2005-10-20
Madam Speaker Aagaard took the Chair at 10 am.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, before we start proceedings we should look around and see what members are wearing. Very beautiful. Member for Nelson, you are looking particularly interesting. I believe the member for Drysdale has a particular accessory - perhaps you would like to show other members. I thank honourable members for being so gracious in becoming involved with this.
Across the parliament, I am sure that all members have been involved in October Breast Cancer Awareness and that is tremendous. I am sure that we are the first parliament in Australia, perhaps in the world, to have something like this. The NT News is going to photograph us at 1.50 pm and I hope all members will be there for that. Who knows, it might get a bit of international coverage for such a great cause. Thank you, very much.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I rise today to make one of my regular reports to the House on the progress on the government’s training efforts across the Territory. This morning I want to focus on training in Central Australia. Training to build the skills of Territorians is critical for the economic and social advancement of all regions in the Territory.
Under the Jobs Plan, the government has committed more than $70m this financial year to support the training and skilling of Territorians through: employer incentives; Workwear/ Workgear Bonus; Build Skills Program for upskilling and preparing people for work; work ready programs for young people; taster programs such as Try A Trade; VET in Schools; vocational education and training programs delivered through our public and private organisations and VET in Schools; infrastructure support; promotion of vocational education and training; and importantly, recognition of achievement through such events as the VET Awards and World Skills.
I was in Alice Springs for Community Cabinet on 3 and 4 October. I saw for myself the results of our programs. More importantly, I took the opportunity to have a first-hand look at the efforts of local business training organisations as well meet some of the apprentices, trainees and trainers. I visited Charles Darwin University campus and saw some of their facilities including tourism, hospitality and the training kitchen. I had a look in on a group of electrical apprentices.
One local business which puts enormous effort into training in a very high tech environment is Peter Kittle. I said yesterday just how impressed I was with their organisation, their workspace in Alice Springs and their commitment to training. They put on around 10 or 11 new apprentices each and every year. They are making an enormous contribution to trade skilling and around six or seven of those see their way each year right through to completion. I was impressed by the calibre of the apprentices and trainees that I met at the apprentice function I hosted whilst in Alice Springs.
Building the skills of people, getting our young people into apprenticeships and traineeships, especially into those hard trade areas is not easy. I applaud the efforts of the people on the ground in Central Australia taking on the challenges with the support of government and getting the job done. As a result we are seeing growth in apprentice and trainee numbers in the Centre as well as in other parts of the Territory. Currently, there are 634 apprentices and trainees in training in the Alice Springs region. Of those in training, 24% are indigenous, and 39% overall are undertaking a traditional trade apprenticeship. In the recent round of employer incentives, 14 skill shortage areas incentives have been taken up and 18 have been taken up by small businesses. I have been advised that since the first lot of apprentice trainees became eligible for the Workwear/Workgear Bonus in July following their three-month probation, seven $1000 and 11 $300 bonuses have been paid. I hope to see a further increase in apprentice and trainee numbers over the next year, as well as seeing more complete their training.
Training organisations such as the Charles Darwin University, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, the Institute of Aboriginal Development, Centre for Appropriate Technology, along with a range of private providers, attract substantial funding to deliver quality vocational education and training programs in the Centre. Organisations such as Footprints Forward are funded to support indigenous people to make the transition to employment or further education.
It is a tough road, Madam Speaker - we do not shy away from that - to build skills and to keep people in training. However, it is a challenge that the people of Alice Springs region are well equipped, well supported to meet and are working hard at it.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, the opposition welcomes the statement and recognises the ongoing task of increasing the value of trade and technical skills within education. That is the principle area that needs to be focused upon. The minister has a great opportunity to strengthen the profile of trade and technical skills within education to deliver young students into the work force through traineeships and apprenticeships by attending to the work that has already been undertaken in Palmerston with the senior secondary campus. I understand that that was the focus of the Year 10, 11 and 12 proposal - or 10/11, we are not sure, or 11/12 proposal. That really is the way to go, minister. You have my support for that if you would reverse your decision and go ahead with the senior secondary facility in Palmerston.
Secondly, I recognise, as most members do, the real task of training and development of skills amongst young people - and not just young people - are small business operators. They carry the larger load. We can talk about the programs that government has put in place, and the money that flows to service the industry, which is the training industry. It is actually the small business operator generally that carries the weight of training.
Without going too far into it, minister, I will just draw attention to my last night’s adjournment. I made reference to a small business operator who was neglected in the process of fulfilling his duties in providing training for a young apprentice. The system, let us say, in their dealing with the decision of the young apprentice overlooked the contribution of the small business operator and resulted in some offence to his integrity. Issues such as that are really very important because the core of the training agenda is delivered by small business operators, and they need more support.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments from the member for Blain. The fact is, over 80% of all of our businesses in the Northern Territory are small business, and that is where a big part of the training effort has to occur because of the nature of our industry business in the Northern Territory. That is where our focus and our strategy is, in terms of employer bonuses and the incentives that we put out there for apprentices and trainees. It is directed very much to that small business.
In relation to the member’s comments last night, I am not across them. I will have a look at them. I would not go to an individual case in here, but I am happy to look at those comments and get back to the member for Blain about that particular issue.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, with nearly 30% of our population being indigenous, the Northern Territory is acutely aware of the consumer and trading issues impacting on this sector of the community. Given our acute interest, at a Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs (MCCA) meeting in 2002, I nominated the Territory to be the lead jurisdiction in developing a five-year national indigenous consumer protection strategy.
The NT’s work on the strategy was undertaken via a working party of all jurisdictions. The work was assisted through the appointment of a national coordinator, Ms Christine Ross. In November 2004, I released Taking Action, Gaining Trust – the National Indigenous Consumer Action Plan consultation document. Six hundred copies were distributed throughout Australia and hundreds more downloaded from the Internet. Comments were received from 93 organisations or individuals, and those comments confirmed the issues identified were on the money.
I am pleased to advise that we now have coordinated and achieved a national commitment to a blueprint for better indigenous consumer justice. My colleague, the member for Sanderson, Len Kiely, who kindly deputised for me while I was on leave, officially launched the National Indigenous Consumer Strategy, Taking Action, Gaining Trust Action Plan 2005 to 2010, launched at the Indigenous Gallery of the National Museum in Canberra last month.
Given that all ministers - state, territory and federal - have now signed a statement committing to action and better outcomes, it signifies the national importance allocated to the strategy. I am proud that the Northern Territory has been the lead jurisdiction responsible for the development of this national strategy. A statement of commitment signed by all Consumer Affairs ministers in Australia is an undertaking to remedy the current inequitable position of indigenous consumers. This unified commitment is important and its national approach to ensuring advances are achieved is unique.
The document hones in on eight key priority areas, from the employment of indigenous staff in consumer agencies to issues of financial management, banking and trading practices. The plan requires consumer agencies to employ indigenous officers in indigenous agencies as a priority, and for consumer agencies to work with non-government organisations with indigenous staff.
The strategy provides action plans for: employment of indigenous staff in consumer affairs; advocacy of indigenous consumer interests; housing; financial management and banking; purchasing motor vehicles and boats; trading practices; rights in the arts industry; and, managing indigenous community organisations. These have been identified as providing the greatest degree of indigenous consumer detriment.
A reference group, including indigenous representatives from outside government consumer agencies, is to be established to annually audit and comment on what jurisdictions have achieved in advancing indigenous consumer protection. It will be a litmus test of what they have achieved against the action plans.
I am pleased to inform the House that Mr Michael Long has agreed to be a member of this reference group. Other prominent indigenous Australians will also be invited to be members. Mr Long has already provided support to a most successful Northern Territory campaign conducted by Consumer Affairs centring on themes of: keep your pin number safe; keep your receipts when buying major goods; and do not buy a rubbish car.
This has been a most successful campaign. The campaign is yielding results. It has taken a number of indigenous consumer inquiries and complaints handled by our Office of Consumer Affairs from none to 4% of all complaints. This is a small yet significant step and Consumer Affairs in the Northern Territory continues to drive a very strong message to indigenous people.
A much larger step is the national Taking Action, Gaining Trust action plan. It is the implementation of this strategy and this action plan that will result in greater access to consumer justice.
Finally, I pay tribute to all who have worked on this strategic action plan, and to all who will continue to work with it in the future, including the members of the Consumer Advisory Council, the membership of which has been very active in drawing these initiatives together and I pay tribute to their work.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the Attorney-General for his statement and for providing us with a copy of the plan. I have only just skimmed through it. It is a positive step. It would be illogical to argue otherwise. So you do have the opposition’s support. Of course, plans always look good at the outset in the glossies. Let us hope that, out of all the plans that we see in all of the parliaments in this country, this one actually ends up delivering the results that it seeks.
In order to protect any consumer, particularly indigenous consumers in the Northern Territory, it is a two-way street. There needs to be education and support for business. Equally, there needs to be education and support for Aboriginal Territorians. When I had my own legal practice, I acted for an interstate finance company. I was constantly torn when I was instructed to pursue bad debts on behalf of the finance company. So many Aboriginal people in Central Australia went to various car dealerships, clearly could not afford the repayments, and should not have been sold a car in the first place. I was in the invidious position of having to follow my client’s instructions and chase up and try to recover the costs at almost any cost. That always created a level of unease within me.
There is no doubt that this is required. I speak from personal experience in addition to voicing the support of the opposition. We are here to do our best to deliver good outcomes. If even half of the contents of this plan comes off then it will be a good result. I hope the Attorney-General will provide us with regular reports and I look forward to those. I again thank him for his statement.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her comments and support. Can I say she looks very fetching in pink!
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Boom, boom, Madam Speaker!
Madam Speaker, this morning I update the House on the exciting progress of October Business Month 2005. October Business Month is one way the government is backing Territory business to grow; and it gets bigger and better every year.
In developing the calendar of events for this year, we spoke to a range of businesses and associations about what they wanted; and a message came back loud and clear: they were seeking practical advice and tips to grow their business and take it forward to the next level. In response to that feedback, government focused October Business Month on ‘Taking Care of Business’, with events featuring a diverse group of speakers covering a range of topics including attracting and retaining staff; tax tips for small business; harnessing skilled migration to grow your work force; boosting retail sales; and maximising the opportunities of e-business.
By the end of the month, more than 100 events will have been held in Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Mataranka, Pine Creek, Alice Springs, Nhulunbuy and Alyangula. Four hundred and fifty people attended the launch of October Business Month in Darwin, 160 people in Alice Springs, and 80 people in Katherine to hear from International Marketer of the Year, Bob Pritchard. I, like the audience, was really impressed with Bob’s straight-talking innovative approach to selling a product or business. A record 60 people attended the launch in Tennant Creek to hear former Wallaby captain, Nick Farr Jones, describe the secrets to his success both on and off the field in his current position as a merchant banker.
More than 1600 people have now attended October Business Month 2005 events, and there is another week and a half to go.
I would like to highlight just some of the great events we have had so far. In Darwin, guest speaker social researcher, Mark McCrindle, was booked out for both of his sessions on how to bridge the generation gap in marketing your business to both customers and employees. Katherine business people really enjoyed their session with John Moriarty. Mr Moriarty was born in the Territory in the Gulf and is now head of design at Balarinji Studio, is successful around the country and around the world, and perhaps best known for the sensational indigenous paintings on two Qantas jumbo jets.
Retail specialist, John Stanley, was back in Tennant Creek by popular demand and his expert advice on innovative merchandising to boost sales was also well received in Alice Springs. Business people in Nhulunbuy and Alyangula have already attended a money management seminar hosted by TIO. Diann Feldman will be in Nhulunbuy next week to discuss work/life balance and team building and no doubt Di will be as well received as she has been in the other centres.
Of course, we know the one issue that is at the forefront of business at the moment is the nation-wide skill shortage; and building our population and boosting the Territory’s skills base is a priority for the government. There have been a number of OBM events focused on finding and keeping staff, including seminars on how business and skilled migration is helping Territory business meet their needs.
The support of the Territory business community is vital to the ongoing success of OBM and on behalf of the government and the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development, I thank this year’s sponsors: our platinum sponsor, Yellow Pages; gold sponsors, Avant Personnel and Corporate Express; and silver sponsors, the Australian Taxation Office, AusIndustry, TIO and Barkly Tourism.
A new category of sponsorship was introduced this year to allow for greater involvement of Territory small and medium-sized businesses and we have ten bronze sponsors for OBM 2005. They are Territory Saws and Hardware, Air and Gas Systems, Stickers and Stuff, Mailfast, Jalyn, Night n Day Autocare, NT Technology, Delta Electrics, Northline Freight Management, and Holdfast Insurance Brokers. I also thank Ms Penny La Sette from the Small Business Association for being the business representative on the October Business Month steering committee; and the hardworking team at DBERD who have thrown themselves into pulling October Business Month together.
Madam Speaker, planning will soon start for October Business Month 2006. I strongly encourage all Territory businesses to offer their feedback to help make next year’s event even better.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, events such as October Business Month are very important. They bring the business sector together. It helps to strengthen morale and attend to issues of concern. The Territory has great potential and, when we get the Territory business sector together, there is a further opportunity to strengthen their resolve to capitalise on the strategic advantages of the Northern Territory. The core issue, however, that needs to be addressed in such gatherings is the underlying issue that would be reflected on by anyone considering a future in developing the Territory, and that is the price of energy.
The minister needs to recognise, and it is the role of the opposition to raise this, that in the last parliamentary term we heard the word ‘gas’ mentioned so many times. In the later stages of the last term it was replaced by ‘wave pool’. The issue of gas needs to be attended to seriously. You have four years to attend to a fundamental core issue related to the economic development of the Northern Territory, and that is the price of gas.
The cost of gas has increased; in fact, it has doubled in the past month. It is now $US6 per unit, although I understand you have budgeted for $AU3 for the same unit of gas. With the Mereenie gas field set to run out and contracts not secure beyond 2009, that is the core issue that those who gather at the October Business Month want to know that you have this issue squarely in hand and you have a way forward that satisfies their own inquiries and their plans for the future.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his comments. It is good to see the opposition has finally woken up to the fact that the future energy supply source for the Northern Territory is gas. It is not a powerline across the border to Queensland to connect us to the national electricity grid. It is good to see that you have finally ditched that ludicrous proposition that was put to the Territory people at the last election and so roundly ridiculed by anybody who knew anything about electricity generation, the costs and return on capital investment. It is good to see that that ridiculous policy has now been firmly consigned to the policy dust bin.
We are focused on securing new gas contracts for the Northern Territory as I advised the House in Question Time yesterday. Extensive negotiations are taking place at the moment, and I have a new nickname for the member for Blain: Jumping Jack Flash.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Reports noted pursuant to Sessional Order.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The main purpose of this bill is to amend the Northern Territory Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act in response to changes made to the corresponding Commonwealth legislation arising from the need to facilitate the development of the Greater Sunrise offshore petroleum resources of the Timor Sea. The Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act makes provision for the exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources in submerged lands adjacent to the coast of the Northern Territory. It applies to the coastal waters of the Territory from the mean low water mark seaward to the three nautical mile limit. The corresponding Commonwealth legislation, the Commonwealth Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act applies to Australian waters beyond this point. To the extent necessary, the Territory legislation should remain consistent with the corresponding Commonwealth legislation in order to retain a common regulatory regime applying to both jurisdictions.
The area seaward beyond the three nautical mile limit of the Northern Territory is constitutionally under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth and is currently referred to as the Commonwealth adjacent area. In the spirit of cooperation, provision is made for the area to be jointly administered by the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory. However, in the event of a disagreement arising between the parties that is unable to be resolved, the Commonwealth’s view would prevail.
The East Timor-Commonwealth Utilisation Agreement provides for the establishment of the Greater Sunrise field and this has resulted in the need for the Commonwealth to amend its legislation. This action has a minor impact on the corresponding Territory legislation, hence, there is a need for these minor amendments that are contained in the bill.
The newly established Greater Sunrise Unit area is an amalgamation of a small portion of two offshore areas that straddle the boundaries of the Joint Petroleum Development Area, administration jointly shared between Australia and East Timor, and the existing Commonwealth Adjacent area. In the later case, the small portion will no longer be the subject of joint Northern Territory/ Commonwealth administration, but revert to the sole responsibility of the Commonwealth. While in future this small portion will remain part of the Commonwealth Adjacent area, it will no longer be subject to joint administration, and will be known as the Eastern Greater Sunrise area.
The Commonwealth Adjacent area, except for the portion known as the Eastern Greater Sunrise will continue to be jointly administered as before, by the Northern Territory and the Commonwealth, but renamed the Principal Northern Territory Petroleum Submerged Land Area. These changes will come into operation following ratification of the Utilisation Agreement by the parliament of the Republic of East Timor and once the Commonwealth commences its amendments.
Turning to the bill, you will notice that the amendments that are proposed are minor and of an administrative nature, but are necessary so the Northern Territory Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act remains consistent with its corresponding Commonwealth legislation.
The bill amends the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act in the following ways: by amending the definitions to include a reference to the jointly administered area as the Principal Northern Territory Petroleum Submerged Lands area and a portion of the Adjacent area to be known as the Eastern Greater Sunrise Area will be exempt from the joint arrangements; and the inclusion of minor drafting changes confined to Part 1, Division 2 by deleting the reference to the joint administered area as being the Commonwealth Adjacent area; and substituting with the new name of the Principal Northern Territory Petroleum Submerged Lands area.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act. These amendments will ensure the secrecy of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority’s records; clarify the liability of the Crown to prosecution; and extend the time limits in which prosecutions can be brought.
All sacred sites in the Northern Territory, regardless of whether they are registered are protected under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act, which provides for the registration of sacred sites and the issuing of authority certificates to protect sites in the case of work, or use of land on or near, a sacred site. The Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act also provides for offences for the unlawful entry on to, work on, and desecration of a sacred site; the contravention of sites avoidance conditions; and the unlawful use of information regarding sacred sites collected for the purposes of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act.
To date, there has been strong public acceptance of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act, based on both a certainty on the part of Aboriginal people that their sacred sites and cultural information were being protected, and an acceptance by non-Aboriginal people of the need to protect sacred sites. In protecting sacred sites, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority has played a key role in finding common ground between Aboriginal custodians and other land users and developers of land in support of land use and development.
Sacred and secret site information received from Aboriginal custodians forms the basis for registration of sites and Authority Certificates. It is of utmost importance to Aboriginal custodians that this information is provided on the basis that it is secret, and will only be used for the purposes of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act and will not be provided to a third party.
In 2003, the Justice hearing the Uluru native title case determined that the secrecy provisions of section 38 of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act does not prohibit the subpoena of authority documents or records to a court, as the court was not a person. Documents were thus subsequently made available to parties to the case. This case places at risk the secret and sacred records of the authority.
This case places at risk the secret and sacred records of the Authority; the legislation’s intended ability to assure Aboriginal custodians that their culturally secret sacred information could only be used for the protection of sacred sites; and the current Aboriginal trust in the Authority and in the Territory’s regime of sacred site protection.
The draft bill amends the definition of ‘a person’ in the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act to include ‘a court or a tribunal’, thus supplying the prohibition on the communication or production of secret and sacred material, except with the approval of the authority to a court or an official of a court.
As I mentioned before, the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act provides for prosecution of offences against the act. Prosecution is not always an option which the members of the authority want to undertake, noting the wishes of the custodians. In terms of site damage, authority members and relevant custodians, from time to time, have supported a solution involving apologies and reparation. In other instances, the authority has decided to take the matter to prosecution. However, the basis for deterrence against contravention of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act remains in the authority’s ability to bring successful prosecutions.
In the Territory, government agencies and authorities undertake a significant proportion of works for roads, infrastructure and development. It is disappointing to note that, despite encouraging reforms in the monitoring systems of agencies, a percentage of reported sacred sites damage has been caused as a result of actions or approvals by government agencies and authorities. In recent cases of alleged site damage by the government agencies or authorities, it has become apparent that there is a lack of clarity in the liability of the Crown to be prosecuted for breaches of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act, or accordingly, some prosecutions have not been pursued despite sufficient evidence.
The inability to prosecute the Crown for sacred site damage and thus seek a form of reparation is a source of dissatisfaction amongst both authority members and the Aboriginal custodians.
The bill provides an appropriate capacity to prosecute the Crown by clarifying that:
There are no provisions within the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act with regard to time limitations in bringing forward a prosecution thus, by default, requiring all prosecutions to be brought within the six month limitation applied under section 52 of the Justices Act. Because offences under the act may not be discovered for some time, and/or an investigation of the offence may be delayed due to the distance involved and the difficulties in locating offenders and witnesses, prosecutions have not been pursued due to the time limitation of six months applied under section 52 of the Justices Act. Thus, an original intent of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act to protect sacred sites through the effective prosecution of alleged offences has been significantly inhibited by time delays outside of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority’s control.
This bill provides for an extended period for up to two years after the date of discovery of an alleged offence by the authority in which to bring a prosecution. In the event that there are still significant difficulties in bringing a prosecution for an alleged offence, the bill also allows the court’s discretion to allow further time if there is a justified delay due to matters such as the remoteness of the location; the irregularity of visits to the location; the inability to visit the location due to Aboriginal tradition; and any difficulty in locating the alleged offender or witnesses.
Madam Speaker, the amendments proposed in this bill will provide for improved protection of Aboriginal sacred sites, and in preserving and enhancing Aboriginal culture and tradition in relation to land in the Northern Territory. I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Cemeteries Amendment Bill 2005 (Serial 28) passing through all stages this sitting day.
Motion agreed to.
Continued from 18 October 2005.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I contribute briefly to this amendment. Having just recently gone through a particularly distressing and traumatic unexpected death of a close friend, I can truly understand how people feel and the distress they go through when they suddenly find that they cannot bury their loved ones with a parent or a partner of the person recently deceased. It is truly a very difficult time. Emotions are all over the place, and to then try to make some rational decisions can be most difficult. I commend the minister for coming up with a way through this difficulty.
There are many people buried in our now closed cemeteries who have living relatives who wish to be buried in proximity, if not in the same plot when they die. This is a way of getting around that. However, I caution the minister, because he needs to understand clearly, and Territorians need to understand this clearly; that this amendment applies to all closed cemeteries. It does not apply only to the McMillans Road General Cemetery.
This applies to cemeteries such as the one in Alice Springs on Memorial Drive. It was closed by the Alice Springs Town Council many years ago. I know because where I used to live, my backyard ran into the cemetery itself. There are many cemeteries in Darwin such as the old Chinese cemetery in the Botanic Gardens area, and in many other areas in and around the Top End, Pine Creek and others that have been closed. Potentially, they could be re-opened. I am not sure what plots are there that could be exposed to an application by a person in the Territory to bury a loved one. If the minister is categorically aware that there are no other opportunities then perhaps he needs to express that soon so that people around the Territory understand that they cannot apply for any other areas.
I sought a private discussion with the minister yesterday in terms of the regulations and then we had another discussion this morning. Obviously there are some issues about health. The regulations will allow burials of more than one person in the burial plot. It could be two, it could be three. The only criterion that will prevent more than one body being buried is the depth of the top of the upper surface of the coffin to the ground level.
The regulation which will be substituted is regulation 23A and I think it is worth reading that so that we can understand it clearly:
In the old measurement 750 mm is about 2 feet.
Which is about 2 feet:
And I will come back to the material shortly.
500 mm is down to about 1 feet.
I understand from the discussion that I had with the minister that these regulations are similar to the ones used in Melbourne at the moment. There is precedence for that and health authorities have considered the issues. If you were to put in a filling, such as brick, stone, it is not a solid barrier. A slab of concrete, yes, that is a solid barrier. However, if brick and stone are just going to be filled in above the coffin, when the top of the coffin is only 500 mm below the level of the ground, is it too close? Are there health issues?
I do not want to go into the details, although, somebody is buried, there are body fluids and that has to be taken into consideration. I need to be reassured by the minister that health concerns have been addressed by this regulation. I would like him to explain to me the Melbourne experience and how they addressed the issue of burying a person so close to the surface. The tradition of burying somebody six feet under has been done for millennia and that is because of the issue of odours, as well as body fluids. It is essential that the depth issue is addressed properly.
This addresses the current issue of many people wishing to bury their loved ones in the same plot with the previously deceased loved ones. I went to have a look at the McMillan Road General Cemetery yesterday, and was taken around by a couple of people who have been very active in trying to maintain the continued use of the cemetery. I saw there quite a large expanse of unused land within the cemetery grounds. I understand that that unused land could potentially accommodate up to 1000 new grave site allotments. However, that land is very rocky and Darwin City Council has expressed concerns that the rock would be a major impediment to the easy excavation of a burial site. Like with anything, with engineering, with money, clearly the pit can be dug if it is required. If there are 1000 plots potentially available, and with the new regulation that is now coming in that you can bury more than one person in a plot, the potential of burying up to 3000 or 4000 people must be there, and needs to be explored. I ask the minister to seriously consider exploring this.
There are people in the community who would like to use the general cemetery for a lot longer than what has been allowed for, particularly amongst the Greek community where there is a culture, I understand, that the surviving spouse would like to make daily visits to the graveside, light candles or place a burning oil wick at the graveside each day. I can understand that an elderly surviving spouse would find it easier to get to McMillans Road General Cemetery than go all the way out to Thorak. There is a public bus service to get there …
Mr Wood interjecting.
Dr LIM: I understand that. I take the interjection from the member for Nelson that, if you live in the rural area, obviously Thorak is a lot easier - rural area and Palmerston, yes. Perhaps the city council needs to consider that both cemeteries should be operating concurrently so that the northern suburbs and the Darwin area can be served by McMillans Road General Cemetery, whereas Thorak can serve Palmerston and the rural area. That will impose a huge cost for the Darwin City Council, I am sure, and that is also an issue.
I am not sure how much consultation the government or minister has done with communities across the Territory in regard to this. I am sure there have been strong requests from family members to bring this about so that they can bury their loved ones who have been waiting for some time. For that, I support the government’s intention to amend the Cemeteries Act. However, there are issues and it is important for the government to think this through better. If there is going to be a review that the government is going to do, then I look forward to the review and the results that will come from that.
I also want to mention that there is a huge parcel of land between the current McMillans Road General Cemetery’s front fence and McMillans Road. It must be over 100 m between the curb of McMillans Road to the front fence. Is it possible to bring the front fence forward - say by 50 m and still retain a 50 m buffer between the road and the front fence of the cemetery - which will open up another 50 m of land, the whole width of the cemetery? That might be another consideration.
Finally, I wonder whether other cemeteries will be affected by this amendment. I know there are some cemeteries that have been closed and they have no – I cannot think of the right words to use – rights for the burial of a person any more – a purchase right or whatever you call it. Perhaps those old cemeteries such as the Chinese Cemetery in Darwin can now be reopened. However, I need to know that for sure.
With those few words, Madam Speaker, I support the amendment, but I would like to hear the minister address the points that I have just raised.
Mr VATSKALIS: (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Madam Speaker, I strongly support the amendments put forward by my colleague because it responds very quickly and very positively to community sentiment. Many times we have said that Darwin is a multicultural society. People come from various places in the world and they bring with them their own culture, and that is reflected not only during their joyful events such as marriages, christenings, everyday events, but even during sad occasions such as death. We also we have to remember that many of these people want to be buried in the old Darwin Cemetery.
People arrived here in Australia in their 20s and 30s, many years ago, from another country with very limited English language skills. Their aim was to work, and work hard, to make a better living for themselves and their family. Many of those people, on solemn occasions, tried to acquire graves in the old cemetery, and some did. However, at the time, because they could not speak English very well and probably because public servants and council staff were not attuned to the needs of the migrant community or the multicultural community, they did not explain very well the limitations of the graves. When these people bought a grave they did not think that the time would come when they would die and, if they are married, their spouse would die; and of the cultural requirements.
I will speak for the Greek community because having come from that community, having grown up in Greece and coming to Australia in 1983, I realise that the Greek community in Australia has the culture and beliefs of the Greek community in Greece of the 1950s. That means keeping customs alive; customs that have disappeared now from Greece.
One strong custom is that, if a spouse dies, and it does not matter how many years later, the other spouse dies, they have to be buried in the same grave. It is not a choice. It is a demand by culture and a demand by custom. The same thing applies between mothers and children, or fathers and children. We have had occasions where babies that died in the womb, or just soon after they were born, were buried in a grave, and 40 or 50 years later, the mother would have to be buried in the same grave, and the father. The family is reunited in death.
We have had many occasions in the past few weeks where we have had some serious accidents which have resulted in the death of young people. One in particular, a few weeks ago, the family was absolutely desperate, absolutely heartbroken, because they could not bury their young son in the family grave because of the limitations imposed by regulations and bureaucratic restrictions.
I call it bureaucratic restrictions because things have changed despite the fact that we are talking about multiculturalism and about adjusting our habits and becoming sensitive to the needs of the community. Unfortunately, this legislation has remained the same that it was 30 or 40 years ago. That is why I say congratulations to my colleague, because it brings this legislation in tune with today’s needs of the community.
I can understand the question from the member for Greatorex because, as a doctor, he has questions and quite rightly so. I did the same. However, I spoke to my colleague and found out that he had consulted with the Chief Medical Officer and with the Principal Environmental Health Officer and they were quite happy with the new arrangements: the depth of burial, and the use of material on top of a coffin to prevent any public health issues. I am quite happy with that. I find it acceptable. I find it has already been tried in Western Australia and in Victoria without any problems, and I think it can happen here.
Coming back to the cemetery, the cemetery was established where it is now at the time when Darwin was actually Stuart Park and Fannie Bay did not exist, Nightcliff did not exist, and the northern suburbs did not exist. It was out in the sticks. Now, the city has encroached on it, surrounded it and the council came to the decision to close it on 1 August 2003. I spoke to the Town Clerk assuming that he spoke to community organisations. Unfortunately, he did not speak to the general community. Sometimes a community organisation can have access to a few people throughout the general community. The Greek Community Incorporated has 300 members, when the Greek community in Darwin is about 8000 people.
I found out that many of the people in the Greek community did not know anything about the closure of the cemetery. They did not know about the limitations on double burials, and they only found out when someone died. Then they run around, in grief and desperation, trying to find a solution for their problem. That is why I congratulate him also because we can have approved retrospectively exclusive right of burials. That is very, very important.
As the member for Greatorex said, members of the community, especially the older members of the Greek community, like to go to the cemetery. I know a particular person, Mr Macrides, who has gone to his wife’s grave every single afternoon for the past seven years. The relationship with people does not end when someone dies. It continues. It is a spiritual relationship and it remains very strong. That is why we have seen these people so grief stricken, so upset, when things like that happen, when bureaucrats get in the way and prohibit them exercising their customs and traditions.
I have seen the unused land. I have also been advised by the council that when they approached the Greek Community Incorporated, they offered to buy 30 grave plots to provide them to Greek people who came to Darwin 30 or 40 years ago. They bought them but 30 lots are not enough; obviously, they need more. I also noticed the unused land and I commented to the council but the council advised me that this land is very difficult to excavate because it is stony, it not good quality land, and also it is very close to Rapid Creek. On the other hand, bringing the cemetery towards the road could be another solution but, unfortunately, it is next to a hotel, a liquor outlet, and I do not think it would be very appropriate to have a cemetery located next to a liquor outlet.
As for the closure of the cemetery, I believe the new Thorak Cemetery is quite appropriate. It is properly set up. People will come to accept this, especially the younger generation, but certainly we have to cater for the people who came here many years ago; now they are getting older and quite a few of them die. I have been approached by people who are worried about what will happen when the time comes when they die. I had a lady come to me through her sons, her husband died 45 years ago. She is alive and well, but she is really worried that she will not be able to be buried with her husband once she dies – next year, five years time, ten years time. Now, we have found a solution.
I support these amendments and I congratulate my colleague. I know well that sometimes bureaucrats think in a different way, and I was very pleased to hear that my colleague, the member for Barkly, insisted on these amendments despite the resistance of people in his department. Sometimes we do that, and I congratulate him for being sensitive to the needs of the community, listening to the community.
After all, the Greek community has its own ways and customs. I am sure the Aboriginal community has its own customs and ways, and the Chinese community has its own ways and customs. We live in a society and we should tolerate and accept each other’s customs and accept them as they are, as our own customs. It is the best way to live together and that is why in Darwin we do not have the problems the other states and other countries have. We live together; people from 120 different nationalities. We participate in our celebrations. We participate in occasions when people die, and we support each other and respect whey they are from, no matter what our religion or language we speak. Congratulations.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, there is no doubt that in times of grief, emotion and tragedy, we as politicians can face tremendous pressure to relieve some of that grief and emotion that families are going through. I extend my sympathy to all those families who have recently been affected by tragedies on our roads.
I have been in local government and know how decisions are asked to be made, or changes are requested, when families are in a period of deep sorrow and anxiety. The pressure to do the right thing can be very real. The introduction of this bill as a matter of urgency highlights that fact. But policy makers still through all of that, even knowing there could be political repercussions, have to remove themselves from that so that their decisions make sense and still make sense in the cold light of a new day when the emotion and anxiety have diminished or passed.
I have had talks with Darwin City Council which is in the spotlight more than other councils about this matter because they maintain the closed McMillans Road General Cemetery. I support the changes the minister is making and I can see why the changes are needed. These changes are based, I understand, on similar changes to the burial procedures in Victoria where multiple burials are allowed but allowing for a minimum of 500 mm of soil to the surface and then a requirement for a concrete slab to be constructed on top.
The minister has not highlighted whether that is the same as proposed for the Northern Territory and I understand we will see it in the regulations. In light of this being an urgent piece of legislation, it would have been good to have highlighted that in the second reading. Perhaps you could talk about it when you are summing up, minister, just so we know what is being put forward and we have a record of that.
It would also be good if the minister mentioned that this new amendment and the act may be subject to a broad review in the future. I say that because the information I have been given is that the Cemeteries Act has been on the books to be reviewed for at least 25 years. Some people might find such a review low on their priorities but what is happening today highlights the need for the minister to make an announcement today that there will be a review of the act and there will be a date set for the finalisation of that review.
This amendment raises a number of issues that should be part of the review and such a review should be wide-ranging. One question that needs to be asked is whether this amendment will have any effect on the viability of Thorak Cemetery. As people would know it is quite expensive to bury someone at Thorak which is the regional cemetery, not only for the three municipalities - Darwin, Palmerston and Litchfield – but for the areas outside including Dundee, Marrakai, Adelaide River and Batchelor, and interstate and overseas people are buried there as well. In fact, I am told that 25% of the burials are of people from outside those three municipalities.
The cost of burials is worked out, and I am only talking roughly, in the tender process, where the tenderer works out the average number of burials per year he would expect to perform and that would be divided into the cost of providing the service as well as the maintenance of the cemetery. Included in that would also be the cost of the crematorium. If more burials are allowed at McMillans cemetery, would this mean a higher charge at Thorak? As anyone knows, burials are not cheap. Would the government be prepared to subsidise the cost of burials in the Darwin region, if by allowing people to be buried outside of the regional cemetery an increase in the fees at Thorak was required to keep it viable? The future of Thorak Cemetery and the manner in which it operates could be part of the review. Whether the cemetery should be excised from Litchfield Shire, reverting to Crown land and operating under a trust could also be an option. I gather the government does not support the concept as it would mean the government being involved in a trust. I raise that issue, for as I mentioned before, about 25% of the burials are from outside the municipality which are not covered by local government, as well as people who are tourists or who come from overseas. I see a role for government to cover those areas which are not under municipalities.
There have been rumours that some bureaurcrats want to excise the Thorak Cemetery to include Knuckey Lagoon and handover to the Darwin City Council. Could I just say for the sake of peace and harmony, do not do it. Any minister who approves that concept would risk a backlash similar to that applied to the Palmerston City Council when it tried to expand its boundaries into Litchfield. I am certain that the flat rate of Litchfield is a lot more attractive to residents that the UCV system of Darwin.
The minister could also look at, as part of the review, private crematoriums at funeral parlours; and changing the minimum depth of grave to 7'6" as I believe is done in Alice Springs, so as to allow multiple burials even when that was not thought of at the time. That is mentioned in regulation 23. Maybe the standard is a deeper grave at all times. There also needs to be a definition of who can be buried in the multiple grave. Is it a member of the family? If it is a member of the family, what is the definition of family? How close to the person buried does the person who wants to be buried in the same grave have to be? Or can a person of no relation buy a plot and be buried in that site if the people who owned the grave are willing to allow that? There needs to be some clear guidelines as to who can be buried in a multiple grave.
The member for Greatorex raised a good point about whether other closed cemeteries can be opened, and I would be interested if that is the case. There must be quite a few closed cemeteries, especially in historical parts of the Northern Territory. Would this change to the legislation mean that you could be buried in an old mining town where no one lives although the cemetery is still there? Clearly, the cemetery is closed, but does that mean that all these old historical cemeteries could be reopened? It is just a question to see what effect this particular legislation will have.
Another question is: should there be a minimum time between when a grave can be reopened for a multiple burial? There are practical problems if two people die fairly close to one another; simply it is not a nice thing to do, especially for the people who maintain the cemetery.
I know that the government has been lobbied by grieving friends and relatives about a change to the act and I believe Darwin City Council has agreed to that. My understanding is that these matters will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Much money and effort has gone into the development of Thorak and if the government is making changes it should be aware of the possible impact it could have on the viability of Thorak and whether that would lead to higher burial charges.
The member for Casuarina mentioned the Greek community, and I understand their different cultural requirements, but you did make a statement that they did not know about the closure of McMillans Road General Cemetery. I am not trying to make a controversy over that fact, although I do know there was a lot of discussion with the Greek community over having a special site at Thorak because that was an exception to the rule. I do not believe there was going to be any sections of the cemetery for particular religious groups or particular cultural groups. It was going to be a cemetery and you were buried wherever. After much lobbying, the Thorak Cemetery committee, made up of the three councils, agreed that the Greek Orthodox could have a special area for their deceased.
What I find unusual is that that discussion was taking place and they did not know that the reason for changes to Thorak was partly because McMillans Road General Cemetery was being closed. I do not know whether there is a bit of conflict or whether some parts of the Greek community did not know what other parts of the Greek community were doing. I raise that because the Greek community does have a special area set aside at the Thorak Cemetery.
Lastly, I would be interested to know whether this government has discussed this matter with other councils. If so, have you received any feedback? I would be interested in those comments. It should not be forgotten that councils run cemeteries, not the government, and any changes passed today would affect them.
In conclusion, Madam Speaker, although this change in legislation is requiring our urgent attention, I believe the government should make a statement today that will begin a review of the Cemeteries Act so that the community, industry and local government can all have a say and put forward submissions.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Madam Speaker, I was not going to speak to the Cemeteries Amendment Bill 2005 until I heard the contributions of the members for Greatorex, Casuarina and Nelson.
I became involved with this particular amendment when, a few weeks ago, I was contacted at about 11.30 pm by a friend of mine who said: ‘I need to talk to you desperately about something’. I said to him: ‘Yes, what is it?’ I knew it was quite serious. He said a tragedy had happened in his family and his sister’s son has passed away. I listened to him. When I realised how serious the matter was and I said: ‘Okay, I will meet with you tomorrow’. I hung up, and he rang back and said: ‘I have to meet with you at 7 am tomorrow’. I said: ‘Yes, no worries’.
At 7 am, he arrived at my office with a family member and described his circumstances to me. He described what was restricting his family from being able to do what they wished to do. That conversation and those details touched me. At 7.30 am, I rang the minister and I told him the circumstances. He said there was another case going on at the same time, that he was aware of the situation, and he was dealing with it. I said to him: ‘The last thing I want you to understand from me is that all I see, with the bureaucracy - whether it is the Darwin City Council or NT government - this decision to change this amendment is about moving a piece of paper from one side of the desk to the other’. What I told him was that, to these families, this is something much more important. I asked him whether he understood that, and he said he did. I believed him.
Within the next couple of days, I spoke to a number of people from his office and also the member for Casuarina, as a member. It became apparent that there were issues to do with changing this particular act. However, the minister gave the undertaking to me that he was doing everything that he could to investigate what he could do. He came back to me within a couple of days and said: ‘This is how it is going to work out and this is where we are today in this process’. I said: ‘I can take this back to the family involved and explain to them that this is the quickest possible period of time within which you can act, and that you are going out on a limb because you understand that this is not merely an administrative issue, this is about families and people’.
I heard today the member for Nelson talk about the cost. I understand the point where he is coming from; he takes his responsibilities very seriously. However, what I would say to him is: when we talk about the costs at Thorak, what is the cost to the community in people’s last moments with us to have the family feel much better? What is the cost of making them happy or unhappy? I would argue that these amendments prove the persistence of the minister and I am sure we do not want to underestimate that. One of the conversations I had was that things could not be changed, but the minister pushed it and pushed it, and these are the options.
This is allowing a family to follow their last wishes, which is fantastic. I understand that the family that I was representing was satisfied with what we were attempting to do. This was a Greek family that I grew up with, played sport with, went to high school with, and they put it in terms of this was their cultural belief. Knowing the minister’s background, of course, and having his own cultural beliefs, which might be varying in this particular circumstance, he knew the position they were in and he understood this.
I say to the member for Nelson, it is a bureaucratic sort of change, moving a piece of paper from one side of the table to the other, but to these families it is much more than that. That is why I thank the member for Greatorex for his support as the opposition spokesperson.
Today we are passing a good law which takes into account that this is not all about the bureaucracy. This is about people and the value of people within the Northern Territory. We live in a very multicultural society and we all come from different backgrounds. This allows some of the community to follow some of their customs.
Every minister in this House, at different times over the next few years, when they have carriage of their duties, will have issues of whether, for bureaucratic policy reasons, to make certain decisions, and make decisions for the benefit of certain people. I did not look at this as a political exercise. I looked at it as a way to help people and I believe that every member in this House has an overwhelming urge to generally do that. Sometimes we have the capacity to do it; sometimes we do not.
I thank the minister for his efforts. From that conversation that I had with him at 7.30 in the morning, I knew that if there was a way to make these changes to satisfy the personal needs of these families and those who are no longer with us, that he would find a way. I thank the minister and recommend these amendments to the House.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, most of it has been said, but I acknowledge the work of my colleague, the Minister for Local Government, who has brought a prompt and compassionate response to what was seen as an intractable problem which caused great grief and great distress to families. He has been able to make sense of this otherwise intractable situation fairly quickly and brought forward a response that will get government, the department and families through what is always going to be a very difficult time, and that is the death and burial of loved ones.
As a principle, governments do not like to go to powers of ministerial discretion, for obvious reasons. It is much better to have clear guidelines, decisions made by departments at arm’s length, removed from ministerial discretion wherever possible. This is a situation that does require a compassionate and sensitive hand of a minister aware of the difficulties and problems of family might be facing and the ability, with a signature, to take away much of that grief.
I listened closely to the member for Nelson, and his suggestion of a review of the whole act. It may be timely. I know the Minister for Local Government has enough on his plate and I would not be pushing him to a review but it is a question he might look at a little bit further regarding the situation right across the board. I am taken with questions in indigenous communities, many of which have dedicated burial plots or cemeteries, but on many occasions they are not used. Bodies are placed elsewhere throughout the community, for cultural reasons no doubt, but it leaves one a little unsure sometimes of where one is stepping in terms of sacred ground where people have been buried in communities. If not a review, certainly there are questions in and around the whole act. It might not need a wholesale review and perhaps the member for Nelson might be well placed to write to the Minister for Local Government and put his concerns forward, and they might be able to be addressed without a widespread review.
This is the minister’s first piece of legislation, which is always an important moment in a ministerial career, and to be a sensitive and compassionate piece of legislation, brought forward in a prompt fashion, by this minister, I commend him for it. I thank the opposition for their recognition of the urgency of this and their support of the need to get it through on urgency, another thing that government does not like to do, but in this case very necessary.
Members: Hear hear!
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I thank all members who spoke this morning on this very important occasion on this important amendment. I thank the opposition spokesperson for local government for his support, and also the members for Nelson, Casuarina, Millner and Nhulunbuy. They were very thoughtful, considered and it goes without saying, supportive. Obviously, there have been a whole range of matters that have arisen in regards to this amendment and I will try to address those as they have arisen.
The member for Greatorex had some concerns that might apply in regards to the depth required in the new regulations. The member for Greatorex indicated that under the previous regulations, under the old conditions, there was 3’ 6” in the old terms between the coffin and the natural surface of the ground, and that under these new amendments we propose to allow a distance of 500 mm between the top of the coffin and the natural surface of the ground. As I understand it, under the new regulations there has to be some form of barrier imposed upon the new site. That advice was based on extensive consultations with people in Victoria, and the advice that I have is that this is more than appropriate. We have also had pretty extensive consultations with other areas of the Northern Territory government such as the Chief Medical Officer and the people from the Centre for Disease Control and Environmental Health.
Member for Greatorex, I would just like to assure you that we believe this particular regulation, which gives rise to the allowance of a second variable, or indeed a discretion on my part to determine that, is based on very sound advice. I hope that that overcomes some of your concerns.
Dr Lim: Can you give us Melbourne’s experience? What they did and what they found?
Mr McADAM: Madam Speaker, I do not have any actual personal experience of the situation that you refer to in Victoria. As I said to you, I asked for options from the department about how we might be able to accommodate the second burial which previously was not allowed. The department came back to me with advice in regards to this proposal. In all honesty I cannot tell you the whole background of the situation in Victoria, however, what I want to assure you is that this is commonplace. This regulation applies right throughout the state of Victoria. After appropriate consultation between officers of my department and officers in Victoria, we can be assured. It is the only reasonable way to respond to the situation we had. However, I just want to assure you that extensive consultations took place between officers of my department and people in Victoria regarding this whole matter. As I said, it is commonplace throughout Victoria. I hope that allays your concerns.
I note that some of the other speakers also raised some concerns, particularly the member for Nelson. I trust you will appreciate that I am not in a position to respond to all of those matters today, although I want to give you this assurance: we will do a review of the Cemeteries Act. We will commence that shortly. Clearly you have raised a number of concerns which warrant urgent consideration. In fact, I received a letter from the Lord Mayor of Darwin requesting just that. I have had discussions with officers of my department this morning and I intend to immediately move towards a review of the Cemeteries Act. I will give this undertaking to you, member for Greatorex, that the issues you have raised will also be considered as part of that review. Does that accommodate your …
Dr Lim: Do you mind going into committee for a few minutes? I do not want to hold you up.
Madam SPEAKER: Not yet. We have not done the second reading.
Mr McADAM: In regard to some of the other matters raised by the member for Greatorex, I am aware that this new amendment now applies to all cemeteries across the Territory. My advice is that it also includes some of the older cemeteries. As I say, the discretion lies with the minister and I know that I will provide professional stewardship of that discretion. Some of these issues can be dealt with in a review of the Cemeteries Act review which we will undertake.
The member for Nelson suggested that consultations only occurred with the Darwin City Council. You also mentioned Thorak. At the moment there is a committee talking about Thorak Cemetery and the ongoing arrangements with other councils. That will also give rise to a broader review of some of the issues that you have raised.
I cannot respond to all the queries but I give you this assurance that I will undertake that they will all be incorporated.
The member for Greatorex talked about a portion of land at the present Darwin General Cemetery. You asked whether we had the capacity to expand or extend that area. I cannot give you that answer because it is a matter for the Darwin City Council to address. I am aware, from the advice that I have, that there were some issues regarding a rock formation below the surface. I do not know whether that is possible. Obviously, that is something you might want to take up with the Darwin City Council.
There is also an issue raised by the members for Nelson and Greatorex regarding whether there had been any increased cost proposed. My advice is that, in the first instance, I do not believe there will be any costs. Under the arrangements, as I understand, the costs will be met by the families in question. I am talking about the initial cost of administration. Of course, if there are costs that might be incurred at some time in the future, that might impact on the Darwin City Council, we would be happy to have discussions with them.
At this stage, if you want to go into the committee stage, I would be happy to do that.
In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I thank all members for their contribution, which is much appreciated. I believe this will be very much appreciated by a large number of people in our community right throughout the Northern Territory, not only Darwin, who will now have the capacity to make application for a double burial site in a cemetery. You will be aware that this did not occur before. As other members have stated, it is something that I have had a fair bit of lobbying about. At the same time, I always knew if there was a way forward to meet the needs of family members who were going through a pretty traumatic time after the death of a loved one, at the very least, that would ease their pain and make their life a little easier and give them peace of mind.
I thank the people who worked very hard in my department who were able to find a way forward. I refer to Nick Scarvelis, who has done an excellent job over the last three to four weeks doing as much as he possibly could to get this done. I would also like to thank Kelly Rhodes from my department who also played an important role in liaising across agencies. Staff in my office also provided that link between the departments. Also, my office was open to family members in the community and members of my staff are always in a position to have a yarn to them.
This amendment is going to benefit a number of people throughout the Northern Territory. I would like to thank very much the Hogan family for their insight, support and patience. I trust that this legislation will make not only their lives a lot easier, but also the lives of a whole host of other families in the Northern Territory who will benefit from these changes.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
In committee:
Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.
Dr LIM: Minister, can you advise which cemeteries in the Northern Territory will be affected by this amendment?
Mr McADAM: Mr Chairman, as I stated previously, as a result of this amendment, the Darwin General Cemetery will be affected by it because prior to August 2003 there was no right for a double burial. Clearly, that would be impacted by this. Bearing in mind that, in all other cemeteries throughout the Northern Territory, there exists the capacity for an individual or a family member to be able to make an application in respect to an exclusive right. That already exists. I also said that there may be other cemeteries and, frankly, I do not know which they are, but there are those other cemeteries that might be closed at this point which will also be impacted by this legislation. In other words, that gives the capacity for family, friends or an individual to make an application in regards to an existing closed cemetery. Did that answer your question?
Dr LIM: Thank you for that explanation, that helps to some degree. The words I was searching for earlier were the exclusive right of burial. I know that there are several sites still available at the Memorial Drive cemetery in Alice Springs. I wonder whether it is important that government identifies which cemeteries continue to have exclusive rights of burial sites, which would allow families who have those exclusive rights the opportunity to apply to the minister for multiple burials also. Otherwise, it appears that this debate is centred around the cemetery at McMillans Road but, in fact, this legislation applies Territory-wide. We need to identify and let people know.
Mr McADAM: This amended legislation will now apply to all those cemeteries throughout the Northern Territory that are presently closed. There will be the capacity, at some time in the future, for people to make that application. Regarding the existing cemetery, there is a capacity for an individual family member to make an application for a double burial now. As I said to you, this particular amendment relates specifically to closed cemeteries. It follows that, subject to this legislation being passed, that the discretion will lie with the minister. Does that clear it up?
Dr LIM: Yes, it does, thank you. I commend you for taking on this job on yourself. That is a very brave act to commit yourself to, and I commend you for that.
The next question is: you gave me some assurance that having 500 mm between the ground level to the top of the coffin with a concrete slab just above the coffin upon which the dirt will be heaped, is common practice in Victoria. When your officers went to do the research in Victoria, did they come back with a report advising on seepage and leakage or leeching in the dirt? Was that provided to you? Are you comfortable that all those issues were addressed; that we are not going to be faced with hygiene issues at a later date? Let me give you an example. In Alice Springs, at the Memorial Drive cemetery, because it has been there for so long, many of the coffins have collapsed. The ground has collapsed into the cavity left by the collapsed coffin and the concrete slabs that are placed on top of the gravesite have collapsed into the pit, thus the surface of the cemetery is no longer flat.
Whilst under this regulation the sides are going to be shored, it is only shored on the upper bits, not all six feet is going to be shored unless – well, it is not clear in the regulation. I see from the actions of your officers they are going to be shored right up. If you are going to have concrete or brick shoring of the pit right down to the very bottom that would be fine, but it does not quite say that. I seek your explanation.
Mr McADAM: Member for Greatorex, I ask that you bear with me so that I can just get the appropriate regulation which deals with the issue that you …
Dr Lim: Right down at the bottom.
Mr McADAM: Mr Chairman, in response to the member for Greatorex, I think you are expressing some concerns regarding health implications that might result from this. My department has had discussions with a range of experts - and I have already mentioned to you who they were: the Chief Medical Officer, the Centre for Disease Control, and Environmental Health Office. They have all assured us and they have assured officers of my department that there are no implications.
The other issue you raised was to do with the regime that will apply to the new regulations. Previously there was 3'6" between the top of the second vessel to the natural surface, and with the new regulations it allows for a distance of 500 mm from the existing vessel to the natural surface.
Dr Lim: 500 mm.
Mr McADAM: 500 mm. However, when you put your concrete layer on top of the coffin, then that takes it up to a distance of 750 mm, as I understand it. Also, under the new arrangements, the vessel will have to be shored up on the sides. There will need to be some sort of encasement of either cement or brick on the sides, and also there will be a requirement to place brick or cement across the top of the coffin as well. That is a practice that occurs right throughout Victoria and I am satisfied that all necessary precautions are being taken to address the health issues.
You described the sinking of the structures on top of the grave site. That happens all the time. I do not know whether it has to do with a technical problem. I do not know all the details in regard to that, however, it is overcome by this new arrangement with the vessel being able to be shored up on the sides and also the requirement to place some form of sealed structure – cement, concrete, bricks – on top of the coffin.
Dr LIM: Thank you, minister. Let me try to do this in a practical way if I can. If I have an exclusive right of burial in one particular plot, the first coffin can go in down to about eight feet into the ground. With the expectation that that pit will now accommodate my family of four people, can I apply for that?
Mr McADAM: Under an exclusive right?
Dr LIM: Yes, under an exclusive right. That first coffin will be in the pit. Would the shoring of the walls of the pit be done prior to the first burial, and would it be done right down to the very bottom of the pit? No, okay, all right. Then the second coffin comes along. I am still well below the 500mm depth, so that is fine. Do I need to shore up the walls?
Mr McADAM: In respect of the second?
Dr LIM: For the second burial.
Mr McADAM: Yes.
Dr LIM: Yes, and for the second burial the walls of the pit would need to be shored up to the depth of the top of the second coffin - and I see an officer shaking his head. Is that correct, minister?
Mr McADAM: You said from the top of the top coffin, do you want to just continue on?
Dr LIM: What I am saying is with the second coffin now being buried is it a requirement that the walls of the pit now be shored up from the ground level to the level that is the same as the top of the second coffin? Or do you go down to the level of the first coffin?
Mr McADAM: Member for Greatorex, my understanding is that it only applies to the second coffin, so it, in effect, would be entombed. It would be placed in at a minimum of not less that 500 mm. There would be this requirement to then shore up the sides, and also place this structure, which I have described as a brick, concrete or cement, across the top. As long as the distance between that and the natural surface is 500 mm, that is fine.
Dr LIM: No, obviously I did not make my self clear. The first coffin is now down in the pit, down to 8 feet. The first coffin is placed in at 8 feet, following an exclusive right to burial, so that is not an issue. The second coffin comes along to be placed in the same pit. What I am asking is to what level do the walls of the pit need to be shored up? To the top of the second coffin or to the top of the first coffin?
Mr McADAM: My understanding is it is from the top of the first coffin, so it contains the second vessel.
Dr LIM: All right, good. I understand.
Mr McADAM: It does need to incorporate the first.
Dr LIM: A couple of more questions, Mr Chairman. How soon after the first burial can the second burial take place? Any time? There are no time restrictions? For instance, one partner of a couple passes away and, within weeks, the partner also succumbs. Can you immediately excavate and put the second coffin in? There is no time limit?
Mr McADAM: I take it that your question is what is the time frame in respect to the second burial?
Dr LIM: The second burial.
Mr McADAM: Under this new legislation, obviously, I cannot give you a time frame because it goes back quite some time, remember, because people did not have the right for a second burial under this legislation. I do not think time frames apply at all in respect to this legislation, or to all those closed cemeteries as well.
In regards to the requirements under those cemeteries that presently allow exclusive rights, I cannot give you those details because that is something that the Darwin City Council or the Alice Springs Town Council would have terms and conditions, and regulations for. I do not know precisely the length of time that is required.
My advice is that, in regards to Victoria - councils are going to have to take this up themselves - there is no time frame. Apparently, there appears to be no slippage at this point in time. I hope that answers your question because, in regards to closed cemeteries, there is a set of different circumstances. Of course, in regards to the existing exclusive right, who knows? I cannot give you a time frame.
Dr LIM: Finally, how do you define family members? How far do you extend the family? Different cultures have different extended families. Under your stewardship of this, you are going to be the one who is going to sign off on multiple burials. How will you define what family is?
Mr McADAM: It is a very reasonable question. It is incumbent on me and would probably be irresponsible if I did not go down this path. Clearly, it is in respect to the application from the family. The discretion lies with me and I am going to have to be able to have to make that decision. I do not want to be prescriptive at this stage but, clearly, the intent is for family. That is important to understand. I am not going to be prescriptive in how we might define ‘family’ at this stage. I assure you that, before making a decision, very much subject to the application in question, I would take every reasonable means to ensure that it fitted within what I would describe as a reasonable request. That is something that I am going to have to deal with as a minister. Obviously, I am going to take advice from my department, and I am going to take advice from other community groups if it is of a cultural nature. I am very conscious of it but I do not want to be prescriptive in terms of what takes place.
Dr LIM: It is good to hear that you will not be prescriptive. In different cultures, whether it be indigenous, Chinese, Greek, the extended family situation is very different. For instance, Dr Wilfred Win Law and I are not related by any means. He was born in Burma, I was born in Malaysia, but we are family. That is my concern. How do you define it? Cultural aspects will come into this in a major way. I, again, ask you to at least set some guidelines so that people applying for it do not face the trauma, at the time they apply, believing that they are family, suddenly to be told by the minister they are not.
It needs some, at least, loose guidelines, to give people some guidance, otherwise I believe it will give you a lot of heartache, number one, and number two, a lot of people will suffer the trauma of being rejected because you do not believe they are family, whereas they believe they are family and you are getting white fella advisors to tell you.
Mr McADAM: Member for Greatorex, as I said, I do not intend to be prescriptive at this point because I need to take further advice on that. Obviously, the department will also have a look at it. I do not want to be prescriptive at this stage and, off the top of my head, lock out or lock in any reasonable applications. The department will review this particular matter and, hopefully, we will be able to establish a set of guidelines at some time in the future which might be able to accommodate and set some certainty for those people who might wish to make application.
Mr WOOD: Minister, just going on from what you said there, whilst I understand the term ‘family’ can be very broad, would it also be your intention to make sure that grave sites were not sold off to people who obviously were not in the family. In other words, someone could sell a site, as occasionally happens. People ask for a site to bury within a closed cemetery. The intention of this act is really to deal with family as we are generally thinking: husband, wife, daughter, son. As you are the person who is going to make the decision, would you be allowing someone who could buy a plot from someone so that they could be buried that cemetery? There may not be a relation in that site; they might just want to be buried in that cemetery. Would that be allowed under this?
Mr McADAM: I am not to sure where you are coming from, member for Nelson. Could you repeat that?
Mr WOOD: The intention is that we are trying to accommodate families who wish to be buried in the same plot.
Mr McADAM: Yes.
Mr WOOD: But there is nothing in here I can find that says ‘this is an exclusive right of families’. Unless you can show me somewhere in the act where it says that double burials or multiple burials only apply to the same family in that grave. In other words, could someone come along to a family and say: ‘I would like to be put in that grave because I want to be in this cemetery’?
Mr McADAM: In an existing grave?
Mr WOOD: In the existing grave as a multiple burial.
Members interjecting.
Mr CHAIRMAN: Order!
Mr WOOD: What I am trying to find out is, is there a limitation on those who could apply because the act does …
Mr McADAM: Mr Chairman, for all reasonable purposes the intent is for family and people close to that particular family. As I said to you, I do not want to be too prescriptive. We will work on that. If you are referring to the fact that there is an existing set of circumstances where, under this amendment, someone can come to me for a double burial in the cemetery that we refer to, why would I want to do that? To me, there must be some connection between the person making the application and the person who is being buried. I am not too sure where you are coming from.
Mr WOOD: That is fine. I know there are some people over there having serious problems with it. I was just saying that in the act it does not say that. I was just saying that it is your intention …
Mr Stirling: Does not mean you can do it!
Mr WOOD: It is your intention that that is what you are going to do. It is for families. That is all I was trying to get at. I just got it on record because that is all I am asking.
The other question was: I had not seen this set of regulations which is a pity, so I have had to go on a telephone conversation I had. Is this design based on the Victorian design, and are there any problems with that design in places like the Top End where you get large volumes of rainfall? Has this been designed for a drier climate like Melbourne or somewhere else, and is it a suitable design for the Top End?
Mr McADAM: Member for Nelson, the regulations that will apply are based on the Victorian model, and I am assured that under the Victorian model it is applicable and it is appropriate to the Northern Territory. There was a suggestion in this morning’s paper, I am not too sure where it comes from, that the Darwin General Cemetery closed as a result of flooding. That is what I understand having read this morning’s paper. That is not the case at all. That was not ever the reason.
Officers of my department have had discussions with the environmental health people and my advice is that it is a very safe and it is a very secure response to the issue of the double burials; other than those that exist under the old regime by even 7'6". I cannot tell you if there is going to be a big cyclone that hits Darwin in three of four years, or if there is a flood and whether that will be impacted upon, but I can with a degree of certainty suggest, subject to there not being a massive national disaster, that is, a flood or a cyclone or an earthquake, that I am absolutely certain that these new regulations will be more than appropriate.
Bill, as printed, agreed to.
Bill to be reported without amendment.
Bill reported; report adopted.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise you of the presence in the gallery of members of the NT Cancer Council, the NT Breast Cancer Voice and Dragons Abreast NT. I also advise honourable members of visitors for Business Month from Darwin and Palmerston. On behalf of all honourable members I offer you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Ms MARTIN: (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I know that we had a motion on this issue last week, however, this is an important motion, and one that I would like to move, as it is very specific to what we are seeking to highlight today.
Madam Speaker, I move –
That is the heart of what we are talking about in this motion. This parliament in the last day of sittings in October is going to call - I hope unanimously - on the four members in our Commonwealth parliament to make sure that they vote down the proposed nuclear waste legislation from the Commonwealth government. This is a draconian piece of legislation that steamrolls the Territory’s rights and will override our own legislation to establish a nuclear waste dump in the Territory. It is a critical issue that this parliament, along with Territorians, has taken seriously.
Never before have members of this legislature been faced with an issue that strikes at the heart of its very existence. I do not say that lightly. Last week, Canberra introduced draconian legislation that took a sledgehammer to Territorians’ basic democratic rights. Never before has the Commonwealth parliament attempted to override the democratic rights we have held since self-government. Not even during the euthanasia debate did the Commonwealth government take such extreme and unprecedented action. There are some people who are trying to muddy the waters by comparing what happened with the euthanasia bill to what Canberra is trying to do now. I need to say to this House that they are not the same. They are like chalk and cheese.
The euthanasia bill that was passed in this Assembly, and then overturned in the Commonwealth parliament, was a private member’s bill. It was a private member’s bill promoted by one member of parliament which resulted in getting the majority through the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, comparing that with what Canberra is planning to do and using it as some form of perverse justification is wrong. This is a very different situation. What we are seeing today is a deliberate dismantling of our rights as a self-government by another level of government.
Ms CARNEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Sorry, Chief Minister, just a point of qualification. Where is that motion? Is that to be circulated?
Ms MARTIN: It is probably on its way right now, Leader of the Opposition.
Madam Speaker, the severity of the actions proposed by Canberra’s legislation is unparalleled. It removes our right to appeal or review the decision they make on where they build a nuclear waste dump for Commonwealth nuclear waste. It overrides our existing environmental heritage and land rights legislation and, specifically, the legislation that we passed here in this House to stop this happening. It opens up every piece of land in the Territory to be considered for a nuclear waste dump, whether it is freehold, leasehold, native title land, or pastoral lands. They can now be considered.
It is a direct attack on our rights of self-determination, self-rule and self-government. It goes to the heart of that. No matter what people think about the issue of a nuclear dump, we should all be alarmed at the erosion of our democratic rights. No longer is this a simple matter of whether a dump should be built; we are now faced with a deliberate attack on rights to make decisions and to govern for ourselves.
However, it saddens me deeply that not all of the elected representatives of the Territory are as passionate as we feel about the Territory, its lands, its people and its fundamental democratic rights. The truth is that this legislation can be stopped - stopped dead in its tracks - by one person. That person is the CLP’s representative in the Senate, Senator Nigel Scullion. Senator Scullion has the deciding vote in the Senate on this matter. Even though he does not seem to understand that, or is making public statements that it is not really up to him to vote to stop this legislation, in fact it is. He has that deciding vote.
For those who might not have heard, let me state the point again, for it is vital and it goes to the very heart of this matter: Senator Scullion has the deciding vote in the Senate on this matter. Senator Scullion - despite what Dave Tollner, the member for Solomon, the Leader of the Opposition, and CLP members opposite say - does have the power to stop this legislation in its tracks. I am very pleased to see that the Leader of the Opposition has finally got right the Senate voting intentions, going on radio and saying that she thought the Democrats and Labor were going to be supporting the government on this legislation …
Ms Carney: We were at cross purposes, and you know it.
Ms MARTIN: … supporting the federal government. It indicated either ignorance or confusion at the time …
Ms Carney: Misheard the question.
Ms MARTIN: I can quote what you said, Leader of the Opposition. You said:
Let me just make it very clear that the Greens, the Democrats and the Labor Party are not supporting this legislation. That is unequivocal. There is no support there.
The critical person in all this is the CLP’s Senate representative, Nigel Scullion - absolutely critical person. Senator Scullion has, on many occasions, publicly stated that he would vote against the legislation. Even as late as 19 August he said on ABC radio that he would cross the floor and vote against any legislation that would force a dump on the Territory. I do not know how much clearer he can make his intentions. Those were his intentions in August when he said, without hesitation and without qualifying, that he would cross the floor and vote against any legislation that forced a dump on the Territory.
In case he has forgotten those words - and I can guarantee that no one else in the Territory has forgotten them - I will remind him. Senator Scullion says he has crossed the floor to vote against the dump in the past and will continue to do so in the future:
Very clear. That was August. I know time moves on. One would think that the man who is charged by the CLP to represent the Territory’s interest in the Senate would not change his mind so quickly, particularly when it is against CLP policy. The CLP policy is to not allow a dump of this kind in the Territory. One would think the party president, Paul Bunker, the other officeholders, and perhaps even the members in this House, would be up in arms against somebody so critical to our future simply walking away from that very strong commitment he gave in August.
We saw what happened in the stronger days of the CLP when Senator Grant Tambling did not do what was considered the appropriate thing, to stand up for the Territory in the Senate. He did not vote against the then government, the current government, on a bill to do with interactive gaming. What the CLP then do? They disendorsed him. They took very strong action. The CLP, when it had some courage, when it insisted that its members actually abide by the policies that were in place, simply disendorsed him. He did not get another go. That was his mistake, and he was gone.
This is exactly the same. The CLP, its parliamentary wing and its executive, should be demanding exactly the same from Senator Nigel Scullion. There is precedent for this, and a party with any commitment to the Territory, a party with any intestinal fortitude and backbone, would be demanding that from one of its members.
Let us come to where Nigel Scullion is now. Last night on ABC television, Senator Scullion seemed to indicate that he did not think his vote counted, that even if he wanted to cross the floor and vote against this legislation, it would still pass. I state again what the situation is. I know I did it in Question Time, but it is very important. We have the Senator for the Northern Territory who is not a novice at this; he has been in the Senate for three years now. He should actually know what the voting is, and his vote counts. The maths is: 76 Senators and a bill needs 39 votes to be passed. Senator Scullion is that 39th vote. He sits with the Nationals and is part of the conservative vote in the Senate. All he has to do is not vote on that bill, cross the floor, not support the government, and the vote goes down. The vote goes down and Senator Scullion has done what he should be doing in standing up for the Northern Territory.
Not only is it about the nuclear dump, but it is about the federal government’s ability to just steamroll our legislation and the wishes of Territorians. If Senator Scullion does what he should do and crosses the floor, the vote will give the Territory back its independence. Senator Scullion does not have to rely on what we are saying in this House to realise how important that vote is.
Let us go back to the recent review of the CLP done by former Chief Minister, Shane Stone. It is very interesting reading, but I shall not quote from the more interesting parts, I am going to quote the …
A member: Go on.
Ms MARTIN: No, this is a serious motion that we are talking about, Territory rights. As part of that review done of the CLP following the June election, Shane Stone said:
That is a very strong statement, and that is part of the review by Shane Stone of the CLP. I seem to remember that, in interviews, the now Leader of the Opposition, the CLP leader, said that she would have this document by her side, attached, probably on her desk, with these statements guiding her and her party into the future. One wonders where those statements are when you have such a strong statement from the man charged with reviewing the CLP, a former Chief Minister, saying: ‘Federal members have a unique opportunity to stand up for the Territory and vigorously support CLP policies where it matters’.
It goes to the heart of the issue and the heart of this motion. Stand up for the Territory, that is what we are asking, that is what Territorians are asking Senator Scullion to do, and vigorously support CLP policy where it matters. How much more can it matter now? CLP policy is not to have a federal nuclear waste dump in the Territory so you could not even have it more clearly spelt out.
For Senator Scullion the facts are very plain. The CLP says it does oppose this legislation and I am hoping that joining in this motion today will clearly demonstrate that, despite the comments we hear during Question Time: Oh, another question about the nuclear waste dump. There is a lot of whinging and whining about seeing this as the key issue that Territorians face at the moment. The Leader of the Opposition says she opposes the legislation. The people of the Territory oppose this legislation and are letting us know loud and strong. I certainly hope those calls are going into the Opposition Leader’s office and I hope those calls are going to both the member for Solomon and the CLP Senator for the Northern Territory’s office as well.
Senator Scullion should heed Shane Stone’s words and should stand up for the Territory, but I suppose we should not be too surprised that Senator Scullion seems to be weakening. We had his strong statement that he would not support the bill. Then we had his strong statements that even though the bill was disgusting - and it was interesting: in a radio interview that is what he said. I would like to quote this because this is the bill that we have Senator Scullion currently not opposing. He was talking on 8DDD on 18 August and said – no, it wasn’t 18 August, I have the wrong grab there – but he did, he described this legislation, yes, I have the right bit, the 13th of this month talking on ABC radio he said:
that is, bring this legislation in, and goes on to talk about why he thinks it is disgusting but then says, oh but I am going to vote for it.
How does he define disgusting? If something is disgusting, I think it would irk everybody in this House to support it and we certainly heard that approach from people in debate over the years here. If something irks them and they think it is poor policy and it is going to be detrimental to the interest of Territorians, maybe they have not called it disgusting but disgusting wraps up an attitude, and you would not support it. On one hand you have Senator Scullion saying: ‘It’s disgusting what this bill is doing, but don’t mind me, I think I might vote for it’. It is a real hypocrisy and a real contradiction. Territorians will not forgive this and that is very clear. Territorians will not forgive this behaviour if Senator Scullion does not cross the floor. And will not forgive it of the Country Liberal Party.
I have been trying to understand what has clouded Senator Scullion’s thinking and it is a difficult one. He has said he will not support it, he said he will support it, and he has to support it because - and it is a very pertinent point to make today - women in the Territory will not be able to get treatment for breast cancer, for example, or for other cancers. It certainly something, as I have spoken to people, that they have become alarmed about. Is there a connection between not supporting the establishment of a federal nuclear waste facility and them not being able to get treatment for cancer? Well, it is rubbish.
It is rubbish and in his contribution today to this motion, the Minister for Health will be spelling out why that is not the case. The arguments that we have heard both from Senator Scullion and the member for Solomon on this link between health standards - and it was Senator Scullion, or the member for Solomon, who described we would be sinking into third world health standards if we did not have this facility, are fatuous arguments and, what is worse is, they are wrong. We will hear more from the Minister for Health on why that is the case.
This is a simple motion. It is not a complex motion. It says that this House - I am hoping unanimously - calls upon all our federal representatives not to vote for a piece of legislation that is going to trample on the rights of Territorians that have been in place since 1978. We know that the federal government can override our legislation. However, we hope that the Prime Minister would stick by his words when he said he would respect us and respect our legislation as if we were a state. Silly old us, we believed him. We believed that this was the case. If the words of the federal government have now been abandoned, then what we need is our federal representatives to stand up for us. I am confident that the member for Lingiari who has been very loud and clear - and thrown out of the parliament once on this - is not going to vote for this legislation. The Labor Party Senator, Trish Crossin, is not going to vote for the legislation.
This motion today is clearly targeted at the Country Liberal Party’s representatives. We know how the others are going to vote. This is a clear message for the CLPs representatives, the member for Solomon, Dave Tollner and Senator Nigel Scullion, whose vote is critical. We know that there is a margin in the votes in the House of Representatives. I think it 14. That is going to be a challenge for us, although in the Senate, Senator Scullion holds the key. He can vote down this legislation and this is what this motion is calling on him to do today: listen to Territorians. Be in tune, be in touch with Territorians, do not allow yourself as a member of parliament to allow the rights of Territorians to be overridden. Follow CLP policy, the guidance, the instructions, I hope, of your party to carry through with party policy and not support this draconian legislation which is going to be debated within the next month.
There is an urgency about this. It is going to be debated within the next month in the federal parliament. The clear call from this parliament today is: Senator Scullion, cross the floor, remember what you are in Canberra to do, and make sure this legislation that tramples on our Territorian rights does not get up and that we will not be considered to be the convenient dumping place for a nuclear waste facility.
There are many more arguments. We put a lot of those last week. It is clear today this is a motion that says to Senator Nigel Scullion remember what your responsibilities are, remember who put you in the Senate and do not let Territorians down at this critical time.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Mr Deputy Speaker, another academy award winning performance from the Chief Minister. Her American equivalent of Logies must really be stacking up.
This is political grandstanding. It can be called nothing else. The gallery is cleared, the media have gone, and your own members, so many of them, are not even here, such is the level of interest …
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, you know it offends standing orders to refer to the presence or otherwise of members.
Ms CARNEY: Can I seek clarification on that? I understood it was ‘a member’. I will just get my standing orders. Perhaps you can get some advice although I note the Clerk is not here.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Do you wish to have the clock stopped, Leader of the Opposition?
Ms CARNEY: Oh no, life is too short to be consumed by such minor matters and it shows the prickliness of the government when some of their ranks are clearly showing a lack of interest in this debate.
Much of what the Chief Minister had to say was said in the parliament last week. She said it at every opportunity. Probably when she is showering in the morning she gets her lines ready so that at every opportunity she can go out and talk about it. She has made her position clear. I have made mine abundantly clear. I have no intention whatsoever of sinking to the cheap, political grandstanding depths of tackling the issues again raised in this motion.
I would, however, like to make a couple of points that we did not make last week - some new matters. Some members, I hope, will be aware of an e-mail that was sent from minister Burns’ office yesterday afternoon, as I understand, to the Territory’s public servants - many of them, not all of them, but an awful lot of them - from a minister of the Crown’s office. Attached to that e-mail headed ‘Nuclear Waste Dump’ was a copy of the advertisement that the Chief Minister saw fit, in her wisdom or otherwise, to place in the Northern Territory News. In other words, this government is bombarding its public servants with political advertising. It was a concern - and I know that many other people share my view - that the Chief Minister, on ABC radio earlier this week, said that she did not know how much the advertising in the NT News was going to cost. Apparently, she did not really care but, by God, she was going to do it. That is one issue. To instruct your ministers to send this stuff around to public servants is disgraceful.
I come again to Labor’s Good Government document that was prepared prior to the 2001 election. I have not looked at the web site to see whether it still exists, but I have a hard copy here. Back then, when members of the Australian Labor Party Northern Territory Branch seemed to exhibit a little more integrity and guts than they do these days, in this document they talked about the public service. They said:
It went on to say:
Etcetera, etcetera. It talked about the integrity of the public service.
What we are seeing here is a bastardisation of the public service, courtesy of the Australian Labor Party. Many public servants obviously voted for you. I know, because we have received phone calls that people are seriously unhappy about what you blokes have done, and it is a disgrace and you should be ashamed about yourselves.
I am also aware - and, of course, who would not be? - of the government money that is also being spent as announced by the Treasurer in Alice Springs three or four weeks ago. He went on to 8HA, the local commercial radio station and said:
We have government ministers bombarding the public service and an endless, it seems, willingness to spend buckets of money. The ad in the paper yesterday – what? - $3000 or 4000. God knows how many more of them we are going to see. We have a market research company - and everybody know that they do not come cheap. We have also had the Chief Minister sending letters to all and sundry. I respect your right to believe in what you believe in - good on you! In terms of the issues, there is no separation. However, what I and Territorians resent - and you are smart enough to know this - is you spending their money trying to make your political position better. You used to be better than that!
Ms Martin: It is your political position, I thought! It is the parliament’s political position!
Ms CARNEY: You used to be better than that and you changed!
Ms Martin: No!
Ms CARNEY: You all changed! You all used to be holier than thou and you used to talk about good governance and how you were going to save the Territory from all the oppression that was administered by the CLP for 26 years. Well, if the CLP did this, you would be getting your lot to march in the streets, exhibiting their disgust - and you used the word before earlier. Sorry, Mr Deputy Speaker, through you. The Chief Minister earlier used the word disgusting. What is disgusting is the way this government is exercising political grandstanding at its worst; spending Territorians’ hard-earned money getting their political rocks off over this issue so ...
Ms Lawrie: Are you supporting Johnnie Howard?
Ms CARNEY: I always know when I am on the right track because you always get noisy, so thanks for that indication.
While I am on the Good Government document, fascinating, noble read that it is, we all know that there was a motion and many people had a bit of a go last week on the motion. It is very clear we surprised the government and, of course, we derived a level of pleasure from that. We surprised the government by being so supportive of the motion. Whatever you do, never play poker because you give yourselves away all the time. So we gazumped you on that and what do you is you are coming in here to try to have another go, saying: ‘Oh, that didn’t work out very politically well for us. The CLP actually supported us. Hmm! Next week, why don’t we rip in here and waste more Territorians’ money and resources by using up time in this Chamber to go over the same issues again?’ Territorians are not dumb, they will appreciate this for what it is, nothing more than grandstanding.
In the Good Government document, at page 6: ‘the primary role of the Legislative Assembly is to make laws for the good of the people’. Apparently, the progress of legislation is not given the attention or priority it deserves. Much of parliament’s time currently revolves around the use or misuse of ministerial statements. Many provide little real information for the citizens of the Northern Territory, are highly political in nature, and are followed with a multitude of speakers from the government’s side of the House. Well, you know, hello, this is your motion. You are doing the same thing that you, only a few years ago, were so highly critical of. You are getting your political rocks off. No doubt, this is good for the Chief Minister’s ever expanding ego and I wish her well, but isn’t it interesting how members on the government side have changed.
This is grandstanding. This is politicking and it is tiresome. If the Chief Minister wants to play these sorts of games, I simply say go for it, you have the numbers in this parliament by a country mile, you have absolute control of this parliament, we will not be a part of it. Chief Minister, if you and your colleagues …
Mr Henderson: So you do not support the motion?
Ms CARNEY: I would go pretty gently if I were you, minister for Police, you have already dropped yourself in it once this week.
Mr Henderson: You do not support the motion?
Ms CARNEY: If you and your colleagues want to talk about this all day and all night to get your political rocks off, then you are certainly able to do so. It is your intention to do so and there is nothing we can do to stop it.
I am on the Parliamentary Record as per the debate last week, and since then, as to what my and my colleagues’ position is on this matter generally. The motion is political. You did not like what happened last week, so you are giving it another go. Well, good on you. Talk about it for as long and as hard as you like, but do not insult my intelligence. Do not insult the intelligence of Territorians by coming in here and telling them that this is a really worthwhile exercise. With all the money you are spending getting your message up in almost every form of media possible in the Northern Territory, some people who have some regard for the parliamentary process would have thought that that was enough.
My view is that it is overkill. I am sure many Territorians agree with me. But, you are in here, you are having another go. Well, good on you. We can be here for as long as you like. I am not due to go home until Sunday as it so happens, so when you finish, when you want to get back to the business of the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory let us know and I will come back.
Dr TOYNE (Health): Mr Deputy Speaker, it is interesting, isn’t it, that I once again follow the member for Araluen on a debate in this House during these sittings where she arrogantly dismisses a matter that we have brought here that is of huge importance to Territorians? We heard her regarding the telecommunications motion yesterday; we are now hearing about what is probably the number one issue of concern in the community at the moment. I do not believe we can leave any stone unturned in looking at ways of defending Territorians’ rights in this issue and I, for one, am very strongly in support of the Chief Minister’s motion.
I would like to give an additional layout of why I am so passionate about this issue. I was out at Yuendumu last Saturday opening the Warlukurlangu Arts Centre. Nigel Scullion was due to open it but he did not turn up. I wonder why? I saw 300 people, half of whom were the Warlpiri people based at Yuendumu and using the Tanami Road on a daily basis, who were absolutely appalled and anxious about the antics of the federal government. They would have loved to have talked to Nigel Scullion and told him just how high their levels of concern were about copping a nuclear waste dump on their road home. They are very aware of an even more affected individual and that is Steve McCormack.
Steve McCormack’s house is about 500 metres from where this facility would be going, if it goes to the most likely spot which is the radar receiving station on the Tanami Road just after it leaves the Stuart Highway. Steve McCormack is the traditional owner of that piece of country. His traditional country is going to be turned into poison country for quarter of a million years. I cannot imagine what that must mean to him as a traditional owner looking after his country in that particular area. His concerns are equally shared by the rest of the Arrernte clan groups that have country around that area, people like Betty Pearce and her family.
For the Leader of the Opposition to say this is political grandstanding is the height of arrogance; to dismiss this as being a waste of time in the parliament when you have thousands of signatures on petitions, where you have rallies happening all over the Northern Territory, where you have people expressing very legitimate concerns about a proposal that they have had absolutely no part in.
I would like to use that ground level concern to appeal to Senator Scullion. I will contribute to the details of the way this proposal has been presented to the world by the federal government. If Nigel Scullion thought about the people that I know for a fact he enjoys going out and working with around the country - I have been out with Senator Scullion on many occasions into remote communities dealing with issues that are of concern, particularly in his days with the Seafood Council, we have been out there talking to indigenous people, respecting their right to speak for their country and to be concerned about it. I believe that Nigel Scullion cannot be acting with any due regard for what he knows absolutely would be in the minds of people around the parts of the Territory who will be affected by this. He would have to be abrogating his own conscience to take this cynical line in the debate in the federal parliament. Surely he can recall some of the very important meetings we have shared with traditional owners in places like Borroloola and Alice Springs. Surely he can respond to his own feelings of loyalty to those people.
I would like to update members on aspects of this debate that I have been asked to pay particular regard to, and that is the totally fallacious claims of Dave Tollner and Senator Scullion regarding the relationship between this nuclear waste dump proposal and the treatment of cancer patients throughout Australia. The case being put forward is that if we do not put a nuclear waste dump in, in very short order, the treatment of cancer patients throughout Australia is going to be put at risk. This is a very serious claim that certainly needed to be fully examined and as a Health minister I would not be letting a claim like that go unheeded. The last thing that I would be prepared to stand by and see is the treatment of cancer patients in the Northern Territory threatened by any action by any government, whether it be our own or the federal government in this case.
I have been seeking expert advice. We have been seeking out the foremost experts in nuclear medicine around Australia and in nuclear physics. Just today we met with the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine, the ACPSEM, and, in particular, Associate Professor Lyn Oliver, president of that body; Associate Professor Donald McLean, radiology specialty chair at the ACPSEM; Mr Paul Cardew, the Nuclear Specialty Chair; Associate Processor Lee Collins, Radiologist Accreditation Panel Chair; and Mr Stame George, Radiation Protection Officer at the Royal North Shore Hospital. There is a group that should know whether these claims are relevant or not.
The first thing that they pointed out was that if you are going to talk about providing services for the treatment of cancer patients you have to talk about diagnosis and treatment. There are two ways in which radiopharmaceuticals might come in to play in the treatment.
To summarise the information that we were provided during this briefing, they told me that there is absolutely no relationship between access to treatment with radiopharmaceuticals and the establishment of a nuclear dump in the Territory. There is a very firm statement refuting the argument that has been put forward by the CLP federal members. Senator Nigel Scullion quite clearly in the light of that is attempting to hold people of the Territory to ransom by making a false relationship between two things that are not related. The members of the ACPSEM told me that there would be no insurmountable obstacles for the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses using radioisotopes.
These materials can be imported and are imported when maintenance requires Lucas Heights to close. This is the situation that we deal with now and would deal with in the future if that was necessary. The logistics of transport of these materials around Australia is the only issue in ensuring the safety and reliability of treatment and diagnoses of patients. That is something that applies right now. Whether these materials are generated in Sydney in the national reactor, or whether they are imported from overseas, it is the logistics which are the issues that need to be solved to provide these treatments throughout Australia in our hospitals.
I would like to now tease out some of the things that we can say about the two elements. First of all, the treatment itself: this was the target of Nigel Scullion’s and Dave Tollner’s assertions. What is the treatment? The fact is that the substances used to treat cancer patients, in the main, are generated by one or two reactors for the global supply. The Canadian-based company, Nordion, supplies isotopes to over 100 countries and the UK-based company, Amersham, supplies over 150 countries. Many Australian facilities already buy their isotopes from these companies as they are cheaper than the locally produced isotopes from Lucas Heights.
Generally, the amount of nuclear material that comes from an oncology unit can be stored quite easily and quite safely at the hospital, in a secure environment, due to its short half-life. The three main types of treatment in oncology units generate very little radioactive waste:
There are no problems there with the continued use of radiopharmaceuticals for the treatment of diagnosed cancer. The group that we talked to today said that hospitals are developing methods of transporting radiopharmaceuticals in a form that have longer half-lives and then generating short half-life materials that are used in the treatment at the hospital. They use a very simple device called a generator which simply mixes the parent isotope with saline solution and produces the short half-life treatment isotope. The assertion that these treatment arrangements are going to be somehow compromised by the lack of a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory is simply wrong, totally unfounded and quite scurrilous.
The other aspect of treatment is the actual diagnosis. Radio-pharmaceuticals are also used in the diagnosis of cancer as well as its treatment. The availability of such materials is not limited or confined to a national reactor. The fact is that diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals are increasingly and very rapidly being transferred from nuclear reactors, where up until now they have been produced, into different types of diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals that are produced by cyclotrons, namely fluoride-14 which has been taken up very rapidly through tertiary care around Australia.
If we are looking at the availability of those diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals, the current situation is that the national medical cyclotron is located in Sydney, and a second smaller facility is located adjacent to the Austin Hospital in Melbourne. Both of these facilities produce isotopes. Cyclotron technology does not produce intermediate level nuclear waste.
The Australian government decided to build a new Open Pool Australian Light-water medical and research nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights. It is a multipurpose facility for radioisotope production, irradiation services and neutron beam research. Now we are getting to the nub of the matter. Far from being central to the continuation of treatment and diagnostic services to cancer patients, this issue is about the government trying to get the OPAL reactor through the regulatory processes that its own agency has put in front of it. The fact is that, to move to a new reactor, there has to be regulatory provisions satisfied. The Australian government, when it decided to build OPAL, had to apply to the nuclear radiation regulation body. One of the licensing conditions put forward by that body is that that OPAL reactor cannot be put into service until there is a secure arrangement to dispose of the spent fuel rods that will come, and also to dispose of the existing fuel rods and other contaminated material from the current national reactor.
Therefore, the government has a problem with how they move to the new reactor. That problem is about commissioning a new reactor and beginning operation, and decommissioning the existing reactor. It is not about cancer treatments. The materials you need for that can be sourced quite readily from overseas …
Mr Wood: Give Canada the waste.
Dr TOYNE: … in the case of treatment, and can be sourced from national cyclotron facilities in the case of diagnosis - and will be increasingly sourced because the new diagnostic isotopes are far more versatile and effective for the job than the ones generated through nuclear reactors.
We have stripped away the layers on this …
Mr Wood: No, no.
Dr TOYNE: … and we have ended up with what the federal government’s problem was.
Mr Wood: No, you have made up a story.
Dr TOYNE: Why did they hammer us with this draconian legislation? Why are they trying to ram this facility through to the Northern Territory without any sort of consultation with our community? It is not about cancer patients; it is about their nuclear reactor and trying to fulfil the regulatory requirements of putting a new reactor into commission. That reactor will be used for all sorts of things. It might be nuclear research or it can be medical applications. To be saying that our opposition to having this thing foisted on us is going to compromise the treatment and diagnosis of cancer patients is simply wrong. The experts are saying it is simply wrong. The member for Nelson bumbles away over there, but I wonder when he studied nuclear medicine.
Mr Wood: I will stop bumbling in a minute. You are making up a story.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr TOYNE: We have talked to five of the foremost experts in Australia and this is what they are telling us. You can put your point of view forward, but I know who I am going to believe.
The exposure of this lie as an excuse for trampling over the rights of Territorians simply makes me more opposed to the federal action than I was before, and that is saying a lot. I have heard from many Territorians on this and I really wonder who the member for Nelson talks to, because I am sure he would be getting it loud and clear if he went out there and really did consult with the community instead of going off on a frolic of his own.
People are absolutely angry and anxious about this process. Let us not worry about the proposal until we have the process right, and the process is that we demand that Territorians are respected, their rights to be consulted and to be brought into a democratic process must be got right before we even think about the issue that the federal government is trying to progress.
In the future, if they came back as a democratic government making a democratic consultation with the community, we will see what the community says about it. But that simply has not happened. This has just been dropped on the Territory population and I believe there is a stark choice now for Nigel Scullion. If he believes in democracy, if he believes in the Territory that has nurtured his lifestyle for so long and has given him so much loyalty, if he wants to repay that and redeem his position in our community, he has to cross the floor. He has to be cognisant of the word that will reach him from this parliament, even more importantly, the word that he would get from every Territorian he spoke to if he went around and carefully listened to them.
I support this motion and I hope Nigel Scullion will take very careful note of it.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, again, we are just about worn out from this debate at the moment. We have another stunt. We are avoiding the issues, although the member for Stuart has at last come out and spoken truthfully about how he feels about Lucas Heights.
There are two issues here that need to be debated. Do we support Lucas Heights? If we do not, and we know we cannot stop it, there is definitely one way to stop it. That is we do not allow a radioactive waste facility to operate, because it is A plus B equals C. Without one of those things, this formula does not work. The member for Stuart has said in a long, convoluted way that the government does not support Lucas Heights. I hope people out there hear that. He has used incorrect arguments to base his lack of support for one of our most important medical and industrial sources of isotopes in Australia.
I will take up the two issues that the minister has spoken about in his reasoning why Lucas Heights is not needed. First of all, he said that we can produce much of our radioisotopes using a cyclotron. I refer to a letter from Dr Ron Cameron, Chief of Operations at ANSTO, who runs the nuclear …
A member: Oh yes, they would not lie to you would they, Gerry!
Mr WOOD: Well, they run it. They are the ones that produce it. Now let us listen to it. He was responding to a letter that was in the NT News. The person who wrote the letter stated that no nuclear reactor is needed to generate radioisotopes for medicine as they can be produced by a cyclotron and are when the Lucas Height reactors are off-line. This is completely incorrect. Some radioisotopes can be produced only by a reactor and some only by cyclotrons. Scientifically, this is due to whether the desired radioisotope is neutron-rich, reactor produced, or proton-rich, cyclotron produced. The most widely used radiopharmaceutical in Australia, technetium 99, is used in over 80% of nuclear medicine procedures. It can only be produced in a reactor and must be imported when the HIFAR reactor is in any extended shutdown period.
I say the member for Stuart is using incorrect information to put down Lucas Heights. This is not me. This is the Chief of Operations at ANSTO. He knows what he produces and he knows where it is used. That is the facts.
The other argument that the Minister for Health, the member for Stuart, said is that we can import these materials from Canada. Could I just say at the outset, how moral is that? So to fix up all the people in Australia who have cancer, we will buy from Canada and they can sort out what to do with the waste. The Canadians can work out a way of dealing with the waste that we depend on from the isotopes. I do not think that is very fair. That is just one point.
Here is what Dr Cameron said about the transport of nuclear medicines:
In other words, we will have to pay more for the medicines we use for our health.
That is the facts. If you want to pay more, yes, let’s import it and close Lucas Heights down. That is what this gentleman is saying. He is also saying that because we are a small factor in the market that when a bigger company wants to buy isotopes we sometimes cannot get them. They are not available. There are more types of isotopes being developed. We as a small player in the market will not necessarily get them. If we have our own reactor they are certainly available.
I just maybe should make a note to people that there has been a lot of jumping up and down about waste being transported. I got a note today from ANSTO and I asked him how much radioactive material is shipped to Darwin, and this is by air, and I am advised that a technetium generator is sent to Darwin every week - that is what the Minister for Health is talking about - this contains more radioactivity than a truckload of radioactive waste; as well, once or twice a week, other materials are sent as required, that is iodine, gallium and other products; therefore, between two and three shipments every week. All these shipments are by air because they have such a short half-life. Most of them are used, I believe, by NT Imaging for x-rays. That material is used in diagnosing cancers, heart diseases and other major illnesses; used in CT scans and x-rays; and would be used as radioactive dye which is injected to show up any abnormalities, that is, bladder tumours, kidney cancer, breast cancer, kidney reflux, heart blockages, brain tumours, bone fractures and blood clots.
Today, when I wear a pink tie, it reminds me that many people rely on the importation into Darwin of these radioactive waste materials. I also say that because Senator Nigel Scullion - and I do not even belong to his party - has been criticised, and this is what the Minister for Health said: ‘What can you say about claims by Senator Nigel Scullion on ABC radio last Thursday, 13 October …’ and this is from Hansard ‘… that unless there is a nuclear dump site secured in the Northern Territory by April 2006 …’, then to quote the senator ‘… people in Australia and particularly the Northern Territory will not have access to radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer’.
I can accept that if you took that as a bland statement that it is probably over the top, as the Minister for Health said you can import them. What the Minister for Health and Senator Scullion are at odds at here is that one is saying Senator Scullion is totally wrong, and I would be saying Senator Scullion is perhaps slightly over the top as you have to import these radioactive materials. However, the facts are that if we do not have a reactor in Australia this is what will happen. This is Dr Ron Cameron, Chief of Operations:
I put it to you that here is the chairman of ANSTO saying we need our own reactor, and if we are to have a new reactor we need somewhere to put the waste. By having our own reactor we are able to produce isotopes for members of our community who need them. We can do that without any fear of them not arriving because we are producing them ourselves, so we are not at the whims of the world market. That is what we want. We can also produce them cheaper because to buy some of these materials you have to double the amount because of their short half-life.
If you take that one step back, if we say as Australians that we will not accept the waste facility, we are saying we do not accept Lucas Heights and therefore we are saying we will only support the importation of radioactive pharmaceuticals. If that is what we say, then surely we agree with that last line. The reality of the situation is that relying on imports for radiopharmaceuticals will jeopardise Australia’s supply of these medicines, meaning that ultimately patient care is at risk. That, although it might have been exaggerated, is what Senator Scullion was referring to.
The problem I had in this debate, which has been clouded by lots of other issues - broken promises, statehood, overriding all these issues - is the fundamental reason we should be debating this issue. Do we want Lucas Heights?
A member: No, it is not.
Mr WOOD: It is, because if you do not want Lucas Heights the best way to stop it is to not have a waste facility. I keep saying this is an Australian issue. This requires our leaders to get together. I watched Mr Bracks and Mr Beattie last night discussing national security and they said: ‘Yes, we can work together with our Prime Minister as states to come up with a national security plan.’ What the heck is the difference between working for a national security plan and working for a national strategy to put waste away safely in this country?
Politics, sheer and utter politics. When you put it down to science and you put it down to logic it goes all out the door and we have a political debate, and that debate is clouded by issues that I think are just irrelevant. We need to fix this up.
We did not do anything about making Mr Rann put the waste at Woomera. Who shouted out from this parliament: ‘Mr Rann, it needs to go there’, when the site was selected? No one. Who has tried to put together a group of ministers, chief ministers, premiers and the Prime Minister and say: ‘Just like we are doing for the national terrorist strategy, why can’t we sit down together and work out a strategy for this?’ No, we have not done it. That is what upsets me more than anything. We have not tried to look at the bigger picture. People say ‘Yes, many people support us’. I can tell you I have many people come up to me and say: ‘Good on you’. I might be one person so I do not get as many phone calls as all you people combined. I have had one e-mail not supporting what I have said. I have had other people willing to at least listen to an alternative point of view, and quite a few people have said: ‘Yes’.
I have never said it must go in the Northern Territory, but many people have said that they think it should go in the Northern Territory. I have always argued it should go in Australia and, if that happens to end up in the Northern Territory, so be it, that is the site.
A member: So you support it?
Mr WOOD: I haven’t said that I have not. What I am saying is I take this as a national issue. Show me the dotted lines on a map; they do not say Northern Territory.
The Chief Minister said the other day that there were no sites selected in the Northern Territory ...
Ms Martin: There weren’t.
Mr WOOD: Yes, Chief Minister, it was in Hansard. You said …
Ms Martin: And there weren’t.
Mr WOOD: Well, Chief Minister, here is the radioactive repository for Australia’s site selection study.
Mr Knight: What happened after that?
Mr WOOD: No, no, hang on, we are just taking issue as it comes.
Mr Knight interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Daly!
Mr WOOD: Just keep things logical, and in order. Here we have phase one. There was a public discussion paper released in October 1992 explaining the proposed site selection process and the methodology. In phase two, the phase one methodology was reapplied taking into account public comment on the phase one report. The phase two public discussion paper was released in July 1994, and a report responding to public comment on this discussion paper was published in 1995.
If you go through this document there is a map of Australia. Lo and behold, two of those sites are very large sites. The reason they are large is because, within those sites, they were going to try to find a specific site that was suitable. Sites overall were suitable. What do we have here? We have a selection of eight regions.
Mr Knight: Show us the map.
Mr WOOD: You can have a look at the map. You can get this off the web. These are the names that were selected after state and territory people got together and decided this is where we should put the nuclear waste.
Mr Knight: Three sites are not on that map.
Mr WOOD: The sites were Billa Kalina in South Australia; Bloods Range in the Northern Territory; Everard in South Australia, Olary in New South Wales, Tanami in the Northern Territory - and there were three other regions, Jackson in Western Australia, Maralinga in South Australia and Mt Isa in Queensland.
For the Chief Minister to say that there were no sites picked in the Northern Territory is not correct. Here is the study that was done. This is the original study that was done. I know that there have been other sites picked, that were all Defence sites, but those sites were picked when Woomera was thrown out the door. That is the problem we have now.
I am not happy with three sites in the Northern Territory just being selected because they are particular Defence sites. That is being used as an excuse not to take up this issue as a national issue. This is an opportunity that we should grab and show leadership to the rest of Australia. We need to do something. If all the Labor states are saying: ‘We do not want the new reactor at Lucas Heights’, please say it and then I will understand why you do not want a waste facility. As the member for Stuart said, you cannot have one without the other. If you do not agree with that, at least tell us and I will understand why people are opposed to a waste facility.
As it is, to me, it is a sad case of no leadership, political opportunism …
Dr Toyne: God help us if you were leading.
Mr WOOD: Too bad, minister.
Mr Bonson: Too bad, I know.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: If members on the other side …
Mr Henderson: You were interjecting.
Mr WOOD: I do not enjoy standing here and having interjections thrown across. I am happy to get them, but I do not stand up here for fun. I at least try to do a bit of research. I do not stand up …
Mr Stirling: You can give it but you cannot take it.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: The minister is not in his seat, pardon me. I try to do the research. I try to get the facts. I try to put an alternative point of view to this parliament and to the people of the Northern Territory, because I believe the point of view being put by the ALP is false – it is a cover.
Mr Bonson: Come off it.
Mr WOOD: It is. Tell Dr Ron Cameron he is wrong. You tell him he is wrong.
Mr Bonson: Have you read the legislation?
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Millner!
Mr WOOD: You tell him he is wrong. Tell the people who will have to pay more for radiopharmaceuticals that the reason they are paying more is because we import them. You tell people that the waste from those radiopharmaceuticals will have to be looked after by Canadian people. They will have to find a radioactive waste facility. We are happy to pass our responsibilities to Canada. Terrific! There is a lot of morality there.
Madam Speaker, I believe people in the Northern Territory are being hoodwinked. As I said before, I cannot afford the full-sized pages. I cannot afford to cut Question Time in half. I cannot afford to bring up, time after time, special motions like this one. That is the prerogative of government. It has the power, the money, and the propaganda machine up there. It is hard for me to beat, but I will at least try to put some logical and alternative arguments for people in the Northern Territory. If I happen to be mowing lawns at the end of this session of parliament, so be it, but at least I will do it with a clear conscience.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, it is very disappointing on this important motion that the opposition could not even add a second speaker. I am disappointed.
I would like to respond briefly to what the member for Nelson has just said. The member for Nelson and I have known each other for a long time. I am aware that he has different views to me on this issue. As I was listening to the member for Nelson speak, I remembered a very passionate advocate as a Territorian for statehood in the member for Nelson, and what hit me is that he has missed the whole point of what this debate is about. This debate could be about anything, but it is fundamental and it happens to be about a nuclear waste facility, but the fundamental is about the federal parliament simply overriding the rights of the Territory. I would have thought, as someone I respected in fighting for statehood, in fighting for the reasons for statehood, and I have heard the member for Nelson articulate these on many occasions, that he entirely missed the point of this - that we as a legislature should have the federal government simply say, I do not care what legislation you have, but simply to override our legislation should have everyone in here horrified, up in arms. It makes what we do in here, throughout the year, throughout our term, irrelevant, if we sit back and allow the federal government to override our legislation.
I listened to what the member for Nelson had to say, and not once in his contribution did he mention the fact that something he stood up proudly for a number of years ago has totally gone off his radar. The fact that we have a right as Territorians to have our own legislation, to have the Territory’s aspirations recognised around Australia, is something that he did not even address in his contribution. I am personally very disappointed. Personally disappointed that the member for Nelson should not even - he stands in here, he is passionate about what he is saying, but he has missed the entire point of what is happening.
It is about Territory rights. It is about the respect that the federal government should have for our laws and our aspirations. They have scouted around Australia and done an exercise that, in the final phase, did not say any sites in the Northern Territory, and that is what I was talking about, that because they could not reach agreement on that, have turned around and said, where are the weakest constitutional rights? That is what they have said. Where are the weakest constitutional rights? The Northern Territory. They would not pick the ACT would they? They would not pick the ACT because it is too close to Parliament House and too many loud people close to home.
So, in a very cynical exercise, they have said, we can go the Northern Territory, we can put in legislation that will override anything. I would have thought that the member for Nelson would have understood the fundamentals here: this legislation not only overrides the Territory’s legislation but even casts aside major federal legislation in determining the sites and what they are going to do with this nuclear waste facility.
I listened to the member for Nelson for something that recognised that but it was absent. Can I say to the member for Nelson, and I would not normally come in here and do this but we do go back a long way, can I say how saddened I am by your approach to this issue and how I think you have missed what is the fundamental point. For somebody who was so strong on an issue that was iconic for all of us, statehood, and getting the process right, and while we were doing that you have walked away from this debate. Can I say how disappointed I am.
But I am further disappointed in the Leader of the Opposition because all she could say on this was we were playing party politics. This is not about party politics; it is standing up for the Territory. I would expect equally the two major parties, the Labor Party and the CLP, in here to be standing up strongly on this issue. It has ended up as being party political because we have the key member in the Senate who could overturn this legislation not taking his responsibility, not doing what he should be doing – even in terms of his own party’s policies for heaven’s sake. This did not start out as an issue of party politics. I do not want to see it be an issue of party politics.
The fact is that Senator Nigel Scullion is a paid-up member of the CLP. He was voted into the Senate to represent the Territory but he is doing it on behalf of the CLP and he should be doing the right thing by the Territory. The party in here should be insisting he do the right thing by the Territory which is why this motion is so important. It is disheartening to hear the Senator say: ‘I don’t think my vote really counts’. It is important to put on the record that his vote does count. His vote is absolutely fundamental to counting and if he crosses the floor in the Senate this draconian legislation goes down.
It is our responsibility to come in here and argue the point, and to be told we are grandstanding, we are politicising the issue, that I stand up and am getting my political rocks off, is highly offensive. I care about this issue. I care about the fact that we as legislators are putting legislation in for the good of the Northern Territory, and I certainly care very strongly, and I know that many in here do, when the federal parliament simply says: ‘Oh good try Northern Territory, flick to your legislation’. It undermines our role in here in a really fundamental way and we should be up in arms. I do not apologise for getting emotional about it. To have the only contribution coming from the Opposition Leader that I am getting my political rocks off is seriously offensive.
This is not about party politics. The Country Liberal Party has allowed it to be that way. We should be strong and united on this because it is an issue of our rights. This motion to call on our federal representatives to represent the Territory is not rocket science, it is what they are there to do. It is not for Nigel Scullion to ask: ‘What are my future ambitions?’. That is what this is about. It is: ‘How can I do the bidding of the federal government so that maybe one day I will be a parliamentary secretary’. That is what he is looking after. He is hoping that by doing this John Howard will cast around and look into the future and say: ‘Nigel, how can I reward you? Be a parliamentary secretary’. That is what he is doing. He is not looking at the fundamentals for the Territory. He is not even standing up for the Territory’s rights, the fact that we are going to be steamrolled in terms of our legislative power. None of that. He is walking away from it.
This is a very important motion and I certainly hope that we will have unanimous support. I suspect the member for Nelson will not, but I believe that every other member of this parliament should be standing strong for our rights, for our purpose as members of this parliament. If we do not do that, we may as well just give up. We may as well just walk away from our responsibilities because it means that what have put in place as legislation can simply be trodden on by the federal parliament.
The final word I would like to say is, and this is addressed to the Prime Minister, when as Prime Minister John Howard says to us: ‘We will respect your rights as though you are a state on this issue’, we actually believed him. I believed him. For Territorians to be slapped in the face collectively so hard by the Prime Minister is extraordinarily disheartening. We have worked well with the federal government over the last four years. Certainly we have had issues with them, but we have also worked constructively and that has been a very targeted policy of this government, and we have done well. To be let down like this by the Prime Minister undermines where we were over the last four years and how we look to the future.
This is not an irrelevancy. This is not politicking from the Labor Party, from the government. This is not me getting my political rocks off. This is a very important motion for our parliament. I urge everybody to support it.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, in accordance with section 9 of the Financial Management Act, I am pleased to table the 2004-05 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement. The statement forms part of the 2004-05 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report, and presents the Territory’s third year of fiscal management on an accrual basis. The report also satisfies the requirements of the final fiscal results report as set out in the Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act. The statement clearly demonstrates the reality of fiscal management in the Territory. We are always in a tight fiscal position and we are disproportionately subject to the vagaries of the wider Australian economy.
The highlights of the 2004-05 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report are:
In other words, we have a cash surplus, an underlying deficit, and we have managed carefully to keep downward pressure on debt. Overall, our nett worth is improving.
I am pleased to advise that the Auditor-General has issued a clear audit opinion on the statement. A technical qualification still exists in relation to compliance with Australian Accounting Standards as has been the case for the last seven years. The Territory continues to conform with Uniform Presentation Framework requirements rather than with Australian Accounting Standard 31. Work is under way nationally to merge Uniform Presentation Framework and Australian Accounting Standards requirements, with the expectation this will be finalised in the next few years. Until that time, the technical qualification will remain.
You may recall in the November 2001 mini-budget this government set a cash target of 2004-05 of a balanced budget. This was achieved and improved upon. However, in Budget 2005 we determined that we would return to small deficits over the next four years with the target of returning the balance in 2008-09. Achieving this will be difficult, particularly given recent indications that the GST revenue growth will not continue at the same rate. However, with the continued focus on fiscal performance, I am certain that government can achieve this ambitious target. In addition for 2005-06, the cash target through the year, as it always is, will be affected by the carry over from 2004-05 of $40m, making the achieving of published targets that much more difficult.
I now turn to the outcome for the 2004-05 financial year. The improved cash outcome of $51m since budget time was the result of a $155m increase in operating receipts offset by higher operating payments of $104m. The higher operating receipts were due to:
Operating payments were higher due to the government’s decision to increase funding by $40m in key areas. These included a number of initiatives across a range of priority areas to include building better schools and increased capacity for schools; volatile substance abuse prevention; continuing implementation of the O’Sullivan recommendations; and additional funding for indigenous essential services. Other increases included higher legal costs; higher employee costs following the outcome of 2004 Enterprise Bargaining Agreements negotiations at $12m; and additional expenditure relating to the increase in specific purpose payments from the Australian government of $15m.
Capital investment plays a central role in the government’s budget strategy as capital investment is essential for the delivery of government services. At the same time, the capital program provides a contribution to the economic development requirements of a growing economy. In 2004-05 capital spending at the non-financial public sector, which includes Territory Housing and Power and Water Corporation, increased by $65m from the original budget estimate of $350m. This increased expenditure predominantly relates to improved housing infrastructure; increased investment in properties under the HomeShare program; increased IHANT funding; and assets of Power and Water Corporation.
I turn to the 2004-05 accrual outcome. While the operating result is a $24m deficit, the outcome is affected by increases recorded for the Territory’s unfunded superannuation liabilities following an updated actuarial assessment. The actuarial update resulted in the liability increasing from $1467m in 2003-04 to $1618m in 2004-05. This resulted in an increase in expenses of $40m. These updated actuarial assumptions mean that the Territory’s superannuation liability is now likely to peak around 2012-13, or six years later than previously expected. The emerging costs or actual cash outlays will also peak later than anticipated, around 2018, before they too begin a steady decline to around 2065. The full effect of these amended actuarial assessments on the Territory’s budget and forward estimates will be incorporated as part of the 2005-06 mid-year report. It is important to note that other jurisdictions have also experienced similar increases in their superannuation liability associated with recent actuarial reassessments.
While general government is the appropriate sector to focus on for the operating and cash flow statements, the non-financial public sector is the focus for analysis of the balance sheet; that is, the Territory’s assets and liabilities. The use of this sector, which consolidates the data from the general government and public non-financial corporations sectors, is to ensure better comparability between jurisdictions.
Nett debt of $1656m in 2004-05 has remained relatively constant to both the 2003-04 outcomes and the 2004-05 final estimate. Unlike other accrual measures, nett debt is unaffected by the upward movement in the Territory’ superannuation liability. The addition of the employee liabilities to nett debt enables a broader assessment of government liabilities. Nett debt, plus employee liabilities for the non-financial public sector for 2004-05 was $3634m, an increase on the 2003-04 outcome of $199m, a direct result of the updated actuarial assessment of the Territory’s unfunded superannuation liability.
While as a percentage of total revenue the 2004-05 outcome of 119% is marginally above that of 118% recorded in 2003-04, it is well below the 134% recorded at 30 June 2002. This steady decline since the government took office is in line with the fiscal strategy target of nett debt and employee liabilities as a proportion of total revenue to fall.
Turning to the nett worth result, this has continued to improve. Nett worth is $435m higher than predicted at the time of the original 2004-05 budget, and a $196m improvement on the 2003-04 outcome. This is the result of ongoing infrastructure investment and continued improvement in the valuation of the Territory’s assets. Part of the valuation increase is due to general increase in property markets flowing on to public housing valuations.
In conclusion, the Territory has continued to maintain its trend toward the medium-term fiscal objectives and targets as set out in the fiscal strategy. The cash outcome of a $51m surplus in 2004-05 is the third year in succession a surplus has been recorded, accounting for the stability in nett debt. Nett worth continues to improve as a result of continued infrastructure spending and the upward revision in the valuation of the Territory’s asset base. While the nett operating balance and fiscal balance remains in deficit, this is a result of an upward revision of the Territory’s unfunded superannuation liability similar to that affecting other jurisdictions.
Government is committed to managing the Territory’s finances responsibly, maintaining an appropriate balance between community needs, the needs of the Territory economy, and maintaining a sound fiscal position.
Madam Speaker, I table the 2004-05 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report. I commend it to the House.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the report and I seek leave to continue my remarks at a later hour.
Motion agreed to.
Debate adjourned.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I table the Annual Report of the Office of the Ombudsman for 2004-05.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the Annual Report of the Office of the Ombudsman for 2004-05 be printed.
Motion agreed to.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the Annual Report of the Office of the Ombudsman for 2004-05.
Madam Speaker, pursuant to section 28 of the Ombudsman (Northern Territory) Act, I have the pleasure of presenting the report of the Ombudsman for the financial year ending 30 June 2005. The report for this period is jointly presented by the Ombudsman, Carolyn Richards who was appointed in August this year, and the Deputy Ombudsman, Vic Feldman, who was Acting Ombudsman from March to June.
In the last financial year, the Ombudsman received some 3275 approaches, up 39% on last year. Approaches are inquiries and complaints by a member of the public about administrative actions by Northern Territory government agencies, or local government councils, or about members of the Police Force. Of the 3275 approaches, 2141, or 65% were inquiries, including 27% about bodies that are outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction. However, that leaves some 1134 complaints, which is more than double last year.
I note the Ombudsman’s concern regarding the finalisation of complaints against members of the Police Force and I look forward to receiving further information from the Ombudsman about how this can be resolved. Inquiries and complaints by prisoners against Correctional Services continue to increase, up from 89 in 2001-02 to 627 last financial year. The Ombudsman notes:
I welcome our new Ombudsman, Carolyn Richards, on board and wish her very well in the job. It is a tough job and it is certainly one that we want to be able to work very constructively with the Ombudsman, particularly in finalising the review of the Ombudsman (Northern Territory) Act.
I thank Peter Boyce for his time in the job and welcome Carolyn Richards to the Northern Territory and to the position of the Ombudsman.
Madam Speaker, I seek leave to continue my remarks at the next sitting of the Assembly.
Leave granted.
Debate adjourned.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I present the Second Report of the Standing Orders Committee.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be noted and that the recommendations of the Standing Orders Committee be adopted. Madam Speaker, I seek leave to continue my remarks at a later hour.
Leave granted.
Debate adjourned.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I reaffirm my government’s strong commitment to the Northern Territory’s tourism industry, an industry that is vital to economic growth and our continued prosperity into the future. Today, I will tell you about some of the work we are doing to ensure that the industry in the Northern Territory continues to move ahead, how we are expanding our tourism products, and how we are building new business and employment opportunities particularly in our regions.
The seeds of the success we are now experiencing can be traced back to 2001. When we came to government, the tourism industry faced many new and difficult challenges which saw a global downturn in tourism. It was an uncertain time for the industry, a time that required strong leadership and tangible support from government. That is why this government delivered the single biggest ever injection of funding with its three-year $27.5m commitment to reshape the Territory’s tourism sector, and it is already making a very big difference.
The industry is being reinvigorated by a range of innovative tourism products and major developments which leverage off our unique natural and cultural environment. It is an economic good news story and one that will create more jobs and sustainable business opportunities in the future. I will talk shortly about some of the exciting work being done by my agency, the NT Tourist Commission, to drive tourism development and the positive impacts their work is having on our major economic centres as well as many regional communities across the Northern Territory. This work includes a number of initiatives supporting the government’s investment in the sealing of the Mereenie and Litchfield Park loops and the progress we are making to improve visitor experiences in our parks, particularly Kakadu National Park.
First, let me tell you about work we have done to develop a new marketing brand for the Territory. Our first major challenge in marketing the Territory was to sharpen our competitive edge. Earlier this year we launched a refreshed brand that clearly communicates what sets the Territory apart from its competitors. This brand was developed following extensive research that identified our competitive point of difference and the type of traveller who is most likely to enjoy a Northern Territory holiday experience. The research found that if we were to think of the Northern Territory as having a character or personality, it would be described as ‘spirited’ and by spirited we mean uncomplicated, optimistic, natural, adventurous and colourful. The research also showed that our most perceptive market would be what we called ‘spirited travellers’. This group of people seek journeys rather than holidays and they want to learn from their travel experiences and return home feeling transformed in some way.
The art of story telling was identified as the best way of connecting with these knowledge-hungry travellers and the refreshed brand is communicated in all our marketing material through the tag line, Share our Story. Through the promotion of six key destinations, Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Uluru, we share the stories of these places through the words and views of locals. Campaigns for each of these destinations and their immediate surrounds will have been completed by June 2006.
The $1.2m Destination Alice Springs campaign was the first to be rolled out under Share our Story. This campaign was based on the region’s compelling points of difference which are outback adventure, desert landscape, indigenous art and craft, and history and heritage. The preliminary results are very encouraging with the campaign reaching over 11 million Australians. As a result, visitor preference for Alice Springs as a holiday destination increased from 2% to 9%.
We will not be resting on our laurels. The Taking the Next Steps action plan, which I launched last month, will continue to provide a unified approach to new product development and inform future Destination Alice Springs marketing campaigns. The action plan is being jointly implemented by the Tourist Commission, CATIA, the Alice Springs Town Council, and other Territory government departments. The commission’s Alice Springs’ office has been resourced to work with industry and major stakeholders to move this plan forward and some exciting initiatives are under way.
A key government commitment is World Heritage listing for the MacDonnell Ranges, a commitment outlined in the Taking the Next Steps action plan and contained within the draft Parks and Conservation Master Plan. As Kakadu and Uluru have demonstrated, World Heritage status will attract domestic and international travellers and this will undoubtedly see an increase in visitation to Alice Springs and Central Australia. The development of walking trails, shelters and visitor centres for the region including the MacDonnell Ranges are also priorities within the master plan. This is infrastructure which will improve overall visitor experience and create significant economic and social benefits in the region. The draft master plan is open for public comment until 4 November.
It is reassuring to see the collaborative approach being taken across government to drive economic growth in the regions and this will mean better tourism product, improved visitor experiences, and new investment opportunities along the Mereenie Loop.
Another Taking the Next Steps initiative is the promotion of Alice Springs as a leading destination for Aboriginal art and craft. CATIA and the Tourist Commission are working in partnership with the Alice Springs Town Council with local galleries, retailers, indigenous groups and art networks to tap into the growing interest in Aboriginal art and craft. The establishment of regular open nights at galleries supported by a night market, music and community displays is one option we are pursuing.
Before I talk about Destination Darwin, I will briefly mention an exciting concept for Central Australia. We are working towards creating a specialised Desert Guides network based on the successful Savannah Guides model in Northern Australia. It will provide an accredited tour guiding program that will again add to the visitor experience and importantly create sustainable jobs for the future.
We have recently launched the $1.4m Destination Darwin campaign which draws on the pulling power of local identities such as Jimmy Shu, Greg Miles and Di Koser. The campaign promotes Darwin as a youthful, multicultural, harbour city offering diverse experiences, an enviable outdoor lifestyle, and the gateway to world-class nature attractions such as Kakadu, Litchfield National Park and the Tiwi Islands.
Importantly, this campaign was designed to drive visitation beyond the traditional peak tourism period and is complemented by the $650 000 NT On Sale tactical marketing campaign. Increasing visitation during the shoulder and off-peak seasons is a key priority. NT On Sale has already made a splash. Since it commenced in late August, we have seen over $1.3m in quotes and bookings through our wholesale division, Territory Discoveries. That translates to about 1000 visitors to the Territory, a number sure to increase as the campaign continues into 2006. Holiday visitation results have been most encouraging. According to the most recent National Visitor Survey, in the 12 months to June, holiday visitation to the Territory rose by 22% compared with a 1% decline nationally. Also, visitor nights rose by 20% compared to a national average of zero. In fact, we were one of only two states to experience a visitor growth over the past year, the other being Queensland.
I will now talk about some of the tourism products being developed across the Territory. In Central Australia, we are developing outback experiences which will meet the needs of the spirited traveller and create long-term economic benefits to the region. We have committed $43m over the next three years to seal the Mereenie Loop which will not only improve visitor access to this part of Central Australia, but also increase the safety of those who use the roads. The sealed road will open up opportunities for communities in the region to develop new tourism product meaning sustainable jobs and an improved visitor experience.
For example Hermannsburg (Ntaria) and the surrounding communities have a wonderful opportunity to gain long-lasting economic benefits from increased tourism activity, and the traditional owners have a strong desire to develop tourism products. Government’s task is to work with these communities to assist them in achieving their goals. Indeed, the commission’s managing director, Maree Tetlow, and some of her board members, met with traditional owners from Hermannsburg and the surrounding areas just a few weeks ago to discuss their vision for the future. That vision is all about tourism, producing tangible and sustainable economic and social independence through jobs, education, training and business ownership.
Indeed, tourism is one of the key industries that can provide these benefits to Aboriginal people within both urban and remote locations. The commission provides many of these communities with the information they need to understand the dynamics of tourism and the level of commitment that is required. The commission also conducts business planning sessions in the communities to work through ideas from concept to the feasibility stage, as well as exploring investment sources. Importantly, tourism is now linked to our major economic agency, the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development.
There are regional planning workshops now being developed for the Areyonga and Hermannsburg communities. These workshops will explore opportunities for new tourism initiatives such as camp grounds, tours, roadhouses and art outlets. Gunya Titjakala is a model of how a community can work with a joint venture partner to develop tourism on their land. Within 3 km of the Titjakala community are luxury tents overlooking the desert - the type of product that appeals to the spirited traveller. This new venture is supplemented by guiding, bush tucker and hunting tours. Given its success, Gunya Tourism is looking to develop similar products in the Top End at Daly River. The commission is supporting Gunya Titjakala through business and marketing planning advice and marketing of their product nationally and internationally. A similar approach is now being undertaken with the Rainbow Valley and Chambers Pillar and also the Oak Valley communities.
I now turn my attention to the Top End and our commitment to sealing the Litchfield Park road and upgrading the infrastructure within Litchfield Park. In June last year, my government identified Litchfield National Park and its surrounding regions as a development priority. We will inject over $22m to seal the Litchfield Park road and upgrade infrastructure within the park. This investment will provide many positive spin-offs for the surrounding towns and communities. A major benefit stemming from a better road is shortened travel time and that means extra time for visitors to explore more of the region. That is good news for the communities such as Daly River, Adelaide River and Batchelor.
In fact, the Tourist Commission is now working with local Batchelor tourism operators, residents and the Coomalie Council to identify tourism opportunities such as sporting events, fresh produce markets, community festivals and heritage and cultural trails, which include World War II sites. The opportunities are certainly there.
Statistics show that visitor numbers are steadily increasing each year, with over 250 000 visiting Litchfield National Park during 2004.
I would like to talk a little more about what is happening in the Douglas Daly region and the potential there for increased tourism activity. This week, Tourist Commission staff are meeting with people from Daly River, Peppimenarti and Palumpa to talk about opportunities ranging from women’s cultural walks, art sites and fishing tours to experiential accommodation. As I mentioned earlier, Gunya Tourism is keen to develop accommodation at Daly River, mirroring its successful business model at Titjakala.
New product at Douglas Hot Springs is well advanced with pilot tours to the sacred women’s site being trialled early next year. We have developed a business plan with the Wagiman women, and created training packages for this unique initiative with the Charles Darwin University. If the trials prove successful, the Wagiman women’s product will be up and running by the middle of next year.
This is just a taste of things to come in the Top End, and I have not even mentioned the work being done on walking trails in Nitmiluk National Park, experiential accommodation in Arnhem Land and opportunities for tourism at Borroloola.
What I do want to touch on now is our commitment to Kakadu National Park. As you are aware, visitor numbers to Kakadu have been declining gradually over the past decade. Many factors have contributed to this decline, including issues of access, lack of development opportunities and marketing that did not reflect the true Kakadu experience.
Against this backdrop, the Territory and federal governments commissioned tourism experts, John Morse and John King, to produce a report about Kakadu’s future. The report, Kakadu - Walking to the Future Together, was produced in consultation with traditional owners, Parks Australia North, and tourism operators. It provides clear guidelines for improving the Kakadu experience while respecting the wishes and living culture of the park’s traditional owners. My government supports all of the reports recommendations; however, we are still waiting for the federal government to come to the party.
The federal government has announced through the media that it has committed $1.7m to improve infrastructure within Kakadu. However, this is not new money. I understand it is simply part of the funds committed by the federal government when it removed gate entry fees. I am also very disappointed that the federal government has still not matched our offer of $500 000 to market Kakadu to the world.
Nevertheless, with or without the federal government, my government will continue to market this Territory icon. We plan to do this through a dedicated marketing campaign planned for April 2006; a campaign in which we will invest upwards of $700 000.
Another important recommendation identified by the Morse Report is tour guide training. There are concerns about the level of professionalism of some tour guides operating in the park. Indeed, the Isobel von Jordan death is a case in point. This is a serious issue for government and one I do not take lightly. We have started to address this by developing an on-line tour guide training program to be operational in 2006. This program will eventually become compulsory.
Our goal is to restore this Territory’s treasure to its rightful place as one of the nation’s great natural tourism attractions. Traditional owners of Kakadu National Park are showing great leadership. They are keen to embrace cultural tourism opportunities that respect their traditional ways and provide financial independence for their children and future generations. A great example of this is the new art centre and cultural tour business Mandy Muir recently launched. In 2006, this will lead to a joint venture partnership with a national tour company to develop a safari camp on her country.
I now turn to the vexed issue of aviation. I am aware that there has been some criticism about a perceived focus on marketing the domestic market at the expense of the international market. I do not apologise for the fact that we have grown interstate holiday visitation by 39% over the last financial year. That is a great outcome for our tourism industry. Despite these successes, we have not neglected the international market at all. As a matter of fact, funding for international marketing has increased as a result of the additional funds this government has allocated to tourism. Whilst we will continue to maintain a strong presence in the international market, air access remains a critical issue for us.
I recently met with Dato’ Dr Mohd Munir Majid, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Acting Managing Director of Malaysian Airline Systems. After discussions with him, the reality is that services with Malaysian are unlikely to begin in the near future. Nevertheless, we will continue to vigorously lobby Malaysian Airlines to establish the Darwin/Kuala Lumpur route. However, Malaysian Airlines is by no means our sole focus. To help us grow the current Royal Brunei Airline services into Darwin, a workshop is planned between Royal Brunei and government that will review the airline’s operation. This includes scheduling, route connections, seat capacity and cooperative marketing opportunities in European markets.
Attracting airlines is a complex business and the days of a deal on a handshake are well and truly over. Most airlines have a commercial imperative and are accountable to shareholders for results. In this regard, a particular challenge for the Northern Territory is to convince airlines to consider smaller-based populations with a vibrant tourism industry such as ours. However, my government is not shying away from the significant challenge ahead.
There has also been some good news on the aviation front this year. We have seen a number of direct charter flights into the Northern Territory, which included four flights carrying 1400 Japanese visitors into Alice Springs. The Japanese love affair with the Territory is continuing and I am pleased to announce the commencement of two more direct charter flights from Tokyo and Osaka to Alice Springs in December and January.
And in more good news for our tourism industry, this week it was announced that The Ghan will be doubling its service to Darwin from March next year. It will operate twice a week, with return services from Adelaide to Darwin via Alice Springs, of course. Since it commenced operation in February last year, around 125 000 passengers have travelled on The Ghan, and these additional services will provide greater opportunity to develop more stopover packages for travellers wishing to experience the destinations of Alice Springs and Katherine and, of course, for the member for Barkly, Tennant Creek.
This government is committed to building a strong and sustainable tourism industry. We have listened to our industry sector and worked together with them to identify a vision for the future. That vision is about positioning the Northern Territory as a world-renowned nature and cultural destination, and using tourism to drive the Territory’s economic development. The integration of the Tourist Commission under the umbrella of the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development will make this vision more achievable. The integration will allow us to more effectively drive indigenous economic and regional development.
I firmly believe these changes will provide the impetus to expand and grow our tourism industry. We know that there is still much to do and my government is committed to supporting the tourism industry, working in partnership with our private sector and moving tourism ahead.
Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I rise to respond to the Chief Minister’s statement on the Northern Territory government’s commitment to the tourism industry. Tourism is the second-highest economic provider in the Northern Territory, only surpassed by resources. Tourism is by far the biggest employer of any industry in the Northern Territory and plays a vital role in our economy. It goes without saying that this vital industry is the lifeblood for many Territorians and needs all the support it can get.
Tourism has always coined the phrase ‘tourism is everyone’s business’, and while this may sound corny to some, when you sit back and really think about what tourism contributes to our community, you realise that it truly is everyone’s business. When tourists come to your area they not only pay for accommodation, they buy fuel, food, souvenirs, have repairs and maintenance done to their vehicles and vans, go on tours, dine out at restaurants, visit the cinema and maybe the pharmacy, and use other essential services. So tourism is everyone’s business.
Tourism in Australia has suffered some challenges during the past few years, there is no doubt about that. We have borne the brunt in Australia of SARS; 11 September; Bali, not once but twice; the high price of fuel; the collapse of Ansett; and now the significant lack of airline services into the Northern Territory. The ongoing challenge for the Northern Territory is to continually look at marketing strategies that will work around all these disasters. It is certainly a challenge, I acknowledge that, but with the knowledge and expertise that is available from trained marketing gurus these days there is no excuse in not being prepared to adapt and meet all challenges.
The Chief Minister mentioned the refreshed brand, Share Our Story, which was launched earlier this year. I have to admit, Chief Minister, that I was not particularly enthused by the campaign as I did not believe it depicted the Northern Territory as the exciting outback adventure that we know it is. I thought, and still think, that the colours used in the campaign brochures did not do justice to the Territory. I will be quite happy, I can assure you, to be proven wrong if we have an outstanding tourist season next year that can be attributed to this campaign.
One of the challenges that we face is distance and isolation. Darwin is the end of the journey for people who travel by road and rail with a return visit of the same. That makes the decision by road market travellers a significant financial commitment, one that is of economic benefit to all the communities along the way. The road market is the main tourism contributor to regional and remote Northern Territory. The road market is serviced by a variety of high standard caravan and tourist parks along the way and there are some significant and varied tourist attractions for the tourists to see and do.
The main attraction for the road market coming to the Territory is the wonderful climate that we have during the Dry Season. It is well known that at the first sign of cold in the southern states, they pack up their campervans, caravans and mobile homes and head north to enjoy our great lifestyle. Many of these tourists, who are affectionately know as either the grey rinse set or the baby boomers, are return visitors. It is very important that we ensure that we continue to provide the highest standard of service for them. It is also very important that new product is continually looked at so that the visitors have new experiences to enjoy.
The Territory is unique in that there are some fantastic ecotourism opportunities that are still to be developed throughout the Territory. We have some great pristine river systems and parks in the Territory that have the potential for ecotourism development. I hope to see strong encouragement and support for development in this area. The Chief Minister has referred to innovative tourism products and major developments which leverage off our unique natural and cultural environment. The Northern Territory has untapped opportunities and to give us a competitive point of difference to other states in Australia we need to develop and market those ecotourism opportunities. In developing these, it opens up opportunities for more jobs with more businesses especially in regional Northern Territory.
Ecotourism is a significant attraction for the backpacker market, and the backpacker market has been in doldrums in recent years. Whilst this market prefers budget accommodation when travelling, they spend their money on interesting and nature-based tourist experiences. The development of new ecotourism is important in promoting that market and encouraging them back to the Territory.
Another significant tourism attraction in the Territory is authentic indigenous art. Fortunately, indigenous Territory art is gaining worldwide recognition. With the many different indigenous cultures that are and can be presented, this area is just at the beginning of its development and will be a very important tourist attraction for many years to come.
Part of the Destination Darwin campaign recently launched markets another unique aspect of the Northern Territory and that is the different culinary tastes that can be experienced here. These include our famous barra, crocodile meat, and buffalo as well as a variety of other sea foods. Food products are significant in appealing to and attracting a different tourist market.
I have spoken of some of the current and potential tourist attractions in the Northern Territory and, generally speaking, tourism is a happy industry where as much positivity as possible is expressed. People who are involved within this industry are usually very positive and present happy smiling faces to their visitors.
However, there are some downsides to this industry too. Today, I want to talk about a couple of those sides. The first one is the lack of airline services into the Northern Territory. To support the significant amount of dollars that have been poured into tourism marketing, and I have to say that I do support those dollars being spent, this government needs to go to greater lengths and continue meeting with airline companies, having ongoing discussions about bringing flights into the Northern Territory. It is a very serious situation from not only the tourism industry but also business, and has to be pursued vigorously.
The second issue is the high price of fuel. The Northern Territory now has the highest price of fuel in Australia. I believe that Tasmania is the only other jurisdiction with prices near ours. The drive market is the backbone for regional and remote areas in the Northern Territory and business and tour operators rely heavily on the income from visitors especially during the busier months from May to September. Some operators only have their businesses operating during those months and close down for the remainder of the year, and if you are an operator in the Top End, the Wet Season impacts on your operation. The cream for the tourist operator is during the Dry Season.
When considering a driving holiday to a destination somewhere in Australia, the price of fuel plays a significant factor in determining where the visitor will travel to. The price of fuel in the Northern Territory does not make us an attractive destination, compared say, with Queensland. The Queensland government has recognised the benefit of the tourist dollar and supports an 8 a litre rebate on fuel. This rebate is very significant when taking into account the total fuel bill for a driving holiday, and now more than ever, will determine just where the traveller will spend their dollars.
It is not only the drive market that will be feeling the effects of the high prices of fuel. The coach market will also be significantly impacted with having to increase their tour prices to the Northern Territory. I will be watching with interest to see the difference in tour prices offered to coach travellers who will be travelling to Queensland compared with the Northern Territory. I am certain that operators in the Northern Territory have not begun to see, as yet, the impact of the high price of fuel.
Add to that the impact of high fuel prices to the airline industry, which will inevitably result in higher prices for the fewer airline opportunities that there are travelling to the Territory now. It is obvious that the Northern Territory faces some serious challenges to the number of visitors who will be choosing to come here in the future.
The tourism industry is generally made up of very optimistic and enterprising people who will go the extra mile to do all they can to ensure the success of their investment. I have great faith in them and am very supportive of this industry. However, I do also have to be realistic in highlighting those significant challenges that will impact on them. There is no doubt that tourism is crucial to the wellbeing of the Territory and anything that is good for the Territory is supported by the Country Liberal Party.
The terrible and tragic events of Bali may generate more tourism for the Territory due to the perception that Australia is a safer destination. The Australian government is also committed to protecting the future of Australia and the Territory’s tourism industry. Since the 11 September terrorist attacks, the government has invested $5.6bn into national security and undertaken more than 100 security initiatives. This investment has directly benefited the Australian tourism industry. This state of affairs can only be maintained by vigilance and the tougher anti-terrorism laws that the Chief Minister has refused to endorse.
The federal government provides huge support to our tourism industry. Kakadu has made a giant step forward in joint management with the recent introduction of a course in the Gundjeihmi language. Greg Hunt MP, Federal Parliamentary Secretary with ministerial responsibility for Kakadu National Park said: ‘Gundjeihmi is one of several languages spoken in Kakadu and it is the main language for the central part of the park’. This federal government initiative saw more than 20 Kakadu staff finish the basic language course, which was developed and delivered with the help of Yvonne Margarula, senior Mirrar traditional owner. The Australian government provided funding of $1.7m for upgrades to tourism infrastructure in this financial year alone. It also demonstrated how the federal government is successfully working with the traditional owners in preserving and promoting the important cultural and environmental values of this world heritage listed park. This money was allocated to:
The federal government has also provided $55 000 to Gecko Canoeing and Kookaburra Tours, winner of the adventure tourism and ecotourism awards in 2003-04. They will partner with the Wardaman Aboriginal Corporation of tribal elders to develop a Caring for Country theme package. This will include the development of field camps offering safari-style accommodation, and allow tourist to participate in traditional land management practices. The venture is set to diversity tourism products in the Katherine region by providing access to new areas inaccessible by the existing tourism market. The strong indigenous involvement provides for an authentic cultural experience specially suited to the high end of the market, particularly international special interest groups.
On 2 September this year, the federal government launched Tourism Advance Australia. It is a dedicated unit within Tourism Australia focusing exclusively on the meetings, incentives, conventions, events and exhibitions industry. The Territory tourism industry has much also to thank the federal government for.
There are many other areas relating to tourism that I have not touched on today but I am sure there will be plenty of opportunities to talk about these in the future. I thank the Chief Minister for her statement today. The tourism industry is a very important economic contributor to our economy, and all the support that can be given by both the Territory and the federal governments is vital to the future growth and development of this exciting industry.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement on tourism; the Chief Minister is also Minister for Tourism. I was Tourism minister for about 18 months in the government. I had an absolute ball as Tourism minister, even though it was at a time when the industry was, if not on its knees, certainly pretty down post-11 September and the collapse of Ansett. I agree with the member for Katherine. I made note of her words a ‘great industry, optimistic and enterprising’ I certainly enjoyed my time as minister working with many very optimistic people with very strong confidence in the future of the tourism industry here in the Northern Territory, even at a time when they were doing it very tough. As Business minister, and having had the opportunity to be Tourism minister in our government, the old saying that tourism is everybody’s business certainly rings true with me.
I would like to advise the House on how my Department of Business, Industry and Regional Development, in realising the importance of tourism for the Northern Territory economy, works with the NT Tourist Commission to achieve the Chief Minister’s and the industry’s goals and objectives. There was some degree of concern when the new Administrative Arrangement Orders were released, and the make-up of new departments post the government’s election win. There was some concern within the industry when the Tourist Commission was brought under the umbrella of the mainstream economic department of government. However, I have not heard any concerns for quite some time now.
The whole impetus for that decision was recognising how vital tourism was and is to the Northern Territory’s economy, that it should not sit out on its own isolated from the main economic areas of government, and should be brought in to the tent so that people working on economic development can also get a closer understanding of the tourism industry. Also, that the tourism industry and the commission, and the people who work in the commission get a broader understanding of the broader economic drivers. It has been a good move.
I was talking to my acting CEO just the other day and asking him how things were settling in. He was saying he was very pleasantly surprised that there is a lot of interaction going on at officer level, and the people in the commission are enjoying their new department. It certainly is interesting in terms of the structures of the departments. I look forward to working with the Chief Minister in our shared department.
The tourism sector obviously plays a crucial role in the Territory’s economy, contributing more to Gross State Product and employment than in any other state or territory. The latest ABS figures that we have, some of which are a different series of statistics, the estimated turnover of the industry is $834m a year. The industry value-added is $465m; that is 5.2% of Gross State Product. Employment, as of 2003-04, the latest numbers we have available, 7560 Territorians are directly employed in the tourism industry, that is 7.9% of Territory jobs, and the number of businesses as of 2001 from the Census - so these figures are a bit dated but they are the latest official figures - 1299 businesses are in the tourism industry; 952 of those businesses with turnover of more than $10 000. I suppose the others are very small micro-businesses. That is the size of the industry at a glance.
The importance of tourism to the wider economy has long been recognised by this government. As I said, it is everybody’s business. As the industry snapshots collated by my department show, for every $1m invested in the tourism industry in the Northern Territory, $1.1m of output is created in the rest of the economy, and for every 100 jobs created in the tourism industry, 76 jobs are created in the rest of the economy. That is one of the highest multipliers in any industry according to the econometricians in my department.
The sector is a particularly important sector in driving regional economic development and there are huge opportunities there. I am pleased to hear of the discussions and negotiations being held by the NT Tourist Commission with indigenous communities throughout the Northern Territory. I am also pleased to note the announcement yesterday in the NT News that The Ghan passenger service will double its service to Darwin from 17 March next year due to strong demands earlier this year giving GSR the confidence to offer this second service year round. We have just celebrated the first anniversary of the first Ghan, and Great Southern Rail is blown away by the consumer response to The Ghan. It is amazing that in over 12 months there is now going to be a second service year round. That is absolutely fantastic and it will mean a huge amount to tourism here in the Top End.
In terms of the importance of the tourism industry to regional economies from the industry sector’s snapshots that my department provides, again from the 2001 Census, the number of businesses in the regions: 29 businesses employing 200 people in the East Arnhem region; in the Katherine region, 84 businesses employing 499 people; in the Barkly region, 36 businesses employing 41 people; and, in the Central Australian region, 262 businesses employing 806 people. The percentage of indigenous employment in those numbers: East Arnhem, of the 200 employed, 13% are indigenous; in Katherine of the 499, 10% are indigenous; in the Barkly region, Barkly is doing well but the numbers are small, out of the 41 people directly employed, 29% are indigenous, and in the Central region, 806 employed, 13% indigenous.
We do have a long way to go to lift those employment figures in the tourism industry. It will be interesting to see when these numbers are updated as a result of the Census, which I believe is going to be next year, 2006, if those numbers of indigenous employed have increased. It is certainly a real opportunity and one that I, as Minister for Business and Economic Development, will be working very hard in.
These new initiatives and services in The Ghan will see instant benefits for regional tour operators, who will now have the ability to plan the whole year through. Talk to anybody in tourism, particularly in the accommodation and the restaurant sector here in Darwin, the turnaround as a result of The Ghan and particularly in the typically off-season months starting as early as February to have those passengers coming through week in week out have been a huge boost to the accommodation, restaurant and retail sector. Two trains a week now will be great news for people in those particular industries. We do know that the accommodation sector is really tight during certain times of the year and this announcement is going to spur even more activity in the construction industry for new hotel accommodation particularly in Darwin.
This announcement by Great Southern Rail, along with increasing number of cruise ships - I do not have the name of the one that has just sailed in today, but this morning when I came to work to see a cruise ship sailing in was great and some are now operating out of Darwin - and navy vessels visiting on a regular basis and the efforts of the Tourist Commission to bring more tourists to Darwin will bring heart to the retailers throughout the Territory especially in the Mall.
Tourism has a huge spin-off into many other business sectors as I mentioned previously. Not only retailers but also construction, sport and recreation, our libraries, museums, communication services, transport, finance, insurance, security, vehicle repair and maintenance services – tourism is everybody’s business.
As the Chief Minister said we only have to cast our minds back, and I certainly remember the terrible events of 11 September 2001, the Ansett collapse, the Asian bird flu, and we have the wretched bird flu out there challenging the world at the moment; the member for Katherine talked about petrol prices; all of these issues just seem to come around with regular and monotonous regularity to buffet our tourism industry. It is a resilient industry and, in terms of business planning, many more operators in the tourism industry are taking much more seriously doing well developed business plans, risk management plans and risk management strategies for their businesses, to cater for these external shocks that just come through with all too regular occurrences.
I just have to pick up on the member for Katherine’s comments about the fuel prices. Yes, of course we are concerned about the impact that rising fuel prices will have on the tourism industry particularly the drive market, but also the long haul travellers who are going to see air fares increasing. We already have a $26 aviation surcharge on every Qantas seat. I am not sure what the Virgin surcharge is at the moment but there are increased costs that have to hit the market. It is very easy in opposition to say: ‘Just increase your 1.1 litre rebate to an 8 per litre rebate because Queensland is doing it’. Queensland has had that rebate imbedded into their budget for many, many years; it is probably 10 years and longer. It is certainly not a new subsidy that the Queensland government has introduced.
Talking to the Treasurer, to increase that fuel rebate in the Territory will come at a cost to the budget of $25m. When we are already running a structural deficit, and the Treasurer has tabled the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report in the House today, where are we going to find the money? It is very easy to say whack on the subsidy but the challenge for the opposition, if they are serious, is to say where we can find the money. How many teachers, doctors, nurses, or other public servants are you going to put off? What infrastructure projects will you not do? Or would you just put it on the bankcard and put it on the deficit? It is easy to say pull $25m out of your pocket. The reality is that for our budget and the size of our budget it is an impossible thing to do.
The capacity is with the Commonwealth government and their fuel excise, and of the $13.6bn surplus that the Commonwealth is sitting on, and that surplus is growing day after day after day in part fuelled by high fuel prices, $13.2bn of that comes from the fuel excise. Therefore, if there is one person who, at the stroke of pen, could provide real relief to motorists and the aviation sector in this country, it is the Commonwealth government. Why our Prime Minister will not touch that surplus to provide relief in the fuel excise when he clearly has the capacity to do so, is beyond me. You can bet London to a brick that if we were not at the beginning of a three-year electoral cycle rather than the end of a three-year electoral cycle, the Prime Minister would be into that surplus to provide relief to fuel prices in Australia.
That is the challenge that is faced. Perhaps the member for Katherine would like to put her hand up and point out the $25m of savings or infrastructure we should not go ahead with to fund that. It is a very easy statement to make, to whack on an 8 a litre fuel rebate. That is the challenge for the opposition.
I am pleased to advise that a number of Northern Territory government strategies implemented by my department complement the Chief Minister’s commitment to the tourism industry. These include Building a Better Territory; the Economic Development Strategy; Building Stronger Regions, Stronger Futures, and the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy. These strategies aim to maximise sustainable employment, and business investment and development, particularly aimed at regional areas.
The objective of the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy is to bring the components of business development, investment and regional development into focus for indigenous Territorians, and foster long-term economic growth and prosperity through a significant increase in indigenous wealth, employment and business ownership. The IED strategy is based on identifying opportunities for economic development in 13 industry sectors of which the tourism industry is about developing businesses, targeting high indigenous employment, training programs to increase employment in the industry, and marketing campaigns to highlight indigenous tourism, including links to existing community events and festivals.
The integration of the Tourist Commission, under the umbrella of my department, promotes business links to real opportunities for indigenous economic and regional developments. The Chief Minister mentioned tourism at Hermannsburg. I was pleased to be there the other day with my colleague, the member for Macdonnell. Even she was surprised at how excited I was to see the great initiatives and enterprise of the people in Hermannsburg in a range of economic areas such as construction and civil works, but also a new art gallery which was being opened as we were there. I forget the lady’s name - I am sure the member for Macdonnell will remind me - she was collating works of art and starting to put catalogues together, wanting to see tourists come through as a result of the Mereenie Loop Road.
There is a lot of doom and gloom around many of our indigenous communities, however, that particular visit gave us all much hope and I look forward to ...
Ms Martin: And Titjikala.
Mr HENDERSON: Yes, and Titjakala. I was going to mention Titjakala. It can be done and Aboriginal people can get out there, roll their sleeves up and have a go. We need to support those people who are having a go, and, my goodness, we are going to get in their and support them.
The Tourist Commission is to be applauded and congratulated for employing and out-posting officers within the Northern and Central Land Councils to foster an effective relationship to identify, nurture and support tourism opportunities within indigenous communities. Officers within the indigenous business and industry services units in my department are working closely with officers in the Tourism Commission.
My department also, through the indigenous business and services team, provides an indigenous business development program. That was a budget commitment we made this year; $300 000 per year for the next three years. It is a fairly small budget allocation, however, I hope to see that strategically take off this year primarily aimed at assisting in the establishment of businesses owned by indigenous people. I am really hopeful for that program. Secondly, it aims to support the formation of partnerships and joint ventures between indigenous organisations and other corporate entities, and thirdly to provide a business support service to indigenous businesses. I can assure the Chief Minister that my department will work closely with the Tourist Commission. As I said earlier, they already are in working for the future of the tourist industry throughout the Territory.
I want to pick up on a couple of comments from the member for Katherine. She mentioned the Share our Story marketing campaign and it was pretty much pilloried by the opposition when it was launcher earlier this year …
Ms Carney: People in the industry – Sylvia Wolf.
Mr HENDERSON: Well, in some sectors of the industry …
Ms Carney: Thank you. Just be honest! Thank you, very good. Just be honest, it does not hurt. No goes against the grain.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: The Leader of the Opposition is so sensitive.
Any marketing campaign is going to have its supporters and detractors. If you were to get 100% of the industry totally on the money, that would a miracle. I mentioned at the time that I am no marketing guru, and those marketing people went out there, developed the product, tested it with focus groups - and importantly those focus groups were customers, not people in the industry. We pay a lot of money for people to develop marketing campaigns. They just do not pull them out from behind their left ear; they do a lot of work, and you have to listen to what they say.
October Business Month: I had the pleasure of sitting next to Bob Pritchard on the plane from Alice Springs to Darwin to launch October Business Month in Darwin. He did it in Alice Springs as well. He is one of the world’s great marketing gurus. Chief Minister, you will be interested in this. He told me a story. He looked at our campaign, thought it was absolutely brilliant, because he said that the higher yield tourist market, the people with the money who want to travel, can go anywhere in the world and see anything. They can see everything from Eiffel Tower to the pyramids in Egypt, to Victoria Falls, Niagara Falls, and the Sydney Opera House. What they want to do is have an experience and meet people and take something away with them.
He said he spoke at an Australian Tourist Commission annual awards night and, essentially, told the industry that they were barking up the wrong tree in marketing in America because everybody in America wants to come to Australia. They say they will do it one day, but they only have two weeks holiday a year under the great individual awards system that Prime Minister Howard is trying to force on Australians. Prime Minister Howard wants to see us go down the American path of workplace relations. The average American gets two weeks holiday a year. Most Americans think Australia is a long, long, way away. Therefore, they are going to put off their trip to Australia until they retire because they only have a precious two weeks a year for their holiday. Yet, they think nothing of going to Europe. The perception is that Australia is too far away.
Instead of marketing to the Americans the Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef, he said the best slogan for the Australian Tourist Commission would be ‘Australia – it is closer than you think’. As simple as that! Nobody would listen to him and he was howled down by the industry. He still believes that that would be the marketing slogan. He saw ours, the ‘Share our Story, Meet our People, Experience the Northern Territory’. One of the great marketers of the world said he thought it was on the mark. That was a pretty interesting anecdote, Chief Minister.
Who is right, who is wrong? Only time will tell. To say that it is a hopeless campaign is pretty bad, because I would listen to somebody like Bob Pritchard over the member for Katherine any day of the week.
Madam Speaker, this is a great statement and, maybe the Chief Minister can pick up because I am running out of time now. The member for Katherine, what on earth is happening with the Katherine Cultural Centre? The one thing, a real commitment we want to make to tourism in Katherine is bogged down. I hope you will find a claim a force of good to get this thing up running. Senator Scullion should butt out of it and let the site be determined so that we can get on with the work. Is it going at the top of the street or the bottom end of the street? What a lot of rubbish! Let us just get on and do it.
I commend the Chief Minister on her statement.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Oh, thank God, the mindless ramblings of the Leader of Government Business have finished, Madam Speaker. It has not been a good fortnight for him. For a man who is positioning himself as the future Chief Minister, he needs to learn a couple of things at least - manners is one of them, and even on occasion, albeit infrequently, the ability to be statesman-like would, no doubt, assist him in his endeavours to dethrone the current Chief Minister ...
Ms MARTIN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I make the point that I listened to the Opposition Leader in adjournment talking about personal attacks and things like that, and how hurtful it can be. She is doing exactly that. It is important, if you are going to set some standard about not attacking people and doing that kind of thing – you are doing exactly that now. I make the point!
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Perhaps you could start referring to the statement, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms Martin: It is hypocrisy.
Ms CARNEY: Just be quiet, you have had your go. The arrogance of the government is truly outstanding.
Notwithstanding the aggression that the Leader of Government Business has, I will bat on regardless. I see some members on the side smiling; they know what is going on. Some are brighter than others, clearly.
Madam Speaker, I propose to make some comments in relation to this because I was the shadow Tourism minister for a while. The Leader of Government Business said that he enjoyed being the Tourism minister. I very much enjoyed being the shadow minister for Tourism. It seems as though the portfolio of sport is regarded by anyone who has it as the ‘minister for fun’. I would suggest that tourism is one that could equally be described as the minister for fun or, indeed, the shadow minister for fun.
It is a very serious industry and I am not downplaying it for a moment. The people who are involved in tourism, from the Tourist Commission through to those in private enterprise, give their heart and soul to this industry, and it is a pleasure to meet people with the level of passion and commitment that they have. Those in the private sector, of course, need to pay off their mortgages and feed their kids, and it is the case, as the Chief Minister said, that there have been hard times. Not long after Labor came to government, all Territorians, all Australians, everyone throughout the world, had to cope with the circumstances that were delivered after 11 September, and 14 September which was the collapse of Ansett. There have been very difficult times and I propose to come back to that.
There was something almost miraculous in the Chief Minister’s statement, probably unprecedented. This was the only statement I can recall that did not slag off at the CLP, so thank you for that. I hope implicit in that was an acknowledgment that the CLP, on any analysis, did tourism well. People will say of the Labor government, it did some things well, did some others not so well. I do not believe many people would say that the CLP did it badly.
In that regard, I had cause to pick up a document that was 10 years old - the Northern Territory Tourism Development Master Plan. I have gone through that, and the more things change the more things stay the same. The sentiments of this document, which is now 11 years old, are very similar to the statements and sentiments of good intention contained in this statement. I make this point because it is important that we as a parliament, on behalf of Territorians, in a bipartisan way, state how significant the importance of the tourism industry is. So, 11 years ago, the same sort of wording as is contained in the statement. I believe speaks volumes.
There are a few things I would like to mention. Before I get on to what those on the other side might describe as the bad bits, I will comment on some of the good bits. There are some terrific initiatives in here. Equally, there were some terrific initiatives in this document 11 years ago. Every few years, it seems, whoever is in charge, regardless of which Chief Minister it is, regardless of which Director of the Tourist Commission it is, people get stuck into trying their very best to plan for the future of the Northern Territory in this critical industry. There are some good initiatives, no-one needs to be a rocket scientist to work out what they are, and it is pleasing that those in the Tourist Commission in particular have the ability, not to mention the passion and commitment to continue to be creative.
The Northern Territory has traditionally been regarded as a can-do place. My own view is that that is slipping under the Labor government. It does have an attraction to visitors elsewhere in Australia and elsewhere in the world, so it is very important, with the wonderful products we have, that we market them in the best possible way. To the extent there are some very good initiatives in the statement. I congratulate the authors of the statement who, I assume, are listening in the backroom, and hope your creativity and passion continues.
A couple of things I would like to mention, however, on the first page. I was surprised that the Chief Minister said, ‘The seeds of success we are now experiencing can be traced back to 2001’. I say, really! It was the case that, after the events of September 2001, I recall, and I do not have the information in front of me, but various tourism product was taken off the shelf in some parts of Europe. Instead of batting through, as the government and others should have done, they took product off the shelf. Unless you have a product on a shelf, no one is going to buy it. That did see a more significant decline, I think, in our visitor numbers across the board.
For the Chief Minister to say the seeds of success we are now experiencing can be traced back to 2001 is rather remarkable and untrue. She did say on page 2 that it was an uncertain time for the industry in 2001. That is correct. She said: ‘… a time that required strong leadership and tangible support from government’. I was shadow tourism minister at that point and we were at the government constantly, only because people in the tourism industry were constantly at us, as they were contacting the opposition saying: ‘Please get government to act. The government is not doing anything’. I had two people in Alice Springs ring me in tears because their businesses were going broke. What they saw was inertia from government, and the Parliamentary Record, and archived media releases will show that I and my colleagues were calling on government weekly to do something.
In about 2004, this is when we were on to tourism minister number 3 - we had the member for Nhulunbuy, then the Leader of Government Business, then the member for Johnston, then the Chief Minister – so that is no strong leadership. That is a hotchpotch approach to tourism. I think it was the member for Johnston who happened to be tourism minister at that time – two to three years after 2001 - and he said: ‘Yippee, we finally have some money’. I remember standing in this Chamber almost begging the Treasurer, who was also the Chief Minister at the time, to open the wallet to inject some money into tourism. At one stage we said $30m should about do it. The government, years later, came up with $27.5m; better late than never. But as to the statement that it required strong leadership. Yes it did, and the leadership was not there, and people in the tourism industry have not forgotten that. They still talk about it. The member for Blain was shadow tourism minister for a time, and they were talking to him about it as well. So, do not give us this claptrap about strong leadership because it just was not there.
There is also the reference to the sealing of the Mereenie Loop Road. This is going on – it is like the Blue Hills of politics. I think it was in the 2002-03 budget. Every year there is always something about the Mereenie Loop Road. We have had two sittings in Alice Springs. At both of them there was much jumping up and down about the sealing of the Mereenie Loop Road. It is in every budget. Not one inch of bitumen has been laid. You can keep playing the record if you like, but people are getting a bit tired of it. If you are going to seal it, please get on with it. If I have been mistaken and if an inch of bitumen has been laid, then it must have happened in very recent times. Do not try to dress it up and say: ‘Oh, we are doing this or we have done that’, because smoke and mirrors may well be the game of politics, but not everyone is always hoodwinked.
I share the member for Katherine’s comments in relation to the Share our Story. The Leader of Government Business does not like it, but there were criticisms and I observed that the criticisms were rather sharp, surprisingly sharp, from senior people in the industry. If the results are going to show that the campaign worked, fantastic.
What is absent from the Chief Minister’s statement is really anything in the way of figures. I note that the member for Wanguri alluded to some figures, but it really would be great to see them on a comparative basis over the years. In the Alice Springs sittings in March this year, I asked a question regarding the extraordinary decline in international visitor numbers. I said last year the Territory had 91 000 fewer international visitors than the year before, and Central Australia hosted 102 000 fewer visitors since Labor came to government. That is a lot of people in a relatively small market. That was asked in 2005 and I think the figures may have related to 2004-05 or 2003-04. So, these are not great figures.
If the Chief Minister is going to be serious about tourism, notwithstanding the positive aspects of the statement in terms of initiatives, she should have given us some figures for that; that was noticeably absent. We had the Minister for Health present a statement in the last day or so, and he gave us some figures and there was something to work on. Anyone can just fill up documents with words; however, we actually want some figures.
There are a few figures contained in the statement, however, they are just mysterious and do not mean much. On page 5, the Chief Minister says in relation to Alice Springs: ‘As a result, visitor preference for Alice Springs as a holiday destination increased from 2% to 9%’. Well, from 2% to 9% from what? It is quite meaningless in the absence of detailed comparison.
There are some good points as I continue to flick through. I would have liked, and I am sure many people in the tourism industry would have liked, an explanation as to where exactly we are at with Malaysian Airlines. Word is that it is just not going to happen. I note that something that vaguely resembles a concession of failure appears on page 19. It says that ‘… the reality is that services are unlikely to begin in the near future’. I would have thought that the Chief Minister might have been able to provide us with some more details on that. If it is the case that services are unlikely to begin in the near future, why not? Some detail on that would have been of assistance when the government is talking about its collective vision for tourism in the foreseeable future. I note that omission.
As for the government’s performance over the last few years in tourism, I do not think anyone would regard it as a performance requiring an A or a B marking; I think it has been a C. In a couple of places it was D and very early on it was F. Everyone wants their government, regardless of political colour, to achieve A in tourism …
Mr Henderson: What was your election result performance?
Ms CARNEY: You have had your go. I know you are a naturally …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: … rude, ignorant, horrible man.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms CARNEY: Just pull your head in, can you …
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Leader of the Opposition, you will withdraw those remarks.
Ms CARNEY: I withdraw ‘horrible’, Madam Speaker, I am happy to withdraw ‘horrible’.
Madam SPEAKER: You said a little bit more than that, Leader of the Opposition. I would like you to withdraw the last few words please.
Ms CARNEY: Rude and horrible. I am very happy to withdraw rude and horrible.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms CARNEY: Some people should - you know, democracy does not come easy to some. Let the other person have a go. There are 19 of you and there are four of us. I know you do not like it when we have the audacity to stand in the parliament of the Northern Territory and have our say. Some Territorians do not think it is altogether a bad thing. Some Labor-voting Territorians do not think it is a bad thing for there to be some level of democracy in the Northern Territory. I am sorry that meets with such hostility and resistance from the Leader of Government Business whose arrogance really does seem to be getting the better of him as he positions himself to be the next Chief Minister.
In response to his comments about fuel, I was very interested to hear him say that he can provide an 8 a litre subsidy to Territorians for $25m - cheap at twice the price, I would have thought, Leader of Government Business. You have extended a challenge to the opposition: you want us to tell you how we can provide this relief to all Territorians, including our vital sectors of tourism, transport, pastoral industry, mining, etcetera. Tourism, since we are on tourism, we will come back to you on that.
It is always difficult to trust the government’s books of course. We do know that they are running out of money. What we also know is that in 2005-06 this government will receive $1.83bn - I will say it again because it is a big figure - $1.83bn in GST revenue. If you cannot afford to find $25m in that I do not know whether you are fit to govern.
I note in the Chief Minister’s department annual report which was tabled yesterday, tucked up the back is a reference to staffing costs – staff and other costs of government. Members, if you have not read it, I commend it to you. The cost of ministerial staff, in other words, staff and spin doctors, was just over $8m. The cost of staff - hardworking, dedicated honest staff to the Leader of the Opposition was $556 000.
Ms Martin: Who blew their budget by 47%? Don’t lead with your chin.
Ms CARNEY: You can find $8m, Chief Minister. We will come back to you and find you the rest - shave $8m from your staff. Unprecedented, as there is only 100 or so of them. They are all, obviously, being very well paid. Perhaps there are more than 100 …
Ms Martin: You blew your budget more than any other office.
Ms CARNEY: In any event, thanks for participating. I know when I get under your skin and it is a joy. That is where you can find $8m.
In any event, as I have said publicly, it is not a case of whether the Territory, in so many respects, can afford this. The question is: can the Territory afford not to provide a fuel subsidy; that is the issue. The response I am getting from all around the Territory is that the Territory government has to show leadership. There is that word again – leadership. If it wants to show leadership, then it can provide a fuel subsidy.
I know I have grazed across some issues. Partly, I have been incredibly gracious in respect of the good initiatives contained in the statement. It is a pleasure to see that, for once, the government has not slagged off at the CLP. That tells me that perhaps the staffers and people in the Tourist Commission have said: ‘Actually, the CLP did not do too badly when it came to tourism’. You people are not covered with glory, especially when the Chief Minister, who is our Tourism Minister, was Treasurer at the time when all and sundry were begging her to inject some money into tourism, and she steadfastly refused to do it. As I said, people have not forgotten about that.
We look forward to more developments because all of us want good outcomes for the tourism sector. You can bet your bottom dollar, Leader of Government Business, that despite your rude behaviour, we will come back to you and tell you where you can find a spare $25m. We have already found $8m and we look forward to taking you up on your challenge.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Madam Speaker, the love affair continues.
I welcome the statement from the Chief Minister about what is happening in tourism in the Northern Territory. It is also very enjoyable to hear so many familiar names from my electorate appearing in her speech.
The emphasis of her statement is that the government is keeping tourism moving ahead. I support this and can confirm that this is actually happening across the region which I represent. I congratulate the Labor government for its faith and foresight in investing the $27.5m in 2001 to reshape the tourism sector.
It is strange that the Leader of the Opposition criticises the Labor government for not supporting tourism, because one of the fundamental things about tourism is that the infrastructure is within the regions to attract tourist there. We know that the CLP have adopted a new scorched earth policy to regional development - if you do not have at least 100 people in your community you get absolutely nothing from them. Those places become quite attractive to tourists, obviously, when there is nothing there to facilitate telecommunications or whatever else.
This government is vastly different. It has provided these funds to energise one of the major industries which maintain the small towns and communities throughout the Northern Territory. This investment also benefits the people and businesses in Darwin. The thousands of visitors which utilise the hotels, bars and shops in Darwin largely come to the Northern Territory to visit attractions outside of Darwin. We need to continue to support infrastructure like the roads and parks that the government represent, just to name a few.
As an example of what this government is doing to upgrade regional infrastructure and enhance tourism access to our attractions, we only have to look at a number of capital works this government has under way. One is the Dundee powerline. The Dundee area, in the future, will be a major tourist attraction for the Northern Territory. The facilitation of power to that community will make businesses more viable, will attract more permanent residents there and generally provide a better tourist experience.
The impending opening of the Wooliana Road powerline will attract tourists there. We have many tourist operators who have struggled over the years, providing their own power generation and now these operators have 24-hour power, as much as they like - we have had one operator down there invest $100 000 in upgrading his facilities - and that is welcome news. The Fog Bay Road to Dundee Beach is gradually being upgraded. Once that is complete, the attraction for people who take caravans down that road will increase and we will see much more visitation there. We have talked about the Litchfield National Park Loop Road. When that is finalised, the number of people completing that loop from Bachelor back up to the Cox Peninsula Road will increase. Something like 250 000 people utilise part of that road now and I can see that increasing over the years once the loop road has been finalised. There has also been an initial investment near the Batchelor area with some money provided to look at the greening of Batchelor into a flora and fauna reserve, and this is also encouraging.
Coupled with this investment is the Destination Darwin campaign, which firstly promotes Darwin as a tourist attraction, and secondly, as a gateway to these fabulous attractions regional NT has to offer. The Destination Darwin campaign also emphasises the shoulder and off-peak season. As someone who has lived in the bush of the Northern Territory for 18 years, the Wet Season and the build-up are the most exciting and dramatic times of the year.
The texture of the bush completely changes. You see wild storms, flooding in creeks and rivers, lush bushland, flowing waterfalls, magpie geese sheltering in the trees, electrical storms, and large cumulonimbus cloud formations moving across the Territory landscape. This time of the year is as attractive and worthy of observation by interstate and overseas visitors as the Dry Season. If we can get more people to see this time of year, they will surely tell others and further boost the numbers across the season for the Northern Territory. Both these initiatives will further drive tourism and, subsequently, economic development in regional and remote Northern Territory.
Another step forward in the enhancement of tourism in the Northern Territory is the new branding of the Share our Story. As the Chief Minister stated, this initiative will use Territory characters to promote the Northern Territory. This is a great initiative and I can quite authoritatively say that in the bush we have some real characters that you would not find anywhere else in the world. It is these people and these images which will make a difference to visitors coming to the Northern Territory as they will show our uniqueness.
The Chief Minister’s statement mentioned some areas which are in my electorate, and Litchfield National Park is one that comes to mind. As mentioned, the $22m that has been spent on the loop road and other infrastructure will enhance that area and the attractions near Wangi Falls, Florence Falls, Tolmer Falls, Buley Rockhole and Sandy Creek Falls will certainly benefit from that. Businesses in that area are doing a great job in providing facilities for the visiting public. They include the Wangi Tourist Park, Litchfield Tourist Park, the Litchfield Camp Ground, and Monsoon Caf.
Once the loop is completed, the benefits to Batchelor will increase and you have a many accommodation places there which are doing a great job. The recent opening of the Batchelor Heritage Retreat by Robert Hobbs is an interesting and unique concept for the Northern Territory, if not for Australia. The other resorts in that area provide a great service: the Batchelor Resort, the Rum Jungle Drum Bungalows, and the Butterfly and Bird Farm.
One of the other aspects which I will, hopefully, be lobbying our government for is the completion of the back road to Daly River from Litchfield National Park. This will create a loop up to Litchfield from Daly River which should be very exciting and will bring many visitors back to the Daly area. The Daly River area is an exciting part of the Territory and the powerline is going to enhance tourism there. There are fishing enterprises which we all know about: Preston Fishing Charters, Perry’s on the Daly, and we have the Barra Nationals and the Barra Classic, which many of us know about and if we ever get some time off we will certainly participate in.
I alluded to some businesses there which are now upgrading their facilities and Wally Draper from Banyan Farm is one of those people. Harold Sinclair from Sinclair’s Retreat is one of those other people too. You have other facilities there and these people are really doing a great job in the bush. The Aboriginal art work there is second to none I believe. The Merrepen Arts Centre is doing some fabulous things and also the artists of Peppimenarti.
The Douglas Daly region, which was mentioned by the Chief Minister, is a growing area and when we talk about infrastructure, this government has invested in providing a road from the Douglas Daly area through Fleming Road to the Edith Farms Road onto the Stuart Highway. It is another one of those loops that once we can get it through will increase the numbers through the Douglas Daly area so that people can visit the Arches Waterhole, Butterfly Gorge Nature Park and the hot springs. I have just recently been there with my five-year-old daughter and she was absolutely delighted by that.
When we talk about tourism in regional areas, we are talking primarily about the drive market and we cannot forget those services which are provided along the way and that we sometimes take for granted. Those roadhouses which are a long way in the bush and you are grateful to see, to have a stop at after a couple of hundred kilometres of driving, and in the Daly area you have Hayes Creek, which is a nice little stop halfway between Katherine and Darwin, and there are roadhouses out at Timber Creek. One of the other areas which is really emerging is the Marrakai area. I recently visited the Mary River Park to see Mike Oswald and that is a fabulous facility. These are unique places which we really need to get on the map and I believe this will happen through this tourism strategy.
The Chief Minister highlighted the growing numbers on The Ghan also and that is great. I am encouraged by the work that is being done developing packages to keep these thousands of people a little longer at regional stops like Katherine. In Katherine we have not only the Nitmiluk National Park and the Katherine Gorge, but we also have also Edith Falls. This is a fabulous part of the world and there is an increasing number of tourist operators which are going there.
One of the other areas which I am very excited about, and I know that the Tourist Commission is working on, is Pine Creek. I just recently attended the October Business Month dinner there. They are developing a package of promotion for that town, and the heritage railway and Umbrawarra Gorge are primary attractions there. Actually, there is a full size replica of Umbrawarra Gorge in Baltimore in the United States, so that is certainly a promotion with the United States market.
I am delighted that there is so much emphasis going into the regional areas, and the emphasis that the Northern Territory government has on providing infrastructure which benefits the visitors to the Northern Territory. That infrastructure and those attractions benefit Darwin and Alice Springs as well. I thank the Chief Minister for her statement.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, there is no doubt we have a vibrant tourism industry and it reflects in everything that we do in business. It is pleasing to see the government has an emphasis on business. That is important. If our government does not stand up and say we support you, then we really are in a little bit of trouble. If I could ask the Chief Minister in reply to just tell me how it works: she is Minster for Tourism, although tourism is located in DBERD. So how does it work? Do the people in tourism report to the minister for DBERD or do they report to the Minister for Tourism? I was just interested …
Ms Martin: I used to be minister for Arts and that worked the same way.
Mrs BRAHAM: Sorry?
Ms Martin: I used to be the minister for Arts which was in Community Development.
Mrs BRAHAM: Yes, I know. I was just wondering how this particular portfolio, which is really important to the Territory, functions. Perhaps you could give me some idea of that.
There are many things in your statement that are pleasing to see. One is the Japanese tourist charters that are coming into Alice Springs. I have to ask why are we bringing them in in December and January? We probably do not have a lot of choice. That would have to be the most difficult time for people to go touring around Alice Springs or if they want to climb the Rock. It is just not a very good time.
The first group that came into Alice Springs was highly structured. The Chief Minister might remember there was a bit of feedback that the local businesses did not really get many tourists. It is pleasing to see that that has changed. Many of them are now spending more time in the mall and around the town, and the feedback has been that it has generated a lot of money in the town. Anything we can do to make sure those charters from Japan continue is a great bonus for us.
I have written either to the Chief Minister or the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, as one of the tourist highlights is the Simpson Gap bicycle track where there is one kilometre of it that is not sealed. It basically goes along to the end of Larapinta where you are supposed to cross the road into the Desert Park, then somehow or other get across the busy road back near Flynn’s Grave where it becomes sealed. I am asking Chief Minister if you could have a look at that one kilometre of bicycle path. It is not very much and it would be great if you could seal it.
Ms Martin: That road is not that busy.
Mrs BRAHAM: I know, but it is all about tourism.
Ms Martin: Oh come on, I have done the bicycle track.
Mrs BRAHAM: Tourists like to ride along it, there is no doubt about it they do.
Ms Martin: Yes, I know, but it is not that busy.
Mrs BRAHAM: You talked about the success of The Ghan and you are right. It is great to know they have brought so many people into the Territory. Although one of the problems I have is that sometimes the image of people coming into town or leaving the town is spoilt by the litter and the unsightly camps that are along the railway track. It has been raised with me. You are a kilometre away from the station, and you see all this mess. It would be great if the tourism industry could use their clout so that when people are leaving on The Ghan they get a good, clean image of the town not a messy image.
The $43m you talked about for the Mereenie Loop Road - yes, you are right. I can recall pushing for that when I was in government. It is something that is important, it is not just good for tourists, it is good for those remote communities so they will have good access, and it is good for essential services. Any way you can keep that going that will be great. We really think it is great.
We talked about the festival during Question Time and that was a great success. We had national and international visitors and thanks to CATIA for plugging the festival. I hope that they continue to do so and make sure it becomes a major event on our calendar, as it is those sorts of major events that people find unique to places like Alice Springs. They come there looking for something a bit different, like the Henley-On-Todd, the Finke Race, and the Beercan Regatta. All those things that are run by community groups in the Territory add so much to the tourism dollar. They should be acknowledged because those events attract thousands of people from around the Territory and around Australia. The amount of work done by volunteers to make them a success is a huge credit to our service clubs and our community groups. If you took all those special events away, you would find there would be a big hole in the attraction.
A good example was the Transport Hall of Fame convention that was held this year, with the thousands of people who came and the hundreds of vehicles they brought to Alice Springs. That injects so much into the town that we need to acknowledge them as part of our tourism exercise, and give them credit and assistance where we can.
It is a bit like the convention centre. I have to admit, I hope the Darwin convention centre does not take away from the Alice Springs Convention Centre because that has been a huge success. The number of people who have been lured to Alice Springs for conventions on many different themes from many different sectors of the population has been an incredible boost, and puts into our town’s economy. Perhaps I am a little selfish in saying that, but do not rush into this convention centre in Darwin - we are happy to get the market at the moment.
We talk about the grey nomad market and the effect of the high fuel prices. I notice the taxi drivers are putting up their prices, and I guess the tourist coaches will also. We really do not quite know just what the effect of high fuel prices will be on our drive market. However, it is really important that we continue to foster that.
I want to make a statement on the self-drive market of overseas visitors. I am not quite sure how we can educate them about driving on our roads and the safety requirements. I know when you go to a foreign country and you are driving on the opposite site of the road, it is fine when you are going straight, but it is when you turn a corner that you get confused. It happened to me the other night when I was driving on the road past the casino here. There was, obviously, a foreign tourist because they were in one of these little self-drive cars, who was turning on to the road in my direction and, automatically, turned on to the left hand side of the road. Fortunately, they were going slow and had just started off, so they were able to quickly move.
We have had some horrific accidents in the Territory with overseas tourists hiring cars. We have to make sure that when they hire these vehicles that they are given a little education on how to drive on our roads. Many of these vehicles seem to be top heavy. It is important that that message gets across. If you are going to hire a car in the Territory, take care and make sure you know the road rules and that you drive carefully. We have seen too many accidents that should not happen. I am sure the tourism industry is concerned about that. It is not a good image for them, and I know they would much prefer to see tourists come here and enjoy their experience. It is a bit of a downside of coming to a remote locality such as the Territory.
I was amused the other day when I saw an article from someone reporting on the Falconio case saying ‘the dry, dusty town of Darwin’. They obviously had not done their homework very well. If you want a dry, dusty town, you would obviously come to Alice Springs to see that, or other places.
I was interested in seeing what other new incentives the Chief Minister thinks we could have. Is there some vision for something that is quite spectacular? I believe the film industry does us a great deal of good. We have some very talented filmmakers in the Territory. I would like to see them sponsored and using their talents to make documentaries which could be shown on SBS or around the world. It is the spectacular scenery of the Northern Territory that comes up so well on a documentary. When you think of the lifestyle we have and some of the great people we have in the Territory – the member for Daly talked about characters – it is that which makes the Territory unique.
We do have characters around, and some of the people I particularly admire are our chefs in Alice Springs. They are such a diverse group, from Beat Keller, running a Swiss/Indian Restaurant, to Jimmy Shu who runs the Hanuman. We have such a wide variety of people in this Territory and we could capitalise a lot more by doing documentaries. I saw the documentary which was done on the Finke Race when I was interstate, and I thought, wow, what a great idea. There were so many people watching that and it showed something happening in the Territory that perhaps people had not realised what it is about. I know the film industry is a difficult industry, as I it is a very expensive game to get in to. As the Minister for Tourism, the Chief Minister should think about how we can capitalise on that documentary market to showcase our tourism and our Territory in a way that would be more appealing.
Alice Springs is a great tourist destination, there is no doubt about it, and there is no doubt that it will only succeed if people in the tourism industry also make it succeed. They need to have that oomph and desire to make sure that tourists leave the place with a good impression of the Northern Territory. Sometimes we get bad stories about people who have been treated rudely, or people who have been met with glum faces. It is true – a smile makes the world of difference. If we can do a little bit more in the area of training of the people who are in the tourism market to ensure they know exactly what their role is and how they affect tourism, I am sure we will get the message through. When people go away, obviously they will go away with the message that we want them too.
On the whole, Mr Deputy Speaker, tourism is going fairly nicely, but slowly. We should be capitalising even more now on the overseas market because we are a safe place to come. I hope the government continues to put a great deal of emphasis and money into it.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement on tourism. According to my dictionary, tourism is the practice of travelling to and visiting places for pleasure and relaxation. Here, in the Northern Territory, we have a wealth of places to visit for pleasure and relaxation. The Northern Territory is widely celebrated as nature Territory. Its wildlife and extensive natural environments are an important drawcard for tourists from Australia and overseas. In 2003, around 3.5 million people visited Northern Territory parks. This means that on average about 10 000 people are in our parks on any one day.
Air and rail travellers tend to focus on the high profile parks, whilst those who drive visit the full range of parks and reserves, including those that are remote and less developed. The Parks and Wildlife Service works closely with the Northern Territory Tourist Commission to provide all visitors with a rewarding, inspiring and enjoyable experience.
Nature-based tourism in the Northern Territory has major strengths. Our natural environment is one of our compelling points of difference with other parts of Australia. We can build on these strengths by raising the international profile of our parks, improving the experiences offered, and actively engaging Aboriginal traditional owners in park-based tourism across their own lands.
In her statement, the Chief Minister has already mentioned the draft Parks and Conservation Master Plan which is currently out for public comment. The master plan is very clear on the future directions of our parks and of the importance of tourism. It outlines a number of key tourism initiatives as a way forward for the next 15 years. They include a headline initiative focusing on the MacDonnell Ranges; a proposal for the new greater Central Australian national park; measures to enhance the tourism experience offered by our high profile parks; measures to improve the variety of experiences offered in parks and reserves along the various tourist routes and loops throughout the Territory; and measures to engage traditional owners in their own enterprises and industry partnerships.
I will briefly outline these important initiatives which the Chief Minister has already touched on. The MacDonnell Ranges has had internationally significant biodiversity value, and are also of tremendous cultural significant to the Arrernte people. In view of the superlative natural and cultural values of the MacDonnell Ranges, the Northern Territory government intends to apply for nomination of the MacDonnell Ranges as a World Heritage area. We will do this in association with the Australian government and with the traditional Aboriginal owners. The Northern Territory Tourist Commission strongly supports the World Heritage nomination for the MacDonnell Ranges because of the premier nature and cultural experiences that are offered. World Heritage status enhances interest amongst domestic and international travellers which in turn will see an increase in visitation to Alice Springs and other Centralian destinations. A detailed analysis of how the values of the MacDonnell Ranges stack up against World Heritage criteria is currently being prepared.
We also propose that a new visitor centre be developed at the Alice Springs Desert Park as a gateway to the MacDonnell Ranges and to a broader Central Australian parks system. We plan to develop a greater Central Australian national park to combine culture, biological diversity and scenic beauty. This new park could link the jointly managed Finke Gorge and Watarrka National Park and ultimately extend across Lake Amadeus to Uluru-Kata Tjuta. Such a park would greatly increase the tourist destinations available in Central Australia. It would capture national and international biological values and significant Aboriginal culture values. It could also offer an extensive 4WD experience for that particular segment of the tourist market.
An obvious way in which parks can promote and expand tourism is to enhance the high profile parks for which the Territory is already famous. For the Commonwealth-owned Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta, this means closer working arrangements between the Northern Territory government and Parks Australia.
For our other high profile parks, Litchfield, Nitmiluk, Watarrka, and West MacDonnells, the emphasis will be on improved infrastructure with relevant high quality visitors facilities. $1.95m has been allocated next financial year for the redevelopment of the Wangi Falls day use area; improvements of the Walker Creek park entry; upgrade of Florence Falls camp ground; landscape works between Florence Falls and the Buley Rockhole; and rehabilitation of the Buley camp ground.
Accessibility is obviously a key element in the tourist market. The Northern Territory Tourist Commission promotes a variety of tourism drive routes and loops throughout the Territory. Most of these routes rely on parks for the quality of the tourist experience and our future planning therefore places more emphasis on developing these themed routes. The various routes are a key to providing the variety of experience that visitors are seeking. Three of the routes - Pioneer Path, Nature’s Way, and the Litchfield Loop road - tend to focus on the high profile parks. Two others, the Savannah Way and the proposed Explorer 4WD route, offer a more remote experience. A major thrust of our park planning is the emphasis on providing assistance and capacity building to allow traditional owners to undertake conservation management and jointly manage parks and reserves across Aboriginal land. This new agenda also opens up an unparalleled opportunity for Aboriginal traditional owners to also take on, on their own terms, a major role in presenting their country and their culture to the many tourists and visitors from around the world who can see that culture as enriching their experience of the Territory’s landscape and wildlife. This adds a dimension to tourism that really sets the Territory apart.
It is clear that the government’s vision and forward planning through conservation through our parks and reserves system is closely aligned to parks of the future of our tourism sector. The Territory’s natural and cultural values are priceless and as opportunities are destroyed elsewhere in the world our places, people and stories become even more valued. Our vibrant Aboriginal culture is another compelling element along with our unspoilt landscapes and rich biodiversity that distinguishes the Territory from most other parts of Australia.
Cultural tourism makes a significant contribution to the industry. Studies have shown that a significant and increasing proportion of both domestic and international visitors are looking for cultural experiences in major components of their holiday. Cultural tourism also offers the Territory’s remote and regional communities opportunities to engage with visitors and express pride in their community, offering economically viable development opportunities and generating income and employment for artists. In the Northern Territory, the experience is generated by performances and visual arts, and our distinct strongly indigenous and multicultural heritage is unique.
In 2003, the Northern Territory was host to some 250 000 international cultural tourists: people who visit museums or art galleries, historic or heritage sites, art or craft workshops or studios, festivals or concerts and Aboriginal sites and cultural displays, who were collectively responsible for an estimated expenditure of $326m. When you add domestic overnight cultural tourists to the scene this figure rises to $703m; a huge contribution. The importance of the indigenous art sector and the tourism sector working collaboratively has been identified in both the Northern Territory indigenous art strategy, Building Strong Arts Business and the Northern Territory Indigenous Tourism Strategy. The strategies recognise that showcasing indigenous visual arts, music, dance, film, new media, theatre and literature is intrinsic to the success of tourism in the Northern Territory. Across the Territory during the peak tourism season, regional festivals showcase the arts with community-based work sharing the limelight with professional productions.
The Garma Festival 2005 again confirmed the event’s status as the nation’s leading cultural exchange event. It is a major cohesive force in bringing together indigenous and non-indigenous Australians and overseas visitors. The 7th annual Garma Festival was attended by about 2000 people. As well as wonderful artistic and cultural events such as magnificent visual arts presentation and music workshops it included a rewarding and groundbreaking forum on indigenous cultural livelihoods. Just touching on Garma, I congratulate the Yothu Yindi Foundation for all its efforts. This year the festival took out the 2005 Skal International Ecotourism Award. Skal is the largest organisation of travel and tourism professionals in the world and incorporates all sectors of the travel and tourism industry.
The 2005 Darwin Festival was an 18 day, 74 production showcase of visual art, theatre, workshop, music, dance, film and comedy. It was attended by around 53 000 and featured over 1100 performers from around Australia, from the local area, and from South East Asia. In Alice Springs, the cultural precinct hosts the annual Desert Mob and associated activities which have become an important part of the tourism calendar. Over the six weeks of the Desert Mob Exhibition and the Desert Mob Market Place, around 6000 to 7000 people attended, purchasing approximately $370 000 worth of work. Art lovers, collectors, dealers and visitors interested in indigenous art come from all over Australia and increasingly from outside Australia to view and purchase work. This has the potential to develop into a major tourism drawcard.
The Territory would be poorer without our outstanding festivals which contribute to the richness of the tourism experience.
One of the areas that attract many tourists is our heritage sites. Our government believes that heritage not only defines our unique Territory identity, but is also a very important resource for the tourism industry. I am informed, for example, that the Navy oil storage tunnels is one of our most visited sites by tourist in Darwin. Our World War II heritage offers something very special that no other state can offer: a genuine wartime experience where allied servicemen and women fought for our nation on our own soil. Government sees further conservation interpretation and marketing of the World War II heritage as a priority. Some of our World War II sites are already protected, but many are not and are now under threat. There is a fantastic story to be told, but only if we protect it and interpret these sites for future generations. A very special site that we have protected is the Strauss Airstrip. Recently, I had the pleasure of opening some exciting new interpretative works at the airstrip. A new shelter housing information on the wartime use of the airstrip has been built into that area.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I am delighted to support the Chief Minister’s statement on tourism, and equally pleased that our future planning for parks, and the arts and heritage, makes such a happy partnership with government’s development of the tourism industry.
Ms SACILOTTO (Port Darwin): Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the Chief Minister on her detailed statement on the Northern Territory government’s commitment to the tourism industry. A key part of the planned growth of our tourism industry in urban Darwin will be the new Darwin waterfront development in the heart of Port Darwin. I have chosen to highlight the exciting developments and future plans of this government in this area tonight, although there is much more going on and planned throughout the Northern Territory.
An important element of our tourism industry is the cruise ship industry. The NT Tourist Commission estimates that growth in this industry could inject up to $60m per annum by 2014. The Martin Labor government is genuinely committed to the development of Darwin as a cruise ship destination. The Darwin city port and cruise ship terminal will become a focal point for the Darwin City Waterfront precinct. This will enhance the entrance to the city, and will provide a range of facilities for visiting cruise ships. The $4.5m terminal will include, initially, resurfacing of the car park area and a provision of a covered waiting area, a weather protected passenger facility with covered walkways, improved lighting, security fencing, trolleys, landscaping, furniture and other public amenities.
There is also flexibility for future expansion. The architect has developed a design concept that allows for further expansion when necessary to match the continuing growth of our cruise ship industry. The facilities in place at Fort hill wharf needed considerable upgrading. The Northern Territory government has recognised the need to meet the growth in cruise ship visitation to Darwin, including the Navy visits, and capitalise on a substantial opportunity of this market. Today, the Fort Hill Wharf will welcome the Pacific Princess, a cruise ship that has a maximum capacity of 800 passengers.
The Avenue of Honour is included in the Darwin waterfront development. This walk will honour early pioneers of the Territory, the strong and resilient people who have made our beautiful Territory what it is today.
As a significant part of the Darwin waterfront development, there is a planned $1.5m project to link the mall to the escarpment via Smith Street. This project will be developed with the Darwin City Council. This area is rich in history and home of the Larrakia people who, for centuries, traded with the Macassans.
The wharf area was the site for many of the Territory’s firsts. It was the site of the first public garden, early Malay/Chinese settlements and, during the bombings of Darwin on the 19 February 1942, the blue Commonwealth Ensign flew over Government House. This flag was the first Australian flag to be damaged by enemy fire on Australian soil. This is the flag that we have heard about today. The quest of young Zak Menzies is not new to me or most of my government colleagues and his petition has been present for months in several of our offices.
Many tourists will enjoy being surrounded by the history and heritage of the area on the original Goyder’s Camp Site, a public park and the amphitheatre, which will host entertainment and art and the connections to both traditional indigenous inhabitants and European settlers. Our visitors love our history and we love to share it. One constituent in my electorate of Port Darwin, local historian, Mr Peter Forrest, has made a fantastic suggestion of incorporating a story face. Further areas of interest to many of our national and international tourists will be all close at hand. The Pumphouse and the Pearling Museum are just a couple. The Convention and Exhibition Centre will attract tourists, conventions and businesses.
Tourism expenditure is estimated to increase by $190m over the next 20 years. The centre on its own is expected to create 160 tourism jobs for Territorians by year four of its operation, growing to over 200 new jobs by year 10.
One great feature of the Convention Centre is that it will be able to adapt to cater for a huge number of different requirements, and hence it will be able to cater for a huge range of events, including international conferences, concerts, indoor sporting fixtures, exhibitions, local events and trade shows. The existing and new local traders, as well as the tourism industry, will see the benefits of this project come rolling in as early as September 2008 when the first booked conference for the International Association of Women’s Police Conference is held. This conference alone will attract 700 delegates to Darwin for a period of six nights.
This is only a scratch on the surface of the tourism potential of this carefully and strategically planned project. Fifteen hundred seats could be filled with tourists and 4000 m2 of exhibition space could and will be filled with national and international business people presenting their wares. These business people and conference delegates will attend the conferences with their children and their spouses. The tourism industry will be a big winner in this project. It will add a new dimension to the tourism industry. It will create increased demand for airline, train and bus services and fuel new tourism developments. It will enhance the stay for visitors and tourists and build our reputation as the fantastic Destination Darwin.
This bustling waterfront and convention centre will act as a magnet and will draw people into the CBD to eat out, to take visitors and to shop. As stated on the web site, residents and tourists alike will move together between the waterfront and CBD. Easy pedestrian access will be provided, linking the waterfront and Smith Street with the Esplanade and there will be improved vehicle access with car parking exceeding Darwin City Council recommendations. This will not only attract tourists but it will turn our locals into tourists, encouraging us to explore our own doorstep for exciting prospects.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I know you would have been surprised if I had not mentioned during my last contribution in this sittings Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I am a very passionate supporter of the cause and the ladies of Dragons Abreast. Dragons Abreast compete all over the world, stemming from our own Territorian, Michelle Hanton’s great idea. Think of the possibility that, when our world-class convention centre and wave pool are completed, Darwin could host a World Breast Cancer Awareness Convention, and the thought that we could look out and witness, in a flash of pink, perhaps a world-class event in Dragon Boat racing for Dragon’s Abreast held in our own Darwin. Even more to look forward to would be a world medical convention exposing the cause and announcing a cure for breast cancer. We can only hope this will become a reality sooner rather than later.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the Chief Minister for her vision and strategic planning to ensure the tourism industry flourishes in to the future.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s ministerial statement on tourism. I put on the record my support for the magnificent efforts of the Chief Minister over the last four years in the tourism industry.
As we all know, and those involved in the tourism industry, when we first came to government in 2001, we were unlucky in the sense that a number of tragic events occurred which had a deep effect on the tourism industry throughout the world, and within Darwin. This presented us with many challenges and was difficult for small businesses, not only in Darwin but throughout the Northern Territory, and indeed Australia. The idea of assisting and investing in the tourism industry was tossed around by successive governments. However, it was done on scientific advice, developing a strategy which would suit the conditions in the Territory, being a very isolated place, but with many different and varying tourism items to sell. What we saw was the NT Labor government under the Chief Minister commit $27m to reshape the Territory’s tourism sector.
At the time I travelled to Brisbane and spoke to the Queensland government and public servants about what was happening in the Northern Territory. It was interesting to find that one of their concerns, which the Chief Minister addressed in her statement, was the fact that North Queensland for many years was seen as a seasonal destination, with a Dry and Wet Season like here. What they put to me was that they worked out that this was not the best way to sell North Queensland, particularly during the Wet Season. In an attempt to extend their tourism season they came up with an idea in the 1980s, and many may remember the slogan ‘Sunny one day – better the next in Queensland’, and they gave commitments to tourists that if it rained X number of days on their holiday over a two-week period they would reimburse them an amount of money. This encouraged people to travel during their Wet Season. In North Queensland, particularly Cairns, they are still affected by the seasonal tourism trade although it is not to the extent which we have seen in Darwin. I look forward to those efforts which the Chief Minister has mentioned in her statement about extending the period of time that people view the Territory as a good time to travel.
Tourism is very important to maintaining our small businesses and creating job opportunities. In fact, I see it as one of the major driving forces for future economic development and independence for indigenous people. We may travel all around the world and we often see the indigenous people, white, black, green or purple, in every country plying their trade in the tourism industry as people travel from overseas to participate in the local culture. The indigenous culture in Australia, of course, is world famous and at present, it is only my personal belief however, many of the indigenous people do not realise that people are coming to participate in their every day lifestyle, the good and bad of it, but particularly the side which involves dance, art, language and destinations.
I look forward to us as a government, and indigenous people in the future, investing in their own small businesses and in the tourism. At the moment, probably the biggest inhibitor to successful tourist opportunities is capital. I will give you an example: a Larrakia person came to me about 12 months ago. He is one of a few Larrakia people who still speaks his language and knows sacred sites within Darwin. He took me on this fantastic tour of sacred sites around Darwin as seen through the eyes of a Larrakia person. His plan is to try to develop a tour of Darwin. However, the biggest obstacle is getting the capital. One of the major challenges as a government is to provide support for indigenous people who wish to invest in tourism opportunities, develop their own business plans and their own mechanisms of getting capital. If we are successful at this, and the education process goes amongst indigenous people as to how important it is that people view their culture, their music and dance all around the world, this will not only create jobs, but also economic wealth. This should address some of the hardship problems that many indigenous people suffer.
Wherever you travel in the world, and if we take Bali for example, even with the tragedies that have happened, the Balinese people and their economy really rely on the tourist dollar. Remote and urban areas of the Northern Territory tourism can play an important part in improving people’s lives.
I am proud to be part of the government that pushed for the $27m to the tourism industry. I am also aware that of the campaign Share our Story and find it fantastic that the vision is to drive six key destinations - Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine, Tenant Creek, Alice Springs and Yulara. I have not yet made up my mind but I am looking forward to possibly travelling with the member for Macdonnell to the celebrations of the official handover of Yulara, which I know many those people never thought had left them. I have been there once before and it is a fantastic place to visit. I encourage every Australian citizen to take up that opportunity.
Another site is Kakadu which I have had many opportunities to travel, hunt, fish and visit over the last 20 years; it is a fantastic destination. Darwin is the place of my birth and the concept of what Darwin is all about, is what I try to live my life by. I like the campaign; we share the stories of these places through the words and views of locals, and that is the campaign we want to run. I understand that this campaign will be completed by June 2006 and that is a fantastic opportunity for the tourism industry.
The government’s key commitment to World Heritage listing for the MacDonnell Ranges is a fantastic step. It should be a World Heritage listed place, although as a Territorian who has been here all my life, I have not had the opportunity to visit the MacDonnell Ranges. Maybe now that the new member for Macdonnell is here she might take me around and show me the real MacDonnell Ranges. As we know, Kakadu and Yulara have World Heritage status and they attract huge numbers of domestic and international travellers, and I believe this will continue.
I welcome the $1.4m launch for the Destination Darwin campaign, which the Chief Minister says is relying on the pulling power of local identities such as Jimmy Shu, Greg Miles and Di Koser. I agree that Darwin is a youthful place, a multicultural place and I look forward to sailing the harbour with the big development down there. Lifestyle and gateway to Asia, Litchfield Park and Kakadu and Tiwi Islands really need to be sold.
I understand that all this work, according to the Chief Minister’s statement, translates to around 1000 visitors to the Territory, with the numbers sure to increase if the campaign continues in 2006. I encourage all members to welcome these visitors and encourage them to spend their money in the local shops and hotels. In this period of time, it is my understanding that the holiday visitations to the Territory rose by 22% compared with a 1% decline. Also, visitor nights rose to 20% compared to a national average of 0%. I understand that we have a real shortage of hotels at present and, no doubt, there are some big and small entrepreneurs out there looking at providing that extra accommodation.
In summary, Mr Deputy Speaker, I am interested in encouraging our tourism season, formerly known as the Dry Season, to be extended. We should be changing our language from Dry to Wet Season and encouraging everyone to come to the Territory at all times, and that at different times they will see different things. I look forward to Aboriginal people participating in tourism opportunities. I would like this government to continue to provide assistance in developing business plans and future capital to kick start these tourist opportunities. I believe this will truly create economic development.
I am very disappointed with the opposition’s contribution tonight. This is one of our largest industries. It has been a bit of a slapstick comedy, Laurel and Hardy effort by the Opposition Leader in her input into it. They are the opposition, they need to either be encouraging parts of the statement, or criticising parts that need to be improved. What we saw tonight was, unfortunately, what can only be described as a slag on the whole process of delivering these types of statements. I am very disappointed in that, particularly since the Opposition Leader has been involved in the debate and policy of tourism over the last four years. She was shadow minister when she first came to parliament, and tried to take up the fight for the tourism industry. Now, unfortunately, she is not offering any new ideas, which is very disappointing.
On a positive note, I thank the Chief Minister and all the members who have contributed to a magnificent statement. I look forward to growing the tourism industry.
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the statement on the Northern Territory government’s commitment to the tourism industry from the Chief Minister, as the Minister for Tourism. As the Chief Minister said, tourism is an economic good news story for the Territory, one that will create more jobs and sustainable business opportunities in the future. This is particularly the case for indigenous communities, as the tourism industry is one of the keys to improving the economic disparity in the Northern Territory. Aboriginal people clearly have competitive advantage in the area of cultural business, meaning the manufacture of arts and crafts and the provision of cultural tourism services.
As the Chief Minister said in her statement, the Northern Territory attracts spiritual travellers – people who are seeking journeys and want to learn from their travel experiences. In effect, many want an indigenous cultural experience.
In Central Australia, indigenous people have had a long history of involvement with the tourism industry. In general, this involvement has been passive; that is, they have negotiated lease-back arrangements like the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, or as major investors in tourism developments like Centrecorp’s major shareholding in Kings Canyon Resort and Mutitjulu’s ownership of Glen Helen Resort. These investments by Aboriginal people and their organisations have been fundamental to the development and growth of tourism in Central Australia. They have also provided opportunities for Aboriginal people to understand the industry, its limitations, and how we can gain greater economic benefit for Aboriginal people and their communities.
One of the major lessons learned from indigenous involvement in the tourism industry is that Aboriginal people need to use land rights and native title rights leverage to attract employment and training outcomes, as well as commercial concessions and profit sharing. In effect, we need to go beyond passive investment if we are to solve the unemployment and poverty crisis in our Aboriginal communities. In this respect, Gunya Titjikala stands as a beacon of what can be achieved. Gunya Titjikala is joint venture between Gunya Tourism and the Titjikala community. It is marketed as the ultimate, authentic indigenous experience. It is custom made and designed, and it offers experiences from Aboriginal art and culture, landscapes, bush tucker, to sharing cultural experiences. Guests stay in deluxe safari tents, perched on polished timber flooring two metres above sandy red dunes overlooking the Simpson Desert, complete with private en-suite. Patrick Yu of Sterling Estates wrote this testimonial after staying in Gunya Titjikala:
With such testimonials, you won’t be surprised to hear that the business is thriving.
Over the year or two that this venture has been operating, 55 Aboriginal people from Titjikala have been employed, earning real wages and taking pride in their endeavours. The good thing is that 50% of the joint venture profits go directly into the Titjikala Community Foundation to be utilised for improving health, education, training and school retention. But the critical ingredient to success of Gunya Titjikala has been the community and its leadership. I commended the Titjikala Council, the president, Mr Philip Wilyuka for his leadership and the guidance provided by the very competent Mr Harry Scott.
This government has shown a real strong commitment in selling Aboriginal tourism, not just in our own country, in Australia, but overseas, and has promoted the outback, the history and the heritage and the mystery of the Northern Territory to tourists who have travelled outside Northern Territory and Australia. It is very important that we talk about the economic growth that tourism brings to the Northern Territory, especially for indigenous people. This government has embraced the different cultures, and that is when I say that it sells the different cultural mysteries to other people, to encourage other people to come in to the Northern Territory and embrace us as Territorians and enjoy our culture and heritage, and they can all enjoy that.
As the member for Macdonnell, I would like to say that the West MacDonnells is the heart of Albert Namatjira country. I acknowledge the Chief Minister’s commitment to indigenous tourism.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement on the government’s commitment to the Northern Territory tourism industry. Hearing the other speakers tonight prompted me to say something because there are many exciting and innovative tourism projects throughout my electorate of Goyder. I am very proud of what they are achieving there.
I live at Wagait on the Cox Peninsula. The Mandorah area is a burgeoning area for tourism has much potential. The sealing of the new road will open up the whole area. We will have a lot of tourism coming that way. Steve Brown, manager of the Mandorah Hotel, tells me that 35 000 visitors annually visit Wagait Beach and Mandorah. With the sealing of the road we can expect that to increase to somewhere near 40 000 in the coming year.
As many people know, this is an exciting place. The Kenbi Dancers perform regularly at the Mandorah Beach Hotel. In fact, I saw them there today. My colleague, the member for Nelson, would be very interested to know that they were at the Holiday Inn today performing about 8:30. They dropped in to see us during Question Time; they stuck their head in the door and had a bit of a look. That is another tourism venture, an indigenous tourism venture, which has really taken off. They have a booking tonight on one of the harbour cruises and there are a couple of other things going on. They are just about booked out all the time. I am trying to organise something for them myself but to get them to come along to anything at the moment is pretty hard.
I was very pleased when the member for Daly spoke about the Litchfield Loop Road and the $22m that the government has committed to that. It is great news and it is great news for my electorate too. People at Berry Springs are very excited about it. They keep asking me when it is going to happen. There are a number of little bed and breakfast enterprises, things like that, proposed throughout that area and it looks like giving them a boost. They are going to be on the map as far as Territory tourism goes and that will be a critical part of that whole loop road.
While I am talking about the Litchfield Loop Road and Berry Springs, you cannot go past the Territory Wildlife Park. The Wildlife Park is getting some extra funding in this budget for upgrades which is exciting news. The government is committed to seeing that area and the park grow and prosper and become part of the Territory’s tourism industry. I am excited when I hear about the Berry Springs Primary School’s involvement with the Territory Wildlife Park. There is a good association there. It is good for our kids to learn about and be part of that area with the tourists, and it is really a engaging way for them to learn.
Another area as we move in to town a bit, and which the member for Nelson is possibly going to mention as he had a big involvement in, and the government had a very big involvement in, is the World War II Airstrip at Strauss. We are very proud of that and you cannot go down the highway without missing it. The cut-outs of the planes there really do attract tourists. As I was driving past the other day I saw a number of tourists moving in and out of that area and people are very keen to engage in the display there and find out a little bit about the World War II history.
I go back to Cox Peninsula. We have the B27 Bomber there, and there is a lot of history on the other side of the harbour; there were World War II air connections there, and that is really good tourism value.
The Windows on the Wetlands is another great facility in my electorate and one that the government is supporting strongly. I recently at the Humpty Doo Rice Fields Opening and that really did open my eyes. I had forgotten about that project, it has almost slipped back, but the government has invested in and put a display out there so that we can all engage in the history of that place and the history of that project, and that was really good.
The minister for Business, the member for Wanguri, came out with me recently, about a week after as a matter of fact, and had a look at the place. I am sure he was very impressed. He could see the potential for tourism and spin-off ventures there. He was quite engaging with the staff and the people there. There was a young indigenous lady who has been taken on as a trainee there. She is part of the Kenyon family on the Humpty Doo Station, and is going to be an integral part of that Windows to the Wetland. That is a great display and it is improving all the time. Schools rely on it very much.
The Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile cruises and the tour cruises up and down the Adelaide River is great stuff.
Mr Wood: The fat crocodiles.
Mr WARREN: The fat crocodiles. Well, let us hope they are still jumping and they do not get too overfed.
Let us not forget the local visitors who come to the Dry Season activities such as Fred’s Pass Reserve. We keep talking about interstate tourists, however, let’s not forget our own tourists. Many people come to that and it is a good boost for the rural area.
I cannot resist talking about The Ghan as I am very proud of my association with the Darwin to Alice Springs Railway. The Ghan is another great achievement by this government and a credit to the Territory. Also in my electorate is the Darwin Harbour and the fishing and tourism industry associated with that. It is all great stuff and very pleasing.
I commend this NT government. I can talk on and on about the tourism benefits to my electorate of Goyder, however, I really did want to thank the Chief Minister for her statement. I commend this government for its commitment to building a strong and sustainable tourism industry.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I want to say two things at the outset. The first is that those Outer Darwin signs are still there; I hope one day they will come down. Secondly, I hope one day we can also look at putting a tourist information centre on the corner of the Arnhem and Stuart Highways, possibly on Sattler Airstrip. The one at Katherine is very popular, however, there is need for one at that point. It is where people go to Kakadu, Darwin, or Litchfield, and there is an opportunity to put one there or help someone from the private sector to put one there. You are right on a historical airstrip. There is room at the old weigh bridge site - they never used the weigh bridge, they put exits and entrances on to the highway – there is real potential for a tourist information centre at that site. People coming to Darwin can get the information before they arrive, and they can also decide when they are going down the track whether they go to Kakadu, Litchfield or Cox Peninsula. The Outer Darwin sign, I suppose, will be there for a fair while as long as the pamphlets say Outer Darwin. One day they might say The Litchfield Shire Tourist Area – that would be nice.
I want to talk about local tourism, and the member for Goyder has raised a number of areas I also support. The reason I am raising local tourism is, whilst you can have your big pictures like the Litchfields, Kakadus, and Nitmiluks, you can also have a tourist package which includes a lot of little sights. Sometimes those small tourist attractions are just as important as the big ones. I have said before that Litchfield Shire, which I am mainly talking about here, has the opportunity for that to happen.
The member for Goyder mentioned Strauss Airstrip. To me, it signifies how important World War II sites are and since those cut-out aircraft have been put there, as well as the information site, it has certainly picked up in tourism. I heard today, and I am happy to be corrected, that the Commonwealth paid for some of that; it was not just the Northern Territory. I might be wrong, but I was told that was exactly what happened.
There are plenty of other World War II sites, the member for Goyder mentioned over at Cox Peninsula, and I notice the minister for NRETA has mentioned that there is now a site near the corner of Lambrick Avenue and the Stuart Highway which is declared a World War II heritage precinct. I have to make the effort to see exactly where it is. I think it has something to do with an army hospital which was there during the war. There is still a lot of potential to use our World War II sites.
Within Litchfield there are plenty of attractions. You can go out to Kakadu and see the birds and all the other wildlife, but you can go to Litchfield and see Girraween Lagoon, McMinn’s Lagoon, and Benjamin Lagoon. Many people do not go to these little places which are just on our doorstep, within about half-an-hour or an hour of Darwin. If anyone goes to McMinn’s Lagoon - it certainly is drying up at the moment - I can guarantee that there will be stacks and stacks of wildlife down there; birds everywhere. It has facilities where you can sit and have a picnic, or just sit under the shade of a tree and look at all the birds. It is a great spot. It is not promoted as well as it should be.
There are many other attractions, even the Darwin River Dam. The member for Goyder mentioned Windows on the Wetlands and the jumping crocs. Black Jungle is an area that has been protected for a long time. How many people have been there? I have been there once …
Ms Martin: I have.
Mr WOOD: It is not a place you can …You would get there, Chief Minister, it has all the ‘lations down there ...
Ms Martin: Absolutely!
Mr WOOD: That is right. However, it is not a place people know much about. Admittedly, there is an endangered species there. Whether there is potential for walks through there with a few more signposts, I do not know.
We have things such as the Shoal Bay Boat Hire. People can go to the mouth of the Howard River. The problem there, of course, is that there is not a decent road. I do not know how you going to fix that problem. They are connected by road that goes into Crown land, but it is not a gazetted road so the council does not want to maintain it. The government really does not want to maintain it, but we have a tourism opportunity there suffers from not having a formalised road.
It is a little the same with Leeder’s Creek boat ramp which is further up at Gunn Point. That road gets cut up a fair bit. In fact, the Army recently had its ASLAVs running up and down there. They would have worn it out a bit. That road can stop people going to Leeder’s Creek boat ramp because it can get too rough. The government should look at helping to get power to Leeder’s Creek boat ramp. They are about 7 km from the main powerline that used to go to Gunn Point Prison Farm. At the moment, they have to run their own generator. It is little things like that, that the government could help with from the tourism aspect, to improve these areas, to make it a little cheaper for them to operate.
I recently wrote to government about the possibility of putting power on to Hayes creek. Hayes Creek is 10 km away from the powerline. The letter I received said it will cost $250 000 for single phase, $500 000 for three phase; and to ring a number. The government, in some of these cases, could be proactive. People are willing to pay; they would just like that payment over a longer period. If places such as Hayes Creek and Leeder’s Creek get electricity, it reduces the cost of fuel, and makes it a quieter place. There is nothing worse than going out bush and hearing a generator going. It helps tourism. Places like Hayes Creek certainly fit a special niche in the market. You might say they are old-fashioned tourism. You do not get too many Hayes Creek anymore. Nowadays you go fancy hotels and motels. Hayes Creek is very different.
One thing I should say is that many people go to Gunn Point to go to the beach. It is getting busier and busier. Gunn Point beach actually seems to have no one in charge anymore. There is a lot of hooning there, and a fair bit of litter. It used to be a place you could go for a peaceful weekend and do some fishing. However, it seems to have become very attractive for people who like to go up and down the beach and do things that, I suppose, do not make it as attractive a place than it used to be.
We talked about the harbour. I still think the harbour is one of the great attributes of the Darwin region. I will say to this day that we should not keep mining the centre of the harbour. I just think it is the saddest thing. We had an opportunity to keep the harbour as a national park. I am not against development, but that should be essential development. The scraping of that land for extractive minerals is disappointing.
Be that as it may, I still think there is an opportunity for Wickham Point itself to be developed into a tourist resort. We have a multimillion dollar road going up to the LNG plant and it sits behind the hill there. I have asked before why there could not be a possibility of a restaurant built into the side of the hill right in the middle of the harbour. That is a piece of Wickham Point that is actually a conservation reserve. We have a public road going right up to Wickham Point. It will be sad if the public can only go up to the gate which says they cannot go any further. Looking at the sunset from the centre of the harbour, tucked into the hillside, is not something that is intrusive, although it probably would matter if you back up against that big tank. If you placed it amongst the bush there, and it fitted with the environment, I believe there is a great opportunity for potential development there. The centre of the harbour would be a beautiful place to have a meal.
We still have the old railway line. Occasionally, a railway bridge goes missing. The railway line itself has a lot of history. The member for Goyder reckons he has a promise from the government at the election that they will bitumenise some of the bike path from Palmerston to Howard Springs turnoff. That would be great because it has tourist potential. If we have a bicycle path all the way to Humpty Doo with lots of signage about when the railway was built, where the railway was used during World War II, that sort of historical information, people would enjoy a bike ride down the track, literally.
I also said at the start that I believe that you have to look at these little tourist sites in a loop form. You talk about the Litchfield Loop Road, and you talk about the Mereenie Loop Road. About two months ago, I went to Butterfly Gorge and the Douglas Hot Springs, Umbrawarra Gorge and the Flora River Nature Park. It was beautiful. They are the sorts of things that you do not want them to be too flash. You want them to still feel like the Territory. You do not want them overdeveloped. They are areas that should be part of a tourist package so that you can go to Umbrawarra one day, you can go to Douglas Hot Springs and Butterfly Gorge another day, and you can have a look at the development on the Daly or the Daly River. I know there has been talk about the possibility of a road looping round through the back of Umbrawarra Gorge and coming out down towards Katherine. I certainly would be interested in that, although I was told they were designing a road but the station owner told them it all went under water in the Wet Season; he asked why they are not following the high ground. I do not know what has happened to that, but, again, these are all little things that add up to big tourism.
I mentioned before about visiting Mt Todd. I think Mt Todd as it is, regardless of whether it is going to be opened up as a new mine, has potential for tourism. It has a fresh water lake at one end, it has lots of history and it is a big mine. You can certainly spend a bit of time there discussing how the gold was taken out of the hills, what went wrong with the mine, and what the government is doing to try and fix it up. Many people would be interested in that type of tourism.
When we are talking about local tourism, we should note the importance of developing our service industries. You can look at the many lagoons in Litchfield Shire, you can look at the World War II airstrips, but you have some great little places developing at Humpty Doo and Coolalinga and Howard Springs. Coolalinga has cafs, I think there is an e-caf being built at the moment. We have the Virginia Pub. That is a great little place to go. If you do not like pokies, that is the place to go because they do not have pokies. You can go to Howard Springs Tavern and they have takeaways. You can go to Humpty Doo; you have the Humpty Doo Pub and Humpty Doo Tavern. Noonamah has the Noonamah Hotel. You go further down to Litchfield Trading Post, the Litchfield Pub. There are places for people on the way round to enjoy a meal and to make a day of it. I believe that day tourism is something we need to push a little bit harder.
The minister mentioned the master plan. I know the master plan for parks belongs to the minister for NRETA, but it gives me an opportunity to say that I have seen the advertising for the master plan on television, but we recently had a public meeting at Howard Springs and very few people knew it was on. In fact, I rang up people because we were interested in doing something with Howard Springs, and if I had not rung up people I would say you would have had four people at the public meeting. The broad advertising is all very well, but when it comes to public meetings I believe you have to target it a lot better than it is.
I mentioned today about the feeding of the crocodiles, the Jumping Crocodiles. I was actually being serious there. That is one of the big tourist attractions of the Top End. I have spoken to people who are involved in that industry, and if too many players get into that industry there is a danger they could literally kill off that tourist attraction. People go out there to see crocodiles jump out of the water. If they just see their nose pop out and the croc is thinking ‘Oh well, I’ve had enough today’, that is not going to be the attraction that it needs to be. I would ask the Minister for Tourism to look at that, not because I want to see regulations, but in this case if there aren’t any regulations about, for instance, what size boat you can have, can you just go out there with a little tinnie with a few people in it and stick a rod off the edge and say ‘jump crocodile’. If something happens that is not going to be good for the industry. There needs to be, at least, some review of the jumping crocodile industry just to make sure it does continue and is successful.
We talk from time to time about the railway. I hope one day perhaps we might get a little train from Darwin to Katherine. I have mentioned it here before but I still think there is an opportunity for a small train to operate between Darwin and Katherine. I know it might sound pie in the sky, but if we don’t throw a few ideas up there to encourage alternative ways to travel then it is just the same old thing. We have the Adelaide River Cup, the Pine Creek Cup and the Katherine Cup. There are good opportunities for people to travel down by train. We have sporting teams travel up and down and it is a far nicer way to travel than in a bus or in a pokey, little car. You can walk up and down a train. You can enjoy yourself as you go. There is potential there, one day, for the government to either buy itself a motor rail and carriages and look at the opportunity, or see whether anyone would be interested in running a train from Darwin to Katherine.
The minister has spoken about the success of tourism in the Top End. I do not want to put a downer on it because tourism is a great industry. However, I have some figures here which make me wonder whether tourism is on a downer. I say that in relation to the number of people that are visiting our parks. Maybe this can be balanced against other tourism sites, I am not sure, but I have some figures that were given to me from the Estimates Committee this year and I will just read out a couple of parks.
The Mary River National Park in 2001 had 41 226 visits, and in 2004, it had 20 291 visits; Casuarina Coastal Reserve in 2001 had 1 171 883 visits, and in 2004 it had 938 968; Howard Springs Nature Park - as you know, Chief Minister, I am concerned that if we do not fix up the situation we will lose tourists and locals, and I thank the minister for NRETA for coming out last Sunday and she has promised that things will happen - but in 2001 it had 186 689 visits, in 2004 it had 123 237 visits. That is a big drop. Litchfield National Park, 274 067 in 2001, 251 887 in 2004, not a huge drop but it is tending to go down. Let’s look at a couple of other ones: Elsey National Park, now there is a popular park, 199 114 in 2001, 155 748 visits in 2004. Gregory National Park had 27 123 in 2001, 19 158 in 2004, again a drop. Emily and Jessie Gaps Nature Park are pretty popular parks - 56 534 in 2001 and a figure that might need a bit of adjustment, it looks a bit exact, 30 000 in 2004; that is nearly a drop of a half.
There are some more interesting figures here. According to this, Kakadu National Park had 197 527 visits in 2001, and 169 955 in 2004. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park had 394 315 in 2001, and 345 638 in 2004; a drop in both parks.
I would be happy if there was an explanation but I am told it means the number of actual visits; that could be buses, cars I would imagine. Perhaps that is the little rubber line that goes across the road as you enter the park. Whatever way you look at it, it appears that our parks are not being visited by the number of people that they used to be. The government should be asking why that is happening. Is it petrol prices; is it that people are not travelling there any more? Are they going to other sites that are far more popular, or more pleasant? Do they prefer a nice, comfortable motel rather than going out and getting hot and dusty at the Gregory National Park? I am not sure. It seems to be a fairly strong trend. There are a few parks that have gone up a little bit, but they are relatively small.
The Davenport National Park, which is one I would like to go to, had 648 people in 2001 and 1654 visits in 2004. It is a bit hard to say on those figures that there has been a substantial change upwards. However, most of the parks are either steady or going down. It would be good to see if your industry knows the reason for that happening. We do not want to have all these parks which we are developing – it is good that places like the Gregory National Park will become twice as big as it is today - it would be disappointing to see that these parks are losing the people that we need – the tourists – to visit them. I would be interested if you have any explanation as to why.
I thank you for the statement, minister. There are a few other things I would like to cover, but my time has run out.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank everyone for their contribution to this debate. Even though some of the contributions leaned towards the negative, most were very positive contributions looking at some of the micro details of how we build the tourism industry. I was delighted to listen to members contribute on a local electorate basis about some of the things which can be done. I believe there are great opportunities working with government, and also looking at private sector, local government, and non-government organisations, at how those opportunities can be realised. It is not only about government doing it. It is about where we can build growth in the tourism industry that private sector opportunities will be there.
Within government there are levels of assistance to develop businesses, to be able to put together the business plans, or assistance with finance. Government is a facilitator here and it is terrific to hear, whether you are looking at opportunities in the Daly, or the electorate of Macdonnell, or Palmerston or Alice Springs, that we have this tag of Share our Story and the stories are there. I know that there was some criticism, particularly from the shadow minister and the Leader of the Opposition about the Share our Story promotion. If you listened to what members had to say about the opportunities in tourism, it is about our story, it is about this unique Territory. While I can understand that the opposition will necessarily pick the negative comments about something like Share our Story it is disappointing not to listen to the positive ones.
Mrs Miller: It had nothing to do with being in opposition.
Ms MARTIN: There are - and we listened to the member for Katherine when she spoke. This is my chance to wrap up what you said. I listened to what you said. You said you want to be convinced. Well, we ran our Destination Alice Springs with that brand refresh ‘Share our Story’, and the response has been very positive. I believe that when you do have change there will be people who feel uncomfortable with it. However, we had to reach a new market, we had to reach to a targeted market, to be able to build our tourism numbers.
We are starting to see that happen and I am delighted that we have seen tourism numbers lift to the extent they have.
There are some sectors of our market, particularly our domestic market, that are strong. That is where we have been, in this uncertain world climate, putting our marketing dollars. That does not mean we are ignoring the international market and critical markets like the backpacker. The international market has been a tough one and access through airlines is another aspect of that. However, the lesson is that once you have an airline that disappears, as this market changes with the increase in fuel prices, with the greater competition happening with the budget airlines, with the shrinking of the number of airlines in the world, it is tough to get them back. We have realised that. It does not mean we are giving up. Malaysian Airlines was looking to start next year, but that is not going to happen. There are a number of factors to that. It does not mean Malaysian will not, as the market picks up and they restructure their operation, and maybe the pressure goes from fuel prices. They see Darwin as an important market for them. Circumstances at the moment mean that they cannot start a service in the next six months, but we are working with them and we are confident we will get a good result in the future.
It is not as though we are only working with one airline. When it comes to the international market, we are working with a number. We will keep doing it. Rebuilding and expanding airline links is about persistence and hoping that, as we build the Territory economy, and see more business people wanting to travel from the rest of the world to the Territory, and build tourism numbers, then airlines will know there are opportunities in the Territory. It is a tough market, and I cannot come in here and say we have had outrageous success. We will keep on stepping through everything we have to do to get more airline capacity, particularly internationally airline capacity, into the Territory.
While we are looking at new markets and new airlines, we are certainly also working with the existing airlines we have. I am delighted at being to being able to talk to Royal Brunei, get them to Darwin and talk about how they can, with us, build their capacity and their services and get better links into the European market.
Another aspect of the tourism market that is not as easy to work with as it used to be is the backpacker market. It has challenges, not just here in the Territory, but around Australia. The kind of people who are backpackers has changed, and we have to look to how we can re-engage with that backpacker market. We are working with the industry to produce an action-based development plan to take account of the changes we are seeing in the backpacker market. We will work with the industry to look at what new products the backpacker market is looking for. When you consider the backpackers and what the profile of the Territory is in tourism, you think there would be an instant meld. We have to look at why that is not happening so much anymore. Those initiatives are under way and we will continue to tackle and do the research with focus groups and the other things we need to do to better understand how to encourage more backpackers into the Territory market.
The drive market is another. We have seen an increase over the 2004-05 year of 16% in market. That is at a time when fuel prices have been increased. We know that there is concern about the impact of the high fuel prices on our market. If you going to talk about where you should have the foot taken off, it is the federal government. It is all very well to sit in this parliament and ask why the Territory government is not putting $25m into a fuel subsidy like Queensland. There are historical reasons for the fuel subsidy in Queensland. No other state has a fuel subsidy. If you look at who has the capacity to actually do something about the prices of fuel, it is the federal government. As the Minister for Business and Economic Development and Regional Development said, $13.6bn is the surplus for the federal government, and most of that - $13.2bn - is what they collect in the fuel excise. It does not take rocket science. John Howard, take your foot off and give us a break on the excise - the tax - you charge on fuel, and places like the Territory will see an easing off of the high cost of fuel.
One of the things we did learn about fuel from Tom Parry’s report was that the Territory market is slow to increase prices when it will increase much faster interstate, but we are also slow to have them come off. We are starting to see some of that decrease in the fuel price, but not as fast as has happened interstate. If we watch, in another month if there has not been another Cyclone Katrina or Cyclone Rita, and if the situation in the Middle East stays relatively stable, we will see a greater capacity to refine oil, and maybe our fuel prices will come down. They are down interstate - not down to where we would like to see them, but certainly a lot lower than they are here.
A specific issue raised by the member for Braitling was the Japanese charter flights into Alice Springs, and she asked if it was a good time to be bringing Japanese tourists into Alice Springs. It happens that that is the peak travel time for the Japanese market. Rather than saying do not come to Alice Springs, and I am sure you do not want us saying that, we are encouraging the Japanese market to think about December/ January in Alice Springs. The itinerary takes account of the fact that it could potentially be 40+ as you would expect in December/January. If we manage it well, there is no reason why we should not be encouraging the Japanese market to not only look at winter but summer as well. We are hoping that the time spent in Alice Springs will be a good boost for the Alice Springs economy in December and January. We will continue to do that. If you can fix the Alice Springs weather and make it a little cooler during the summer season, we could see a boost in tourism!
It is the same thing that we experience with Darwin and the reluctance that many travellers have to come here at this time of year. If you look at this time of year, it is glorious. Looking out over the harbour today, with the rain and the greenness, and the poincianas flowering and the harbour looking stunning, we really have to manage to sell Darwin and the Top End at this time of the year.
I listened to the member for Daly talk about the glories of some parts of his electorate, and even though it is hotter, these are the times you see so much activity and it is so beautiful. We have to be able to do that in the marketing sense, to say, ‘Okay, it is a little bit hot. Singapore is hot all year. It is a little bit hot here, but look at what you can see, look at the experiences you can have that are simply not there in the Dry Season’.
There is much more I could say about the contributions made to the tourism statement. I am very proud that we have a tourism industry that is growing. It has been tough, but the additional marketing dollars have seen us able to reach areas that have been productive. If you look at the impact of things like The Ghan, the cruise ships and the impact of the marketing dollars we are spending, the numbers are growing into the Northern Territory. The new brand refresh ‘Share our Story’ is particularly targeting those travellers who want to have an experience. We welcome everyone to the Territory, of course, but if we are looking at specifically those who want to have a Territory experience, the environment, the culture, then we will continue to target what we are calling ‘a spirited traveller’.
You can be a spirited traveller if you are 10, or you can be a spirited traveller if you are 85. It really is about what we offer, how we engage travellers, the point of difference in coming to the Territory that you will not experience anywhere else. We Territorians are great ambassadors. Sometimes we let ourselves down. You hear people say, ‘Oh, you are very brave to come here in October’, or, ‘Do you really want to go to Alice Springs in January’. We have to be much more positive. We have to be saying there are unique experiences whatever time of the year you come. Look at the advantages of coming in the shoulder season, October/November/December, here to the Top End and the delights of Alice Springs in January. I hope the flies have gone, member for Braitling. Have you got rid of the flies yet? Last time I swallowed many. I know it is a fact that it was not cold in the winter and that they bred early, but some of those flies were a bit of a challenge.
Mrs Braham: They get in your eyes and nose.
Ms MARTIN: Yes, it was lovely, walking around the Todd in the morning, you had to try to keep your mouth closed so you did not swallow those tiny little flies. The Alice Springs people have the nets on; they are tackling it very well. It was only we visitors who were sprung and surprised by the flies. It is a unique part of the Territory and we have to celebrate it.
We are absolutely committed to growing the tourism product. This is about economic opportunity, this is about jobs, particularly in our regions. When you look at what people come here to the Territory to experience, it is so much the indigenous cultural experience. In saying that, thereby is the opportunity for economic development in regions like the Daly, and Hermannsburg. We are leveraging that with our infrastructure developments and there really are great opportunities for growing jobs - sustainable jobs in regional areas - which will certainly build the tourism experience.
It is a most exciting time in tourism. I really am very pleased to be the Tourism minister. I believe that with tourism working more closely with our economic driver portfolio in DBERD we will really start targeting some of that development, doing the work on the ground. Our indigenous communities want to be involved. There is real excitement, real looking for opportunities and jobs in the community. It is a very bright future that we have. It is an exciting future. It is just getting everything together and making it happen.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Chief Minister, I nominate Wednesday, 30 November 2005 as the next day on which precedence will be given to General Business pursuant to Standing Order 92.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly at its rising adjourn until Tuesday, 29 November 2005 at 10 am or such other time and/or date as may be set by Madam Speaker pursuant to sessional order.
Motion agreed to.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Madam Speaker, last weekend I was pleased to attend the Northern Territory Media Awards presentation dinner. As in the past it was a very well attended, well put together event. I understand that Lindy Kerin and Melinda James were the key organisers of the night. I congratulate and thank them and the Darwin Press Club for putting on an excellent event.
It was a fascinating night with guest speaker, Nicholas Rothwell, from the Australian entertaining the audience with tales from his vast experience in journalism. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Lorelei Fong Lim who did a great job. I congratulate her and all the nominees and the winners who were announced that night. They included Anne Barker for Best Radio Journalist; Amanda Morgan for Best Television Journalist; Sara Everingham of Alice Springs for Best Regional Journalist; ABC cameraman, Rob Hill, for Best Pictorial Category; Northern Territory Stateline team for Best Feature; the Marchbanks Award for Best Young Journalist was awarded to Bethany Jensen of Channel Nine. I would like to especially congratulate Karen Michelmore from Australian Associated Press for being recognised as the Territory’s Best Print Journalist, and also won the overall Journalist of the Year Award.
The Media Awards are a method of peer recognition of a job well done. I congratulate all winners and those who were nominated by their colleagues for their prestigious local awards.
As the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, I have the great honour and pleasure to be invited to attend many significant events in the multicultural calendar. One such event of great significance was the inaugural dinner of the newly formed Latino Association of the Northern Territory. I was invited by Mr Fernando Ragone, the president of this new association to this event, and I was very happy to be able to attend. I understand that countries which will be represented by the Latino Northern Territory Association include Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Columbia, Cuba, Costa Rica and Argentina. There were about 50 inaugural members who represented those Spanish and Portuguese communities. Those numbers are bound to increase as more Territorians become aware of the association.
To quote from Mr Ragone’s interview with the NT News,
I thank Mr Ragone and his committee for taking the initiative to start this association. It is a wonderful sign that the Territory continues to embrace a cosmopolitan mix of communities. The committee members are Fernando Ragone, Cylene Baird, Susana M Cruz, Claudia Lucero-Acevedo, Diana Quinones and Maria Alejandro Ragone. The night was certainly one of great music and dance, and I wish the Latino Association of the Northern Territory all the very best.
As another example of just how well our multicultural communities work together, I would like to tell you about the Concert One that was held on Saturday, 15 October. Organised as a fundraising event by the Rotary Club of Nightcliff, this unique event was held at the Darwin Entertainment Centre. Unfortunately, there were so many things happening that weekend that not many were able to attend to support this event. Promoted as an artistic avalanche of contemporary and cultural music and dance, the concert featured the talents of musicians and dancers from a multitude of countries.
Singer Emina performed beautiful traditional pieces from Bosnia. Emina is Marijana Jeorder a wonderful local talent, has a beautiful voice and presentation. Percussionists representing India, Africa, Papua New Guinea and modern western music challenged each other initially coming together to perform a drumming event that had the audience clapping and cheering with its energy and foot stomping rhythm. Performers were Airi Phil, Vadem, Makam and Ram. Dancers showed off their high kicks in a French-style cabaret. Darwin Dance and Drama Academy performers included Shauna, Tash, Bell, Amy, Cathy, Jessica, Madeline, Danielle, Katrina, Glynis, Robbie, Nicole, Sarah and Louise.
One of the highlights of the concert was a dance challenge posed by a very athletic modern rap dancer to a traditionally dressed and equally athletic Papua New Guinea dancer. Contemporary Australian music was performed by Worldfly, a local band which recently won a national ASA Songwriter of the year award. Worldfly are Joh, Michael, Rebecca, Anne and Mark.
Other performers of traditional and modern dance and music were Stephen Jenes, Robert and Jennifer Geaney, Sonia, Sumesh, Sita, Isabelle, Shannon, Sophie and Mahalia. It was great concert with the proceeds going to help needy children. All performers volunteered their time. Nothing would have happen here in Darwin. We do not have the resources to do it ourselves so sponsors came to help the association and the Rotary Club. I would like to congratulate Sitzler, Medical Equipment Management, Darwin Entertainment Centre, NT Medical Imaging, Territory Care and Support Services, H & R Block, the Roma Bar, Northern Territory Essential Systems Service, Parap Veterinary Clinic, Channel Nine, Dr and Mrs Smarawickrama, HB Blocks and Pavers, and Browns Mart Community Arts Theatre. I congratulate and them for their continued support.
This weekend the Greek community in Darwin celebrate one of the more significant national days for Greece; 28 October 1940 is known as Oxi Day. The day is significant not only for the Greek people, but also all European people and for most people in the world, as that was the very first victory ever by a Western country against the forces of Axis. The years between World War I and World War II were years of change for the world and political turmoil. We saw the rise of Fascist and Nazi regimes in Italy and Germany, and similarly in Japan. Also it followed the invasion of China, Manchuria and Mongolia by the Japanese forces. They established the forefront of the empire they were going to establish over the next five years after World War II. In Europe, Italy attacked Abyssinia, and Germany annexed Poland and advanced to occupy France, Netherlands and the other countries.
On 28 October 1940, the Italian ambassador presented a telegram from the Italian leader, Benito Mussolini, requesting that the Greek forces surrender and allow the Italian forces to enter the Greek territory and establish bases thus preventing the English resupplying their forces in Africa. To his credit, the Greek Prime Minister - who himself was a fascist; he established a fascist regime in Greece in 1936 - refused entry to the Italian forces. The military headquarters in Athens fought in the beginning, will resist for a while and then capitulate as the Italian army was strong. Of course they did not take into account the will and resistance of the Greek people who on 28 October 1940 advanced to the Greek mountains in the North of Greece, the border with Albania , resisted heroically and within three months they turned the advancing Italian army and, in turn, the Greek army invaded Albania.
If it was not for the Nazi forces invading Greece from Bulgaria in April 1941, the Italians would have been completely routed and completely kicked out of Albania. At that time a significant force from Australia and New Zealand was in Greece helping the Greek army. With the surrender of the Greek Army in April 1941, the Australian, English and New Zealand forces withdrew and finally they stayed in Crete. They decided to defend Crete, as Crete was a significant and strategic island in the Mediterranean. The Germans decided to take Crete at any cost. They diverted their parachute brigades to Crete and of course in May 1941 the managed to occupy Crete. The problem was that Hitler delayed his invasion to Russia and also he destroyed completely this parachute brigade. They were actually defeated by the Australian, New Zealand, Greek and English armies.
28 October 1940 was the very first victory ever in a European front against the Italians and their allies. Justifiably, the Greek people celebrated. I have seen some of the old newspapers of the 1940s in the archives where they praise Greece and the Greek people for their resistance. I believe Winston Churchill said: ‘Until today, we said that the Greeks fight like heroes, but from now on we will say that the heroes fight like the Greeks’.
The Greek community in Darwin will celebrate this important day with a church memorial service and laying of wreaths at the Cenotaph at the Greek Church. On a personal note, World War II affected many Greek families. Quite a few Greek families still suffer from the effects; they lost fathers, mothers, and relatives. It is only 60 years ago. People may think 60 years is a long time but, in cultures and civilisations which go back thousands of years, 60 years is just the tick of a clock.
Also on a personal note, I recall that both my maternal and paternal grandmothers at the time were young women. They walked through the snow to the mountains - there were no roads - carrying ammunition to the Greek Army to resupply them, The Greek Army was ill-equipped; they did not have cars or equipment and they relied upon the bravery and generosity of the local people to get the ammunition necessary to defend their motherland against the invading Italian Army.
Finally, Madam Speaker, in the past few days I have been reading with great interest this book, The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery. I invite my colleagues to have a look at this book. We all know about the greenhouse effect, and of the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, but the way that Flannery puts it in this book, it is simple for everybody to understand. The history of the greenhouse effect and the future of our planet, if we do not change our habits, is quite horrific. This is the book which can turn your mind. Sometimes, you read books and they have a serious impact upon you. The funny thing is that the World Wildlife Fund sent me this book. However, I had already purchased it and read through half of it. It is scientifically based; and is not one of the books with a doomsday scenario. This is very well researched. Tim Flannery is a well-known environmentalist.
One of the things he says which really impressed me was that, after 11 September when the American Airline fleet was grounded for a number of days, the temperature of the earth increased. The reason for that is because, when the jets fly at high altitude, their exhaust creates a nucleus for clouds, and these clouds prevent solar energy reaching earth, thus the atmosphere and the air remains cooler. By removing the aeroplanes from the air, you remove the nucleus for the clouds and, immediately, the solar energy which reaches earth increases. As a result, the earth’s temperature increases - not significantly - but it is one of our human activities which generates an effect.
In a global sense it is small but, if you have a look at what will happen in an accumulative effect, you can see how significant it is. It tells how something that we do here will actually affect, let us say, the ice in the Antarctic and the Artic and how it diminishes the size of the ice cover and the effect it will have, and might have, on the Gulf Stream. Massive volumes of fresh water can change and stop the Gulf Stream.
In addition to that, some of the other effects and scenarios scientists have examined can have an enormous effect on our planet. It makes you think that unless we change the way we operate as humankind, the way we use our resources, and if we do not redirect our attentions to renewable resources, what we will we leave to our children in 50 years time, and our grandchildren. It is not going to be the earth as we know it today but a totally different place.
Flannery advocates generating power from the wind, solar power, and tidal power. He even advocates generating power through nuclear power. I urge you to read it; it is very easy to read very quickly. It makes really good reading, and it is one of the books which will change your mind about the earth. For example, the hybrid cars, the Prius or the Honda, by using that car you can reduce carbon dioxide emission by 70%. I am very pleased to say that I was the first minister to purchase two Prius car to try them in the NT Fleet. They had spectacular effects. They travel from Darwin to Tennant Creek with four people in it, and airconditioning, and they used only one full tank of petrol. I encourage my colleague, the minister responsible for the NT Fleet, to hold an evaluation of the NT Fleet. Why do we have to use 6 cylinder cars or big cars; why can’t we replace part of that fleet with some of the hybrid cars? If people in the street want to buy one, let us give them an incentive. Let us say, give them 50% discount on registration. We should encourage people to move away from their big, petrol-thirsty cars to something that is more efficient. A small action like that will benefit our planet.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I was very interested in the minister’s speech, in particular that book that I have read in relatively recent times. You mentioned the electric cars. I am happy to talk with you informally about this, but since you did mention it, I wonder what is happening with your electric cars? Somewhere in the deep recess of my mind I have a recollection that you announced, possibly 18 months to two years ago, that you were looking to …
Mr Vatskalis: We have six now.
Ms CARNEY: Oh, you have six?
Dr Toyne interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: I am happy to chat with these two gentlemen on the other side separately about it. I understood, minister, that you gave some sort of indication at least that NT Fleet vehicles would, over a period of time, be replaced with these electric cars. I would not have thought that there would be any objection whatsoever from any Territorian and I am right in the bunch as far as that issue is concerned. So perhaps, informally, you can let me know what the plans are. We do have an obligation to do what we can to save the planet, not to put too fine a point on it.
I now turn to the contents of my adjournment speech, which involves the Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries. I simply rise tonight, Madam Speaker, to follow up on a question that was asked in Question Time yesterday dealing with conduct of the minister when recently in Indonesia. For the purposes of members present and others reading the Hansard, I will remind you what the minister’s response was to the question. He said:
The minister went on to say that he did not go to the abattoir as it was not in his program and it was arranged at the last moment.
We have received some information which is contrary to the minister’s advice, and perhaps more so as a matter of courtesy, and I can do this in a number of forums but we thought that in the adjournment debate was as good a forum as any. I should stress, and I make no bones about stressing, that I have received information from a couple of people, and I preface what I am about to say on the basis that it is information from people. I do not just come into the Chamber, minister, based on stories floating around in the Territory. Having come from the legal profession, I well know what is gossip and what rates slightly above gossip. Please accept what I am about to say on the basis that I have very good reason to believe the people who are giving us this information.
I understand that the facts are these: that the minister was to go to the Bintoro feed lot, which is part of the Aust-Asia abattoirs near Jakarta. The visit was organised well in advance. Lunch was organised. There were also television journalists and news reporters present in anticipation of the minister’s visit. The advice that I have received is that the minister had purchased several allegedly pirated compact discs and that he was keen to listen to them. At the hotel he was staying at he met a very well known Territorian, as opposed to a prominent Territorian, and had various conversations with him and indeed, preferred to talk with him than go to the pre-arranged meeting at the Bintoro feed lot.
Clearly, Madam Speaker, you and others will appreciate that the minister’s version of events and the information that I have received are quite different. I simply ask the minister to, at the next sittings of the Assembly, whether it is in adjournment debate or otherwise, to advise us what the situation is. There are always two sides to the story. If the minister sticks to his answer of a day or so ago, then so be it. If he accepts the advice that I have received then that does, firstly I guess, reflect badly on him, but is also suggestive of the fact that he misled parliament. There is, minister, I suggest the opportunity for you to clear this matter up. This information is doing the rounds of Darwin, I can assure you, which no doubt is why it has come to me.
The minister can tidy things up, clarify it, by providing to the parliament, his itineraries, diary entries and other evidence of his attendance at Mining Indonesia at the time he was allegedly supposed to have been at the Bintoro feed lot. If the minister does not do that, and he may well be called upon by the media to do so, then the rumours will persist. I am sure you have heard of the rumours, minister, they really are everywhere.
I noticed with some interest the article in the Northern Territory News this morning in which, in the Labor way, the minister fought back. The defence was to attack and get stuck into various CLP ministers. Frankly, I did not even know who he was referring to; whether it was right or wrong mattered not in my view.
Mr Vatskalis: That was wrong, too. It was not me. Have a look at the Hansard.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: What did matter was whether the suggestion going around town that the minister not only misled parliament, but did not conduct himself well on this particular trip. That matters. So, it is a delicate matter. For the purposes of Hansard it is appropriate that I signal to those who will read the Hansard in due course, that I encouraged the minister to be here; I am not into stabbing people in the back. I thought it was appropriate that the minister listen to this adjournment speech. It is serious in the sense that I referred, earlier today, to the good governance document that the Labor Party relied upon before coming to power in 2001. They may not be sticking to what they said in that document, but the opposition certainly is. If we stand to be corrected, and the rumour doing the rounds in a number of quarters is wrong, I will accept that.
I look forward to the minister’s response in due course. I am sure he, perhaps more than anyone else, will appreciate why I have raised it in this way. I know you have spoken to one of my colleagues last night, but this is such a serious matter that I thought it appropriate to raise it and look the minister in the eye while I was doing so.
Dr TOYNE (Stuart): Madam Speaker, I just want to deal with a number of matters in my time, the first being to share with the House the outstanding achievements of Professor Kerin O’Dea in recognition of the contribution she has made to research knowledge in the Territory, and the leadership she has shown as the Director of the Menzies School of Health Research.
In June 2000, Professor Kerin O’Dea, a well respected, successful public health researcher, was appointed as Director of the Menzies School of Health Research. Much has happened since then. Through hard work and tireless commitment to organisational reform, the Menzies School of Health Research has flourished in the past five years and is now recognised as the institute at the forefront of Aboriginal and tropical health research in Australia.
Menzies’ success in attracting competitive research funding under Professor O’Dea’s leadership has been exceptional. In 2004, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s grant income was a record $10.6m which meant that for the third year in a row Menzies had earned over 50% of the total NHMRC Aboriginal Health Research funding. Professor Kerin O’Dea led a research team in a successful bid for a $7.1m program grant to assess chronic diseases in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. This was the largest single grant in Menzies’ 19 year history.
The personal achievements of Professor Kerin O’Dea have also been recognised nationally with her receiving an Order of Australia in 2004 for service in the areas of medical and nutritional research to the development of public health policy and to the community, particularly Aboriginal Australians, through research into chronic disease and prevention methods. She was also named as Northern Territory finalist in the Australian of the Year in 2005. Her contribution to the Northern Territory extends beyond the realms of Menzies. She has played a strong advocacy role for Aboriginal health on Northern Territory Health Advisory Council.
At the national level, Professor O’Dea contributed her public health skills on numerous committees, including Council Member of the NHMRC, member of the National Obesity Task Force, board member of Food Standards of Australia and New Zealand, and Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Australian Longitudinal Study of Woman’s Health.
Professor Kerin O’Dea indicated to me earlier this year that she would not be seeking re-appointment. The Menzies’ board is currently recruiting to the position. I am sure all of you will join me in acknowledging Professor O’Dea’s outstanding contribution.
I also want to acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by the staff of the Department of Health and Community Services in response to the recent bombing in Bali. As members will be aware, this tragic event sadly claimed the lives of 23 people, including four Australians, and caused injury to over 90 others. Whilst we were horrified by this act of terrorism on one of our closest neighbours, I am enormously proud and impressed by our various services’ response.
The Northern Territory activated the Region One Counter Disaster Response Plan calling into play major contributions from the Australian Defence Force, Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Department of Health and Community Services, Territory Housing, St John Ambulance, Australian Red Cross, Employees Assistance Scheme, Darwin Private Hospital, and the Salvation Army. Within a matter of hours of the incident our NT Emergency Operation Centre was fully functional and, through collaboration with the Australian Defence Force, NT Emergency Services and Royal Darwin Hospital, a retrieval mission was dispatched to Bali with four of our NT medical and nursing personnel. The Region One Response Group was readied with health, welfare and public health teams involving many staff from government and non government agencies.
Today, I wish to play tribute to the untiring efforts of so many Territorians all dedicating their time and expertise to ensure we provided the best response possible. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the professionalism and commitment of staff across the Department of Health and Community Services. Twenty-five innocent victims of Bali with serious injuries were treated at the Royal Darwin Hospital by one of Australia’s most efficient and proficient clinical teams involving doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, unstintingly and professionally supported by teams of our vital welfare, operational and administrative staff.
As with the tragic Bali bombing of 2002, and indeed with all of our excellent emergency responses over recent years, this was a whole-of-hospital and whole-of-service response, of which I am very proud. To name each of the people who made a contribution to ensure the outstanding success of this response would not reflect the spirit of the cooperation, humanity and goodwill, nor the effectiveness of their teamwork. This was not a response by individuals, but one of members of our Territory who each day play a vital and highly valued role in our community.
Last week I meet with many of the hospital staff who contributed to the emergency response. I was impressed by their manner in providing care and treatment to the victims of such traumatic events. The way they cope with such an experience, taking pride in what they do, and supporting each member of their team, reconfirmed to me what I already know. We have a health system of which I can be very confident and of which Territorians can be very confident.
I acknowledge the efforts of all people who made up those teams. I will read them into Hansard: the RDH management; Pathology Department; Emergency Department; Intensive Care Unit and High Dependency Units; Operating Theatres; Division of Surgery, 2A, 2B and 3A Wards; Division of Medicine, 4A and 4B Wards; Division of Maternal and Child Health; support services of the Social Work Department; Physiotherapy Department; chaplains; Radiology Department; Pharmacy Operations Department; switchboard; Engineering Department; Housekeeping Department; Central Sterile Supply Department - and I might say of the workers in that unit that I have never seen 20 people blush all at once, but when we visited there they were really pleased that their work had been acknowledged; Stores; Laundry Services; Catering Department; Clinical Photography Department; Media and Public Relations; NT Welfare Response Teams; the Mental Health Services; Family and Community Services; Employee Assistance Scheme; Territory Housing; Salvation Army; Red Cross; the NT Public Health Response Team; Environmental Health Team; and Public Health Team.
I thank each and every one of the members of those working units, both of the government and non-government organisations. It was a magnificent effort which earned us praise throughout Australia. It is another major sign that we are developing our health system forward.
Finally, I want to talk about a truly enjoyable trip I made last Saturday into my electorate to Yuendumu. I want to share with the House a very memorable event, which was the opening of the new Warlukurlanguartists’ art centre. I was involved in establishing Warlukurlangu artists in the early 1980s when I was working as the adult educator at the community. The new facility is a fantastic building built around the old existing arts centre. They have retained the front and side walls of the original building with all the murals which have been painted on there by artists, many of whom have passed away. They have become a Yuendumu heritage item. In behind that, they have built a fantastic gallery with office areas, preparation areas for the canvasses and paints, and big open outdoor areas for the artists to work in with shade - a far cry from the early facilities which we operated in.
Typically, the early production was done in abandoned houses around Yuendumu. The women started in one and the men, after they had finished painting the Yuendumu school doors which are now famous throughout the world as some of the early work of Warlukurlangu, moved into a staff house that I subsequently occupied with my family. We were like gypsies going around Yuendumu with very large bundles of canvas until, finally, we took over the old superintendent’s house which became the Yuendumu Adult Education Centre. That then became the centre of production of painting in the early days.
It has been a fantastic achievement to get that project together. I pay tribute to some of the people involved: Cecilia Alfonso, manager of Warlukurlangu Artists; Gloria Morales, assistant manager, and Jason Cotter, the art coordinator. They did a brilliant job, not only of getting the project together with artists, but also organising the opening. A highlight was that one of the coffee makers took their espresso machine to Yuendumu. It has taken 25 years, but I finally got a decent coffee at Yuendumu. It was a flat white to take away.
It was also great to catch up with the artists. The women danced to celebrate the opening of the centre. Amongst the men, with whom I am very good friends, were Shorty Jangala, Paddy Japaljarri Stewart, and Paddy Jabaljarri Sims. They are known throughout the world for their work. The women were Bessie Nakamarra and Judy Napangardi Watson. It was fantastic to see the group again out there having a great day.
I acknowledge Newmont Mining which contributed $100 000 towards the centre, ATSIS cultural branch in Canberra, the Centre for Appropriate Technology, in particular Ian Benjamin who helped with the design of the building, Frank Baarda who cashes the cheques for the Warlukurlangu artists so he is a bit of the engine room day to day, and Helen Juttner from the Yuendumu Post Office. The Northern Territory government put in $24 000 to this project out of our Arts and Museums funding.
It was a pity in some ways - the federal government contribution was certainly acknowledged but we were really hoping Nigel Scullion would turn up so we could talk about other matters with him as well as the federal involvement in the arts centre. Be that as it may, it is great that the feds got in and helped the artists set this up.
This was a substantial project. The artists raised dollar for dollar for any contribution that was put in by the governments. That is a sign of the ongoing strength of the cooperative and the fact that they are very keen to continue to invest in the assets and the infrastructure that support the production of the art. It was fantastic also to see all three working generations out there all involved in the celebration, all involved in the art. Young kids only up to your waist, joining in with the dancing and seeing their mothers, their parents, their grandparents all involved in this work. It is not only a fantastic income for the community, it is also a great way to revitalise culture into the next generation in a way that is very appropriate to Warlpiri people’s position within the general society. They are earning good income out there. It is a good, stable project which is well run, unlike many places around it where Aboriginal art is often exploited by the art market and by individuals.
In fact, this very day when I made the statement on indigenous consumer affairs, one of the key national priorities in the Indigenous Consumer Affairs Strategy is to help indigenous people protect their rights and interests. The art market can often be very predatory and insensitive to their needs and to their culture. Here is a shining example of a group that has maintained a strong commitment and a disciplined approach to the business that they are running over a period of 20 years.
Good on them. It is a big step forward. I wish I had those facilities 20 years ago when we were working on the early stages of the project, but then pioneering is always a lot exciting in its own way, so it was just fantastic to be part of that stage in my career.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, I was really pleased today to see that members of this parliament supported Breast Cancer Month with their pink whatever they wore. It is particularly important to me because I have been touched by breast cancer. I wear this silhouette here in memory of my mother who died, and I wear the ribbon in support of my niece who is a survivor. You can see the difference in the two generations of how they approached breast cancer. My mother was that generation that really did not know very much about it, there was not that awareness-raising within the community, and by the time she had enough courage to go to the doctor about the lump in the breast, it was too late. Whereas my niece, who was in her early 40s, found the lump, went quickly, has been treated and we hope that she has survived quite well.
It is one of those diseases that seems to be on the increase in Australia. It is on the increase amongst indigenous women. I do not know whether that is because more indigenous women are taking advantage of being screened, and more of them are being screened so we know that. Some of the results show that it is a worrying trend and we really should make sure that all women, no matter where they are, whether they are in remote communities or otherwise, get in and have their screen because it is the only way we are going to catch it early enough for treatment and with some success. Twelve thousand women each year are diagnosed with breast cancer and the number is increasing - it may be that the awareness has been highlighted or because the disease is increasing.
We do have a number of community groups who are doing a fantastic job about breast cancer in the Northern Territory and I want to acknowledge some of the work they do. The Pink Silhouette reflects the focus that these groups have on the woman, not the disease. It is very important that we remember it is about a woman. In the Territory, we have the Dragons Abreast in Darwin; in Alice Springs, we have Bosom Buddies; and we have the Breast Cancer Network. There was a huge impact when they formed the silhouette on the Melbourne Cricket Ground; 11 500 women wore pink ponchos and 100 men. We must not forget that there are some men who get breast cancer and they need support as well.
This magazine is put out by the Breast Cancer Network Australia. They are a tremendous organisation which gives a lot of support to women. They also have My Journey Kit so that if you have been diagnosed with breast cancer this particular kit gives you all the information you should know to assist and support you while you are going through the treatment, and particularly your family. Sometimes we forget that families also silently support the person who has breast cancer and need to have that support themselves as well.
The display they did at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was visually stunning and I was very pleased that my niece had participated. She is taking this in her stride. I just love the story: she has three young teenage boys, and when she did find she had a lump in her breast, her husband was on the bed with her feeling the lump, and her boys came in from school. They looked at my niece and her husband together and immediately said to their father: ‘What are you doing, you dirty old man?’, and it was just that instant response that she was then able to say to them, ‘Come and feel my lump’. Of course they just closed ranks around their mother. When her hair fell out, and she had beautiful long, black hair, they shaved their heads too and would walk beside her so proudly, looking at people as though to say: ‘Don’t you dare say a word to my mother; we are here to protect her’.
It is that support and strength. They needed also to know what they should do. They also needed to know what it was all about and what was happening to their mother and how they could assist her in the best way. So when you have a family that has been impacted as much as mine you are very aware that there are a many women who need a tremendous amount of support.
I believe you are doing The Field of Women on Sunday in Parliament House which is great. We are doing it on Monday on the John Flynn Lawns in Alice Springs. I urge all members from Alice Springs to be there to support The Field of Women.
The Lymphoedema workshop with Professor Piller is also occurring in Alice Springs and Darwin and I must commend the Minister for Health for assisting the Dragons Abreast, the Breast Cancer Network and the Bosom Buddies to get this specialist along to speak to women.
The forum I attended put on by the Breast Cancer Network Australia had Raelene Boyle as a speaker and when you get someone who has experienced breast cancer, a high profile person like that who can share her experiences with women who are also survivors, it has a special feel about it. There was a tremendous feeling of warmth and friendship at that particular forum. I just hope that we can continue to have this emphasis within the Territory because of the women who are behind it.
Leigh Hillman is now the Policy Manager for Breast Cancer Network Australia; many of us will remember Leigh. It was nice to catch up with her when she came to Darwin for that visit.
I want to make special mention of Bosom Buddies in Alice Springs. They are tireless advocates for women with breast cancer and they constantly come in with their concerns. They raise concerns about the PAT scheme and whether they would be able to go to Adelaide if the radiation therapy unit was in Darwin. They talked about the pressure bandages that they were not able to access that were available to women in Darwin. They are a great bunch, and they really do get behind everything. You have to remember these women are survivors. That is what so special about them.
We worry that we are not getting enough access to breast screening in Alice Springs. The two-yearly screening program is available in every state and every territory, and we would just like to have perhaps a little bit more than we do in Alice. The member for Macdonnell would agree with me that the mobile unit has not been a great success because of the roads it has to travel on in the Centre. If we can have a program where we bring in groups of women from different communities to Alice Springs at the time for breast screening then we would probably cover more women than we are actually catching at the moment. It is badly needed.
All members in the House could become members of the Breast Cancer Network and get on their mailing list. They produce a magazine called The Beacon. They have produced the My Journey Kit. As you can see, it has many brochures which deal with different aspects. The national body is a good lobbying group to make sure matters are raised. The My Care Kit is another kit which contains a Berlei bra and the soft forms that are needed so a woman can go out and feel quite comfortable. I can always remember that my mother was most uncomfortable without her prosthesis and most uncomfortable with it. She never came to grips with the fact that maybe she needed more support and counselling when she had a mastectomy. There is also the Friends of the Network.
It is one of those unfortunate diseases that affects many of us. I am pleased that governments across Australia are recognising the importance of assessing women. It is very important that we try to keep up the research to see if we can find an answer. It is a shame that we know more and more people who are affected in some way by breast cancer whether it is someone you know, or someone in your family, or a friend of a friend. The increased incidence is quite worrying for us all.
Most of all I congratulate all those women out there who are part of the organisations which provide the support in the community for women when they are diagnosed with breast cancer. I commend them for their efforts. I urge all members to be actively involved in these particular groups.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, first of all, I would like to talk about what happened this afternoon in regards to the member for Johnston. It was very despicable of the man to raise an issue in such a mocking way. Politics is politics and we have to tough it out with the argy bargy of debate. You cannot use information that is totally incorrect, and in such a way that it becomes practically misleading. You cannot use information that you get from a web site. Using that type of technology means it has to be current information which is up-to-date. That is what happened 60 years ago. It makes no sense. To then rely on that information and pursue, in a mocking way, to try to diminish another person’s argument is where I felt it was very unjust. If the minister has an issue to raise, that is fine, we will cop it sweet.
As we all know, you cannot compare the Darwin of 1946 with the Darwin of today, and say that Darwin has nearly 100 000 people and, therefore, the conclusion is that there were 100 000 people 60 years ago. That was not the case. That was why I was attempting to stop the minister going down that path.
As regards leaving the village, most of us did. Most of us grew up and left our own villagers. Many of us who live in the Territory left their own villages. Did I grow up in a village? Yes, I did, as did many other members in this room. They have left their villages, become educated, gone elsewhere to improve their education, broadened their view of the world, their capacity to perform intellectually, physically, and in any way they choose. Some choose to return, others do not. Others continue to do other things in the way they feel they can contribute.
It is a pity that the member for Johnson’s behaviour is very much like a bully. Last term, he bullied my colleague, the former member for Macdonnell, John Elferink. He drove him to the extent that it nearly got to fisticuffs. The former member for Macdonnell is gone so I am now the target. Hey, bring it on! If you want to bully me, that is fine. Many have tried. I have grown up as a racial minority all my life; I know what it is like to be derided, teased, and bullied. That is not an issue.
That man is a bully and really, that is the problem. He will continue to be like that; you can never change a leopard’s spots. That is what he will be. He tried desperately hard since the last election to change, but he just cannot help himself. Less than six months, and away he goes. I am sure he will try to control himself again for a little while but, sooner or later, he is going to break out again. I hope you have counselled him, Madam Speaker, because that man does need a fair degree of counselling.
Now to other matters which I believe are more important. Yesterday, I spoke about a friend of mine who passed away last week. Strangely, he was the third of three prominent Central Australians who have passed away within a space of about 10 days. I was absent, but a Condolence Motion was passed for a former member for Alice Springs in this place, Mr Rod Oliver.
I knew Mr Oliver very well and served with him on the Alice Springs Town Council for some six years. He was also a general practice patient for many years until I gave up general practice. He was the first to pass away, soon to be followed by Mr Barry Bohning, whom I wish to speak about tonight. Within days after Mr Bohning - in fact, I think Mr Bohning died three days after Mr Oliver - Dr Law passed away. Maybe Dr Law had a premonition because Barry Bohning had been to see him at his ophthalmology practice two days before Barry passed away. Dr Law mentioned that to his receptionist. He said: ‘You know, Rod Oliver has passed away, now Barry Bohning. I wonder if there is something there’. And then Dr Law passed away.
Barry had been a long-time Central Australian. I have some eulogies that were read out at his funeral service in Alice Springs, and there was an editorial written in the Centralian Advocate on 4 October this year about Barry. Barry was born in Tasmania and moved to Central Australia when he was eight years old. I understand that the Bohnings then owned Helen Springs Station near Tennant Creek, where Barry grew up and worked on their property as a stockman, and then later on went to Kurundi Station south of Tennant Creek where he worked as a stockman. He loved to ride a motor bike and became a motor bike mechanic in Alice Springs. He drove trucks, rode horses and was known generally as a knock-around bloke.
He came to work at the Alice Springs Hospital, initially as a groundsman, and ambulance driver, and then graduated to become the boss of the technical services area. I remember, when I first met him in the early 1980s, he was working in the plaster clinic in the area we now call outpatients and emergency. He was the technician who was in charge of all applications of plaster of paris on people who suffered from fractures and the like. He was also an ambulance driver and did all the work that was required of him at the hospital. He used to come along and help out with patients as well in the capacity as an orderly. We do not call them orderlies these days, we call them PSAs now.
Barry met his wife, Peggy, who was born Jessie Margaret McNicol, at the hospital. She was a midwife who was trained in Bendigo. She used to play the organ at the Uniting Church. Unfortunately, Peggy suffered from cancer and passed away a few years ago. It was tragic: not only did Peggy suffer from cancer, but when Barry found out that he had lung cancer he also discovered that his daughter was suffering from cancer. It was just tragic that all three members of the family had to deal with cancer around the same time. Peggy died in 1998. His daughter, Gail, died before Barry did. It was quite traumatic for him and he struggled to recover from those two losses – if he ever got over those losses at all. Barry and Peggy also had two sons, Kim, who now lives in Perth, and Nick, and grandchildren, Patrick, Megan and Jessica.
Apart from his long-term service at the Alice Springs Hospital – he served at the hospital for 42 years – Barry’s other great love was the Central Australian Show Society of which he was president for some ten years. He loved the show society. He loved Blatherskite Park and what he did for Blatherskite Park was so significant that they named the main oval after him calling it the Barry Bohning Oval.
Those were the two significant things that Barry contributed to Alice Springs. Apart from the friends that he made in the 42 years of service at the hospital, he knew just about everybody in Alice Springs because just about everybody would have gone through his hands at the Alice Springs Hospital.
I recall the time when he was working as the orderly, not only was he called the plaster technician he was also the person who handled equipment in the company of cardiologists and other medical specialists to perform stress tests on patients. He used to place halter monitors on patients so that they can go home and have their pulse or heart monitored by the halter monitors.
Many people spoke about Barry at the funeral. One of them was Barry Fernley, the hospital Chaplain, who met him when Barry was visiting the hospital when his daughter, Gail, was diagnosed with cancer. Barry got to know him reasonably well both through his regular visits and contact.
Barry had actually visited Rod Oliver in hospital as well. Ironically, Rod Oliver was also a past president of the Alice Springs Show Society. Barry lived in my electorate, in Giles Street, and I used to see him every so often while doing my letterbox drop or when I was doorknocking the street. He was a long time Country Liberal Party member. We used to briefly talk about politics knowing that he was not particularly well and he preferred not to be hassled by somebody talking about politics when all he wanted to do was sit down and rest and enjoy the rest of the day.
Barry will be really missed by Central Australians, by Alice Springs people. The show society will have a big pair of shoes to fill; even though he was retired a while ago his continued influence at the show society is evident year after year even as recently as the last Alice Springs Show.
I send my condolences to his family, his sons, one of whom still lives in Alice Springs, and his grandchildren. Barry will be remembered by Central Australians for a long, long time. I am glad that his name is permanently established in Alice Springs through the Barry Bohning Oval.
Mr HENDERSON (Wanguri): Madam Speaker, I was pleased to host an afternoon tea at Parliament House for the seniors of Leanyer and Wanguri during Seniors Month. Seniors Month is a great time to recognise and celebrate the contribution that senior Territorians make to our community. What made the event was a performance by - and I spoke about this band last night - the LeawanalaCombined School Band of Leanyer, Wanguri and Alawa Primary Schools. The seniors had a great time. Everybody was blown away with the performance of the band and a number of solo artists. To see primary school kids with such great command of their instruments was pretty amazing. I would also like to recognise again and thank the band coordinator, Daryl Trainor, who is finishing up at Wanguri School after 13 years, for assisting to put on the performance. It was a great performance and enjoyed by a large number of seniors from Leanyer and Wanguri.
The Annual Neighbourhood Watch Day was held at Wanguri Primary School on 18 September and it was a huge success with kids enjoying the face painting, and jumping castle. Paul was there with the sausages sizzling and Beat the Heat, the police drag car, was also there and attracted a very large crowd. It was a great day bringing together members of the community and importantly generating several new Neighbourhood Watch memberships. Many bicycles were engraved as well. Many thanks to Jeff Mosel and Geoff Pickering for organising the event on the day; they are a couple of police officers who do a great job in Neighbourhood Watch. Thanks also to my electorate officer, Jarna Neve, who put in a lot of hard work.
Dripstone High School held its annual sports day on 26 August. I had the pleasure of attending, and even had the chance to participate in the shot-put. Even though I put about eight or nine metres, I am not going to give up my day job and have to get in to a lot more training. It was a lot of fun. Dripstone High School has always had a high reputation for being a quality sporting school, however, it is also known as one of the most generous. Greg Cilento, who has been the physical education teacher there for a long time, is a great character who is well loved by students, and everyone involved at the school. He has had the ‘crop and colour’ day every year for the last few years with money raised going to various charities.
A couple of years ago, my colleague, the member for Casuarina, had his head shaved at Dripstone. I am not brave enough to do that as I am not sure whether mine would grow back! This year I agreed to have my hair coloured. It was on a Friday evening – as a St Kilda supporter, member for Nelson, the kids had one over me. The semi-final between St Kilda and the Sydney Swans was being played and all the kids were lined up, and I said I wanted my hair coloured red, white and black before the big game. There was no mirror there, member for Nelson, so the kids proceeded to do me red and white, Sydney Swans colours, and it was a couple of hours before I noticed. I have to get the kids back next year. As history would have it, the Sydney Swans won. I kept the hair colour up until about half-time. We were going badly, so I went and had a shower to wash it out and the Saints still could not get up - maybe next year. The kids at Dripstone had some fun at my expense and I have to find a way to get them back next year.
Later that day, Dripstone put on its famous talent quest which is always great to see. There is some marvellous talent at the school; kids performing in bands, a number of rap dancers - boys and girls. Young people sometimes get a bit of a caning in the media, however, Dripstone is a great school and there was a lot of talent there on that particular day. The inaugural Battle of the Bands was also held at Dripstone a few weeks ago. This was an idea dreamed up by three teaching students at Charles Darwin University, Rebecca Fong, Matthew Holt, and Mary Chapman, who got a committee together – the member for Blain was there, along with my colleague, the member for Brennan - and again, what great talent from some of our kids. I was astounded.
I know the member for Blain is quite an accomplished guitarist or ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ as I called him this morning in the House. However, I am not an accomplished guitarist having only dabbled a bit as a kid, although I was amazed at those kids as every single song performed that day was written by the kids. There was some fantastic talent on show. It was a great initiative by our three teaching students. They are going to continue next year. It was a great afternoon and I was very pleased to be there. I was happy to sponsor an award on the night and the Chief Minister’s department chucked in $1000, and the money that was awarded on the day goes back to the schools to help them purchase more musical instruments. To everyone involved with the first Battle of the Bands, an absolutely fantastic effort.
It was a pleasure to attend the official opening of the Lisa Brett basketball shade structure at Leanyer School, an initiative I have been keeping the House up to date on over the past several sittings. This young lass, Lisa Brett, won an award from the Australian Mint some years ago for her design for a coin. She put her winnings from the Mint to a shade structure for the school. It is not a shade cloth – it looks like a huge hay barn. It is a solid structure. Lisa Brett came back from Queensland to Darwin for the opening. The Administrator was there, Ted Egan and Nerys Evans. Ted sang a song as he always does and it was a fabulous evening.
I pay particular thanks to a constituent of mine, Des Oakhill who is the Chair of the Finance and Facilities Committee who worked hard to not only get the funding together, but organising the design, tender process and construction of the facility. To Henry Grey, the School Council, Des Oakhill, Lisa Brett, that shade structure is a great legacy. It is much cooler for the kids, particularly at this time of the year, who are out playing basketball at lunchtime and recess and not out in the sun anymore. That was a great project come to fruition at Leanyer School, with a great community there.
Last month, I was approached by a number of residents on rural 5 acres blocks in Leanyer which back onto Leanyer Swamp. It was brought to my attention that motorbike and quad bike riders were cutting up the vegetation and creating a huge noise disturbance to the residents there. I organised a meeting with the residents, the local police, a public servant who did a great job - Amanda Warren from Lands Administration - and we looked at ways to fence off the land to keep the vehicles out but still allow the public and people on horses to access that land. We also had a briefing from the Health Department which is particularly concerned because, prior to every Wet Season, they getting in there trying to fill in some of the divots that the bikes and quad bikes cut up. Anybody who lives in Leanyer knows how bad the mosquitoes can be from the swamp. I am very pleased to say that Lands Administration was very quick off the mark and a 6’ mesh fence was promptly installed. It allows pedestrian access and was well received by residents in Leanyer. I am getting a briefing from Health fairly soon to see what can be done to reduce the number of mosquitoes breeding in that swamp. It was a good outcome and a speedy response from the Lands Department. Thank you to Amanda Warren for all your efforts.
The Transition class at Wanguri Primary School has recently been approved to receive an EnvironmeNT Grant to build a sensory garden in the school grounds. That is going to build on to the bush tucker garden. As I have said many times in this House before, the environment team at Wanguri Primary School is doing a fantastic job. This latest initiative will continue to teach students the importance and the impact that we have on our environments. Congratulations to Ms Price and her Transition class for their hard work.
Whilst doorknocking in my electorate in the lead-up to the election, I met somebody who used to be on the RSPCA committee who urged me to visit the RSCPA and meet the newly appointed CEO or General Manager, Fiona Cummins. It was great to go there and see the work that the RSPCA is doing. The last time I was out there was about 13 years ago when we got the family mutt, Petra, and I have not been back since. I was quite amazed to see how that facility has come together over that time. I was there as the new cattery was being built. That has been constructed and open now. I urge my colleague, the minister for animal welfare, the member for Barkly, to visit the RSPCA. He is going to go. We nearly got him up for a dorothy dixer on the cattery at Question Time today, but did not quite get there. We hope to get that up during the next sittings. He was very keen to update the House on the cattery at the RSPCA.
In the few minutes that I have left, Madam Speaker …
Mr Wood: Meow!
Mr HENDERSON: Meow to you, member for Nelson. In the few minutes that I have left, I have to pick up on the contribution by the Leader of the Opposition to the adjournment debate tonight and the attempt that she has made, fairly crudely I think, to somehow try to smear my colleague, the member for Casuarina, in regards to his latest trip to Indonesia to promote the cattle and the mining industries.
The member for Casuarina - who can defend himself and I am sure he will - provided a full and detailed report to this Assembly on his trip to Indonesia. If the Leader of the Opposition wants to raise the bar, I suppose, regarding the details provided to the Assembly on overseas travel, that is fine. We should be accountable to the public; after all, it is the taxpayers who fund ministerial travel.
Maybe the Leader of the Opposition can come into this parliament in the next sittings, in the same way that she has challenged my colleague, the member for Casuarina, and give the parliament and the people of the Northern Territory a very detailed report on her recent 10-day trip to Fiji. I am sure it was 10 days; it might have been nine, but it was certainly well over a week. Last night she probably gave a two or three minute report with absolutely no detail to parliament about that trip. Essentially, she said what a wonderful time it was, stated it was terribly interesting and a very valuable experience. She certainly needs to come back in here and give a detailed, comprehensive report to the parliament, day by day, about what she actually did whilst she was in Fiji, what the outcomes were for her constituents, for the people of the Northern Territory, details as to who she travelled with, how much this particular visit cost the taxpayer, and provide us some detail.
If she is going to come in here after my colleague, who has made a full and detailed report about his visit, and attempt to smear him with allegations that he had already refuted in this parliament, allegations from unnamed, unsourced people, then the least she can do is to come into this House and give a full and detailed report on her recent overseas trip that went for 10 days. That is the least she can do. I hope she provides the parliament and the people of the Northern Territory with that information when the parliament next sits in November.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I have a bit of a dog’s breakfast tonight. There are many issues I would have loved to have raised but there is never enough time in Question Time to do it, so I thought I would put some of these issues out. I should make a note at the beginning that the minister mentioned a book by Tim Flannery, The Weather Makers. I went to a Population Summit recently held at the Holiday Inn. There was a speaker there called Dr Jennifer Marohasy. She writes for the Land magazine, which as people might know, is a New South Wales country newspaper. She challenged some of those ideas which Tim Flannery brought up in his book. I have not had time to follow up what Dr Jennifer Marohasy is criticising Tim Flannery on, nor have I read Tim Flannery’s books. I raise that issue to say that, on some of these issues, there are two sides to the debate. I just say to people if they are reading Tim Flannery’s book, perhaps they should also get on the web site and see what this lady has to say. She challenges some of the projections that are happening in the world today and she uses statistics to show it. It was interesting that the minister showed that book and I just happened to be chairing a session last Friday where Dr Jennifer Marohasy was giving a speech.
I was going to ask a question during the week about a petition. There was a response to a petition from PLan concerning open space within the Darwin CBD. Their concern was with tall buildings and whether there was adequate communal open space within Darwin city. According to the Development Consent Authority, 30% of the site is supposed to be levelled and landscaped at ground level. According to the minister’s response, this is often waivered in favour of podium-level recreation facilities and, in some instances, is supplemented by the provision of private outdoor spaces in the form of balconies.
That seems to me a recipe for disaster for how we space out tall buildings that are going to be built in Darwin. We are going to have wall-to-wall development, like car parks, where the 30% of ground level landscape is going to be waivered. In the case of the building on the corner of Knuckey Street and McMinn Street, a 33-storey building, five stories will be car park, and they will rise up from the edge of the block 32.5 metres, and the government is allowing the 30% of ground level landscape to be waivered. Not only does that mean you will have these buildings backing up to one another, they are also copping out by allowing people to have balconies as communal open space. Does that mean everybody in the flats can all pop down to someone’s balcony and say: ‘This is communal open space; we are just going to sit here for the afternoon’? I don’t think so. This is just a little trick from the developers and the Development Consent Authority has kindly agreed to it. That is a joke.
I really feel we are lacking true vision about how our city will look from a tropical perspective if we allow high rise buildings basically to back up to one another. If you are going to have height, then you need space around them. I have said before if you go down St Kilda Road in Melbourne, you will see office blocks, quite tall office blocks, but you will landscaped areas around them and they look quite nice. But if we end up with a city of wall to wall high rise buildings as is appearing on McMinn Street opposite the NT News building, if someone can tell me that is a beautiful sight – that is wall-to-wall units and there appears to be very little landscaping. I raise that issue because it is an important issue and I will certainly raise it again.
I would also like to talk about the 1st Brigade soldiers who have recently been assigned to Iraq. I was privileged to go to the passing out parade, as you might call it. You have to admit it is a very impressive sight when you see hundreds of soldiers in their desert outfits marching around Robertson Barracks. It is a bit overwhelming. There were some pretty big blokes there and they look very well trained. I know they are very well trained because we see them around the district quite often in their vehicles. We know they have worked hard at Mt Bundy and that the people who train them are very professional. I was privileged to be there.
I was also out there for the farewell with families. The Prime Minister was there as were Senator Robert Hill, Senator Trish Crossin, Dave Tollner, Senator Nigel Scullion, the member for Johnston, and the Administrator, Ted Egan, and Nerys Evans.
Many people from the area went out to farewell them and that was great to see. I wish all those soldiers farewell and Godspeed. Hopefully, they will come back safely. In fact, in the public area here yesterday there were about six or seven soldiers from Iraq. I went out to see them afterwards to have a chat with them about what it was like; they basically said it was great. They would like to go back. Perhaps that reflects the attitude of Australian soldiers who go overseas. They tend to want to make friends. I know people might say well we are an occupying force. I remember the Brigadier saying we are not occupiers. We are there for a short period. We want to bring democracy and then we are going to leave but we want to leave as friends.
You can see some photographs on the web site of our soldiers over there. It is very encouraging the way they relate to the people. Australians are more laid back compared to other members of the coalition. There was a picture of an Iraqi barber with a feathered slouch hat of a soldier whose hair he was cutting. It is great. There are kids playing soccer and talking to the solders. You might say some of those could be propaganda photographs. I don’t think they are. They look pretty natural to me and the kids there look like any other kids you see anywhere in the world. It was good to see the soldiers here yesterday.
I should mention that if people want to come to Howard Springs shops we have a wall of yellow ribbons. I mentioned this here before. There must be a thousand ribbons on that wall. It is just loaded with ribbons and we raise money for Legacy by asking people to pay $2 and put a yellow ribbon on the wall. It is covered in ribbons and I know the soldiers appreciate it.
A couple of weeks ago I went out on a bike run to Southport with Taminmin High School Year 8 students. Mike Bowden, somebody you might know - he used to live in Alice Springs - is a great fellow with young people. He decided that he would get these kids to go 100 km on their bikes and I went along on mine. We went along with Louise Hopkins, Natalie Wood and Jone Tuiono. We had a car at the front and a car at the back and the rest of them in between and we biked our way down to Southport, which is not the one in Brisbane, of course, but the one near Tumbling Waters. We had a great time. Many people were worried that these kids could not do it, but these kids could do it, and it was a great thing for them.
They were Year 8 kids and they are not the easiest bunch at times, especially trying to get them to bed on the first night when we stayed at Berry Springs Primary School. They were a great bunch of kids. All right, you sometimes worried about their behaviour, but when it came to the crunch, when they had to put in the effort to come home, in very hot weather - we were not riding in the evening, we were riding in the middle of the day - and these kids went the whole way. They had more energy than me. I had a sore rear end, I can tell you. It was a great opportunity to learn about these kids.
I congratulate Taminmin High School for that type of project. These kids are sometimes left out of excursions. These Year 8 kids are the middle school kids and sometimes they are a bit difficult. Mike Bowden is a man who is dedicated to helping young people, and you can see it in the way he managed the bike ride. I thank Mike, Louise, Natalie and Jone and all the kids. They were a great bunch of kids. We all got back safely and they had a great time.
I still have concerns about the Buffalo Creek boat ramp. This has been an issue that has been going on for a long time. Parks and Wildlife set up a security area near the Buffalo Creek boat ramp. It appears they forgot to look up the titles. It was Defence land that they cleared and set it up on. This is part of an on-going real stuff-up. The gentleman there has been there 12 months. He tendered for the job of caretaker yet he does not permission to set up his demountable properly. There are issues of land tenure, trying to work out with the Department of Defence what is going to happen, and planning matters, and building matters. I believe it is time this gentleman was given security to live there. He is losing money because he cannot operate as he is supposed to. I hope the minister can, at the next sittings, tell us that this is all okay.
I need to talk about one of my favourite subjects – cotton - and the reason I say that is because I recently went to Mt Todd. The minister allowed me to visit Mt Todd, and I also visited Katherine Research Station to see what I call, sadly, the last harvest in the cotton trials at Katherine. Forgetting whether people agree with cotton, I still believe the way you find out, the way you improve things, the way you make better decisions, is to trial things, and the Katherine trials have been very successful. I will say it again: they have led the way in Australia, I believe, in the good process for growing cotton - environmentally friendly; using the minimum amount of water, the same amount of water as peanuts, maize and mangoes; with very little spraying; with no tillage; and with the use of cover crops. I say our workers at Katherine should be proud that they have developed techniques to grow a crop that usually scares the living daylights out of many people – they say pollution and this and that and this.
I say we have to judge things on today’s technologies. Today’s technologies are not the same as 15 years ago. Fifteen to 20 years ago there were big problems with cotton. Anyone who was at Kununurra knows that, but we are changing the way it is done.
All right, we are using GM cotton and, again, some people say: ‘Ooh!’ when I say GM cotton. GM is a range of things. It can be from crossing elephants with tomatoes, which I would not agree with, but it can also be beneficial things that, if you trial them, and we have trialled GM cotton in Katherine – in fact, Charles Darwin University spent four years looking at the weediness. They have come out and said it is okay. We have reduced spraying. Isn’t that a good thing? If we can prove that this crop only had to have two sprays - one was a dog spray and one was an organic spray. Endosulfin, which is the curse of cotton because it used to get into meat, was not used at all in Katherine. There was very little erosion. They are still doing work. They cannot do any more work now because the trials have finished. They would like to do work on fungus to try to get varieties that are resistant to fungus because that is one of the problems that you have with cotton.
That research station has done marvellous work and, because of government policy, has finished. I went there the other day to talk to the people there. I know they are disappointed. I need to put on record those people who have worked on cotton. There was Stephen Yates from CSIRO. He has now gone to Narrabri. Andrew Dougall – he is a bloke whose father grew cotton in Kununurra. He wanted to show that we could eventually grow this crop safely. There were people there who were genuine. These people are not dills. They want the environment to be protected. They also want our agricultural economy to grow. He has gone to Bundaberg, as far as I know, to show sugar cane growers an alternative crop to grow from sugar cane because, as you know, the sugar cane price has collapsed and they are looking for other crops.
I would like to thank these people: Rowena Eastick who is the agronomist; Mike Cahill, technical officer; Andrew Davies, entomologist; Jo Avenell, technical officer; Shamsul Bhuiyan, pathologist; Belinda Boyd, technical officer; and all the farm staff. There were many other genuine people who wanted to do something for the Territory. As I said, you might not like cotton because you fear what happened in New South Wales and Queensland, but these people have put their heart and soul into doing something good for the Territory. It is a pity that they did not get the support the minister should have given them. They work for the minister, for his department, and for the Territory, and they have tried to do something good.
It is very difficult to convince people that cotton is a good crop for the Northern Territory, but we have Ord River Stage 2 coming up where the water in the dam is there for irrigation. The funny thing is we have not done anything about native title, although Western Australia is. That, to me, signifies that our government really does not take this issue seriously. Sadly, the agronomy of the Northern Territory has …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson, your time has expired.
Mr WOOD: … has not gone as well as it should have over all these years.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, I start tonight by joining everyone who has commented about the value of this Assembly publicly showing support for breast cancer sufferers, survivors, family members, and the researchers trying to find medical answers for breast cancer.
Last night, the member for Blain was speaking about children and young people of Palmerston wanting shade over the skate park. I agree with him that shade over the skate park would be a good idea, but it is something that is within the power of the Palmerston City Council. Hansard records that I interjected and said: ‘Palmerston City Council will not build it’. The member for Blain replied: ‘Yes, Palmerston City Council would build it but they do need some additional subsidy’. I replied: ‘They would not. I was at the meeting where they said they would not, they refused’.
As I said, I agree that it would be good for the skate park to have shade cloth. It makes a lot of sense, given our climate. However, it is Palmerston City Council who do not wish to put the shade cloth there. The council believes a developer may soon come in for that land to build an accommodation village for overseas students there. I make no comment on this proposal, although I would like to keep the skate park, as it is a decision for council, and that is what the Palmerston Council wants to do. It was argued at the council meeting that I attended that it would be a waste of council’s money to spend it on shade. I think the cost was estimated by someone at the council meeting to be about $11 000.
I considered that the member for Blain possibly did not know this, hence I spoke up. After all, to call on government to spend money that the council considered a waste does not make sense. I am happy to join forces with the member for Blain to lobby council to reconsider providing shade at the skate park. Maybe we could call it a submission by Buggerlugs and Blainey …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, that is fairly strong language that the member is using.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am a different Deputy Speaker and I will allow that.
Mr BURKE: Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
I would like to recognise someone in very close proximity to this Chamber, Ms Lauren Jacobsen, who is an apprentice chef at Speaker’s Corner. She won the silver medal in the Commercial Cookery Category of the open competition at the recent World Skills Competition. Let me give some background. The World Skills Competition is prestigious. World Skills Competitions are trade and skill competitions that challenge young people to achieve work skill excellence. The competition highlights the importance of vocational education and training as a career option, and stimulates the academic motivation of many students by focusing on the fun of learning through interesting and diverse skill challenges. The World Skills Competition is divided into two areas, the Open competition and the Vocational Education and Training in Schools competition.
Australia became a member country of World Skills International in 1981 and has participated in every international competition since joining. The World Skills mission is to challenge young people, their teachers, trainers and employers to achieve world-class standards in work skills, and to promote the status of VET across Australia. The Territory’s best apprentices pitted their skills against each other in the World Skills Northern Territory Regional Finals in Darwin, Nhulunbuy and Alice Springs. Contenders competed in 14 categories which made up the two sections, Vocational Education and Training in Schools and the Open section.
It was while I was attending the Vocational Education and Training in Schools Award that I was approached about being involved as a guest in the Hospitality Cookery category of the Open section. I was assured all I had to do was sit, talk with other guests and eat. ‘Righto’, I said, ‘that I can do’.
The Hospitality Cookery category competition was held at the Palmerston campus of NTU, rather CDU – forgive me, as an ex-student of NTU I still find myself going back to its old title – at the training restaurant and kitchen facilities. I will give a plug to the university here: the training kitchen and restaurant are an excellent teaching facility. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner at various times, and the university puts out a timetable of opening times. Members can obtain a copy from me if they would like to see when next it opens. Vikki Baldwin, campus leader for Palmerston, is understandably proud of the training facility and the other facilities at the CDU Palmerston campus. I also had the chance to meet Mr Bharat Desai, lecturer in Commercial and Asian Cookery. He was also one of the judges on the day. I thank him for taking the time to show me around the training kitchen and giving me the benefit of his great knowledge of the restaurant industry, locally and around the world.
I mentioned the Palmerston Regional Business Association earlier in these sittings. I attended the PRBA annual general meeting earlier in the year, which was held at the training restaurant. On that occasion, we were served a sumptuous fare created by student chefs. I am sure all members of the PRBA, and the member for Arafura who was guest speaker in her capacity as Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage, and also the member for Greatorex who was there, agree that the standard of the meal was superb in every respect.
Lauren’s participation in her category is a testament to her courage. It takes courage to take part in a competition like this, especially considering that Lauren is a first year apprentice. She went in knowing that most, if not all, of her competition would be apprentices much further into their training. I can inform honourable members, and I hope Lauren’s mother, Lyn is listening too, that the judges were very impressed with Lauren’s commitment, attention to detail and the quality of her skills. I cannot recall all of the dishes we were privileged to taste, but I can tell members that Lauren’s desert was a citrus tart. I have a great love of citrus and lemon tarts and that is why I remember desert so well. Madam Speaker, I hope you consider lemon and citrus tarts parliamentary fare, and next time you offer desert at one of your parliamentary dinners you consider requesting a citrus tart for the menu.
I congratulate Speaker’s Corner management for its foresight in encouraging Lauren Jacobsen to participate in the competition. I am sure Mr Darren Powell, the chef, had a hand in that and in assisting Lauren in preparations for the competition. I would like to mention the winner of the category Mr Daniel Walton from Caf Tonic. He will be going to the national championships and I wish him all the best. All I have said in relation to Lauren and Speaker’s Corner goes for Daniel and the management of Caf Tonic as well. Employers who encourage their staff to express their talents and extend themselves in competitions are to be commended.
I congratulate Mr Peter Chan of the Department of Education, Employment and Training on his tireless effort organising and coordinating the World Skills Competition across all categories in the Northern Territory.
On 9 September this year, I attended the Gray Primary School Concert. All classes took part and the children and parents had a great time. Greased Lightning and the Time Warp were particular favourites of the crowd. The following Gray Primary students recently received Maxi Merit Awards: Grace Loxley, Allison Weber, Thomas McSkimming, Rachael Lennox, Che Stephenson, Jody Ryan, Arizon Holder-Veit, Jordan Hill, Erika Mather, Kyah Buckland, Kieron Liddy, Tarlia Holer, Jacob Perry and Clint Buckland-Stephenson. Well done to everyone.
I was privileged to receive an invitation to judge Bakewell Primary School’s Literacy Parade. All students and teachers dressed up as their favourite book character. I can confirm reports that the member for Brennan was dressed up as Harry Potter equipped with Quidditch Broom and lightning bolt scar. I was very outdone by June Wessels, Principal of Bakewell as Rapunzel, and Helen Armstrong, the Librarian, as Snow White. Ms Armstrong organised the Literacy Parade. She clearly put a lot of effort into getting the whole school on board with the dressing up. I extend my congratulations to her and the other teachers and students at Bakewell for the event, which was great fun. I thank them all for letting me be part of it.
Moulden Park Primary School recently sent a group on camp to Batchelor. I understand a great time was had by all even if there apparently was not a lot of sleep to be had. Further, I understand that the Batchelor camp staff commended Moulden Park students for being so good. Everyone allowed each other a fair go. What a wonderful thing to have said about you. Congratulations all of you from Moulden Park School.
I was also at the opening of the Moulden Park Pre School play equipment. I know the member for Blain was there and the member for Nhulunbuy as minister. The children were eager to give it a go. We joined the children in a few activity songs prior to the minister officially cutting the ribbon and letting the kids at it. I look forward to visiting you all soon.
Mrs AAGAARD (Nightcliff): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, firstly, I congratulate Lauren Jacobsen of Speaker’s Corner for winning that particular competition …
Mr Burke: She came second.
Mrs AAGAARD: … she came second in that cooking competition. I also thank Speaker’s Corner for providing the delicious meals that we are having during parliament. I believe all members are enjoying those dinners.
Talking about that, I had the pleasure of also enjoying the food supplied by Speaker’s Corner last Saturday, on 15 October, at a very spectacular dinner here in Parliament House to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. I have never been to a naval dinner before and it was a very formal occasion. All the naval officers were in full formal uniform and we followed all the traditions as if we were on a ship - which was a bit difficult for someone of my age and I have had three children - you are not allowed to leave the table for any reason except during the three authorised breaks. Given the evening went from 7 pm to 12.20 am, this was actually quite a long evening.
I should say that the entertainment was spectacular. The naval band really needs to be congratulated, particularly the conductor, Lt Cmdr Philip Anderson of the RAN who is the Director of Music. It was a tremendous sunset ceremony to set off the evening on the Speaker’s Green. We even had a firing of arms, which I must say as the Speaker I had not been aware that it was going to happen. I was a bit concerned that it might have been live bullets! I was told that it wasn’t, for which I was grateful since they were aimed at the 5th floor of Parliament House.
It was a fantastic night. For those other members who have not been to a Naval dinner, during the port and dessert, you have to pass the port along the table without lifting the bottle – that is considered to be un-naval, I suppose the word is, because if you are on the ship, of course, it has to stay on the table or it might fall off. I think that is the reason. It was a tremendous night. The guest speaker was Commander R Love of the British Naval Defence Force. He is an advisor in Canberra. He gave us a very detailed description of the Battle of Trafalgar. I must say that I did not know much about before that but it was very interesting. I thank the Navy for inviting me to that.
Once again, Speaker’s Corner put on an excellent showing in terms of the catering for that evening.
I also want to recognise Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I thank all honourable members for having been involved with the cause today and members looked pretty spectacular. Certainly, sitting up in the Speaker’s chair I would have to say that people seemed to be glowing and looked tremendous in the pink. I must say that some people should wear pink more often - particularly the men. It was tremendous to see so many of the men take part in this. Often it is just seen as a female cause but, in fact, breast cancer is something which affects men and women. It is important that we recognise that as a community.
As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Parliament House joined in with many other iconic buildings around Australia and the world as part of the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s Global Illumination. On 27 September, significant landmarks and monuments around the world were lit pink to welcome the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Some of the buildings that we joined with were the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Tower of Tokyo, the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building, so we were in very good company. I think ours obviously looked the best, and other Australian parliaments joined in too. It is tremendous that so many people got together behind this excellent cause to try to bring awareness of breast cancer around the world.
I pick up on a comment made by the member for Greatorex this morning regarding prostate cancer. It is quite true that there are many illnesses which may not be as interesting as others. It is very true that men need to consider prostate cancer and make sure that they are testing themselves for that. If there is some way that we can be looking at that - I do not think they have a colour - perhaps we can look at other ways of doing that, and also as members of our communities looking at how we can raise that individually as members of parliament.
It is my sad duty tonight to note the passing of a fine Territorian and a good friend of mine, Mr Paul Ewens. Paul died of cancer after a very short illness and is survived by his loving wife, Barbara, his children, John, Elizabeth, Peter and Marcia. I knew Paul through his connections with the Anglican Church of Australia, of which he was a very active member of both the Synod and the Christ Church Anglican Cathedral Parish. He was also a long serving member of Kormilda College during the time that I was also a member there. He was a very special man who left an important legacy of love, kindness and integrity for Territorians.
I would like to read the eulogy which his wife wrote and was delivered at his funeral:
Paul’s continual love of the more remote parts of this beautiful country saw the family taking off annually for camping trips to the Gulf Country, Barkly Tablelands and across to the east coast, the Kimberley and the Bungles, the Gibb River Road to Derby and Broome, and down the centre to Uluru and Ayers Rock, as well as family reunions in Adelaide. Once the children had grown out of camping trips with parents, Paul and Barbara drove thousands of kilometres throughout the land: the Birdsville Track; Oodnadatta Track although rain always prevented them from completing that one and they became good at breaking droughts; western Queensland and New South Wales; the Alpine Way; country Victoria; the Great Ocean Road; Flinders Rangers; Wilpena; and, of course, beautiful Kangaroo Island. Tasmania and Western Australia were to be next once a retirement move to Kangaroo Island had been completed this year. His love and skill with map reading meant they were never lost.
Paul’s life was not all travel and relaxation - far from it. He was a committed citizen to the community he lived in. His working life included a short time with the Australian Government Solicitor in 1983 after leaving Cridlands, 16 years as a senior partner at Halfpenny’s Solicitors before leaving the city rush for an enjoyable time as a sole practitioner working from home, and he was still practising in that capacity when cancer claimed him in May.
Paid work was only part of this busy man’s life. As mentioned earlier, he believed in commitment to the community and this was reflected in his involvement in many organisations and committees. Paul was a Rotarian, made a Paul Harris Fellow for his work with Rotary Youth Exchange, which also enhanced the family’s life with many wonderful overseas students staying in the Coolibah Street home. He was the Chairman of Red Cross for seven years in the early 1980s. He was the NT Convenor for Gap Australia, an organisation that places young school leavers from overseas into Australian schools for their gap year; the Essington School Council as a parent representative; Kormilda College Board member; legal adviser to Darwin Pensioners Association; parish counsellor at Christ Church Cathedral; and a lay representative of the Anglican Synod. Paul was also noticed for his fine speech, perhaps a reflection of his upbringing, but also legacy of a good education from St Peter’s College from early childhood through to matriculation.
He loved reading and could retain so much of what he read, making him a most desirable dinner companion if interesting conversation was on the menu.
Paul’s cruel and untimely death has robbed this family of a loving family man, loyal and passionate husband, steadfast worker, and gracious host and friend. He lives on through Barbara and his fine children, never to be forgotten by those who knew and loved him.
Tonight I also mark the passing of a former presiding officer of the Victorian Legislative Council, the Honourable Bruce Chamberlain AM, 17th President of the Legislative Council of Victoria. Mr Chamberlain was a Hamilton City councillor for four years before entering parliament. Until 1988, he was Chairman of the Glenelg Regional Library Service, a position he held for 18 years. In 1972, he sought preselection for the Liberal Party for the Legislative Assembly seat of Dundas and he gained preselection and won the seat at the May 1973 election. In 1975, redistribution of the electorates saw the seat of Dundas absorbed into the surrounding seats, and he faced the prospect of an early retirement from politics. However, Ken Gross, the then Member for Western Province decided to retire after 18 years in parliament and Mr Chamberlain contested another preselection ballot and won his party’s endorsement for Western Province. He was elected in 1976 and won subsequent elections in 1982, 1988 and 1996.
With the change of government in 1992, he assumed a number of shadow ministries, including Planning, Local Government and State Development and Attorney-General. He was also Deputy Chairman of the former Public Bodies Review Committee. In 1986, he was elected as Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council and held that position until 1988. After the 1992 election with the change of government, he was elected President of the Legislative Council and was re-elected as President in 1996. He retired at the 2002 election, but remained President under the Labor government until the election of the new President in 2003.
When Mr Chamberlain retired, he was the longest serving presiding officer in the Australasian and South Pacific region. He was awarded Member of the Order of Australia on Australia Day 2005. The Clerk of this Assembly, Mr Ian McNeill and Mrs Kit McNeill have particularly asked that I pass on condolences to the family and to say that we are very sorry that no-one is able to represent the Assembly at his funeral this week.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I wish to make comments on a number of different areas, firstly, starting with one that I had not planned until the member for Brennan made comment regarding the shade structure for the skate park in Palmerston. Perhaps it is how you hear. Perhaps it is how you ask the question. To be more precise, the issue is that there was a contribution from the Northern Territory government for the construction of a skate park in Palmerston. I recall that clearly, in 1999, as a candidate in a by-election. The council played a major part in the construction of that skate park, particularly involved with community consultation and engaging the kids. The council will describe, as the member quite accurately reports, that it would cost a lot of money to put shade over that structure and the use of that land may change in time. Therefore, they have no plans in their own budget for the construction of shade. However, if assistance were brought to provide shade for the young people of Palmerston they would assist in the construction of shade, but they cannot do it alone.
The question arises as the result of the fairness of the dispersion of funds for the Northern Territory government and it poses some questions of the management of public assets. Some millions of dollars have been spent in the northern suburbs at Lake Leanyer and further public money has been spent to includes the expansion of the provision of shade at a facility that is free to use. Remember, though, we are paying for it. Government is making that decision to construct such a facility. Local government has many facilities that they must maintain and, in order to maintain those facilities, they must charge an entry fee. If you want to use the Palmerston pool, for example, you need to have patrons who pay an entry fee. With the decision to develop a public facility that is fully funded by the taxpayer and charges no entry fee, it creates a challenge for local governments which are trying to manage local facilities such as pools.
With a little bit of creative thinking, just getting outside of the defensive position, you would start to see that in the issue of fairness, to make a contribution to provide some shade over the structure in Palmerston would be a very sensible and well considered response of government. Underneath the position that is taken by government is the growing sense of unfairness and a compounding problem for local government.
To take it the other way, as the member for Brennan has suggested that we work together to lobby council, I do not think we are looking at the right place. The council already has sufficient challenges in managing its own finances and maybe the challenges have increased as a result of the decision of government to fund public facilities that are in competition to facilities funded by local government. Therefore, in the interest of addressing equity and fairness, I would ask if the member could reassess his position and together we could go to government on behalf of the good citizens of Palmerston. I am sure Litchfield would have similar issues. We could call for some assistance from the Territory government.
I know, because I have spoken to local government in Palmerston, that they would then find the means to add to the support the Territory government does contribute. That is, in the interest of equity and fairness, the way we should be going.
There are many things that I wished to discuss in this Chamber over the past two weeks and it is with some sadness that we have come to the end of two weeks of sittings; in sadness not because I am going to miss you all, but particularly because of what happened today. I feel for my colleague, the member for Greatorex. I am very disappointed in the behaviour that I saw manifested in this Chamber. What distresses me more - and I have some time for the member for Johnston, I know that he must be feeling quite bad about the decision he made to make such comment - but what makes it more difficult for me, and I am sure anyone who reflects, is that the response of others surrounding this which prevents him from thinking: ‘Is this the right way to go and is this is the way that we want to conduct our affairs in this Chamber when really the core business here is to advance and prosper the best interest of Territorians? Is this the way we want to go?’
I have seen so much grandstanding in the last two weeks that it does grieve me somewhat and I am sure it grieves other members who take the time to reflect on the behaviour in here. It happens, I know, from both sides to be fair, just to assist any other member who might be considering what I am saying at this present moment, but the power rests with government and principally so does the responsibility.
Prostate cancer - I am pleased that was raised by the member for Nightcliff. I reflect on the comment made by the member for Greatorex today. It is an interesting situation where we can embrace a health issue so openly and so actively, and we can be moved to bathe this great building in pink light and to all wear, me, for the very first time in my whole life – all these 47 years, never wearing pink – and I do it in the interests of providing some support for a very serious issue, which has shown its evil and sad mark in my own family, as I am sure it has every member.
The issue of prostate cancer is one which affects males, and males like not to talk about such matters, prefer to keep it to themselves, whereas the ladies can get together and have a good talk about things that concern them, breast cancer and the like. It may be news to members, I have even worked with the Senator for the Northern Territory, Trish Crossin, and we hosted a function, an information afternoon, for the people of Palmerston a few years ago on the issue of breast cancer. I was pleased to be involved in that and jointly sponsor it because breast cancer affects males as well, not just because some males suffer from breast cancer, but because of our relationships with our lovely ladies: mums, wives, aunties, daughters, and sisters. It affects all of us. I was pleased to be involved in that and I was the only bloke there. I learnt how to spot the lump in the fake boob, and I did that because I am a part of this.
But blokes do not get together; blokes do not talk about their problems. They like to keep it to themselves. Sadly, we see the symptoms of such inability to talk openly about problems in what was reported yesterday about a high suicide rate, extraordinarily high for males. I believe there is some connection there.
The member for Greatorex mentioned ‘Let us talk about the blokes’. I have been thinking about what colour, what day, should we nominate to lead the charge for blokes? Let this parliament take the challenge and bring this issue out into the open and provide some leadership, and be the first parliament in this nation, perhaps around this planet, to step forward for blokes and do something they are having great difficulty in doing – talking about cancer which affects them.
The next thing I wish to talk about relates to teachers. We have had much talk in recent times and, putting the politics aside, teachers are facing an increasingly difficult time in the classroom. No matter what happens in our community, the issue is solved by commentators by getting the teachers to address it, or getting the school to attend to such matters. There was an issue called the ‘Magpie Syndrome’, that when, many years ago, there was a spate of magpie attacks in South Australia, the whole community was concerned that some kid was going to lose their eye as magpies at nesting season were going to swoop and knock some poor kid’s eye out – what do we do? Everyone was talking about it, talkback radio, television programs, even current affairs – who knows. Then the whole community decided all at once, the way we are all going to fix this is to get the schools to address the problem. Then everyone was relieved; the schools were going to address the problem of magpie attacks. So then everyone moves on – problem solved. No, the problem is not solved. Everything gets deposited on schools, whether it is skin cancer, obesity, mental health issues, even feeding your own kids, it all gets fed back to the school and the pressure falls upon teachers and it is mounting. Day by day, it is mounting.
Add to that the way in which we deal with education today, the ambiguity and the vagueness of the curricula that we run, and the lack of clear structure, guidance - teachers are writing curriculum and spending more time in developing courses than developing relationships with kids - the pressure is mounting. In the midst of this, we have a spate of assaults on teachers - physical assaults and verbal assaults. To be verbally attacked in the workplace is a challenging a frightening situation. I have seen teachers who have been verbally assaulted by parents and students. In addition to all the other challenges that they are required to face each day, that adds even more.
In any workplace, the employer is responsible for providing a safe and secure work environment. If that worker feels exposed or taken for granted, that further compounds the problem that the worker has to deal with. You would expect that if a teacher is assaulted – verbally or physically in the workplace - then the employer would immediately back-up the teacher. How would this back-up be demonstrated? The very first thing - the most basic response of an employer - would be to care enough to count the number of incidents that have occurred in the workplace. If a teacher has been assaulted verbally or physically and reports to their superior, the superior should care enough to register and to log that centrally so that the administration and, finally, the minister may know exactly what is going on in the workplace so that they can understand the increasing pressure on teachers. I am sure even that action would satisfy a teacher.
However, I suspect and fear that there is no such recording, because the questions have been asked and the answer has come back indicating that there is no central register. Is there a record of the number of assaults on teachers? Does the employer care enough to keep those sorts of records so that, if they are increasing, it requires a response? If you are not keeping the record, you can say that it is all anecdotal and appears to be going okay, then the issue remains unaddressed and the problems that I have described compound. Who suffers? The teacher, of course. Who suffers? The student. Education is compromised.
I call upon the minister to make a move to ensure that care is shown to teachers by at least recording any report of physical or verbal assault on a teacher. It happens in other workplaces. Why does it not happen in our education system? The care that is shown to a teacher will transfer and multiply to a student.
Finally, the minister responsible for crocodile hunting can make a decision here in the Northern Territory to allow trophy hunting. I will talk more about this later, because I realise I have run out of time. To be continued.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to report to the House that one of my constituents, a well-recognised freelance Top End photographer, David Hancock of Bees Creek, has just been named Australian Geographic Photographer of the Year for spectacular photography he took and which formed part of an article he wrote for the Australian Geographic titled ‘The Wet – Moods of the Monsoon’. This is a prestigious award in which Australian Geographic acknowledges the contributions its writers, illustrators, and photographers make to Australia’s leading geographical journal.
Australian Geographic commissions freelance photographers from around Australia, and superb photography is one of the journalists’ greatest attractions. Australian Geographic considers David Hancock to be one of Northern Australia’s leading photographers. The awards were presented by General Peter Cosgrove at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. According to the Auscape web site, David Hancock has been a professional writer for the past 30 years and a photographer for 20 years. His work covers a range of subjects from landscape to industry and commercial activity, and has been published in most major newspapers, magazines and books throughout Australia and many overseas magazines, as well as doing promotional work for large corporate clients. David states his favourite subjects are people and wildlife interacting with their environment.
As a senior engineer during the design and construction of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway project, I first became aware of David’s talents when he compiled his book, A Vision Fulfilled, a photographic record of the railway tracklaying. In compiling this tribute to David, I called on Duncan Beggs, my colleague during the railway design and construction, to provide some of his recollections of David’s work in recording the railway construction.
David recorded the excitement of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway project from the beginning. This extensive record of the project allowed him to prepare his book, A Vision Fulfilled as the official memento of the project. David’s drive and enthusiasm got the book printed in the short period between completion of the railway and arrival of the first freight train and passenger trains in Darwin, which is quite an achievement. Again, the quality of his work shows in that production. David has always provided similar coverage of most other aspects of the Territory, of his experiences with it, living here and being a part of it. We can see ourselves in his work, in a slightly different way, and feel good about what we see.
I am sure all members of the House join me in saying that David’s award is thoroughly deserved and all Territorians can be pleased that David has chosen to live here and tell the rest of Australia about us, as he does particularly through his pictures.
In October 2005 in New Zealand, the biennial Australasian Championships of International Field Archery Association was held. I am pleased to report that Joy Wood of Humpty Doo took part as a member of the successful Australian Bowhunters Team. Joy was extremely successful in her own right winning a gold medal, Regional Champion Patch, and Australasian Records in both the Field and Hunters rounds of the Women’s Longbow Division. Joy’s achievements are all the more remarkable considering the steep terrain plus gusting winds and rain which made the competition very challenging indeed.
Joy has had an illustrious representative career so far, having already competed in all the national IFAA Championships since 1999. She also competed in the inaugural NT IFAA Championships in September 2005. She is not new to international competition either having already competed at the World Field Archery Championships in the USA in July 2004 as one of the seven members of the Australian Champion of Nations Team and was the first NT person selected for this team. When the 2005 National Ranking System lists were released last March, Joy’s ABA ranking for Women’s Longbow was first and her IFAA ranking was also number one. At this stage, her International Rankings are not available, but based on her current form it is estimated that she would probably be ranked third.
Joy’s sporting achievements have not gone unrecognised here in the Northern Territory. She has been selected as a finalist in the NT Sports Awards Coach of the Year Category for the past three years. Joy is also very active in the administrative side of her sport. She is a valuable member of the ABA NT Branch Management Committee, and holds the elected position of Branch Score Recorder, as well as the appointed positions of State/Branch Coach and Branch Measuring Instructor. This year, Joy conducted two Level 1 Coach Training courses in the Northern Territory at Darwin and Alice Springs, as well as one course for the South Queensland Branch.
Joy is very dedicated to all aspects of the sport and her fellow archers. She has assisted clubs to set up archery ranges prior to national and branch championships and joined coordinated practice range supervision at the 2005 IFAA Nationals. Furthermore, Joy was one of the primary organisers of the 2005 NT ABA Championships in Alice Springs in July and the inaugural NT IFAA Championships at the Humpty Doo in September. Always keen to promote field archery to young Territorians, Joy has recently begun to teach archery in schools on a voluntary, non-paid basis.
As members of the Legislative Assembly can see, Joy is a truly outstanding Territorian and most deserving for what she has achieved in the sport of field archery. On behalf of all members of the House and all Territorians, I congratulate Joy on her gold medal performance in New Zealand. Based on this performance, Joy will undoubtedly be one of Australia’s best hopes at the next year’s World Field Archery Championships to be held on Australian soil at Wide Bay in Queensland. We wish her much success.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
STATEMENT BY SPEAKER
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, before we start proceedings we should look around and see what members are wearing. Very beautiful. Member for Nelson, you are looking particularly interesting. I believe the member for Drysdale has a particular accessory - perhaps you would like to show other members. I thank honourable members for being so gracious in becoming involved with this.
Across the parliament, I am sure that all members have been involved in October Breast Cancer Awareness and that is tremendous. I am sure that we are the first parliament in Australia, perhaps in the world, to have something like this. The NT News is going to photograph us at 1.50 pm and I hope all members will be there for that. Who knows, it might get a bit of international coverage for such a great cause. Thank you, very much.
MINISTERIAL REPORTS
Central Australia – Training and
Skilling of Territorians
Central Australia – Training and
Skilling of Territorians
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I rise today to make one of my regular reports to the House on the progress on the government’s training efforts across the Territory. This morning I want to focus on training in Central Australia. Training to build the skills of Territorians is critical for the economic and social advancement of all regions in the Territory.
Under the Jobs Plan, the government has committed more than $70m this financial year to support the training and skilling of Territorians through: employer incentives; Workwear/ Workgear Bonus; Build Skills Program for upskilling and preparing people for work; work ready programs for young people; taster programs such as Try A Trade; VET in Schools; vocational education and training programs delivered through our public and private organisations and VET in Schools; infrastructure support; promotion of vocational education and training; and importantly, recognition of achievement through such events as the VET Awards and World Skills.
I was in Alice Springs for Community Cabinet on 3 and 4 October. I saw for myself the results of our programs. More importantly, I took the opportunity to have a first-hand look at the efforts of local business training organisations as well meet some of the apprentices, trainees and trainers. I visited Charles Darwin University campus and saw some of their facilities including tourism, hospitality and the training kitchen. I had a look in on a group of electrical apprentices.
One local business which puts enormous effort into training in a very high tech environment is Peter Kittle. I said yesterday just how impressed I was with their organisation, their workspace in Alice Springs and their commitment to training. They put on around 10 or 11 new apprentices each and every year. They are making an enormous contribution to trade skilling and around six or seven of those see their way each year right through to completion. I was impressed by the calibre of the apprentices and trainees that I met at the apprentice function I hosted whilst in Alice Springs.
Building the skills of people, getting our young people into apprenticeships and traineeships, especially into those hard trade areas is not easy. I applaud the efforts of the people on the ground in Central Australia taking on the challenges with the support of government and getting the job done. As a result we are seeing growth in apprentice and trainee numbers in the Centre as well as in other parts of the Territory. Currently, there are 634 apprentices and trainees in training in the Alice Springs region. Of those in training, 24% are indigenous, and 39% overall are undertaking a traditional trade apprenticeship. In the recent round of employer incentives, 14 skill shortage areas incentives have been taken up and 18 have been taken up by small businesses. I have been advised that since the first lot of apprentice trainees became eligible for the Workwear/Workgear Bonus in July following their three-month probation, seven $1000 and 11 $300 bonuses have been paid. I hope to see a further increase in apprentice and trainee numbers over the next year, as well as seeing more complete their training.
Training organisations such as the Charles Darwin University, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, the Institute of Aboriginal Development, Centre for Appropriate Technology, along with a range of private providers, attract substantial funding to deliver quality vocational education and training programs in the Centre. Organisations such as Footprints Forward are funded to support indigenous people to make the transition to employment or further education.
It is a tough road, Madam Speaker - we do not shy away from that - to build skills and to keep people in training. However, it is a challenge that the people of Alice Springs region are well equipped, well supported to meet and are working hard at it.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, the opposition welcomes the statement and recognises the ongoing task of increasing the value of trade and technical skills within education. That is the principle area that needs to be focused upon. The minister has a great opportunity to strengthen the profile of trade and technical skills within education to deliver young students into the work force through traineeships and apprenticeships by attending to the work that has already been undertaken in Palmerston with the senior secondary campus. I understand that that was the focus of the Year 10, 11 and 12 proposal - or 10/11, we are not sure, or 11/12 proposal. That really is the way to go, minister. You have my support for that if you would reverse your decision and go ahead with the senior secondary facility in Palmerston.
Secondly, I recognise, as most members do, the real task of training and development of skills amongst young people - and not just young people - are small business operators. They carry the larger load. We can talk about the programs that government has put in place, and the money that flows to service the industry, which is the training industry. It is actually the small business operator generally that carries the weight of training.
Without going too far into it, minister, I will just draw attention to my last night’s adjournment. I made reference to a small business operator who was neglected in the process of fulfilling his duties in providing training for a young apprentice. The system, let us say, in their dealing with the decision of the young apprentice overlooked the contribution of the small business operator and resulted in some offence to his integrity. Issues such as that are really very important because the core of the training agenda is delivered by small business operators, and they need more support.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments from the member for Blain. The fact is, over 80% of all of our businesses in the Northern Territory are small business, and that is where a big part of the training effort has to occur because of the nature of our industry business in the Northern Territory. That is where our focus and our strategy is, in terms of employer bonuses and the incentives that we put out there for apprentices and trainees. It is directed very much to that small business.
In relation to the member’s comments last night, I am not across them. I will have a look at them. I would not go to an individual case in here, but I am happy to look at those comments and get back to the member for Blain about that particular issue.
National Indigenous Consumer
Protection Strategy
Protection Strategy
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, with nearly 30% of our population being indigenous, the Northern Territory is acutely aware of the consumer and trading issues impacting on this sector of the community. Given our acute interest, at a Ministerial Council on Consumer Affairs (MCCA) meeting in 2002, I nominated the Territory to be the lead jurisdiction in developing a five-year national indigenous consumer protection strategy.
The NT’s work on the strategy was undertaken via a working party of all jurisdictions. The work was assisted through the appointment of a national coordinator, Ms Christine Ross. In November 2004, I released Taking Action, Gaining Trust – the National Indigenous Consumer Action Plan consultation document. Six hundred copies were distributed throughout Australia and hundreds more downloaded from the Internet. Comments were received from 93 organisations or individuals, and those comments confirmed the issues identified were on the money.
I am pleased to advise that we now have coordinated and achieved a national commitment to a blueprint for better indigenous consumer justice. My colleague, the member for Sanderson, Len Kiely, who kindly deputised for me while I was on leave, officially launched the National Indigenous Consumer Strategy, Taking Action, Gaining Trust Action Plan 2005 to 2010, launched at the Indigenous Gallery of the National Museum in Canberra last month.
Given that all ministers - state, territory and federal - have now signed a statement committing to action and better outcomes, it signifies the national importance allocated to the strategy. I am proud that the Northern Territory has been the lead jurisdiction responsible for the development of this national strategy. A statement of commitment signed by all Consumer Affairs ministers in Australia is an undertaking to remedy the current inequitable position of indigenous consumers. This unified commitment is important and its national approach to ensuring advances are achieved is unique.
The document hones in on eight key priority areas, from the employment of indigenous staff in consumer agencies to issues of financial management, banking and trading practices. The plan requires consumer agencies to employ indigenous officers in indigenous agencies as a priority, and for consumer agencies to work with non-government organisations with indigenous staff.
The strategy provides action plans for: employment of indigenous staff in consumer affairs; advocacy of indigenous consumer interests; housing; financial management and banking; purchasing motor vehicles and boats; trading practices; rights in the arts industry; and, managing indigenous community organisations. These have been identified as providing the greatest degree of indigenous consumer detriment.
A reference group, including indigenous representatives from outside government consumer agencies, is to be established to annually audit and comment on what jurisdictions have achieved in advancing indigenous consumer protection. It will be a litmus test of what they have achieved against the action plans.
I am pleased to inform the House that Mr Michael Long has agreed to be a member of this reference group. Other prominent indigenous Australians will also be invited to be members. Mr Long has already provided support to a most successful Northern Territory campaign conducted by Consumer Affairs centring on themes of: keep your pin number safe; keep your receipts when buying major goods; and do not buy a rubbish car.
This has been a most successful campaign. The campaign is yielding results. It has taken a number of indigenous consumer inquiries and complaints handled by our Office of Consumer Affairs from none to 4% of all complaints. This is a small yet significant step and Consumer Affairs in the Northern Territory continues to drive a very strong message to indigenous people.
A much larger step is the national Taking Action, Gaining Trust action plan. It is the implementation of this strategy and this action plan that will result in greater access to consumer justice.
Finally, I pay tribute to all who have worked on this strategic action plan, and to all who will continue to work with it in the future, including the members of the Consumer Advisory Council, the membership of which has been very active in drawing these initiatives together and I pay tribute to their work.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the Attorney-General for his statement and for providing us with a copy of the plan. I have only just skimmed through it. It is a positive step. It would be illogical to argue otherwise. So you do have the opposition’s support. Of course, plans always look good at the outset in the glossies. Let us hope that, out of all the plans that we see in all of the parliaments in this country, this one actually ends up delivering the results that it seeks.
In order to protect any consumer, particularly indigenous consumers in the Northern Territory, it is a two-way street. There needs to be education and support for business. Equally, there needs to be education and support for Aboriginal Territorians. When I had my own legal practice, I acted for an interstate finance company. I was constantly torn when I was instructed to pursue bad debts on behalf of the finance company. So many Aboriginal people in Central Australia went to various car dealerships, clearly could not afford the repayments, and should not have been sold a car in the first place. I was in the invidious position of having to follow my client’s instructions and chase up and try to recover the costs at almost any cost. That always created a level of unease within me.
There is no doubt that this is required. I speak from personal experience in addition to voicing the support of the opposition. We are here to do our best to deliver good outcomes. If even half of the contents of this plan comes off then it will be a good result. I hope the Attorney-General will provide us with regular reports and I look forward to those. I again thank him for his statement.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her comments and support. Can I say she looks very fetching in pink!
October Business Month
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Boom, boom, Madam Speaker!
Madam Speaker, this morning I update the House on the exciting progress of October Business Month 2005. October Business Month is one way the government is backing Territory business to grow; and it gets bigger and better every year.
In developing the calendar of events for this year, we spoke to a range of businesses and associations about what they wanted; and a message came back loud and clear: they were seeking practical advice and tips to grow their business and take it forward to the next level. In response to that feedback, government focused October Business Month on ‘Taking Care of Business’, with events featuring a diverse group of speakers covering a range of topics including attracting and retaining staff; tax tips for small business; harnessing skilled migration to grow your work force; boosting retail sales; and maximising the opportunities of e-business.
By the end of the month, more than 100 events will have been held in Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Mataranka, Pine Creek, Alice Springs, Nhulunbuy and Alyangula. Four hundred and fifty people attended the launch of October Business Month in Darwin, 160 people in Alice Springs, and 80 people in Katherine to hear from International Marketer of the Year, Bob Pritchard. I, like the audience, was really impressed with Bob’s straight-talking innovative approach to selling a product or business. A record 60 people attended the launch in Tennant Creek to hear former Wallaby captain, Nick Farr Jones, describe the secrets to his success both on and off the field in his current position as a merchant banker.
More than 1600 people have now attended October Business Month 2005 events, and there is another week and a half to go.
I would like to highlight just some of the great events we have had so far. In Darwin, guest speaker social researcher, Mark McCrindle, was booked out for both of his sessions on how to bridge the generation gap in marketing your business to both customers and employees. Katherine business people really enjoyed their session with John Moriarty. Mr Moriarty was born in the Territory in the Gulf and is now head of design at Balarinji Studio, is successful around the country and around the world, and perhaps best known for the sensational indigenous paintings on two Qantas jumbo jets.
Retail specialist, John Stanley, was back in Tennant Creek by popular demand and his expert advice on innovative merchandising to boost sales was also well received in Alice Springs. Business people in Nhulunbuy and Alyangula have already attended a money management seminar hosted by TIO. Diann Feldman will be in Nhulunbuy next week to discuss work/life balance and team building and no doubt Di will be as well received as she has been in the other centres.
Of course, we know the one issue that is at the forefront of business at the moment is the nation-wide skill shortage; and building our population and boosting the Territory’s skills base is a priority for the government. There have been a number of OBM events focused on finding and keeping staff, including seminars on how business and skilled migration is helping Territory business meet their needs.
The support of the Territory business community is vital to the ongoing success of OBM and on behalf of the government and the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development, I thank this year’s sponsors: our platinum sponsor, Yellow Pages; gold sponsors, Avant Personnel and Corporate Express; and silver sponsors, the Australian Taxation Office, AusIndustry, TIO and Barkly Tourism.
A new category of sponsorship was introduced this year to allow for greater involvement of Territory small and medium-sized businesses and we have ten bronze sponsors for OBM 2005. They are Territory Saws and Hardware, Air and Gas Systems, Stickers and Stuff, Mailfast, Jalyn, Night n Day Autocare, NT Technology, Delta Electrics, Northline Freight Management, and Holdfast Insurance Brokers. I also thank Ms Penny La Sette from the Small Business Association for being the business representative on the October Business Month steering committee; and the hardworking team at DBERD who have thrown themselves into pulling October Business Month together.
Madam Speaker, planning will soon start for October Business Month 2006. I strongly encourage all Territory businesses to offer their feedback to help make next year’s event even better.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, events such as October Business Month are very important. They bring the business sector together. It helps to strengthen morale and attend to issues of concern. The Territory has great potential and, when we get the Territory business sector together, there is a further opportunity to strengthen their resolve to capitalise on the strategic advantages of the Northern Territory. The core issue, however, that needs to be addressed in such gatherings is the underlying issue that would be reflected on by anyone considering a future in developing the Territory, and that is the price of energy.
The minister needs to recognise, and it is the role of the opposition to raise this, that in the last parliamentary term we heard the word ‘gas’ mentioned so many times. In the later stages of the last term it was replaced by ‘wave pool’. The issue of gas needs to be attended to seriously. You have four years to attend to a fundamental core issue related to the economic development of the Northern Territory, and that is the price of gas.
The cost of gas has increased; in fact, it has doubled in the past month. It is now $US6 per unit, although I understand you have budgeted for $AU3 for the same unit of gas. With the Mereenie gas field set to run out and contracts not secure beyond 2009, that is the core issue that those who gather at the October Business Month want to know that you have this issue squarely in hand and you have a way forward that satisfies their own inquiries and their plans for the future.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Blain for his comments. It is good to see the opposition has finally woken up to the fact that the future energy supply source for the Northern Territory is gas. It is not a powerline across the border to Queensland to connect us to the national electricity grid. It is good to see that you have finally ditched that ludicrous proposition that was put to the Territory people at the last election and so roundly ridiculed by anybody who knew anything about electricity generation, the costs and return on capital investment. It is good to see that that ridiculous policy has now been firmly consigned to the policy dust bin.
We are focused on securing new gas contracts for the Northern Territory as I advised the House in Question Time yesterday. Extensive negotiations are taking place at the moment, and I have a new nickname for the member for Blain: Jumping Jack Flash.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Reports noted pursuant to Sessional Order.
PETROLEUM (SUBMERGED LANDS) AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 26)
(Serial 26)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr VATSKALIS (Mines and Energy): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The main purpose of this bill is to amend the Northern Territory Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act in response to changes made to the corresponding Commonwealth legislation arising from the need to facilitate the development of the Greater Sunrise offshore petroleum resources of the Timor Sea. The Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act makes provision for the exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources in submerged lands adjacent to the coast of the Northern Territory. It applies to the coastal waters of the Territory from the mean low water mark seaward to the three nautical mile limit. The corresponding Commonwealth legislation, the Commonwealth Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act applies to Australian waters beyond this point. To the extent necessary, the Territory legislation should remain consistent with the corresponding Commonwealth legislation in order to retain a common regulatory regime applying to both jurisdictions.
The area seaward beyond the three nautical mile limit of the Northern Territory is constitutionally under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth and is currently referred to as the Commonwealth adjacent area. In the spirit of cooperation, provision is made for the area to be jointly administered by the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory. However, in the event of a disagreement arising between the parties that is unable to be resolved, the Commonwealth’s view would prevail.
The East Timor-Commonwealth Utilisation Agreement provides for the establishment of the Greater Sunrise field and this has resulted in the need for the Commonwealth to amend its legislation. This action has a minor impact on the corresponding Territory legislation, hence, there is a need for these minor amendments that are contained in the bill.
The newly established Greater Sunrise Unit area is an amalgamation of a small portion of two offshore areas that straddle the boundaries of the Joint Petroleum Development Area, administration jointly shared between Australia and East Timor, and the existing Commonwealth Adjacent area. In the later case, the small portion will no longer be the subject of joint Northern Territory/ Commonwealth administration, but revert to the sole responsibility of the Commonwealth. While in future this small portion will remain part of the Commonwealth Adjacent area, it will no longer be subject to joint administration, and will be known as the Eastern Greater Sunrise area.
The Commonwealth Adjacent area, except for the portion known as the Eastern Greater Sunrise will continue to be jointly administered as before, by the Northern Territory and the Commonwealth, but renamed the Principal Northern Territory Petroleum Submerged Land Area. These changes will come into operation following ratification of the Utilisation Agreement by the parliament of the Republic of East Timor and once the Commonwealth commences its amendments.
Turning to the bill, you will notice that the amendments that are proposed are minor and of an administrative nature, but are necessary so the Northern Territory Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act remains consistent with its corresponding Commonwealth legislation.
The bill amends the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act in the following ways: by amending the definitions to include a reference to the jointly administered area as the Principal Northern Territory Petroleum Submerged Lands area and a portion of the Adjacent area to be known as the Eastern Greater Sunrise Area will be exempt from the joint arrangements; and the inclusion of minor drafting changes confined to Part 1, Division 2 by deleting the reference to the joint administered area as being the Commonwealth Adjacent area; and substituting with the new name of the Principal Northern Territory Petroleum Submerged Lands area.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to the House.
Debate adjourned.
NORTHERN TERRITORY ABORIGINAL SACRED SITES AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 27)
(Serial 27)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to amend the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act. These amendments will ensure the secrecy of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority’s records; clarify the liability of the Crown to prosecution; and extend the time limits in which prosecutions can be brought.
All sacred sites in the Northern Territory, regardless of whether they are registered are protected under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act, which provides for the registration of sacred sites and the issuing of authority certificates to protect sites in the case of work, or use of land on or near, a sacred site. The Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act also provides for offences for the unlawful entry on to, work on, and desecration of a sacred site; the contravention of sites avoidance conditions; and the unlawful use of information regarding sacred sites collected for the purposes of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act.
To date, there has been strong public acceptance of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act, based on both a certainty on the part of Aboriginal people that their sacred sites and cultural information were being protected, and an acceptance by non-Aboriginal people of the need to protect sacred sites. In protecting sacred sites, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority has played a key role in finding common ground between Aboriginal custodians and other land users and developers of land in support of land use and development.
Sacred and secret site information received from Aboriginal custodians forms the basis for registration of sites and Authority Certificates. It is of utmost importance to Aboriginal custodians that this information is provided on the basis that it is secret, and will only be used for the purposes of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act and will not be provided to a third party.
In 2003, the Justice hearing the Uluru native title case determined that the secrecy provisions of section 38 of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act does not prohibit the subpoena of authority documents or records to a court, as the court was not a person. Documents were thus subsequently made available to parties to the case. This case places at risk the secret and sacred records of the authority.
This case places at risk the secret and sacred records of the Authority; the legislation’s intended ability to assure Aboriginal custodians that their culturally secret sacred information could only be used for the protection of sacred sites; and the current Aboriginal trust in the Authority and in the Territory’s regime of sacred site protection.
The draft bill amends the definition of ‘a person’ in the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act to include ‘a court or a tribunal’, thus supplying the prohibition on the communication or production of secret and sacred material, except with the approval of the authority to a court or an official of a court.
As I mentioned before, the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act provides for prosecution of offences against the act. Prosecution is not always an option which the members of the authority want to undertake, noting the wishes of the custodians. In terms of site damage, authority members and relevant custodians, from time to time, have supported a solution involving apologies and reparation. In other instances, the authority has decided to take the matter to prosecution. However, the basis for deterrence against contravention of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act remains in the authority’s ability to bring successful prosecutions.
In the Territory, government agencies and authorities undertake a significant proportion of works for roads, infrastructure and development. It is disappointing to note that, despite encouraging reforms in the monitoring systems of agencies, a percentage of reported sacred sites damage has been caused as a result of actions or approvals by government agencies and authorities. In recent cases of alleged site damage by the government agencies or authorities, it has become apparent that there is a lack of clarity in the liability of the Crown to be prosecuted for breaches of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act, or accordingly, some prosecutions have not been pursued despite sufficient evidence.
The inability to prosecute the Crown for sacred site damage and thus seek a form of reparation is a source of dissatisfaction amongst both authority members and the Aboriginal custodians.
The bill provides an appropriate capacity to prosecute the Crown by clarifying that:
- if the Crown in any of its capacities commits an offence against the Northern Territory Aboriginal
Sacred Sites Act, then it is liable in that capacity;
the ‘Crown’ includes agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of the Crown; and
the existing liability of an officer, employee or agent of the Crown to be prosecuted for an offence is
not affected.
There are no provisions within the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act with regard to time limitations in bringing forward a prosecution thus, by default, requiring all prosecutions to be brought within the six month limitation applied under section 52 of the Justices Act. Because offences under the act may not be discovered for some time, and/or an investigation of the offence may be delayed due to the distance involved and the difficulties in locating offenders and witnesses, prosecutions have not been pursued due to the time limitation of six months applied under section 52 of the Justices Act. Thus, an original intent of the Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act to protect sacred sites through the effective prosecution of alleged offences has been significantly inhibited by time delays outside of the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority’s control.
This bill provides for an extended period for up to two years after the date of discovery of an alleged offence by the authority in which to bring a prosecution. In the event that there are still significant difficulties in bringing a prosecution for an alleged offence, the bill also allows the court’s discretion to allow further time if there is a justified delay due to matters such as the remoteness of the location; the irregularity of visits to the location; the inability to visit the location due to Aboriginal tradition; and any difficulty in locating the alleged offender or witnesses.
Madam Speaker, the amendments proposed in this bill will provide for improved protection of Aboriginal sacred sites, and in preserving and enhancing Aboriginal culture and tradition in relation to land in the Northern Territory. I commend the bill to honourable members.
Debate adjourned.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Pass Bill through all Stages
Pass Bill through all Stages
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Cemeteries Amendment Bill 2005 (Serial 28) passing through all stages this sitting day.
Motion agreed to.
CEMETERIES AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 28)
(Serial 28)
Continued from 18 October 2005.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I contribute briefly to this amendment. Having just recently gone through a particularly distressing and traumatic unexpected death of a close friend, I can truly understand how people feel and the distress they go through when they suddenly find that they cannot bury their loved ones with a parent or a partner of the person recently deceased. It is truly a very difficult time. Emotions are all over the place, and to then try to make some rational decisions can be most difficult. I commend the minister for coming up with a way through this difficulty.
There are many people buried in our now closed cemeteries who have living relatives who wish to be buried in proximity, if not in the same plot when they die. This is a way of getting around that. However, I caution the minister, because he needs to understand clearly, and Territorians need to understand this clearly; that this amendment applies to all closed cemeteries. It does not apply only to the McMillans Road General Cemetery.
This applies to cemeteries such as the one in Alice Springs on Memorial Drive. It was closed by the Alice Springs Town Council many years ago. I know because where I used to live, my backyard ran into the cemetery itself. There are many cemeteries in Darwin such as the old Chinese cemetery in the Botanic Gardens area, and in many other areas in and around the Top End, Pine Creek and others that have been closed. Potentially, they could be re-opened. I am not sure what plots are there that could be exposed to an application by a person in the Territory to bury a loved one. If the minister is categorically aware that there are no other opportunities then perhaps he needs to express that soon so that people around the Territory understand that they cannot apply for any other areas.
I sought a private discussion with the minister yesterday in terms of the regulations and then we had another discussion this morning. Obviously there are some issues about health. The regulations will allow burials of more than one person in the burial plot. It could be two, it could be three. The only criterion that will prevent more than one body being buried is the depth of the top of the upper surface of the coffin to the ground level.
The regulation which will be substituted is regulation 23A and I think it is worth reading that so that we can understand it clearly:
- 23A(1): If a grave is re-opened for a second or subsequent burial, subregulation (2) or (3) applies in addition to regulation 23.
23A(2). The upper surface of the coffin nearest to the normal level of the ground must be at least 750 mm below that level.
In the old measurement 750 mm is about 2 feet.
- 23A(3) If it is not reasonably practicable to comply with subregulation (2) –
Which is about 2 feet:
- (a) the upper surface of the coffin nearest to the normal level of the ground must be covered with a layer
of brick, stone, concrete or other similar material; and …
And I will come back to the material shortly.
- (b) the sides of the grave above that layer must be lined with brick, stone, concrete or other similar
material; and
(c) there must be at least 500 millimetres of soil between that layer and the normal level of the ground.
500 mm is down to about 1 feet.
I understand from the discussion that I had with the minister that these regulations are similar to the ones used in Melbourne at the moment. There is precedence for that and health authorities have considered the issues. If you were to put in a filling, such as brick, stone, it is not a solid barrier. A slab of concrete, yes, that is a solid barrier. However, if brick and stone are just going to be filled in above the coffin, when the top of the coffin is only 500 mm below the level of the ground, is it too close? Are there health issues?
I do not want to go into the details, although, somebody is buried, there are body fluids and that has to be taken into consideration. I need to be reassured by the minister that health concerns have been addressed by this regulation. I would like him to explain to me the Melbourne experience and how they addressed the issue of burying a person so close to the surface. The tradition of burying somebody six feet under has been done for millennia and that is because of the issue of odours, as well as body fluids. It is essential that the depth issue is addressed properly.
This addresses the current issue of many people wishing to bury their loved ones in the same plot with the previously deceased loved ones. I went to have a look at the McMillan Road General Cemetery yesterday, and was taken around by a couple of people who have been very active in trying to maintain the continued use of the cemetery. I saw there quite a large expanse of unused land within the cemetery grounds. I understand that that unused land could potentially accommodate up to 1000 new grave site allotments. However, that land is very rocky and Darwin City Council has expressed concerns that the rock would be a major impediment to the easy excavation of a burial site. Like with anything, with engineering, with money, clearly the pit can be dug if it is required. If there are 1000 plots potentially available, and with the new regulation that is now coming in that you can bury more than one person in a plot, the potential of burying up to 3000 or 4000 people must be there, and needs to be explored. I ask the minister to seriously consider exploring this.
There are people in the community who would like to use the general cemetery for a lot longer than what has been allowed for, particularly amongst the Greek community where there is a culture, I understand, that the surviving spouse would like to make daily visits to the graveside, light candles or place a burning oil wick at the graveside each day. I can understand that an elderly surviving spouse would find it easier to get to McMillans Road General Cemetery than go all the way out to Thorak. There is a public bus service to get there …
Mr Wood interjecting.
Dr LIM: I understand that. I take the interjection from the member for Nelson that, if you live in the rural area, obviously Thorak is a lot easier - rural area and Palmerston, yes. Perhaps the city council needs to consider that both cemeteries should be operating concurrently so that the northern suburbs and the Darwin area can be served by McMillans Road General Cemetery, whereas Thorak can serve Palmerston and the rural area. That will impose a huge cost for the Darwin City Council, I am sure, and that is also an issue.
I am not sure how much consultation the government or minister has done with communities across the Territory in regard to this. I am sure there have been strong requests from family members to bring this about so that they can bury their loved ones who have been waiting for some time. For that, I support the government’s intention to amend the Cemeteries Act. However, there are issues and it is important for the government to think this through better. If there is going to be a review that the government is going to do, then I look forward to the review and the results that will come from that.
I also want to mention that there is a huge parcel of land between the current McMillans Road General Cemetery’s front fence and McMillans Road. It must be over 100 m between the curb of McMillans Road to the front fence. Is it possible to bring the front fence forward - say by 50 m and still retain a 50 m buffer between the road and the front fence of the cemetery - which will open up another 50 m of land, the whole width of the cemetery? That might be another consideration.
Finally, I wonder whether other cemeteries will be affected by this amendment. I know there are some cemeteries that have been closed and they have no – I cannot think of the right words to use – rights for the burial of a person any more – a purchase right or whatever you call it. Perhaps those old cemeteries such as the Chinese Cemetery in Darwin can now be reopened. However, I need to know that for sure.
With those few words, Madam Speaker, I support the amendment, but I would like to hear the minister address the points that I have just raised.
Mr VATSKALIS: (Primary Industry and Fisheries): Madam Speaker, I strongly support the amendments put forward by my colleague because it responds very quickly and very positively to community sentiment. Many times we have said that Darwin is a multicultural society. People come from various places in the world and they bring with them their own culture, and that is reflected not only during their joyful events such as marriages, christenings, everyday events, but even during sad occasions such as death. We also we have to remember that many of these people want to be buried in the old Darwin Cemetery.
People arrived here in Australia in their 20s and 30s, many years ago, from another country with very limited English language skills. Their aim was to work, and work hard, to make a better living for themselves and their family. Many of those people, on solemn occasions, tried to acquire graves in the old cemetery, and some did. However, at the time, because they could not speak English very well and probably because public servants and council staff were not attuned to the needs of the migrant community or the multicultural community, they did not explain very well the limitations of the graves. When these people bought a grave they did not think that the time would come when they would die and, if they are married, their spouse would die; and of the cultural requirements.
I will speak for the Greek community because having come from that community, having grown up in Greece and coming to Australia in 1983, I realise that the Greek community in Australia has the culture and beliefs of the Greek community in Greece of the 1950s. That means keeping customs alive; customs that have disappeared now from Greece.
One strong custom is that, if a spouse dies, and it does not matter how many years later, the other spouse dies, they have to be buried in the same grave. It is not a choice. It is a demand by culture and a demand by custom. The same thing applies between mothers and children, or fathers and children. We have had occasions where babies that died in the womb, or just soon after they were born, were buried in a grave, and 40 or 50 years later, the mother would have to be buried in the same grave, and the father. The family is reunited in death.
We have had many occasions in the past few weeks where we have had some serious accidents which have resulted in the death of young people. One in particular, a few weeks ago, the family was absolutely desperate, absolutely heartbroken, because they could not bury their young son in the family grave because of the limitations imposed by regulations and bureaucratic restrictions.
I call it bureaucratic restrictions because things have changed despite the fact that we are talking about multiculturalism and about adjusting our habits and becoming sensitive to the needs of the community. Unfortunately, this legislation has remained the same that it was 30 or 40 years ago. That is why I say congratulations to my colleague, because it brings this legislation in tune with today’s needs of the community.
I can understand the question from the member for Greatorex because, as a doctor, he has questions and quite rightly so. I did the same. However, I spoke to my colleague and found out that he had consulted with the Chief Medical Officer and with the Principal Environmental Health Officer and they were quite happy with the new arrangements: the depth of burial, and the use of material on top of a coffin to prevent any public health issues. I am quite happy with that. I find it acceptable. I find it has already been tried in Western Australia and in Victoria without any problems, and I think it can happen here.
Coming back to the cemetery, the cemetery was established where it is now at the time when Darwin was actually Stuart Park and Fannie Bay did not exist, Nightcliff did not exist, and the northern suburbs did not exist. It was out in the sticks. Now, the city has encroached on it, surrounded it and the council came to the decision to close it on 1 August 2003. I spoke to the Town Clerk assuming that he spoke to community organisations. Unfortunately, he did not speak to the general community. Sometimes a community organisation can have access to a few people throughout the general community. The Greek Community Incorporated has 300 members, when the Greek community in Darwin is about 8000 people.
I found out that many of the people in the Greek community did not know anything about the closure of the cemetery. They did not know about the limitations on double burials, and they only found out when someone died. Then they run around, in grief and desperation, trying to find a solution for their problem. That is why I congratulate him also because we can have approved retrospectively exclusive right of burials. That is very, very important.
As the member for Greatorex said, members of the community, especially the older members of the Greek community, like to go to the cemetery. I know a particular person, Mr Macrides, who has gone to his wife’s grave every single afternoon for the past seven years. The relationship with people does not end when someone dies. It continues. It is a spiritual relationship and it remains very strong. That is why we have seen these people so grief stricken, so upset, when things like that happen, when bureaucrats get in the way and prohibit them exercising their customs and traditions.
I have seen the unused land. I have also been advised by the council that when they approached the Greek Community Incorporated, they offered to buy 30 grave plots to provide them to Greek people who came to Darwin 30 or 40 years ago. They bought them but 30 lots are not enough; obviously, they need more. I also noticed the unused land and I commented to the council but the council advised me that this land is very difficult to excavate because it is stony, it not good quality land, and also it is very close to Rapid Creek. On the other hand, bringing the cemetery towards the road could be another solution but, unfortunately, it is next to a hotel, a liquor outlet, and I do not think it would be very appropriate to have a cemetery located next to a liquor outlet.
As for the closure of the cemetery, I believe the new Thorak Cemetery is quite appropriate. It is properly set up. People will come to accept this, especially the younger generation, but certainly we have to cater for the people who came here many years ago; now they are getting older and quite a few of them die. I have been approached by people who are worried about what will happen when the time comes when they die. I had a lady come to me through her sons, her husband died 45 years ago. She is alive and well, but she is really worried that she will not be able to be buried with her husband once she dies – next year, five years time, ten years time. Now, we have found a solution.
I support these amendments and I congratulate my colleague. I know well that sometimes bureaucrats think in a different way, and I was very pleased to hear that my colleague, the member for Barkly, insisted on these amendments despite the resistance of people in his department. Sometimes we do that, and I congratulate him for being sensitive to the needs of the community, listening to the community.
After all, the Greek community has its own ways and customs. I am sure the Aboriginal community has its own customs and ways, and the Chinese community has its own ways and customs. We live in a society and we should tolerate and accept each other’s customs and accept them as they are, as our own customs. It is the best way to live together and that is why in Darwin we do not have the problems the other states and other countries have. We live together; people from 120 different nationalities. We participate in our celebrations. We participate in occasions when people die, and we support each other and respect whey they are from, no matter what our religion or language we speak. Congratulations.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, there is no doubt that in times of grief, emotion and tragedy, we as politicians can face tremendous pressure to relieve some of that grief and emotion that families are going through. I extend my sympathy to all those families who have recently been affected by tragedies on our roads.
I have been in local government and know how decisions are asked to be made, or changes are requested, when families are in a period of deep sorrow and anxiety. The pressure to do the right thing can be very real. The introduction of this bill as a matter of urgency highlights that fact. But policy makers still through all of that, even knowing there could be political repercussions, have to remove themselves from that so that their decisions make sense and still make sense in the cold light of a new day when the emotion and anxiety have diminished or passed.
I have had talks with Darwin City Council which is in the spotlight more than other councils about this matter because they maintain the closed McMillans Road General Cemetery. I support the changes the minister is making and I can see why the changes are needed. These changes are based, I understand, on similar changes to the burial procedures in Victoria where multiple burials are allowed but allowing for a minimum of 500 mm of soil to the surface and then a requirement for a concrete slab to be constructed on top.
The minister has not highlighted whether that is the same as proposed for the Northern Territory and I understand we will see it in the regulations. In light of this being an urgent piece of legislation, it would have been good to have highlighted that in the second reading. Perhaps you could talk about it when you are summing up, minister, just so we know what is being put forward and we have a record of that.
It would also be good if the minister mentioned that this new amendment and the act may be subject to a broad review in the future. I say that because the information I have been given is that the Cemeteries Act has been on the books to be reviewed for at least 25 years. Some people might find such a review low on their priorities but what is happening today highlights the need for the minister to make an announcement today that there will be a review of the act and there will be a date set for the finalisation of that review.
This amendment raises a number of issues that should be part of the review and such a review should be wide-ranging. One question that needs to be asked is whether this amendment will have any effect on the viability of Thorak Cemetery. As people would know it is quite expensive to bury someone at Thorak which is the regional cemetery, not only for the three municipalities - Darwin, Palmerston and Litchfield – but for the areas outside including Dundee, Marrakai, Adelaide River and Batchelor, and interstate and overseas people are buried there as well. In fact, I am told that 25% of the burials are of people from outside those three municipalities.
The cost of burials is worked out, and I am only talking roughly, in the tender process, where the tenderer works out the average number of burials per year he would expect to perform and that would be divided into the cost of providing the service as well as the maintenance of the cemetery. Included in that would also be the cost of the crematorium. If more burials are allowed at McMillans cemetery, would this mean a higher charge at Thorak? As anyone knows, burials are not cheap. Would the government be prepared to subsidise the cost of burials in the Darwin region, if by allowing people to be buried outside of the regional cemetery an increase in the fees at Thorak was required to keep it viable? The future of Thorak Cemetery and the manner in which it operates could be part of the review. Whether the cemetery should be excised from Litchfield Shire, reverting to Crown land and operating under a trust could also be an option. I gather the government does not support the concept as it would mean the government being involved in a trust. I raise that issue, for as I mentioned before, about 25% of the burials are from outside the municipality which are not covered by local government, as well as people who are tourists or who come from overseas. I see a role for government to cover those areas which are not under municipalities.
There have been rumours that some bureaurcrats want to excise the Thorak Cemetery to include Knuckey Lagoon and handover to the Darwin City Council. Could I just say for the sake of peace and harmony, do not do it. Any minister who approves that concept would risk a backlash similar to that applied to the Palmerston City Council when it tried to expand its boundaries into Litchfield. I am certain that the flat rate of Litchfield is a lot more attractive to residents that the UCV system of Darwin.
The minister could also look at, as part of the review, private crematoriums at funeral parlours; and changing the minimum depth of grave to 7'6" as I believe is done in Alice Springs, so as to allow multiple burials even when that was not thought of at the time. That is mentioned in regulation 23. Maybe the standard is a deeper grave at all times. There also needs to be a definition of who can be buried in the multiple grave. Is it a member of the family? If it is a member of the family, what is the definition of family? How close to the person buried does the person who wants to be buried in the same grave have to be? Or can a person of no relation buy a plot and be buried in that site if the people who owned the grave are willing to allow that? There needs to be some clear guidelines as to who can be buried in a multiple grave.
The member for Greatorex raised a good point about whether other closed cemeteries can be opened, and I would be interested if that is the case. There must be quite a few closed cemeteries, especially in historical parts of the Northern Territory. Would this change to the legislation mean that you could be buried in an old mining town where no one lives although the cemetery is still there? Clearly, the cemetery is closed, but does that mean that all these old historical cemeteries could be reopened? It is just a question to see what effect this particular legislation will have.
Another question is: should there be a minimum time between when a grave can be reopened for a multiple burial? There are practical problems if two people die fairly close to one another; simply it is not a nice thing to do, especially for the people who maintain the cemetery.
I know that the government has been lobbied by grieving friends and relatives about a change to the act and I believe Darwin City Council has agreed to that. My understanding is that these matters will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Much money and effort has gone into the development of Thorak and if the government is making changes it should be aware of the possible impact it could have on the viability of Thorak and whether that would lead to higher burial charges.
The member for Casuarina mentioned the Greek community, and I understand their different cultural requirements, but you did make a statement that they did not know about the closure of McMillans Road General Cemetery. I am not trying to make a controversy over that fact, although I do know there was a lot of discussion with the Greek community over having a special site at Thorak because that was an exception to the rule. I do not believe there was going to be any sections of the cemetery for particular religious groups or particular cultural groups. It was going to be a cemetery and you were buried wherever. After much lobbying, the Thorak Cemetery committee, made up of the three councils, agreed that the Greek Orthodox could have a special area for their deceased.
What I find unusual is that that discussion was taking place and they did not know that the reason for changes to Thorak was partly because McMillans Road General Cemetery was being closed. I do not know whether there is a bit of conflict or whether some parts of the Greek community did not know what other parts of the Greek community were doing. I raise that because the Greek community does have a special area set aside at the Thorak Cemetery.
Lastly, I would be interested to know whether this government has discussed this matter with other councils. If so, have you received any feedback? I would be interested in those comments. It should not be forgotten that councils run cemeteries, not the government, and any changes passed today would affect them.
In conclusion, Madam Speaker, although this change in legislation is requiring our urgent attention, I believe the government should make a statement today that will begin a review of the Cemeteries Act so that the community, industry and local government can all have a say and put forward submissions.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Madam Speaker, I was not going to speak to the Cemeteries Amendment Bill 2005 until I heard the contributions of the members for Greatorex, Casuarina and Nelson.
I became involved with this particular amendment when, a few weeks ago, I was contacted at about 11.30 pm by a friend of mine who said: ‘I need to talk to you desperately about something’. I said to him: ‘Yes, what is it?’ I knew it was quite serious. He said a tragedy had happened in his family and his sister’s son has passed away. I listened to him. When I realised how serious the matter was and I said: ‘Okay, I will meet with you tomorrow’. I hung up, and he rang back and said: ‘I have to meet with you at 7 am tomorrow’. I said: ‘Yes, no worries’.
At 7 am, he arrived at my office with a family member and described his circumstances to me. He described what was restricting his family from being able to do what they wished to do. That conversation and those details touched me. At 7.30 am, I rang the minister and I told him the circumstances. He said there was another case going on at the same time, that he was aware of the situation, and he was dealing with it. I said to him: ‘The last thing I want you to understand from me is that all I see, with the bureaucracy - whether it is the Darwin City Council or NT government - this decision to change this amendment is about moving a piece of paper from one side of the desk to the other’. What I told him was that, to these families, this is something much more important. I asked him whether he understood that, and he said he did. I believed him.
Within the next couple of days, I spoke to a number of people from his office and also the member for Casuarina, as a member. It became apparent that there were issues to do with changing this particular act. However, the minister gave the undertaking to me that he was doing everything that he could to investigate what he could do. He came back to me within a couple of days and said: ‘This is how it is going to work out and this is where we are today in this process’. I said: ‘I can take this back to the family involved and explain to them that this is the quickest possible period of time within which you can act, and that you are going out on a limb because you understand that this is not merely an administrative issue, this is about families and people’.
I heard today the member for Nelson talk about the cost. I understand the point where he is coming from; he takes his responsibilities very seriously. However, what I would say to him is: when we talk about the costs at Thorak, what is the cost to the community in people’s last moments with us to have the family feel much better? What is the cost of making them happy or unhappy? I would argue that these amendments prove the persistence of the minister and I am sure we do not want to underestimate that. One of the conversations I had was that things could not be changed, but the minister pushed it and pushed it, and these are the options.
This is allowing a family to follow their last wishes, which is fantastic. I understand that the family that I was representing was satisfied with what we were attempting to do. This was a Greek family that I grew up with, played sport with, went to high school with, and they put it in terms of this was their cultural belief. Knowing the minister’s background, of course, and having his own cultural beliefs, which might be varying in this particular circumstance, he knew the position they were in and he understood this.
I say to the member for Nelson, it is a bureaucratic sort of change, moving a piece of paper from one side of the table to the other, but to these families it is much more than that. That is why I thank the member for Greatorex for his support as the opposition spokesperson.
Today we are passing a good law which takes into account that this is not all about the bureaucracy. This is about people and the value of people within the Northern Territory. We live in a very multicultural society and we all come from different backgrounds. This allows some of the community to follow some of their customs.
Every minister in this House, at different times over the next few years, when they have carriage of their duties, will have issues of whether, for bureaucratic policy reasons, to make certain decisions, and make decisions for the benefit of certain people. I did not look at this as a political exercise. I looked at it as a way to help people and I believe that every member in this House has an overwhelming urge to generally do that. Sometimes we have the capacity to do it; sometimes we do not.
I thank the minister for his efforts. From that conversation that I had with him at 7.30 in the morning, I knew that if there was a way to make these changes to satisfy the personal needs of these families and those who are no longer with us, that he would find a way. I thank the minister and recommend these amendments to the House.
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, most of it has been said, but I acknowledge the work of my colleague, the Minister for Local Government, who has brought a prompt and compassionate response to what was seen as an intractable problem which caused great grief and great distress to families. He has been able to make sense of this otherwise intractable situation fairly quickly and brought forward a response that will get government, the department and families through what is always going to be a very difficult time, and that is the death and burial of loved ones.
As a principle, governments do not like to go to powers of ministerial discretion, for obvious reasons. It is much better to have clear guidelines, decisions made by departments at arm’s length, removed from ministerial discretion wherever possible. This is a situation that does require a compassionate and sensitive hand of a minister aware of the difficulties and problems of family might be facing and the ability, with a signature, to take away much of that grief.
I listened closely to the member for Nelson, and his suggestion of a review of the whole act. It may be timely. I know the Minister for Local Government has enough on his plate and I would not be pushing him to a review but it is a question he might look at a little bit further regarding the situation right across the board. I am taken with questions in indigenous communities, many of which have dedicated burial plots or cemeteries, but on many occasions they are not used. Bodies are placed elsewhere throughout the community, for cultural reasons no doubt, but it leaves one a little unsure sometimes of where one is stepping in terms of sacred ground where people have been buried in communities. If not a review, certainly there are questions in and around the whole act. It might not need a wholesale review and perhaps the member for Nelson might be well placed to write to the Minister for Local Government and put his concerns forward, and they might be able to be addressed without a widespread review.
This is the minister’s first piece of legislation, which is always an important moment in a ministerial career, and to be a sensitive and compassionate piece of legislation, brought forward in a prompt fashion, by this minister, I commend him for it. I thank the opposition for their recognition of the urgency of this and their support of the need to get it through on urgency, another thing that government does not like to do, but in this case very necessary.
Members: Hear hear!
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I thank all members who spoke this morning on this very important occasion on this important amendment. I thank the opposition spokesperson for local government for his support, and also the members for Nelson, Casuarina, Millner and Nhulunbuy. They were very thoughtful, considered and it goes without saying, supportive. Obviously, there have been a whole range of matters that have arisen in regards to this amendment and I will try to address those as they have arisen.
The member for Greatorex had some concerns that might apply in regards to the depth required in the new regulations. The member for Greatorex indicated that under the previous regulations, under the old conditions, there was 3’ 6” in the old terms between the coffin and the natural surface of the ground, and that under these new amendments we propose to allow a distance of 500 mm between the top of the coffin and the natural surface of the ground. As I understand it, under the new regulations there has to be some form of barrier imposed upon the new site. That advice was based on extensive consultations with people in Victoria, and the advice that I have is that this is more than appropriate. We have also had pretty extensive consultations with other areas of the Northern Territory government such as the Chief Medical Officer and the people from the Centre for Disease Control and Environmental Health.
Member for Greatorex, I would just like to assure you that we believe this particular regulation, which gives rise to the allowance of a second variable, or indeed a discretion on my part to determine that, is based on very sound advice. I hope that that overcomes some of your concerns.
Dr Lim: Can you give us Melbourne’s experience? What they did and what they found?
Mr McADAM: Madam Speaker, I do not have any actual personal experience of the situation that you refer to in Victoria. As I said to you, I asked for options from the department about how we might be able to accommodate the second burial which previously was not allowed. The department came back to me with advice in regards to this proposal. In all honesty I cannot tell you the whole background of the situation in Victoria, however, what I want to assure you is that this is commonplace. This regulation applies right throughout the state of Victoria. After appropriate consultation between officers of my department and officers in Victoria, we can be assured. It is the only reasonable way to respond to the situation we had. However, I just want to assure you that extensive consultations took place between officers of my department and people in Victoria regarding this whole matter. As I said, it is commonplace throughout Victoria. I hope that allays your concerns.
I note that some of the other speakers also raised some concerns, particularly the member for Nelson. I trust you will appreciate that I am not in a position to respond to all of those matters today, although I want to give you this assurance: we will do a review of the Cemeteries Act. We will commence that shortly. Clearly you have raised a number of concerns which warrant urgent consideration. In fact, I received a letter from the Lord Mayor of Darwin requesting just that. I have had discussions with officers of my department this morning and I intend to immediately move towards a review of the Cemeteries Act. I will give this undertaking to you, member for Greatorex, that the issues you have raised will also be considered as part of that review. Does that accommodate your …
Dr Lim: Do you mind going into committee for a few minutes? I do not want to hold you up.
Madam SPEAKER: Not yet. We have not done the second reading.
Mr McADAM: In regard to some of the other matters raised by the member for Greatorex, I am aware that this new amendment now applies to all cemeteries across the Territory. My advice is that it also includes some of the older cemeteries. As I say, the discretion lies with the minister and I know that I will provide professional stewardship of that discretion. Some of these issues can be dealt with in a review of the Cemeteries Act review which we will undertake.
The member for Nelson suggested that consultations only occurred with the Darwin City Council. You also mentioned Thorak. At the moment there is a committee talking about Thorak Cemetery and the ongoing arrangements with other councils. That will also give rise to a broader review of some of the issues that you have raised.
I cannot respond to all the queries but I give you this assurance that I will undertake that they will all be incorporated.
The member for Greatorex talked about a portion of land at the present Darwin General Cemetery. You asked whether we had the capacity to expand or extend that area. I cannot give you that answer because it is a matter for the Darwin City Council to address. I am aware, from the advice that I have, that there were some issues regarding a rock formation below the surface. I do not know whether that is possible. Obviously, that is something you might want to take up with the Darwin City Council.
There is also an issue raised by the members for Nelson and Greatorex regarding whether there had been any increased cost proposed. My advice is that, in the first instance, I do not believe there will be any costs. Under the arrangements, as I understand, the costs will be met by the families in question. I am talking about the initial cost of administration. Of course, if there are costs that might be incurred at some time in the future, that might impact on the Darwin City Council, we would be happy to have discussions with them.
At this stage, if you want to go into the committee stage, I would be happy to do that.
In conclusion, Madam Speaker, I thank all members for their contribution, which is much appreciated. I believe this will be very much appreciated by a large number of people in our community right throughout the Northern Territory, not only Darwin, who will now have the capacity to make application for a double burial site in a cemetery. You will be aware that this did not occur before. As other members have stated, it is something that I have had a fair bit of lobbying about. At the same time, I always knew if there was a way forward to meet the needs of family members who were going through a pretty traumatic time after the death of a loved one, at the very least, that would ease their pain and make their life a little easier and give them peace of mind.
I thank the people who worked very hard in my department who were able to find a way forward. I refer to Nick Scarvelis, who has done an excellent job over the last three to four weeks doing as much as he possibly could to get this done. I would also like to thank Kelly Rhodes from my department who also played an important role in liaising across agencies. Staff in my office also provided that link between the departments. Also, my office was open to family members in the community and members of my staff are always in a position to have a yarn to them.
This amendment is going to benefit a number of people throughout the Northern Territory. I would like to thank very much the Hogan family for their insight, support and patience. I trust that this legislation will make not only their lives a lot easier, but also the lives of a whole host of other families in the Northern Territory who will benefit from these changes.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
In committee:
Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.
Dr LIM: Minister, can you advise which cemeteries in the Northern Territory will be affected by this amendment?
Mr McADAM: Mr Chairman, as I stated previously, as a result of this amendment, the Darwin General Cemetery will be affected by it because prior to August 2003 there was no right for a double burial. Clearly, that would be impacted by this. Bearing in mind that, in all other cemeteries throughout the Northern Territory, there exists the capacity for an individual or a family member to be able to make an application in respect to an exclusive right. That already exists. I also said that there may be other cemeteries and, frankly, I do not know which they are, but there are those other cemeteries that might be closed at this point which will also be impacted by this legislation. In other words, that gives the capacity for family, friends or an individual to make an application in regards to an existing closed cemetery. Did that answer your question?
Dr LIM: Thank you for that explanation, that helps to some degree. The words I was searching for earlier were the exclusive right of burial. I know that there are several sites still available at the Memorial Drive cemetery in Alice Springs. I wonder whether it is important that government identifies which cemeteries continue to have exclusive rights of burial sites, which would allow families who have those exclusive rights the opportunity to apply to the minister for multiple burials also. Otherwise, it appears that this debate is centred around the cemetery at McMillans Road but, in fact, this legislation applies Territory-wide. We need to identify and let people know.
Mr McADAM: This amended legislation will now apply to all those cemeteries throughout the Northern Territory that are presently closed. There will be the capacity, at some time in the future, for people to make that application. Regarding the existing cemetery, there is a capacity for an individual family member to make an application for a double burial now. As I said to you, this particular amendment relates specifically to closed cemeteries. It follows that, subject to this legislation being passed, that the discretion will lie with the minister. Does that clear it up?
Dr LIM: Yes, it does, thank you. I commend you for taking on this job on yourself. That is a very brave act to commit yourself to, and I commend you for that.
The next question is: you gave me some assurance that having 500 mm between the ground level to the top of the coffin with a concrete slab just above the coffin upon which the dirt will be heaped, is common practice in Victoria. When your officers went to do the research in Victoria, did they come back with a report advising on seepage and leakage or leeching in the dirt? Was that provided to you? Are you comfortable that all those issues were addressed; that we are not going to be faced with hygiene issues at a later date? Let me give you an example. In Alice Springs, at the Memorial Drive cemetery, because it has been there for so long, many of the coffins have collapsed. The ground has collapsed into the cavity left by the collapsed coffin and the concrete slabs that are placed on top of the gravesite have collapsed into the pit, thus the surface of the cemetery is no longer flat.
Whilst under this regulation the sides are going to be shored, it is only shored on the upper bits, not all six feet is going to be shored unless – well, it is not clear in the regulation. I see from the actions of your officers they are going to be shored right up. If you are going to have concrete or brick shoring of the pit right down to the very bottom that would be fine, but it does not quite say that. I seek your explanation.
Mr McADAM: Member for Greatorex, I ask that you bear with me so that I can just get the appropriate regulation which deals with the issue that you …
Dr Lim: Right down at the bottom.
Mr McADAM: Mr Chairman, in response to the member for Greatorex, I think you are expressing some concerns regarding health implications that might result from this. My department has had discussions with a range of experts - and I have already mentioned to you who they were: the Chief Medical Officer, the Centre for Disease Control, and Environmental Health Office. They have all assured us and they have assured officers of my department that there are no implications.
The other issue you raised was to do with the regime that will apply to the new regulations. Previously there was 3'6" between the top of the second vessel to the natural surface, and with the new regulations it allows for a distance of 500 mm from the existing vessel to the natural surface.
Dr Lim: 500 mm.
Mr McADAM: 500 mm. However, when you put your concrete layer on top of the coffin, then that takes it up to a distance of 750 mm, as I understand it. Also, under the new arrangements, the vessel will have to be shored up on the sides. There will need to be some sort of encasement of either cement or brick on the sides, and also there will be a requirement to place brick or cement across the top of the coffin as well. That is a practice that occurs right throughout Victoria and I am satisfied that all necessary precautions are being taken to address the health issues.
You described the sinking of the structures on top of the grave site. That happens all the time. I do not know whether it has to do with a technical problem. I do not know all the details in regard to that, however, it is overcome by this new arrangement with the vessel being able to be shored up on the sides and also the requirement to place some form of sealed structure – cement, concrete, bricks – on top of the coffin.
Dr LIM: Thank you, minister. Let me try to do this in a practical way if I can. If I have an exclusive right of burial in one particular plot, the first coffin can go in down to about eight feet into the ground. With the expectation that that pit will now accommodate my family of four people, can I apply for that?
Mr McADAM: Under an exclusive right?
Dr LIM: Yes, under an exclusive right. That first coffin will be in the pit. Would the shoring of the walls of the pit be done prior to the first burial, and would it be done right down to the very bottom of the pit? No, okay, all right. Then the second coffin comes along. I am still well below the 500mm depth, so that is fine. Do I need to shore up the walls?
Mr McADAM: In respect of the second?
Dr LIM: For the second burial.
Mr McADAM: Yes.
Dr LIM: Yes, and for the second burial the walls of the pit would need to be shored up to the depth of the top of the second coffin - and I see an officer shaking his head. Is that correct, minister?
Mr McADAM: You said from the top of the top coffin, do you want to just continue on?
Dr LIM: What I am saying is with the second coffin now being buried is it a requirement that the walls of the pit now be shored up from the ground level to the level that is the same as the top of the second coffin? Or do you go down to the level of the first coffin?
Mr McADAM: Member for Greatorex, my understanding is that it only applies to the second coffin, so it, in effect, would be entombed. It would be placed in at a minimum of not less that 500 mm. There would be this requirement to then shore up the sides, and also place this structure, which I have described as a brick, concrete or cement, across the top. As long as the distance between that and the natural surface is 500 mm, that is fine.
Dr LIM: No, obviously I did not make my self clear. The first coffin is now down in the pit, down to 8 feet. The first coffin is placed in at 8 feet, following an exclusive right to burial, so that is not an issue. The second coffin comes along to be placed in the same pit. What I am asking is to what level do the walls of the pit need to be shored up? To the top of the second coffin or to the top of the first coffin?
Mr McADAM: My understanding is it is from the top of the first coffin, so it contains the second vessel.
Dr LIM: All right, good. I understand.
Mr McADAM: It does need to incorporate the first.
Dr LIM: A couple of more questions, Mr Chairman. How soon after the first burial can the second burial take place? Any time? There are no time restrictions? For instance, one partner of a couple passes away and, within weeks, the partner also succumbs. Can you immediately excavate and put the second coffin in? There is no time limit?
Mr McADAM: I take it that your question is what is the time frame in respect to the second burial?
Dr LIM: The second burial.
Mr McADAM: Under this new legislation, obviously, I cannot give you a time frame because it goes back quite some time, remember, because people did not have the right for a second burial under this legislation. I do not think time frames apply at all in respect to this legislation, or to all those closed cemeteries as well.
In regards to the requirements under those cemeteries that presently allow exclusive rights, I cannot give you those details because that is something that the Darwin City Council or the Alice Springs Town Council would have terms and conditions, and regulations for. I do not know precisely the length of time that is required.
My advice is that, in regards to Victoria - councils are going to have to take this up themselves - there is no time frame. Apparently, there appears to be no slippage at this point in time. I hope that answers your question because, in regards to closed cemeteries, there is a set of different circumstances. Of course, in regards to the existing exclusive right, who knows? I cannot give you a time frame.
Dr LIM: Finally, how do you define family members? How far do you extend the family? Different cultures have different extended families. Under your stewardship of this, you are going to be the one who is going to sign off on multiple burials. How will you define what family is?
Mr McADAM: It is a very reasonable question. It is incumbent on me and would probably be irresponsible if I did not go down this path. Clearly, it is in respect to the application from the family. The discretion lies with me and I am going to have to be able to have to make that decision. I do not want to be prescriptive at this stage but, clearly, the intent is for family. That is important to understand. I am not going to be prescriptive in how we might define ‘family’ at this stage. I assure you that, before making a decision, very much subject to the application in question, I would take every reasonable means to ensure that it fitted within what I would describe as a reasonable request. That is something that I am going to have to deal with as a minister. Obviously, I am going to take advice from my department, and I am going to take advice from other community groups if it is of a cultural nature. I am very conscious of it but I do not want to be prescriptive in terms of what takes place.
Dr LIM: It is good to hear that you will not be prescriptive. In different cultures, whether it be indigenous, Chinese, Greek, the extended family situation is very different. For instance, Dr Wilfred Win Law and I are not related by any means. He was born in Burma, I was born in Malaysia, but we are family. That is my concern. How do you define it? Cultural aspects will come into this in a major way. I, again, ask you to at least set some guidelines so that people applying for it do not face the trauma, at the time they apply, believing that they are family, suddenly to be told by the minister they are not.
It needs some, at least, loose guidelines, to give people some guidance, otherwise I believe it will give you a lot of heartache, number one, and number two, a lot of people will suffer the trauma of being rejected because you do not believe they are family, whereas they believe they are family and you are getting white fella advisors to tell you.
Mr McADAM: Member for Greatorex, as I said, I do not intend to be prescriptive at this point because I need to take further advice on that. Obviously, the department will also have a look at it. I do not want to be prescriptive at this stage and, off the top of my head, lock out or lock in any reasonable applications. The department will review this particular matter and, hopefully, we will be able to establish a set of guidelines at some time in the future which might be able to accommodate and set some certainty for those people who might wish to make application.
Mr WOOD: Minister, just going on from what you said there, whilst I understand the term ‘family’ can be very broad, would it also be your intention to make sure that grave sites were not sold off to people who obviously were not in the family. In other words, someone could sell a site, as occasionally happens. People ask for a site to bury within a closed cemetery. The intention of this act is really to deal with family as we are generally thinking: husband, wife, daughter, son. As you are the person who is going to make the decision, would you be allowing someone who could buy a plot from someone so that they could be buried that cemetery? There may not be a relation in that site; they might just want to be buried in that cemetery. Would that be allowed under this?
Mr McADAM: I am not to sure where you are coming from, member for Nelson. Could you repeat that?
Mr WOOD: The intention is that we are trying to accommodate families who wish to be buried in the same plot.
Mr McADAM: Yes.
Mr WOOD: But there is nothing in here I can find that says ‘this is an exclusive right of families’. Unless you can show me somewhere in the act where it says that double burials or multiple burials only apply to the same family in that grave. In other words, could someone come along to a family and say: ‘I would like to be put in that grave because I want to be in this cemetery’?
Mr McADAM: In an existing grave?
Mr WOOD: In the existing grave as a multiple burial.
Members interjecting.
Mr CHAIRMAN: Order!
Mr WOOD: What I am trying to find out is, is there a limitation on those who could apply because the act does …
Mr McADAM: Mr Chairman, for all reasonable purposes the intent is for family and people close to that particular family. As I said to you, I do not want to be too prescriptive. We will work on that. If you are referring to the fact that there is an existing set of circumstances where, under this amendment, someone can come to me for a double burial in the cemetery that we refer to, why would I want to do that? To me, there must be some connection between the person making the application and the person who is being buried. I am not too sure where you are coming from.
Mr WOOD: That is fine. I know there are some people over there having serious problems with it. I was just saying that in the act it does not say that. I was just saying that it is your intention …
Mr Stirling: Does not mean you can do it!
Mr WOOD: It is your intention that that is what you are going to do. It is for families. That is all I was trying to get at. I just got it on record because that is all I am asking.
The other question was: I had not seen this set of regulations which is a pity, so I have had to go on a telephone conversation I had. Is this design based on the Victorian design, and are there any problems with that design in places like the Top End where you get large volumes of rainfall? Has this been designed for a drier climate like Melbourne or somewhere else, and is it a suitable design for the Top End?
Mr McADAM: Member for Nelson, the regulations that will apply are based on the Victorian model, and I am assured that under the Victorian model it is applicable and it is appropriate to the Northern Territory. There was a suggestion in this morning’s paper, I am not too sure where it comes from, that the Darwin General Cemetery closed as a result of flooding. That is what I understand having read this morning’s paper. That is not the case at all. That was not ever the reason.
Officers of my department have had discussions with the environmental health people and my advice is that it is a very safe and it is a very secure response to the issue of the double burials; other than those that exist under the old regime by even 7'6". I cannot tell you if there is going to be a big cyclone that hits Darwin in three of four years, or if there is a flood and whether that will be impacted upon, but I can with a degree of certainty suggest, subject to there not being a massive national disaster, that is, a flood or a cyclone or an earthquake, that I am absolutely certain that these new regulations will be more than appropriate.
Bill, as printed, agreed to.
Bill to be reported without amendment.
Bill reported; report adopted.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise you of the presence in the gallery of members of the NT Cancer Council, the NT Breast Cancer Voice and Dragons Abreast NT. I also advise honourable members of visitors for Business Month from Darwin and Palmerston. On behalf of all honourable members I offer you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
MOTION
Proposed Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Legislation and
Impact on the Northern Territory - Federal Representatives Support for the Northern Territory
Proposed Commonwealth Radioactive Waste Management Legislation and
Impact on the Northern Territory - Federal Representatives Support for the Northern Territory
Ms MARTIN: (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I know that we had a motion on this issue last week, however, this is an important motion, and one that I would like to move, as it is very specific to what we are seeking to highlight today.
Madam Speaker, I move –
That this Assembly calls upon the Northern Territory representatives in the Australian federal
parliament to stand up for Territorians democratic rights and vote against Canberra’s proposed
nuclear waste dump legislation.
That is the heart of what we are talking about in this motion. This parliament in the last day of sittings in October is going to call - I hope unanimously - on the four members in our Commonwealth parliament to make sure that they vote down the proposed nuclear waste legislation from the Commonwealth government. This is a draconian piece of legislation that steamrolls the Territory’s rights and will override our own legislation to establish a nuclear waste dump in the Territory. It is a critical issue that this parliament, along with Territorians, has taken seriously.
Never before have members of this legislature been faced with an issue that strikes at the heart of its very existence. I do not say that lightly. Last week, Canberra introduced draconian legislation that took a sledgehammer to Territorians’ basic democratic rights. Never before has the Commonwealth parliament attempted to override the democratic rights we have held since self-government. Not even during the euthanasia debate did the Commonwealth government take such extreme and unprecedented action. There are some people who are trying to muddy the waters by comparing what happened with the euthanasia bill to what Canberra is trying to do now. I need to say to this House that they are not the same. They are like chalk and cheese.
The euthanasia bill that was passed in this Assembly, and then overturned in the Commonwealth parliament, was a private member’s bill. It was a private member’s bill promoted by one member of parliament which resulted in getting the majority through the House of Representatives and the Senate. However, comparing that with what Canberra is planning to do and using it as some form of perverse justification is wrong. This is a very different situation. What we are seeing today is a deliberate dismantling of our rights as a self-government by another level of government.
Ms CARNEY: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Sorry, Chief Minister, just a point of qualification. Where is that motion? Is that to be circulated?
Ms MARTIN: It is probably on its way right now, Leader of the Opposition.
Madam Speaker, the severity of the actions proposed by Canberra’s legislation is unparalleled. It removes our right to appeal or review the decision they make on where they build a nuclear waste dump for Commonwealth nuclear waste. It overrides our existing environmental heritage and land rights legislation and, specifically, the legislation that we passed here in this House to stop this happening. It opens up every piece of land in the Territory to be considered for a nuclear waste dump, whether it is freehold, leasehold, native title land, or pastoral lands. They can now be considered.
It is a direct attack on our rights of self-determination, self-rule and self-government. It goes to the heart of that. No matter what people think about the issue of a nuclear dump, we should all be alarmed at the erosion of our democratic rights. No longer is this a simple matter of whether a dump should be built; we are now faced with a deliberate attack on rights to make decisions and to govern for ourselves.
However, it saddens me deeply that not all of the elected representatives of the Territory are as passionate as we feel about the Territory, its lands, its people and its fundamental democratic rights. The truth is that this legislation can be stopped - stopped dead in its tracks - by one person. That person is the CLP’s representative in the Senate, Senator Nigel Scullion. Senator Scullion has the deciding vote in the Senate on this matter. Even though he does not seem to understand that, or is making public statements that it is not really up to him to vote to stop this legislation, in fact it is. He has that deciding vote.
For those who might not have heard, let me state the point again, for it is vital and it goes to the very heart of this matter: Senator Scullion has the deciding vote in the Senate on this matter. Senator Scullion - despite what Dave Tollner, the member for Solomon, the Leader of the Opposition, and CLP members opposite say - does have the power to stop this legislation in its tracks. I am very pleased to see that the Leader of the Opposition has finally got right the Senate voting intentions, going on radio and saying that she thought the Democrats and Labor were going to be supporting the government on this legislation …
Ms Carney: We were at cross purposes, and you know it.
Ms MARTIN: … supporting the federal government. It indicated either ignorance or confusion at the time …
Ms Carney: Misheard the question.
Ms MARTIN: I can quote what you said, Leader of the Opposition. You said:
I thought the Democrats were going to support this and Labor was going to support it as well.
Let me just make it very clear that the Greens, the Democrats and the Labor Party are not supporting this legislation. That is unequivocal. There is no support there.
The critical person in all this is the CLP’s Senate representative, Nigel Scullion - absolutely critical person. Senator Scullion has, on many occasions, publicly stated that he would vote against the legislation. Even as late as 19 August he said on ABC radio that he would cross the floor and vote against any legislation that would force a dump on the Territory. I do not know how much clearer he can make his intentions. Those were his intentions in August when he said, without hesitation and without qualifying, that he would cross the floor and vote against any legislation that forced a dump on the Territory.
In case he has forgotten those words - and I can guarantee that no one else in the Territory has forgotten them - I will remind him. Senator Scullion says he has crossed the floor to vote against the dump in the past and will continue to do so in the future:
I already crossed the floor to support a motion that says the Commonwealth should not do this. Now, any motion of that type
I will also cross the floor to support, or if there is any legislation that comes before the Senate that can prevent the
Commonwealth from providing this in the Northern Territory, I will vote against it.
Very clear. That was August. I know time moves on. One would think that the man who is charged by the CLP to represent the Territory’s interest in the Senate would not change his mind so quickly, particularly when it is against CLP policy. The CLP policy is to not allow a dump of this kind in the Territory. One would think the party president, Paul Bunker, the other officeholders, and perhaps even the members in this House, would be up in arms against somebody so critical to our future simply walking away from that very strong commitment he gave in August.
We saw what happened in the stronger days of the CLP when Senator Grant Tambling did not do what was considered the appropriate thing, to stand up for the Territory in the Senate. He did not vote against the then government, the current government, on a bill to do with interactive gaming. What the CLP then do? They disendorsed him. They took very strong action. The CLP, when it had some courage, when it insisted that its members actually abide by the policies that were in place, simply disendorsed him. He did not get another go. That was his mistake, and he was gone.
This is exactly the same. The CLP, its parliamentary wing and its executive, should be demanding exactly the same from Senator Nigel Scullion. There is precedent for this, and a party with any commitment to the Territory, a party with any intestinal fortitude and backbone, would be demanding that from one of its members.
Let us come to where Nigel Scullion is now. Last night on ABC television, Senator Scullion seemed to indicate that he did not think his vote counted, that even if he wanted to cross the floor and vote against this legislation, it would still pass. I state again what the situation is. I know I did it in Question Time, but it is very important. We have the Senator for the Northern Territory who is not a novice at this; he has been in the Senate for three years now. He should actually know what the voting is, and his vote counts. The maths is: 76 Senators and a bill needs 39 votes to be passed. Senator Scullion is that 39th vote. He sits with the Nationals and is part of the conservative vote in the Senate. All he has to do is not vote on that bill, cross the floor, not support the government, and the vote goes down. The vote goes down and Senator Scullion has done what he should be doing in standing up for the Northern Territory.
Not only is it about the nuclear dump, but it is about the federal government’s ability to just steamroll our legislation and the wishes of Territorians. If Senator Scullion does what he should do and crosses the floor, the vote will give the Territory back its independence. Senator Scullion does not have to rely on what we are saying in this House to realise how important that vote is.
Let us go back to the recent review of the CLP done by former Chief Minister, Shane Stone. It is very interesting reading, but I shall not quote from the more interesting parts, I am going to quote the …
A member: Go on.
Ms MARTIN: No, this is a serious motion that we are talking about, Territory rights. As part of that review done of the CLP following the June election, Shane Stone said:
Federal members have a unique opportunity to stand up for the Territory and vigorously support CLP policy where it matters.
That is a very strong statement, and that is part of the review by Shane Stone of the CLP. I seem to remember that, in interviews, the now Leader of the Opposition, the CLP leader, said that she would have this document by her side, attached, probably on her desk, with these statements guiding her and her party into the future. One wonders where those statements are when you have such a strong statement from the man charged with reviewing the CLP, a former Chief Minister, saying: ‘Federal members have a unique opportunity to stand up for the Territory and vigorously support CLP policies where it matters’.
It goes to the heart of the issue and the heart of this motion. Stand up for the Territory, that is what we are asking, that is what Territorians are asking Senator Scullion to do, and vigorously support CLP policy where it matters. How much more can it matter now? CLP policy is not to have a federal nuclear waste dump in the Territory so you could not even have it more clearly spelt out.
For Senator Scullion the facts are very plain. The CLP says it does oppose this legislation and I am hoping that joining in this motion today will clearly demonstrate that, despite the comments we hear during Question Time: Oh, another question about the nuclear waste dump. There is a lot of whinging and whining about seeing this as the key issue that Territorians face at the moment. The Leader of the Opposition says she opposes the legislation. The people of the Territory oppose this legislation and are letting us know loud and strong. I certainly hope those calls are going into the Opposition Leader’s office and I hope those calls are going to both the member for Solomon and the CLP Senator for the Northern Territory’s office as well.
Senator Scullion should heed Shane Stone’s words and should stand up for the Territory, but I suppose we should not be too surprised that Senator Scullion seems to be weakening. We had his strong statement that he would not support the bill. Then we had his strong statements that even though the bill was disgusting - and it was interesting: in a radio interview that is what he said. I would like to quote this because this is the bill that we have Senator Scullion currently not opposing. He was talking on 8DDD on 18 August and said – no, it wasn’t 18 August, I have the wrong grab there – but he did, he described this legislation, yes, I have the right bit, the 13th of this month talking on ABC radio he said:
- I think it is an absolutely disgusting display from the Commonwealth to do this …
that is, bring this legislation in, and goes on to talk about why he thinks it is disgusting but then says, oh but I am going to vote for it.
How does he define disgusting? If something is disgusting, I think it would irk everybody in this House to support it and we certainly heard that approach from people in debate over the years here. If something irks them and they think it is poor policy and it is going to be detrimental to the interest of Territorians, maybe they have not called it disgusting but disgusting wraps up an attitude, and you would not support it. On one hand you have Senator Scullion saying: ‘It’s disgusting what this bill is doing, but don’t mind me, I think I might vote for it’. It is a real hypocrisy and a real contradiction. Territorians will not forgive this and that is very clear. Territorians will not forgive this behaviour if Senator Scullion does not cross the floor. And will not forgive it of the Country Liberal Party.
I have been trying to understand what has clouded Senator Scullion’s thinking and it is a difficult one. He has said he will not support it, he said he will support it, and he has to support it because - and it is a very pertinent point to make today - women in the Territory will not be able to get treatment for breast cancer, for example, or for other cancers. It certainly something, as I have spoken to people, that they have become alarmed about. Is there a connection between not supporting the establishment of a federal nuclear waste facility and them not being able to get treatment for cancer? Well, it is rubbish.
It is rubbish and in his contribution today to this motion, the Minister for Health will be spelling out why that is not the case. The arguments that we have heard both from Senator Scullion and the member for Solomon on this link between health standards - and it was Senator Scullion, or the member for Solomon, who described we would be sinking into third world health standards if we did not have this facility, are fatuous arguments and, what is worse is, they are wrong. We will hear more from the Minister for Health on why that is the case.
This is a simple motion. It is not a complex motion. It says that this House - I am hoping unanimously - calls upon all our federal representatives not to vote for a piece of legislation that is going to trample on the rights of Territorians that have been in place since 1978. We know that the federal government can override our legislation. However, we hope that the Prime Minister would stick by his words when he said he would respect us and respect our legislation as if we were a state. Silly old us, we believed him. We believed that this was the case. If the words of the federal government have now been abandoned, then what we need is our federal representatives to stand up for us. I am confident that the member for Lingiari who has been very loud and clear - and thrown out of the parliament once on this - is not going to vote for this legislation. The Labor Party Senator, Trish Crossin, is not going to vote for the legislation.
This motion today is clearly targeted at the Country Liberal Party’s representatives. We know how the others are going to vote. This is a clear message for the CLPs representatives, the member for Solomon, Dave Tollner and Senator Nigel Scullion, whose vote is critical. We know that there is a margin in the votes in the House of Representatives. I think it 14. That is going to be a challenge for us, although in the Senate, Senator Scullion holds the key. He can vote down this legislation and this is what this motion is calling on him to do today: listen to Territorians. Be in tune, be in touch with Territorians, do not allow yourself as a member of parliament to allow the rights of Territorians to be overridden. Follow CLP policy, the guidance, the instructions, I hope, of your party to carry through with party policy and not support this draconian legislation which is going to be debated within the next month.
There is an urgency about this. It is going to be debated within the next month in the federal parliament. The clear call from this parliament today is: Senator Scullion, cross the floor, remember what you are in Canberra to do, and make sure this legislation that tramples on our Territorian rights does not get up and that we will not be considered to be the convenient dumping place for a nuclear waste facility.
There are many more arguments. We put a lot of those last week. It is clear today this is a motion that says to Senator Nigel Scullion remember what your responsibilities are, remember who put you in the Senate and do not let Territorians down at this critical time.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Mr Deputy Speaker, another academy award winning performance from the Chief Minister. Her American equivalent of Logies must really be stacking up.
This is political grandstanding. It can be called nothing else. The gallery is cleared, the media have gone, and your own members, so many of them, are not even here, such is the level of interest …
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, you know it offends standing orders to refer to the presence or otherwise of members.
Ms CARNEY: Can I seek clarification on that? I understood it was ‘a member’. I will just get my standing orders. Perhaps you can get some advice although I note the Clerk is not here.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Do you wish to have the clock stopped, Leader of the Opposition?
Ms CARNEY: Oh no, life is too short to be consumed by such minor matters and it shows the prickliness of the government when some of their ranks are clearly showing a lack of interest in this debate.
Much of what the Chief Minister had to say was said in the parliament last week. She said it at every opportunity. Probably when she is showering in the morning she gets her lines ready so that at every opportunity she can go out and talk about it. She has made her position clear. I have made mine abundantly clear. I have no intention whatsoever of sinking to the cheap, political grandstanding depths of tackling the issues again raised in this motion.
I would, however, like to make a couple of points that we did not make last week - some new matters. Some members, I hope, will be aware of an e-mail that was sent from minister Burns’ office yesterday afternoon, as I understand, to the Territory’s public servants - many of them, not all of them, but an awful lot of them - from a minister of the Crown’s office. Attached to that e-mail headed ‘Nuclear Waste Dump’ was a copy of the advertisement that the Chief Minister saw fit, in her wisdom or otherwise, to place in the Northern Territory News. In other words, this government is bombarding its public servants with political advertising. It was a concern - and I know that many other people share my view - that the Chief Minister, on ABC radio earlier this week, said that she did not know how much the advertising in the NT News was going to cost. Apparently, she did not really care but, by God, she was going to do it. That is one issue. To instruct your ministers to send this stuff around to public servants is disgraceful.
I come again to Labor’s Good Government document that was prepared prior to the 2001 election. I have not looked at the web site to see whether it still exists, but I have a hard copy here. Back then, when members of the Australian Labor Party Northern Territory Branch seemed to exhibit a little more integrity and guts than they do these days, in this document they talked about the public service. They said:
- Good government and the credibility of public office demands a public service that is able to give frank, fearless advice.
It went on to say:
- In essence, public servants can feel pressured to tell minsters what they want to hear, rather than what they need to know …
Etcetera, etcetera. It talked about the integrity of the public service.
What we are seeing here is a bastardisation of the public service, courtesy of the Australian Labor Party. Many public servants obviously voted for you. I know, because we have received phone calls that people are seriously unhappy about what you blokes have done, and it is a disgrace and you should be ashamed about yourselves.
I am also aware - and, of course, who would not be? - of the government money that is also being spent as announced by the Treasurer in Alice Springs three or four weeks ago. He went on to 8HA, the local commercial radio station and said:
- This government is going to instruct a marketing company to engage independent research to poll Territorians.
We have government ministers bombarding the public service and an endless, it seems, willingness to spend buckets of money. The ad in the paper yesterday – what? - $3000 or 4000. God knows how many more of them we are going to see. We have a market research company - and everybody know that they do not come cheap. We have also had the Chief Minister sending letters to all and sundry. I respect your right to believe in what you believe in - good on you! In terms of the issues, there is no separation. However, what I and Territorians resent - and you are smart enough to know this - is you spending their money trying to make your political position better. You used to be better than that!
Ms Martin: It is your political position, I thought! It is the parliament’s political position!
Ms CARNEY: You used to be better than that and you changed!
Ms Martin: No!
Ms CARNEY: You all changed! You all used to be holier than thou and you used to talk about good governance and how you were going to save the Territory from all the oppression that was administered by the CLP for 26 years. Well, if the CLP did this, you would be getting your lot to march in the streets, exhibiting their disgust - and you used the word before earlier. Sorry, Mr Deputy Speaker, through you. The Chief Minister earlier used the word disgusting. What is disgusting is the way this government is exercising political grandstanding at its worst; spending Territorians’ hard-earned money getting their political rocks off over this issue so ...
Ms Lawrie: Are you supporting Johnnie Howard?
Ms CARNEY: I always know when I am on the right track because you always get noisy, so thanks for that indication.
While I am on the Good Government document, fascinating, noble read that it is, we all know that there was a motion and many people had a bit of a go last week on the motion. It is very clear we surprised the government and, of course, we derived a level of pleasure from that. We surprised the government by being so supportive of the motion. Whatever you do, never play poker because you give yourselves away all the time. So we gazumped you on that and what do you is you are coming in here to try to have another go, saying: ‘Oh, that didn’t work out very politically well for us. The CLP actually supported us. Hmm! Next week, why don’t we rip in here and waste more Territorians’ money and resources by using up time in this Chamber to go over the same issues again?’ Territorians are not dumb, they will appreciate this for what it is, nothing more than grandstanding.
In the Good Government document, at page 6: ‘the primary role of the Legislative Assembly is to make laws for the good of the people’. Apparently, the progress of legislation is not given the attention or priority it deserves. Much of parliament’s time currently revolves around the use or misuse of ministerial statements. Many provide little real information for the citizens of the Northern Territory, are highly political in nature, and are followed with a multitude of speakers from the government’s side of the House. Well, you know, hello, this is your motion. You are doing the same thing that you, only a few years ago, were so highly critical of. You are getting your political rocks off. No doubt, this is good for the Chief Minister’s ever expanding ego and I wish her well, but isn’t it interesting how members on the government side have changed.
This is grandstanding. This is politicking and it is tiresome. If the Chief Minister wants to play these sorts of games, I simply say go for it, you have the numbers in this parliament by a country mile, you have absolute control of this parliament, we will not be a part of it. Chief Minister, if you and your colleagues …
Mr Henderson: So you do not support the motion?
Ms CARNEY: I would go pretty gently if I were you, minister for Police, you have already dropped yourself in it once this week.
Mr Henderson: You do not support the motion?
Ms CARNEY: If you and your colleagues want to talk about this all day and all night to get your political rocks off, then you are certainly able to do so. It is your intention to do so and there is nothing we can do to stop it.
I am on the Parliamentary Record as per the debate last week, and since then, as to what my and my colleagues’ position is on this matter generally. The motion is political. You did not like what happened last week, so you are giving it another go. Well, good on you. Talk about it for as long and as hard as you like, but do not insult my intelligence. Do not insult the intelligence of Territorians by coming in here and telling them that this is a really worthwhile exercise. With all the money you are spending getting your message up in almost every form of media possible in the Northern Territory, some people who have some regard for the parliamentary process would have thought that that was enough.
My view is that it is overkill. I am sure many Territorians agree with me. But, you are in here, you are having another go. Well, good on you. We can be here for as long as you like. I am not due to go home until Sunday as it so happens, so when you finish, when you want to get back to the business of the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory let us know and I will come back.
Dr TOYNE (Health): Mr Deputy Speaker, it is interesting, isn’t it, that I once again follow the member for Araluen on a debate in this House during these sittings where she arrogantly dismisses a matter that we have brought here that is of huge importance to Territorians? We heard her regarding the telecommunications motion yesterday; we are now hearing about what is probably the number one issue of concern in the community at the moment. I do not believe we can leave any stone unturned in looking at ways of defending Territorians’ rights in this issue and I, for one, am very strongly in support of the Chief Minister’s motion.
I would like to give an additional layout of why I am so passionate about this issue. I was out at Yuendumu last Saturday opening the Warlukurlangu Arts Centre. Nigel Scullion was due to open it but he did not turn up. I wonder why? I saw 300 people, half of whom were the Warlpiri people based at Yuendumu and using the Tanami Road on a daily basis, who were absolutely appalled and anxious about the antics of the federal government. They would have loved to have talked to Nigel Scullion and told him just how high their levels of concern were about copping a nuclear waste dump on their road home. They are very aware of an even more affected individual and that is Steve McCormack.
Steve McCormack’s house is about 500 metres from where this facility would be going, if it goes to the most likely spot which is the radar receiving station on the Tanami Road just after it leaves the Stuart Highway. Steve McCormack is the traditional owner of that piece of country. His traditional country is going to be turned into poison country for quarter of a million years. I cannot imagine what that must mean to him as a traditional owner looking after his country in that particular area. His concerns are equally shared by the rest of the Arrernte clan groups that have country around that area, people like Betty Pearce and her family.
For the Leader of the Opposition to say this is political grandstanding is the height of arrogance; to dismiss this as being a waste of time in the parliament when you have thousands of signatures on petitions, where you have rallies happening all over the Northern Territory, where you have people expressing very legitimate concerns about a proposal that they have had absolutely no part in.
I would like to use that ground level concern to appeal to Senator Scullion. I will contribute to the details of the way this proposal has been presented to the world by the federal government. If Nigel Scullion thought about the people that I know for a fact he enjoys going out and working with around the country - I have been out with Senator Scullion on many occasions into remote communities dealing with issues that are of concern, particularly in his days with the Seafood Council, we have been out there talking to indigenous people, respecting their right to speak for their country and to be concerned about it. I believe that Nigel Scullion cannot be acting with any due regard for what he knows absolutely would be in the minds of people around the parts of the Territory who will be affected by this. He would have to be abrogating his own conscience to take this cynical line in the debate in the federal parliament. Surely he can recall some of the very important meetings we have shared with traditional owners in places like Borroloola and Alice Springs. Surely he can respond to his own feelings of loyalty to those people.
I would like to update members on aspects of this debate that I have been asked to pay particular regard to, and that is the totally fallacious claims of Dave Tollner and Senator Scullion regarding the relationship between this nuclear waste dump proposal and the treatment of cancer patients throughout Australia. The case being put forward is that if we do not put a nuclear waste dump in, in very short order, the treatment of cancer patients throughout Australia is going to be put at risk. This is a very serious claim that certainly needed to be fully examined and as a Health minister I would not be letting a claim like that go unheeded. The last thing that I would be prepared to stand by and see is the treatment of cancer patients in the Northern Territory threatened by any action by any government, whether it be our own or the federal government in this case.
I have been seeking expert advice. We have been seeking out the foremost experts in nuclear medicine around Australia and in nuclear physics. Just today we met with the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine, the ACPSEM, and, in particular, Associate Professor Lyn Oliver, president of that body; Associate Professor Donald McLean, radiology specialty chair at the ACPSEM; Mr Paul Cardew, the Nuclear Specialty Chair; Associate Processor Lee Collins, Radiologist Accreditation Panel Chair; and Mr Stame George, Radiation Protection Officer at the Royal North Shore Hospital. There is a group that should know whether these claims are relevant or not.
The first thing that they pointed out was that if you are going to talk about providing services for the treatment of cancer patients you have to talk about diagnosis and treatment. There are two ways in which radiopharmaceuticals might come in to play in the treatment.
To summarise the information that we were provided during this briefing, they told me that there is absolutely no relationship between access to treatment with radiopharmaceuticals and the establishment of a nuclear dump in the Territory. There is a very firm statement refuting the argument that has been put forward by the CLP federal members. Senator Nigel Scullion quite clearly in the light of that is attempting to hold people of the Territory to ransom by making a false relationship between two things that are not related. The members of the ACPSEM told me that there would be no insurmountable obstacles for the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses using radioisotopes.
These materials can be imported and are imported when maintenance requires Lucas Heights to close. This is the situation that we deal with now and would deal with in the future if that was necessary. The logistics of transport of these materials around Australia is the only issue in ensuring the safety and reliability of treatment and diagnoses of patients. That is something that applies right now. Whether these materials are generated in Sydney in the national reactor, or whether they are imported from overseas, it is the logistics which are the issues that need to be solved to provide these treatments throughout Australia in our hospitals.
I would like to now tease out some of the things that we can say about the two elements. First of all, the treatment itself: this was the target of Nigel Scullion’s and Dave Tollner’s assertions. What is the treatment? The fact is that the substances used to treat cancer patients, in the main, are generated by one or two reactors for the global supply. The Canadian-based company, Nordion, supplies isotopes to over 100 countries and the UK-based company, Amersham, supplies over 150 countries. Many Australian facilities already buy their isotopes from these companies as they are cheaper than the locally produced isotopes from Lucas Heights.
Generally, the amount of nuclear material that comes from an oncology unit can be stored quite easily and quite safely at the hospital, in a secure environment, due to its short half-life. The three main types of treatment in oncology units generate very little radioactive waste:
- radiation beams from linear accelerators generate no radioactive waste;
Brachytherapy treatment, mostly with iridium 192. When the iridium source is depleted it is sent back
to the supplier - about once a year – so there is no waste material left at the hospital; and
through treatment involving iodine-125 seeds being permanently implanted in the patient. As iodine-125
seeds have a 50 day half-life, the hospital stores any left over after a treatment until they are safe.
There are no problems there with the continued use of radiopharmaceuticals for the treatment of diagnosed cancer. The group that we talked to today said that hospitals are developing methods of transporting radiopharmaceuticals in a form that have longer half-lives and then generating short half-life materials that are used in the treatment at the hospital. They use a very simple device called a generator which simply mixes the parent isotope with saline solution and produces the short half-life treatment isotope. The assertion that these treatment arrangements are going to be somehow compromised by the lack of a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory is simply wrong, totally unfounded and quite scurrilous.
The other aspect of treatment is the actual diagnosis. Radio-pharmaceuticals are also used in the diagnosis of cancer as well as its treatment. The availability of such materials is not limited or confined to a national reactor. The fact is that diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals are increasingly and very rapidly being transferred from nuclear reactors, where up until now they have been produced, into different types of diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals that are produced by cyclotrons, namely fluoride-14 which has been taken up very rapidly through tertiary care around Australia.
If we are looking at the availability of those diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals, the current situation is that the national medical cyclotron is located in Sydney, and a second smaller facility is located adjacent to the Austin Hospital in Melbourne. Both of these facilities produce isotopes. Cyclotron technology does not produce intermediate level nuclear waste.
The Australian government decided to build a new Open Pool Australian Light-water medical and research nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights. It is a multipurpose facility for radioisotope production, irradiation services and neutron beam research. Now we are getting to the nub of the matter. Far from being central to the continuation of treatment and diagnostic services to cancer patients, this issue is about the government trying to get the OPAL reactor through the regulatory processes that its own agency has put in front of it. The fact is that, to move to a new reactor, there has to be regulatory provisions satisfied. The Australian government, when it decided to build OPAL, had to apply to the nuclear radiation regulation body. One of the licensing conditions put forward by that body is that that OPAL reactor cannot be put into service until there is a secure arrangement to dispose of the spent fuel rods that will come, and also to dispose of the existing fuel rods and other contaminated material from the current national reactor.
Therefore, the government has a problem with how they move to the new reactor. That problem is about commissioning a new reactor and beginning operation, and decommissioning the existing reactor. It is not about cancer treatments. The materials you need for that can be sourced quite readily from overseas …
Mr Wood: Give Canada the waste.
Dr TOYNE: … in the case of treatment, and can be sourced from national cyclotron facilities in the case of diagnosis - and will be increasingly sourced because the new diagnostic isotopes are far more versatile and effective for the job than the ones generated through nuclear reactors.
We have stripped away the layers on this …
Mr Wood: No, no.
Dr TOYNE: … and we have ended up with what the federal government’s problem was.
Mr Wood: No, you have made up a story.
Dr TOYNE: Why did they hammer us with this draconian legislation? Why are they trying to ram this facility through to the Northern Territory without any sort of consultation with our community? It is not about cancer patients; it is about their nuclear reactor and trying to fulfil the regulatory requirements of putting a new reactor into commission. That reactor will be used for all sorts of things. It might be nuclear research or it can be medical applications. To be saying that our opposition to having this thing foisted on us is going to compromise the treatment and diagnosis of cancer patients is simply wrong. The experts are saying it is simply wrong. The member for Nelson bumbles away over there, but I wonder when he studied nuclear medicine.
Mr Wood: I will stop bumbling in a minute. You are making up a story.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr TOYNE: We have talked to five of the foremost experts in Australia and this is what they are telling us. You can put your point of view forward, but I know who I am going to believe.
The exposure of this lie as an excuse for trampling over the rights of Territorians simply makes me more opposed to the federal action than I was before, and that is saying a lot. I have heard from many Territorians on this and I really wonder who the member for Nelson talks to, because I am sure he would be getting it loud and clear if he went out there and really did consult with the community instead of going off on a frolic of his own.
People are absolutely angry and anxious about this process. Let us not worry about the proposal until we have the process right, and the process is that we demand that Territorians are respected, their rights to be consulted and to be brought into a democratic process must be got right before we even think about the issue that the federal government is trying to progress.
In the future, if they came back as a democratic government making a democratic consultation with the community, we will see what the community says about it. But that simply has not happened. This has just been dropped on the Territory population and I believe there is a stark choice now for Nigel Scullion. If he believes in democracy, if he believes in the Territory that has nurtured his lifestyle for so long and has given him so much loyalty, if he wants to repay that and redeem his position in our community, he has to cross the floor. He has to be cognisant of the word that will reach him from this parliament, even more importantly, the word that he would get from every Territorian he spoke to if he went around and carefully listened to them.
I support this motion and I hope Nigel Scullion will take very careful note of it.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, again, we are just about worn out from this debate at the moment. We have another stunt. We are avoiding the issues, although the member for Stuart has at last come out and spoken truthfully about how he feels about Lucas Heights.
There are two issues here that need to be debated. Do we support Lucas Heights? If we do not, and we know we cannot stop it, there is definitely one way to stop it. That is we do not allow a radioactive waste facility to operate, because it is A plus B equals C. Without one of those things, this formula does not work. The member for Stuart has said in a long, convoluted way that the government does not support Lucas Heights. I hope people out there hear that. He has used incorrect arguments to base his lack of support for one of our most important medical and industrial sources of isotopes in Australia.
I will take up the two issues that the minister has spoken about in his reasoning why Lucas Heights is not needed. First of all, he said that we can produce much of our radioisotopes using a cyclotron. I refer to a letter from Dr Ron Cameron, Chief of Operations at ANSTO, who runs the nuclear …
A member: Oh yes, they would not lie to you would they, Gerry!
Mr WOOD: Well, they run it. They are the ones that produce it. Now let us listen to it. He was responding to a letter that was in the NT News. The person who wrote the letter stated that no nuclear reactor is needed to generate radioisotopes for medicine as they can be produced by a cyclotron and are when the Lucas Height reactors are off-line. This is completely incorrect. Some radioisotopes can be produced only by a reactor and some only by cyclotrons. Scientifically, this is due to whether the desired radioisotope is neutron-rich, reactor produced, or proton-rich, cyclotron produced. The most widely used radiopharmaceutical in Australia, technetium 99, is used in over 80% of nuclear medicine procedures. It can only be produced in a reactor and must be imported when the HIFAR reactor is in any extended shutdown period.
I say the member for Stuart is using incorrect information to put down Lucas Heights. This is not me. This is the Chief of Operations at ANSTO. He knows what he produces and he knows where it is used. That is the facts.
The other argument that the Minister for Health, the member for Stuart, said is that we can import these materials from Canada. Could I just say at the outset, how moral is that? So to fix up all the people in Australia who have cancer, we will buy from Canada and they can sort out what to do with the waste. The Canadians can work out a way of dealing with the waste that we depend on from the isotopes. I do not think that is very fair. That is just one point.
Here is what Dr Cameron said about the transport of nuclear medicines:
From our experiences in importing nuclear medicines when the reactor is not operating, we are very aware
that the importation of radiopharmaceuticals is difficult and expensive. Due to the short half-lives of
radiopharmaceuticals, much more product must be purchased than is needed to allow for the decay in transit.
In other words, we will have to pay more for the medicines we use for our health.
Hence it is much more expensive, simply because much more product must be purchased. Air transportation is also
an area of difficultly. Radiopharmaceutical products can ‘miss’ flights or not be transhipped because international
air transport regulations prohibit radioactive materials of any type being carried in the same hold as live animals or food,
and also because of weather conditions. On occasion, back-up supplies have not been delivered on time to ANSTO
because strong headwinds prevented a full load of freight being carried on some flights. The air transport regulations also
place safety limits on how much radioactive material can actually be carried on flights. The transport index is a measure
of radiation emission from a package, and determines how much material can be carried on a plane. There are also strict
guidelines on the separation distance of passengers from radioactive materials, including nuclear medicines, which can
limit the amount of radioactive material that is carried. Pilots can also refuse to carry radioactive materials on their flights,
and some airlines no longer carry radioactive materials at all.
That is the facts. If you want to pay more, yes, let’s import it and close Lucas Heights down. That is what this gentleman is saying. He is also saying that because we are a small factor in the market that when a bigger company wants to buy isotopes we sometimes cannot get them. They are not available. There are more types of isotopes being developed. We as a small player in the market will not necessarily get them. If we have our own reactor they are certainly available.
I just maybe should make a note to people that there has been a lot of jumping up and down about waste being transported. I got a note today from ANSTO and I asked him how much radioactive material is shipped to Darwin, and this is by air, and I am advised that a technetium generator is sent to Darwin every week - that is what the Minister for Health is talking about - this contains more radioactivity than a truckload of radioactive waste; as well, once or twice a week, other materials are sent as required, that is iodine, gallium and other products; therefore, between two and three shipments every week. All these shipments are by air because they have such a short half-life. Most of them are used, I believe, by NT Imaging for x-rays. That material is used in diagnosing cancers, heart diseases and other major illnesses; used in CT scans and x-rays; and would be used as radioactive dye which is injected to show up any abnormalities, that is, bladder tumours, kidney cancer, breast cancer, kidney reflux, heart blockages, brain tumours, bone fractures and blood clots.
Today, when I wear a pink tie, it reminds me that many people rely on the importation into Darwin of these radioactive waste materials. I also say that because Senator Nigel Scullion - and I do not even belong to his party - has been criticised, and this is what the Minister for Health said: ‘What can you say about claims by Senator Nigel Scullion on ABC radio last Thursday, 13 October …’ and this is from Hansard ‘… that unless there is a nuclear dump site secured in the Northern Territory by April 2006 …’, then to quote the senator ‘… people in Australia and particularly the Northern Territory will not have access to radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer’.
I can accept that if you took that as a bland statement that it is probably over the top, as the Minister for Health said you can import them. What the Minister for Health and Senator Scullion are at odds at here is that one is saying Senator Scullion is totally wrong, and I would be saying Senator Scullion is perhaps slightly over the top as you have to import these radioactive materials. However, the facts are that if we do not have a reactor in Australia this is what will happen. This is Dr Ron Cameron, Chief of Operations:
- In essence, the reality of the situation is that relying on imports for radiopharmaceuticals will jeopardise Australia’s supply
of these medicines, meaning that, ultimately, patient care is at risk.
I put it to you that here is the chairman of ANSTO saying we need our own reactor, and if we are to have a new reactor we need somewhere to put the waste. By having our own reactor we are able to produce isotopes for members of our community who need them. We can do that without any fear of them not arriving because we are producing them ourselves, so we are not at the whims of the world market. That is what we want. We can also produce them cheaper because to buy some of these materials you have to double the amount because of their short half-life.
If you take that one step back, if we say as Australians that we will not accept the waste facility, we are saying we do not accept Lucas Heights and therefore we are saying we will only support the importation of radioactive pharmaceuticals. If that is what we say, then surely we agree with that last line. The reality of the situation is that relying on imports for radiopharmaceuticals will jeopardise Australia’s supply of these medicines, meaning that ultimately patient care is at risk. That, although it might have been exaggerated, is what Senator Scullion was referring to.
The problem I had in this debate, which has been clouded by lots of other issues - broken promises, statehood, overriding all these issues - is the fundamental reason we should be debating this issue. Do we want Lucas Heights?
A member: No, it is not.
Mr WOOD: It is, because if you do not want Lucas Heights the best way to stop it is to not have a waste facility. I keep saying this is an Australian issue. This requires our leaders to get together. I watched Mr Bracks and Mr Beattie last night discussing national security and they said: ‘Yes, we can work together with our Prime Minister as states to come up with a national security plan.’ What the heck is the difference between working for a national security plan and working for a national strategy to put waste away safely in this country?
Politics, sheer and utter politics. When you put it down to science and you put it down to logic it goes all out the door and we have a political debate, and that debate is clouded by issues that I think are just irrelevant. We need to fix this up.
We did not do anything about making Mr Rann put the waste at Woomera. Who shouted out from this parliament: ‘Mr Rann, it needs to go there’, when the site was selected? No one. Who has tried to put together a group of ministers, chief ministers, premiers and the Prime Minister and say: ‘Just like we are doing for the national terrorist strategy, why can’t we sit down together and work out a strategy for this?’ No, we have not done it. That is what upsets me more than anything. We have not tried to look at the bigger picture. People say ‘Yes, many people support us’. I can tell you I have many people come up to me and say: ‘Good on you’. I might be one person so I do not get as many phone calls as all you people combined. I have had one e-mail not supporting what I have said. I have had other people willing to at least listen to an alternative point of view, and quite a few people have said: ‘Yes’.
I have never said it must go in the Northern Territory, but many people have said that they think it should go in the Northern Territory. I have always argued it should go in Australia and, if that happens to end up in the Northern Territory, so be it, that is the site.
A member: So you support it?
Mr WOOD: I haven’t said that I have not. What I am saying is I take this as a national issue. Show me the dotted lines on a map; they do not say Northern Territory.
The Chief Minister said the other day that there were no sites selected in the Northern Territory ...
Ms Martin: There weren’t.
Mr WOOD: Yes, Chief Minister, it was in Hansard. You said …
Ms Martin: And there weren’t.
Mr WOOD: Well, Chief Minister, here is the radioactive repository for Australia’s site selection study.
Mr Knight: What happened after that?
Mr WOOD: No, no, hang on, we are just taking issue as it comes.
Mr Knight interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Daly!
Mr WOOD: Just keep things logical, and in order. Here we have phase one. There was a public discussion paper released in October 1992 explaining the proposed site selection process and the methodology. In phase two, the phase one methodology was reapplied taking into account public comment on the phase one report. The phase two public discussion paper was released in July 1994, and a report responding to public comment on this discussion paper was published in 1995.
If you go through this document there is a map of Australia. Lo and behold, two of those sites are very large sites. The reason they are large is because, within those sites, they were going to try to find a specific site that was suitable. Sites overall were suitable. What do we have here? We have a selection of eight regions.
Mr Knight: Show us the map.
Mr WOOD: You can have a look at the map. You can get this off the web. These are the names that were selected after state and territory people got together and decided this is where we should put the nuclear waste.
Mr Knight: Three sites are not on that map.
Mr WOOD: The sites were Billa Kalina in South Australia; Bloods Range in the Northern Territory; Everard in South Australia, Olary in New South Wales, Tanami in the Northern Territory - and there were three other regions, Jackson in Western Australia, Maralinga in South Australia and Mt Isa in Queensland.
For the Chief Minister to say that there were no sites picked in the Northern Territory is not correct. Here is the study that was done. This is the original study that was done. I know that there have been other sites picked, that were all Defence sites, but those sites were picked when Woomera was thrown out the door. That is the problem we have now.
I am not happy with three sites in the Northern Territory just being selected because they are particular Defence sites. That is being used as an excuse not to take up this issue as a national issue. This is an opportunity that we should grab and show leadership to the rest of Australia. We need to do something. If all the Labor states are saying: ‘We do not want the new reactor at Lucas Heights’, please say it and then I will understand why you do not want a waste facility. As the member for Stuart said, you cannot have one without the other. If you do not agree with that, at least tell us and I will understand why people are opposed to a waste facility.
As it is, to me, it is a sad case of no leadership, political opportunism …
Dr Toyne: God help us if you were leading.
Mr WOOD: Too bad, minister.
Mr Bonson: Too bad, I know.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: If members on the other side …
Mr Henderson: You were interjecting.
Mr WOOD: I do not enjoy standing here and having interjections thrown across. I am happy to get them, but I do not stand up here for fun. I at least try to do a bit of research. I do not stand up …
Mr Stirling: You can give it but you cannot take it.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: The minister is not in his seat, pardon me. I try to do the research. I try to get the facts. I try to put an alternative point of view to this parliament and to the people of the Northern Territory, because I believe the point of view being put by the ALP is false – it is a cover.
Mr Bonson: Come off it.
Mr WOOD: It is. Tell Dr Ron Cameron he is wrong. You tell him he is wrong.
Mr Bonson: Have you read the legislation?
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Millner!
Mr WOOD: You tell him he is wrong. Tell the people who will have to pay more for radiopharmaceuticals that the reason they are paying more is because we import them. You tell people that the waste from those radiopharmaceuticals will have to be looked after by Canadian people. They will have to find a radioactive waste facility. We are happy to pass our responsibilities to Canada. Terrific! There is a lot of morality there.
Madam Speaker, I believe people in the Northern Territory are being hoodwinked. As I said before, I cannot afford the full-sized pages. I cannot afford to cut Question Time in half. I cannot afford to bring up, time after time, special motions like this one. That is the prerogative of government. It has the power, the money, and the propaganda machine up there. It is hard for me to beat, but I will at least try to put some logical and alternative arguments for people in the Northern Territory. If I happen to be mowing lawns at the end of this session of parliament, so be it, but at least I will do it with a clear conscience.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, it is very disappointing on this important motion that the opposition could not even add a second speaker. I am disappointed.
I would like to respond briefly to what the member for Nelson has just said. The member for Nelson and I have known each other for a long time. I am aware that he has different views to me on this issue. As I was listening to the member for Nelson speak, I remembered a very passionate advocate as a Territorian for statehood in the member for Nelson, and what hit me is that he has missed the whole point of what this debate is about. This debate could be about anything, but it is fundamental and it happens to be about a nuclear waste facility, but the fundamental is about the federal parliament simply overriding the rights of the Territory. I would have thought, as someone I respected in fighting for statehood, in fighting for the reasons for statehood, and I have heard the member for Nelson articulate these on many occasions, that he entirely missed the point of this - that we as a legislature should have the federal government simply say, I do not care what legislation you have, but simply to override our legislation should have everyone in here horrified, up in arms. It makes what we do in here, throughout the year, throughout our term, irrelevant, if we sit back and allow the federal government to override our legislation.
I listened to what the member for Nelson had to say, and not once in his contribution did he mention the fact that something he stood up proudly for a number of years ago has totally gone off his radar. The fact that we have a right as Territorians to have our own legislation, to have the Territory’s aspirations recognised around Australia, is something that he did not even address in his contribution. I am personally very disappointed. Personally disappointed that the member for Nelson should not even - he stands in here, he is passionate about what he is saying, but he has missed the entire point of what is happening.
It is about Territory rights. It is about the respect that the federal government should have for our laws and our aspirations. They have scouted around Australia and done an exercise that, in the final phase, did not say any sites in the Northern Territory, and that is what I was talking about, that because they could not reach agreement on that, have turned around and said, where are the weakest constitutional rights? That is what they have said. Where are the weakest constitutional rights? The Northern Territory. They would not pick the ACT would they? They would not pick the ACT because it is too close to Parliament House and too many loud people close to home.
So, in a very cynical exercise, they have said, we can go the Northern Territory, we can put in legislation that will override anything. I would have thought that the member for Nelson would have understood the fundamentals here: this legislation not only overrides the Territory’s legislation but even casts aside major federal legislation in determining the sites and what they are going to do with this nuclear waste facility.
I listened to the member for Nelson for something that recognised that but it was absent. Can I say to the member for Nelson, and I would not normally come in here and do this but we do go back a long way, can I say how saddened I am by your approach to this issue and how I think you have missed what is the fundamental point. For somebody who was so strong on an issue that was iconic for all of us, statehood, and getting the process right, and while we were doing that you have walked away from this debate. Can I say how disappointed I am.
But I am further disappointed in the Leader of the Opposition because all she could say on this was we were playing party politics. This is not about party politics; it is standing up for the Territory. I would expect equally the two major parties, the Labor Party and the CLP, in here to be standing up strongly on this issue. It has ended up as being party political because we have the key member in the Senate who could overturn this legislation not taking his responsibility, not doing what he should be doing – even in terms of his own party’s policies for heaven’s sake. This did not start out as an issue of party politics. I do not want to see it be an issue of party politics.
The fact is that Senator Nigel Scullion is a paid-up member of the CLP. He was voted into the Senate to represent the Territory but he is doing it on behalf of the CLP and he should be doing the right thing by the Territory. The party in here should be insisting he do the right thing by the Territory which is why this motion is so important. It is disheartening to hear the Senator say: ‘I don’t think my vote really counts’. It is important to put on the record that his vote does count. His vote is absolutely fundamental to counting and if he crosses the floor in the Senate this draconian legislation goes down.
It is our responsibility to come in here and argue the point, and to be told we are grandstanding, we are politicising the issue, that I stand up and am getting my political rocks off, is highly offensive. I care about this issue. I care about the fact that we as legislators are putting legislation in for the good of the Northern Territory, and I certainly care very strongly, and I know that many in here do, when the federal parliament simply says: ‘Oh good try Northern Territory, flick to your legislation’. It undermines our role in here in a really fundamental way and we should be up in arms. I do not apologise for getting emotional about it. To have the only contribution coming from the Opposition Leader that I am getting my political rocks off is seriously offensive.
This is not about party politics. The Country Liberal Party has allowed it to be that way. We should be strong and united on this because it is an issue of our rights. This motion to call on our federal representatives to represent the Territory is not rocket science, it is what they are there to do. It is not for Nigel Scullion to ask: ‘What are my future ambitions?’. That is what this is about. It is: ‘How can I do the bidding of the federal government so that maybe one day I will be a parliamentary secretary’. That is what he is looking after. He is hoping that by doing this John Howard will cast around and look into the future and say: ‘Nigel, how can I reward you? Be a parliamentary secretary’. That is what he is doing. He is not looking at the fundamentals for the Territory. He is not even standing up for the Territory’s rights, the fact that we are going to be steamrolled in terms of our legislative power. None of that. He is walking away from it.
This is a very important motion and I certainly hope that we will have unanimous support. I suspect the member for Nelson will not, but I believe that every other member of this parliament should be standing strong for our rights, for our purpose as members of this parliament. If we do not do that, we may as well just give up. We may as well just walk away from our responsibilities because it means that what have put in place as legislation can simply be trodden on by the federal parliament.
The final word I would like to say is, and this is addressed to the Prime Minister, when as Prime Minister John Howard says to us: ‘We will respect your rights as though you are a state on this issue’, we actually believed him. I believed him. For Territorians to be slapped in the face collectively so hard by the Prime Minister is extraordinarily disheartening. We have worked well with the federal government over the last four years. Certainly we have had issues with them, but we have also worked constructively and that has been a very targeted policy of this government, and we have done well. To be let down like this by the Prime Minister undermines where we were over the last four years and how we look to the future.
This is not an irrelevancy. This is not politicking from the Labor Party, from the government. This is not me getting my political rocks off. This is a very important motion for our parliament. I urge everybody to support it.
Motion agreed to.
TABLED PAPER
Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report, 2004-05
Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report, 2004-05
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, in accordance with section 9 of the Financial Management Act, I am pleased to table the 2004-05 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Statement. The statement forms part of the 2004-05 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report, and presents the Territory’s third year of fiscal management on an accrual basis. The report also satisfies the requirements of the final fiscal results report as set out in the Fiscal Integrity and Transparency Act. The statement clearly demonstrates the reality of fiscal management in the Territory. We are always in a tight fiscal position and we are disproportionately subject to the vagaries of the wider Australian economy.
The highlights of the 2004-05 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report are:
- a general government cash surplus of $51m;
original budget deficit of $12m, largely due to revised estimates of the Territory’s unfunded superannuation
liability following an actuarial review;
and
2003-04 outcome.
In other words, we have a cash surplus, an underlying deficit, and we have managed carefully to keep downward pressure on debt. Overall, our nett worth is improving.
I am pleased to advise that the Auditor-General has issued a clear audit opinion on the statement. A technical qualification still exists in relation to compliance with Australian Accounting Standards as has been the case for the last seven years. The Territory continues to conform with Uniform Presentation Framework requirements rather than with Australian Accounting Standard 31. Work is under way nationally to merge Uniform Presentation Framework and Australian Accounting Standards requirements, with the expectation this will be finalised in the next few years. Until that time, the technical qualification will remain.
You may recall in the November 2001 mini-budget this government set a cash target of 2004-05 of a balanced budget. This was achieved and improved upon. However, in Budget 2005 we determined that we would return to small deficits over the next four years with the target of returning the balance in 2008-09. Achieving this will be difficult, particularly given recent indications that the GST revenue growth will not continue at the same rate. However, with the continued focus on fiscal performance, I am certain that government can achieve this ambitious target. In addition for 2005-06, the cash target through the year, as it always is, will be affected by the carry over from 2004-05 of $40m, making the achieving of published targets that much more difficult.
I now turn to the outcome for the 2004-05 financial year. The improved cash outcome of $51m since budget time was the result of a $155m increase in operating receipts offset by higher operating payments of $104m. The higher operating receipts were due to:
- $47m additional GST revenue following the increases in the national GST pool available for distribution;
increases in taxation revenue of $37m, largely due to increased stamp duty conveyances and payroll tax
reflecting continued improvement in the Territory’s economy;
$34m increase in specific purpose payments from the Australian government which will have corresponding
expenditure commitments; and
higher dividends and tax equivalents of $15m from the government’s public corporation due to improved
operating performance.
Operating payments were higher due to the government’s decision to increase funding by $40m in key areas. These included a number of initiatives across a range of priority areas to include building better schools and increased capacity for schools; volatile substance abuse prevention; continuing implementation of the O’Sullivan recommendations; and additional funding for indigenous essential services. Other increases included higher legal costs; higher employee costs following the outcome of 2004 Enterprise Bargaining Agreements negotiations at $12m; and additional expenditure relating to the increase in specific purpose payments from the Australian government of $15m.
Capital investment plays a central role in the government’s budget strategy as capital investment is essential for the delivery of government services. At the same time, the capital program provides a contribution to the economic development requirements of a growing economy. In 2004-05 capital spending at the non-financial public sector, which includes Territory Housing and Power and Water Corporation, increased by $65m from the original budget estimate of $350m. This increased expenditure predominantly relates to improved housing infrastructure; increased investment in properties under the HomeShare program; increased IHANT funding; and assets of Power and Water Corporation.
I turn to the 2004-05 accrual outcome. While the operating result is a $24m deficit, the outcome is affected by increases recorded for the Territory’s unfunded superannuation liabilities following an updated actuarial assessment. The actuarial update resulted in the liability increasing from $1467m in 2003-04 to $1618m in 2004-05. This resulted in an increase in expenses of $40m. These updated actuarial assumptions mean that the Territory’s superannuation liability is now likely to peak around 2012-13, or six years later than previously expected. The emerging costs or actual cash outlays will also peak later than anticipated, around 2018, before they too begin a steady decline to around 2065. The full effect of these amended actuarial assessments on the Territory’s budget and forward estimates will be incorporated as part of the 2005-06 mid-year report. It is important to note that other jurisdictions have also experienced similar increases in their superannuation liability associated with recent actuarial reassessments.
While general government is the appropriate sector to focus on for the operating and cash flow statements, the non-financial public sector is the focus for analysis of the balance sheet; that is, the Territory’s assets and liabilities. The use of this sector, which consolidates the data from the general government and public non-financial corporations sectors, is to ensure better comparability between jurisdictions.
Nett debt of $1656m in 2004-05 has remained relatively constant to both the 2003-04 outcomes and the 2004-05 final estimate. Unlike other accrual measures, nett debt is unaffected by the upward movement in the Territory’ superannuation liability. The addition of the employee liabilities to nett debt enables a broader assessment of government liabilities. Nett debt, plus employee liabilities for the non-financial public sector for 2004-05 was $3634m, an increase on the 2003-04 outcome of $199m, a direct result of the updated actuarial assessment of the Territory’s unfunded superannuation liability.
While as a percentage of total revenue the 2004-05 outcome of 119% is marginally above that of 118% recorded in 2003-04, it is well below the 134% recorded at 30 June 2002. This steady decline since the government took office is in line with the fiscal strategy target of nett debt and employee liabilities as a proportion of total revenue to fall.
Turning to the nett worth result, this has continued to improve. Nett worth is $435m higher than predicted at the time of the original 2004-05 budget, and a $196m improvement on the 2003-04 outcome. This is the result of ongoing infrastructure investment and continued improvement in the valuation of the Territory’s assets. Part of the valuation increase is due to general increase in property markets flowing on to public housing valuations.
In conclusion, the Territory has continued to maintain its trend toward the medium-term fiscal objectives and targets as set out in the fiscal strategy. The cash outcome of a $51m surplus in 2004-05 is the third year in succession a surplus has been recorded, accounting for the stability in nett debt. Nett worth continues to improve as a result of continued infrastructure spending and the upward revision in the valuation of the Territory’s asset base. While the nett operating balance and fiscal balance remains in deficit, this is a result of an upward revision of the Territory’s unfunded superannuation liability similar to that affecting other jurisdictions.
Government is committed to managing the Territory’s finances responsibly, maintaining an appropriate balance between community needs, the needs of the Territory economy, and maintaining a sound fiscal position.
Madam Speaker, I table the 2004-05 Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report. I commend it to the House.
MOTION
Note Paper –Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report, 2004-05
Note Paper –Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report, 2004-05
Mr STIRLING (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the report and I seek leave to continue my remarks at a later hour.
Motion agreed to.
Debate adjourned.
TABLED PAPER
Office of the Ombudsman –
Annual Report 2004-05
Office of the Ombudsman –
Annual Report 2004-05
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I table the Annual Report of the Office of the Ombudsman for 2004-05.
MOTION
Print Paper - Office of the Ombudsman,
Annual Report 2004-05
Print Paper - Office of the Ombudsman,
Annual Report 2004-05
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the Annual Report of the Office of the Ombudsman for 2004-05 be printed.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note Paper – Office of the Ombudsman,
Annual Report 2004-05
Note Paper – Office of the Ombudsman,
Annual Report 2004-05
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the Annual Report of the Office of the Ombudsman for 2004-05.
Madam Speaker, pursuant to section 28 of the Ombudsman (Northern Territory) Act, I have the pleasure of presenting the report of the Ombudsman for the financial year ending 30 June 2005. The report for this period is jointly presented by the Ombudsman, Carolyn Richards who was appointed in August this year, and the Deputy Ombudsman, Vic Feldman, who was Acting Ombudsman from March to June.
In the last financial year, the Ombudsman received some 3275 approaches, up 39% on last year. Approaches are inquiries and complaints by a member of the public about administrative actions by Northern Territory government agencies, or local government councils, or about members of the Police Force. Of the 3275 approaches, 2141, or 65% were inquiries, including 27% about bodies that are outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction. However, that leaves some 1134 complaints, which is more than double last year.
I note the Ombudsman’s concern regarding the finalisation of complaints against members of the Police Force and I look forward to receiving further information from the Ombudsman about how this can be resolved. Inquiries and complaints by prisoners against Correctional Services continue to increase, up from 89 in 2001-02 to 627 last financial year. The Ombudsman notes:
Contact with the Ombudsman continues to increase since prisoners have had greater access to a telephone linewhereby
they can contact the Ombudsman’s Office directly and where this call is free and not monitored.
I welcome our new Ombudsman, Carolyn Richards, on board and wish her very well in the job. It is a tough job and it is certainly one that we want to be able to work very constructively with the Ombudsman, particularly in finalising the review of the Ombudsman (Northern Territory) Act.
I thank Peter Boyce for his time in the job and welcome Carolyn Richards to the Northern Territory and to the position of the Ombudsman.
Madam Speaker, I seek leave to continue my remarks at the next sitting of the Assembly.
Leave granted.
Debate adjourned.
TABLED PAPER
Standing Orders Committee – Second Report of the Tenth Assembly
Standing Orders Committee – Second Report of the Tenth Assembly
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I present the Second Report of the Standing Orders Committee.
MOTION
Print Paper - Standing Orders Committee – Second Report of the Tenth Assembly
Print Paper - Standing Orders Committee – Second Report of the Tenth Assembly
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note Paper - Standing Orders Committee – Second Report of the Tenth Assembly
Note Paper - Standing Orders Committee – Second Report of the Tenth Assembly
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be noted and that the recommendations of the Standing Orders Committee be adopted. Madam Speaker, I seek leave to continue my remarks at a later hour.
Leave granted.
Debate adjourned.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Northern Territory Government Commitment
to the Tourism Industry
Northern Territory Government Commitment
to the Tourism Industry
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I reaffirm my government’s strong commitment to the Northern Territory’s tourism industry, an industry that is vital to economic growth and our continued prosperity into the future. Today, I will tell you about some of the work we are doing to ensure that the industry in the Northern Territory continues to move ahead, how we are expanding our tourism products, and how we are building new business and employment opportunities particularly in our regions.
The seeds of the success we are now experiencing can be traced back to 2001. When we came to government, the tourism industry faced many new and difficult challenges which saw a global downturn in tourism. It was an uncertain time for the industry, a time that required strong leadership and tangible support from government. That is why this government delivered the single biggest ever injection of funding with its three-year $27.5m commitment to reshape the Territory’s tourism sector, and it is already making a very big difference.
The industry is being reinvigorated by a range of innovative tourism products and major developments which leverage off our unique natural and cultural environment. It is an economic good news story and one that will create more jobs and sustainable business opportunities in the future. I will talk shortly about some of the exciting work being done by my agency, the NT Tourist Commission, to drive tourism development and the positive impacts their work is having on our major economic centres as well as many regional communities across the Northern Territory. This work includes a number of initiatives supporting the government’s investment in the sealing of the Mereenie and Litchfield Park loops and the progress we are making to improve visitor experiences in our parks, particularly Kakadu National Park.
First, let me tell you about work we have done to develop a new marketing brand for the Territory. Our first major challenge in marketing the Territory was to sharpen our competitive edge. Earlier this year we launched a refreshed brand that clearly communicates what sets the Territory apart from its competitors. This brand was developed following extensive research that identified our competitive point of difference and the type of traveller who is most likely to enjoy a Northern Territory holiday experience. The research found that if we were to think of the Northern Territory as having a character or personality, it would be described as ‘spirited’ and by spirited we mean uncomplicated, optimistic, natural, adventurous and colourful. The research also showed that our most perceptive market would be what we called ‘spirited travellers’. This group of people seek journeys rather than holidays and they want to learn from their travel experiences and return home feeling transformed in some way.
The art of story telling was identified as the best way of connecting with these knowledge-hungry travellers and the refreshed brand is communicated in all our marketing material through the tag line, Share our Story. Through the promotion of six key destinations, Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Uluru, we share the stories of these places through the words and views of locals. Campaigns for each of these destinations and their immediate surrounds will have been completed by June 2006.
The $1.2m Destination Alice Springs campaign was the first to be rolled out under Share our Story. This campaign was based on the region’s compelling points of difference which are outback adventure, desert landscape, indigenous art and craft, and history and heritage. The preliminary results are very encouraging with the campaign reaching over 11 million Australians. As a result, visitor preference for Alice Springs as a holiday destination increased from 2% to 9%.
We will not be resting on our laurels. The Taking the Next Steps action plan, which I launched last month, will continue to provide a unified approach to new product development and inform future Destination Alice Springs marketing campaigns. The action plan is being jointly implemented by the Tourist Commission, CATIA, the Alice Springs Town Council, and other Territory government departments. The commission’s Alice Springs’ office has been resourced to work with industry and major stakeholders to move this plan forward and some exciting initiatives are under way.
A key government commitment is World Heritage listing for the MacDonnell Ranges, a commitment outlined in the Taking the Next Steps action plan and contained within the draft Parks and Conservation Master Plan. As Kakadu and Uluru have demonstrated, World Heritage status will attract domestic and international travellers and this will undoubtedly see an increase in visitation to Alice Springs and Central Australia. The development of walking trails, shelters and visitor centres for the region including the MacDonnell Ranges are also priorities within the master plan. This is infrastructure which will improve overall visitor experience and create significant economic and social benefits in the region. The draft master plan is open for public comment until 4 November.
It is reassuring to see the collaborative approach being taken across government to drive economic growth in the regions and this will mean better tourism product, improved visitor experiences, and new investment opportunities along the Mereenie Loop.
Another Taking the Next Steps initiative is the promotion of Alice Springs as a leading destination for Aboriginal art and craft. CATIA and the Tourist Commission are working in partnership with the Alice Springs Town Council with local galleries, retailers, indigenous groups and art networks to tap into the growing interest in Aboriginal art and craft. The establishment of regular open nights at galleries supported by a night market, music and community displays is one option we are pursuing.
Before I talk about Destination Darwin, I will briefly mention an exciting concept for Central Australia. We are working towards creating a specialised Desert Guides network based on the successful Savannah Guides model in Northern Australia. It will provide an accredited tour guiding program that will again add to the visitor experience and importantly create sustainable jobs for the future.
We have recently launched the $1.4m Destination Darwin campaign which draws on the pulling power of local identities such as Jimmy Shu, Greg Miles and Di Koser. The campaign promotes Darwin as a youthful, multicultural, harbour city offering diverse experiences, an enviable outdoor lifestyle, and the gateway to world-class nature attractions such as Kakadu, Litchfield National Park and the Tiwi Islands.
Importantly, this campaign was designed to drive visitation beyond the traditional peak tourism period and is complemented by the $650 000 NT On Sale tactical marketing campaign. Increasing visitation during the shoulder and off-peak seasons is a key priority. NT On Sale has already made a splash. Since it commenced in late August, we have seen over $1.3m in quotes and bookings through our wholesale division, Territory Discoveries. That translates to about 1000 visitors to the Territory, a number sure to increase as the campaign continues into 2006. Holiday visitation results have been most encouraging. According to the most recent National Visitor Survey, in the 12 months to June, holiday visitation to the Territory rose by 22% compared with a 1% decline nationally. Also, visitor nights rose by 20% compared to a national average of zero. In fact, we were one of only two states to experience a visitor growth over the past year, the other being Queensland.
I will now talk about some of the tourism products being developed across the Territory. In Central Australia, we are developing outback experiences which will meet the needs of the spirited traveller and create long-term economic benefits to the region. We have committed $43m over the next three years to seal the Mereenie Loop which will not only improve visitor access to this part of Central Australia, but also increase the safety of those who use the roads. The sealed road will open up opportunities for communities in the region to develop new tourism product meaning sustainable jobs and an improved visitor experience.
For example Hermannsburg (Ntaria) and the surrounding communities have a wonderful opportunity to gain long-lasting economic benefits from increased tourism activity, and the traditional owners have a strong desire to develop tourism products. Government’s task is to work with these communities to assist them in achieving their goals. Indeed, the commission’s managing director, Maree Tetlow, and some of her board members, met with traditional owners from Hermannsburg and the surrounding areas just a few weeks ago to discuss their vision for the future. That vision is all about tourism, producing tangible and sustainable economic and social independence through jobs, education, training and business ownership.
Indeed, tourism is one of the key industries that can provide these benefits to Aboriginal people within both urban and remote locations. The commission provides many of these communities with the information they need to understand the dynamics of tourism and the level of commitment that is required. The commission also conducts business planning sessions in the communities to work through ideas from concept to the feasibility stage, as well as exploring investment sources. Importantly, tourism is now linked to our major economic agency, the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development.
There are regional planning workshops now being developed for the Areyonga and Hermannsburg communities. These workshops will explore opportunities for new tourism initiatives such as camp grounds, tours, roadhouses and art outlets. Gunya Titjakala is a model of how a community can work with a joint venture partner to develop tourism on their land. Within 3 km of the Titjakala community are luxury tents overlooking the desert - the type of product that appeals to the spirited traveller. This new venture is supplemented by guiding, bush tucker and hunting tours. Given its success, Gunya Tourism is looking to develop similar products in the Top End at Daly River. The commission is supporting Gunya Titjakala through business and marketing planning advice and marketing of their product nationally and internationally. A similar approach is now being undertaken with the Rainbow Valley and Chambers Pillar and also the Oak Valley communities.
I now turn my attention to the Top End and our commitment to sealing the Litchfield Park road and upgrading the infrastructure within Litchfield Park. In June last year, my government identified Litchfield National Park and its surrounding regions as a development priority. We will inject over $22m to seal the Litchfield Park road and upgrade infrastructure within the park. This investment will provide many positive spin-offs for the surrounding towns and communities. A major benefit stemming from a better road is shortened travel time and that means extra time for visitors to explore more of the region. That is good news for the communities such as Daly River, Adelaide River and Batchelor.
In fact, the Tourist Commission is now working with local Batchelor tourism operators, residents and the Coomalie Council to identify tourism opportunities such as sporting events, fresh produce markets, community festivals and heritage and cultural trails, which include World War II sites. The opportunities are certainly there.
Statistics show that visitor numbers are steadily increasing each year, with over 250 000 visiting Litchfield National Park during 2004.
I would like to talk a little more about what is happening in the Douglas Daly region and the potential there for increased tourism activity. This week, Tourist Commission staff are meeting with people from Daly River, Peppimenarti and Palumpa to talk about opportunities ranging from women’s cultural walks, art sites and fishing tours to experiential accommodation. As I mentioned earlier, Gunya Tourism is keen to develop accommodation at Daly River, mirroring its successful business model at Titjakala.
New product at Douglas Hot Springs is well advanced with pilot tours to the sacred women’s site being trialled early next year. We have developed a business plan with the Wagiman women, and created training packages for this unique initiative with the Charles Darwin University. If the trials prove successful, the Wagiman women’s product will be up and running by the middle of next year.
This is just a taste of things to come in the Top End, and I have not even mentioned the work being done on walking trails in Nitmiluk National Park, experiential accommodation in Arnhem Land and opportunities for tourism at Borroloola.
What I do want to touch on now is our commitment to Kakadu National Park. As you are aware, visitor numbers to Kakadu have been declining gradually over the past decade. Many factors have contributed to this decline, including issues of access, lack of development opportunities and marketing that did not reflect the true Kakadu experience.
Against this backdrop, the Territory and federal governments commissioned tourism experts, John Morse and John King, to produce a report about Kakadu’s future. The report, Kakadu - Walking to the Future Together, was produced in consultation with traditional owners, Parks Australia North, and tourism operators. It provides clear guidelines for improving the Kakadu experience while respecting the wishes and living culture of the park’s traditional owners. My government supports all of the reports recommendations; however, we are still waiting for the federal government to come to the party.
The federal government has announced through the media that it has committed $1.7m to improve infrastructure within Kakadu. However, this is not new money. I understand it is simply part of the funds committed by the federal government when it removed gate entry fees. I am also very disappointed that the federal government has still not matched our offer of $500 000 to market Kakadu to the world.
Nevertheless, with or without the federal government, my government will continue to market this Territory icon. We plan to do this through a dedicated marketing campaign planned for April 2006; a campaign in which we will invest upwards of $700 000.
Another important recommendation identified by the Morse Report is tour guide training. There are concerns about the level of professionalism of some tour guides operating in the park. Indeed, the Isobel von Jordan death is a case in point. This is a serious issue for government and one I do not take lightly. We have started to address this by developing an on-line tour guide training program to be operational in 2006. This program will eventually become compulsory.
Our goal is to restore this Territory’s treasure to its rightful place as one of the nation’s great natural tourism attractions. Traditional owners of Kakadu National Park are showing great leadership. They are keen to embrace cultural tourism opportunities that respect their traditional ways and provide financial independence for their children and future generations. A great example of this is the new art centre and cultural tour business Mandy Muir recently launched. In 2006, this will lead to a joint venture partnership with a national tour company to develop a safari camp on her country.
I now turn to the vexed issue of aviation. I am aware that there has been some criticism about a perceived focus on marketing the domestic market at the expense of the international market. I do not apologise for the fact that we have grown interstate holiday visitation by 39% over the last financial year. That is a great outcome for our tourism industry. Despite these successes, we have not neglected the international market at all. As a matter of fact, funding for international marketing has increased as a result of the additional funds this government has allocated to tourism. Whilst we will continue to maintain a strong presence in the international market, air access remains a critical issue for us.
I recently met with Dato’ Dr Mohd Munir Majid, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Acting Managing Director of Malaysian Airline Systems. After discussions with him, the reality is that services with Malaysian are unlikely to begin in the near future. Nevertheless, we will continue to vigorously lobby Malaysian Airlines to establish the Darwin/Kuala Lumpur route. However, Malaysian Airlines is by no means our sole focus. To help us grow the current Royal Brunei Airline services into Darwin, a workshop is planned between Royal Brunei and government that will review the airline’s operation. This includes scheduling, route connections, seat capacity and cooperative marketing opportunities in European markets.
Attracting airlines is a complex business and the days of a deal on a handshake are well and truly over. Most airlines have a commercial imperative and are accountable to shareholders for results. In this regard, a particular challenge for the Northern Territory is to convince airlines to consider smaller-based populations with a vibrant tourism industry such as ours. However, my government is not shying away from the significant challenge ahead.
There has also been some good news on the aviation front this year. We have seen a number of direct charter flights into the Northern Territory, which included four flights carrying 1400 Japanese visitors into Alice Springs. The Japanese love affair with the Territory is continuing and I am pleased to announce the commencement of two more direct charter flights from Tokyo and Osaka to Alice Springs in December and January.
And in more good news for our tourism industry, this week it was announced that The Ghan will be doubling its service to Darwin from March next year. It will operate twice a week, with return services from Adelaide to Darwin via Alice Springs, of course. Since it commenced operation in February last year, around 125 000 passengers have travelled on The Ghan, and these additional services will provide greater opportunity to develop more stopover packages for travellers wishing to experience the destinations of Alice Springs and Katherine and, of course, for the member for Barkly, Tennant Creek.
This government is committed to building a strong and sustainable tourism industry. We have listened to our industry sector and worked together with them to identify a vision for the future. That vision is about positioning the Northern Territory as a world-renowned nature and cultural destination, and using tourism to drive the Territory’s economic development. The integration of the Tourist Commission under the umbrella of the Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development will make this vision more achievable. The integration will allow us to more effectively drive indigenous economic and regional development.
I firmly believe these changes will provide the impetus to expand and grow our tourism industry. We know that there is still much to do and my government is committed to supporting the tourism industry, working in partnership with our private sector and moving tourism ahead.
Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I rise to respond to the Chief Minister’s statement on the Northern Territory government’s commitment to the tourism industry. Tourism is the second-highest economic provider in the Northern Territory, only surpassed by resources. Tourism is by far the biggest employer of any industry in the Northern Territory and plays a vital role in our economy. It goes without saying that this vital industry is the lifeblood for many Territorians and needs all the support it can get.
Tourism has always coined the phrase ‘tourism is everyone’s business’, and while this may sound corny to some, when you sit back and really think about what tourism contributes to our community, you realise that it truly is everyone’s business. When tourists come to your area they not only pay for accommodation, they buy fuel, food, souvenirs, have repairs and maintenance done to their vehicles and vans, go on tours, dine out at restaurants, visit the cinema and maybe the pharmacy, and use other essential services. So tourism is everyone’s business.
Tourism in Australia has suffered some challenges during the past few years, there is no doubt about that. We have borne the brunt in Australia of SARS; 11 September; Bali, not once but twice; the high price of fuel; the collapse of Ansett; and now the significant lack of airline services into the Northern Territory. The ongoing challenge for the Northern Territory is to continually look at marketing strategies that will work around all these disasters. It is certainly a challenge, I acknowledge that, but with the knowledge and expertise that is available from trained marketing gurus these days there is no excuse in not being prepared to adapt and meet all challenges.
The Chief Minister mentioned the refreshed brand, Share Our Story, which was launched earlier this year. I have to admit, Chief Minister, that I was not particularly enthused by the campaign as I did not believe it depicted the Northern Territory as the exciting outback adventure that we know it is. I thought, and still think, that the colours used in the campaign brochures did not do justice to the Territory. I will be quite happy, I can assure you, to be proven wrong if we have an outstanding tourist season next year that can be attributed to this campaign.
One of the challenges that we face is distance and isolation. Darwin is the end of the journey for people who travel by road and rail with a return visit of the same. That makes the decision by road market travellers a significant financial commitment, one that is of economic benefit to all the communities along the way. The road market is the main tourism contributor to regional and remote Northern Territory. The road market is serviced by a variety of high standard caravan and tourist parks along the way and there are some significant and varied tourist attractions for the tourists to see and do.
The main attraction for the road market coming to the Territory is the wonderful climate that we have during the Dry Season. It is well known that at the first sign of cold in the southern states, they pack up their campervans, caravans and mobile homes and head north to enjoy our great lifestyle. Many of these tourists, who are affectionately know as either the grey rinse set or the baby boomers, are return visitors. It is very important that we ensure that we continue to provide the highest standard of service for them. It is also very important that new product is continually looked at so that the visitors have new experiences to enjoy.
The Territory is unique in that there are some fantastic ecotourism opportunities that are still to be developed throughout the Territory. We have some great pristine river systems and parks in the Territory that have the potential for ecotourism development. I hope to see strong encouragement and support for development in this area. The Chief Minister has referred to innovative tourism products and major developments which leverage off our unique natural and cultural environment. The Northern Territory has untapped opportunities and to give us a competitive point of difference to other states in Australia we need to develop and market those ecotourism opportunities. In developing these, it opens up opportunities for more jobs with more businesses especially in regional Northern Territory.
Ecotourism is a significant attraction for the backpacker market, and the backpacker market has been in doldrums in recent years. Whilst this market prefers budget accommodation when travelling, they spend their money on interesting and nature-based tourist experiences. The development of new ecotourism is important in promoting that market and encouraging them back to the Territory.
Another significant tourism attraction in the Territory is authentic indigenous art. Fortunately, indigenous Territory art is gaining worldwide recognition. With the many different indigenous cultures that are and can be presented, this area is just at the beginning of its development and will be a very important tourist attraction for many years to come.
Part of the Destination Darwin campaign recently launched markets another unique aspect of the Northern Territory and that is the different culinary tastes that can be experienced here. These include our famous barra, crocodile meat, and buffalo as well as a variety of other sea foods. Food products are significant in appealing to and attracting a different tourist market.
I have spoken of some of the current and potential tourist attractions in the Northern Territory and, generally speaking, tourism is a happy industry where as much positivity as possible is expressed. People who are involved within this industry are usually very positive and present happy smiling faces to their visitors.
However, there are some downsides to this industry too. Today, I want to talk about a couple of those sides. The first one is the lack of airline services into the Northern Territory. To support the significant amount of dollars that have been poured into tourism marketing, and I have to say that I do support those dollars being spent, this government needs to go to greater lengths and continue meeting with airline companies, having ongoing discussions about bringing flights into the Northern Territory. It is a very serious situation from not only the tourism industry but also business, and has to be pursued vigorously.
The second issue is the high price of fuel. The Northern Territory now has the highest price of fuel in Australia. I believe that Tasmania is the only other jurisdiction with prices near ours. The drive market is the backbone for regional and remote areas in the Northern Territory and business and tour operators rely heavily on the income from visitors especially during the busier months from May to September. Some operators only have their businesses operating during those months and close down for the remainder of the year, and if you are an operator in the Top End, the Wet Season impacts on your operation. The cream for the tourist operator is during the Dry Season.
When considering a driving holiday to a destination somewhere in Australia, the price of fuel plays a significant factor in determining where the visitor will travel to. The price of fuel in the Northern Territory does not make us an attractive destination, compared say, with Queensland. The Queensland government has recognised the benefit of the tourist dollar and supports an 8 a litre rebate on fuel. This rebate is very significant when taking into account the total fuel bill for a driving holiday, and now more than ever, will determine just where the traveller will spend their dollars.
It is not only the drive market that will be feeling the effects of the high prices of fuel. The coach market will also be significantly impacted with having to increase their tour prices to the Northern Territory. I will be watching with interest to see the difference in tour prices offered to coach travellers who will be travelling to Queensland compared with the Northern Territory. I am certain that operators in the Northern Territory have not begun to see, as yet, the impact of the high price of fuel.
Add to that the impact of high fuel prices to the airline industry, which will inevitably result in higher prices for the fewer airline opportunities that there are travelling to the Territory now. It is obvious that the Northern Territory faces some serious challenges to the number of visitors who will be choosing to come here in the future.
The tourism industry is generally made up of very optimistic and enterprising people who will go the extra mile to do all they can to ensure the success of their investment. I have great faith in them and am very supportive of this industry. However, I do also have to be realistic in highlighting those significant challenges that will impact on them. There is no doubt that tourism is crucial to the wellbeing of the Territory and anything that is good for the Territory is supported by the Country Liberal Party.
The terrible and tragic events of Bali may generate more tourism for the Territory due to the perception that Australia is a safer destination. The Australian government is also committed to protecting the future of Australia and the Territory’s tourism industry. Since the 11 September terrorist attacks, the government has invested $5.6bn into national security and undertaken more than 100 security initiatives. This investment has directly benefited the Australian tourism industry. This state of affairs can only be maintained by vigilance and the tougher anti-terrorism laws that the Chief Minister has refused to endorse.
The federal government provides huge support to our tourism industry. Kakadu has made a giant step forward in joint management with the recent introduction of a course in the Gundjeihmi language. Greg Hunt MP, Federal Parliamentary Secretary with ministerial responsibility for Kakadu National Park said: ‘Gundjeihmi is one of several languages spoken in Kakadu and it is the main language for the central part of the park’. This federal government initiative saw more than 20 Kakadu staff finish the basic language course, which was developed and delivered with the help of Yvonne Margarula, senior Mirrar traditional owner. The Australian government provided funding of $1.7m for upgrades to tourism infrastructure in this financial year alone. It also demonstrated how the federal government is successfully working with the traditional owners in preserving and promoting the important cultural and environmental values of this world heritage listed park. This money was allocated to:
- Ubirr - $135 000 to upgrade the walking track and handrails at the art site;
Manngarre - $70 000 to replace timber decking with aluminium material;
Mamukala - $60 000 to upgrade the wetlands walkway;
Campgrounds - $206 000 to paint and upgrade toilet facilities/ablution blocks;
Anbangbang, at Nourlangie - $25 000 to improve safety measures along the Anbangbang Picnic Road;
Northern Information Bay - $30 000 to improve signage and visitor information; and
Bowali Visitor Centre - $80 000 to upgrade audio visual equipment and airconditioning at the theatrette.
The federal government has also provided $55 000 to Gecko Canoeing and Kookaburra Tours, winner of the adventure tourism and ecotourism awards in 2003-04. They will partner with the Wardaman Aboriginal Corporation of tribal elders to develop a Caring for Country theme package. This will include the development of field camps offering safari-style accommodation, and allow tourist to participate in traditional land management practices. The venture is set to diversity tourism products in the Katherine region by providing access to new areas inaccessible by the existing tourism market. The strong indigenous involvement provides for an authentic cultural experience specially suited to the high end of the market, particularly international special interest groups.
On 2 September this year, the federal government launched Tourism Advance Australia. It is a dedicated unit within Tourism Australia focusing exclusively on the meetings, incentives, conventions, events and exhibitions industry. The Territory tourism industry has much also to thank the federal government for.
There are many other areas relating to tourism that I have not touched on today but I am sure there will be plenty of opportunities to talk about these in the future. I thank the Chief Minister for her statement today. The tourism industry is a very important economic contributor to our economy, and all the support that can be given by both the Territory and the federal governments is vital to the future growth and development of this exciting industry.
Mr HENDERSON (Business and Economic Development): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement on tourism; the Chief Minister is also Minister for Tourism. I was Tourism minister for about 18 months in the government. I had an absolute ball as Tourism minister, even though it was at a time when the industry was, if not on its knees, certainly pretty down post-11 September and the collapse of Ansett. I agree with the member for Katherine. I made note of her words a ‘great industry, optimistic and enterprising’ I certainly enjoyed my time as minister working with many very optimistic people with very strong confidence in the future of the tourism industry here in the Northern Territory, even at a time when they were doing it very tough. As Business minister, and having had the opportunity to be Tourism minister in our government, the old saying that tourism is everybody’s business certainly rings true with me.
I would like to advise the House on how my Department of Business, Industry and Regional Development, in realising the importance of tourism for the Northern Territory economy, works with the NT Tourist Commission to achieve the Chief Minister’s and the industry’s goals and objectives. There was some degree of concern when the new Administrative Arrangement Orders were released, and the make-up of new departments post the government’s election win. There was some concern within the industry when the Tourist Commission was brought under the umbrella of the mainstream economic department of government. However, I have not heard any concerns for quite some time now.
The whole impetus for that decision was recognising how vital tourism was and is to the Northern Territory’s economy, that it should not sit out on its own isolated from the main economic areas of government, and should be brought in to the tent so that people working on economic development can also get a closer understanding of the tourism industry. Also, that the tourism industry and the commission, and the people who work in the commission get a broader understanding of the broader economic drivers. It has been a good move.
I was talking to my acting CEO just the other day and asking him how things were settling in. He was saying he was very pleasantly surprised that there is a lot of interaction going on at officer level, and the people in the commission are enjoying their new department. It certainly is interesting in terms of the structures of the departments. I look forward to working with the Chief Minister in our shared department.
The tourism sector obviously plays a crucial role in the Territory’s economy, contributing more to Gross State Product and employment than in any other state or territory. The latest ABS figures that we have, some of which are a different series of statistics, the estimated turnover of the industry is $834m a year. The industry value-added is $465m; that is 5.2% of Gross State Product. Employment, as of 2003-04, the latest numbers we have available, 7560 Territorians are directly employed in the tourism industry, that is 7.9% of Territory jobs, and the number of businesses as of 2001 from the Census - so these figures are a bit dated but they are the latest official figures - 1299 businesses are in the tourism industry; 952 of those businesses with turnover of more than $10 000. I suppose the others are very small micro-businesses. That is the size of the industry at a glance.
The importance of tourism to the wider economy has long been recognised by this government. As I said, it is everybody’s business. As the industry snapshots collated by my department show, for every $1m invested in the tourism industry in the Northern Territory, $1.1m of output is created in the rest of the economy, and for every 100 jobs created in the tourism industry, 76 jobs are created in the rest of the economy. That is one of the highest multipliers in any industry according to the econometricians in my department.
The sector is a particularly important sector in driving regional economic development and there are huge opportunities there. I am pleased to hear of the discussions and negotiations being held by the NT Tourist Commission with indigenous communities throughout the Northern Territory. I am also pleased to note the announcement yesterday in the NT News that The Ghan passenger service will double its service to Darwin from 17 March next year due to strong demands earlier this year giving GSR the confidence to offer this second service year round. We have just celebrated the first anniversary of the first Ghan, and Great Southern Rail is blown away by the consumer response to The Ghan. It is amazing that in over 12 months there is now going to be a second service year round. That is absolutely fantastic and it will mean a huge amount to tourism here in the Top End.
In terms of the importance of the tourism industry to regional economies from the industry sector’s snapshots that my department provides, again from the 2001 Census, the number of businesses in the regions: 29 businesses employing 200 people in the East Arnhem region; in the Katherine region, 84 businesses employing 499 people; in the Barkly region, 36 businesses employing 41 people; and, in the Central Australian region, 262 businesses employing 806 people. The percentage of indigenous employment in those numbers: East Arnhem, of the 200 employed, 13% are indigenous; in Katherine of the 499, 10% are indigenous; in the Barkly region, Barkly is doing well but the numbers are small, out of the 41 people directly employed, 29% are indigenous, and in the Central region, 806 employed, 13% indigenous.
We do have a long way to go to lift those employment figures in the tourism industry. It will be interesting to see when these numbers are updated as a result of the Census, which I believe is going to be next year, 2006, if those numbers of indigenous employed have increased. It is certainly a real opportunity and one that I, as Minister for Business and Economic Development, will be working very hard in.
These new initiatives and services in The Ghan will see instant benefits for regional tour operators, who will now have the ability to plan the whole year through. Talk to anybody in tourism, particularly in the accommodation and the restaurant sector here in Darwin, the turnaround as a result of The Ghan and particularly in the typically off-season months starting as early as February to have those passengers coming through week in week out have been a huge boost to the accommodation, restaurant and retail sector. Two trains a week now will be great news for people in those particular industries. We do know that the accommodation sector is really tight during certain times of the year and this announcement is going to spur even more activity in the construction industry for new hotel accommodation particularly in Darwin.
This announcement by Great Southern Rail, along with increasing number of cruise ships - I do not have the name of the one that has just sailed in today, but this morning when I came to work to see a cruise ship sailing in was great and some are now operating out of Darwin - and navy vessels visiting on a regular basis and the efforts of the Tourist Commission to bring more tourists to Darwin will bring heart to the retailers throughout the Territory especially in the Mall.
Tourism has a huge spin-off into many other business sectors as I mentioned previously. Not only retailers but also construction, sport and recreation, our libraries, museums, communication services, transport, finance, insurance, security, vehicle repair and maintenance services – tourism is everybody’s business.
As the Chief Minister said we only have to cast our minds back, and I certainly remember the terrible events of 11 September 2001, the Ansett collapse, the Asian bird flu, and we have the wretched bird flu out there challenging the world at the moment; the member for Katherine talked about petrol prices; all of these issues just seem to come around with regular and monotonous regularity to buffet our tourism industry. It is a resilient industry and, in terms of business planning, many more operators in the tourism industry are taking much more seriously doing well developed business plans, risk management plans and risk management strategies for their businesses, to cater for these external shocks that just come through with all too regular occurrences.
I just have to pick up on the member for Katherine’s comments about the fuel prices. Yes, of course we are concerned about the impact that rising fuel prices will have on the tourism industry particularly the drive market, but also the long haul travellers who are going to see air fares increasing. We already have a $26 aviation surcharge on every Qantas seat. I am not sure what the Virgin surcharge is at the moment but there are increased costs that have to hit the market. It is very easy in opposition to say: ‘Just increase your 1.1 litre rebate to an 8 per litre rebate because Queensland is doing it’. Queensland has had that rebate imbedded into their budget for many, many years; it is probably 10 years and longer. It is certainly not a new subsidy that the Queensland government has introduced.
Talking to the Treasurer, to increase that fuel rebate in the Territory will come at a cost to the budget of $25m. When we are already running a structural deficit, and the Treasurer has tabled the Treasurer’s Annual Financial Report in the House today, where are we going to find the money? It is very easy to say whack on the subsidy but the challenge for the opposition, if they are serious, is to say where we can find the money. How many teachers, doctors, nurses, or other public servants are you going to put off? What infrastructure projects will you not do? Or would you just put it on the bankcard and put it on the deficit? It is easy to say pull $25m out of your pocket. The reality is that for our budget and the size of our budget it is an impossible thing to do.
The capacity is with the Commonwealth government and their fuel excise, and of the $13.6bn surplus that the Commonwealth is sitting on, and that surplus is growing day after day after day in part fuelled by high fuel prices, $13.2bn of that comes from the fuel excise. Therefore, if there is one person who, at the stroke of pen, could provide real relief to motorists and the aviation sector in this country, it is the Commonwealth government. Why our Prime Minister will not touch that surplus to provide relief in the fuel excise when he clearly has the capacity to do so, is beyond me. You can bet London to a brick that if we were not at the beginning of a three-year electoral cycle rather than the end of a three-year electoral cycle, the Prime Minister would be into that surplus to provide relief to fuel prices in Australia.
That is the challenge that is faced. Perhaps the member for Katherine would like to put her hand up and point out the $25m of savings or infrastructure we should not go ahead with to fund that. It is a very easy statement to make, to whack on an 8 a litre fuel rebate. That is the challenge for the opposition.
I am pleased to advise that a number of Northern Territory government strategies implemented by my department complement the Chief Minister’s commitment to the tourism industry. These include Building a Better Territory; the Economic Development Strategy; Building Stronger Regions, Stronger Futures, and the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy. These strategies aim to maximise sustainable employment, and business investment and development, particularly aimed at regional areas.
The objective of the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy is to bring the components of business development, investment and regional development into focus for indigenous Territorians, and foster long-term economic growth and prosperity through a significant increase in indigenous wealth, employment and business ownership. The IED strategy is based on identifying opportunities for economic development in 13 industry sectors of which the tourism industry is about developing businesses, targeting high indigenous employment, training programs to increase employment in the industry, and marketing campaigns to highlight indigenous tourism, including links to existing community events and festivals.
The integration of the Tourist Commission, under the umbrella of my department, promotes business links to real opportunities for indigenous economic and regional developments. The Chief Minister mentioned tourism at Hermannsburg. I was pleased to be there the other day with my colleague, the member for Macdonnell. Even she was surprised at how excited I was to see the great initiatives and enterprise of the people in Hermannsburg in a range of economic areas such as construction and civil works, but also a new art gallery which was being opened as we were there. I forget the lady’s name - I am sure the member for Macdonnell will remind me - she was collating works of art and starting to put catalogues together, wanting to see tourists come through as a result of the Mereenie Loop Road.
There is a lot of doom and gloom around many of our indigenous communities, however, that particular visit gave us all much hope and I look forward to ...
Ms Martin: And Titjikala.
Mr HENDERSON: Yes, and Titjakala. I was going to mention Titjakala. It can be done and Aboriginal people can get out there, roll their sleeves up and have a go. We need to support those people who are having a go, and, my goodness, we are going to get in their and support them.
The Tourist Commission is to be applauded and congratulated for employing and out-posting officers within the Northern and Central Land Councils to foster an effective relationship to identify, nurture and support tourism opportunities within indigenous communities. Officers within the indigenous business and industry services units in my department are working closely with officers in the Tourism Commission.
My department also, through the indigenous business and services team, provides an indigenous business development program. That was a budget commitment we made this year; $300 000 per year for the next three years. It is a fairly small budget allocation, however, I hope to see that strategically take off this year primarily aimed at assisting in the establishment of businesses owned by indigenous people. I am really hopeful for that program. Secondly, it aims to support the formation of partnerships and joint ventures between indigenous organisations and other corporate entities, and thirdly to provide a business support service to indigenous businesses. I can assure the Chief Minister that my department will work closely with the Tourist Commission. As I said earlier, they already are in working for the future of the tourist industry throughout the Territory.
I want to pick up on a couple of comments from the member for Katherine. She mentioned the Share our Story marketing campaign and it was pretty much pilloried by the opposition when it was launcher earlier this year …
Ms Carney: People in the industry – Sylvia Wolf.
Mr HENDERSON: Well, in some sectors of the industry …
Ms Carney: Thank you. Just be honest! Thank you, very good. Just be honest, it does not hurt. No goes against the grain.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: The Leader of the Opposition is so sensitive.
Any marketing campaign is going to have its supporters and detractors. If you were to get 100% of the industry totally on the money, that would a miracle. I mentioned at the time that I am no marketing guru, and those marketing people went out there, developed the product, tested it with focus groups - and importantly those focus groups were customers, not people in the industry. We pay a lot of money for people to develop marketing campaigns. They just do not pull them out from behind their left ear; they do a lot of work, and you have to listen to what they say.
October Business Month: I had the pleasure of sitting next to Bob Pritchard on the plane from Alice Springs to Darwin to launch October Business Month in Darwin. He did it in Alice Springs as well. He is one of the world’s great marketing gurus. Chief Minister, you will be interested in this. He told me a story. He looked at our campaign, thought it was absolutely brilliant, because he said that the higher yield tourist market, the people with the money who want to travel, can go anywhere in the world and see anything. They can see everything from Eiffel Tower to the pyramids in Egypt, to Victoria Falls, Niagara Falls, and the Sydney Opera House. What they want to do is have an experience and meet people and take something away with them.
He said he spoke at an Australian Tourist Commission annual awards night and, essentially, told the industry that they were barking up the wrong tree in marketing in America because everybody in America wants to come to Australia. They say they will do it one day, but they only have two weeks holiday a year under the great individual awards system that Prime Minister Howard is trying to force on Australians. Prime Minister Howard wants to see us go down the American path of workplace relations. The average American gets two weeks holiday a year. Most Americans think Australia is a long, long, way away. Therefore, they are going to put off their trip to Australia until they retire because they only have a precious two weeks a year for their holiday. Yet, they think nothing of going to Europe. The perception is that Australia is too far away.
Instead of marketing to the Americans the Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef, he said the best slogan for the Australian Tourist Commission would be ‘Australia – it is closer than you think’. As simple as that! Nobody would listen to him and he was howled down by the industry. He still believes that that would be the marketing slogan. He saw ours, the ‘Share our Story, Meet our People, Experience the Northern Territory’. One of the great marketers of the world said he thought it was on the mark. That was a pretty interesting anecdote, Chief Minister.
Who is right, who is wrong? Only time will tell. To say that it is a hopeless campaign is pretty bad, because I would listen to somebody like Bob Pritchard over the member for Katherine any day of the week.
Madam Speaker, this is a great statement and, maybe the Chief Minister can pick up because I am running out of time now. The member for Katherine, what on earth is happening with the Katherine Cultural Centre? The one thing, a real commitment we want to make to tourism in Katherine is bogged down. I hope you will find a claim a force of good to get this thing up running. Senator Scullion should butt out of it and let the site be determined so that we can get on with the work. Is it going at the top of the street or the bottom end of the street? What a lot of rubbish! Let us just get on and do it.
I commend the Chief Minister on her statement.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Oh, thank God, the mindless ramblings of the Leader of Government Business have finished, Madam Speaker. It has not been a good fortnight for him. For a man who is positioning himself as the future Chief Minister, he needs to learn a couple of things at least - manners is one of them, and even on occasion, albeit infrequently, the ability to be statesman-like would, no doubt, assist him in his endeavours to dethrone the current Chief Minister ...
Ms MARTIN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I make the point that I listened to the Opposition Leader in adjournment talking about personal attacks and things like that, and how hurtful it can be. She is doing exactly that. It is important, if you are going to set some standard about not attacking people and doing that kind of thing – you are doing exactly that now. I make the point!
Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Perhaps you could start referring to the statement, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms Martin: It is hypocrisy.
Ms CARNEY: Just be quiet, you have had your go. The arrogance of the government is truly outstanding.
Notwithstanding the aggression that the Leader of Government Business has, I will bat on regardless. I see some members on the side smiling; they know what is going on. Some are brighter than others, clearly.
Madam Speaker, I propose to make some comments in relation to this because I was the shadow Tourism minister for a while. The Leader of Government Business said that he enjoyed being the Tourism minister. I very much enjoyed being the shadow minister for Tourism. It seems as though the portfolio of sport is regarded by anyone who has it as the ‘minister for fun’. I would suggest that tourism is one that could equally be described as the minister for fun or, indeed, the shadow minister for fun.
It is a very serious industry and I am not downplaying it for a moment. The people who are involved in tourism, from the Tourist Commission through to those in private enterprise, give their heart and soul to this industry, and it is a pleasure to meet people with the level of passion and commitment that they have. Those in the private sector, of course, need to pay off their mortgages and feed their kids, and it is the case, as the Chief Minister said, that there have been hard times. Not long after Labor came to government, all Territorians, all Australians, everyone throughout the world, had to cope with the circumstances that were delivered after 11 September, and 14 September which was the collapse of Ansett. There have been very difficult times and I propose to come back to that.
There was something almost miraculous in the Chief Minister’s statement, probably unprecedented. This was the only statement I can recall that did not slag off at the CLP, so thank you for that. I hope implicit in that was an acknowledgment that the CLP, on any analysis, did tourism well. People will say of the Labor government, it did some things well, did some others not so well. I do not believe many people would say that the CLP did it badly.
In that regard, I had cause to pick up a document that was 10 years old - the Northern Territory Tourism Development Master Plan. I have gone through that, and the more things change the more things stay the same. The sentiments of this document, which is now 11 years old, are very similar to the statements and sentiments of good intention contained in this statement. I make this point because it is important that we as a parliament, on behalf of Territorians, in a bipartisan way, state how significant the importance of the tourism industry is. So, 11 years ago, the same sort of wording as is contained in the statement. I believe speaks volumes.
There are a few things I would like to mention. Before I get on to what those on the other side might describe as the bad bits, I will comment on some of the good bits. There are some terrific initiatives in here. Equally, there were some terrific initiatives in this document 11 years ago. Every few years, it seems, whoever is in charge, regardless of which Chief Minister it is, regardless of which Director of the Tourist Commission it is, people get stuck into trying their very best to plan for the future of the Northern Territory in this critical industry. There are some good initiatives, no-one needs to be a rocket scientist to work out what they are, and it is pleasing that those in the Tourist Commission in particular have the ability, not to mention the passion and commitment to continue to be creative.
The Northern Territory has traditionally been regarded as a can-do place. My own view is that that is slipping under the Labor government. It does have an attraction to visitors elsewhere in Australia and elsewhere in the world, so it is very important, with the wonderful products we have, that we market them in the best possible way. To the extent there are some very good initiatives in the statement. I congratulate the authors of the statement who, I assume, are listening in the backroom, and hope your creativity and passion continues.
A couple of things I would like to mention, however, on the first page. I was surprised that the Chief Minister said, ‘The seeds of success we are now experiencing can be traced back to 2001’. I say, really! It was the case that, after the events of September 2001, I recall, and I do not have the information in front of me, but various tourism product was taken off the shelf in some parts of Europe. Instead of batting through, as the government and others should have done, they took product off the shelf. Unless you have a product on a shelf, no one is going to buy it. That did see a more significant decline, I think, in our visitor numbers across the board.
For the Chief Minister to say the seeds of success we are now experiencing can be traced back to 2001 is rather remarkable and untrue. She did say on page 2 that it was an uncertain time for the industry in 2001. That is correct. She said: ‘… a time that required strong leadership and tangible support from government’. I was shadow tourism minister at that point and we were at the government constantly, only because people in the tourism industry were constantly at us, as they were contacting the opposition saying: ‘Please get government to act. The government is not doing anything’. I had two people in Alice Springs ring me in tears because their businesses were going broke. What they saw was inertia from government, and the Parliamentary Record, and archived media releases will show that I and my colleagues were calling on government weekly to do something.
In about 2004, this is when we were on to tourism minister number 3 - we had the member for Nhulunbuy, then the Leader of Government Business, then the member for Johnston, then the Chief Minister – so that is no strong leadership. That is a hotchpotch approach to tourism. I think it was the member for Johnston who happened to be tourism minister at that time – two to three years after 2001 - and he said: ‘Yippee, we finally have some money’. I remember standing in this Chamber almost begging the Treasurer, who was also the Chief Minister at the time, to open the wallet to inject some money into tourism. At one stage we said $30m should about do it. The government, years later, came up with $27.5m; better late than never. But as to the statement that it required strong leadership. Yes it did, and the leadership was not there, and people in the tourism industry have not forgotten that. They still talk about it. The member for Blain was shadow tourism minister for a time, and they were talking to him about it as well. So, do not give us this claptrap about strong leadership because it just was not there.
There is also the reference to the sealing of the Mereenie Loop Road. This is going on – it is like the Blue Hills of politics. I think it was in the 2002-03 budget. Every year there is always something about the Mereenie Loop Road. We have had two sittings in Alice Springs. At both of them there was much jumping up and down about the sealing of the Mereenie Loop Road. It is in every budget. Not one inch of bitumen has been laid. You can keep playing the record if you like, but people are getting a bit tired of it. If you are going to seal it, please get on with it. If I have been mistaken and if an inch of bitumen has been laid, then it must have happened in very recent times. Do not try to dress it up and say: ‘Oh, we are doing this or we have done that’, because smoke and mirrors may well be the game of politics, but not everyone is always hoodwinked.
I share the member for Katherine’s comments in relation to the Share our Story. The Leader of Government Business does not like it, but there were criticisms and I observed that the criticisms were rather sharp, surprisingly sharp, from senior people in the industry. If the results are going to show that the campaign worked, fantastic.
What is absent from the Chief Minister’s statement is really anything in the way of figures. I note that the member for Wanguri alluded to some figures, but it really would be great to see them on a comparative basis over the years. In the Alice Springs sittings in March this year, I asked a question regarding the extraordinary decline in international visitor numbers. I said last year the Territory had 91 000 fewer international visitors than the year before, and Central Australia hosted 102 000 fewer visitors since Labor came to government. That is a lot of people in a relatively small market. That was asked in 2005 and I think the figures may have related to 2004-05 or 2003-04. So, these are not great figures.
If the Chief Minister is going to be serious about tourism, notwithstanding the positive aspects of the statement in terms of initiatives, she should have given us some figures for that; that was noticeably absent. We had the Minister for Health present a statement in the last day or so, and he gave us some figures and there was something to work on. Anyone can just fill up documents with words; however, we actually want some figures.
There are a few figures contained in the statement, however, they are just mysterious and do not mean much. On page 5, the Chief Minister says in relation to Alice Springs: ‘As a result, visitor preference for Alice Springs as a holiday destination increased from 2% to 9%’. Well, from 2% to 9% from what? It is quite meaningless in the absence of detailed comparison.
There are some good points as I continue to flick through. I would have liked, and I am sure many people in the tourism industry would have liked, an explanation as to where exactly we are at with Malaysian Airlines. Word is that it is just not going to happen. I note that something that vaguely resembles a concession of failure appears on page 19. It says that ‘… the reality is that services are unlikely to begin in the near future’. I would have thought that the Chief Minister might have been able to provide us with some more details on that. If it is the case that services are unlikely to begin in the near future, why not? Some detail on that would have been of assistance when the government is talking about its collective vision for tourism in the foreseeable future. I note that omission.
As for the government’s performance over the last few years in tourism, I do not think anyone would regard it as a performance requiring an A or a B marking; I think it has been a C. In a couple of places it was D and very early on it was F. Everyone wants their government, regardless of political colour, to achieve A in tourism …
Mr Henderson: What was your election result performance?
Ms CARNEY: You have had your go. I know you are a naturally …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: … rude, ignorant, horrible man.
Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition!
Ms CARNEY: Just pull your head in, can you …
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Leader of the Opposition, you will withdraw those remarks.
Ms CARNEY: I withdraw ‘horrible’, Madam Speaker, I am happy to withdraw ‘horrible’.
Madam SPEAKER: You said a little bit more than that, Leader of the Opposition. I would like you to withdraw the last few words please.
Ms CARNEY: Rude and horrible. I am very happy to withdraw rude and horrible.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Leader of the Opposition.
Ms CARNEY: Some people should - you know, democracy does not come easy to some. Let the other person have a go. There are 19 of you and there are four of us. I know you do not like it when we have the audacity to stand in the parliament of the Northern Territory and have our say. Some Territorians do not think it is altogether a bad thing. Some Labor-voting Territorians do not think it is a bad thing for there to be some level of democracy in the Northern Territory. I am sorry that meets with such hostility and resistance from the Leader of Government Business whose arrogance really does seem to be getting the better of him as he positions himself to be the next Chief Minister.
In response to his comments about fuel, I was very interested to hear him say that he can provide an 8 a litre subsidy to Territorians for $25m - cheap at twice the price, I would have thought, Leader of Government Business. You have extended a challenge to the opposition: you want us to tell you how we can provide this relief to all Territorians, including our vital sectors of tourism, transport, pastoral industry, mining, etcetera. Tourism, since we are on tourism, we will come back to you on that.
It is always difficult to trust the government’s books of course. We do know that they are running out of money. What we also know is that in 2005-06 this government will receive $1.83bn - I will say it again because it is a big figure - $1.83bn in GST revenue. If you cannot afford to find $25m in that I do not know whether you are fit to govern.
I note in the Chief Minister’s department annual report which was tabled yesterday, tucked up the back is a reference to staffing costs – staff and other costs of government. Members, if you have not read it, I commend it to you. The cost of ministerial staff, in other words, staff and spin doctors, was just over $8m. The cost of staff - hardworking, dedicated honest staff to the Leader of the Opposition was $556 000.
Ms Martin: Who blew their budget by 47%? Don’t lead with your chin.
Ms CARNEY: You can find $8m, Chief Minister. We will come back to you and find you the rest - shave $8m from your staff. Unprecedented, as there is only 100 or so of them. They are all, obviously, being very well paid. Perhaps there are more than 100 …
Ms Martin: You blew your budget more than any other office.
Ms CARNEY: In any event, thanks for participating. I know when I get under your skin and it is a joy. That is where you can find $8m.
In any event, as I have said publicly, it is not a case of whether the Territory, in so many respects, can afford this. The question is: can the Territory afford not to provide a fuel subsidy; that is the issue. The response I am getting from all around the Territory is that the Territory government has to show leadership. There is that word again – leadership. If it wants to show leadership, then it can provide a fuel subsidy.
I know I have grazed across some issues. Partly, I have been incredibly gracious in respect of the good initiatives contained in the statement. It is a pleasure to see that, for once, the government has not slagged off at the CLP. That tells me that perhaps the staffers and people in the Tourist Commission have said: ‘Actually, the CLP did not do too badly when it came to tourism’. You people are not covered with glory, especially when the Chief Minister, who is our Tourism Minister, was Treasurer at the time when all and sundry were begging her to inject some money into tourism, and she steadfastly refused to do it. As I said, people have not forgotten about that.
We look forward to more developments because all of us want good outcomes for the tourism sector. You can bet your bottom dollar, Leader of Government Business, that despite your rude behaviour, we will come back to you and tell you where you can find a spare $25m. We have already found $8m and we look forward to taking you up on your challenge.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Madam Speaker, the love affair continues.
I welcome the statement from the Chief Minister about what is happening in tourism in the Northern Territory. It is also very enjoyable to hear so many familiar names from my electorate appearing in her speech.
The emphasis of her statement is that the government is keeping tourism moving ahead. I support this and can confirm that this is actually happening across the region which I represent. I congratulate the Labor government for its faith and foresight in investing the $27.5m in 2001 to reshape the tourism sector.
It is strange that the Leader of the Opposition criticises the Labor government for not supporting tourism, because one of the fundamental things about tourism is that the infrastructure is within the regions to attract tourist there. We know that the CLP have adopted a new scorched earth policy to regional development - if you do not have at least 100 people in your community you get absolutely nothing from them. Those places become quite attractive to tourists, obviously, when there is nothing there to facilitate telecommunications or whatever else.
This government is vastly different. It has provided these funds to energise one of the major industries which maintain the small towns and communities throughout the Northern Territory. This investment also benefits the people and businesses in Darwin. The thousands of visitors which utilise the hotels, bars and shops in Darwin largely come to the Northern Territory to visit attractions outside of Darwin. We need to continue to support infrastructure like the roads and parks that the government represent, just to name a few.
As an example of what this government is doing to upgrade regional infrastructure and enhance tourism access to our attractions, we only have to look at a number of capital works this government has under way. One is the Dundee powerline. The Dundee area, in the future, will be a major tourist attraction for the Northern Territory. The facilitation of power to that community will make businesses more viable, will attract more permanent residents there and generally provide a better tourist experience.
The impending opening of the Wooliana Road powerline will attract tourists there. We have many tourist operators who have struggled over the years, providing their own power generation and now these operators have 24-hour power, as much as they like - we have had one operator down there invest $100 000 in upgrading his facilities - and that is welcome news. The Fog Bay Road to Dundee Beach is gradually being upgraded. Once that is complete, the attraction for people who take caravans down that road will increase and we will see much more visitation there. We have talked about the Litchfield National Park Loop Road. When that is finalised, the number of people completing that loop from Bachelor back up to the Cox Peninsula Road will increase. Something like 250 000 people utilise part of that road now and I can see that increasing over the years once the loop road has been finalised. There has also been an initial investment near the Batchelor area with some money provided to look at the greening of Batchelor into a flora and fauna reserve, and this is also encouraging.
Coupled with this investment is the Destination Darwin campaign, which firstly promotes Darwin as a tourist attraction, and secondly, as a gateway to these fabulous attractions regional NT has to offer. The Destination Darwin campaign also emphasises the shoulder and off-peak season. As someone who has lived in the bush of the Northern Territory for 18 years, the Wet Season and the build-up are the most exciting and dramatic times of the year.
The texture of the bush completely changes. You see wild storms, flooding in creeks and rivers, lush bushland, flowing waterfalls, magpie geese sheltering in the trees, electrical storms, and large cumulonimbus cloud formations moving across the Territory landscape. This time of the year is as attractive and worthy of observation by interstate and overseas visitors as the Dry Season. If we can get more people to see this time of year, they will surely tell others and further boost the numbers across the season for the Northern Territory. Both these initiatives will further drive tourism and, subsequently, economic development in regional and remote Northern Territory.
Another step forward in the enhancement of tourism in the Northern Territory is the new branding of the Share our Story. As the Chief Minister stated, this initiative will use Territory characters to promote the Northern Territory. This is a great initiative and I can quite authoritatively say that in the bush we have some real characters that you would not find anywhere else in the world. It is these people and these images which will make a difference to visitors coming to the Northern Territory as they will show our uniqueness.
The Chief Minister’s statement mentioned some areas which are in my electorate, and Litchfield National Park is one that comes to mind. As mentioned, the $22m that has been spent on the loop road and other infrastructure will enhance that area and the attractions near Wangi Falls, Florence Falls, Tolmer Falls, Buley Rockhole and Sandy Creek Falls will certainly benefit from that. Businesses in that area are doing a great job in providing facilities for the visiting public. They include the Wangi Tourist Park, Litchfield Tourist Park, the Litchfield Camp Ground, and Monsoon Caf.
Once the loop is completed, the benefits to Batchelor will increase and you have a many accommodation places there which are doing a great job. The recent opening of the Batchelor Heritage Retreat by Robert Hobbs is an interesting and unique concept for the Northern Territory, if not for Australia. The other resorts in that area provide a great service: the Batchelor Resort, the Rum Jungle Drum Bungalows, and the Butterfly and Bird Farm.
One of the other aspects which I will, hopefully, be lobbying our government for is the completion of the back road to Daly River from Litchfield National Park. This will create a loop up to Litchfield from Daly River which should be very exciting and will bring many visitors back to the Daly area. The Daly River area is an exciting part of the Territory and the powerline is going to enhance tourism there. There are fishing enterprises which we all know about: Preston Fishing Charters, Perry’s on the Daly, and we have the Barra Nationals and the Barra Classic, which many of us know about and if we ever get some time off we will certainly participate in.
I alluded to some businesses there which are now upgrading their facilities and Wally Draper from Banyan Farm is one of those people. Harold Sinclair from Sinclair’s Retreat is one of those other people too. You have other facilities there and these people are really doing a great job in the bush. The Aboriginal art work there is second to none I believe. The Merrepen Arts Centre is doing some fabulous things and also the artists of Peppimenarti.
The Douglas Daly region, which was mentioned by the Chief Minister, is a growing area and when we talk about infrastructure, this government has invested in providing a road from the Douglas Daly area through Fleming Road to the Edith Farms Road onto the Stuart Highway. It is another one of those loops that once we can get it through will increase the numbers through the Douglas Daly area so that people can visit the Arches Waterhole, Butterfly Gorge Nature Park and the hot springs. I have just recently been there with my five-year-old daughter and she was absolutely delighted by that.
When we talk about tourism in regional areas, we are talking primarily about the drive market and we cannot forget those services which are provided along the way and that we sometimes take for granted. Those roadhouses which are a long way in the bush and you are grateful to see, to have a stop at after a couple of hundred kilometres of driving, and in the Daly area you have Hayes Creek, which is a nice little stop halfway between Katherine and Darwin, and there are roadhouses out at Timber Creek. One of the other areas which is really emerging is the Marrakai area. I recently visited the Mary River Park to see Mike Oswald and that is a fabulous facility. These are unique places which we really need to get on the map and I believe this will happen through this tourism strategy.
The Chief Minister highlighted the growing numbers on The Ghan also and that is great. I am encouraged by the work that is being done developing packages to keep these thousands of people a little longer at regional stops like Katherine. In Katherine we have not only the Nitmiluk National Park and the Katherine Gorge, but we also have also Edith Falls. This is a fabulous part of the world and there is an increasing number of tourist operators which are going there.
One of the other areas which I am very excited about, and I know that the Tourist Commission is working on, is Pine Creek. I just recently attended the October Business Month dinner there. They are developing a package of promotion for that town, and the heritage railway and Umbrawarra Gorge are primary attractions there. Actually, there is a full size replica of Umbrawarra Gorge in Baltimore in the United States, so that is certainly a promotion with the United States market.
I am delighted that there is so much emphasis going into the regional areas, and the emphasis that the Northern Territory government has on providing infrastructure which benefits the visitors to the Northern Territory. That infrastructure and those attractions benefit Darwin and Alice Springs as well. I thank the Chief Minister for her statement.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, there is no doubt we have a vibrant tourism industry and it reflects in everything that we do in business. It is pleasing to see the government has an emphasis on business. That is important. If our government does not stand up and say we support you, then we really are in a little bit of trouble. If I could ask the Chief Minister in reply to just tell me how it works: she is Minster for Tourism, although tourism is located in DBERD. So how does it work? Do the people in tourism report to the minister for DBERD or do they report to the Minister for Tourism? I was just interested …
Ms Martin: I used to be minister for Arts and that worked the same way.
Mrs BRAHAM: Sorry?
Ms Martin: I used to be the minister for Arts which was in Community Development.
Mrs BRAHAM: Yes, I know. I was just wondering how this particular portfolio, which is really important to the Territory, functions. Perhaps you could give me some idea of that.
There are many things in your statement that are pleasing to see. One is the Japanese tourist charters that are coming into Alice Springs. I have to ask why are we bringing them in in December and January? We probably do not have a lot of choice. That would have to be the most difficult time for people to go touring around Alice Springs or if they want to climb the Rock. It is just not a very good time.
The first group that came into Alice Springs was highly structured. The Chief Minister might remember there was a bit of feedback that the local businesses did not really get many tourists. It is pleasing to see that that has changed. Many of them are now spending more time in the mall and around the town, and the feedback has been that it has generated a lot of money in the town. Anything we can do to make sure those charters from Japan continue is a great bonus for us.
I have written either to the Chief Minister or the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, as one of the tourist highlights is the Simpson Gap bicycle track where there is one kilometre of it that is not sealed. It basically goes along to the end of Larapinta where you are supposed to cross the road into the Desert Park, then somehow or other get across the busy road back near Flynn’s Grave where it becomes sealed. I am asking Chief Minister if you could have a look at that one kilometre of bicycle path. It is not very much and it would be great if you could seal it.
Ms Martin: That road is not that busy.
Mrs BRAHAM: I know, but it is all about tourism.
Ms Martin: Oh come on, I have done the bicycle track.
Mrs BRAHAM: Tourists like to ride along it, there is no doubt about it they do.
Ms Martin: Yes, I know, but it is not that busy.
Mrs BRAHAM: You talked about the success of The Ghan and you are right. It is great to know they have brought so many people into the Territory. Although one of the problems I have is that sometimes the image of people coming into town or leaving the town is spoilt by the litter and the unsightly camps that are along the railway track. It has been raised with me. You are a kilometre away from the station, and you see all this mess. It would be great if the tourism industry could use their clout so that when people are leaving on The Ghan they get a good, clean image of the town not a messy image.
The $43m you talked about for the Mereenie Loop Road - yes, you are right. I can recall pushing for that when I was in government. It is something that is important, it is not just good for tourists, it is good for those remote communities so they will have good access, and it is good for essential services. Any way you can keep that going that will be great. We really think it is great.
We talked about the festival during Question Time and that was a great success. We had national and international visitors and thanks to CATIA for plugging the festival. I hope that they continue to do so and make sure it becomes a major event on our calendar, as it is those sorts of major events that people find unique to places like Alice Springs. They come there looking for something a bit different, like the Henley-On-Todd, the Finke Race, and the Beercan Regatta. All those things that are run by community groups in the Territory add so much to the tourism dollar. They should be acknowledged because those events attract thousands of people from around the Territory and around Australia. The amount of work done by volunteers to make them a success is a huge credit to our service clubs and our community groups. If you took all those special events away, you would find there would be a big hole in the attraction.
A good example was the Transport Hall of Fame convention that was held this year, with the thousands of people who came and the hundreds of vehicles they brought to Alice Springs. That injects so much into the town that we need to acknowledge them as part of our tourism exercise, and give them credit and assistance where we can.
It is a bit like the convention centre. I have to admit, I hope the Darwin convention centre does not take away from the Alice Springs Convention Centre because that has been a huge success. The number of people who have been lured to Alice Springs for conventions on many different themes from many different sectors of the population has been an incredible boost, and puts into our town’s economy. Perhaps I am a little selfish in saying that, but do not rush into this convention centre in Darwin - we are happy to get the market at the moment.
We talk about the grey nomad market and the effect of the high fuel prices. I notice the taxi drivers are putting up their prices, and I guess the tourist coaches will also. We really do not quite know just what the effect of high fuel prices will be on our drive market. However, it is really important that we continue to foster that.
I want to make a statement on the self-drive market of overseas visitors. I am not quite sure how we can educate them about driving on our roads and the safety requirements. I know when you go to a foreign country and you are driving on the opposite site of the road, it is fine when you are going straight, but it is when you turn a corner that you get confused. It happened to me the other night when I was driving on the road past the casino here. There was, obviously, a foreign tourist because they were in one of these little self-drive cars, who was turning on to the road in my direction and, automatically, turned on to the left hand side of the road. Fortunately, they were going slow and had just started off, so they were able to quickly move.
We have had some horrific accidents in the Territory with overseas tourists hiring cars. We have to make sure that when they hire these vehicles that they are given a little education on how to drive on our roads. Many of these vehicles seem to be top heavy. It is important that that message gets across. If you are going to hire a car in the Territory, take care and make sure you know the road rules and that you drive carefully. We have seen too many accidents that should not happen. I am sure the tourism industry is concerned about that. It is not a good image for them, and I know they would much prefer to see tourists come here and enjoy their experience. It is a bit of a downside of coming to a remote locality such as the Territory.
I was amused the other day when I saw an article from someone reporting on the Falconio case saying ‘the dry, dusty town of Darwin’. They obviously had not done their homework very well. If you want a dry, dusty town, you would obviously come to Alice Springs to see that, or other places.
I was interested in seeing what other new incentives the Chief Minister thinks we could have. Is there some vision for something that is quite spectacular? I believe the film industry does us a great deal of good. We have some very talented filmmakers in the Territory. I would like to see them sponsored and using their talents to make documentaries which could be shown on SBS or around the world. It is the spectacular scenery of the Northern Territory that comes up so well on a documentary. When you think of the lifestyle we have and some of the great people we have in the Territory – the member for Daly talked about characters – it is that which makes the Territory unique.
We do have characters around, and some of the people I particularly admire are our chefs in Alice Springs. They are such a diverse group, from Beat Keller, running a Swiss/Indian Restaurant, to Jimmy Shu who runs the Hanuman. We have such a wide variety of people in this Territory and we could capitalise a lot more by doing documentaries. I saw the documentary which was done on the Finke Race when I was interstate, and I thought, wow, what a great idea. There were so many people watching that and it showed something happening in the Territory that perhaps people had not realised what it is about. I know the film industry is a difficult industry, as I it is a very expensive game to get in to. As the Minister for Tourism, the Chief Minister should think about how we can capitalise on that documentary market to showcase our tourism and our Territory in a way that would be more appealing.
Alice Springs is a great tourist destination, there is no doubt about it, and there is no doubt that it will only succeed if people in the tourism industry also make it succeed. They need to have that oomph and desire to make sure that tourists leave the place with a good impression of the Northern Territory. Sometimes we get bad stories about people who have been treated rudely, or people who have been met with glum faces. It is true – a smile makes the world of difference. If we can do a little bit more in the area of training of the people who are in the tourism market to ensure they know exactly what their role is and how they affect tourism, I am sure we will get the message through. When people go away, obviously they will go away with the message that we want them too.
On the whole, Mr Deputy Speaker, tourism is going fairly nicely, but slowly. We should be capitalising even more now on the overseas market because we are a safe place to come. I hope the government continues to put a great deal of emphasis and money into it.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement on tourism. According to my dictionary, tourism is the practice of travelling to and visiting places for pleasure and relaxation. Here, in the Northern Territory, we have a wealth of places to visit for pleasure and relaxation. The Northern Territory is widely celebrated as nature Territory. Its wildlife and extensive natural environments are an important drawcard for tourists from Australia and overseas. In 2003, around 3.5 million people visited Northern Territory parks. This means that on average about 10 000 people are in our parks on any one day.
Air and rail travellers tend to focus on the high profile parks, whilst those who drive visit the full range of parks and reserves, including those that are remote and less developed. The Parks and Wildlife Service works closely with the Northern Territory Tourist Commission to provide all visitors with a rewarding, inspiring and enjoyable experience.
Nature-based tourism in the Northern Territory has major strengths. Our natural environment is one of our compelling points of difference with other parts of Australia. We can build on these strengths by raising the international profile of our parks, improving the experiences offered, and actively engaging Aboriginal traditional owners in park-based tourism across their own lands.
In her statement, the Chief Minister has already mentioned the draft Parks and Conservation Master Plan which is currently out for public comment. The master plan is very clear on the future directions of our parks and of the importance of tourism. It outlines a number of key tourism initiatives as a way forward for the next 15 years. They include a headline initiative focusing on the MacDonnell Ranges; a proposal for the new greater Central Australian national park; measures to enhance the tourism experience offered by our high profile parks; measures to improve the variety of experiences offered in parks and reserves along the various tourist routes and loops throughout the Territory; and measures to engage traditional owners in their own enterprises and industry partnerships.
I will briefly outline these important initiatives which the Chief Minister has already touched on. The MacDonnell Ranges has had internationally significant biodiversity value, and are also of tremendous cultural significant to the Arrernte people. In view of the superlative natural and cultural values of the MacDonnell Ranges, the Northern Territory government intends to apply for nomination of the MacDonnell Ranges as a World Heritage area. We will do this in association with the Australian government and with the traditional Aboriginal owners. The Northern Territory Tourist Commission strongly supports the World Heritage nomination for the MacDonnell Ranges because of the premier nature and cultural experiences that are offered. World Heritage status enhances interest amongst domestic and international travellers which in turn will see an increase in visitation to Alice Springs and other Centralian destinations. A detailed analysis of how the values of the MacDonnell Ranges stack up against World Heritage criteria is currently being prepared.
We also propose that a new visitor centre be developed at the Alice Springs Desert Park as a gateway to the MacDonnell Ranges and to a broader Central Australian parks system. We plan to develop a greater Central Australian national park to combine culture, biological diversity and scenic beauty. This new park could link the jointly managed Finke Gorge and Watarrka National Park and ultimately extend across Lake Amadeus to Uluru-Kata Tjuta. Such a park would greatly increase the tourist destinations available in Central Australia. It would capture national and international biological values and significant Aboriginal culture values. It could also offer an extensive 4WD experience for that particular segment of the tourist market.
An obvious way in which parks can promote and expand tourism is to enhance the high profile parks for which the Territory is already famous. For the Commonwealth-owned Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta, this means closer working arrangements between the Northern Territory government and Parks Australia.
For our other high profile parks, Litchfield, Nitmiluk, Watarrka, and West MacDonnells, the emphasis will be on improved infrastructure with relevant high quality visitors facilities. $1.95m has been allocated next financial year for the redevelopment of the Wangi Falls day use area; improvements of the Walker Creek park entry; upgrade of Florence Falls camp ground; landscape works between Florence Falls and the Buley Rockhole; and rehabilitation of the Buley camp ground.
Accessibility is obviously a key element in the tourist market. The Northern Territory Tourist Commission promotes a variety of tourism drive routes and loops throughout the Territory. Most of these routes rely on parks for the quality of the tourist experience and our future planning therefore places more emphasis on developing these themed routes. The various routes are a key to providing the variety of experience that visitors are seeking. Three of the routes - Pioneer Path, Nature’s Way, and the Litchfield Loop road - tend to focus on the high profile parks. Two others, the Savannah Way and the proposed Explorer 4WD route, offer a more remote experience. A major thrust of our park planning is the emphasis on providing assistance and capacity building to allow traditional owners to undertake conservation management and jointly manage parks and reserves across Aboriginal land. This new agenda also opens up an unparalleled opportunity for Aboriginal traditional owners to also take on, on their own terms, a major role in presenting their country and their culture to the many tourists and visitors from around the world who can see that culture as enriching their experience of the Territory’s landscape and wildlife. This adds a dimension to tourism that really sets the Territory apart.
It is clear that the government’s vision and forward planning through conservation through our parks and reserves system is closely aligned to parks of the future of our tourism sector. The Territory’s natural and cultural values are priceless and as opportunities are destroyed elsewhere in the world our places, people and stories become even more valued. Our vibrant Aboriginal culture is another compelling element along with our unspoilt landscapes and rich biodiversity that distinguishes the Territory from most other parts of Australia.
Cultural tourism makes a significant contribution to the industry. Studies have shown that a significant and increasing proportion of both domestic and international visitors are looking for cultural experiences in major components of their holiday. Cultural tourism also offers the Territory’s remote and regional communities opportunities to engage with visitors and express pride in their community, offering economically viable development opportunities and generating income and employment for artists. In the Northern Territory, the experience is generated by performances and visual arts, and our distinct strongly indigenous and multicultural heritage is unique.
In 2003, the Northern Territory was host to some 250 000 international cultural tourists: people who visit museums or art galleries, historic or heritage sites, art or craft workshops or studios, festivals or concerts and Aboriginal sites and cultural displays, who were collectively responsible for an estimated expenditure of $326m. When you add domestic overnight cultural tourists to the scene this figure rises to $703m; a huge contribution. The importance of the indigenous art sector and the tourism sector working collaboratively has been identified in both the Northern Territory indigenous art strategy, Building Strong Arts Business and the Northern Territory Indigenous Tourism Strategy. The strategies recognise that showcasing indigenous visual arts, music, dance, film, new media, theatre and literature is intrinsic to the success of tourism in the Northern Territory. Across the Territory during the peak tourism season, regional festivals showcase the arts with community-based work sharing the limelight with professional productions.
The Garma Festival 2005 again confirmed the event’s status as the nation’s leading cultural exchange event. It is a major cohesive force in bringing together indigenous and non-indigenous Australians and overseas visitors. The 7th annual Garma Festival was attended by about 2000 people. As well as wonderful artistic and cultural events such as magnificent visual arts presentation and music workshops it included a rewarding and groundbreaking forum on indigenous cultural livelihoods. Just touching on Garma, I congratulate the Yothu Yindi Foundation for all its efforts. This year the festival took out the 2005 Skal International Ecotourism Award. Skal is the largest organisation of travel and tourism professionals in the world and incorporates all sectors of the travel and tourism industry.
The 2005 Darwin Festival was an 18 day, 74 production showcase of visual art, theatre, workshop, music, dance, film and comedy. It was attended by around 53 000 and featured over 1100 performers from around Australia, from the local area, and from South East Asia. In Alice Springs, the cultural precinct hosts the annual Desert Mob and associated activities which have become an important part of the tourism calendar. Over the six weeks of the Desert Mob Exhibition and the Desert Mob Market Place, around 6000 to 7000 people attended, purchasing approximately $370 000 worth of work. Art lovers, collectors, dealers and visitors interested in indigenous art come from all over Australia and increasingly from outside Australia to view and purchase work. This has the potential to develop into a major tourism drawcard.
The Territory would be poorer without our outstanding festivals which contribute to the richness of the tourism experience.
One of the areas that attract many tourists is our heritage sites. Our government believes that heritage not only defines our unique Territory identity, but is also a very important resource for the tourism industry. I am informed, for example, that the Navy oil storage tunnels is one of our most visited sites by tourist in Darwin. Our World War II heritage offers something very special that no other state can offer: a genuine wartime experience where allied servicemen and women fought for our nation on our own soil. Government sees further conservation interpretation and marketing of the World War II heritage as a priority. Some of our World War II sites are already protected, but many are not and are now under threat. There is a fantastic story to be told, but only if we protect it and interpret these sites for future generations. A very special site that we have protected is the Strauss Airstrip. Recently, I had the pleasure of opening some exciting new interpretative works at the airstrip. A new shelter housing information on the wartime use of the airstrip has been built into that area.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I am delighted to support the Chief Minister’s statement on tourism, and equally pleased that our future planning for parks, and the arts and heritage, makes such a happy partnership with government’s development of the tourism industry.
Ms SACILOTTO (Port Darwin): Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the Chief Minister on her detailed statement on the Northern Territory government’s commitment to the tourism industry. A key part of the planned growth of our tourism industry in urban Darwin will be the new Darwin waterfront development in the heart of Port Darwin. I have chosen to highlight the exciting developments and future plans of this government in this area tonight, although there is much more going on and planned throughout the Northern Territory.
An important element of our tourism industry is the cruise ship industry. The NT Tourist Commission estimates that growth in this industry could inject up to $60m per annum by 2014. The Martin Labor government is genuinely committed to the development of Darwin as a cruise ship destination. The Darwin city port and cruise ship terminal will become a focal point for the Darwin City Waterfront precinct. This will enhance the entrance to the city, and will provide a range of facilities for visiting cruise ships. The $4.5m terminal will include, initially, resurfacing of the car park area and a provision of a covered waiting area, a weather protected passenger facility with covered walkways, improved lighting, security fencing, trolleys, landscaping, furniture and other public amenities.
There is also flexibility for future expansion. The architect has developed a design concept that allows for further expansion when necessary to match the continuing growth of our cruise ship industry. The facilities in place at Fort hill wharf needed considerable upgrading. The Northern Territory government has recognised the need to meet the growth in cruise ship visitation to Darwin, including the Navy visits, and capitalise on a substantial opportunity of this market. Today, the Fort Hill Wharf will welcome the Pacific Princess, a cruise ship that has a maximum capacity of 800 passengers.
The Avenue of Honour is included in the Darwin waterfront development. This walk will honour early pioneers of the Territory, the strong and resilient people who have made our beautiful Territory what it is today.
As a significant part of the Darwin waterfront development, there is a planned $1.5m project to link the mall to the escarpment via Smith Street. This project will be developed with the Darwin City Council. This area is rich in history and home of the Larrakia people who, for centuries, traded with the Macassans.
The wharf area was the site for many of the Territory’s firsts. It was the site of the first public garden, early Malay/Chinese settlements and, during the bombings of Darwin on the 19 February 1942, the blue Commonwealth Ensign flew over Government House. This flag was the first Australian flag to be damaged by enemy fire on Australian soil. This is the flag that we have heard about today. The quest of young Zak Menzies is not new to me or most of my government colleagues and his petition has been present for months in several of our offices.
Many tourists will enjoy being surrounded by the history and heritage of the area on the original Goyder’s Camp Site, a public park and the amphitheatre, which will host entertainment and art and the connections to both traditional indigenous inhabitants and European settlers. Our visitors love our history and we love to share it. One constituent in my electorate of Port Darwin, local historian, Mr Peter Forrest, has made a fantastic suggestion of incorporating a story face. Further areas of interest to many of our national and international tourists will be all close at hand. The Pumphouse and the Pearling Museum are just a couple. The Convention and Exhibition Centre will attract tourists, conventions and businesses.
Tourism expenditure is estimated to increase by $190m over the next 20 years. The centre on its own is expected to create 160 tourism jobs for Territorians by year four of its operation, growing to over 200 new jobs by year 10.
One great feature of the Convention Centre is that it will be able to adapt to cater for a huge number of different requirements, and hence it will be able to cater for a huge range of events, including international conferences, concerts, indoor sporting fixtures, exhibitions, local events and trade shows. The existing and new local traders, as well as the tourism industry, will see the benefits of this project come rolling in as early as September 2008 when the first booked conference for the International Association of Women’s Police Conference is held. This conference alone will attract 700 delegates to Darwin for a period of six nights.
This is only a scratch on the surface of the tourism potential of this carefully and strategically planned project. Fifteen hundred seats could be filled with tourists and 4000 m2 of exhibition space could and will be filled with national and international business people presenting their wares. These business people and conference delegates will attend the conferences with their children and their spouses. The tourism industry will be a big winner in this project. It will add a new dimension to the tourism industry. It will create increased demand for airline, train and bus services and fuel new tourism developments. It will enhance the stay for visitors and tourists and build our reputation as the fantastic Destination Darwin.
This bustling waterfront and convention centre will act as a magnet and will draw people into the CBD to eat out, to take visitors and to shop. As stated on the web site, residents and tourists alike will move together between the waterfront and CBD. Easy pedestrian access will be provided, linking the waterfront and Smith Street with the Esplanade and there will be improved vehicle access with car parking exceeding Darwin City Council recommendations. This will not only attract tourists but it will turn our locals into tourists, encouraging us to explore our own doorstep for exciting prospects.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I know you would have been surprised if I had not mentioned during my last contribution in this sittings Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I am a very passionate supporter of the cause and the ladies of Dragons Abreast. Dragons Abreast compete all over the world, stemming from our own Territorian, Michelle Hanton’s great idea. Think of the possibility that, when our world-class convention centre and wave pool are completed, Darwin could host a World Breast Cancer Awareness Convention, and the thought that we could look out and witness, in a flash of pink, perhaps a world-class event in Dragon Boat racing for Dragon’s Abreast held in our own Darwin. Even more to look forward to would be a world medical convention exposing the cause and announcing a cure for breast cancer. We can only hope this will become a reality sooner rather than later.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the Chief Minister for her vision and strategic planning to ensure the tourism industry flourishes in to the future.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s ministerial statement on tourism. I put on the record my support for the magnificent efforts of the Chief Minister over the last four years in the tourism industry.
As we all know, and those involved in the tourism industry, when we first came to government in 2001, we were unlucky in the sense that a number of tragic events occurred which had a deep effect on the tourism industry throughout the world, and within Darwin. This presented us with many challenges and was difficult for small businesses, not only in Darwin but throughout the Northern Territory, and indeed Australia. The idea of assisting and investing in the tourism industry was tossed around by successive governments. However, it was done on scientific advice, developing a strategy which would suit the conditions in the Territory, being a very isolated place, but with many different and varying tourism items to sell. What we saw was the NT Labor government under the Chief Minister commit $27m to reshape the Territory’s tourism sector.
At the time I travelled to Brisbane and spoke to the Queensland government and public servants about what was happening in the Northern Territory. It was interesting to find that one of their concerns, which the Chief Minister addressed in her statement, was the fact that North Queensland for many years was seen as a seasonal destination, with a Dry and Wet Season like here. What they put to me was that they worked out that this was not the best way to sell North Queensland, particularly during the Wet Season. In an attempt to extend their tourism season they came up with an idea in the 1980s, and many may remember the slogan ‘Sunny one day – better the next in Queensland’, and they gave commitments to tourists that if it rained X number of days on their holiday over a two-week period they would reimburse them an amount of money. This encouraged people to travel during their Wet Season. In North Queensland, particularly Cairns, they are still affected by the seasonal tourism trade although it is not to the extent which we have seen in Darwin. I look forward to those efforts which the Chief Minister has mentioned in her statement about extending the period of time that people view the Territory as a good time to travel.
Tourism is very important to maintaining our small businesses and creating job opportunities. In fact, I see it as one of the major driving forces for future economic development and independence for indigenous people. We may travel all around the world and we often see the indigenous people, white, black, green or purple, in every country plying their trade in the tourism industry as people travel from overseas to participate in the local culture. The indigenous culture in Australia, of course, is world famous and at present, it is only my personal belief however, many of the indigenous people do not realise that people are coming to participate in their every day lifestyle, the good and bad of it, but particularly the side which involves dance, art, language and destinations.
I look forward to us as a government, and indigenous people in the future, investing in their own small businesses and in the tourism. At the moment, probably the biggest inhibitor to successful tourist opportunities is capital. I will give you an example: a Larrakia person came to me about 12 months ago. He is one of a few Larrakia people who still speaks his language and knows sacred sites within Darwin. He took me on this fantastic tour of sacred sites around Darwin as seen through the eyes of a Larrakia person. His plan is to try to develop a tour of Darwin. However, the biggest obstacle is getting the capital. One of the major challenges as a government is to provide support for indigenous people who wish to invest in tourism opportunities, develop their own business plans and their own mechanisms of getting capital. If we are successful at this, and the education process goes amongst indigenous people as to how important it is that people view their culture, their music and dance all around the world, this will not only create jobs, but also economic wealth. This should address some of the hardship problems that many indigenous people suffer.
Wherever you travel in the world, and if we take Bali for example, even with the tragedies that have happened, the Balinese people and their economy really rely on the tourist dollar. Remote and urban areas of the Northern Territory tourism can play an important part in improving people’s lives.
I am proud to be part of the government that pushed for the $27m to the tourism industry. I am also aware that of the campaign Share our Story and find it fantastic that the vision is to drive six key destinations - Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine, Tenant Creek, Alice Springs and Yulara. I have not yet made up my mind but I am looking forward to possibly travelling with the member for Macdonnell to the celebrations of the official handover of Yulara, which I know many those people never thought had left them. I have been there once before and it is a fantastic place to visit. I encourage every Australian citizen to take up that opportunity.
Another site is Kakadu which I have had many opportunities to travel, hunt, fish and visit over the last 20 years; it is a fantastic destination. Darwin is the place of my birth and the concept of what Darwin is all about, is what I try to live my life by. I like the campaign; we share the stories of these places through the words and views of locals, and that is the campaign we want to run. I understand that this campaign will be completed by June 2006 and that is a fantastic opportunity for the tourism industry.
The government’s key commitment to World Heritage listing for the MacDonnell Ranges is a fantastic step. It should be a World Heritage listed place, although as a Territorian who has been here all my life, I have not had the opportunity to visit the MacDonnell Ranges. Maybe now that the new member for Macdonnell is here she might take me around and show me the real MacDonnell Ranges. As we know, Kakadu and Yulara have World Heritage status and they attract huge numbers of domestic and international travellers, and I believe this will continue.
I welcome the $1.4m launch for the Destination Darwin campaign, which the Chief Minister says is relying on the pulling power of local identities such as Jimmy Shu, Greg Miles and Di Koser. I agree that Darwin is a youthful place, a multicultural place and I look forward to sailing the harbour with the big development down there. Lifestyle and gateway to Asia, Litchfield Park and Kakadu and Tiwi Islands really need to be sold.
I understand that all this work, according to the Chief Minister’s statement, translates to around 1000 visitors to the Territory, with the numbers sure to increase if the campaign continues in 2006. I encourage all members to welcome these visitors and encourage them to spend their money in the local shops and hotels. In this period of time, it is my understanding that the holiday visitations to the Territory rose by 22% compared with a 1% decline. Also, visitor nights rose to 20% compared to a national average of 0%. I understand that we have a real shortage of hotels at present and, no doubt, there are some big and small entrepreneurs out there looking at providing that extra accommodation.
In summary, Mr Deputy Speaker, I am interested in encouraging our tourism season, formerly known as the Dry Season, to be extended. We should be changing our language from Dry to Wet Season and encouraging everyone to come to the Territory at all times, and that at different times they will see different things. I look forward to Aboriginal people participating in tourism opportunities. I would like this government to continue to provide assistance in developing business plans and future capital to kick start these tourist opportunities. I believe this will truly create economic development.
I am very disappointed with the opposition’s contribution tonight. This is one of our largest industries. It has been a bit of a slapstick comedy, Laurel and Hardy effort by the Opposition Leader in her input into it. They are the opposition, they need to either be encouraging parts of the statement, or criticising parts that need to be improved. What we saw tonight was, unfortunately, what can only be described as a slag on the whole process of delivering these types of statements. I am very disappointed in that, particularly since the Opposition Leader has been involved in the debate and policy of tourism over the last four years. She was shadow minister when she first came to parliament, and tried to take up the fight for the tourism industry. Now, unfortunately, she is not offering any new ideas, which is very disappointing.
On a positive note, I thank the Chief Minister and all the members who have contributed to a magnificent statement. I look forward to growing the tourism industry.
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the statement on the Northern Territory government’s commitment to the tourism industry from the Chief Minister, as the Minister for Tourism. As the Chief Minister said, tourism is an economic good news story for the Territory, one that will create more jobs and sustainable business opportunities in the future. This is particularly the case for indigenous communities, as the tourism industry is one of the keys to improving the economic disparity in the Northern Territory. Aboriginal people clearly have competitive advantage in the area of cultural business, meaning the manufacture of arts and crafts and the provision of cultural tourism services.
As the Chief Minister said in her statement, the Northern Territory attracts spiritual travellers – people who are seeking journeys and want to learn from their travel experiences. In effect, many want an indigenous cultural experience.
In Central Australia, indigenous people have had a long history of involvement with the tourism industry. In general, this involvement has been passive; that is, they have negotiated lease-back arrangements like the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, or as major investors in tourism developments like Centrecorp’s major shareholding in Kings Canyon Resort and Mutitjulu’s ownership of Glen Helen Resort. These investments by Aboriginal people and their organisations have been fundamental to the development and growth of tourism in Central Australia. They have also provided opportunities for Aboriginal people to understand the industry, its limitations, and how we can gain greater economic benefit for Aboriginal people and their communities.
One of the major lessons learned from indigenous involvement in the tourism industry is that Aboriginal people need to use land rights and native title rights leverage to attract employment and training outcomes, as well as commercial concessions and profit sharing. In effect, we need to go beyond passive investment if we are to solve the unemployment and poverty crisis in our Aboriginal communities. In this respect, Gunya Titjikala stands as a beacon of what can be achieved. Gunya Titjikala is joint venture between Gunya Tourism and the Titjikala community. It is marketed as the ultimate, authentic indigenous experience. It is custom made and designed, and it offers experiences from Aboriginal art and culture, landscapes, bush tucker, to sharing cultural experiences. Guests stay in deluxe safari tents, perched on polished timber flooring two metres above sandy red dunes overlooking the Simpson Desert, complete with private en-suite. Patrick Yu of Sterling Estates wrote this testimonial after staying in Gunya Titjikala:
- It far exceeded my expectations - from the art, the dreamtime stories around the fire as well as the day trip with the traditional
owners to Chambers Pillar – it was awesome. And being a property developer myself I was very impressed with the
accommodation, but I wouldn’t call it a deluxe safari tent – it was better than that.
With such testimonials, you won’t be surprised to hear that the business is thriving.
Over the year or two that this venture has been operating, 55 Aboriginal people from Titjikala have been employed, earning real wages and taking pride in their endeavours. The good thing is that 50% of the joint venture profits go directly into the Titjikala Community Foundation to be utilised for improving health, education, training and school retention. But the critical ingredient to success of Gunya Titjikala has been the community and its leadership. I commended the Titjikala Council, the president, Mr Philip Wilyuka for his leadership and the guidance provided by the very competent Mr Harry Scott.
This government has shown a real strong commitment in selling Aboriginal tourism, not just in our own country, in Australia, but overseas, and has promoted the outback, the history and the heritage and the mystery of the Northern Territory to tourists who have travelled outside Northern Territory and Australia. It is very important that we talk about the economic growth that tourism brings to the Northern Territory, especially for indigenous people. This government has embraced the different cultures, and that is when I say that it sells the different cultural mysteries to other people, to encourage other people to come in to the Northern Territory and embrace us as Territorians and enjoy our culture and heritage, and they can all enjoy that.
As the member for Macdonnell, I would like to say that the West MacDonnells is the heart of Albert Namatjira country. I acknowledge the Chief Minister’s commitment to indigenous tourism.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement on the government’s commitment to the Northern Territory tourism industry. Hearing the other speakers tonight prompted me to say something because there are many exciting and innovative tourism projects throughout my electorate of Goyder. I am very proud of what they are achieving there.
I live at Wagait on the Cox Peninsula. The Mandorah area is a burgeoning area for tourism has much potential. The sealing of the new road will open up the whole area. We will have a lot of tourism coming that way. Steve Brown, manager of the Mandorah Hotel, tells me that 35 000 visitors annually visit Wagait Beach and Mandorah. With the sealing of the road we can expect that to increase to somewhere near 40 000 in the coming year.
As many people know, this is an exciting place. The Kenbi Dancers perform regularly at the Mandorah Beach Hotel. In fact, I saw them there today. My colleague, the member for Nelson, would be very interested to know that they were at the Holiday Inn today performing about 8:30. They dropped in to see us during Question Time; they stuck their head in the door and had a bit of a look. That is another tourism venture, an indigenous tourism venture, which has really taken off. They have a booking tonight on one of the harbour cruises and there are a couple of other things going on. They are just about booked out all the time. I am trying to organise something for them myself but to get them to come along to anything at the moment is pretty hard.
I was very pleased when the member for Daly spoke about the Litchfield Loop Road and the $22m that the government has committed to that. It is great news and it is great news for my electorate too. People at Berry Springs are very excited about it. They keep asking me when it is going to happen. There are a number of little bed and breakfast enterprises, things like that, proposed throughout that area and it looks like giving them a boost. They are going to be on the map as far as Territory tourism goes and that will be a critical part of that whole loop road.
While I am talking about the Litchfield Loop Road and Berry Springs, you cannot go past the Territory Wildlife Park. The Wildlife Park is getting some extra funding in this budget for upgrades which is exciting news. The government is committed to seeing that area and the park grow and prosper and become part of the Territory’s tourism industry. I am excited when I hear about the Berry Springs Primary School’s involvement with the Territory Wildlife Park. There is a good association there. It is good for our kids to learn about and be part of that area with the tourists, and it is really a engaging way for them to learn.
Another area as we move in to town a bit, and which the member for Nelson is possibly going to mention as he had a big involvement in, and the government had a very big involvement in, is the World War II Airstrip at Strauss. We are very proud of that and you cannot go down the highway without missing it. The cut-outs of the planes there really do attract tourists. As I was driving past the other day I saw a number of tourists moving in and out of that area and people are very keen to engage in the display there and find out a little bit about the World War II history.
I go back to Cox Peninsula. We have the B27 Bomber there, and there is a lot of history on the other side of the harbour; there were World War II air connections there, and that is really good tourism value.
The Windows on the Wetlands is another great facility in my electorate and one that the government is supporting strongly. I recently at the Humpty Doo Rice Fields Opening and that really did open my eyes. I had forgotten about that project, it has almost slipped back, but the government has invested in and put a display out there so that we can all engage in the history of that place and the history of that project, and that was really good.
The minister for Business, the member for Wanguri, came out with me recently, about a week after as a matter of fact, and had a look at the place. I am sure he was very impressed. He could see the potential for tourism and spin-off ventures there. He was quite engaging with the staff and the people there. There was a young indigenous lady who has been taken on as a trainee there. She is part of the Kenyon family on the Humpty Doo Station, and is going to be an integral part of that Windows to the Wetland. That is a great display and it is improving all the time. Schools rely on it very much.
The Adelaide River Jumping Crocodile cruises and the tour cruises up and down the Adelaide River is great stuff.
Mr Wood: The fat crocodiles.
Mr WARREN: The fat crocodiles. Well, let us hope they are still jumping and they do not get too overfed.
Let us not forget the local visitors who come to the Dry Season activities such as Fred’s Pass Reserve. We keep talking about interstate tourists, however, let’s not forget our own tourists. Many people come to that and it is a good boost for the rural area.
I cannot resist talking about The Ghan as I am very proud of my association with the Darwin to Alice Springs Railway. The Ghan is another great achievement by this government and a credit to the Territory. Also in my electorate is the Darwin Harbour and the fishing and tourism industry associated with that. It is all great stuff and very pleasing.
I commend this NT government. I can talk on and on about the tourism benefits to my electorate of Goyder, however, I really did want to thank the Chief Minister for her statement. I commend this government for its commitment to building a strong and sustainable tourism industry.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I want to say two things at the outset. The first is that those Outer Darwin signs are still there; I hope one day they will come down. Secondly, I hope one day we can also look at putting a tourist information centre on the corner of the Arnhem and Stuart Highways, possibly on Sattler Airstrip. The one at Katherine is very popular, however, there is need for one at that point. It is where people go to Kakadu, Darwin, or Litchfield, and there is an opportunity to put one there or help someone from the private sector to put one there. You are right on a historical airstrip. There is room at the old weigh bridge site - they never used the weigh bridge, they put exits and entrances on to the highway – there is real potential for a tourist information centre at that site. People coming to Darwin can get the information before they arrive, and they can also decide when they are going down the track whether they go to Kakadu, Litchfield or Cox Peninsula. The Outer Darwin sign, I suppose, will be there for a fair while as long as the pamphlets say Outer Darwin. One day they might say The Litchfield Shire Tourist Area – that would be nice.
I want to talk about local tourism, and the member for Goyder has raised a number of areas I also support. The reason I am raising local tourism is, whilst you can have your big pictures like the Litchfields, Kakadus, and Nitmiluks, you can also have a tourist package which includes a lot of little sights. Sometimes those small tourist attractions are just as important as the big ones. I have said before that Litchfield Shire, which I am mainly talking about here, has the opportunity for that to happen.
The member for Goyder mentioned Strauss Airstrip. To me, it signifies how important World War II sites are and since those cut-out aircraft have been put there, as well as the information site, it has certainly picked up in tourism. I heard today, and I am happy to be corrected, that the Commonwealth paid for some of that; it was not just the Northern Territory. I might be wrong, but I was told that was exactly what happened.
There are plenty of other World War II sites, the member for Goyder mentioned over at Cox Peninsula, and I notice the minister for NRETA has mentioned that there is now a site near the corner of Lambrick Avenue and the Stuart Highway which is declared a World War II heritage precinct. I have to make the effort to see exactly where it is. I think it has something to do with an army hospital which was there during the war. There is still a lot of potential to use our World War II sites.
Within Litchfield there are plenty of attractions. You can go out to Kakadu and see the birds and all the other wildlife, but you can go to Litchfield and see Girraween Lagoon, McMinn’s Lagoon, and Benjamin Lagoon. Many people do not go to these little places which are just on our doorstep, within about half-an-hour or an hour of Darwin. If anyone goes to McMinn’s Lagoon - it certainly is drying up at the moment - I can guarantee that there will be stacks and stacks of wildlife down there; birds everywhere. It has facilities where you can sit and have a picnic, or just sit under the shade of a tree and look at all the birds. It is a great spot. It is not promoted as well as it should be.
There are many other attractions, even the Darwin River Dam. The member for Goyder mentioned Windows on the Wetlands and the jumping crocs. Black Jungle is an area that has been protected for a long time. How many people have been there? I have been there once …
Ms Martin: I have.
Mr WOOD: It is not a place you can …You would get there, Chief Minister, it has all the ‘lations down there ...
Ms Martin: Absolutely!
Mr WOOD: That is right. However, it is not a place people know much about. Admittedly, there is an endangered species there. Whether there is potential for walks through there with a few more signposts, I do not know.
We have things such as the Shoal Bay Boat Hire. People can go to the mouth of the Howard River. The problem there, of course, is that there is not a decent road. I do not know how you going to fix that problem. They are connected by road that goes into Crown land, but it is not a gazetted road so the council does not want to maintain it. The government really does not want to maintain it, but we have a tourism opportunity there suffers from not having a formalised road.
It is a little the same with Leeder’s Creek boat ramp which is further up at Gunn Point. That road gets cut up a fair bit. In fact, the Army recently had its ASLAVs running up and down there. They would have worn it out a bit. That road can stop people going to Leeder’s Creek boat ramp because it can get too rough. The government should look at helping to get power to Leeder’s Creek boat ramp. They are about 7 km from the main powerline that used to go to Gunn Point Prison Farm. At the moment, they have to run their own generator. It is little things like that, that the government could help with from the tourism aspect, to improve these areas, to make it a little cheaper for them to operate.
I recently wrote to government about the possibility of putting power on to Hayes creek. Hayes Creek is 10 km away from the powerline. The letter I received said it will cost $250 000 for single phase, $500 000 for three phase; and to ring a number. The government, in some of these cases, could be proactive. People are willing to pay; they would just like that payment over a longer period. If places such as Hayes Creek and Leeder’s Creek get electricity, it reduces the cost of fuel, and makes it a quieter place. There is nothing worse than going out bush and hearing a generator going. It helps tourism. Places like Hayes Creek certainly fit a special niche in the market. You might say they are old-fashioned tourism. You do not get too many Hayes Creek anymore. Nowadays you go fancy hotels and motels. Hayes Creek is very different.
One thing I should say is that many people go to Gunn Point to go to the beach. It is getting busier and busier. Gunn Point beach actually seems to have no one in charge anymore. There is a lot of hooning there, and a fair bit of litter. It used to be a place you could go for a peaceful weekend and do some fishing. However, it seems to have become very attractive for people who like to go up and down the beach and do things that, I suppose, do not make it as attractive a place than it used to be.
We talked about the harbour. I still think the harbour is one of the great attributes of the Darwin region. I will say to this day that we should not keep mining the centre of the harbour. I just think it is the saddest thing. We had an opportunity to keep the harbour as a national park. I am not against development, but that should be essential development. The scraping of that land for extractive minerals is disappointing.
Be that as it may, I still think there is an opportunity for Wickham Point itself to be developed into a tourist resort. We have a multimillion dollar road going up to the LNG plant and it sits behind the hill there. I have asked before why there could not be a possibility of a restaurant built into the side of the hill right in the middle of the harbour. That is a piece of Wickham Point that is actually a conservation reserve. We have a public road going right up to Wickham Point. It will be sad if the public can only go up to the gate which says they cannot go any further. Looking at the sunset from the centre of the harbour, tucked into the hillside, is not something that is intrusive, although it probably would matter if you back up against that big tank. If you placed it amongst the bush there, and it fitted with the environment, I believe there is a great opportunity for potential development there. The centre of the harbour would be a beautiful place to have a meal.
We still have the old railway line. Occasionally, a railway bridge goes missing. The railway line itself has a lot of history. The member for Goyder reckons he has a promise from the government at the election that they will bitumenise some of the bike path from Palmerston to Howard Springs turnoff. That would be great because it has tourist potential. If we have a bicycle path all the way to Humpty Doo with lots of signage about when the railway was built, where the railway was used during World War II, that sort of historical information, people would enjoy a bike ride down the track, literally.
I also said at the start that I believe that you have to look at these little tourist sites in a loop form. You talk about the Litchfield Loop Road, and you talk about the Mereenie Loop Road. About two months ago, I went to Butterfly Gorge and the Douglas Hot Springs, Umbrawarra Gorge and the Flora River Nature Park. It was beautiful. They are the sorts of things that you do not want them to be too flash. You want them to still feel like the Territory. You do not want them overdeveloped. They are areas that should be part of a tourist package so that you can go to Umbrawarra one day, you can go to Douglas Hot Springs and Butterfly Gorge another day, and you can have a look at the development on the Daly or the Daly River. I know there has been talk about the possibility of a road looping round through the back of Umbrawarra Gorge and coming out down towards Katherine. I certainly would be interested in that, although I was told they were designing a road but the station owner told them it all went under water in the Wet Season; he asked why they are not following the high ground. I do not know what has happened to that, but, again, these are all little things that add up to big tourism.
I mentioned before about visiting Mt Todd. I think Mt Todd as it is, regardless of whether it is going to be opened up as a new mine, has potential for tourism. It has a fresh water lake at one end, it has lots of history and it is a big mine. You can certainly spend a bit of time there discussing how the gold was taken out of the hills, what went wrong with the mine, and what the government is doing to try and fix it up. Many people would be interested in that type of tourism.
When we are talking about local tourism, we should note the importance of developing our service industries. You can look at the many lagoons in Litchfield Shire, you can look at the World War II airstrips, but you have some great little places developing at Humpty Doo and Coolalinga and Howard Springs. Coolalinga has cafs, I think there is an e-caf being built at the moment. We have the Virginia Pub. That is a great little place to go. If you do not like pokies, that is the place to go because they do not have pokies. You can go to Howard Springs Tavern and they have takeaways. You can go to Humpty Doo; you have the Humpty Doo Pub and Humpty Doo Tavern. Noonamah has the Noonamah Hotel. You go further down to Litchfield Trading Post, the Litchfield Pub. There are places for people on the way round to enjoy a meal and to make a day of it. I believe that day tourism is something we need to push a little bit harder.
The minister mentioned the master plan. I know the master plan for parks belongs to the minister for NRETA, but it gives me an opportunity to say that I have seen the advertising for the master plan on television, but we recently had a public meeting at Howard Springs and very few people knew it was on. In fact, I rang up people because we were interested in doing something with Howard Springs, and if I had not rung up people I would say you would have had four people at the public meeting. The broad advertising is all very well, but when it comes to public meetings I believe you have to target it a lot better than it is.
I mentioned today about the feeding of the crocodiles, the Jumping Crocodiles. I was actually being serious there. That is one of the big tourist attractions of the Top End. I have spoken to people who are involved in that industry, and if too many players get into that industry there is a danger they could literally kill off that tourist attraction. People go out there to see crocodiles jump out of the water. If they just see their nose pop out and the croc is thinking ‘Oh well, I’ve had enough today’, that is not going to be the attraction that it needs to be. I would ask the Minister for Tourism to look at that, not because I want to see regulations, but in this case if there aren’t any regulations about, for instance, what size boat you can have, can you just go out there with a little tinnie with a few people in it and stick a rod off the edge and say ‘jump crocodile’. If something happens that is not going to be good for the industry. There needs to be, at least, some review of the jumping crocodile industry just to make sure it does continue and is successful.
We talk from time to time about the railway. I hope one day perhaps we might get a little train from Darwin to Katherine. I have mentioned it here before but I still think there is an opportunity for a small train to operate between Darwin and Katherine. I know it might sound pie in the sky, but if we don’t throw a few ideas up there to encourage alternative ways to travel then it is just the same old thing. We have the Adelaide River Cup, the Pine Creek Cup and the Katherine Cup. There are good opportunities for people to travel down by train. We have sporting teams travel up and down and it is a far nicer way to travel than in a bus or in a pokey, little car. You can walk up and down a train. You can enjoy yourself as you go. There is potential there, one day, for the government to either buy itself a motor rail and carriages and look at the opportunity, or see whether anyone would be interested in running a train from Darwin to Katherine.
The minister has spoken about the success of tourism in the Top End. I do not want to put a downer on it because tourism is a great industry. However, I have some figures here which make me wonder whether tourism is on a downer. I say that in relation to the number of people that are visiting our parks. Maybe this can be balanced against other tourism sites, I am not sure, but I have some figures that were given to me from the Estimates Committee this year and I will just read out a couple of parks.
The Mary River National Park in 2001 had 41 226 visits, and in 2004, it had 20 291 visits; Casuarina Coastal Reserve in 2001 had 1 171 883 visits, and in 2004 it had 938 968; Howard Springs Nature Park - as you know, Chief Minister, I am concerned that if we do not fix up the situation we will lose tourists and locals, and I thank the minister for NRETA for coming out last Sunday and she has promised that things will happen - but in 2001 it had 186 689 visits, in 2004 it had 123 237 visits. That is a big drop. Litchfield National Park, 274 067 in 2001, 251 887 in 2004, not a huge drop but it is tending to go down. Let’s look at a couple of other ones: Elsey National Park, now there is a popular park, 199 114 in 2001, 155 748 visits in 2004. Gregory National Park had 27 123 in 2001, 19 158 in 2004, again a drop. Emily and Jessie Gaps Nature Park are pretty popular parks - 56 534 in 2001 and a figure that might need a bit of adjustment, it looks a bit exact, 30 000 in 2004; that is nearly a drop of a half.
There are some more interesting figures here. According to this, Kakadu National Park had 197 527 visits in 2001, and 169 955 in 2004. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park had 394 315 in 2001, and 345 638 in 2004; a drop in both parks.
I would be happy if there was an explanation but I am told it means the number of actual visits; that could be buses, cars I would imagine. Perhaps that is the little rubber line that goes across the road as you enter the park. Whatever way you look at it, it appears that our parks are not being visited by the number of people that they used to be. The government should be asking why that is happening. Is it petrol prices; is it that people are not travelling there any more? Are they going to other sites that are far more popular, or more pleasant? Do they prefer a nice, comfortable motel rather than going out and getting hot and dusty at the Gregory National Park? I am not sure. It seems to be a fairly strong trend. There are a few parks that have gone up a little bit, but they are relatively small.
The Davenport National Park, which is one I would like to go to, had 648 people in 2001 and 1654 visits in 2004. It is a bit hard to say on those figures that there has been a substantial change upwards. However, most of the parks are either steady or going down. It would be good to see if your industry knows the reason for that happening. We do not want to have all these parks which we are developing – it is good that places like the Gregory National Park will become twice as big as it is today - it would be disappointing to see that these parks are losing the people that we need – the tourists – to visit them. I would be interested if you have any explanation as to why.
I thank you for the statement, minister. There are a few other things I would like to cover, but my time has run out.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank everyone for their contribution to this debate. Even though some of the contributions leaned towards the negative, most were very positive contributions looking at some of the micro details of how we build the tourism industry. I was delighted to listen to members contribute on a local electorate basis about some of the things which can be done. I believe there are great opportunities working with government, and also looking at private sector, local government, and non-government organisations, at how those opportunities can be realised. It is not only about government doing it. It is about where we can build growth in the tourism industry that private sector opportunities will be there.
Within government there are levels of assistance to develop businesses, to be able to put together the business plans, or assistance with finance. Government is a facilitator here and it is terrific to hear, whether you are looking at opportunities in the Daly, or the electorate of Macdonnell, or Palmerston or Alice Springs, that we have this tag of Share our Story and the stories are there. I know that there was some criticism, particularly from the shadow minister and the Leader of the Opposition about the Share our Story promotion. If you listened to what members had to say about the opportunities in tourism, it is about our story, it is about this unique Territory. While I can understand that the opposition will necessarily pick the negative comments about something like Share our Story it is disappointing not to listen to the positive ones.
Mrs Miller: It had nothing to do with being in opposition.
Ms MARTIN: There are - and we listened to the member for Katherine when she spoke. This is my chance to wrap up what you said. I listened to what you said. You said you want to be convinced. Well, we ran our Destination Alice Springs with that brand refresh ‘Share our Story’, and the response has been very positive. I believe that when you do have change there will be people who feel uncomfortable with it. However, we had to reach a new market, we had to reach to a targeted market, to be able to build our tourism numbers.
We are starting to see that happen and I am delighted that we have seen tourism numbers lift to the extent they have.
There are some sectors of our market, particularly our domestic market, that are strong. That is where we have been, in this uncertain world climate, putting our marketing dollars. That does not mean we are ignoring the international market and critical markets like the backpacker. The international market has been a tough one and access through airlines is another aspect of that. However, the lesson is that once you have an airline that disappears, as this market changes with the increase in fuel prices, with the greater competition happening with the budget airlines, with the shrinking of the number of airlines in the world, it is tough to get them back. We have realised that. It does not mean we are giving up. Malaysian Airlines was looking to start next year, but that is not going to happen. There are a number of factors to that. It does not mean Malaysian will not, as the market picks up and they restructure their operation, and maybe the pressure goes from fuel prices. They see Darwin as an important market for them. Circumstances at the moment mean that they cannot start a service in the next six months, but we are working with them and we are confident we will get a good result in the future.
It is not as though we are only working with one airline. When it comes to the international market, we are working with a number. We will keep doing it. Rebuilding and expanding airline links is about persistence and hoping that, as we build the Territory economy, and see more business people wanting to travel from the rest of the world to the Territory, and build tourism numbers, then airlines will know there are opportunities in the Territory. It is a tough market, and I cannot come in here and say we have had outrageous success. We will keep on stepping through everything we have to do to get more airline capacity, particularly internationally airline capacity, into the Territory.
While we are looking at new markets and new airlines, we are certainly also working with the existing airlines we have. I am delighted at being to being able to talk to Royal Brunei, get them to Darwin and talk about how they can, with us, build their capacity and their services and get better links into the European market.
Another aspect of the tourism market that is not as easy to work with as it used to be is the backpacker market. It has challenges, not just here in the Territory, but around Australia. The kind of people who are backpackers has changed, and we have to look to how we can re-engage with that backpacker market. We are working with the industry to produce an action-based development plan to take account of the changes we are seeing in the backpacker market. We will work with the industry to look at what new products the backpacker market is looking for. When you consider the backpackers and what the profile of the Territory is in tourism, you think there would be an instant meld. We have to look at why that is not happening so much anymore. Those initiatives are under way and we will continue to tackle and do the research with focus groups and the other things we need to do to better understand how to encourage more backpackers into the Territory market.
The drive market is another. We have seen an increase over the 2004-05 year of 16% in market. That is at a time when fuel prices have been increased. We know that there is concern about the impact of the high fuel prices on our market. If you going to talk about where you should have the foot taken off, it is the federal government. It is all very well to sit in this parliament and ask why the Territory government is not putting $25m into a fuel subsidy like Queensland. There are historical reasons for the fuel subsidy in Queensland. No other state has a fuel subsidy. If you look at who has the capacity to actually do something about the prices of fuel, it is the federal government. As the Minister for Business and Economic Development and Regional Development said, $13.6bn is the surplus for the federal government, and most of that - $13.2bn - is what they collect in the fuel excise. It does not take rocket science. John Howard, take your foot off and give us a break on the excise - the tax - you charge on fuel, and places like the Territory will see an easing off of the high cost of fuel.
One of the things we did learn about fuel from Tom Parry’s report was that the Territory market is slow to increase prices when it will increase much faster interstate, but we are also slow to have them come off. We are starting to see some of that decrease in the fuel price, but not as fast as has happened interstate. If we watch, in another month if there has not been another Cyclone Katrina or Cyclone Rita, and if the situation in the Middle East stays relatively stable, we will see a greater capacity to refine oil, and maybe our fuel prices will come down. They are down interstate - not down to where we would like to see them, but certainly a lot lower than they are here.
A specific issue raised by the member for Braitling was the Japanese charter flights into Alice Springs, and she asked if it was a good time to be bringing Japanese tourists into Alice Springs. It happens that that is the peak travel time for the Japanese market. Rather than saying do not come to Alice Springs, and I am sure you do not want us saying that, we are encouraging the Japanese market to think about December/ January in Alice Springs. The itinerary takes account of the fact that it could potentially be 40+ as you would expect in December/January. If we manage it well, there is no reason why we should not be encouraging the Japanese market to not only look at winter but summer as well. We are hoping that the time spent in Alice Springs will be a good boost for the Alice Springs economy in December and January. We will continue to do that. If you can fix the Alice Springs weather and make it a little cooler during the summer season, we could see a boost in tourism!
It is the same thing that we experience with Darwin and the reluctance that many travellers have to come here at this time of year. If you look at this time of year, it is glorious. Looking out over the harbour today, with the rain and the greenness, and the poincianas flowering and the harbour looking stunning, we really have to manage to sell Darwin and the Top End at this time of the year.
I listened to the member for Daly talk about the glories of some parts of his electorate, and even though it is hotter, these are the times you see so much activity and it is so beautiful. We have to be able to do that in the marketing sense, to say, ‘Okay, it is a little bit hot. Singapore is hot all year. It is a little bit hot here, but look at what you can see, look at the experiences you can have that are simply not there in the Dry Season’.
There is much more I could say about the contributions made to the tourism statement. I am very proud that we have a tourism industry that is growing. It has been tough, but the additional marketing dollars have seen us able to reach areas that have been productive. If you look at the impact of things like The Ghan, the cruise ships and the impact of the marketing dollars we are spending, the numbers are growing into the Northern Territory. The new brand refresh ‘Share our Story’ is particularly targeting those travellers who want to have an experience. We welcome everyone to the Territory, of course, but if we are looking at specifically those who want to have a Territory experience, the environment, the culture, then we will continue to target what we are calling ‘a spirited traveller’.
You can be a spirited traveller if you are 10, or you can be a spirited traveller if you are 85. It really is about what we offer, how we engage travellers, the point of difference in coming to the Territory that you will not experience anywhere else. We Territorians are great ambassadors. Sometimes we let ourselves down. You hear people say, ‘Oh, you are very brave to come here in October’, or, ‘Do you really want to go to Alice Springs in January’. We have to be much more positive. We have to be saying there are unique experiences whatever time of the year you come. Look at the advantages of coming in the shoulder season, October/November/December, here to the Top End and the delights of Alice Springs in January. I hope the flies have gone, member for Braitling. Have you got rid of the flies yet? Last time I swallowed many. I know it is a fact that it was not cold in the winter and that they bred early, but some of those flies were a bit of a challenge.
Mrs Braham: They get in your eyes and nose.
Ms MARTIN: Yes, it was lovely, walking around the Todd in the morning, you had to try to keep your mouth closed so you did not swallow those tiny little flies. The Alice Springs people have the nets on; they are tackling it very well. It was only we visitors who were sprung and surprised by the flies. It is a unique part of the Territory and we have to celebrate it.
We are absolutely committed to growing the tourism product. This is about economic opportunity, this is about jobs, particularly in our regions. When you look at what people come here to the Territory to experience, it is so much the indigenous cultural experience. In saying that, thereby is the opportunity for economic development in regions like the Daly, and Hermannsburg. We are leveraging that with our infrastructure developments and there really are great opportunities for growing jobs - sustainable jobs in regional areas - which will certainly build the tourism experience.
It is a most exciting time in tourism. I really am very pleased to be the Tourism minister. I believe that with tourism working more closely with our economic driver portfolio in DBERD we will really start targeting some of that development, doing the work on the ground. Our indigenous communities want to be involved. There is real excitement, real looking for opportunities and jobs in the community. It is a very bright future that we have. It is an exciting future. It is just getting everything together and making it happen.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
GENERAL BUSINESS DAY
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Chief Minister, I nominate Wednesday, 30 November 2005 as the next day on which precedence will be given to General Business pursuant to Standing Order 92.
SPECIAL ADJOURNMENT
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly at its rising adjourn until Tuesday, 29 November 2005 at 10 am or such other time and/or date as may be set by Madam Speaker pursuant to sessional order.
Motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Madam Speaker, last weekend I was pleased to attend the Northern Territory Media Awards presentation dinner. As in the past it was a very well attended, well put together event. I understand that Lindy Kerin and Melinda James were the key organisers of the night. I congratulate and thank them and the Darwin Press Club for putting on an excellent event.
It was a fascinating night with guest speaker, Nicholas Rothwell, from the Australian entertaining the audience with tales from his vast experience in journalism. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Lorelei Fong Lim who did a great job. I congratulate her and all the nominees and the winners who were announced that night. They included Anne Barker for Best Radio Journalist; Amanda Morgan for Best Television Journalist; Sara Everingham of Alice Springs for Best Regional Journalist; ABC cameraman, Rob Hill, for Best Pictorial Category; Northern Territory Stateline team for Best Feature; the Marchbanks Award for Best Young Journalist was awarded to Bethany Jensen of Channel Nine. I would like to especially congratulate Karen Michelmore from Australian Associated Press for being recognised as the Territory’s Best Print Journalist, and also won the overall Journalist of the Year Award.
The Media Awards are a method of peer recognition of a job well done. I congratulate all winners and those who were nominated by their colleagues for their prestigious local awards.
As the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, I have the great honour and pleasure to be invited to attend many significant events in the multicultural calendar. One such event of great significance was the inaugural dinner of the newly formed Latino Association of the Northern Territory. I was invited by Mr Fernando Ragone, the president of this new association to this event, and I was very happy to be able to attend. I understand that countries which will be represented by the Latino Northern Territory Association include Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Columbia, Cuba, Costa Rica and Argentina. There were about 50 inaugural members who represented those Spanish and Portuguese communities. Those numbers are bound to increase as more Territorians become aware of the association.
To quote from Mr Ragone’s interview with the NT News,
We see the association playing an important role in helping our families to maintain their cultural heritage and values when
they are located so far from their birth place. Equally important, the association can be a vehicle for extended promoting
Latin culture within the Northern Territory community as a whole.
I thank Mr Ragone and his committee for taking the initiative to start this association. It is a wonderful sign that the Territory continues to embrace a cosmopolitan mix of communities. The committee members are Fernando Ragone, Cylene Baird, Susana M Cruz, Claudia Lucero-Acevedo, Diana Quinones and Maria Alejandro Ragone. The night was certainly one of great music and dance, and I wish the Latino Association of the Northern Territory all the very best.
As another example of just how well our multicultural communities work together, I would like to tell you about the Concert One that was held on Saturday, 15 October. Organised as a fundraising event by the Rotary Club of Nightcliff, this unique event was held at the Darwin Entertainment Centre. Unfortunately, there were so many things happening that weekend that not many were able to attend to support this event. Promoted as an artistic avalanche of contemporary and cultural music and dance, the concert featured the talents of musicians and dancers from a multitude of countries.
Singer Emina performed beautiful traditional pieces from Bosnia. Emina is Marijana Jeorder a wonderful local talent, has a beautiful voice and presentation. Percussionists representing India, Africa, Papua New Guinea and modern western music challenged each other initially coming together to perform a drumming event that had the audience clapping and cheering with its energy and foot stomping rhythm. Performers were Airi Phil, Vadem, Makam and Ram. Dancers showed off their high kicks in a French-style cabaret. Darwin Dance and Drama Academy performers included Shauna, Tash, Bell, Amy, Cathy, Jessica, Madeline, Danielle, Katrina, Glynis, Robbie, Nicole, Sarah and Louise.
One of the highlights of the concert was a dance challenge posed by a very athletic modern rap dancer to a traditionally dressed and equally athletic Papua New Guinea dancer. Contemporary Australian music was performed by Worldfly, a local band which recently won a national ASA Songwriter of the year award. Worldfly are Joh, Michael, Rebecca, Anne and Mark.
Other performers of traditional and modern dance and music were Stephen Jenes, Robert and Jennifer Geaney, Sonia, Sumesh, Sita, Isabelle, Shannon, Sophie and Mahalia. It was great concert with the proceeds going to help needy children. All performers volunteered their time. Nothing would have happen here in Darwin. We do not have the resources to do it ourselves so sponsors came to help the association and the Rotary Club. I would like to congratulate Sitzler, Medical Equipment Management, Darwin Entertainment Centre, NT Medical Imaging, Territory Care and Support Services, H & R Block, the Roma Bar, Northern Territory Essential Systems Service, Parap Veterinary Clinic, Channel Nine, Dr and Mrs Smarawickrama, HB Blocks and Pavers, and Browns Mart Community Arts Theatre. I congratulate and them for their continued support.
This weekend the Greek community in Darwin celebrate one of the more significant national days for Greece; 28 October 1940 is known as Oxi Day. The day is significant not only for the Greek people, but also all European people and for most people in the world, as that was the very first victory ever by a Western country against the forces of Axis. The years between World War I and World War II were years of change for the world and political turmoil. We saw the rise of Fascist and Nazi regimes in Italy and Germany, and similarly in Japan. Also it followed the invasion of China, Manchuria and Mongolia by the Japanese forces. They established the forefront of the empire they were going to establish over the next five years after World War II. In Europe, Italy attacked Abyssinia, and Germany annexed Poland and advanced to occupy France, Netherlands and the other countries.
On 28 October 1940, the Italian ambassador presented a telegram from the Italian leader, Benito Mussolini, requesting that the Greek forces surrender and allow the Italian forces to enter the Greek territory and establish bases thus preventing the English resupplying their forces in Africa. To his credit, the Greek Prime Minister - who himself was a fascist; he established a fascist regime in Greece in 1936 - refused entry to the Italian forces. The military headquarters in Athens fought in the beginning, will resist for a while and then capitulate as the Italian army was strong. Of course they did not take into account the will and resistance of the Greek people who on 28 October 1940 advanced to the Greek mountains in the North of Greece, the border with Albania , resisted heroically and within three months they turned the advancing Italian army and, in turn, the Greek army invaded Albania.
If it was not for the Nazi forces invading Greece from Bulgaria in April 1941, the Italians would have been completely routed and completely kicked out of Albania. At that time a significant force from Australia and New Zealand was in Greece helping the Greek army. With the surrender of the Greek Army in April 1941, the Australian, English and New Zealand forces withdrew and finally they stayed in Crete. They decided to defend Crete, as Crete was a significant and strategic island in the Mediterranean. The Germans decided to take Crete at any cost. They diverted their parachute brigades to Crete and of course in May 1941 the managed to occupy Crete. The problem was that Hitler delayed his invasion to Russia and also he destroyed completely this parachute brigade. They were actually defeated by the Australian, New Zealand, Greek and English armies.
28 October 1940 was the very first victory ever in a European front against the Italians and their allies. Justifiably, the Greek people celebrated. I have seen some of the old newspapers of the 1940s in the archives where they praise Greece and the Greek people for their resistance. I believe Winston Churchill said: ‘Until today, we said that the Greeks fight like heroes, but from now on we will say that the heroes fight like the Greeks’.
The Greek community in Darwin will celebrate this important day with a church memorial service and laying of wreaths at the Cenotaph at the Greek Church. On a personal note, World War II affected many Greek families. Quite a few Greek families still suffer from the effects; they lost fathers, mothers, and relatives. It is only 60 years ago. People may think 60 years is a long time but, in cultures and civilisations which go back thousands of years, 60 years is just the tick of a clock.
Also on a personal note, I recall that both my maternal and paternal grandmothers at the time were young women. They walked through the snow to the mountains - there were no roads - carrying ammunition to the Greek Army to resupply them, The Greek Army was ill-equipped; they did not have cars or equipment and they relied upon the bravery and generosity of the local people to get the ammunition necessary to defend their motherland against the invading Italian Army.
Finally, Madam Speaker, in the past few days I have been reading with great interest this book, The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery. I invite my colleagues to have a look at this book. We all know about the greenhouse effect, and of the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, but the way that Flannery puts it in this book, it is simple for everybody to understand. The history of the greenhouse effect and the future of our planet, if we do not change our habits, is quite horrific. This is the book which can turn your mind. Sometimes, you read books and they have a serious impact upon you. The funny thing is that the World Wildlife Fund sent me this book. However, I had already purchased it and read through half of it. It is scientifically based; and is not one of the books with a doomsday scenario. This is very well researched. Tim Flannery is a well-known environmentalist.
One of the things he says which really impressed me was that, after 11 September when the American Airline fleet was grounded for a number of days, the temperature of the earth increased. The reason for that is because, when the jets fly at high altitude, their exhaust creates a nucleus for clouds, and these clouds prevent solar energy reaching earth, thus the atmosphere and the air remains cooler. By removing the aeroplanes from the air, you remove the nucleus for the clouds and, immediately, the solar energy which reaches earth increases. As a result, the earth’s temperature increases - not significantly - but it is one of our human activities which generates an effect.
In a global sense it is small but, if you have a look at what will happen in an accumulative effect, you can see how significant it is. It tells how something that we do here will actually affect, let us say, the ice in the Antarctic and the Artic and how it diminishes the size of the ice cover and the effect it will have, and might have, on the Gulf Stream. Massive volumes of fresh water can change and stop the Gulf Stream.
In addition to that, some of the other effects and scenarios scientists have examined can have an enormous effect on our planet. It makes you think that unless we change the way we operate as humankind, the way we use our resources, and if we do not redirect our attentions to renewable resources, what we will we leave to our children in 50 years time, and our grandchildren. It is not going to be the earth as we know it today but a totally different place.
Flannery advocates generating power from the wind, solar power, and tidal power. He even advocates generating power through nuclear power. I urge you to read it; it is very easy to read very quickly. It makes really good reading, and it is one of the books which will change your mind about the earth. For example, the hybrid cars, the Prius or the Honda, by using that car you can reduce carbon dioxide emission by 70%. I am very pleased to say that I was the first minister to purchase two Prius car to try them in the NT Fleet. They had spectacular effects. They travel from Darwin to Tennant Creek with four people in it, and airconditioning, and they used only one full tank of petrol. I encourage my colleague, the minister responsible for the NT Fleet, to hold an evaluation of the NT Fleet. Why do we have to use 6 cylinder cars or big cars; why can’t we replace part of that fleet with some of the hybrid cars? If people in the street want to buy one, let us give them an incentive. Let us say, give them 50% discount on registration. We should encourage people to move away from their big, petrol-thirsty cars to something that is more efficient. A small action like that will benefit our planet.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I was very interested in the minister’s speech, in particular that book that I have read in relatively recent times. You mentioned the electric cars. I am happy to talk with you informally about this, but since you did mention it, I wonder what is happening with your electric cars? Somewhere in the deep recess of my mind I have a recollection that you announced, possibly 18 months to two years ago, that you were looking to …
Mr Vatskalis: We have six now.
Ms CARNEY: Oh, you have six?
Dr Toyne interjecting.
Ms CARNEY: I am happy to chat with these two gentlemen on the other side separately about it. I understood, minister, that you gave some sort of indication at least that NT Fleet vehicles would, over a period of time, be replaced with these electric cars. I would not have thought that there would be any objection whatsoever from any Territorian and I am right in the bunch as far as that issue is concerned. So perhaps, informally, you can let me know what the plans are. We do have an obligation to do what we can to save the planet, not to put too fine a point on it.
I now turn to the contents of my adjournment speech, which involves the Minister for Primary Industry and Fisheries. I simply rise tonight, Madam Speaker, to follow up on a question that was asked in Question Time yesterday dealing with conduct of the minister when recently in Indonesia. For the purposes of members present and others reading the Hansard, I will remind you what the minister’s response was to the question. He said:
Unfortunately the person providing the information …
… did not give the right information as that visit to the abattoir was not organised, it was not in our program, it was a last
minute arrangement by some members of the industry. No, I did not lounge in the hotel. I was taking part in Mining Indonesia
together with the people from the Northern Territory. You might as well ask people who were there, such as the representatives
of Bridge Autos as well as a representative of the department to find out why I spent four hours at Mining Indonesia, meeting
mining industry executives who where interested in the Northern Territory and Darwin as a supply base.
The minister went on to say that he did not go to the abattoir as it was not in his program and it was arranged at the last moment.
We have received some information which is contrary to the minister’s advice, and perhaps more so as a matter of courtesy, and I can do this in a number of forums but we thought that in the adjournment debate was as good a forum as any. I should stress, and I make no bones about stressing, that I have received information from a couple of people, and I preface what I am about to say on the basis that it is information from people. I do not just come into the Chamber, minister, based on stories floating around in the Territory. Having come from the legal profession, I well know what is gossip and what rates slightly above gossip. Please accept what I am about to say on the basis that I have very good reason to believe the people who are giving us this information.
I understand that the facts are these: that the minister was to go to the Bintoro feed lot, which is part of the Aust-Asia abattoirs near Jakarta. The visit was organised well in advance. Lunch was organised. There were also television journalists and news reporters present in anticipation of the minister’s visit. The advice that I have received is that the minister had purchased several allegedly pirated compact discs and that he was keen to listen to them. At the hotel he was staying at he met a very well known Territorian, as opposed to a prominent Territorian, and had various conversations with him and indeed, preferred to talk with him than go to the pre-arranged meeting at the Bintoro feed lot.
Clearly, Madam Speaker, you and others will appreciate that the minister’s version of events and the information that I have received are quite different. I simply ask the minister to, at the next sittings of the Assembly, whether it is in adjournment debate or otherwise, to advise us what the situation is. There are always two sides to the story. If the minister sticks to his answer of a day or so ago, then so be it. If he accepts the advice that I have received then that does, firstly I guess, reflect badly on him, but is also suggestive of the fact that he misled parliament. There is, minister, I suggest the opportunity for you to clear this matter up. This information is doing the rounds of Darwin, I can assure you, which no doubt is why it has come to me.
The minister can tidy things up, clarify it, by providing to the parliament, his itineraries, diary entries and other evidence of his attendance at Mining Indonesia at the time he was allegedly supposed to have been at the Bintoro feed lot. If the minister does not do that, and he may well be called upon by the media to do so, then the rumours will persist. I am sure you have heard of the rumours, minister, they really are everywhere.
I noticed with some interest the article in the Northern Territory News this morning in which, in the Labor way, the minister fought back. The defence was to attack and get stuck into various CLP ministers. Frankly, I did not even know who he was referring to; whether it was right or wrong mattered not in my view.
Mr Vatskalis: That was wrong, too. It was not me. Have a look at the Hansard.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms CARNEY: What did matter was whether the suggestion going around town that the minister not only misled parliament, but did not conduct himself well on this particular trip. That matters. So, it is a delicate matter. For the purposes of Hansard it is appropriate that I signal to those who will read the Hansard in due course, that I encouraged the minister to be here; I am not into stabbing people in the back. I thought it was appropriate that the minister listen to this adjournment speech. It is serious in the sense that I referred, earlier today, to the good governance document that the Labor Party relied upon before coming to power in 2001. They may not be sticking to what they said in that document, but the opposition certainly is. If we stand to be corrected, and the rumour doing the rounds in a number of quarters is wrong, I will accept that.
I look forward to the minister’s response in due course. I am sure he, perhaps more than anyone else, will appreciate why I have raised it in this way. I know you have spoken to one of my colleagues last night, but this is such a serious matter that I thought it appropriate to raise it and look the minister in the eye while I was doing so.
Dr TOYNE (Stuart): Madam Speaker, I just want to deal with a number of matters in my time, the first being to share with the House the outstanding achievements of Professor Kerin O’Dea in recognition of the contribution she has made to research knowledge in the Territory, and the leadership she has shown as the Director of the Menzies School of Health Research.
In June 2000, Professor Kerin O’Dea, a well respected, successful public health researcher, was appointed as Director of the Menzies School of Health Research. Much has happened since then. Through hard work and tireless commitment to organisational reform, the Menzies School of Health Research has flourished in the past five years and is now recognised as the institute at the forefront of Aboriginal and tropical health research in Australia.
Menzies’ success in attracting competitive research funding under Professor O’Dea’s leadership has been exceptional. In 2004, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s grant income was a record $10.6m which meant that for the third year in a row Menzies had earned over 50% of the total NHMRC Aboriginal Health Research funding. Professor Kerin O’Dea led a research team in a successful bid for a $7.1m program grant to assess chronic diseases in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. This was the largest single grant in Menzies’ 19 year history.
The personal achievements of Professor Kerin O’Dea have also been recognised nationally with her receiving an Order of Australia in 2004 for service in the areas of medical and nutritional research to the development of public health policy and to the community, particularly Aboriginal Australians, through research into chronic disease and prevention methods. She was also named as Northern Territory finalist in the Australian of the Year in 2005. Her contribution to the Northern Territory extends beyond the realms of Menzies. She has played a strong advocacy role for Aboriginal health on Northern Territory Health Advisory Council.
At the national level, Professor O’Dea contributed her public health skills on numerous committees, including Council Member of the NHMRC, member of the National Obesity Task Force, board member of Food Standards of Australia and New Zealand, and Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Australian Longitudinal Study of Woman’s Health.
Professor Kerin O’Dea indicated to me earlier this year that she would not be seeking re-appointment. The Menzies’ board is currently recruiting to the position. I am sure all of you will join me in acknowledging Professor O’Dea’s outstanding contribution.
I also want to acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by the staff of the Department of Health and Community Services in response to the recent bombing in Bali. As members will be aware, this tragic event sadly claimed the lives of 23 people, including four Australians, and caused injury to over 90 others. Whilst we were horrified by this act of terrorism on one of our closest neighbours, I am enormously proud and impressed by our various services’ response.
The Northern Territory activated the Region One Counter Disaster Response Plan calling into play major contributions from the Australian Defence Force, Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Department of Health and Community Services, Territory Housing, St John Ambulance, Australian Red Cross, Employees Assistance Scheme, Darwin Private Hospital, and the Salvation Army. Within a matter of hours of the incident our NT Emergency Operation Centre was fully functional and, through collaboration with the Australian Defence Force, NT Emergency Services and Royal Darwin Hospital, a retrieval mission was dispatched to Bali with four of our NT medical and nursing personnel. The Region One Response Group was readied with health, welfare and public health teams involving many staff from government and non government agencies.
Today, I wish to play tribute to the untiring efforts of so many Territorians all dedicating their time and expertise to ensure we provided the best response possible. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the professionalism and commitment of staff across the Department of Health and Community Services. Twenty-five innocent victims of Bali with serious injuries were treated at the Royal Darwin Hospital by one of Australia’s most efficient and proficient clinical teams involving doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, unstintingly and professionally supported by teams of our vital welfare, operational and administrative staff.
As with the tragic Bali bombing of 2002, and indeed with all of our excellent emergency responses over recent years, this was a whole-of-hospital and whole-of-service response, of which I am very proud. To name each of the people who made a contribution to ensure the outstanding success of this response would not reflect the spirit of the cooperation, humanity and goodwill, nor the effectiveness of their teamwork. This was not a response by individuals, but one of members of our Territory who each day play a vital and highly valued role in our community.
Last week I meet with many of the hospital staff who contributed to the emergency response. I was impressed by their manner in providing care and treatment to the victims of such traumatic events. The way they cope with such an experience, taking pride in what they do, and supporting each member of their team, reconfirmed to me what I already know. We have a health system of which I can be very confident and of which Territorians can be very confident.
I acknowledge the efforts of all people who made up those teams. I will read them into Hansard: the RDH management; Pathology Department; Emergency Department; Intensive Care Unit and High Dependency Units; Operating Theatres; Division of Surgery, 2A, 2B and 3A Wards; Division of Medicine, 4A and 4B Wards; Division of Maternal and Child Health; support services of the Social Work Department; Physiotherapy Department; chaplains; Radiology Department; Pharmacy Operations Department; switchboard; Engineering Department; Housekeeping Department; Central Sterile Supply Department - and I might say of the workers in that unit that I have never seen 20 people blush all at once, but when we visited there they were really pleased that their work had been acknowledged; Stores; Laundry Services; Catering Department; Clinical Photography Department; Media and Public Relations; NT Welfare Response Teams; the Mental Health Services; Family and Community Services; Employee Assistance Scheme; Territory Housing; Salvation Army; Red Cross; the NT Public Health Response Team; Environmental Health Team; and Public Health Team.
I thank each and every one of the members of those working units, both of the government and non-government organisations. It was a magnificent effort which earned us praise throughout Australia. It is another major sign that we are developing our health system forward.
Finally, I want to talk about a truly enjoyable trip I made last Saturday into my electorate to Yuendumu. I want to share with the House a very memorable event, which was the opening of the new Warlukurlanguartists’ art centre. I was involved in establishing Warlukurlangu artists in the early 1980s when I was working as the adult educator at the community. The new facility is a fantastic building built around the old existing arts centre. They have retained the front and side walls of the original building with all the murals which have been painted on there by artists, many of whom have passed away. They have become a Yuendumu heritage item. In behind that, they have built a fantastic gallery with office areas, preparation areas for the canvasses and paints, and big open outdoor areas for the artists to work in with shade - a far cry from the early facilities which we operated in.
Typically, the early production was done in abandoned houses around Yuendumu. The women started in one and the men, after they had finished painting the Yuendumu school doors which are now famous throughout the world as some of the early work of Warlukurlangu, moved into a staff house that I subsequently occupied with my family. We were like gypsies going around Yuendumu with very large bundles of canvas until, finally, we took over the old superintendent’s house which became the Yuendumu Adult Education Centre. That then became the centre of production of painting in the early days.
It has been a fantastic achievement to get that project together. I pay tribute to some of the people involved: Cecilia Alfonso, manager of Warlukurlangu Artists; Gloria Morales, assistant manager, and Jason Cotter, the art coordinator. They did a brilliant job, not only of getting the project together with artists, but also organising the opening. A highlight was that one of the coffee makers took their espresso machine to Yuendumu. It has taken 25 years, but I finally got a decent coffee at Yuendumu. It was a flat white to take away.
It was also great to catch up with the artists. The women danced to celebrate the opening of the centre. Amongst the men, with whom I am very good friends, were Shorty Jangala, Paddy Japaljarri Stewart, and Paddy Jabaljarri Sims. They are known throughout the world for their work. The women were Bessie Nakamarra and Judy Napangardi Watson. It was fantastic to see the group again out there having a great day.
I acknowledge Newmont Mining which contributed $100 000 towards the centre, ATSIS cultural branch in Canberra, the Centre for Appropriate Technology, in particular Ian Benjamin who helped with the design of the building, Frank Baarda who cashes the cheques for the Warlukurlangu artists so he is a bit of the engine room day to day, and Helen Juttner from the Yuendumu Post Office. The Northern Territory government put in $24 000 to this project out of our Arts and Museums funding.
It was a pity in some ways - the federal government contribution was certainly acknowledged but we were really hoping Nigel Scullion would turn up so we could talk about other matters with him as well as the federal involvement in the arts centre. Be that as it may, it is great that the feds got in and helped the artists set this up.
This was a substantial project. The artists raised dollar for dollar for any contribution that was put in by the governments. That is a sign of the ongoing strength of the cooperative and the fact that they are very keen to continue to invest in the assets and the infrastructure that support the production of the art. It was fantastic also to see all three working generations out there all involved in the celebration, all involved in the art. Young kids only up to your waist, joining in with the dancing and seeing their mothers, their parents, their grandparents all involved in this work. It is not only a fantastic income for the community, it is also a great way to revitalise culture into the next generation in a way that is very appropriate to Warlpiri people’s position within the general society. They are earning good income out there. It is a good, stable project which is well run, unlike many places around it where Aboriginal art is often exploited by the art market and by individuals.
In fact, this very day when I made the statement on indigenous consumer affairs, one of the key national priorities in the Indigenous Consumer Affairs Strategy is to help indigenous people protect their rights and interests. The art market can often be very predatory and insensitive to their needs and to their culture. Here is a shining example of a group that has maintained a strong commitment and a disciplined approach to the business that they are running over a period of 20 years.
Good on them. It is a big step forward. I wish I had those facilities 20 years ago when we were working on the early stages of the project, but then pioneering is always a lot exciting in its own way, so it was just fantastic to be part of that stage in my career.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, I was really pleased today to see that members of this parliament supported Breast Cancer Month with their pink whatever they wore. It is particularly important to me because I have been touched by breast cancer. I wear this silhouette here in memory of my mother who died, and I wear the ribbon in support of my niece who is a survivor. You can see the difference in the two generations of how they approached breast cancer. My mother was that generation that really did not know very much about it, there was not that awareness-raising within the community, and by the time she had enough courage to go to the doctor about the lump in the breast, it was too late. Whereas my niece, who was in her early 40s, found the lump, went quickly, has been treated and we hope that she has survived quite well.
It is one of those diseases that seems to be on the increase in Australia. It is on the increase amongst indigenous women. I do not know whether that is because more indigenous women are taking advantage of being screened, and more of them are being screened so we know that. Some of the results show that it is a worrying trend and we really should make sure that all women, no matter where they are, whether they are in remote communities or otherwise, get in and have their screen because it is the only way we are going to catch it early enough for treatment and with some success. Twelve thousand women each year are diagnosed with breast cancer and the number is increasing - it may be that the awareness has been highlighted or because the disease is increasing.
We do have a number of community groups who are doing a fantastic job about breast cancer in the Northern Territory and I want to acknowledge some of the work they do. The Pink Silhouette reflects the focus that these groups have on the woman, not the disease. It is very important that we remember it is about a woman. In the Territory, we have the Dragons Abreast in Darwin; in Alice Springs, we have Bosom Buddies; and we have the Breast Cancer Network. There was a huge impact when they formed the silhouette on the Melbourne Cricket Ground; 11 500 women wore pink ponchos and 100 men. We must not forget that there are some men who get breast cancer and they need support as well.
This magazine is put out by the Breast Cancer Network Australia. They are a tremendous organisation which gives a lot of support to women. They also have My Journey Kit so that if you have been diagnosed with breast cancer this particular kit gives you all the information you should know to assist and support you while you are going through the treatment, and particularly your family. Sometimes we forget that families also silently support the person who has breast cancer and need to have that support themselves as well.
The display they did at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was visually stunning and I was very pleased that my niece had participated. She is taking this in her stride. I just love the story: she has three young teenage boys, and when she did find she had a lump in her breast, her husband was on the bed with her feeling the lump, and her boys came in from school. They looked at my niece and her husband together and immediately said to their father: ‘What are you doing, you dirty old man?’, and it was just that instant response that she was then able to say to them, ‘Come and feel my lump’. Of course they just closed ranks around their mother. When her hair fell out, and she had beautiful long, black hair, they shaved their heads too and would walk beside her so proudly, looking at people as though to say: ‘Don’t you dare say a word to my mother; we are here to protect her’.
It is that support and strength. They needed also to know what they should do. They also needed to know what it was all about and what was happening to their mother and how they could assist her in the best way. So when you have a family that has been impacted as much as mine you are very aware that there are a many women who need a tremendous amount of support.
I believe you are doing The Field of Women on Sunday in Parliament House which is great. We are doing it on Monday on the John Flynn Lawns in Alice Springs. I urge all members from Alice Springs to be there to support The Field of Women.
The Lymphoedema workshop with Professor Piller is also occurring in Alice Springs and Darwin and I must commend the Minister for Health for assisting the Dragons Abreast, the Breast Cancer Network and the Bosom Buddies to get this specialist along to speak to women.
The forum I attended put on by the Breast Cancer Network Australia had Raelene Boyle as a speaker and when you get someone who has experienced breast cancer, a high profile person like that who can share her experiences with women who are also survivors, it has a special feel about it. There was a tremendous feeling of warmth and friendship at that particular forum. I just hope that we can continue to have this emphasis within the Territory because of the women who are behind it.
Leigh Hillman is now the Policy Manager for Breast Cancer Network Australia; many of us will remember Leigh. It was nice to catch up with her when she came to Darwin for that visit.
I want to make special mention of Bosom Buddies in Alice Springs. They are tireless advocates for women with breast cancer and they constantly come in with their concerns. They raise concerns about the PAT scheme and whether they would be able to go to Adelaide if the radiation therapy unit was in Darwin. They talked about the pressure bandages that they were not able to access that were available to women in Darwin. They are a great bunch, and they really do get behind everything. You have to remember these women are survivors. That is what so special about them.
We worry that we are not getting enough access to breast screening in Alice Springs. The two-yearly screening program is available in every state and every territory, and we would just like to have perhaps a little bit more than we do in Alice. The member for Macdonnell would agree with me that the mobile unit has not been a great success because of the roads it has to travel on in the Centre. If we can have a program where we bring in groups of women from different communities to Alice Springs at the time for breast screening then we would probably cover more women than we are actually catching at the moment. It is badly needed.
All members in the House could become members of the Breast Cancer Network and get on their mailing list. They produce a magazine called The Beacon. They have produced the My Journey Kit. As you can see, it has many brochures which deal with different aspects. The national body is a good lobbying group to make sure matters are raised. The My Care Kit is another kit which contains a Berlei bra and the soft forms that are needed so a woman can go out and feel quite comfortable. I can always remember that my mother was most uncomfortable without her prosthesis and most uncomfortable with it. She never came to grips with the fact that maybe she needed more support and counselling when she had a mastectomy. There is also the Friends of the Network.
It is one of those unfortunate diseases that affects many of us. I am pleased that governments across Australia are recognising the importance of assessing women. It is very important that we try to keep up the research to see if we can find an answer. It is a shame that we know more and more people who are affected in some way by breast cancer whether it is someone you know, or someone in your family, or a friend of a friend. The increased incidence is quite worrying for us all.
Most of all I congratulate all those women out there who are part of the organisations which provide the support in the community for women when they are diagnosed with breast cancer. I commend them for their efforts. I urge all members to be actively involved in these particular groups.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, first of all, I would like to talk about what happened this afternoon in regards to the member for Johnston. It was very despicable of the man to raise an issue in such a mocking way. Politics is politics and we have to tough it out with the argy bargy of debate. You cannot use information that is totally incorrect, and in such a way that it becomes practically misleading. You cannot use information that you get from a web site. Using that type of technology means it has to be current information which is up-to-date. That is what happened 60 years ago. It makes no sense. To then rely on that information and pursue, in a mocking way, to try to diminish another person’s argument is where I felt it was very unjust. If the minister has an issue to raise, that is fine, we will cop it sweet.
As we all know, you cannot compare the Darwin of 1946 with the Darwin of today, and say that Darwin has nearly 100 000 people and, therefore, the conclusion is that there were 100 000 people 60 years ago. That was not the case. That was why I was attempting to stop the minister going down that path.
As regards leaving the village, most of us did. Most of us grew up and left our own villagers. Many of us who live in the Territory left their own villages. Did I grow up in a village? Yes, I did, as did many other members in this room. They have left their villages, become educated, gone elsewhere to improve their education, broadened their view of the world, their capacity to perform intellectually, physically, and in any way they choose. Some choose to return, others do not. Others continue to do other things in the way they feel they can contribute.
It is a pity that the member for Johnson’s behaviour is very much like a bully. Last term, he bullied my colleague, the former member for Macdonnell, John Elferink. He drove him to the extent that it nearly got to fisticuffs. The former member for Macdonnell is gone so I am now the target. Hey, bring it on! If you want to bully me, that is fine. Many have tried. I have grown up as a racial minority all my life; I know what it is like to be derided, teased, and bullied. That is not an issue.
That man is a bully and really, that is the problem. He will continue to be like that; you can never change a leopard’s spots. That is what he will be. He tried desperately hard since the last election to change, but he just cannot help himself. Less than six months, and away he goes. I am sure he will try to control himself again for a little while but, sooner or later, he is going to break out again. I hope you have counselled him, Madam Speaker, because that man does need a fair degree of counselling.
Now to other matters which I believe are more important. Yesterday, I spoke about a friend of mine who passed away last week. Strangely, he was the third of three prominent Central Australians who have passed away within a space of about 10 days. I was absent, but a Condolence Motion was passed for a former member for Alice Springs in this place, Mr Rod Oliver.
I knew Mr Oliver very well and served with him on the Alice Springs Town Council for some six years. He was also a general practice patient for many years until I gave up general practice. He was the first to pass away, soon to be followed by Mr Barry Bohning, whom I wish to speak about tonight. Within days after Mr Bohning - in fact, I think Mr Bohning died three days after Mr Oliver - Dr Law passed away. Maybe Dr Law had a premonition because Barry Bohning had been to see him at his ophthalmology practice two days before Barry passed away. Dr Law mentioned that to his receptionist. He said: ‘You know, Rod Oliver has passed away, now Barry Bohning. I wonder if there is something there’. And then Dr Law passed away.
Barry had been a long-time Central Australian. I have some eulogies that were read out at his funeral service in Alice Springs, and there was an editorial written in the Centralian Advocate on 4 October this year about Barry. Barry was born in Tasmania and moved to Central Australia when he was eight years old. I understand that the Bohnings then owned Helen Springs Station near Tennant Creek, where Barry grew up and worked on their property as a stockman, and then later on went to Kurundi Station south of Tennant Creek where he worked as a stockman. He loved to ride a motor bike and became a motor bike mechanic in Alice Springs. He drove trucks, rode horses and was known generally as a knock-around bloke.
He came to work at the Alice Springs Hospital, initially as a groundsman, and ambulance driver, and then graduated to become the boss of the technical services area. I remember, when I first met him in the early 1980s, he was working in the plaster clinic in the area we now call outpatients and emergency. He was the technician who was in charge of all applications of plaster of paris on people who suffered from fractures and the like. He was also an ambulance driver and did all the work that was required of him at the hospital. He used to come along and help out with patients as well in the capacity as an orderly. We do not call them orderlies these days, we call them PSAs now.
Barry met his wife, Peggy, who was born Jessie Margaret McNicol, at the hospital. She was a midwife who was trained in Bendigo. She used to play the organ at the Uniting Church. Unfortunately, Peggy suffered from cancer and passed away a few years ago. It was tragic: not only did Peggy suffer from cancer, but when Barry found out that he had lung cancer he also discovered that his daughter was suffering from cancer. It was just tragic that all three members of the family had to deal with cancer around the same time. Peggy died in 1998. His daughter, Gail, died before Barry did. It was quite traumatic for him and he struggled to recover from those two losses – if he ever got over those losses at all. Barry and Peggy also had two sons, Kim, who now lives in Perth, and Nick, and grandchildren, Patrick, Megan and Jessica.
Apart from his long-term service at the Alice Springs Hospital – he served at the hospital for 42 years – Barry’s other great love was the Central Australian Show Society of which he was president for some ten years. He loved the show society. He loved Blatherskite Park and what he did for Blatherskite Park was so significant that they named the main oval after him calling it the Barry Bohning Oval.
Those were the two significant things that Barry contributed to Alice Springs. Apart from the friends that he made in the 42 years of service at the hospital, he knew just about everybody in Alice Springs because just about everybody would have gone through his hands at the Alice Springs Hospital.
I recall the time when he was working as the orderly, not only was he called the plaster technician he was also the person who handled equipment in the company of cardiologists and other medical specialists to perform stress tests on patients. He used to place halter monitors on patients so that they can go home and have their pulse or heart monitored by the halter monitors.
Many people spoke about Barry at the funeral. One of them was Barry Fernley, the hospital Chaplain, who met him when Barry was visiting the hospital when his daughter, Gail, was diagnosed with cancer. Barry got to know him reasonably well both through his regular visits and contact.
Barry had actually visited Rod Oliver in hospital as well. Ironically, Rod Oliver was also a past president of the Alice Springs Show Society. Barry lived in my electorate, in Giles Street, and I used to see him every so often while doing my letterbox drop or when I was doorknocking the street. He was a long time Country Liberal Party member. We used to briefly talk about politics knowing that he was not particularly well and he preferred not to be hassled by somebody talking about politics when all he wanted to do was sit down and rest and enjoy the rest of the day.
Barry will be really missed by Central Australians, by Alice Springs people. The show society will have a big pair of shoes to fill; even though he was retired a while ago his continued influence at the show society is evident year after year even as recently as the last Alice Springs Show.
I send my condolences to his family, his sons, one of whom still lives in Alice Springs, and his grandchildren. Barry will be remembered by Central Australians for a long, long time. I am glad that his name is permanently established in Alice Springs through the Barry Bohning Oval.
Mr HENDERSON (Wanguri): Madam Speaker, I was pleased to host an afternoon tea at Parliament House for the seniors of Leanyer and Wanguri during Seniors Month. Seniors Month is a great time to recognise and celebrate the contribution that senior Territorians make to our community. What made the event was a performance by - and I spoke about this band last night - the LeawanalaCombined School Band of Leanyer, Wanguri and Alawa Primary Schools. The seniors had a great time. Everybody was blown away with the performance of the band and a number of solo artists. To see primary school kids with such great command of their instruments was pretty amazing. I would also like to recognise again and thank the band coordinator, Daryl Trainor, who is finishing up at Wanguri School after 13 years, for assisting to put on the performance. It was a great performance and enjoyed by a large number of seniors from Leanyer and Wanguri.
The Annual Neighbourhood Watch Day was held at Wanguri Primary School on 18 September and it was a huge success with kids enjoying the face painting, and jumping castle. Paul was there with the sausages sizzling and Beat the Heat, the police drag car, was also there and attracted a very large crowd. It was a great day bringing together members of the community and importantly generating several new Neighbourhood Watch memberships. Many bicycles were engraved as well. Many thanks to Jeff Mosel and Geoff Pickering for organising the event on the day; they are a couple of police officers who do a great job in Neighbourhood Watch. Thanks also to my electorate officer, Jarna Neve, who put in a lot of hard work.
Dripstone High School held its annual sports day on 26 August. I had the pleasure of attending, and even had the chance to participate in the shot-put. Even though I put about eight or nine metres, I am not going to give up my day job and have to get in to a lot more training. It was a lot of fun. Dripstone High School has always had a high reputation for being a quality sporting school, however, it is also known as one of the most generous. Greg Cilento, who has been the physical education teacher there for a long time, is a great character who is well loved by students, and everyone involved at the school. He has had the ‘crop and colour’ day every year for the last few years with money raised going to various charities.
A couple of years ago, my colleague, the member for Casuarina, had his head shaved at Dripstone. I am not brave enough to do that as I am not sure whether mine would grow back! This year I agreed to have my hair coloured. It was on a Friday evening – as a St Kilda supporter, member for Nelson, the kids had one over me. The semi-final between St Kilda and the Sydney Swans was being played and all the kids were lined up, and I said I wanted my hair coloured red, white and black before the big game. There was no mirror there, member for Nelson, so the kids proceeded to do me red and white, Sydney Swans colours, and it was a couple of hours before I noticed. I have to get the kids back next year. As history would have it, the Sydney Swans won. I kept the hair colour up until about half-time. We were going badly, so I went and had a shower to wash it out and the Saints still could not get up - maybe next year. The kids at Dripstone had some fun at my expense and I have to find a way to get them back next year.
Later that day, Dripstone put on its famous talent quest which is always great to see. There is some marvellous talent at the school; kids performing in bands, a number of rap dancers - boys and girls. Young people sometimes get a bit of a caning in the media, however, Dripstone is a great school and there was a lot of talent there on that particular day. The inaugural Battle of the Bands was also held at Dripstone a few weeks ago. This was an idea dreamed up by three teaching students at Charles Darwin University, Rebecca Fong, Matthew Holt, and Mary Chapman, who got a committee together – the member for Blain was there, along with my colleague, the member for Brennan - and again, what great talent from some of our kids. I was astounded.
I know the member for Blain is quite an accomplished guitarist or ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ as I called him this morning in the House. However, I am not an accomplished guitarist having only dabbled a bit as a kid, although I was amazed at those kids as every single song performed that day was written by the kids. There was some fantastic talent on show. It was a great initiative by our three teaching students. They are going to continue next year. It was a great afternoon and I was very pleased to be there. I was happy to sponsor an award on the night and the Chief Minister’s department chucked in $1000, and the money that was awarded on the day goes back to the schools to help them purchase more musical instruments. To everyone involved with the first Battle of the Bands, an absolutely fantastic effort.
It was a pleasure to attend the official opening of the Lisa Brett basketball shade structure at Leanyer School, an initiative I have been keeping the House up to date on over the past several sittings. This young lass, Lisa Brett, won an award from the Australian Mint some years ago for her design for a coin. She put her winnings from the Mint to a shade structure for the school. It is not a shade cloth – it looks like a huge hay barn. It is a solid structure. Lisa Brett came back from Queensland to Darwin for the opening. The Administrator was there, Ted Egan and Nerys Evans. Ted sang a song as he always does and it was a fabulous evening.
I pay particular thanks to a constituent of mine, Des Oakhill who is the Chair of the Finance and Facilities Committee who worked hard to not only get the funding together, but organising the design, tender process and construction of the facility. To Henry Grey, the School Council, Des Oakhill, Lisa Brett, that shade structure is a great legacy. It is much cooler for the kids, particularly at this time of the year, who are out playing basketball at lunchtime and recess and not out in the sun anymore. That was a great project come to fruition at Leanyer School, with a great community there.
Last month, I was approached by a number of residents on rural 5 acres blocks in Leanyer which back onto Leanyer Swamp. It was brought to my attention that motorbike and quad bike riders were cutting up the vegetation and creating a huge noise disturbance to the residents there. I organised a meeting with the residents, the local police, a public servant who did a great job - Amanda Warren from Lands Administration - and we looked at ways to fence off the land to keep the vehicles out but still allow the public and people on horses to access that land. We also had a briefing from the Health Department which is particularly concerned because, prior to every Wet Season, they getting in there trying to fill in some of the divots that the bikes and quad bikes cut up. Anybody who lives in Leanyer knows how bad the mosquitoes can be from the swamp. I am very pleased to say that Lands Administration was very quick off the mark and a 6’ mesh fence was promptly installed. It allows pedestrian access and was well received by residents in Leanyer. I am getting a briefing from Health fairly soon to see what can be done to reduce the number of mosquitoes breeding in that swamp. It was a good outcome and a speedy response from the Lands Department. Thank you to Amanda Warren for all your efforts.
The Transition class at Wanguri Primary School has recently been approved to receive an EnvironmeNT Grant to build a sensory garden in the school grounds. That is going to build on to the bush tucker garden. As I have said many times in this House before, the environment team at Wanguri Primary School is doing a fantastic job. This latest initiative will continue to teach students the importance and the impact that we have on our environments. Congratulations to Ms Price and her Transition class for their hard work.
Whilst doorknocking in my electorate in the lead-up to the election, I met somebody who used to be on the RSPCA committee who urged me to visit the RSCPA and meet the newly appointed CEO or General Manager, Fiona Cummins. It was great to go there and see the work that the RSPCA is doing. The last time I was out there was about 13 years ago when we got the family mutt, Petra, and I have not been back since. I was quite amazed to see how that facility has come together over that time. I was there as the new cattery was being built. That has been constructed and open now. I urge my colleague, the minister for animal welfare, the member for Barkly, to visit the RSPCA. He is going to go. We nearly got him up for a dorothy dixer on the cattery at Question Time today, but did not quite get there. We hope to get that up during the next sittings. He was very keen to update the House on the cattery at the RSPCA.
In the few minutes that I have left, Madam Speaker …
Mr Wood: Meow!
Mr HENDERSON: Meow to you, member for Nelson. In the few minutes that I have left, I have to pick up on the contribution by the Leader of the Opposition to the adjournment debate tonight and the attempt that she has made, fairly crudely I think, to somehow try to smear my colleague, the member for Casuarina, in regards to his latest trip to Indonesia to promote the cattle and the mining industries.
The member for Casuarina - who can defend himself and I am sure he will - provided a full and detailed report to this Assembly on his trip to Indonesia. If the Leader of the Opposition wants to raise the bar, I suppose, regarding the details provided to the Assembly on overseas travel, that is fine. We should be accountable to the public; after all, it is the taxpayers who fund ministerial travel.
Maybe the Leader of the Opposition can come into this parliament in the next sittings, in the same way that she has challenged my colleague, the member for Casuarina, and give the parliament and the people of the Northern Territory a very detailed report on her recent 10-day trip to Fiji. I am sure it was 10 days; it might have been nine, but it was certainly well over a week. Last night she probably gave a two or three minute report with absolutely no detail to parliament about that trip. Essentially, she said what a wonderful time it was, stated it was terribly interesting and a very valuable experience. She certainly needs to come back in here and give a detailed, comprehensive report to the parliament, day by day, about what she actually did whilst she was in Fiji, what the outcomes were for her constituents, for the people of the Northern Territory, details as to who she travelled with, how much this particular visit cost the taxpayer, and provide us some detail.
If she is going to come in here after my colleague, who has made a full and detailed report about his visit, and attempt to smear him with allegations that he had already refuted in this parliament, allegations from unnamed, unsourced people, then the least she can do is to come into this House and give a full and detailed report on her recent overseas trip that went for 10 days. That is the least she can do. I hope she provides the parliament and the people of the Northern Territory with that information when the parliament next sits in November.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I have a bit of a dog’s breakfast tonight. There are many issues I would have loved to have raised but there is never enough time in Question Time to do it, so I thought I would put some of these issues out. I should make a note at the beginning that the minister mentioned a book by Tim Flannery, The Weather Makers. I went to a Population Summit recently held at the Holiday Inn. There was a speaker there called Dr Jennifer Marohasy. She writes for the Land magazine, which as people might know, is a New South Wales country newspaper. She challenged some of those ideas which Tim Flannery brought up in his book. I have not had time to follow up what Dr Jennifer Marohasy is criticising Tim Flannery on, nor have I read Tim Flannery’s books. I raise that issue to say that, on some of these issues, there are two sides to the debate. I just say to people if they are reading Tim Flannery’s book, perhaps they should also get on the web site and see what this lady has to say. She challenges some of the projections that are happening in the world today and she uses statistics to show it. It was interesting that the minister showed that book and I just happened to be chairing a session last Friday where Dr Jennifer Marohasy was giving a speech.
I was going to ask a question during the week about a petition. There was a response to a petition from PLan concerning open space within the Darwin CBD. Their concern was with tall buildings and whether there was adequate communal open space within Darwin city. According to the Development Consent Authority, 30% of the site is supposed to be levelled and landscaped at ground level. According to the minister’s response, this is often waivered in favour of podium-level recreation facilities and, in some instances, is supplemented by the provision of private outdoor spaces in the form of balconies.
That seems to me a recipe for disaster for how we space out tall buildings that are going to be built in Darwin. We are going to have wall-to-wall development, like car parks, where the 30% of ground level landscape is going to be waivered. In the case of the building on the corner of Knuckey Street and McMinn Street, a 33-storey building, five stories will be car park, and they will rise up from the edge of the block 32.5 metres, and the government is allowing the 30% of ground level landscape to be waivered. Not only does that mean you will have these buildings backing up to one another, they are also copping out by allowing people to have balconies as communal open space. Does that mean everybody in the flats can all pop down to someone’s balcony and say: ‘This is communal open space; we are just going to sit here for the afternoon’? I don’t think so. This is just a little trick from the developers and the Development Consent Authority has kindly agreed to it. That is a joke.
I really feel we are lacking true vision about how our city will look from a tropical perspective if we allow high rise buildings basically to back up to one another. If you are going to have height, then you need space around them. I have said before if you go down St Kilda Road in Melbourne, you will see office blocks, quite tall office blocks, but you will landscaped areas around them and they look quite nice. But if we end up with a city of wall to wall high rise buildings as is appearing on McMinn Street opposite the NT News building, if someone can tell me that is a beautiful sight – that is wall-to-wall units and there appears to be very little landscaping. I raise that issue because it is an important issue and I will certainly raise it again.
I would also like to talk about the 1st Brigade soldiers who have recently been assigned to Iraq. I was privileged to go to the passing out parade, as you might call it. You have to admit it is a very impressive sight when you see hundreds of soldiers in their desert outfits marching around Robertson Barracks. It is a bit overwhelming. There were some pretty big blokes there and they look very well trained. I know they are very well trained because we see them around the district quite often in their vehicles. We know they have worked hard at Mt Bundy and that the people who train them are very professional. I was privileged to be there.
I was also out there for the farewell with families. The Prime Minister was there as were Senator Robert Hill, Senator Trish Crossin, Dave Tollner, Senator Nigel Scullion, the member for Johnston, and the Administrator, Ted Egan, and Nerys Evans.
Many people from the area went out to farewell them and that was great to see. I wish all those soldiers farewell and Godspeed. Hopefully, they will come back safely. In fact, in the public area here yesterday there were about six or seven soldiers from Iraq. I went out to see them afterwards to have a chat with them about what it was like; they basically said it was great. They would like to go back. Perhaps that reflects the attitude of Australian soldiers who go overseas. They tend to want to make friends. I know people might say well we are an occupying force. I remember the Brigadier saying we are not occupiers. We are there for a short period. We want to bring democracy and then we are going to leave but we want to leave as friends.
You can see some photographs on the web site of our soldiers over there. It is very encouraging the way they relate to the people. Australians are more laid back compared to other members of the coalition. There was a picture of an Iraqi barber with a feathered slouch hat of a soldier whose hair he was cutting. It is great. There are kids playing soccer and talking to the solders. You might say some of those could be propaganda photographs. I don’t think they are. They look pretty natural to me and the kids there look like any other kids you see anywhere in the world. It was good to see the soldiers here yesterday.
I should mention that if people want to come to Howard Springs shops we have a wall of yellow ribbons. I mentioned this here before. There must be a thousand ribbons on that wall. It is just loaded with ribbons and we raise money for Legacy by asking people to pay $2 and put a yellow ribbon on the wall. It is covered in ribbons and I know the soldiers appreciate it.
A couple of weeks ago I went out on a bike run to Southport with Taminmin High School Year 8 students. Mike Bowden, somebody you might know - he used to live in Alice Springs - is a great fellow with young people. He decided that he would get these kids to go 100 km on their bikes and I went along on mine. We went along with Louise Hopkins, Natalie Wood and Jone Tuiono. We had a car at the front and a car at the back and the rest of them in between and we biked our way down to Southport, which is not the one in Brisbane, of course, but the one near Tumbling Waters. We had a great time. Many people were worried that these kids could not do it, but these kids could do it, and it was a great thing for them.
They were Year 8 kids and they are not the easiest bunch at times, especially trying to get them to bed on the first night when we stayed at Berry Springs Primary School. They were a great bunch of kids. All right, you sometimes worried about their behaviour, but when it came to the crunch, when they had to put in the effort to come home, in very hot weather - we were not riding in the evening, we were riding in the middle of the day - and these kids went the whole way. They had more energy than me. I had a sore rear end, I can tell you. It was a great opportunity to learn about these kids.
I congratulate Taminmin High School for that type of project. These kids are sometimes left out of excursions. These Year 8 kids are the middle school kids and sometimes they are a bit difficult. Mike Bowden is a man who is dedicated to helping young people, and you can see it in the way he managed the bike ride. I thank Mike, Louise, Natalie and Jone and all the kids. They were a great bunch of kids. We all got back safely and they had a great time.
I still have concerns about the Buffalo Creek boat ramp. This has been an issue that has been going on for a long time. Parks and Wildlife set up a security area near the Buffalo Creek boat ramp. It appears they forgot to look up the titles. It was Defence land that they cleared and set it up on. This is part of an on-going real stuff-up. The gentleman there has been there 12 months. He tendered for the job of caretaker yet he does not permission to set up his demountable properly. There are issues of land tenure, trying to work out with the Department of Defence what is going to happen, and planning matters, and building matters. I believe it is time this gentleman was given security to live there. He is losing money because he cannot operate as he is supposed to. I hope the minister can, at the next sittings, tell us that this is all okay.
I need to talk about one of my favourite subjects – cotton - and the reason I say that is because I recently went to Mt Todd. The minister allowed me to visit Mt Todd, and I also visited Katherine Research Station to see what I call, sadly, the last harvest in the cotton trials at Katherine. Forgetting whether people agree with cotton, I still believe the way you find out, the way you improve things, the way you make better decisions, is to trial things, and the Katherine trials have been very successful. I will say it again: they have led the way in Australia, I believe, in the good process for growing cotton - environmentally friendly; using the minimum amount of water, the same amount of water as peanuts, maize and mangoes; with very little spraying; with no tillage; and with the use of cover crops. I say our workers at Katherine should be proud that they have developed techniques to grow a crop that usually scares the living daylights out of many people – they say pollution and this and that and this.
I say we have to judge things on today’s technologies. Today’s technologies are not the same as 15 years ago. Fifteen to 20 years ago there were big problems with cotton. Anyone who was at Kununurra knows that, but we are changing the way it is done.
All right, we are using GM cotton and, again, some people say: ‘Ooh!’ when I say GM cotton. GM is a range of things. It can be from crossing elephants with tomatoes, which I would not agree with, but it can also be beneficial things that, if you trial them, and we have trialled GM cotton in Katherine – in fact, Charles Darwin University spent four years looking at the weediness. They have come out and said it is okay. We have reduced spraying. Isn’t that a good thing? If we can prove that this crop only had to have two sprays - one was a dog spray and one was an organic spray. Endosulfin, which is the curse of cotton because it used to get into meat, was not used at all in Katherine. There was very little erosion. They are still doing work. They cannot do any more work now because the trials have finished. They would like to do work on fungus to try to get varieties that are resistant to fungus because that is one of the problems that you have with cotton.
That research station has done marvellous work and, because of government policy, has finished. I went there the other day to talk to the people there. I know they are disappointed. I need to put on record those people who have worked on cotton. There was Stephen Yates from CSIRO. He has now gone to Narrabri. Andrew Dougall – he is a bloke whose father grew cotton in Kununurra. He wanted to show that we could eventually grow this crop safely. There were people there who were genuine. These people are not dills. They want the environment to be protected. They also want our agricultural economy to grow. He has gone to Bundaberg, as far as I know, to show sugar cane growers an alternative crop to grow from sugar cane because, as you know, the sugar cane price has collapsed and they are looking for other crops.
I would like to thank these people: Rowena Eastick who is the agronomist; Mike Cahill, technical officer; Andrew Davies, entomologist; Jo Avenell, technical officer; Shamsul Bhuiyan, pathologist; Belinda Boyd, technical officer; and all the farm staff. There were many other genuine people who wanted to do something for the Territory. As I said, you might not like cotton because you fear what happened in New South Wales and Queensland, but these people have put their heart and soul into doing something good for the Territory. It is a pity that they did not get the support the minister should have given them. They work for the minister, for his department, and for the Territory, and they have tried to do something good.
It is very difficult to convince people that cotton is a good crop for the Northern Territory, but we have Ord River Stage 2 coming up where the water in the dam is there for irrigation. The funny thing is we have not done anything about native title, although Western Australia is. That, to me, signifies that our government really does not take this issue seriously. Sadly, the agronomy of the Northern Territory has …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson, your time has expired.
Mr WOOD: … has not gone as well as it should have over all these years.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, I start tonight by joining everyone who has commented about the value of this Assembly publicly showing support for breast cancer sufferers, survivors, family members, and the researchers trying to find medical answers for breast cancer.
Last night, the member for Blain was speaking about children and young people of Palmerston wanting shade over the skate park. I agree with him that shade over the skate park would be a good idea, but it is something that is within the power of the Palmerston City Council. Hansard records that I interjected and said: ‘Palmerston City Council will not build it’. The member for Blain replied: ‘Yes, Palmerston City Council would build it but they do need some additional subsidy’. I replied: ‘They would not. I was at the meeting where they said they would not, they refused’.
As I said, I agree that it would be good for the skate park to have shade cloth. It makes a lot of sense, given our climate. However, it is Palmerston City Council who do not wish to put the shade cloth there. The council believes a developer may soon come in for that land to build an accommodation village for overseas students there. I make no comment on this proposal, although I would like to keep the skate park, as it is a decision for council, and that is what the Palmerston Council wants to do. It was argued at the council meeting that I attended that it would be a waste of council’s money to spend it on shade. I think the cost was estimated by someone at the council meeting to be about $11 000.
I considered that the member for Blain possibly did not know this, hence I spoke up. After all, to call on government to spend money that the council considered a waste does not make sense. I am happy to join forces with the member for Blain to lobby council to reconsider providing shade at the skate park. Maybe we could call it a submission by Buggerlugs and Blainey …
Mr MILLS: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, that is fairly strong language that the member is using.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am a different Deputy Speaker and I will allow that.
Mr BURKE: Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
I would like to recognise someone in very close proximity to this Chamber, Ms Lauren Jacobsen, who is an apprentice chef at Speaker’s Corner. She won the silver medal in the Commercial Cookery Category of the open competition at the recent World Skills Competition. Let me give some background. The World Skills Competition is prestigious. World Skills Competitions are trade and skill competitions that challenge young people to achieve work skill excellence. The competition highlights the importance of vocational education and training as a career option, and stimulates the academic motivation of many students by focusing on the fun of learning through interesting and diverse skill challenges. The World Skills Competition is divided into two areas, the Open competition and the Vocational Education and Training in Schools competition.
Australia became a member country of World Skills International in 1981 and has participated in every international competition since joining. The World Skills mission is to challenge young people, their teachers, trainers and employers to achieve world-class standards in work skills, and to promote the status of VET across Australia. The Territory’s best apprentices pitted their skills against each other in the World Skills Northern Territory Regional Finals in Darwin, Nhulunbuy and Alice Springs. Contenders competed in 14 categories which made up the two sections, Vocational Education and Training in Schools and the Open section.
It was while I was attending the Vocational Education and Training in Schools Award that I was approached about being involved as a guest in the Hospitality Cookery category of the Open section. I was assured all I had to do was sit, talk with other guests and eat. ‘Righto’, I said, ‘that I can do’.
The Hospitality Cookery category competition was held at the Palmerston campus of NTU, rather CDU – forgive me, as an ex-student of NTU I still find myself going back to its old title – at the training restaurant and kitchen facilities. I will give a plug to the university here: the training kitchen and restaurant are an excellent teaching facility. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner at various times, and the university puts out a timetable of opening times. Members can obtain a copy from me if they would like to see when next it opens. Vikki Baldwin, campus leader for Palmerston, is understandably proud of the training facility and the other facilities at the CDU Palmerston campus. I also had the chance to meet Mr Bharat Desai, lecturer in Commercial and Asian Cookery. He was also one of the judges on the day. I thank him for taking the time to show me around the training kitchen and giving me the benefit of his great knowledge of the restaurant industry, locally and around the world.
I mentioned the Palmerston Regional Business Association earlier in these sittings. I attended the PRBA annual general meeting earlier in the year, which was held at the training restaurant. On that occasion, we were served a sumptuous fare created by student chefs. I am sure all members of the PRBA, and the member for Arafura who was guest speaker in her capacity as Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage, and also the member for Greatorex who was there, agree that the standard of the meal was superb in every respect.
Lauren’s participation in her category is a testament to her courage. It takes courage to take part in a competition like this, especially considering that Lauren is a first year apprentice. She went in knowing that most, if not all, of her competition would be apprentices much further into their training. I can inform honourable members, and I hope Lauren’s mother, Lyn is listening too, that the judges were very impressed with Lauren’s commitment, attention to detail and the quality of her skills. I cannot recall all of the dishes we were privileged to taste, but I can tell members that Lauren’s desert was a citrus tart. I have a great love of citrus and lemon tarts and that is why I remember desert so well. Madam Speaker, I hope you consider lemon and citrus tarts parliamentary fare, and next time you offer desert at one of your parliamentary dinners you consider requesting a citrus tart for the menu.
I congratulate Speaker’s Corner management for its foresight in encouraging Lauren Jacobsen to participate in the competition. I am sure Mr Darren Powell, the chef, had a hand in that and in assisting Lauren in preparations for the competition. I would like to mention the winner of the category Mr Daniel Walton from Caf Tonic. He will be going to the national championships and I wish him all the best. All I have said in relation to Lauren and Speaker’s Corner goes for Daniel and the management of Caf Tonic as well. Employers who encourage their staff to express their talents and extend themselves in competitions are to be commended.
I congratulate Mr Peter Chan of the Department of Education, Employment and Training on his tireless effort organising and coordinating the World Skills Competition across all categories in the Northern Territory.
On 9 September this year, I attended the Gray Primary School Concert. All classes took part and the children and parents had a great time. Greased Lightning and the Time Warp were particular favourites of the crowd. The following Gray Primary students recently received Maxi Merit Awards: Grace Loxley, Allison Weber, Thomas McSkimming, Rachael Lennox, Che Stephenson, Jody Ryan, Arizon Holder-Veit, Jordan Hill, Erika Mather, Kyah Buckland, Kieron Liddy, Tarlia Holer, Jacob Perry and Clint Buckland-Stephenson. Well done to everyone.
I was privileged to receive an invitation to judge Bakewell Primary School’s Literacy Parade. All students and teachers dressed up as their favourite book character. I can confirm reports that the member for Brennan was dressed up as Harry Potter equipped with Quidditch Broom and lightning bolt scar. I was very outdone by June Wessels, Principal of Bakewell as Rapunzel, and Helen Armstrong, the Librarian, as Snow White. Ms Armstrong organised the Literacy Parade. She clearly put a lot of effort into getting the whole school on board with the dressing up. I extend my congratulations to her and the other teachers and students at Bakewell for the event, which was great fun. I thank them all for letting me be part of it.
Moulden Park Primary School recently sent a group on camp to Batchelor. I understand a great time was had by all even if there apparently was not a lot of sleep to be had. Further, I understand that the Batchelor camp staff commended Moulden Park students for being so good. Everyone allowed each other a fair go. What a wonderful thing to have said about you. Congratulations all of you from Moulden Park School.
I was also at the opening of the Moulden Park Pre School play equipment. I know the member for Blain was there and the member for Nhulunbuy as minister. The children were eager to give it a go. We joined the children in a few activity songs prior to the minister officially cutting the ribbon and letting the kids at it. I look forward to visiting you all soon.
Mrs AAGAARD (Nightcliff): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, firstly, I congratulate Lauren Jacobsen of Speaker’s Corner for winning that particular competition …
Mr Burke: She came second.
Mrs AAGAARD: … she came second in that cooking competition. I also thank Speaker’s Corner for providing the delicious meals that we are having during parliament. I believe all members are enjoying those dinners.
Talking about that, I had the pleasure of also enjoying the food supplied by Speaker’s Corner last Saturday, on 15 October, at a very spectacular dinner here in Parliament House to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. I have never been to a naval dinner before and it was a very formal occasion. All the naval officers were in full formal uniform and we followed all the traditions as if we were on a ship - which was a bit difficult for someone of my age and I have had three children - you are not allowed to leave the table for any reason except during the three authorised breaks. Given the evening went from 7 pm to 12.20 am, this was actually quite a long evening.
I should say that the entertainment was spectacular. The naval band really needs to be congratulated, particularly the conductor, Lt Cmdr Philip Anderson of the RAN who is the Director of Music. It was a tremendous sunset ceremony to set off the evening on the Speaker’s Green. We even had a firing of arms, which I must say as the Speaker I had not been aware that it was going to happen. I was a bit concerned that it might have been live bullets! I was told that it wasn’t, for which I was grateful since they were aimed at the 5th floor of Parliament House.
It was a fantastic night. For those other members who have not been to a Naval dinner, during the port and dessert, you have to pass the port along the table without lifting the bottle – that is considered to be un-naval, I suppose the word is, because if you are on the ship, of course, it has to stay on the table or it might fall off. I think that is the reason. It was a tremendous night. The guest speaker was Commander R Love of the British Naval Defence Force. He is an advisor in Canberra. He gave us a very detailed description of the Battle of Trafalgar. I must say that I did not know much about before that but it was very interesting. I thank the Navy for inviting me to that.
Once again, Speaker’s Corner put on an excellent showing in terms of the catering for that evening.
I also want to recognise Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I thank all honourable members for having been involved with the cause today and members looked pretty spectacular. Certainly, sitting up in the Speaker’s chair I would have to say that people seemed to be glowing and looked tremendous in the pink. I must say that some people should wear pink more often - particularly the men. It was tremendous to see so many of the men take part in this. Often it is just seen as a female cause but, in fact, breast cancer is something which affects men and women. It is important that we recognise that as a community.
As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Parliament House joined in with many other iconic buildings around Australia and the world as part of the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s Global Illumination. On 27 September, significant landmarks and monuments around the world were lit pink to welcome the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Some of the buildings that we joined with were the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Tower of Tokyo, the Eiffel Tower, and the Empire State Building, so we were in very good company. I think ours obviously looked the best, and other Australian parliaments joined in too. It is tremendous that so many people got together behind this excellent cause to try to bring awareness of breast cancer around the world.
I pick up on a comment made by the member for Greatorex this morning regarding prostate cancer. It is quite true that there are many illnesses which may not be as interesting as others. It is very true that men need to consider prostate cancer and make sure that they are testing themselves for that. If there is some way that we can be looking at that - I do not think they have a colour - perhaps we can look at other ways of doing that, and also as members of our communities looking at how we can raise that individually as members of parliament.
It is my sad duty tonight to note the passing of a fine Territorian and a good friend of mine, Mr Paul Ewens. Paul died of cancer after a very short illness and is survived by his loving wife, Barbara, his children, John, Elizabeth, Peter and Marcia. I knew Paul through his connections with the Anglican Church of Australia, of which he was a very active member of both the Synod and the Christ Church Anglican Cathedral Parish. He was also a long serving member of Kormilda College during the time that I was also a member there. He was a very special man who left an important legacy of love, kindness and integrity for Territorians.
I would like to read the eulogy which his wife wrote and was delivered at his funeral:
- Paul was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1947, the youngest of four children of Leonard Thomas Ewens and
Margaret Nora Ewens, the other three being girls, twins Margaret and Patricia, and Elizabeth. His older brother,
Richard, died shortly after birth. He was educated at St Peter’s College and graduated in Law at the Adelaide University.
School Cadets led to 20 years service in the Australian Army. He was articled to Brian Magarey in the days of being
paid $10 per week with 20 tax, being essentially the Rounds Clerk. Paul then became an associate to Hon Mr Justice
W A N Wells in the Supreme Court of South Australia in 1972 to 1973, after which he left Australia for England.
Before leaving Australia, Paul was involved with the Duke of Edinburough Awards Scheme and other similar organisations.
His love of outback Australia led him to explore much of the Flinders Ranges and other remote parts of that state in an old
Land Rover, a vehicle he spoke of fondly and often, all his life - perhaps this was his first love. He served in the Army Reserve,
being commissioned into the armoured corps in December 1968. Upon returning to Australia, he had a continued involvement
in the Army Reserve from 1978 to late 1982 including XO of Norforce when it was first raised in 1981.
After Paul’s first operation last year, he was able to get into his mess kit from 1969 and his dinner suit purchased whilst at
university. Paul left Australia from Darwin for New Guinea in August 1973. After sailing to Japan, he eventually boarded a
bus in Kathmandu for the overland hippy trail to London. He lived and worked in London and travelled to eastern Europe,
North Africa and America until he returned on a less ambitious overland journey back to Australia in 1978.
By coincidence and unplanned, he was away from Adelaide exactly five years to the date. Whilst in England, he served in the
Australian Army uniform in the British Territorial Army, a NATO Reserve Unit exercising in Germany, causing some confusion
to the Russians when he appeared with shoulder boards displaying the initials SAMR, South Australian Mounted Rifles. It was
thought by many to have some association with South Africa.
He visited Northern Ireland - illegally a no, no, for him in the uniform he wore. In fact, the unit’s London headquarters was targeted
by the IRA in the first of the bombings. Fortunately, the ancient door held fast and all within were safe, partly assisted by the fact
the IRA had targeted the wrong door, inflicting only minor damage to the empty building next door.
After returning to Australia in 1978, Paul set off on a further journey of discovery with friends, Helen and Andrew Taylor.
He was driving up the east coast to north Queensland and across western Queensland to the Territory and back down to Adelaide
before he finally arrived in Darwin in September, and commenced work at Cridland and Bauer in the old Kriewaldt Buildings in
Searcy Street, the road in those days lacking adequate curbing.
A chance meeting in Chris and Carol Mansfield’s living room one Sunday afternoon shortly after led to marriage to Barbara in
December 1979 in Christchurch Cathedral, and the issue of three much loved children: John in 1980, Elizabeth in 1982, and
Peter in 1984. Marcia from Elcho Island joined the family in 1995 to add to the fun and games at the family home at Coolibah
Street in Nightcliff.
Family life for Paul was busy and committed, involving parent participation in soccer, gymnastics, tennis, netball, music and a very
large involvement in Little Athletics. Never one to shirk his duty, Paul became a track and field official and, every Friday night, the
family adjourned to Marrara Athletic Stadium for the children’s sports night. Paul shared the measuring and timing the various
events, whilst Barbara and other parents ran the canteen and barbecue. ‘At the end of the night, he would then take us all
home …’, Barbara says, ‘… and count the canteen takings because he was also the Treasurer’. Championships would take up
the whole weekend.
Paul’s continual love of the more remote parts of this beautiful country saw the family taking off annually for camping trips to the Gulf Country, Barkly Tablelands and across to the east coast, the Kimberley and the Bungles, the Gibb River Road to Derby and Broome, and down the centre to Uluru and Ayers Rock, as well as family reunions in Adelaide. Once the children had grown out of camping trips with parents, Paul and Barbara drove thousands of kilometres throughout the land: the Birdsville Track; Oodnadatta Track although rain always prevented them from completing that one and they became good at breaking droughts; western Queensland and New South Wales; the Alpine Way; country Victoria; the Great Ocean Road; Flinders Rangers; Wilpena; and, of course, beautiful Kangaroo Island. Tasmania and Western Australia were to be next once a retirement move to Kangaroo Island had been completed this year. His love and skill with map reading meant they were never lost.
Paul’s life was not all travel and relaxation - far from it. He was a committed citizen to the community he lived in. His working life included a short time with the Australian Government Solicitor in 1983 after leaving Cridlands, 16 years as a senior partner at Halfpenny’s Solicitors before leaving the city rush for an enjoyable time as a sole practitioner working from home, and he was still practising in that capacity when cancer claimed him in May.
Paid work was only part of this busy man’s life. As mentioned earlier, he believed in commitment to the community and this was reflected in his involvement in many organisations and committees. Paul was a Rotarian, made a Paul Harris Fellow for his work with Rotary Youth Exchange, which also enhanced the family’s life with many wonderful overseas students staying in the Coolibah Street home. He was the Chairman of Red Cross for seven years in the early 1980s. He was the NT Convenor for Gap Australia, an organisation that places young school leavers from overseas into Australian schools for their gap year; the Essington School Council as a parent representative; Kormilda College Board member; legal adviser to Darwin Pensioners Association; parish counsellor at Christ Church Cathedral; and a lay representative of the Anglican Synod. Paul was also noticed for his fine speech, perhaps a reflection of his upbringing, but also legacy of a good education from St Peter’s College from early childhood through to matriculation.
He loved reading and could retain so much of what he read, making him a most desirable dinner companion if interesting conversation was on the menu.
Paul’s cruel and untimely death has robbed this family of a loving family man, loyal and passionate husband, steadfast worker, and gracious host and friend. He lives on through Barbara and his fine children, never to be forgotten by those who knew and loved him.
Tonight I also mark the passing of a former presiding officer of the Victorian Legislative Council, the Honourable Bruce Chamberlain AM, 17th President of the Legislative Council of Victoria. Mr Chamberlain was a Hamilton City councillor for four years before entering parliament. Until 1988, he was Chairman of the Glenelg Regional Library Service, a position he held for 18 years. In 1972, he sought preselection for the Liberal Party for the Legislative Assembly seat of Dundas and he gained preselection and won the seat at the May 1973 election. In 1975, redistribution of the electorates saw the seat of Dundas absorbed into the surrounding seats, and he faced the prospect of an early retirement from politics. However, Ken Gross, the then Member for Western Province decided to retire after 18 years in parliament and Mr Chamberlain contested another preselection ballot and won his party’s endorsement for Western Province. He was elected in 1976 and won subsequent elections in 1982, 1988 and 1996.
With the change of government in 1992, he assumed a number of shadow ministries, including Planning, Local Government and State Development and Attorney-General. He was also Deputy Chairman of the former Public Bodies Review Committee. In 1986, he was elected as Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council and held that position until 1988. After the 1992 election with the change of government, he was elected President of the Legislative Council and was re-elected as President in 1996. He retired at the 2002 election, but remained President under the Labor government until the election of the new President in 2003.
When Mr Chamberlain retired, he was the longest serving presiding officer in the Australasian and South Pacific region. He was awarded Member of the Order of Australia on Australia Day 2005. The Clerk of this Assembly, Mr Ian McNeill and Mrs Kit McNeill have particularly asked that I pass on condolences to the family and to say that we are very sorry that no-one is able to represent the Assembly at his funeral this week.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I wish to make comments on a number of different areas, firstly, starting with one that I had not planned until the member for Brennan made comment regarding the shade structure for the skate park in Palmerston. Perhaps it is how you hear. Perhaps it is how you ask the question. To be more precise, the issue is that there was a contribution from the Northern Territory government for the construction of a skate park in Palmerston. I recall that clearly, in 1999, as a candidate in a by-election. The council played a major part in the construction of that skate park, particularly involved with community consultation and engaging the kids. The council will describe, as the member quite accurately reports, that it would cost a lot of money to put shade over that structure and the use of that land may change in time. Therefore, they have no plans in their own budget for the construction of shade. However, if assistance were brought to provide shade for the young people of Palmerston they would assist in the construction of shade, but they cannot do it alone.
The question arises as the result of the fairness of the dispersion of funds for the Northern Territory government and it poses some questions of the management of public assets. Some millions of dollars have been spent in the northern suburbs at Lake Leanyer and further public money has been spent to includes the expansion of the provision of shade at a facility that is free to use. Remember, though, we are paying for it. Government is making that decision to construct such a facility. Local government has many facilities that they must maintain and, in order to maintain those facilities, they must charge an entry fee. If you want to use the Palmerston pool, for example, you need to have patrons who pay an entry fee. With the decision to develop a public facility that is fully funded by the taxpayer and charges no entry fee, it creates a challenge for local governments which are trying to manage local facilities such as pools.
With a little bit of creative thinking, just getting outside of the defensive position, you would start to see that in the issue of fairness, to make a contribution to provide some shade over the structure in Palmerston would be a very sensible and well considered response of government. Underneath the position that is taken by government is the growing sense of unfairness and a compounding problem for local government.
To take it the other way, as the member for Brennan has suggested that we work together to lobby council, I do not think we are looking at the right place. The council already has sufficient challenges in managing its own finances and maybe the challenges have increased as a result of the decision of government to fund public facilities that are in competition to facilities funded by local government. Therefore, in the interest of addressing equity and fairness, I would ask if the member could reassess his position and together we could go to government on behalf of the good citizens of Palmerston. I am sure Litchfield would have similar issues. We could call for some assistance from the Territory government.
I know, because I have spoken to local government in Palmerston, that they would then find the means to add to the support the Territory government does contribute. That is, in the interest of equity and fairness, the way we should be going.
There are many things that I wished to discuss in this Chamber over the past two weeks and it is with some sadness that we have come to the end of two weeks of sittings; in sadness not because I am going to miss you all, but particularly because of what happened today. I feel for my colleague, the member for Greatorex. I am very disappointed in the behaviour that I saw manifested in this Chamber. What distresses me more - and I have some time for the member for Johnston, I know that he must be feeling quite bad about the decision he made to make such comment - but what makes it more difficult for me, and I am sure anyone who reflects, is that the response of others surrounding this which prevents him from thinking: ‘Is this the right way to go and is this is the way that we want to conduct our affairs in this Chamber when really the core business here is to advance and prosper the best interest of Territorians? Is this the way we want to go?’
I have seen so much grandstanding in the last two weeks that it does grieve me somewhat and I am sure it grieves other members who take the time to reflect on the behaviour in here. It happens, I know, from both sides to be fair, just to assist any other member who might be considering what I am saying at this present moment, but the power rests with government and principally so does the responsibility.
Prostate cancer - I am pleased that was raised by the member for Nightcliff. I reflect on the comment made by the member for Greatorex today. It is an interesting situation where we can embrace a health issue so openly and so actively, and we can be moved to bathe this great building in pink light and to all wear, me, for the very first time in my whole life – all these 47 years, never wearing pink – and I do it in the interests of providing some support for a very serious issue, which has shown its evil and sad mark in my own family, as I am sure it has every member.
The issue of prostate cancer is one which affects males, and males like not to talk about such matters, prefer to keep it to themselves, whereas the ladies can get together and have a good talk about things that concern them, breast cancer and the like. It may be news to members, I have even worked with the Senator for the Northern Territory, Trish Crossin, and we hosted a function, an information afternoon, for the people of Palmerston a few years ago on the issue of breast cancer. I was pleased to be involved in that and jointly sponsor it because breast cancer affects males as well, not just because some males suffer from breast cancer, but because of our relationships with our lovely ladies: mums, wives, aunties, daughters, and sisters. It affects all of us. I was pleased to be involved in that and I was the only bloke there. I learnt how to spot the lump in the fake boob, and I did that because I am a part of this.
But blokes do not get together; blokes do not talk about their problems. They like to keep it to themselves. Sadly, we see the symptoms of such inability to talk openly about problems in what was reported yesterday about a high suicide rate, extraordinarily high for males. I believe there is some connection there.
The member for Greatorex mentioned ‘Let us talk about the blokes’. I have been thinking about what colour, what day, should we nominate to lead the charge for blokes? Let this parliament take the challenge and bring this issue out into the open and provide some leadership, and be the first parliament in this nation, perhaps around this planet, to step forward for blokes and do something they are having great difficulty in doing – talking about cancer which affects them.
The next thing I wish to talk about relates to teachers. We have had much talk in recent times and, putting the politics aside, teachers are facing an increasingly difficult time in the classroom. No matter what happens in our community, the issue is solved by commentators by getting the teachers to address it, or getting the school to attend to such matters. There was an issue called the ‘Magpie Syndrome’, that when, many years ago, there was a spate of magpie attacks in South Australia, the whole community was concerned that some kid was going to lose their eye as magpies at nesting season were going to swoop and knock some poor kid’s eye out – what do we do? Everyone was talking about it, talkback radio, television programs, even current affairs – who knows. Then the whole community decided all at once, the way we are all going to fix this is to get the schools to address the problem. Then everyone was relieved; the schools were going to address the problem of magpie attacks. So then everyone moves on – problem solved. No, the problem is not solved. Everything gets deposited on schools, whether it is skin cancer, obesity, mental health issues, even feeding your own kids, it all gets fed back to the school and the pressure falls upon teachers and it is mounting. Day by day, it is mounting.
Add to that the way in which we deal with education today, the ambiguity and the vagueness of the curricula that we run, and the lack of clear structure, guidance - teachers are writing curriculum and spending more time in developing courses than developing relationships with kids - the pressure is mounting. In the midst of this, we have a spate of assaults on teachers - physical assaults and verbal assaults. To be verbally attacked in the workplace is a challenging a frightening situation. I have seen teachers who have been verbally assaulted by parents and students. In addition to all the other challenges that they are required to face each day, that adds even more.
In any workplace, the employer is responsible for providing a safe and secure work environment. If that worker feels exposed or taken for granted, that further compounds the problem that the worker has to deal with. You would expect that if a teacher is assaulted – verbally or physically in the workplace - then the employer would immediately back-up the teacher. How would this back-up be demonstrated? The very first thing - the most basic response of an employer - would be to care enough to count the number of incidents that have occurred in the workplace. If a teacher has been assaulted verbally or physically and reports to their superior, the superior should care enough to register and to log that centrally so that the administration and, finally, the minister may know exactly what is going on in the workplace so that they can understand the increasing pressure on teachers. I am sure even that action would satisfy a teacher.
However, I suspect and fear that there is no such recording, because the questions have been asked and the answer has come back indicating that there is no central register. Is there a record of the number of assaults on teachers? Does the employer care enough to keep those sorts of records so that, if they are increasing, it requires a response? If you are not keeping the record, you can say that it is all anecdotal and appears to be going okay, then the issue remains unaddressed and the problems that I have described compound. Who suffers? The teacher, of course. Who suffers? The student. Education is compromised.
I call upon the minister to make a move to ensure that care is shown to teachers by at least recording any report of physical or verbal assault on a teacher. It happens in other workplaces. Why does it not happen in our education system? The care that is shown to a teacher will transfer and multiply to a student.
Finally, the minister responsible for crocodile hunting can make a decision here in the Northern Territory to allow trophy hunting. I will talk more about this later, because I realise I have run out of time. To be continued.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to report to the House that one of my constituents, a well-recognised freelance Top End photographer, David Hancock of Bees Creek, has just been named Australian Geographic Photographer of the Year for spectacular photography he took and which formed part of an article he wrote for the Australian Geographic titled ‘The Wet – Moods of the Monsoon’. This is a prestigious award in which Australian Geographic acknowledges the contributions its writers, illustrators, and photographers make to Australia’s leading geographical journal.
Australian Geographic commissions freelance photographers from around Australia, and superb photography is one of the journalists’ greatest attractions. Australian Geographic considers David Hancock to be one of Northern Australia’s leading photographers. The awards were presented by General Peter Cosgrove at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. According to the Auscape web site, David Hancock has been a professional writer for the past 30 years and a photographer for 20 years. His work covers a range of subjects from landscape to industry and commercial activity, and has been published in most major newspapers, magazines and books throughout Australia and many overseas magazines, as well as doing promotional work for large corporate clients. David states his favourite subjects are people and wildlife interacting with their environment.
As a senior engineer during the design and construction of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway project, I first became aware of David’s talents when he compiled his book, A Vision Fulfilled, a photographic record of the railway tracklaying. In compiling this tribute to David, I called on Duncan Beggs, my colleague during the railway design and construction, to provide some of his recollections of David’s work in recording the railway construction.
David recorded the excitement of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway project from the beginning. This extensive record of the project allowed him to prepare his book, A Vision Fulfilled as the official memento of the project. David’s drive and enthusiasm got the book printed in the short period between completion of the railway and arrival of the first freight train and passenger trains in Darwin, which is quite an achievement. Again, the quality of his work shows in that production. David has always provided similar coverage of most other aspects of the Territory, of his experiences with it, living here and being a part of it. We can see ourselves in his work, in a slightly different way, and feel good about what we see.
I am sure all members of the House join me in saying that David’s award is thoroughly deserved and all Territorians can be pleased that David has chosen to live here and tell the rest of Australia about us, as he does particularly through his pictures.
In October 2005 in New Zealand, the biennial Australasian Championships of International Field Archery Association was held. I am pleased to report that Joy Wood of Humpty Doo took part as a member of the successful Australian Bowhunters Team. Joy was extremely successful in her own right winning a gold medal, Regional Champion Patch, and Australasian Records in both the Field and Hunters rounds of the Women’s Longbow Division. Joy’s achievements are all the more remarkable considering the steep terrain plus gusting winds and rain which made the competition very challenging indeed.
Joy has had an illustrious representative career so far, having already competed in all the national IFAA Championships since 1999. She also competed in the inaugural NT IFAA Championships in September 2005. She is not new to international competition either having already competed at the World Field Archery Championships in the USA in July 2004 as one of the seven members of the Australian Champion of Nations Team and was the first NT person selected for this team. When the 2005 National Ranking System lists were released last March, Joy’s ABA ranking for Women’s Longbow was first and her IFAA ranking was also number one. At this stage, her International Rankings are not available, but based on her current form it is estimated that she would probably be ranked third.
Joy’s sporting achievements have not gone unrecognised here in the Northern Territory. She has been selected as a finalist in the NT Sports Awards Coach of the Year Category for the past three years. Joy is also very active in the administrative side of her sport. She is a valuable member of the ABA NT Branch Management Committee, and holds the elected position of Branch Score Recorder, as well as the appointed positions of State/Branch Coach and Branch Measuring Instructor. This year, Joy conducted two Level 1 Coach Training courses in the Northern Territory at Darwin and Alice Springs, as well as one course for the South Queensland Branch.
Joy is very dedicated to all aspects of the sport and her fellow archers. She has assisted clubs to set up archery ranges prior to national and branch championships and joined coordinated practice range supervision at the 2005 IFAA Nationals. Furthermore, Joy was one of the primary organisers of the 2005 NT ABA Championships in Alice Springs in July and the inaugural NT IFAA Championships at the Humpty Doo in September. Always keen to promote field archery to young Territorians, Joy has recently begun to teach archery in schools on a voluntary, non-paid basis.
As members of the Legislative Assembly can see, Joy is a truly outstanding Territorian and most deserving for what she has achieved in the sport of field archery. On behalf of all members of the House and all Territorians, I congratulate Joy on her gold medal performance in New Zealand. Based on this performance, Joy will undoubtedly be one of Australia’s best hopes at the next year’s World Field Archery Championships to be held on Australian soil at Wide Bay in Queensland. We wish her much success.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016