and reassuring manner, and their circumstances and rights are acknowledged, respected and protected. My government will also establish a victims’ register so that families of victims of serious crime can monitor the progress of offenders through the prison system and be kept informed of their release date back into the community. Alice Springs and Darwin court houses will be upgraded to improve witness and victim facilities. Increased resources will be allocated to Victims of Crime NT to expand their services.
Building our regions is a fundamental objective of good governance. Unless we get regional development in the Northern Territory right, we will never be independent economically and socially, and we will continue to be heavily reliant on the national purse. Regional development must be holistic, incorporating social, cultural and economic development. Outside the major cities of Darwin and Palmerston, the Northern Territory is made up of a remarkably decentralised network of smaller towns and communities. For these towns and communities, the emphasis must be on developing local job markets through strengthened local economies. When it first came to office in 2001, the Martin government demonstrated a new way of engaging with Aboriginal Territorians. That commenced with meaningful negotiations with the land councils. This laid the groundwork for an agreed set of amendments to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act and the resolution of Aboriginal land and native title issues over parks and reserves.
In the next four years, our re-elected government intends to build upon two major strategies. The first is to ensure Territory agencies develop a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to Aboriginal policy and service delivery. The Chief Executives’ Task Force on Indigenous Affairs will focus on putting in place a consistent and systematic approach to issues such as bilateral agreements with the Australian government. The following priority areas are identified for action: implementing a whole-of-government approach; developing governance and community capacity; investing in the future; giving kids a good start; infrastructure, housing and essential services; local jobs for local people; and safer communities.
The second objective is to engage with the Australian government in shaping post-ATSIC arrangements in a manner beneficial to the Territory and Territorians. This will occur through the Overarching Agreement on Indigenous Affairs with the Australian government, and associated bilateral agreements. Negotiations over housing with regional authorities are under way. Detailed work has commenced on initiatives relating to safer communities, Aboriginal-owned business support, Caring for Country, and streamlining Medicare payments to improve the quantum of funding for Aboriginal health.
Economic development in the regions: this government is committed to providing the tourism infrastructure required to make all regions more accessible. This has included additional marketing and tourism development projects for the six priority destinations: Darwin and surrounds; Kakadu; Katherine region; Barkly region; Alice Springs and surrounds; and Uluru-Kings Canyon.
The Mereenie and West MacDonnell Loop takes in some of the most spectacular scenery of Central Australia. Our commitment to seal this loop will open up the Central Australian experience for more to enjoy. To effectively position Central Australia on the international map and expand tourism opportunities and preserve the uniqueness of our environment, government is committed to pursuing World Heritage listing of the West MacDonnell Ranges.
In respect of regional housing and infrastructure, we must provide appropriate and adequate social and economic infrastructure. Housing in remote towns and communities, on which 72% of Aboriginal Territorians live, has an acknowledged and worsening backlog of $850m. In addition, essential services infrastructure - water, power and sewerage - is ageing. Your government is committed to funding and management processes to reverse these trends.
IHANT, the Indigenous Housing Authority of the Northern Territory, was established through a bilateral agreement between the Australian government and ATSIC, binding the parties to pool funds for the housing of our first Australians. Negotiations are under way to develop a new IHANT agreement. The Territory and Australian governments will soon make a formal announcement on new arrangements.
Projected growth in population, increased living standards and economic development will greatly increase demand for community utility services, placing further pressure on ageing infrastructure. Indigenous Essential Services is a body committed to increasing employment and enterprise outcomes for Aboriginal people through the provision of essential services.
Roads are critical to the economic and social functioning of the Territory, and government will focus on improving and developing our roads, including all beef roads and routes to Borroloola and Wadeye.
Greater emphasis will be given to environmental considerations as part of the decision-making processes of government. While the Territory economy must grow, it is critical this does not occur without consideration of environmental impact. A strong Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, will be created for better environmental controls, to monitor environmental impact and ensure environmental protection across the Territory. The environmental system delivered by the EPA will provide industry and the community with a high level of certainty, recognising the careful balance needed to preserve the relatively pristine environment of northern Australia, while proceeding with orderly economic development.
The cultural, economic and ecological values of the Daly region will be maintained through management strategies based on research, monitoring and evaluation of this unique environment, to assess the potential for cautious development in some areas. High standards of water and land monitoring will be applied to the Daly River and a moratorium on land clearing will remain in place until this monitoring is in place.
A parks master plan: our government is committed to maintain a world-class park system for public use and enjoyment, and to protecting our unique ecosystems and cultural heritage. We will work together with Aboriginal groups and primary producers to achieve this aim. A Territory Parks and Conservation Master Plan will provide a process for Territorians to consider park values and our futures. We will implement key recommendations of the master plan. It will draw together a range of government objectives, including job creation, protection of biodiversity, enhancing recreational, educational and tourist opportunities, thereby creating a sound, sustainable economic base for regional development.
Joint management of parks and reserves aims to provide Aboriginal traditional owners with appropriate recognition, to enhance the parks system with an added cultural dimension, improved conservation management through the use of local knowledge, and provide a richer and more varied visitor experience. The plan will also increase employment of traditional owners on parks and reserves.
Darwin Harbour Plan of Management and the waterfront: the continued development of the waterfront and Darwin Harbour has significant economic, environmental, cultural and recreational benefits for the community. Territory businesses will reap major benefits from the waterfront project, with approximately 1000 jobs created and an 85% local content component guaranteed in the project contracts. The environmental management policy for Darwin Harbour will have a strong scientific base. Aboriginal stakeholders will be involved in the monitoring of cultural and natural resources, and the public will be kept informed and consulted at all stages.
In its first term, the Martin Labor government introduced an independent Electoral Commission and freedom of information and privacy legislation. It introduced a Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act. For the first time, it introduced an estimates process in parliament, as well as a strengthened committee system. It extended the principles of consultation with the broad community, as well as with key stakeholder groups in developing and enacting policy. For this reason, this government will maintain its commitment to the process of giving government to the people through the Community Cabinet process over the next four years. We will conduct Legislative Assembly sittings in Alice Springs in 2007 and 2009.
We recognise the importance of a strong parliamentary system in which a strong opposition and forthright Independents must play a part. It is for this reason, and in the interests of democracy in the Northern Territory, that the government will maintain proper resourcing to the opposition. We will also continue resourcing to Independent Assembly members, recognising their role in their electorates as well as the parliamentary process.
In 2003, the Chief Minister outlined the government’s commitment to a community-based approach to statehood. Earlier this year, a Statehood Steering Committee was established by the Assembly to take this process forward. The statehood committee has a brief to consult widely; educate Territorians further about statehood; and to advise the Legislative Assembly on the appropriate steps to take on the road to statehood for the Northern Territory. The committee is made up of 14 dedicated citizens from across the Territory, representing business, Aboriginal groups, unions, and ordinary Territorians. There are also three members from the Legislative Assembly. The committee is promoting an inclusive approach to statehood and, as a first step, fact sheets and educational programs are now being developed and the committee will be on the road during the show circuit this year. The committee will be advising the parliament on the appropriate steps we should take towards statehood whenever Territorians are comfortable and understand what the process entails. A web site is on the way, and Territorians can look forward to seeing the Statehood Steering Committee in your community some time soon.
Government recognises that Aboriginal Territorians for many years have lived under a system that does not reflect traditional authority and militates against their institutional capacity to properly build sustainable, local governance arrangements. The Building Stronger Regions, Stronger Futures strategy released in May 2003 outlined a commitment to facilitate the establishment of regional authorities under the Local Government Act through the voluntary amalgamation of small councils and associations, and negotiating more appropriate governance structures. This commitment will follow from the successful negotiation of the schedule in the overarching bilateral agreement with the Australian government, which recognises that regional authorities will be a key mechanism for Aboriginal representation and service delivery at a regional level in a post-ATSIC environment.
Three regional authorities have been established - Tiwi Islands Local Government, Thamarrurr Regional Council and Nyirranggulung-Mardrulk-Ngadberre Regional Council. Government is committed to advancing negotiations to form regional authorities identified regionally as Anindilyakwa, West Central Arnhem, Top End Rural, with significant interests being pursued in respect to Alyawarra, Barkly, East Arnhem, and the Gulf.
In conclusion, honourable members of the Assembly, the word ‘parliament’ comes from the French language. It is a place where people speak freely as part of the duty of trust they hold for their electors. Our Northern Territory is a place of many languages. Some languages come from birthright, some from heritage, some from adoption, and some from marriage. This place, the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory, must be a guardian of those many languages and cultures, insist on their right to be heard and their right to be listened to.
The business of this Assembly is conducted in English, and I say ‘welcome’ to you all today. However, there are other languages which form part of the inheritance of our elected members and also reflect our cosmopolitan society.
So, in some of the other languages of those here in this Assembly, I say today: Bayjirru, Yanyuwa, to Barbara McCarthy; Ngintangwirri, Tiwi, to Marion Scrymgour; Palya lingku, Luritja, to Alison Anderson; Kurtu apijira, Warumungu, to Elliot McAdam; Luyurr ngura-u, Gurindji, to Matthew Bonson; Benvenuto, Italian, to Kerry Sacilotto; Kalos ilthate, Greek, to Kon Vatskalis; and Tshya lai, Hokkien, to Richard Lim.
Welcome to all Territorians of all languages as we open the Tenth parliament of the Northern Territory.
Members: Hear, hear!
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His Honour the Administrator was led from the Chamber by the Serjeant-at-Arms.
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GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I outline for the Assembly the interim ministry that we currently have in the Territory.
I advise honourable members that, on 24 June 2005, His Honour the Administrator made the following appointment of ministers of the Northern Territory:
- Clare Majella Martin – Chief Minister, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Territory Development, Minister for the
AustralAsia Railway, Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Minister for Arts and Museums, Minister for Young Territorians,
Minister for Women’s Policy, and Minister for Senior Territorians;
Gaming and Licensing;
Central Australia;
Minister for Defence Support, Minister for Asian Relations and Trade, Minister for Corporate and Information Services,
Minister for Communications, Minister for Community Development, Minister for Housing, Minister for Local Government,
Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister for Regional Development, and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on
Indigenous Affairs.
It is a relief that this is an interim Cabinet. The member for Wanguri is working very hard:
Christopher Bruce Burns - Minister for Transport and Infrastructure; Minister for Lands and Planning;
Minister for Parks and Wildlife; and Minister for Essential Services;
Minister for Multicultural Affairs; and
Heritage; and Minister Assisting the Chief Minister on Young Territorians, Women’s Policy and Senior
Territorians.
Madam Speaker, as I indicated, this is an interim ministry which has been put in place to enable the completion of the 2005 estimates process and passage of the 2005-06 Budget. Once those processes are complete, I intend to request the Administrator to appoint a new ministry for the longer term.
I take this opportunity to advise members of the House that the member for Wanguri will be Leader of Government Business in the Assembly, and the member for Karama is Government Whip.
I table a copy of the Administrative Arrangements Order made by his Honour the Administrator on 24 June 2005 to complement the new ministerial appointments.
Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to say that while there was a sense of humour about the number of portfolios that the Leader of Government Business has, it is because we have said farewell to the former member for Arnhem, John Ah Kit. From everyone here, we wish him the very best in the future.
Members: Hear, hear!
OPPOSITION OFFICE HOLDERS
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader)(by leave): Madam Speaker, similarly, these arrangements are interim until the completion of estimates. The shadow ministerial arrangements are as follows:
- Jodeen Terese Carney - Leader of the Opposition; shadow Attorney-General and shadow minister for Justice; Health;
Family and Community Services; Business and Industry; Women’s Policy, Territory Development; AustralAsia Railway;
Police, Fire and Emergency Services; and Defence Support.
Fisheries; Senior Territorians; Regional Development; and Environment and Heritage.
Corporate and Information Services; Communications; Community Development; Housing; Local Government;
Indigenous Affairs; Transport and Infrastructure; Lands and Planning; Essential Services; and Central Australia.
Asian Relations and Trade; Sport and Recreation; Young Territorians; and Parks and Wildlife.
SUSPENSION OF SITTING
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, the sitting of the Assembly is suspended until 2 pm. I invite all guests in the House today to join with honourable members in celebrating the opening of the Tenth Assembly.
Madam Speaker Aagaard resumed the Chair.
ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is now necessary for the Assembly to appoint a member to be its Chairman of Committees.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I propose to the Assembly for its Chairman of Committees the member for Sanderson, Mr Kiely. I move that the honourable member for Sanderson be appointed Chairman of Committees of this Assembly.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I second the motion.
Madam SPEAKER: Is there any further proposal? There being no further proposal, the time for proposals has expired. Member for Sanderson, do you accept the nomination?
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, I do. I thank the House for the faith and trust it has placed in me to occupy such a position to help with the passing of legislation.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Sanderson, can I just get you to pause? You have not been elected yet, so if you would accept your nomination.
Mr KIELY: Oh, have I not? I would hate to pre-empt that. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Are there any honourable members who would like to speak to the motion? There being no comments, member for Sanderson, I duly declare that you are elected. Would like you to stand and speak to honourable members?
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would particularly like to thank all members of the House for their support. I give an undertaking that I will be fair and help in the process of passing legislation in this House. I understand there are some concerns amongst some members of the opposition. However, after four years of watching how this committee can work, I understand the need for impartiality and for helping to interrogate bills that come through for the good of the Territory on the whole. Once again, I thank all members for the trust that they place in me. I look forward to making a good contribution over the next four years.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Sanderson and congratulations.
RESPONSES TO PETITIONS
The CLERK: Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 100A, I inform honourable members that responses to petitions 74 and 75 have been received and circulated to honourable members.
Petition No 74
- Adequate funding for recruitment and retention of teachers and educators
Presented by: Dr Toyne
- Referred to: Minister for Employment, Education and Training
Date response due: 25 August 2005
Date response presented: 29 June 2005
Response:
- I refer to your letters of 24 March 2005 regarding Petitions No 74 and No 75 on the Teachers Enterprise
Bargaining Agreement presented to the Legislative Assembly on that date.
Since the petitions were presented, government has put its full and final enterprise bargaining offer to the
Australian Education Union (NT Branch) and the union has supported this offer. The new proposal
increased the salary offer from 11% to 15.4%.
Following conciliation in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the Australian Education Union
(NT Branch) referred the offer to its members, a large majority of whom voted in favour of it.
A proposed Teachers Enterprise Bargaining Agreement has now been developed with the union and
distributed to all teachers and educators on 13 May 2005 so that they can give it consideration prior to
the conduct of a formal ballot from 6 to 20 June 2005.
Petition No 75
- Teacher EBA negotiations
Presented by: Mrs Miller
- Referred to: Minister for Employment, Education and Training
Date response due: 25 August 2005
Date response presented: 29 June 2005
Response:
- I refer to your letters of 24 March 2005 regarding Petitions No 74 and No 75 on the Teachers Enterprise
Bargaining Agreement presented to the Legislative Assembly on that date.
Since the petitions were presented, government has put its full and final enterprise bargaining offer to the
Australian Education Union (NT Branch) and the union has supported this offer. The new proposal
increased the salary offer from 11% to 15.4%.
Following conciliation in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the Australian Education Union
(NT Branch) referred the offer to its members, a large majority of whom voted in favour of it.
A proposed Teachers Enterprise Bargaining Agreement has now been developed with the union and
distributed to all teachers and educators on 13 May 2005 so that they can give it consideration prior
to the conduct of a formal ballot from 6 to 20 June 2005.
MESSAGE FROM ADMINISTRATOR
Message No 1
Message No 1
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I lay on the table Message No 1 from His Honour the Administrator advising of his assent to the proposed laws passed by the Assembly during the May 2005 sittings.
ADDRESS-IN-REPLY
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have to report that I have received from His Honour the Administrator a copy of his speech which he delivered this morning.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the following Address-in-Reply be agreed to:
- May it please Your Honour, we, the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory in parliament assembled,
desire to express our loyalty to our most gracious sovereign and to thank Your Honour for the speech which
you have been pleased to address to the Assembly.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I second the motion.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise that the following speakers will be giving their first speeches in this House: the members for Daly, Goyder, Macdonnell, Brennan, Arnhem, Drysdale, and Port Darwin.
Accordingly, I request honourable members to extend the appropriate courtesy and listen in silence.
I advise honourable members that the media is here to film and record maiden speeches.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure, notwithstanding a degree of nervousness, that I stand before the Assembly to deliver my maiden speech. I am absolutely thrilled to represent the Daly electorate. In my endless travels throughout the electorate over many years, I have always been committed to representing everybody in the electorate in an honest, fair and effective way, and this I will do.
I may be a tad biased; however, I believe the Daly electorate is one of the most vibrant, exciting and challenging ones in the Northern Territory, if not Australia. It has mines, national parks, thousands of kilometres of roads, roadhouses, Aboriginal communities, small regional towns, and emerging residential and horticultural rural acreages. Throughout all these places live wonderful Territorians trying to improve their lives. It is my job to represent them and strive to achieve their goals and improve their lifestyle, as well as look after the vast land which the Daly electorate represents for future generations.
From its southernmost areas around Daly Waters and the northern VRD, there are subtropical mountain plateaus and historic pastoral properties. These pastoral properties continue across to the Western Australian border with stations such as Newry, Auvergne, Kildurk, Rosewood and Fitzroy. The Timber Creek township is at the centre of these stations, along with the Gregory National Park. Timber Creek was my home for five years and has a special place in my heart. Like Mataranka, Larrimah and Daly Waters, Timber Creek is in need of focus of regional development from government. The government and I will work in partnership with agreed local plans to advance development in these towns.
Another small township in the Daly electorate which is well advanced in this is Pine Creek. As a member of the government, I will work to progress the initiatives which the community has identified in its action plans; things such as business development, affordable housing to increase the population in the small town, encouragement of the mining industry, and facilitation of the completion of the steam railway line around Pine Creek. I can guarantee my many friends at Pine Creek that I will be going to bat on all of these things and more.
We are not short of railways in the Daly electorate. The Adelaide River community has also identified the desire to establish a working railway engine as one of its priorities. Whereas Pine Creek has a railway and mining history, Adelaide River has a railway and World War II history. I have attended the Anzac Day ceremonies for many years in Adelaide River, and they continue to grow. People are genuinely interested in what happened in Adelaide River during that time, and Adelaide River is an ideal place to tell that story for the Northern Territory.
Adelaide River’s co-community in the Coomalie region is Batchelor. This community needed an active local member, and now it has one, to not only progress economic development initiatives, but also to look at the social cohesion of the town. Batchelor is a beautiful place and I will work hard to improve the lifestyle for the people who live in that community.
Another great place, and one in need of lifestyle improvement, is the Dundee/Bynoe area. They live in a fisherman’s paradise. Only an hour from Darwin, this place has evolved from a small private beginning as a fisherman’s retreat to a growing permanent population. We will continue to plan and deliver better roads, water supplies, power, and also to support marketing this area as an increasingly easy and accessible tourist destination. As with the Dundee area, the rural blocks of Darwin River, Marrakai, Livingstone, Fly Creek, Acacia Hills and Berry Springs have evolved. I am personally excited to be able to work with this region to plan for future services and infrastructure, such as health clinics, a police presence, aged and child-care facilities, to name a few. I will work with my colleague, the member for Goyder, Ted Warren, to achieve these things in that area.
Development protection will be a high priority for the Daly and Douglas/Daly areas for me. These two things can, I believe, work together, and I believe close, active and long-term involvement with all the stakeholders in this region will be vital. I commit to doing this.
The Labor government places great importance on the people of the Daly, Peppimenarti, Palumpa, Woodykupuldiya and Wadeye areas. The government knows the needs out there, and I will be here to constantly remind them of this. Labor is investing in the future of these areas by committing to improving roads, schools, and health clinics. The Aboriginal communities of the Daly electorate require a great deal of support and it is in these basic things that other parts of the Northern Territory take for granted to be available.
These areas will be a great challenge. I will measure my success by the improvement in the lifestyles of the people who live in those areas. It is not about government being the lead or primary player in this task; it cannot be. The needs are too big and the time frame is too short for change. The community and other government and non-government organisations need to be involved. We all need to leave our egos and scorecards at the door. Success will only come from everybody sharing the responsibility. Once we do this we can all share in the successes.
We have run out of time in these communities. It is time now to act. We have been talking and planning and it is time now for action for these areas. This House will hear a great deal from me about economic and social development, environmental protection, improved infrastructure, strategic future planning, and better health and education, just to name a few, about the communities in the Daly electorate. All can be encompassed under regional development which I am pleased to hear is a key focus of the Labor government for the next term.
I know this role is more than just a job, but I recognise that I have been engaged by the people of the Daly electorate for the next four years. I will prove through my work that this trust was not misplaced, and that I can be trusted with a further term.
It is customary for new members to give a bit of background on themselves, and I do not want to bore people so I will keep it brief. I came to the Northern Territory from Tasmania in 1988. My first and lasting memory of the Territory was when the plane pulled up at the old terminal, commonly known as The Tin Shed, and the doors of the plane opened, and it was a walk down off the plane, and that sweet, humid heat hit me. For someone from Tasmania that was appealing and I have been hooked on the Territory every since. Like many adventurous Territorians at that time, I shifted around the Territory, working in hotels in Kakadu, safari camps in Arnhem Land, at Oenpelli on the Mimosa infestation and as a park ranger. I have worked in Tennant Creek in the mines, local government, Aboriginal communities around Timber Creek, and with Northern Territory and Commonwealth government agencies in Katherine.
I have had my children here, I have married here. It is my home and I do not plan to live anywhere else. The Northern Territory is an absolutely wonderful place.
I would like to thank my parliamentary colleagues in the Chamber and my family and friends in the gallery. These people, and one other I will mention later, have provided me with encouragement, advice and support over many years, which have culminated in the success we have had in the Daly electorate.
First, my family: Tracey, my wife, and our children, Jake, Dakota and Lily, have endured incredible pressures and responsibilities on this journey. Knowing they were always there gave me the confidence to go on. On that journey to the 2000 election, which started way back in 1997, I must acknowledge the close support of my friend, the member for Barkly, Elliot McAdam. The regular phone calls and the straight talk kept me in focus. I also acknowledge my good friend, Syd Stirling, with whom I always shared a special bond - I thought it was the fatherly figure, but I think Syd thought it was because we were both in our late 30s.
Thanks, too, to Clare Martin whom I met in 1997 in Timber Creek at a little barbecue when Maggie Hickey was leader. Her words of encouragement over the years, despite her ever-increasing schedule, meant a great deal to me as a young bush candidate.
I thank the mentor and sounding board of other parliamentarians, Mr Andrew Fyles. He and Cherryl’s generosity in being there for me and my family will never be forgotten. The strength to believe in yourself in trying and dark times comes from the belief that credible and noble people have in you. Andrew, you are one of these people. I sincerely hope that you get to dust off the Land Rover, turn off the mobile phone and enjoy a real retirement – at least for another four years.
To the various unions throughout the Northern Territory, I thank you for your support. Your work and role in our society is vital and is sometimes overlooked. The challenge in the coming years for yourselves and working people will be huge, and you can pencil me in to be with you at those times.
There are others to whom I owe a huge debt of gratitude. Some of these people are my mother-in-law, Marie Allen. Thank you. They say that Irish families are something like the Labor Party, but I think they are something like Aboriginal families: you tend to fight and squabble amongst yourselves but, when someone from outside tries to attack one the family, the whole family gets involved and galvanises together. That is what happened for this campaign: my family came together, our extended family came together, and that is what led to much of the success.
In Katherine, I would like to thank Fletch, Rick and Ray, Joe, June, Sean, Colvin and all the Katherine Branch. I thank the mob around Timber Creek and other areas: Jack Little, Duncan Berro, Roy Harrington, Jerry Jones Senior, Jerry Jones Junior, Roy Roberts, John Bennett, Sammy Darby, Tukalar Bunduk, Donna Bunduk, Yvonne Namr, Yvette Bunduk, Michelle Parmbuk, Adelaide Darby, Phillip McDonald and Billy Harney.
At Peppimenarti, I would like to thank that old man, Billy Doyle, for his good work on the polling booth. He got a little charged up, but he was great. At Palumpa, there was the great work of Anne Marie Nudjulu, Jack Wuditj, Roseanne Bunduk and Anita Bunduk. At Daly, sincere thanks to the McTaggart family, especially Aaron, Betty Daly, Jimmy Number 2, Tommy Olsen Senior and Tommy Olsen Junior.
At Emu Point, thanks to my cousin, young Annie Olsen, Rosie Sams and Margaret Sams. At Berry Springs, I would like to thank Robbo, Robbie Robson, Des Austin, Narelle Geddes, Rosie Elliott, Pep, Des Austin and June D’Rozario. At Pine Creek, I would like to thank Joyce Shaw and Robbo. At Adelaide River, thanks to Linda McIntosh and Heather Galvin, and at Batchelor, David and Pat, John and Mai. I thank Jack and Alison and Bronnie for all their help as well. I hope I have not left anyone out. If I have, they know who they are; I have spoken to everyone who has any sort of importance.
In conclusion, I would like to acknowledge one last person, and that is not because she comes last but, quite frankly, I would not be able to continue the speech if it had been in the beginning. A week after a gruelling and unsuccessful 2001 election campaign, I received a phone call from my sister that my mother had died. My mother, Eleanor Knight, was an extraordinary person. Although she was a quiet person, she spoke loudly with her hard work and caring for her children. Physically, she was only small and thin, but she had more strength and determination than anyone I know. Despite the numerous financial, emotional and physical setbacks in her life, she continued, undaunted, with love and humility. The ravages of the scourge of diabetes finally took a toll on her at the age of 53.
The relevance of this wonderful person to my electorate and my role as a parliamentarian is that the personal qualities that she lived by will be the ones that I aspire to: hard work, caring, humility, and a capacity to listen. With all due respect to all those who have helped me to this point, I would like to dedicate my time in this House to her memory.
Members: Hear, hear!
____________________
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of family and friends of the member for Daly. On behalf of all honourable members, I wish you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
____________________
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Madam Speaker, today I join a growing list of ordinary Northern Territory citizens who have the honour of serving their fellow Territorians in the capacity of member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly. To the NT ALP, my campaign team, and the voters of Goyder, I am truly grateful to be given this responsibility.
Goyder is a very special place, and our people are very special. We are not city folk, although many of us have escaped from the city for a more idyllic lifestyle. We are not bush folk, although many of us have been raised in the bush. We are rural, we are special, and we are unique. Geographically, Goyder surrounds all Darwin electorates, as well as our rural cousins in Nelson. Goyder is the rural heartland of the Top End and I am proud to live there.
The electorate derives its name from George Woodroofe Goyder, the first Surveyor-General of South Australia, who led the survey group that set up the settlement of Port Darwin in 1869. He also carried out major freehold surveys in what is now the electorate of Goyder. Goyder was a man of vision. In 1865, he established the line of demarcation between safe and marginal agricultural land in South Australia. George Goyder’s input into the establishment of agricultural areas in the 1870s enabled small farmers to compete against wealthier pastoralists and establish much of the land use and settlement patterns in rural South Australia.
Today, in the Goyder electorate, we have the Litchfield Area Plan 2004. This plan aims to protect the rural character of the Litchfield Shire and to identify suitable locations for the range of activities and services associated with the planned development of the rural area.
Goyder was one of the first people to express concern over the wholesale destruction of native vegetation. Poignantly, as the rural population grows and demand for smaller rural estate blocks continues, this is one of the biggest issues confronting development within the electorate of Goyder today.
George Goyder was also an avid and practical conservationist. As early as 1873, Goyder recommended the use of native forest reserves and actively encouraged the planting and preservation of native trees. He also advocated the conservation of South Australia’s water resources. Similarly, I will fight very hard to ensure that sufficient groundwater resources are available for our rural lifestyle, and also our natural ecosystems. We need to properly and scientifically understand the true extent and sustainable capacity of our rural groundwater resources. Community involvement is essential to the success of such a study, but I make it quite clear, here and now, that I do not support the charging for water usage from domestic rural bores.
I believe all of us in Goyder should take a feather out of George Goyder’s cap; we need to continue to heed Goyder’s foresight and protect our environment while maintaining our unique rural lifestyle. As a community we can do both, but we must act all together and responsibly, for our children’s and our neighbour’s sake.
Population-wise, Goyder and Palmerston are the fastest growing areas in the Territory, and the future growth of rural services must, by necessity, parallel this population growth. During the campaign, I made it very clear that I would not make any wild promises, but I did give my commitment to take on issues and fight hard to ensure that Goyder gets the best possible deal from the current Martin Labor government. I will truly be a strong voice for Goyder.
On a personal level, I was born into a strong Labor family and can recall handing out how-to-vote cards for the Labor Party at five years of age. I first officially joined the Lockyer branch of the Queensland ALP in 1974. My father spent most of his working life as a union official in the New South Wales Teacher’s Federation and then the Queensland Teacher’s Union, reaching the status of Assistant Secretary of the Queensland Teacher’s Union. For much of my early life, Dad was away from home travelling the back blocks of New South Wales and Queensland trying to ensure that country teachers had half-decent pay, accommodation and working conditions. Dad is now 83, still with a keen mind and active in the Queensland ALP. He is also a life member of the Queensland ALP and has stood as an unsuccessful ALP candidate in Brisbane.
Mum, unfortunately, passed away many years ago, but she was always a very strong ALP supporter, and one of the pioneers for working mums today. My younger brother, Dave, is a public school principal in Charters Towers and also stood twice as an unsuccessful ALP candidate in Gympie, Queensland. I am very pleased they are here today to share this special occasion with me.
I have lived most of the past 26 years in and around Darwin. Three years ago, my wife, Yasmin, and I moved to Wagait Beach, Mandorah, within the electorate of Goyder, and we love it. I am an avid bushwalker when I get the time and, in March/April last year, I decided to fully test whether I still had the drive to achieve more in life. I hiked the full length of the Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia, from Perth to Albany, covering some 1000 km in seven weeks to the day, while carrying a 20 kg backpack and wearing hiking sandals.
It was during that epic trek that I began to ponder my future and realised that it was time that I gave something back to the community. I cannot recall the specific moment, although I think it was a gradual realisation during the latter stages of that trek, that the best way to achieve this was to use my existing professional, business and management skills in the political arena. I knew that it had to be my own electorate of Goyder. I appreciated from the outset that the task would be very hard, but I set out with the same determination that carried me along the Bibbulmun Track, when physical and mental exhaustion seemed almost insurmountable. Clearly, it was the right decision.
On a professional level, I have three degrees: a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology, a Master’s Degree in Geoscience and a Master’s Degree in Mineral Economics. If it had not have been for the Whitlam government’s election in 1972, I would not have been able to afford my first degree. I strongly believe that education is a right and not a privilege, and it is a sad thing that we have gone back to a system of tertiary education that lumbers our young, professional graduates with a cumbersome debt. If they happen to pair up and marry another young professional, then the debt is often doubled. Education is, once again, becoming the privilege of wealth and, consequently, we are in serious danger of dumbing down our professional skill base.
For most of the past 15 years, I have been a self-employed geological engineer and project manager. Despite my qualifications, I am no academic; I consider myself to be a very practical, down-to-earth engineer who loves to get his hands dirty. My career highlight to date was undoubtedly working as the Project Engineering Geologist during the design and construction of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway. I was responsible for selecting or approving all the earthwork materials which the railway is made of, as well as being responsible for the cuttings, bridge foundation investigations, difficult ground conditions and geotechnical troubleshooting along the full length of this world-class project.
On a philosophical level, I consider myself a social democrat in a literal sense. I also believe strongly in trade unionism and, even though I was self-employed, I maintained my union membership with pride. I am also the proud descendent of that small band of Dorchester farm labourers who formed the first trade union some 170 years ago, namely the legendary Tolpuddle Martyrs. I am extremely proud to be part of the Northern Territory Labor government which honours and pays gratitude to the struggles and achievements of the trade union movement in Australia over the past 100 years. It acknowledges that unions play a vital and legitimate role in our society.
We are now on the eve of the introduction of the Howard government’s new labour workplace relations legislation. This proposed legislation will seek to significantly reduce the powers of the independent umpire, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, and restrict the abilities of trade unions to help Australian workers in protecting and enhancing their working conditions. Under these proposed new laws, Northern Territory employees can be compelled to accept inferior Australian workplace agreements in comparison with the federal award conditions when they commence their employment.
Northern Territory private sector employees will have no genuine or balanced bargaining rights at workplaces under the Howard government’s new workplace relations laws.
I am proud to be part of a Territory Labor government which has given a commitment not to introduce the Howard federal government’s individual Australian workplace agreements into the Northern Territory Public Service, and to negotiate future enterprise agreements in the Northern Territory Public Service collectively with the unions.
The ALP is a great Australian political institution, created by the unity of working class people. I believe the great strength of the Labor Party lies in the sometimes divergent views underlain by our core belief in social justice for all. I believe active debate within the party is good for the continued growth and evolution of our party, and debate should not be stifled by narrow-mindedness. We should always be able to listen and appreciate those who have slightly different views to ourselves, and not be too judgmental. As parliamentarians, we must not forget that the heart and soul of the Labor Party lies within the many branch members and supporters, and that we would not be where we are today if it was not for the tireless support of the rank and file members.
During this campaign I owe a debt of gratitude to many people, mostly importantly to my wife, Yasmin who, despite her sometime trepidations, stood firmly behind me even when it often involved picking me up late at night from the Mandorah ferry, and in spite of living a campaign widow’s existence for the four months prior to the election. Of course, there were a couple of others who never lost faith and always knew, as I did, that Goyder was winnable; I mean my campaign manager Clare Hasewski, and her tireless sidekick Rosie Elliot. Brett Walker, Alison Boardman, Mandy Crossin, Chris Hallett, Rodney Haritos, Carol Rollason, Ian Fraser, Varenya Mohan Ram, Ian Gallacher, Alex Gallacher all played a vital role in our winning Goyder.
My debt of gratitude also goes out to all members of the Nelson/Goyder sub-branch of the NT ALP, including Denise and Sean Bowden, Doreen and Jack McTaggart, Jack Crosby, June D’Rozario, and Arthur and Marilyn Hockey, and to all those party and non-party supporters who shared our sense of impending victory; to the friendship and camaraderie of Rob Knight and Lisa McKinney-Smith - my rural running mates from Daly and Nelson respectively; to the many people who helped me in 1994 when I unsuccessfully took on Rick Setter in Jingili; to Paul Henderson who publicly stood up for me in the aftermath of 1994 when others thought less of me; to two very good mates and long time supporters in Peter Chambers and Hugh (Joe) Tilbrook who never lost faith in my ability; and finally to my long-time ally and good mate Lucio Matarazzo who waited 11 long years to proudly hold my corflute banner aloft as we entered the ALP election night celebrations to rightly join the victors.
To Clare Martin, our leader, what can I say? Thank you almost seems too flippant a compliment. Clare is a role model for us all. Clare won a by-election for Fannie Bay by some 60-odd votes and, through sheer hard work, has since turned that seat into one of the safest Labor seats in the Territory. Clare has also taken the Labor Party from the political wilderness to being the natural party of government in the Territory. Thank you, and so much more, Clare.
In its first term of government, the Martin Labor government achieved a great deal for our rural community. Notably, we now have a new police and fire station at Humpty Doo; Adelaide River is closed to commercial fishermen; we have upgraded facilities and a recreational hall as well as new grounds for junior soccer at Freds Pass Reserve; and a secure year-round water supply at Cox Peninsula as well as a raft of Territory-wide services for us all.
As a government, we have been given a strong mandate to govern, but we must never lose sight of what the Labor movement stands for. As individual MLAs, we must not forget the people we represent, no matter how they voted. I will fight to ensure that all promises from this and our 2001 election victory are delivered. I believe it is incumbent upon every elected MLA of the NT ALP to ensure that such promises are not forgotten or reneged and that they do not become broken promises.
Even though we have achieved much in the past four years, this Martin Labor government has so much more to do. During the campaign, I detailed the exciting new commitments we gave for this term of government. These include major roadwork infrastructure such as the sealing of the Middle Arm connector road to Finn Road, major upgrades to the Point Stuart Road, completion of a major upgrade of the Stuart Highway between Noonamah and the Cox Peninsula Road, a major upgrade to Girraween and Henning Roads, completion and sealing of the Litchfield loop road and completion of the sealing and upgrading of the Cox Peninsula Road.
We will also provide better facilities and equipment for our local primary schools at Girraween, Bees Creek, Humpty Doo, Berry Springs, and Middle Point as well as Taminmin High School. In addition, we will be undertaking a major desalination program of the Mary River wetlands, upgrade the Territory Wildlife Park, providing major funding for a cyclone shelter and amenities building at Cox Peninsula, and a major $7.5m upgrade to facilities at Litchfield National Park.
Finally, I owe a great debt of thanks to all sectors of our great rural community who supported me on election day. From the self-achievers of Marlow Lagoon to my traditional Australian friends at Belyuen, to my cheerful neighbours at Wagait, and the rural battlers of Humpty Doo, Noonamah and Berry Springs, to the little urban rural enclaves of Southport, De Caen Close, the units at the Humpty Doo business centre and the many caravaners, to the city escapees of Virginia and Bees Creek, to those green thumb horticulturists of Lambells Lagoon and Middle Point, to the outermost residents of Gunn Point, to the strong and vibrant Australian-Vietnamese, Australian-Cambodian and Australian-Chinese communities, and I will not forget our senior citizens who are such a vital part of our rural community.
Most importantly, I am thankful for the strong support I received from every day down-to-earth rural Territorians who make our Goyder such a special place and such a thrill to live in.
As long as I have the privilege of serving the people of Goyder, I will be a strong voice for Goyder in government. I will be our strong voice for Goyder in government. I will be your strong voice for Goyder in government.
Members: Hear, hear!
___________________
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the family of the member for Goyder, and to the Secretary of the Australian Services Union. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
___________________
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Madam Speaker, [spoken in Luritja]:
My language skills will help people understand what happens in parliament. My aim in this House is to be
honest and truthful. We have a good team led by Clare Martin.
I come here today to join four other Aboriginal members: two Aboriginal brothers; two Aboriginal sisters.
They share with me a special moment in the history of the Northern Territory and this parliament.
We continue a tradition which began on the Labor side of this Chamber with the election of Wesley Lanhupuy
and Stanley Tipiloura. Both died, tragically, well before their time. I am conscious of their legacy to this
parliament.
I am happy to be here and very proud to represent the people of Macdonnell.
Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make this, my first speech to the parliament of the Northern Territory. I am proud to represent the people of Macdonnell. I am humbled by their overwhelming endorsement, and will seek at all times to represent their best interests in this parliament. I also wish to take this opportunity to thank my family, my mentors, my electorate team and the Australian Labor Party for this opportunity. I am conscious of the special privilege and responsibility that comes with elected office. I will do my utmost to ensure I do not lose sight of that.
I am the child of an Aranda woman and a Walpiri man. My country is Papunya, 230 km west of Alice Springs, and I am born and bred from that area. I come here today to join four other Aboriginal members, two of my brothers and two of my sisters. They share with me a special moment in the history of the Northern Territory and this parliament. We continue a tradition which began on the Labor side of this Chamber with the election of Wesley Lanhupuy and Stanley Tipiloura. Both died, tragically, well before their time. I am conscious of their legacy to this parliament.
Campaigning in an electorate as large as Macdonnell is a huge and tiring task, but it is also a very rewarding and enjoyable task. I got to meet so many people and talk to them about their ideas. I would like to thank all of those who helped me along the path to being here today. I would like to thank my family, my children, Dorrelle, Samara, Clint, Tahnee and Liam, and also my husband, who stood by me 100%. Rhonda Loads has always been a real strength behind me, pushing me all the way.
From the moment I nominated as a candidate for the seat of Macdonnell, I have been overwhelmed by the help, support and encouragement I have received from right across the electorate. I cannot name everybody, however, I would like to name some of the people who helped me – Eileen Hoosan, Maureen Abbott, William Tilmouth, Tangentyere Construction, Strakey, Lance Abbott, Irene Nungala, Linda Nakamarra, Gordon Butcher, Alison Multa, Teresa Nipper, Vicky Gilick, Michael Prowse, Marilyn Nungala and Bundy Rowe, David Oaks, Ray Ferguson, Phillip Wiluka, Clarry Robinya, Helen Kantawara, Mildred and Carl and Conrad, and last, but not least – a 14-year-old boy called Nicholas Williams, who was just an inspiration and part of Alison’s Army.
I would also like to thank a previous member for Macdonnell, Neil Bell. Neil spent many years fighting for the people of Macdonnell but, unfortunately, he had to do so without the benefit of being in government. I am privileged to be the first Labor member for Macdonnell in government. It is a privilege and an opportunity. It was great to have Neil with me during the campaign and helping out on the mobile polls; although he is not that fit anymore - I had to drop him off a couple of times for a rest.
I ran a very positive campaign to win the seat of Macdonnell. In my campaign, I spelt out my plans and Labor’s plans for Macdonnell. However, I was the subject of an orchestrated smear campaign and a series of personal attacks. It did not work. I hope the results demonstrate that the politics of smear and innuendo can, and does, backfire. Ever since the election, the personal attacks have continued from certain quarters. My message to them is a simple one: my resolve to stand here today gained strength the more they sought to smear me and my family and, from now on, my resolve to work for the people of Macdonnell, and stand up for what I believe, will only gain strength the more the attacks continue. Those who know me and who have observed me in public life to date, are aware that I will not be intimidated or deterred. I have never chosen the easy road in life, and am conscious that many in my home community of Papunya do not get to exercise much choice.
I am no stranger to the politics of the smear. I was elected to serve two terms as a Commissioner of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission before its recent abolition by the Howard government. Time and again, I stood against the politics of Geoff Clark and Ray Robinson. I did it publicly and forcefully, without fear or favour. I supported both men when they fought injustice and when they acted in the best interests of Aboriginal communities. Despite the public perception, they did this well and often. I believe political opponents should be acknowledged for good work, and condemned when they have done something wrong. I did so at ATSIC, and will do the same in this place.
I come to this place at a time when the rights of Aboriginal people continue to be threatened. The many gains achieved by the hard work of those in the Labor movement over the past 30 years are being swept away at the federal level; our collective national voice is being silenced. It has been left to Labor state and territory governments - and I acknowledge New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT in this regard - to seek to retain Aboriginal representative bodies. We will ensure a representative voice continues - five indigenous members of this parliament will ensure this happens.
I publicly recommit myself to fighting any changes to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act that do not come with the free and informed consent of traditional owners. The same applies to any proposal that does not respect the wishes of the old people who own the land. We must continue to fight the appalling conditions in our Aboriginal communities without destroying the hard-won rights of those who live there.
Solutions which are imposed on us do not sustain themselves. This became clear to me when I chaired ATSIC’s National Committee of Aboriginal Women to address the surge of violence in our communities. That committee was the peak body for Aboriginal women in our fight in this regard. My work demonstrated that policies and programs developed, managed and controlled by Aboriginal people were those which sustained themselves and made a difference. It was a tough assignment, but we did get our message through and obtain the commitment of the Prime Minister on many key areas of policy.
I have never taken the easy way and I do not pretend that my task here will be easy. Aboriginal people are the most disadvantaged battlers in Australia. They are the first nation of this country living in fifth world conditions. I am here to work for them; I do not intend to let them down. In saying this, I am conscious that my electorate contains many non-Aboriginal people. As you are aware, it takes in the town of Yulara in the shadow of great Uluru. The residents of Yulara want to bring the Aboriginal people with them into the success of this country. I will work with them to do so. They also have special needs, and I pledge to work with them to address them.
Decent Australians everywhere want the best for Aboriginal people, and it will be our job here to make the toughest decisions that will lead to the betterment of the lives of Aboriginal people where they are disadvantaged in our system and where we can help. That will mean having the courage to commit to addressing inequities in funding and expenditure, and truly tackling disadvantage. We must target our expenditure and focus it at all times on outcomes for people on the ground. We must have the courage to take these matters up with the Commonwealth and to commit, in partnership with the Commonwealth, to fund the great needs that lie in our remote communities. Together with the Commonwealth, we must have the courage to explain and promote spending in the bush.
Looking after the bush helps all Territorians. Better health and education outcomes in the bush helps all of the Territory. Better infrastructure in the bush helps all Territorians. I will stand up for my electorate and for indigenous people in the Territory, but I want to do so in a way that brings the rest of society with us.
I want to use the opportunity I have as a member of this parliament and as a member of the Martin government to make sure that as a society we all embrace what has happened in the bush. It is not a case of take from the city to give to the bush. It is about making sure that the Territory grows together and that we all get to benefit from opportunities we have here.
The first term of the Martin government was underlined by strong economic growth – the best in the country. The second term is about making sure that the Territory continues with strong and sustainable growth. I want to work to ensure that the benefits of this are realised by every Territorian.
Madam Speaker, I joined the Labor Party because of its long commitment to the disadvantaged of our community. The Labor Party in the Northern Territory has stood with Aboriginal people in the hardest of times when our rights have been under attack and our living conditions have gone backwards. I am proud to say that the first Labor government in the Northern Territory brought with it significant new commitments of resources and political will and began processes of reform long overdue in this Territory. However, as the Chief Minister has said, there is more to be done, much more.
We have been told by enough reports and studies, such that we cannot deny, that today Aboriginal lives are harder than ever. In some of our communities the life expectancy for our men hovers around 40 years. Our women suffer from carrying a load which is often far too heavy. They do it with great strength. Sadly, the odds are stacked against them. Aboriginal men and women everywhere fight overwhelming odds when trying to give their children a future.
We need to fix up the schools in our remote communities. Children in remote areas, because of their remoteness and disadvantage, should be given the same opportunities as children in urban areas. The Martin government invested in schools in the bush in the first term and introduced secondary education to the bush after it had been ignored for years. This program must continue and be expanded. This is our responsibility here and it is something we must address. If children cannot get an education, they cannot get jobs. Without a job they turn to wastefulness and become a burden on the rest of the community. Given the lack of education and the lack of prospects, it is no wonder that our gaols are filled with young Aboriginal men. Today up to 80% of our prison population is made up of adult Aboriginal men between 18 and 50 years. Aboriginal men of this age group make up less than 10% of the population. This is appalling. Again, we must address this situation here in this place. We must confront these facts and turn all our efforts to the task.
I believe the future of the Northern Territory is at a crossroads. Our future rests to a large degree on the decisions we will take in this place over the next few years. In 10 years time, Aboriginal people will represent more than 50% of the population. The population in our remote towns continues to grow quickly and the children of today are fast becoming adults. We must take the initiative here in this parliament and address their needs as a matter of urgency. It is in the area of health and education in particular that I will fight to ensure that the bush gets a fair go.
I say these things because I am confident that we can and will act on these problems. I know that this government has the will to tackle these problems. My people are not dysfunctional; they are not born criminals. They do not choose alcoholism and vagrancy as a way of life. We must address their needs if we are to build a solid future for everyone in the Territory.
On this note I want to remind this House of the words of the great Labor leader, Ben Chifley. I want to quote from the speech to the New South Wales Labor Conference in 1947. Chifley said:
- I try to think of the Labor movement not as putting an extra sixpence into somebody’s pocket, or making somebody
Prime Minister or Premier, but as a movement bringing something better to the people, better standards of living,
greater happiness to the mass of the people. We have a great objective – the light on the hill – which we aim to reach
by working for the betterment of mankind, not only here but anywhere we may give a helping hand. If it were not for that,
the Labor movement would not be worth fighting for.
- If the movement can make someone more comfortable, give to some father or mother a greater feeling of security for
their children, a feeling that if a depression comes there will be work, that the government is striving its hardest to do its
best, then the Labor movement will be completely justified.
It does not matter about persons like me who have our limitations. I only hope that the generosity, kindness and friendliness
shown to me by thousands of my colleagues in the Labor movement will continue to be given to the movement and add zest
to its work.
Madam Speaker, my dream is that on the day of my last speech in this Chamber, I will be able to say that I have sought to pursue the same visions as those of Ben Chifley; that I, and those with me, have put the interests of the most disadvantaged ahead of our own, and that we have served in a parliament that has promoted a fair go for all, which has delivered the opportunity for all Territorians to enjoy a life worth living.
My wish then will be simple: it will be to return to my country and my people in the heart of our great nation having made a positive difference to people’s lives, and having made the future brighter for our children.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the family of the member for Brennan. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, honourable members and guests, I open my speech acknowledging the Larrakia Nation as the traditional custodians of this country. I acknowledge them also as the traditional custodians of the land that forms my electorate of Brennan.
Approximately 6500 people live in my electorate; about 4500 are registered to vote. I thank the people of Brennan for taking the time to tell me the issues important to them. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself, often on their own doorstep, and I thank them for giving me the opportunity to represent them here. It is an honour and an obligation I will never take lightly.
I would like to specifically thank everyone in the electorate who, on election day or in the days since, made a point of coming up to me to let me know that I was their choice. I cannot properly explain in a speech how uplifting that feels, as well as how humbling.
When I was doorknocking, I often had children sing out ‘hello’. Some recognised me from my visits to Bakewell Primary School; others had just seen me walking about their streets and decided to come up and find out what I was doing. I would like to thank them for that and encourage them to keep it up when they see me out in their area again.
I congratulate you, Madam Speaker, and all members of the Legislative Assembly on their election or re-election as the case may be. Thank you to the member for Sanderson, Len Kiely, and his electorate officer, Therla, for their assistance, helpful suggestions and comradeship to my wife, Sharon, and I. Thanks to Simon, Merv, Nick and Maria. Your counsel was, and remains, priceless. Labor’s results in Palmerston reflect the hard work you put in behind the scenes.
I would also like to thank the central campaign team and the Chief Minister, Clare Martin. Clare was the guest of honour at the function that launched the Palmerston seats’ campaigns, and those of several others. This sent a clear message to the electorates in and around Palmerston about how important the ALP regards Palmerston, despite not having a sitting member in any of the seats. I thank you, Chief Minister, for your personal attention.
My campaign manager, Naomi, deserves my thanks for so many different reasons I will not try and list them. All members will know just how important the position of campaign manager is. To juggle that role with the commitments of work, as well as looking after three children, is some accomplishment.
I would like to recognise Shad McDonald, who has been a friend of my family for more than 20 years. He has been a warrior for the Labor cause for even longer. He is one of the great unsung heroes of the Labor movement in the Territory. Thank you, Shad, from my family and I, for all your efforts in this election just gone and elections before that.
Another family friend who has generously given of his time is Jamey Robertson. Jamey was an alderman with my father on the Darwin City Council. This Northern Territory election was the first at which I have stood as a candidate, but certainly not the first that Jamey and I have worked on together. Thank you, Jamey, and thank you also, Christine.
I thank the members of the Palmerston sub-branch of the Northern Territory ALP. The local branches are the life blood of the ALP. They supply the bulk of our volunteers and they are the source of many an idea. I believe that a strong, vibrant, inclusive local branch is vital to continued success for the ALP in Palmerston, and I will do all that I can to attract new Palmerston members to the party. The ALP has a stall at the Palmerston markets, which are held on Friday nights, and I encourage all members to attend, and perhaps have some great food and a great night.
I want to let the people of Palmerston know that this was not just an election gimmick though. I will, in fact, be at the stall in coming weeks, and I encourage anyone who wants to, to come up and say ‘g’day’. At the back of the markets you can look through the fencing and see the Palmerston recreation centre that is being built. This is another place that I sincerely hope the users and families of Palmerston will enjoy.
I thank Chris Natt, now member for Drysdale - and deservedly so, if I might say, Chris - and Brendan Cabry, the Labor candidate for Blain. Chris, Brendan and I did many campaign activities together, such as handing out material all around Palmerston even in the wee hours of the morning. The three of us formed a close working relationship. Brendan maintains an important role as a councillor on the Palmerston Town Council. He achieved just shy of a 9% against the sitting member and that was no mean feat. He is a man of sincerity, integrity and full of many ideas. I look forward to working with Brendan and Chris for the betterment of Palmerston. I also extend the invitation to the sitting member for Blain as well.
Mr Mills: Hear, hear! Likewise.
Mr BURKE: I owe a great deal to my family for their support and their help. Our family is quite an extended one and, of course, Romola, you are part of the family too. She and my mother walked the beat, up and down many footpaths, my behalf. My grandfather, an avid bowler and member of the Palmerston Bowls Club, was here this morning, and I thank him for his support. Members will be pleased to know that, on election day, other bowlers let me know of how my grandfather was faring on the green that day and, for interest, he made it to the semi-finals.
My mother has always provided me an objective assessment, even if at times I was not ready to accept it. She is a lady of humour and great resourcefulness, and often I have been the cause of her having to use both these qualities. I hope she will continue to bless me with her observations and support, and I am sure mothers everywhere will agree, a son is never too old that he can stop listening to his mother.
I thank my sister and brother-in-law for their help during the campaign. Neither previously had been involved in campaigning, although we have had some pretty interesting discussions over a few drinks, yet both got involved in my campaign without hesitation. Thank you, Melanie and Pete.
Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my wife Sharon, daughter, Leesa, and son, Brandon, for putting up with me. Even Brandon, though 17 months old, was affected by the election campaign. I could not give the electorate of Brennan and the people of the Northern Territory what is required without the support and love of my wife, daughter and son. Any sacrifices I have to make, they are making as well. That is a part of political life that is unfair on families. I will do my very best to make up for that as and when I can, in whatever way I can.
What made me want this life? My father, Pat Burke, cultivated in me the love of politics. For him, it is both the highest and lowest form of human endeavour for politics has the capacity to bring out the best and worst in people.
Since 1977, I have been involved in every Darwin City Council, Northern Territory and federal election, bar a couple. In 1994, I was on a sister city exchange with Darwin sister city Haikou in the province of Hainan In China. In 2000, I moved to Victoria and, while there, I was involved in the federal election and Victorian state elections that were called but, unfortunately, had to be content with watching the 2001 NT election on the television.
My father served as alderman on the Darwin City Council for well over 20 years. People still come up to me today and say: ‘Your Dad took the time to listen. He asked you questions because he wanted to know the answer. It was not just a device for him to tell you what he thought; he cared’. Another person once told me: ‘If Pat thought what you were about to do was wrong, he would tell you - and keep telling you. He would not be interested in compromise; it was wrong. That is all there was to it. He could be a bit of a pain in the behind like that’. How ever long my political career may be, I hope one day people will say similar things of me.
One of my favourite stories about my father’s time on the council was when he came home late one night. He had been agonising for weeks about how he was going to get this particular measure through the council. He was convinced certain other aldermen would oppose it for no reason other than he supported it. It is something that happened with a fair degree of regularity in his time. Once we were seated, I asked him how it went. ‘Oh, I got it through,’ he said. ‘How did you do that - I thought they were against you?’ I asked. ‘I worked out the one thing that would get them to vote for it,’ he said. ‘And that was what?’ I asked. Showing his Machiavellian nature and, with a bit of a grin, he replied: ‘Oh, I condemned it; said I was voting against it and condemned anyone who was going to vote for it’.
By the time I was 15, I was thoroughly indoctrinated in the politics of Labor and joined the party. Fifteen is the youngest you can join the ALP, because that is how old a first-year apprentice might be when starting his or her apprenticeship. The party represents the interests of workers, better and more naturally than any other political party. In my opinion, the party should be proud of its links with workers and the trade union movement. I commend the government on the inclusion in the last budget of the $300 and $500 payment to apprentices to assist them. It is a shame that Charles Darwin University moved so quickly to gobble that up with the increase in its tuition fees.
I dived into party politics immediately. I was a member of Northern Territory Young Labor for many years. I held executive positions, including those of secretary and president of NTYL. I attended national Young Labor conferences and was part of national Young Labor’s executive. I have also been secretary of my local branch. During my university studies, I was involved in student union politics. I held the position of arts faculty representative for a few years.
At the same time as this political involvement, I took on coaching soccer. First an Under-6 team when I was about 16 years old, and then an Under-15 team when I was 19 and playing at the same time. I was also involved in Darwin City Council’s Sister City program. I was a founding member of the Darwin Youth Sister Cities Organisation which aimed at encouraging young people to get involved in learning about their own community as well as those of Darwin’s sister cities. It was also a way of getting young people used to meeting procedure without being self-conscious.
I spent some years working with the Northern Territory Health Department, or Territory Health Services as it was then called. I also worked in the Office of the Public Trustee before moving to Melbourne to pursue a legal career. I ended up very quickly, and luckily, in a large plaintiff law firm. I was privileged to represent people injured in motor vehicle accidents who were getting a raw deal from the insurer.
However, as a local boy, the pull of home got too much and I took a job with the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union in Darwin. The work was similar to that of a solicitor - defending the weak against those in a stronger position - and trying to do my personal best to even up the inequality.
The federal government is about to introduce industrial relations changes which are nothing short of an attack on families. Over 32% of my electorate is under the age of 18; over 67% of the adult work force is engaged in private enterprise. It is with great pride that I form part of a government which has clearly stated it will not use Australian Workplace Agreements. These documents are nothing more than an erosion of workers’ conditions and an attack on collective bargaining. Even the Prime Minister refuses to say that workers will not be worse off under AWAs. I give a commitment to the people of Brennan that I will fight to protect their right to the workplace and strive to ensure families are not disadvantaged.
I hope to serve Brennan for many years. I will work as hard as I can to improve the lives of the people in my electorate, and the Territory generally. People in Palmerston have said to me that they want improvements in the level of health, education, and public transport services. I will work ceaselessly to attain results in these areas. The $10m in the recent budget for a new senior college in Palmerston is a great initiative. We in the ALP know we have more to do, and we will do it.
Things I would like to achieve more generally are improvements in health, education, and job availability for Aboriginal people. This is extremely important as we are under-utilising one of our strongest resources - our indigenous communities. It is a complex set of problems which has been around for a very long time for which we do not yet have complete answers. We need to keep trying though. The cost of not doing so is too great. The benefits are also great - 30% of our population is indigenous and if we can improve the productivity of the Northern Territory by 30%, we certainly will be an economic powerhouse.
I want to close by adding my voice to those who said sorry to the Stolen Generation. Great atrocities were committed against the Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory and elsewhere in Australia. We need to see it for what it was - an awful episode in our history. We need to confront it together, and together grow stronger from it. Together we need to ensure we never let it, or anything like it, happen again to any part of our community.
Honourable members, I thank you for your respectful attention.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of Hon Warren Snowdon, member for Lingiari; and the former member for Victoria River, Mr Gary Cartwright; and to the family of the member for Arnhem.
On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
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Ms McCARTHY (Arnhem): Madam Speaker, it is with humble gratitude that I stand before you today and, indeed, before my parliamentary colleagues, every one of you, as the new Labor member for Arnhem. To stand as a Yanyuwa woman from Borroloola in the Gulf of Carpentaria, here in the Northern Territory parliament, on the land of the Larrakia people, to represent the various Aboriginal communities, the mining town of Alyangula on Groote Eylandt, and many pastoralists in the Arnhem electorate is, indeed, a great honour. I just add here that I may have to disagree with the member for Daly, for I actually think the Arnhem electorate is far more beautiful!
I have travelled the Arnhem electorate extensively these past two months, by road and plane, and have gained some insight into the work that has been achieved by the Labor government in the past four years. Achievements include the sealing of the airstrips at Minyerri and Ramingining, which is also very close to completion, and sealing of the airstrip to commence soon at Bulman; the Territory and Commonwealth joint building of a secondary school at Minyerri, including construction of Northern Territory government employee housing; and the establishment of the of the Nyirranggulung-Mardrulk-Ngadberre Regional Council as one of the first of the three regional authorities. However, as this government recognises, more needs to be done.
The Chief Minister, Clare Martin, is committed to strengthening the Northern Territory’s regions in this second term of the Labor government. I look forward to working as part of her team to create employment opportunities for people in the Arnhem region. The issues in the electorate largely centre around educational and employment opportunities, improved roads and transport and effective delivery, health needs, adequate housing, and sports and recreation for our youth.
The Arnhem electorate spans more than 137 000 km, and takes in 15 major towns, and the mining town of Alyangula. There are scores of outstations. There is a diversity of Aboriginal language and culture, and a number of pastoral stations in the electorate.
I would like to share with you some of the programs under way in the electorate and some of the concerns still worrying the people who live in Arnhem. One of the strong themes emerging from my visits to the communities is youth. The future of the Northern Territory’s young people is of deep concern to me and one of the guiding reasons why I decided to enter politics. Many young Territorians in our remote regions continue to have a sense of hopelessness about their opportunities for the future. It is a theme reiterated in the member for Macdonnell’s speech today. The lure of substance abuse and crime-related activities become too familiar a pastime for many of our youth. These young people are our future leaders and, more than ever before, we need to embrace that fact and provide for them real opportunities for a good future, whether in an urban setting or a remote region.
I grew up in Borroloola and Alice Springs, and I know only too well the vast distances involved to travel for sports and other events. I believe the talent in our regions is untapped and it is our youth who ask to be heard. They provide the key to a new direction in our regions if given the appropriate guidance, resources and support. The Martin government’s commitment to training opportunities over the next four years is a major way of tapping into this untapped talent in remote areas right across the Northern Territory, as well as in our major towns and, indeed, Darwin city.
There is a major concern about improving police services in the East Arnhem region, and I am pleased to see that, by December, there will be a police post at Numbulwar with two locally-based Aboriginal Community Police Officers with an ACPO vehicle to assist in their duties. Over time, I would like to further discussions about the possibility of a school-based police program to service the five schools at Numbulwar, Milyakburra, Angurugu, Umbakumba and Alyangula. I had the opportunity to travel by police boat from Groote Eylandt to Milyakburra one evening to attend the Blue Light Disco. I even had a chance to get on the floor myself. The enthusiasm of police officers like First Class Constable Ben Hamann, who are keen to work with our youth to keep them on the right path, is a good example of effective policing. It is a policing method that works successfully in the Territory’s urban schools and should be encouraged in our remote regions.
Millingimbi is a 10-minute plane trip north of Ramingining, and a number of new houses have been built in the community. I take this opportunity to commend the many local indigenous teachers at the Millingimbi School, who are amazing role models for the students. It is heartening also to see the success of the Arnhem Land Progress Association, or ALPA, that runs the store in Millingimbi. The store employs around 40 local people in the supermarket, bakery and takeaway shop. Manager, Eddie Guildow, has also encouraged the further employment and training of local staff – Michael Baiaday and Alfred Galanarawuy – in partnership with Coles Palmerston. Both these young men spent time working in the bakery in Coles Palmerston in an effort to improve their own skills and widen their experience. It is this kind of partnership which is a good example of what opportunities can be available for people on our communities to better understand the employment areas that interest them.
Other examples of partnerships in the Arnhem electorate exist at Wugularr store between the community store and the Fred Hollows Foundation. The success of the partnership there has created new opportunities for local employment, as well as improving the standard of healthy eating. The Fred Hollows Foundation, in conjunction with the Nyirranggulung- Mardrulk-Ngadberre Regional Council, is preparing to do the same at Manyallaluk.
At Barunga, the sports and recreation officer, Paul Amarant, has coordinated an exchange program for a group of young men from the community to live in Melbourne and learn about ‘city life’ through the fun of football. Thanks to the support of the Geelong Football Club, this exchange is going well, with many others in the community hoping for an opportunity next year. I know my predecessor, John Ah Kit, the former member for Arnhem, was very much behind the Western Bulldogs, but I reckon Geelong might be itching to get its way into the Northern Territory as well after that.
It is quite clear from these examples - be it sporting, educational or employment - that such partnerships should be encouraged where possible in all of the Northern Territory’s remote regions. Not only does it provide a valuable lesson for locals about the wider world, it is just as valuable a lesson for those who do not know anything about the Northern Territory.
In Ramingining, work is almost complete on the long awaited sealed airstrip which is a vital necessity especially in the Wet Season. The road to Ramingining’s barge landing is also to be upgraded. A serious problem in Ramingining is how to deal with the dogs in the community. There is a successful program dealing with the concerns about the dogs there, and the program’s coordinator, Ann Celan, hopes to start it in other communities.
The Ramingining Council is in desperate need of a new building. Plans are under way to build a transaction centre, much like the multipurpose building in Wadeye. It is perhaps the most pressing requirement in the community, as pointed out to me by council chairman, Richard Bandilil. The council has long-term visions of an improved road access to Katherine, via the Arnhem Highway. It is seen as another way of receiving fresh foods and vegetables more regularly into the region, than via the barge which arrives in the community only once a week. It is an ambitious plan, but not impossible.
Driving in the southern part of the electorate along the Roper Highway enabled me to see first-hand the state of the roads and river crossings. The Rose River, or Policeman’s Crossing, near Numbulwar, is one crossing the Labor government will look at closely. In addition, funds have already been allocated as follows: $500 000 has been set aside for works on the road between Ngukurr and Numbulwar; $1.5m will also go into building the bridge over the Wilton River near Ngukurr; at Bulman, $140 000 will go into the grading of the road between Bulman and Wugularr. Work to come in the next term includes $35 000 for the Bulman oval upgrade; $500 000 for Ngukurr oval upgrade; and $3.8m for Alyangula housing.
The improvement and maintenance of roads is especially important to the many cattle stations in the Arnhem electorate, such as Mountain Valley, Flying Fox Creek and Mainorou Stations, as well as the stations along the Roper Highway. The cattle industry injects $250m to $300m at point of sale to the Northern Territory economy, and demand for the Territory’s live cattle exports is on the increase, particularly to our northern neighbours.
The opportunity for employment in roads maintenance is something the Nyirranggulung-Mardrulk-Ngadberre Regional Council is seriously exploring, under the presidency of Veronica Birrell and CEO, Michael Berto. The Nyirranggulung-Mardrulk-Ngadberre Regional Council is still in its infancy as a regional authority, but it is already making headway in its relationship with communities in its region and the Katherine Town Council.
In each of the communities in the southern part of the Arnhem electorate, one noticeable improvement is in the health service delivery under Sunrise Health. Sunrise Health is also still in its infancy, and is completely Aboriginal controlled and operates across the region from Bulman to Manyallaluk to Minyerri and Ngukurr.
Women’s centres play a large part in many of the communities across the Arnhem electorate, yet there are still some without them, like Numbulwar. The centres are not just for women and children to gather, but are also places where meals are cooked for the sick and elderly. At Minyerri, three meals a day are cooked and taken to the elderly on four-wheeler quad bikes ridden by the women. The bikes cut down on vehicle costs and are much more convenient to use in the small community.
At Umbakumba, Ngukurr and Bulman, the women’s centres are also very strong. The women’s group is so strong at Umbakumba on Groote Eylandt that it is the women who decide how much alcohol can be brought into the community on certain Fridays. The reason this is so extraordinary is because Umbakumba, like most other communities in the electorate, is a dry community. However, each community on Groote Eylandt recognises they have individual approaches to dealing with alcohol, especially when the township of Alyangula is just over half-an-hour’s drive away and is considered a wet area. For Angurugu there is a complete ban on grog in the community as it is only a 10-minute drive away from Alyangula.
From 1 July, a new permit law will be in place at Alyangula. Communities on Groote Eylandt have agreed that a permit system is the way to go to ensure responsible drinking on Groote Eylandt. Following community consultations, a liquor management plan has been prepared and sent to the Liquor Commission in Darwin. The commission conducted a hearing based on the plan and, from this Friday, a system of liquor permits will be introduced to control the availability of takeaway liquor on Groote Eylandt.
The Liquor Commission decided that:
- (1) there is no change to the existing arrangements concerning Alyangula’s two licensed clubs, except
concerning takeaway liquor;
- (2) the current Groote Eylandt restricted areas will be retained, but the two existing unrestricted areas of
Alyangula and Umbakumba will be revoked;
- (3) a liquor permit will be required for persons to be able to obtain takeaway liquor from Alyangula’s licensed
premises from 1 July this year;
- (4) takeaway liquor sales may be suspended to all persons at times of community disruption; and
- (5) the Umbakumba beer ration will continue under clarified conditions.
The basis of the liquor permit system is so that people who can be responsible with takeaway liquor should be able to enjoy it. A local permit assessment committee will make recommendations to the Liquor Commission as to who should be given a liquor permit. Liquor permits will be revoked on the advice of the local liquor permit committee should permit holders be involved in unacceptable liquor-related behaviour such as domestic violence and illegal use of motor vehicles. A permit assessment committee will consider applications for permits to enable access to takeaway liquor.
On the mining front, GEMCO is experiencing major growth as demands on the mine increase. This, in turn, affects employment and housing accommodation in Alyangula. Twenty new houses are being built to accommodate government workers who are currently in houses belonging to GEMCO. The increase in revenue has a natural flow-on effect for the Anindilyakwa Land Council. There are plans under way by the land council to construct a new tourist resort in the town of Alyangula.
Such insight into the lives of so many in such a short time really has been quite extraordinary. Their generosity of spirit to teach and guide me as I travelled through the Arnhem electorate these past two months has only confirmed for me that this is, indeed, the path I wish to travel as the new Labor member for Arnhem.
I take this opportunity now to say thank you to people in the Arnhem electorate who assisted me throughout the election campaign: Bob Baker, Purnell Badatji and Joe Wulwul at Millingimbi; Kevin Hippisley and Vicky Toohey at Raminginning; Pauline Higgins, Grant Burgoyne, Nancy Lalara and Cara Burgoyne, Evette Nunggumajbarr at Groote Eylandt; Helen Numamurdirdi at Milyakburra; Elaine Mamarika, Dad Henry Joolemah, Earnest Numamurdirdi at Numbulwar; Joyce Dirdi, Betty Pilgrim, Keith Rogers, Ronnie Lansen at Ngukurr; Tim Camfoo at Barunga; and Jacob Riley and Roderick Charlie at Minyerri. A special thank you to Ross Mandi and John Morgan who travelled with me during the election campaign. In Darwin, a sincere thank you to Vicky Nangala Tippett who coordinated my major fundraising event at the Darwin Ski Club; to Shelley Morris and George Rrurrumbu for your beautiful performances on the evening for our guests, and to Theresa Roe and Camille Damaso.
Indeed, a special thank you to the former member for Arnhem, John Ah Kit, for his patient sharing of knowledge about life in politics, and for his great cooking during the election campaign. Extra thanks to Phil Powling, my electorate officer, and Jeanie Govan. Both of you looked after me on the road in ways I will never forget. Thanks to Chips Mackinolty and Jamie Gallacher for your encouragement and sense of absolute calm in the midst of chaos.
Thank you to the Weldon family who are here today representing their people, the Wiradjuri people from New South Wales, for flying in late last night to be here for this special moment. The years spent in my youth and early journalism days in New South Wales, and working with the Koori people there opened my eyes to how we should value our culture here in the Northern Territory. I say to you Auntie Ann, George, and Yvonne in this parliament today that the survival and endurance of the Aboriginal people of Sydney, indeed the Eora people of Botany Bay, has a far-reaching legacy of determination and sense of purpose to all Aboriginal Australians. Your people’s endurance has been embraced in my heart, and for that I say thank you.
I say thank you to the Yanyuwa and Garrawa people of Borroloola who also share the significance of this occasion with me today and, in particular, the Ngarrdiji dancers who embraced me in the Main Hall.
Most especially, I would like to thank my family, in particular my husband, Norm, for his continued support over this amazing time in our lives; to our sons, CJ and Grayson, thank you for helping me keep it all real; to my brother, Patrick, for guidance and support during the campaign; to my sister, Selina; and finally my mum and dad who have been my guides throughout my life. I am the daughter of a Yanyuwa/Garrawa woman and a non-Aboriginal man and their own struggles as my parents in the early days of the Northern Territory’s history spoke volumes in my childhood about the attitudes in black and white relations, about the ability of my father, as a single parent, to stand by me despite the prejudices of the time in growing up as an indigenous child. All of these things have helped to shape my life and help me find some sense of balance.
To the people of the Arnhem electorate, thank you sincerely for your overwhelming vote of confidence in asking me to be here to represent you. I look forward to serving you to the best of my ability.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr NATT (Drysdale): Madam Speaker, I firstly acknowledge that I stand on Larrakia land and thank the Larrakia people for the hospitality they have shown me and my family since we arrived here in March 2000.
I congratulate you on your election as Speaker, and wish you all the best in the position. I am sure you will treat us with fairness, but firmness.
Today reinforces to me what a remarkable democracy we have in this nation. Irrespective of background or means, anyone in our country can aspire to enter parliament. That said, as a young boy growing up in Port Adelaide, I never imagined that one day I would be delivering a speech in a parliamentary Chamber, least of all the Legislative Assembly in the Northern Territory. My world then centred on family, school and football, and our horizons did not extend much beyond Adelaide’s western suburbs.
In 1969, when I walked through the gates of General Motors Holden plant on Port Road at Woodville as a tall skinny kid about to commence a fitting and turning apprenticeship, little did I realise that my life would take me so far beyond the back streets of the old Port Adelaide suburbs. I am sure that the wily old shop stewards who inculcated me with Labor values as I learnt my trade would not have expected that some 30-odd years later I would be carrying on their tradition with the new apprentices on that same factory floor. How life changes! But just as 36 years ago I walked through those GMH gates with excitement and motivation, and more than a twinge of trepidation and uncertainty, so today I stand in this magnificent building ready to launch into a new chapter of life. Although I had grown up in a strong Labor family and community environment, it was the 10 years I spent at GMH that instilled within me a commitment to trade unionism and the importance of looking after workers; those who are the backbone of our country and who are so often exploited.
My parents, Merv and Nora, provided a loving and stable family environment and continue to be devoted to their children and their wider families. Moreover, they were strongly committed to looking out for their neighbours and friends, and other people in need within our immediate community. Those values remain within me. We were a working class family and proud of it, but we were also aware of people in our community who were not working, who were disenfranchised, disempowered, disadvantaged and disaffected.
However, in the Port Adelaide community, like so many other working harbour communities throughout the world, people looked out for each other. Under the rough and tumble of daily life, there was a decent heart and soul in the community that looked after its own. Port Adelaide people are very loyal and fiercely proud of their heritage and community. They have a ‘never say die’ attitude and will fight for what is right. I hope that those who know me recognise that as an important part of my character.
Of course, there can be no doubt that there is another important part of community life in Port Adelaide that provided me with enormous opportunities in life – Australian Rules Football. I began playing junior football with Port Adelaide whilst completing my apprenticeship with GMH. I progressed into the league side and went on to play 216 league games through one of Port Adelaide’s most successful eras in the South Australian competition. Whilst I experienced the ultimate joy of grand final victories, unfortunately, I missed playing in one successful grand final after being reported and suspended for very foolish behaviour. However, Madam Speaker, I assure you that I will do my best not to incur your wrath and earn a suspension while serving in this Chamber.
Madam SPEAKER: Good luck!
Mr NATT: Life after my playing days gave me the chance to coach in the country, and that was when I developed a real understanding of placing the team above individual interests, as well as the importance of developing and mentoring young people. Ultimately, I became involved in the development and operations management of the South Australian National Football League, and that eventually led me to arriving in Darwin to manage the AFLNT. How that further shaped my life I will refer to later.
I believe that, thus far, in the words of Albert Facey, ‘I have had a fortunate life’. The values instilled into me by family and community, and the opportunities I have had through a football club with strong values of loyalty and pride, have made me who I am. Granted, some may dismiss football as just a sport but, particularly when you are playing for high stakes, having to rely on others and knowing that others rely on you, is an important character builder, as is understanding the importance of providing support for a mate.
Therefore, for me, the decision to seek preselection for the seat of Drysdale was a natural culmination of a lifelong commitment of Labor values: fairness, equity, opportunity, and above all, playing for the team and the greater good.
After looking closely at the make-up of the seat of Drysdale, I had no doubt that, by offering a fresh, positive alternative, I would be able to galvanise support for Clare Martin’s Labor team. Of the urban seats of Darwin and Palmerston, Drysdale has the largest land area and certainly has the most dispersed population and diverse range of activities. It is going to be a challenging electorate to service, but I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve much of the broad range of interests.
Without listing each and every aspect of Drysdale, a thumbnail sketch of some of the major elements of the electorate illustrates its rich tapestry: at one end of the electorate, the rapidly growing housing and marina developments of Bayview and Woolner; the broad sweep of much of Darwin’s light industrial, manufacturing and business community; small horticultural holdings; a university campus; the East Arm Port development and railway station; the Darwin Prison and the Don Dale Centre; the showgrounds; Hidden Valley Motor Sports Complex; Charles Darwin National Park; CSIRO; Primary Industry and Fisheries research facilities; the Berrimah Defence establishment at Coonawarra; a variety of schools and sporting clubs and facilities; a major shopping, commercial and community hub; and a significant level of Defence housing included in the continual growth of the residential development of Durack and beyond. I am genuinely excited about what lies ahead over the coming years as I spend more time in those various sectors.
Of course, the core of the electorate is the people. Over the last few weeks, I have met many people throughout the electorate, and I will be meeting them and talking with them again and again. I have met them on their doorsteps, at the markets, in shopping centres, and on streets. Obviously, it was a tough task for us, but I am pleased that the people of Palmerston through to Bayview recognised the combined efforts of my colleague, the member for Brennan, James Burke, our candidate in Blain, Brendan Cabry, and me. We have achieved the support and trust of the people this time, and we are determined to earn it again next time. There were many issues raised with me, and I undertake to fight the good fight to deliver results for Drysdale. Whether it is the improvement of services to developing the areas such as Bayview and Woolner, or increased support to the many Defence families who relocate to suburbs such as Durack, I will be fighting for them.
In that context, I was very pleased that one of our commitments going into the election was the establishment of a dedicated Defence Liaison Officer with the Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development, to coordinate services for Defence families across government. I also know that not only Defence families, but all families across the Drysdale electorate, will welcome the back-to-school payment to be introduced from the beginning of next year. It is going to provide valuable assistance at a time when families face additional post-Christmas and holiday bills to help them get their children off to a good start for the year.
Of fundamental importance to all Territorians is sustainable economic development and jobs. In that respect, the electorate of Drysdale has a critical role to play. There is an enormous amount of economic activity taking place throughout the electorate on a daily basis. This includes the industrial and business activity in Woolner, Berrimah and Winnellie; the goods moving through the East Arm Port; and the freight and passengers moving across the railway. I will always be ready to listen to, and assist where possible, all those businesses that are active throughout the electorate of Drysdale because their continued success means jobs, not just for my constituents, but for all Territorians.
Obviously, my first priority is to serve the people of Drysdale. They deserve, and no doubt will demand, first-class representation and servicing of the electorate’s needs. I feel truly privileged that they have shown much faith in me, and I pledge not to let them down. However, the parliament, through the executive, is also here to govern for all Territorians, to continue to move the Territory ahead and ensure that jobs, opportunities and the unique Territory lifestyle are protected and enhanced.
The Territory is a great place to live and raise families. That is why we live here. I will be dedicating myself to make it even better. I will always endeavour to serve the best interests of the people of Drysdale and, as a member of parliament, I believe that I also have a responsibility to do what is best for the Territory. Over the coming months I will be concentrating on listening and learning, but I hope that over time I can make a wider contribution through the forums of parliament to issues in which I have a particular interest. I believe passionately that the most important thing we can do as a community is to provide young people with a decent start in life. We need to give them the education and life skills that will ensure that they have a solid foundation for building a future.
Over the past four years, the Martin Labor government has made major advances in education, but there is no doubt there is more to do. I am not only talking about urban areas of Darwin and Palmerston, but throughout the Territory. Until we can be sure that every child in the Territory has access to a decent start in life, there will be more to do.
During my tenure as the General Manager of the AFLNT, I was privileged to be involved in a number of exciting projects, but none filled me more with hope than the AFL Kickstart program. The success of this program on communities throughout the Territory goes beyond football. It is about getting children involved in healthy activities, encouraging them to attend school, and diverting them from self-destructive behaviours. It really is just commonsense and has equal application whether we are talking about young people in remote communities or urban centres.
As I have previously mentioned, the Don Dale Centre is in the Drysdale electorate, and I will cherish the day when we no longer have a need for it because we have found a way of diverting these young people away from the justice system, engaging them in an education, healthy recreation and community activities. In some respects for me, that is the light on the hill.
The AFL Kickstart program was but one of the many positive and uplifting experiences I had working with football throughout the Territory. In my work, I travelled to many towns and communities and met many wonderful and committed individuals. I felt welcome wherever I went, and was quickly convinced that the sights, lifestyle, personalities, and the people of our Territory make this the best place in Australia to live. The response I have had from the people over the last three months has further convinced me that we have found the best place to call home.
Madam Speaker, from the time of the announcement of my preselection, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity, dedication and enthusiasm of the support that I have received from family, friends and former colleagues, and people I did not know. I also had tireless support of members of the Palmerston Branch of the ALP. I give a commitment to the stalwarts of that branch who have battled steadily over many years that I - and I am sure my colleague, the member for Brennan, James Burke - will be working hard over the coming months and years to support and nurture the branch, providing a vibrant forum and opportunity for people to participate in the political processes and ensuring more success for the Australian Labor Party in Palmerston in the future.
Although I am sure I will miss someone out, I would like to make special reference to a number of people who helped me, specifically in the seat of Drysdale. My wife, Jetta, and I have made many dear friends during our time in the Territory. John and Linda Deans and Des and Lu Friedrich have been enormously supportive, both before and during the campaign. Linda and Lu have been great support to my wife, Jetta; many thanks to them for being behind us. Brian and Glenda Mathers deserve special mention for their unstinting battles with the hills at Bayview while they were letterboxing for me.
As all members know, there is not just the terrain of places like Bayview that challenge even the most enthusiastic letterboxers, but I am pleased to report that my team managed to survive dog attacks and the occasional interchange with grumpy householders. In fact, by the end of the campaign, one of my helpers had become quite adept at what might be regarded as parliamentary banter. When it was suggested to her, in rather coarse language, that she should nick off and get a real job, she responded with a suggestion that the householder should buy a dog to do the barking next time. I may leave it for a few months before I try doorknocking that address!
Rod and Anita Fowler, and Bob and Bev Hale were on the phone the day my preselection was announced offering to help in any way they could. Morgan Moss was someone I did not know. He and his partner had just arrived from Adelaide, and he contacted me with an offer to assist with anything he could do. I thank him for his help and welcome him to the Top End and the Palmerston Branch of the ALP. Steve Davis did a great job whenever called upon, as did Michael Barfoot.
Numerous people assisted at polling booths on the day. They know who they are, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. We would not have got it done without you: Ben, Maree, Trish, Maurice, Lorraine, David, Fammy, Russell, Geoff, Di, Merv, Simon, Auntie Cathy, Chris, Michelle, Nick, Maria, and so many others who lent a hand, thank you so very much.
For those who were prepared to endorse me - Damien, Graeme, Anita, Jo, David and Alan - I appreciate your willingness to take a public stand in favour of my candidacy. I want to make special mention of our very dear friend, Jenny Elliott. Not only has she been a great personal support for Jetta and I, but she has also been a dedicated worker for the campaign, always ready to assist with any task. Nothing was too much trouble. I would like to make special thanks to Mark and Trish Crossin and their family for their friendship and guidance since we arrived in Darwin.
I have already mentioned my parents and their role in nurturing me, supporting me and providing such a great example. I wish they could be here today, together with our much loved son, Travis. As you would know, behind every good person is a great life partner. My wife, Jetta, has been a most understanding and tolerant individual, not only over the past three months of campaigning, but throughout our 21 years of marriage. We have been through some challenging circumstances over the past few years, and her determination and positive attitude has always guided us through. I thank her dearly for being my closest friend, as well as a loving wife and mother. My son, Travis, and I love her very dearly. I would not be standing here today if it was not for her constant love and support.
Today is a day my family and I will cherish for life. I stand here before you humbled and privileged by the support I have received from so many people. I pledge my total commitment to working for the betterment of the people of Drysdale and the Territory.
Members: Hear, hear!
_______________________
Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the gallery of the family and friends of the member for Drysdale.
I further draw your attention to the former member for Leanyer and minister in the CLP government, Hon Fred Finch, and also to the former member for Nightcliff, Ms Dawn Lawrie.
On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
_____________________
Ms SACILOTTO (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, it is with great pride, awe and humbleness that I stand before you as the member for Port Darwin. As a long-term Territorian, my personal roots are strongly embedded in the area of Port Darwin. I spent considerable time living in the area, and also attended Stuart Park Primary School.
I first arrived in Darwin when I was nine years old. My father was employed as a tower crane driver for the construction of the now old TIO Building in Smith Street. We loved the lifestyle so much that, at our earliest opportunity, my family moved permanently to Darwin. I have now been a continuous resident of the Northern Territory for the past 18 years. I have enjoyed my time throughout my own personal development from child to teenager, employee to business owner, and the Northern Territory has given me opportunities which I have pursued and which probably would not have been available in any other state or territory. I have been employed in the real estate industry for the past 10 years, including two years in Alice Springs, which I enjoyed thoroughly, and this also gave me an insight into another area of this terrific Territory of ours.
I feel that the real estate industry has taught me very important skills which will be valuable in my position as member for Port Darwin. Real estate is very similar to politics; at the end of the day it is all about people and serving the community. I have a nine-year-old son, Luca, and I cannot think of a better place than Darwin for him to grow up. Luca is a clever young man who has given me great support during the campaign and recent election. He is my strength and a great representative of our future. I know one day his contribution to the Territory in whatever field he chooses will be valuable.
The decision to enter into the foray of small business was not taken lightly. I saw an opportunity and grasped it with both hands, and when the opportunity presented itself to run for the seat of Port Darwin, I also accepted this new challenge enthusiastically. It is a particular honour, and with great pride that I accept the vote of confidence from the people of Port Darwin who elected me as part of Clare Martin’s Labor team to the seat of Port Darwin, a seat that has never been held by a Labor Party representative.
Port Darwin is a unique and diverse electorate. It contains some of the oldest residential areas of Darwin and some of the newest. Suburbs such as Larrakeyah and Stuart Park are as old as Darwin, and are home to some of our best heritage buildings. Conversely, Port Darwin has also been the base of the recent building boom which we have seen in Darwin. Even in the four short years since the Martin government was elected, the skyline of the city has changed. The increase in the number of apartment complexes within Port Darwin has been amazing.
Port Darwin residents also make up a lovely cross-section of the community. The electorate of Port Darwin sees a diverse socioeconomic residency. We have some of Darwin’s original families. We also have a cross-section of ages and ethnic backgrounds. Many of the newer members of our community are located in the newly developed residential complexes and they contribute to our exciting city culture. We have a broad multicultural base and a strong representation from the seniors’ community, which is made up of accomplished and proud seniors, the people who have built the Territory to what it is today. We must never forget that to have a future, there was, and has been, a proud past in which the seniors community has been proud contributors.
Port Darwin also includes the Larrakeyah Defence Base, and I look forward to working with everyone involved in the base. The Defence Force is currently negotiating with various local real estate agents with regards to the redeployment of the Tiger Helicopter personnel and their families to Darwin. This will be taking place in December and will add to the unique flavour of the kaleidoscope of demographics in my electorate, as I understand that the preferred rental accommodation is in the Port Darwin area. Overall, we cannot underestimate the economic benefits which Defence plays in the socioeconomic environment of the Northern Territory.
As a democratically-elected member, I will provide a strong, honest and consistent voice for all of the people of Port Darwin. As mentioned earlier, this voice will represent every member of Port Darwin without prejudice, fear or favour. I particularly enjoyed doorknocking the electorate in the weeks leading up to the election. It was fabulous to meet the people of Port Darwin. They were polite, inviting and encouraging, even when they did not agree with my politics. A sense of humour also helped, especially when some doors were closed prematurely when I was still at the doorstep. However, this was a rare occurrence, and my people and negotiation skills were often tested.
One of the first people I met was Gwen Wilkinson. I buzzed her intercom and she invited me straight up to her apartment, where I enjoyed talking for some time to Gwen and her brother who was visiting from down south. It was a lovely introduction to doorknocking. Gwen invited me to attend the Darwin Senior Citizens Association monthly meeting at Spillett House. What an absolute pleasure! I am privileged to have met many of the members including the association president, Mr Brian Hillier, treasurer, Ms Kit Holtham, and secretary, Mr John Whyte.
I will continue to doorknock, as this face-to-face contact is an essential ingredient to hear first-hand the issues and concerns of all residents. It is also something I enjoyed immensely.
Port Darwin is the business hub of Darwin, and I look forward to working with the business community in the electorate. Approximately two-thirds of all businesses in the Territory are small to medium and employ around two-thirds of our working population. I strongly believe that the Martin Labor government is backing Territory business with less tax, local jobs and better skills.
As a small business owner, I understand the pressures and the needs of small business. For the last three-and-a-half years, I have been running Professionals Darwin, a real estate agency, specialising in, but not limited to, property management. I was also elected to the position of Vice-President of the Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory. This has also given me an insight into franchise, overall small business and development issues. I have enjoyed building my business to what it is today; a profitable business that now employs four full-time Territorians. My team includes two fantastic and dedicated Territorians, Penny Shearer and Jade Roebuck who are engaged in apprenticeships. I have been assisted as an employer by the government apprenticeship incentives, and urge any business, small or large, to take advantage of the incentives. Our youth are the most valuable, untapped resource, so let us support them and give them a chance.
Another incentive to keep our young people in the Territory and, indeed, to encourage and increase our population base, is the stamp duty incentives promised during the election. I am happy to say these have already been implemented. When you marry this with the innovative HomeNorth scheme, the increases in stamp duty concessions for first home buyers and the increase of the cap to $260 000, this all bodes well for Territorians to increase their wealth creation. It is proven that home ownership is a major wealth creator for home owners. It also provides social wellbeing and security for families, especially when retirement beckons. It also assists in reducing the burden on governments to provide public housing for the economically burdened people in our society.
I see myself as an advocate for small business within the Martin government. Small business is the lifeblood of the Territory. From outside government, I observed the first term of the Martin government and the work they did towards helping small business. The burden of taxation affects small business and, during the first term, the government’s reform of small business taxation has meant that the Territory is now the lowest taxing jurisdiction for small business in Australia, and also the third most affordable for stamp duty. I look forward to working with the government as we implement further tax reforms, particularly payroll tax.
The skills shortage is another problem facing business, big and small. A record 10 000 Territorians will be trained over the next four years. We have exciting days ahead in the Port Darwin electorate, as Port Darwin is the home of the waterfront development. The waterfront will be great for both businesses and residents of Port Darwin. It will encompass a convention centre, wave pool, residential and commercial development, and around 40% open public space. It is as much a local community facility as it will be an international standard destination for business. What a fantastic and exciting development on the doorstep of Port Darwin and a great opportunity for all Territorians.
This great new project will provide approximately 1000 jobs during the construction phase, with around 85% of them going to locals. It will add a new dimension to Darwin’s tourism industry, which is based in Port Darwin. Tourism expenditure is expected to increase by $190m. By year four, the convention centre alone is expected to create around 160 additional tourism jobs. The feedback I have received on the waterfront from Port Darwin residents is overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
As member for Port Darwin, I will work hard to keep the electorate up-to-date on progress and developments at the waterfront during construction. As the development progresses I will also make sure that I take to the government, and the consortium, any concerns residents may have. I look forward to working with residents and the consortium to ensure that disruptions during construction are kept to a minimum.
I will also work to ensure that the waterfront project links with the Darwin CBD. The Avenue of Honour which will connect the waterfront to the CBD looks exciting, and it is important that the waterfront complements business in the CBD.
I look forward to meeting with the principals, staff, parents and students of the schools in my electorate, and will enjoy working with school councils and parent associations. The schools within Port Darwin are Larrakeyah Primary School, Stuart Park Primary School and St Mary’s Primary School.
I pay tribute to the many hardworking men and women who have contributed to my election as member for Port Darwin. I pay special tribute to the Labor candidates who have previously run for the seat of Port Darwin from Jim Gallacher in 1974 through to Chris Bond in 2001.
Jack Haritos was a former candidate in 1980 and only missed the seat by about 40 votes. It was a close result, and I was glad to be on the other side of a close result 25 years later. Jack is such a great man and Labor supporter. He is a long-term resident of the area and a tireless supporter of the Labor Party. Jack and Helene have welcomed me with friendship and supported me with hard work during my campaign.
A massive thank you to our political future, the members of Young Labor, who provided me with practical advice, enthusiasm and robust physical effort. I would like to mention special thanks to Omar, Derryn, Chris, Dan, Ryan, Erin and Noel, and I know there are many more that I cannot mention today. I also appreciate the assistance of the members of our local Labor Party branch, the Dick Ward Branch, and especially the support from Patty Ring.
To my friends and family, I would like to make special and individual thanks. My son, Luca, has endured my late nights, tiredness and grumpy days, and he still loves me, which is an absolute privilege. To my mother, Sandra May, and father, Denis Jordan, who have taught me the strongest work and moral ethics. Their strong work ethic has shaped every aspect of my life. An unexpected visit from my Dad at Larrakeyah booth on polling day kept me going through a tiring and emotional day. A simple statement of: ‘I am very proud of you’, brought tears to my eyes.
Also thanks to my two special friends, Sue Shearer, who is here today, and Sue Smith, and also my stepmother-in-law, Ms Mescal Yates, who have been a tower of strength and enthusiasm, believing in me even when I did not feel confident in my own ability. All these people have been there through the highs and lows, and their unwavering support and encouragement is greatly appreciated.
Special thanks should be offered to both the Italian and Greek communities, many of whom are the originally settled families of the Port Darwin area, and an integral part of the foundations on which Darwin was built.
My father-in-law, Mr Vittorio Sacilotto, came to Darwin over 38 years ago as a part of the skilled labour migration call from Europe to Australia. He is a perfect example of the hardworking people of many cultures who have built Darwin to the place it is today, and a strong example to the generations to come.
I pledge to continue meeting the people of Port Darwin through doorknocking and involvement in community events, and I will make sure that I am accessible to every member of the Port Darwin community. I am humbled and proud to accept the trust they have given me, and I will not fail them. I will be your strong voice in government, Port Darwin.
Members: Hear, hear!
Debate adjourned.
MOTION
Sessional Orders – Times of Meeting of the Assembly, Ministerial Reports, Programming of Questions,
Routine of Business and Speech Time Limits
Sessional Orders – Times of Meeting of the Assembly, Ministerial Reports, Programming of Questions,
Routine of Business and Speech Time Limits
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move the motions as circulated to members for times of meeting of the Assembly, ministerial reports, programming of questions, routine of business, and speech time limits.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Sessional Orders - Broadcasting and Re-Broadcasting of Assembly Proceedings
Sessional Orders - Broadcasting and Re-Broadcasting of Assembly Proceedings
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly adopt the motion relating to establishing a sessional order for broadcasting and rebroadcasting of Assembly proceedings as circulated to members.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Public Accounts Committee – Appointment of Membership
Public Accounts Committee – Appointment of Membership
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that, notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders, the following members be appointed to the Standing Committee of Public Accounts: Mr Kiely, Mr Bonson, Ms Lawrie, Dr Lim, Mr Mills and Mr Wood.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Estimates Committee and Government Owned Corporations Scrutiny Committee – Terms of Reference
Estimates Committee and Government Owned Corporations Scrutiny Committee – Terms of Reference
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move, notice of which was given earlier this day, that the Assembly adopt the Terms of Reference for an Estimates Committee and Government Owned Corporations Scrutiny Committee as circulated to members.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Routine of Business – Thursday, 7 July 2005.
Routine of Business – Thursday, 7 July 2005.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move, pursuant to notice given earlier this day, that the Routine of Business for Thursday, 7 July 2005, be as follows: Prayers; Petitions; giving of Notices; Government Business, Notices and Orders of the Day; Report of the Estimates Committee consideration of the Appropriation Bill (No 2) 2005-06 (Serial 2); and Government Owned Corporations Scrutiny Committee.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee - Appointment of Membership
Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee - Appointment of Membership
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that, notwithstanding anything contained in standing orders, the following members be appointed to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Mr McAdam, Mr Bonson, Mr Kiely, Mr Mills, Mrs Miller and Mrs Braham, and that the committee shall elect a government member as chairman.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee - Terms of Reference
Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee - Terms of Reference
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that –
- The Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs shall:
- 1. Inquire, consider, make recommendations and report to the Assembly from time to time on:
- a) any matter concerned with legal or constitutional issues, including law reform,
parliamentary reform, administrative law, legislative review and intergovernmental
relations;
b) the legal or constitutional relationship between the Northern Territory and
Commonwealth;
c) any proposed changes to that legal or constitutional relationship, including the
admission of the Northern Territory as a new state of the Commonwealth;
d) any proposed changes to the Commonwealth Constitution that may affect the
Northern Territory and/or its residents; or
e) with the approval of the Attorney-General, any other matter concerning the relationship
between the Northern Territory and the Commonwealth and/or the states in the
Australian federation.
2. The committee may meet with any other state or Commonwealth parliamentary committees to inquire into
matters of mutual concern.
3. The Northern Territory Statehood Steering Committee continues in existence with the same membership and
terms of reference adopted by the Ninth Assembly on 17 August 2004, and as amended on 24 March 2005.
4. Resolutions or business transacted by the previous Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee are taken to be
the resolutions of this committee unless otherwise amended.
5. The committee shall report to the Assembly as soon as possible after 30 June each year on its activities during
the preceding financial year.
Motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Speaker, it is with delight that I stand here in the Tenth Legislative Assembly and acknowledge the fine maiden speeches made by my colleagues, the new members of the Assembly. It is very heartening to have come through the Ninth Legislative Assembly with a one seat majority, and be in here and hear the terrific contributions today from members of the Assembly, and the diversity our Chamber enjoys, and the strength of commitment people have made to, not only their electorate, but also working hard for all Territorians throughout the Northern Territory.
I am both delighted and honoured to be re-elected as the member for Karama, to represent the very diverse northern suburbs of Karama and Malak. I am excited at the prospect of being able to continue to strengthen our economy in another Martin Labor government, and provide more jobs, improving the prosperity of Territorians and their familles and providing for our aspirational youth. There is no doubt that we have done much in our first term of government to improve education, health, community safety and harmony, and infrastructure. However, there is so much more to do and there is a commitment from the government to work hard to continue to improve the life of Territorians.
Locally, I am very excited about the prospect of a $200 000 upgrade for the beautification of the Karama Shopping Centre and the provision of a family hub, a one-stop shop to support families in Karama, which will also support families throughout the northern suburbs and, indeed, Palmerston and the rural area due to bus routes. It will be exciting to see the creation of the waterfront; what a fantastic opportunity for our tourism sector and, broadly, for our community. It will be a beautiful enhancement of our lovely city of Darwin. I know the youth of my suburbs are very much looking forward to the wave pool and even some of us older ones might chance our luck on the wave.
Also exciting is Leanyer Recreation Park Stage 2 - a $5m commitment to upgrade that facility, which is already incredibly popular with the families of Darwin, Palmerston and the rural area. It will be very exciting to work with the community to enhance Leanyer even further.
Commitments I made during the election campaign went so far as to include small playgrounds in local parks and the lighting of laneways. Everywhere I went and spoke to local residents about how we could enhance their local park or their nearby laneway, they were extremely delighted with the commitment that the government provided. I thank my colleagues who worked hard in preparation of the government’s commitments to include those important aspects, not only of community safety but community enjoyment and fun.
The schools in my electorate will be benefiting greatly from a second Labor Martin government. Malak Primary School will get shade for the basketball courts and an enormous $1.2m to enclose and aircondition the assembly area; something that school has been striving for for 10 years. When I announced that at school assembly during the election campaign, there was spontaneous applause and cheers from all the kids, and a couple of teachers shed a tear. It takes those humbling experiences to realise that you are delivering people’s hopes and dreams through the hard work of government.
Karama Primary School is benefiting with an all-weather all-purpose drop-off zone, and also shade for the school basketball courts. O’Loughlin Catholic College is going to get some very much needed Year 9 classrooms. They will not have to rely on the dilapidated demountables they have currently. Manunda Terrace Primary School has nearly completed the construction of the shade over its basketball courts.
I take this opportunity to thank the principals of those schools - Russell Legg, Marg Fenbury, Richard Stewart and Ron Abbott and also the Holy Family School Principal, Marg Hughes. It has been my honour to work with them in the first term of government, and I pledge to work very hard with those principals to enhance our school communities further. A school community is only as strong as its school council, and we are very fortunate in my electorate to have fantastic school councils which get very good turn-ups at school council meetings, led by very worthy chairs at school council. I give my humble thanks to those chairs; they have been tremendous people to work with. In particular, I thank Barry Brown at Manunda Terrace, Kim Hill at Karama, and Chris Kelly at Malak Primary. I want to speak highly of Chris Kelly at Malak Primary. She has introduced a healthy eating program at that school and it has been quite incredible to see the enthusiasm of that school community in embracing the healthy eating program. I congratulate Chris for that work.
The community of Malak benefited during the first term of a Labor government with a $325 000 beautification of the Malak Shopping Centre, and it really was money well worth the effort. We have a magnificent looking shopping centre there now. The community is returning to that shopping centre in droves. While moving around and doorknocking throughout the last few months, people in Malak are delighted to see the work that has been done there, and we are very grateful for the effort of our government in rejuvenating that shopping centre.
I want to pay particular attention and acknowledge and thank quite a few people who helped me enormously during the campaign. Thanks first of all to my husband, Tim Pigot, who has worked very hard on the home front to take up the slack where, obviously, my efforts were based out in the community and I could not be home nearly as often as I would have liked to have been. I thank you very much for the enduring hard work you have done to raise our children while I have been busy campaigning. My daughters, Jhenne and Bronte, you are magnificent troopers. I am somewhat amazed at the gusto with which they embrace campaigns. They went out letterboxing for me and absolutely loved the experience. I had to tell them to cool off on the lobbying at school because there was no child left untouched when it came to lobbying votes. I had to ask them not to harass the parents so much. To my eight-month-old son Zac, I can only say that some day I hope to make up to you the past eight months when you really have not had your mother. I am sorry, but it has been work I have had to do. You know that I love you. I know the little man loves me because his face lights up whenever he sees me. I get tremendous kisses and hugs. I know too that he has had enormous love and support from his nanny, Myrna, and her daughter Aisa, who have been the most incredible source of strength and support to me through caring wonderfully for my baby son, Zac, and for my beautiful daughters, Jhenne and Bronte.
I want to thank my mother, Dawn Lawrie, who continues to be my inspiration. Dawn stood as the sole member of opposition in the Territory Legislative Assembly in 1974. I know she has thoroughly enjoyed seeing the election victory that Labor has been able to provide and deliver to our great party in this 2005 election.
One of my favourite tales was told to me on the campaign day. I was at the O’Loughlin College booth, the large booth in my electorate, so I had asked my mother to be at Manunda Terrace Primary School booth in the morning before she went off to do one of two weddings she had that day. One of my campaign workers went around to check on how the Manunda Terrace booth was going, and he came back and reported to me that he was rather concerned because when he turned up at the booth there was a very long line up of people heading out and down past the gate. He wondered what was going on, that there was some kind of blockage with people getting through to vote. He went up to the front of the line and the line stopped at Dawn. He reported that everyone was busy saying ‘hello’ to Dawn, and the polling officials were saying: ‘Come on, come on. Come through and vote’. But everyone would not vote until they had their chat with Dawn.
So I know, Mum, that you are extremely highly regarded by the good families out there. They acknowledge the work you have done for them. You have married many of them and you are going on to marry many of their children and do marriage vow renewals. You are very much a part of that community there. I know that much of the support I receive is through the years of hard work that you have provided to Territorians in your many roles, both as parliamentarian, but also as Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, and I thank you for that. You have been my rock through the difficulties that campaigning brings and, whenever I felt I needed someone to bolster me, I would turn to you. You are not only my mother, but you are definitely my best friend.
I thank my sister, Dianne, and my niece, Hannah, who would do anything for me and, indeed, did work in every place they could during the campaign and continue to do so. To my father, who attended numerous sausage sizzles before the election itself and also campaigned in the election for me, I promise, Dad, not to foist any more sausages on you - at least for another month or so. To my brother, John, and sister-in-law, Tania, you have been great sources of support to me as well. I know Tania was helping out at Parap for our Chief Minister.
A good local member, as I say, is only as good as their electorate officer. I am blessed to have a fantastic and outstanding electorate officer in Jessica Paolucci. Jessica returned to Darwin from Cairns where she had been living and working for a while. She is a Darwin lass originally, and I was fortunate enough to get her to work in my office. It was only as I took her to each school in the community that I discovered just how tailor-made she was to be my electorate officer. As we went to each school - and I have many schools in the community starting with Manunda Terrace - she said: ‘I used to go to school here’. I said: ‘Great, Jessica!’. She knew some of the teachers still and they recognised her. Then I took her around to Malak and she said: ‘Oh, I went to preschool here’. ‘Great, Jessica’, and some of the teachers there knew her and she felt right at home. We went to Holy Family School. She said: ‘Oh, I used to go to school here’. I said: ‘Fantastic, Jessica!’ And so it continued - Sanderson High School and Kormilda College.
That woman is an absolute asset. She grew up in the electorate and went to, as you have just heard, many schools in the electorate. Many of her family and friends are living in and around the area. She has settled in there with great aplomb and I am incredibly lucky to have her as my electorate officer. She is an absolute joy to work with; an extremely hardworking electorate officer.
I stir my campaign manager; I tell him I had the best campaign manager in the history of Australia. Greg Wills has to be one of the kindest, most gentle, unassuming and hardworking men I have ever met. He is a therapist by trade. He cares, during his normal working life, for children with disabilities. He took annual leave from work to work for two weeks solid on my campaign, and every day, he worked all day and all night on the campaign. He and Mark Wheeler formed a strong team. They would have breakfast on Vanderlin Drive each day with Esme, the stuffed Blue Heeler dog sitting on the truck, and they acquired somewhat of a following during the campaign with people honking their horns and waving. Indeed, some people are still asking after Esme the dog.
Monique Woodham-Easman, who came from Canberra to help, slotted into our team like a breeze. She is a delightful young woman and has many skills and talents. I am sure she will go far in the Labor Party. She had a Territory adventure; she drove through her first river crossing in a four-wheel drive, and we did our utmost to make Monique feel at home, as she deserved. She is extremely hardworking and I thank her for her efforts.
I had a terrific campaign team. Kevin and Rita Cluley will do anything and everything that is asked of them, and they have starred in many a campaign brochure and electorate newsletters. I am sure there are more to come. They are a retired couple who call Darwin home. They work tirelessly for Labor and have a huge commitment to social justice. It is my honour and pleasure to work for them and with them.
Chandra and Hemali Seneviratne, thank you. You are campaign stalwarts. This is probably your fourth or fifth Karama campaign and, each time, you seem to be able to get through more red and astound all of us at how well you function after a night of red wine.
Sandy Oldroyd has always been around and working hard, as have Chandra and Hemali. She is a tireless, hardworking Rotarian and, in between her Rotary efforts, she works for the Sanderson-Karama branch of the ALP and does so with really good cheer.
I want to thank some of the workers behind the scenes: Ryan, Gunner and Sonia. I know you worked enormous hours putting in an incredible effort for all the campaigns. These three are young professionals who have a bright future, and I look forward to working with them.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Karama, your time has expired.
Ms LAWRIE: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, I will continue tomorrow night.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Mr Deputy Speaker, tonight I thank all the supporters who worked with me during the campaign. I thank my many helpers who letterboxed the electorate tirelessly. They were probably doing a complete letterbox run every second or third day during the three weeks of the campaign, plus the many weeks before that.
There are too many to name, and I shall not name them here, but I will be inviting them to a celebration after the sittings when we can sit back and relax a little, and savour the victory we had in Greatorex and Alice Springs.
It was a bittersweet election result for Alice Springs. Whilst the Alice Springs vote increased for the Country Liberal Party, overall, the CLP lost decisively across the Territory. There will be many reviews of the process, and I will leave other people to do that.
I thank my family, in particular my all-enduring and faithful spouse, Sharon, who letterboxed with me. Every day I was out letterboxing, she was either doing the same section of the electorate or in another part of the electorate on her own. She walked her little legs off. We joked that she is some six inches shorter from all the walking she did during the campaign. Her ideas, her thoughts, her innovative suggestions for the campaign were very useful, literally, through the whole term of the four years just past, advising me on which way to go, and that was very greatly appreciated.
My ever-suffering electorate officer, Caroll Lyons, worked hours each day, well after closing time, to get things ready, printing pamphlets ready to be circulated into the electorate. Not only did she do the work for me, she is also the mother of a child, and a spouse. She had to look after her family also. She combined all the jobs quite well. There was a lot of pressure on her to perform to all our expectations, and she rose to the occasion.
To the staff at the Leader of the Opposition’s office, I thank you for your loyal and faithful service, being ever ready to support us at the drop of a hat. Many of the things that we requested in Alice Springs you were able to help us with, in terms of ideas and information and techniques to do things. It was good that you were ready, on hand to help us out because, sometimes in Alice Springs, being so far away, we feel a little out of the action. Fortunately for us, the team that we were able to gather in Alice Springs was able to stay very focused on the messages that we wanted to send out and, for that reason, I believe we were successful in retaining support for the Country Liberal Party in Alice Springs.
To say that the Labor Party threw its highest profile candidate against me would be an understatement. I do not believe any other candidate they used throughout the Territory could be as high profile as the daughter of the former Country Liberal Party Senator, Bern Kilgariff, she being the Mayor of Alice Springs as well. I believe that coming from the position of mayor to run against me probably went against her. She went to Alice Springs saying that she was committed to the mayoral role for the next four years, and that she was prepared to work with commitment, etcetera, for the town council. To then abandon all that in less than 12 months was probably something that, in my mind, turned the town against her. That Her Worship then decided to stay in her role as mayor right through to the day that the Chief Minister announced the election was probably another bad judgment on her part, and she paid the price for that.
What I most enjoyed was the amount of money the government threw into Greatorex to support her campaign to win the election. In a perverse way, I suppose, you can say that, from opposition, I have been able to deliver for Greatorex like no other member. Like Dick Whittington would say: ‘The streets of Greatorex are now lined with gold’. I look forward to the money that is going to come from the government into Greatorex. I have kept a list of all the election promises, which I will raise over the course of the next four years of this term, ensuring that each promise is delivered on time and stick to the amount of money that was promised for that particular promise.
Things such as the airconditioning upgrade of Ross Park Primary School; there is going to be $600 000 spent this financial year and another $600 000 to be spent the next financial year, and a further $5m to be spent on the school upgrade by the year 2007-08. It will be a good thing for the Ross Park Primary School, as they have wanted the upgrade for sometime. Speaking cynically, for the last four years nothing much had happened for the Ross Park Primary School in the electorate of Greatorex. Even approaches from the school council, and me on their behalf, fell on deaf ears. However, during the two weeks of the campaign, suddenly the money appeared. As long as the money is delivered, it will be fine.
We talked about the undergrounding of power and it was something which I wanted to do, Cynically, the mayor copied the idea after initially saying it was all wrong, a waste of money, and too expensive and that I was, in fact, scaremongering that the council and Power and Water were going to cut down trees. She decided to send out a flyer to the electorate. It was not within two days of her circulating the flyer that constituents approached me and said: ‘How dare she – that is a blatant misrepresentation of the truth’. In fact, a report was produced by the East Side Residents Association that clearly stated that the town council and Power and Water were, indeed, contemplating cutting down some 1400 trees in Alice Springs, the majority of them being in Greatorex. When the report was shown and circulated with the express permission of the East Side Residents Association and everything was out in the open, the Labor candidate for Greatorex then decided that undergrounding power was a good thing.
I look forward to the government undergrounding power in the old East Side. Again, I will make sure that they stick to their promise. If not, I will be asking questions why, and I hope the minister for Power and Water, whoever he or she may be, will have the right responses in due course.
Ross Park soccer field - now called football - is something that the candidate and the Labor Party announced within the last couple of days of the campaign. Without consulting with the residents of Ross Park, or in the vicinity, they announced a $500 000 promise that is now being met with some degree of resistance. I suggest to government that they best consult with the community first before they embark on that exercise because that was something that was debated long and loud in the mid-1990s when the town council of the day wanted to turn Ross Park into a large sporting complex to house major sports, including lighting around the area.
I remember that the then alderman Kilgariff, representing the East Side, was in the forefront of objecting to that proposal. I remember that very clearly because I was already an elected member and I was representing Greatorex at a rally held at Ross Park. I know that the East Side Residents Association was there and made loud noises against that project at the time, and so was the then alderman Kilgariff. For her to then announce, this in the dying days of the election campaign, one needs to ask a question: how trustworthy is such a knee-jerk reaction to her feeding political fortunes at that time? Again, I advise the government to seriously discuss this with the East Side Residents Association and the Ross Park neighbourhood to make sure that people are going to be happy with that.
I look forward to the government spending money through its urban enhancement program in Greatorex to upgrade and improve the community parks in the area. One of the parks that the Labor candidate nominated was Noonie Park, the park to the rear of the John Hawkins Court, the seniors’ village in Mallam Crescent. Her announcement that she was going to spend money, through the Labor government, to enhance that park is ironic when, only two or three years ago as the Mayor of Alice Springs, she and her council wanted to sell off that park. There was a plan designed for the town council to get rid of many of its community parks. Again, there was a huge rally which I coordinated at Noonie Park and several other parks across the town that I was involved in, which turned the council’s decision backwards and brought their plan to a halt. No parks were to be sold off by the Alice Springs Town Council before any consultation with the community.
I still have photographs of that rally and I know very well that the community, the residents around Noonie Park, do not want to see that park sold off. Yes, they would love to see money spent on that park to enhance and improve it so that the children who live around that area can play there in safety - not only safety in terms of law and order but safety in terms of health; that they have good shade structures there to ensure that they are not in the sun through the day and that the park furniture is of a standard whereby they are not injured.
Those are some of the promises that were made for Greatorex, but the biggest promise was that the Labor government was going to spend, as announced also on behalf of the Labor candidate for Greatorex, $8.1m on construction of a heated swimming pool for the Alice Springs community at the swimming pool park. I trust that the heated swimming pool will be built within the term of this government - the earlier the better, of course. Part of the heated pool will be used for hydrotherapy which is great, because we had plans to build a hydrotherapy pool at the rehab centre to be built at the Alice Springs Hospital. That has now been closed and used for clerical space. If that hydrotherapy pool can be constructed at the Alice Springs town pool, that would be well and good for our patients to use throughout the year.
I look forward to all these promises being fulfilled for Greatorex and I will be reminding the government regularly on these matters.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Mr Deputy Speaker, first of all I congratulate you on your appointment to the position for the next four years. I also congratulate our new Madam Speaker; I know that she will represent the parliament very fairly. I look forward to the next four years. I congratulate all of the other successful candidates who are here and were sworn into parliament today for the first time. It is a pretty momentous time for them.
It is not that long ago that I made my maiden speech here, some 21 months ago. I can acknowledge and understand the nervousness and the emotion they felt today and the passion with which they delivered those maiden speeches. I look forward to working in this House with all the members of government.
We are a little depleted on this side of this Assembly, so we are going to work twice as hard as we have to because there are only a small number of us. However, we are looking forward to the next four years and we will not be taken lightly, that is for sure. I have no doubt that we are going to cop a fair bit of flak, but I am certainly getting tougher shoulders to be able to rebut it as quickly as I can.
Tonight I say a particular thank you to the people of Katherine for having the confidence to re-elect me. It has been a very short time of 21 months since the by-election in Katherine and it was fought very hard by the Labor candidate, Sharon Hillen at that time, with the full force of the Labor team down there for the by-election. It was a very challenging time for me. I was very grateful to be elected then and I am grateful to have been re-elected.
I now have the opportunity to show the people of Katherine for four years that I can represent them very well, despite the fact that during the latest election campaign, the ALP candidate for Katherine, Sharon Hillen, advised people that they needed to have a voice in government otherwise nothing would happen to Katherine for four years. I have news for you: there is no way in the world that I am going to be representing the people of Katherine in this place without their voices being heard and things happening for Katherine.
There were promises made during the election, and I, like the member for Greatorex, will certainly be asking questions - not over four years; I will be asking them in the estimates next week – about when these promises are going to be delivered for the people of Katherine. I am certainly looking forward to that and making sure that the people of Katherine are very well represented.
I want to say a special thank you to the people who assisted me in the recent election campaign. The first person I need to mention has been my absolute backbone since I was elected as member for Katherine, and that is my electorate officer, Lorna Hart, who has been such a great support to me. She had been involved with the previous member for Katherine and her experience was too vast for me not to keep her on as the electorate officer. I appreciate everything that Lorna has done for me. She is very supportive and I am thankful to have her support.
I have a very strong Country Liberal Party branch in Katherine and for that, I am also very grateful. They are totally committed to the Country Liberal Party and I pay special tribute to them: Brian and Stephanie Hill; Michael Whelan; Jodie Locke; Patty Buntine; Betty McKeay; Vicki and Henry Higgins; Sharon Rugazzo, who stood out at the RAAF Base for me and did such a good job; Sue Meredith; Caryn Chalk; Mark Gage; Trina Dwyer; Robert Buzzo; Michael Aloisi; and Pat Witte. I know that I have probably missed some, but I do sincerely appreciate all the work that the members and supporters of the Katherine branch put in during the election and on the day of the election. For those people who did the letterbox drops - many, many thanks. I could not possibly fit that in.
One good thing about electioneering is that you lose weight. That is an added bonus. Even though I have been doorknocking since last November, there was that urgency in the last 17 or 18 days to do more. You go the extra mile. You seem to eat less and work twice as hard, so it is great for the waistline. I just have to remember the waistline now that we are sitting in here.
One of the issues that came up during the election that I want to put on the record is the Tindal drains. Two years ago, we had record rainfall at RAAF Base Tindal, especially at the airport, which resulted in some massive problems all the way from the Tindal base into Katherine and the river. That resulted in, for instance, the research farm office area being flooded four or five times. It also resulted in several houses along the way being flooded or inundated. One business, Hobbits Auto Electrics, was under water five times in the space of less than three months, despite the fact that he is located on the floodplain of Katherine.
We have a responsibility to ensure that those drains are maintained to the maximum standard, and right now they are not. They have not had much attention for about 15 years, since Tindal was built. As a result of that inundation and the commitment by government last year, there was a couple of hundred thousand dollars committed to starting to maintain those drains. That couple of hundred thousand dollars, I could actually see the distance that that covered – it was not anywhere near enough - and it certainly has not alleviated any problems at all.
The government made a commitment in the budget of $750 000 over four years to upgrade those drains. At a Chamber of Commerce breakfast, I made an announcement that a Country Liberal government would commit $1m to the maintenance of those drains over a period of two years. The following morning, the Labor candidate, at her Chamber of Commerce breakfast, also pledged $1m from the Martin Labor government, but she did not have a time limit on it, it was just $1m. Since then, advertising in Katherine has shown that it is $750 000 over four years. Maybe we could get clarification reasonably quickly as to what the figure is. Naturally, I would like to think that when the Labor candidate made that promise of $1m, with no time limit, she had had some discussions with somebody in the caretaker government at that stage to determine whether that commitment was viable or not just ‘pie in the sky’.
Another commitment made by the Labor candidate for Katherine I need to mention is about the cultural precinct - which seems to be causing quite a bit of unrest and uncertainty in the Katherine community. She said that, within four weeks of her being elected as the member of Katherine, she would be turning a sod of soil on the baseball diamond. This was right out of left field and out of court, because the Katherine people have the right to make this decision themselves. It should not have been a political decision at all. The decision about the location of the cultural precinct in Katherine is up to the people of the community, and it is not up to one person to dictate where that precinct will be located. I believe that was a bad move.
I can also say that, in this election, I had the same candidate in Sharon Hillen contesting the seat of Katherine as I had in the by-election, only there was definitely a change in her attitude in this one. I noted with interest that one of the new members, the member for Macdonnell, talked about slandering and untruths. Well, I just want to say that the same thing happened in Katherine. The moment I started reading slandering-type things in the Katherine Times reflecting on me, I knew that that was a big mistake. We should know that negativity does not ever give positive results, and I did not respond to any of that negativity.
I would like to thank very much the people of Katherine for having the trust and the faith in me to know that, when I say I am going to stand up for them and work hard for them, I am committed and I have continued to work hard in the 20 months since I was elected in the by-election. I certainly did not feel it was any great struggle to go out and campaign for this election because I have not actually changed the tempo at all since the by-election, and just gone ahead and lifted it up a bit with the additional doorknocking.
I thank them very much for their commitment, their dedication and support of me. I know it is going to be the biggest challenge that I have faced, but being an Aries, Aries people seem to thrive on challenges and they always seem to thrive better when they are challenged to the maximum. I certainly look forward to that.
I look forward to working closely with my three colleagues over the next four years. I know that we will certainly be there for the Country Liberal Party, ensuring that government is kept true and accountable to its promises at this election.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Mr Deputy Speaker, I would similarly like to talk this evening about the election. I am aware that we have the Address-in-Reply tomorrow and I will be speaking about some other matters then. However, I am speaking tonight as the member for Araluen and the only Country Liberal Party member to record a swing in her favour. I was delighted at that, and formally take this opportunity - although I will be taking others - to thank the people of Araluen for their support.
This was only my second election campaign. I know there are members here who entered the parliament with me. My experience was that I found this election campaign more difficult because I had a sense of the job I would lose in the event that I lost my seat. To lose a job that you enjoy is a frightening prospect. I compare that with my first election. I did not know the joys of this job that I might miss out on in the event that I was not elected. Therefore, I worked hard, I guess like so many others, not in the last few weeks or few months, but since I was elected in August 2001.
We had an interesting campaign in Alice Springs and I will not really get into the politics of it. I guess we all know which party promised which things. The Territory public might be relieved just for a while not to be reminded of all of the promises that all of the politicians made. I am speaking really from a personal point of view.
I enjoyed working and spending some times with the Greens candidate, Alan Tyley, especially on polling day. He is a gentleman and I look forward to working with him in the future. My Labor opponent, John (I am a family of three) - let me repeat that - John (I am a family of three) Gaynor, I did not have very much respect for. Just in case you missed it, John has a family of three. I do not. Many people commented on Mr Gaynor’s repeated comments about being a father of three. Fortunately, it did not go unnoticed by many people in the electorate.
Mr Gaynor did something which was remarkable and surprising. I live on a corner of a crescent. One Sunday morning, I had been to the Todd Mall Markets - and Labor had recently participated in the Todd Mall Markets; they knew I would be there – and I arrived home. There happens to be a lamp post diagonally opposite my house. Mr Gaynor put a corflute up there. It was looking nowhere other than at my front door. Both of us had put corflutes on the exit of the street. This was clearly an attempt to intimidate me.
When I came home I looked at it and thought: ‘Right, you get that’. However, as I was getting out of my car, one of my neighbours came up and was absolutely outraged because the lamp pole was very close to her house. She said that it looked like they were supporting him and she and her husband wanted to take it down. I then was approached by a number of other neighbours who shared her outrage. I actually was not outraged by it; I just thought it was pretty ordinary conduct. However, they wanted to take it down. I had to urge them not to take it down because I anticipated - perhaps rightly, perhaps wrongly - that then my opponent and/or his Labor supporters would put something in the paper as to my sensitivity about a corflute looking over at my house.
I thought that was interesting conduct. I would not do that to an opponent. I would not have thought that many others would do that to an opponent. It just was not on; I thought it was a bit low. However, I received the sympathy vote and my vote went up in my own street. I know there are Labor voters there. I also know there are swinging voters there. I say to candidates and politicians on both sides: do not do that sort of stuff because it actually does not work in your favour. I know I have a thick skin and it did not worry me, but he did not win votes.
I can say that after the election the corflute was still hanging on this lamp pole after every other corflute was taken down. I was tempted to take it down myself and write ‘Father of three’ on the front of it and deliver it to his house but I thought better of it. What happened, however, was the neighbours eventually took it down. They put it in my carport and it was then used as a mat over which we did some painting. So Mr Gaynor’s face has some paint all over it.
In terms of the election generally, while difficult on occasion, it was enjoyable. There were some interesting differences for me in this election. Labor voters voted for me. They said they were Labor voters; some of them said that they were not happy with Labor and that is why they were voting for me. Many others, however, said that they liked what I was doing and they thought I was doing a good job and that I worked hard, and I won. I won their vote and I am very grateful to them.
The other difference was that a number of Aboriginal people voted for me in this election and they did not in the first election. When the buses turned up at my main polling booth with Aboriginal voters in it, who came up and said they want to vote for me, many of whom I had met previously, the look on Labor peoples’ faces was pretty incredible. Some of them were gob-smacked.
I represent everybody in my electorate, regardless of how they vote, the colour of their skin, or all of the other things that make people in the community different. I was especially delighted to win the confidence and respect of Aboriginal people, as well as people whom I would consider to be thinking Labor voters.
There were a number of helpers. I will put them onto the Parliamentary Record although I will not list their surname. Some of them, in fact, were, or would be in the normal course of events, Labor voters, but they helped me. I will use their Christian names only. I would like to thank Peter, Jenny, Daniel, Verity, David, Naisie, Brian, Kate, Trish, Mick, Rosemary, Cyril, Terry, Ruth, Kay, Terry, Charlie, Kerry, Mark, Judy, Bruce, Pat, Lyn, Kel, Liz, Angie, Frankie, Leon, Karen, Dave, Don, Robin and Chris. In particular, I would like to thank Leslie Goodwin who came from interstate to help us with our campaign, and a special thanks to Jenny and Kate who were my campaign co-managers. I really could not have done it without them. I know that Jenny was very disappointed that she became ill in the middle of the campaign, but I am hopeful that I will last to endure another one.
We had, like everybody, a great team of supporters. We had young mums pushing prams around the footpaths of Araluen delivering letters. We had another mum with a – I do not know what you call them these days, we used to call them papooses, with young babies in them. We also had seniors in the electorate who came in and offered to help. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart. Words really are not enough to describe the sort of commitment that those people had. I will just remain forever grateful.
There is someone I have not mentioned and he is in the gallery today. Tim Thompson, a very dear friend, travelled from interstate this afternoon or last night to surprise me. With the able assistance of the member for Katherine, who told me that he would not be able to be here, he turned up about midday, and to say that I was overwhelmed is something of an understatement. I look forward to catching up with Tim later.
I also thank other people from interstate who helped during the campaign, James and Ben.
The campaign was, on balance, enjoyable although challenging. I have already made public comments about the loss of skill and expertise we have encountered as a result of the loss of seats. I would particularly like to thank those people who were formerly my colleagues: Sue Carter; Steve Dunham; Tim Baldwin, who, of course, retired; Denis Burke; and John Elferink.
The great thing was that when we knew that they were at risk of losing their seats or, in fact, had lost them, I picked up the phone to these people on the Sunday and, remarkably, they were all very philosophical, which was great. You never quite know how the other person is going to be feeling when you ring to say: ‘Sorry, mate’. I think only politicians thoroughly understand that after each term you go back to the people and they decide your destiny. Many people say: ‘They must be so disappointed and upset’, and so on. No doubt there are personal anxieties and upset but, for the most part, politicians, and particularly my former colleagues, are very philosophical and took it on the chin.
In closing, I would like to thank my partner for endless assistance. I said in my maiden speech that to be a candidate in an election campaign carries its various difficulties, but to be the partner or spouse of a candidate, I am sure, is far worse because they put up with all of the irritability, the frustrations, and they experience the highs and the lows with you.
I would also like to thank my family. As I said in my maiden speech, my three brothers do not share my interest in politics, but my mother must have done a ring-around because I received a call from one brother who wished me well. A few hours later, I had a call from another brother, and then, at about 10 pm that night, I had a call from brother No 3. I said to him: ‘Mum has told you to ring me, hasn’t she?’, and he said that he is a reasonable brother but an obedient son, so he confirmed that yes, indeed, my mum had called the boys and said: ‘You had better ring her to wish her luck’. I thank her for that.
My parents arrived in Alice Springs in typical unannounced fashion about two weeks before the election campaign. We were all letterboxing at that point. They offered to help, so they came to know my electorate in a way that they would not had we not been so close to an election. My father, unfortunately, a fearless warrior, put his hand in a letterbox and had it bitten by a dog. I do not think they will be arriving unannounced in Alice Springs in another four years. I thank them for their love and support.
With those comments, I will conclude. I especially look forward to catching up with my dear friend, Tim Thompson, and my partner after we rise.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016