2009-10-14
Madam Speaker Aagaard took the Chair at 10 am.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr Graham Gadd on celebrating his 60th birthday today; he is hiding in the Sub-Table Office looking very celebratory. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very happy birthday.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr Elferink: Madam Speaker, he does not look a day over 70!
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move the bill be now read a second time.
Section 3 of the current Assembly Members and Statutory Officers (Remuneration and Other Entitlements) Act 2006 provides the basic salary of a member of the Legislative Assembly is to be the same as for a member of the federal House of Representatives, less $3000. The base pay of federal members of parliament is determined by the government of the day, after receiving advice from the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal. For some years, however, the arrangement has been parliamentary base pay has been linked to the principal executive officeholder pay level within the Commonwealth public service.
In September this year, the Remuneration Tribunal determined the pay rate for principal executive officeholders should be increased by 3%, with effect from 1 October 2009. Consequently, the base pay for members of the House of Representatives would also be increased by that amount from 1 October, as would the basic salary of members of the Territory’s Legislative Assembly if the current legislative provisions remain as they now stand.
Given the overall economic circumstances and the Northern Territory’s budgetary situation, the government considered whether (a) such an increase was justified; and (b) whether it was appropriate to continue to link the pay of members of the Assembly to pay movements of federal parliamentarians.
An essential component in considering these issues were the principles set out in the government’s recently announced Northern Territory Public Sector Wages Policy 2009-12. The public sector wages policy covers wage negotiations for the next four years. It sets out the government’s bargaining principles which include: keeping costs within defined parameters, and delivering increased efficiency, effectiveness and service outcomes across agencies. In particular, it provides bargaining outcomes will provide the salary increases of up to 2.5% per annum over the life of an agreement.
It would be difficult for the government to enter into wage negotiations with the public sector on the basis of these principles if we were not prepared to exercise similar restraint. Accordingly, it has been determined, from 1 October, the nexus with the federal sphere should be repealed and the base salary for MLAs from that date will be increased as per the terms of the government’s public sector wages policy - namely 2.5%.
Having determined that, this government wishes to clearly state this outcome should not be taken in any way as an adverse reflection on the contribution and efforts of honourable members. The dedication and sacrifices members make in the course of their duties needs to be acknowledged and recognised. Their service to the public and contribution to society should not be diminished or devalued in any way.
In this regard, I note the following passage in the report by the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal in December 1999 when dealing with salaries and allowances for Senators and members of parliament:
In an effort to strike the right balance between an appropriate level of remuneration whilst, at the same time, leading the way and showing restraint in these difficult economic times, the proposed bill removes the nexus between the pay of MLAs and members of the House of Representatives, and provides instead for an increase in the base salary of MLAs of 2.5% effective from 1 October 2009. This increase coincides with the government’s position as set out in the Northern Territory Public Sector Wages Policy of 2009-12. It replaces the 3% increase which would have taken place from 1 October had the current legislation remained in place.
From the date of the next salary movement for general Northern Territory administrative and professional public sector employees, which will be in accordance with the terms of an agreement scheduled for completion in August 2010, the base salary of MLAs will be recalculated. The new rate of pay from the date specified in the agreement will be the base salary payable prior to 1 October 2009 adjusted by the percentage increase payable to the general Territory public sector. However, any such adjustment will be limited so it will not exceed the amount payable at that time to a member of the House of Representatives, less $3000.
From that date forward the base salary of members of the Legislative Assembly will be linked to general wage limits of the Territory public sector, except any future increase will be limited so, at the time of calculation, they do not exceed the amount payable to a member of the House of Representatives, less $3000.
It is the firm view of the government this new approach is responsible and restrained. We suggest it is more relevant to link wage movements of members of this House with those of the Territory public sector rather than federal politicians.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table the accompanying explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent a bill entitled Assembly Members and Statutory Officers (Remuneration and Other Entitlements) Amendment Bill (No 2) 2009 (Serial 67) passing through all stages on Thursday, 22 October 2009.
Motion agreed to.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move:
(1) That the Legislative Assembly establish a Sessional Committee to be known as ‘The Council of Territory Cooperation’;
(2) That the committee facilitate:
(a) greater levels of collaboration in the governance of the Northern Territory;
(b) enhance parliamentary democracy by providing a strong role for members of the Legislative Assembly who are not members of the executive government, particularly on matters of common concern;
(c) expand involvement in important Northern Territory initiatives and projects;
(d) provide new avenues for Territorians to have input through the Legislative Assembly into the government of the Northern Territory; and
(e) provide a road map for tackling some specific issues currently facing the Territory.
(3) The committee consist of up to six members including two government members, two opposition members and at least one Independent member to be appointed by a subsequent resolution and that unless otherwise ordered, Mr Wood be appointed Chairman of the committee.
Duties of the committee
(4) That the committee inquire into, consider, make recommendations and report to the Assembly from time to time on the following matters of public importance:
(a) the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program (SIHIP);
(c) the planning scheme and the establishment of Weddell;
(d) A Working Future (including homelands policy);
(e) any other matter of public importance referred to it by the Legislative Assembly; and
(f) any matter of public importance concerned with the administration of matters of which ministers of the Territory have executive authority pursuant to the provisions of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act and Regulations (Commonwealth).
(5) That the provisions of paragraph (4) have effect notwithstanding the terms of reference of other Assembly committees.
(6) That the committee determine appropriate time frames and work plans and the priority for consideration of matters referred to it;
(7) That, notwithstanding paragraph (4) above, the committee report to the Assembly as soon as possible after 30 June each year on its activities during the preceding financial year;
(8) That in the event of an equality of voting, the member chairing the committee shall have a casting vote;
(9) That the committee have power to appoint subcommittees and to refer to any such subcommittee any matter which the committee is empowered to examine.
(10) That three members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee and two members of a subcommittee constitute a quorum of the subcommittee.
(11) That the committee or any subcommittee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to adjourn from place to place, to meet and transact business in public or private session and to sit during any adjournment of the Assembly.
(12) That the committee shall be empowered to print from day to day such papers and evidence as may be ordered by it and, unless otherwise ordered by the committee, a daily Hansard shall be published of such proceedings of the committee as take place in public.
(13) That the committee have leave to report from time to time and any member of the committee has power to add a protest or dissent to any report.
(14) That any report tabled by the committee which recommends action by the government, shall within three months from the date of tabling of such report generate an information paper in response to the report and that the Assembly has the capacity to take note of the response.
(15) That unless otherwise ordered by the committee, all documents received by the committee during its inquiry shall remain in the custody of the Assembly provided that, on the application of a department or person, any document, if not likely to be further required, may, in the Speaker’s discretion, be returned to the department or person from whom it was obtained.
(16) That members of the public and representatives of the news media may attend and report any public sessions of the committee, unless otherwise ordered by the committee.
(17) That the committee may authorise the broadcasting of public hearings of the committee under such rules as the Speaker considers appropriate.
(18) That the committee shall be provided with all necessary staff, facilities and resources and shall be empowered, with the approval of the Speaker, to appoint persons with specialist knowledge for the purposes of the committee.
(19) That the committee be empowered to consider the minutes of proceedings, evidence taken and records of committees established in previous Assemblies; and
(20) That the foregoing provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders.
Madam Speaker, the intention behind the creation of the Council of Territory Cooperation is to change the political culture in the Northern Territory. When this council arose through the discussions held between me and the member for Nelson, our intention was to create a body within the parliamentary system which would open up the Legislative Assembly and its processes to more people to provide greater input. We wanted a body which would allow scrutiny of the work being done at an officer level on the ground, and for input into the way policy is developed and implemented.
The member for Nelson will speak for himself but, from my point of view, I have held the belief, in a parliamentary system which is small, where there is one Chamber, where the normal run of events is for an executive to govern for the four years it is elected, it is even more important to have mechanisms in place which provide avenues for all elected members and for others in the community to have input into governance. For me, it is a logical extension of the policies the government has introduced to open up and make more transparent the processes of government and, importantly, to bring in from outside of government advice, input and ideas.
No matter what your politics, members would have to agree this government has introduced a significant raft of reforms which have made the processes of government more transparent than they were before. We have introduced: freedom of information legislation, whistleblowers laws, the Estimates Committee, fixed four-year parliamentary terms, a modern Members Pecuniary Interest Act, a code of conduct for members, and a new Ombudsman’s Act with additional powers.
We have imposed a very public discipline on ourselves by publicly reporting on the progress of our election commitments every June and November. No government in the nation does this. Furthermore, we are the first government in the Territory to bring non-elected people into the Cabinet process through the Territory 2030 subcommittee of Cabinet.
I believe the Council of Territory Cooperation will bring about a fundamental shift in the way we do business, both in this House and as a democracy. It will bring an increased transparency to the decision-making processes of government, and it will ensure all members of parliament have an understanding of the pressures and drivers that lead to certain decisions. This transparency will lead to better government decision-making and better understanding of those decisions by parliamentarians and the public. It should also lead to a more informed and sophisticated commentary on these decisions by the media and the opposition.
The Territory is at the cusp on a period of great economic and social development, and government will be faced with challenges which have not been faced before. In facing these challenges, government may have to make hard decisions which upset some sectors of our community. Transparency provided by this agreement will mean a better understanding and, hopefully, acceptance of such decisions.
This council brings openness and transparency, but it also brings responsibility. This reform will be brought into disrepute if it is used to politicise and as a weapon to embarrass. The council is at liberty through its self-referencing power to look at whatever issues it wants. I hope the council will take the opportunity to focus on the big issues. The Territory is on the cusp of significant social and economic developments and I hope the council will assist the government in addressing the challenges of that development.
It should also address issues such as what we want our cities and towns to look like as their populations grow and even double. How are we going to ensure Indigenous Territorians share the economic life of the Territory whilst living and enjoying their cultural heritage? How do we balance our lifestyle aspirations with the demand of sustainability, both in economic and environmental terms? These are the big issues. If the council takes on these big strategic issues, it will become a key and respected institution in Territory political life. Of course, if the focus is short-term political gain, then the public will see it as business as usual and an opportunity will have been lost.
The committee will be able to call senior public servants and, in some cases, private citizens involved in the delivery of such programs. It is not intended ministers appear before the committee in the interests of keeping politics out of the committee as much as possible. Ministers, of course, will continue to answer the parliament through Question Time, and the Estimates Committee in particular.
Government must and will continue to make decisions whilst the council is considering issues. The government has a responsibility to govern, but I commit my government to listening and to taking advice from the council. One aspect of our system we all will fight to preserve is, ultimately, the people judge us. They will judge us on the decisions we make, how and why we make them, and how well we implement them. The government will govern. This may, on occasion, lead to some tension between the government and the committee, but I assure the House we will keep that to a minimum; we will listen; we will take advice.
Madam Speaker, I conclude where I began. This motion provides an opportunity for the Territory to do something different; an opportunity for us to lead the nation in the way parliament is conducted and the way business of governments is facilitated. It is an exciting moment in our history, and one which, I believe, will be viewed by future generations as a significant opening up of the parliamentary process.
There is a lot of detail here regarding the duties of the committee. In discussions I have had with the member for Nelson, and also brief discussions with the Leader of the Opposition and other members, the immediate matters of public importance - SIHIP; local government reform; the planning scheme and the establishment of Weddell; A Working Future, including the homelands policy - are all big-picture issues for the Northern Territory. Regarding the politics around these issues, these are all issues this parliament wants us to get right on behalf of the people of the Northern Territory.
I see this committee very much working to facilitate good, well-informed advice and recommendations to government to make the Territory a better place for all Territorians, and not turn into some political adversarial process. This House provides for opportunities for the political adversarial process to test issues.
This is groundbreaking reform. Whilst speaking with the Clerk - who everyone in this House recognises is an absolute expert in the institutions which have evolved through the Westminster parliamentary system - nothing like this has evolved through the Australian parliamentary system; we are breaking new ground. I go into this process with my eyes wide open, and in the firm belief if the members of this council genuinely work together to get to the bottom of issues - the big-picture policy issues which face the Northern Territory with our strong population growth, our strong economic growth, the absolute desire and passion of everybody in this House to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage - if we can bring people to the committee to bring forward ideas and suggestions, to be asked questions of by the committee and, ultimately, reports come back to this House in a genuine way to facilitate better outcomes for Territorians, this will be a success.
This committee is going to be open to the public. I look forward to the people of the Northern Territory coming before this committee with ideas and information for the committee to consider and report back to government. The strength of this committee is it is open to the public. There is going to be transparency around all of this. As well as being open to the public, the committee will be open to the media - again, a reform in government. We were the government which allowed television cameras into this parliament for the first time during broadcast Question Time.
Madam Speaker, you have facilitated the streaming of parliament over the Internet for people to follow if they so wish, not only in Question Time but through all debates of the parliament.
The Estimates Committee is a public process, and members of the media are invited, and so they will be to the deliberations of this committee.
This is all about the evolution of parliamentary democracy in the Northern Territory. I believe it is a good step forward. I urge this House to seize the opportunity this council provides - which is to better inform all of us, as parliamentarians, on the issues and challenges facing the Northern Territory and the opportunities the Northern Territory has into the future, given strong economic and population growth and our natural competitive advantage in a whole range of issues - to ensure the decisions this parliament and the government, ultimately, make are well informed, well considered, and for the betterment of the people of the Northern Territory.
Madam Speaker, I commend this motion to the House.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I welcome the motion from the Chief Minister. The introduction and passing of this motion today establishing the Council of Territory Cooperation is a new approach which, in some small way, I hope, will lead to better governance of the Northern Territory.
I know all in this parliament are here because we believe we can do something for the betterment of the people of the Territory. I have felt for a long time there are some issues where, by working together, we may achieve a better result rather than spending our time trying to prove to the public this party is better than that party. Some may say that is what the Westminster system is all about; it is adversarial by its nature and is the best way to achieve outcomes. If yesterday’s Question Time is a reflection of that, well, I rest my case. No doubt, the Westminster system will continue, but it should not stop new approaches to governance being tried.
This CTC, which is part of the August agreement between the Chief Minister and me, has this as its basis in an attempt to put party differences to one side and work together to try to develop better policies and achieve improvements in our society by opening up the processes to public scrutiny. The agreement sets out how this can be facilitated under the heading, ‘Purpose of the committee’, which says the committee facilitate:
(a) greater levels of collaboration in governance of the Northern Territory;
(a) the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program;
(c) the planning scheme and establishment of Weddell;
(d) A Working Future, including homelands policy;
(e) any other matter of public importance referred to it by the Legislative Assembly;
In other words, this committee can self-refer issues it would like to investigate.
How many issues the CTC can manage at one time will be a matter for the committee to decide. It will, naturally, have to work within a budget and also to decide what is achievable from a practical point of view, with members having to balance other committee duties, their electorate responsibilities, bearing in mind some may live away from Darwin.
The committee will also have the ability, through the Speaker, to appoint specialist persons for the purposes of the committee. This will allow more detailed scrutiny of specific issues where people with qualifications or prior experience will be able to assist the committee during its hearings. The committee will have to report to parliament as soon as possible after 30 June each year. Any report tabled by the committee which recommends action by the government shall, within three months from the date of tabling, generate an information paper response to the report and the Assembly has the capacity to take note of the report.
In keeping with the concept of openness and transparency, clause 16 states that:
This is certainly the right approach. This allows for the public to have a better understanding of the issues which are important in the Northern Territory by the public reporting of proceedings. It also means departments can publicly explain what they are doing in relation to certain government initiatives they are responsible for, and tell the committee what problems they are encountering, or successes they are achieving. This will make for a more accountable public service and, by its nature, a better government.
Some may say the committee should have the power to force ministers to hearings. First, under the standing orders for committees, this has never been the case. Second, I believe this committee is about investigating, scrutinising, making recommendations, and reporting on a whole range of matters of public importance. It will do that by talking to people at the coalface who are involved in the operations of government’s projects. Having ministers involved risks politicising the process. That does not mean a minister cannot attend. If invited, they may be happy to attend but, unless by motion of parliament, cannot be forced to attend. A minister can still be questioned in parliament in Question Time, which is appropriate and where the politics can take place.
There is no doubt this new council will have some teething problems but, if there is goodwill on all sides of the political spectrum, then I believe it can work for the benefit of the Territory. If there needs to be change to improve the committee, then I am sure it can be allowed for.
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his cooperation, at least giving the council a go, and for the member for Port Darwin for raising some issues in relation to the wording of the motion.
Naturally, Madam Speaker, I very much welcome and support this motion. I reiterate it is something new, something positive, something a little different, and something I feel will be good for the Northern Territory.
Mr MILLS (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, this presents honourable members with a real challenge. For those of us who have been in this Chamber for some time, we are drawn here from our own life experience and our expectations of what we can achieve in this parliament. Of course, all of us would reflect in our private times we are frustrated and take comfort, perhaps, from time to time, in the words of Winston Churchill, it has to be the worst system ever devised to manage the affairs of society, except any other. So, it has its faults, without a doubt.
However, look around at other systems in other places and you have to come to the conclusion what we have in parliamentary democracy is the best system – the Westminster system - when contrast with the alternatives. We all know no system, of itself, is perfect, nor is any constitution which binds any group perfect. You can have exemplary constitutions which describe all sorts of intentions, desires, aims, and objectives and, if you have people of ill will, it will not work. With a good constitution, having people with other motives will not make it work. You can have an inferior, deficient constitution, and people of goodwill, and it will work. There is the nub of this.
In and around this there is the word ‘hope. We hope this will work. The member for Wanguri and I both had a moment of dj vu, recognising how long we have been here, when we celebrated and recognised 60 years for Mr Gadd. Bang! I heard it the other day and it was the 50th. We have been here for 10 years. Nine of those years I served on committees. For those who have been here for some time and served on committees, sometimes, looking back at the experience, you wonder whether you can actually have hope all that activity and meeting time actually produced something.
I have an excellent report which came from the Substance Abuse Committee. It is good reading - sad reading too. However, what changes have occurred as a result of those meetings? Some, perhaps. The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee I have been on for nine years, and Statehood. How many times we have been inspired, excited about what could possible be, and it becomes quite a challenge to continue with real hope there is going to be real changes as a result of your meetings and your times together.
Honestly, weigh it up. Is this new construct going to, in fact, achieve the desired objective? Maybe after all this time in parliament, I have become a little cynical and I have to be careful I do not bring that cynicism to be the sole judge of this. I have to recognise what is also in the public interest. What does the community want? They would like us to give it a go and try to work a better way forward in their interests. I have to balance it with my own cynicism, having seen the behaviour of governments, and this government in particular. It is quite difficult to launch in with a completely sanguine view this is going to be really good. I have my serious reservations for a number of reasons. Those reservations sit alongside the expectation of our broader community to see some form of leadership. I say to those who have an expectation of us, I will not allow leadership to be subject to naivety; that being, to rush on and say it is going to be really good. I go in with serious reservations; the opposition has serious reservations. Nonetheless, in balance, there is a decision to give it a go in the best interests of those who look to us for leadership.
I need to talk about the reservations, because those reservations are not just borne out of a political standpoint because, if we were to play sheer politics with this, of course, we would be playing hard ball. I too saw the footage from Question Time on Channel 9 News last night. I was a former educator who sat up there in the gallery with kids, many years ago, and thought, hmm. We have an obligation, but we also need to recognise, in order for decisions to be made, those decisions have to be properly tested, therefore, we have robust debate. We also have to recognise there is the issue of authority, and the authority granted by a community to govern and lead on their behalf, has to be properly tested. We have that issue: there is a government duly elected which needs to be held to account.
Will this vehicle hold the government to account? Is that its objective? Is the reform to allow better decision-making because, at the end of the day, that is what it is about - better decision-making in the interests of the community. In my experience, I am growing tired of things which are constructed for superficial reasons. The first alert, the alarm bell rang, when this vehicle was constructed as a select committee, which describes it as a temporary vehicle. Being temporary, the nature of a temporary vehicle is to achieve a short-term objective. What is the short-term objective? It is a political crisis of the government and, it being temporary, we then manage to get ourselves through this by constructing this temporary vehicle called the Council of Territory Corporation, and we move on.
We talked about this on Monday. Does that fundamentally change the nature of the problem? As I said, I am very troubled by responses to serious matters with a superficial response. I am pleased at least my colleague, the member for Port Darwin, was able to present this issue to the government and the member for Nelson, to say, by very virtue of it being a temporary vehicle, a select committee, it should at least be sessional to show it is a fixture - a part of the parliamentary process in a more permanent nature rather than a temporary nature. That shows there is some willingness to move. I have to respect and acknowledge that; that is good.
There is much use of the word ‘reform’. Three definitions come to mind, one being improving something by removing faults. I would like to have a dissection of what the faults, in fact, are. Is it the fault we just do not get on with each other and we should all work together and have a good time in this Chamber, and enjoy our time on committees, and say: ‘Gee, that was really good. I enjoyed work today getting on with the guys on the other side’. It could well be nave because, as the member for Wanguri went to watch the grand final of Geelong and St Kilda, I do not think the grandstand would be very pleased if everyone all got on and had a good time on the football field. The nature of politics is also a contest; it is a contest of ideas and debate; it is a battle of ideas. How we conduct ourselves in the debate is the issue. Will this vehicle address the fundamental fault? Will it improve the quality of debate, and argument, rationale, and analysis of issues? Will it result in greater levels of honesty and accountability of government because, ultimately, that is where the pressure must come to bear?
Without pressure you do not have change. Without having something checked, you do not have any alteration of behaviour. We know the fundamental: unless it is checked it is not done. So will it change the fault? I am fearful of, and have grave reservations, for the superficial nature of this without the clear dissection analysis of what the underlining fault is. Will it fix it? There is a little problem there. Nonetheless, I am going to weigh that carefully and we, as the opposition, will continue to monitor.
Another definition of reform is to reorganise and improve. When you think of that, the cynic in me says you can reorganise deck chairs on a ship, but unless you change the direction of the vessel nothing changes, perhaps just the view for a time, which is then called reform. Reform is, in fact, changing the direction of the vessel, not reorganising the seating arrangements. Will it really change things? I have to weigh that up. I have been around for long enough, and take my job seriously enough, as do my fellow colleagues, to not rush in. There are reservations on that front, and I put them on the record.
There is another definition for reform, and that is character improvement. That is probably getting to the nub of it - that is reform: an alcoholic, a reformed alcoholic; a smoker, a reformed smoker, and so on. It is the change of the attitude born from a change and the way you think and respond to issues as parliamentarians. I believe that is what this is hoping to achieve. I hope it does but, given we have seen, as a result of the pressure brought to bear upon government by virtue of the crisis - in fact, being a minority government sustained by the will of an Independent - they have had a road to Damascus experience and embarked on all sorts of remarkable reforms. Only because of the pressure! Will this vehicle apply pressure? Will it provide the required scrutiny, at the required level, to reform the way in which decision-making occurs within a government?
We all know in this Westminster system, ultimately, in politics it is not until the pressure is brought to bear change, in fact, comes. When the people line up outside Parliament House, for example regarding TIO, then government changes its mind. It takes a lot of power to move a government. In fact, it takes a lot of pressure to move anyone from their particular point of view. Will this vehicle have the required power to shift the view, change the attitude, and reform the way things occur? That is the question: will it?
In considering this, I came to a conclusion, having weighed what I understood and what I thought it meant to embark upon reform, as was described when we had the historic gathering here concerning the vote of no confidence. Then, we had the decision of the member for Nelson. He spoke of holding government to account, and the desire for significant reform. I have weighed the spirit of those words and I want to see they are, in fact, applied now in the same manner in which they were uttered then. I have to weigh that up and assess that.
I thought to follow that through and be practical and pragmatic about the nature of this game, the Public Accounts Committee would be the better vehicle to apply this idea. It is actually a part of the architecture of the parliament; it sits in other parliaments - and, by the way, recognise this parliament does not have a Senate above it as a house of review, so we are trying to find some way, with checks and balances, so we have a Public Accounts Committee with enlarged powers such as self-reference, public access, media access which would be a better positioned vehicle to achieve this objective.
I am still persuaded of that view, and it would not be a temporary vehicle, but a permanent alteration of the architecture of our parliament to provide that capacity. I say now, I believe it is the better approach, but I am the Opposition Leader and we are talking about the need to cooperate. Notwithstanding the very serious reservations and my own experience which has given me a particular view of things, and weighing up what the community’s expectations of us are, I have to finally adjudicate and make a decision. We still do not know how much it will cost. It has been described in meetings in general terms, but we do not have on the record how much this will cost us, who will be on it, or which people are proposed to be put on it. It will test, in some significant ways, the senior ministers, for example, who are on this Council of Territory Cooperation.
When one looks at the Public Accounts Committee and its extension into estimates, all of us, even though we be weary, leave estimates thinking it was a good experience. We had the chance to speak to a minister; to ask questions of a senior public servant, and get a better understanding of particular issues. Even ministers say, ‘I actually learned some things, too’, which I find surprising - I thought they would be completely across everything. However, that aside, we feel the estimates process has been a really good process and we actually come out of the other end of it, all of us, with a better understanding.
So, it is my view, and the view of my colleagues, a far better vehicle would be an enhanced Public Accounts Committee with its own self-referencing capacity, external access to public and media, and with its extension into estimates. It would be a vehicle better positioned to achieve the objective in real terms.
Having said all of that - and it sits on the record and will stay there - what has been described and deliberated by the Territory opposition will remain as witness to our decision as a parliament. We will respect the decision of the parliament in the interests of the wider community. Yet, be fully aware we have very real reservations, but will endeavour to use this vehicle to advance the best interests of Territorians and, never for a moment, the best interests of the Territory government - whoever they may be.
Ms LAWRIE (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I congratulate both the Chief Minister and the member for Nelson for coming up with the idea of a Council of Territory Cooperation, and for the work they have done since August in establishing the terms of reference for this committee. The idea of the council, of course, had its genesis during the quite dramatic circumstances we saw in August. Both the Chief Minister and the member for Nelson, at the time, had a great many issues on their minds to deal with, and were both under a great deal of pressure. Yet, it is a credit to both of them, during this time, they were able to work through the issues and come up with such an innovative idea.
I believe the political culture of the Territory has been evolving and improving in recent years. The intention behind the creation of the Council of Territory Cooperation is to further improve the political culture of the Northern Territory. The Territory is a crossroads of enormous growth and development. Unity is what is required to move the Territory forward in the best possible way. We are far too small a jurisdiction to be tied up with tearing ourselves apart instead of taking advantage of the opportunities which lie before us. The nature of politics often leads to division, but the lessons of the past are we cannot afford to go back to the days of blame and divide which is not to the benefit of Territorians.
This council will be about working together without the politics of division. It will be about harnessing the knowledge and talent of Territorians, whether they be in local government, big-, small-, medium-sized enterprises, public servants, researchers, industry organisations and representatives or, indeed, the broader public. Through this council, they will have an opportunity to have their say in what we hope will be a cooperative environment.
I understand the reservations of the Leader of the Opposition, but I sincerely urge the opposition to get on board. I believe this is a true test of the Leader of the Opposition’s leadership. He often talks about the importance of getting beyond politics - well, here is his chance; this is his test. Of course, there will still be a place for politics – it is in this Chamber and in the media commentary we make outside this Chamber. However, let us try to take the politics out of the Council of Territory Cooperation and genuinely pursue the intent of the council – a significant challenge.
As Treasurer, looking at the argument we should just morph the PAC into this role, the Public Accounts Committee is about scrutinising the accounts of government. Appropriately so, the estimates process scrutinises the budgets and expenditure of government. The council has a far broader remit than that. It is not just about the financials, the accounts, the resources and how those resources are being used. Surely, it is also about the policy settings; about how those policy setting evolve - and policy by its nature should evolve, it has evolved, and it must continue to evolve.
You cannot and should not just look through the issues confronting the Territory through the prism of the accounts and the funding. If we did that we would achieve little. What the government often sets for test in government is say: ‘We know the resources are limited’. To put it in context, the Territory has a $4.2bn budget, yet when you look at housing need alone, unmet housing need outstrips the entire Territory budget. When you look at the outstanding road needs, it outstrips the entire Territory budget. So, if you continue to look through just the prism of the resources available, you will not find the solutions. You need to find the pathways to the solutions through the policy settings and through understanding better practices, and how they exist. That is often through listening to the researchers who are specialists in their field, by understanding what practices occur elsewhere, how they could, potentially, be adapted and modified to suit the Territory? This is the way.
I know the Council of Territory Cooperation has planning as one of the references on the list it will get to and work through. Again, planning is far broader and wider than the resources attached to facilitate the planning functions and processes - how many planners you have employed, how you are funding your development assessment processes to ensure they meet the timeliness required, etcetera. Planning is far broader than that; it is far broader than resources and the accounts. It is about genuinely understanding how you engage and involve the community in the evolution of contemporary planning practices, what those planning practices are, what the urban policy requirements are to achieve sustainability …
Mr Tollner: Contemporary planning practices, you have to be joking.
Ms LAWRIE: I hear the member for Fong Lim chuckling. I am very interested to know who the opposition have going on this Council of Territory Cooperation, because that is also a test of the Leader of the Opposition’s leadership. If the member for Fong Lim is going on it …
Mr Mills: Do not lecture us. Who is on it from your side?
Ms LAWRIE: … well, you will be putting the Wilson Tuckey of Territory politics on there.
Mr Mills: Okay, we are off to a good start.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Ms LAWRIE: As I was saying, you can sit there chuckling, when I am talking about the opportunity the council has to thoroughly look at contemporary planning practices, understand the evolution of urban policy, understand the sustainability coming through much of the planning practices, and where we need to evolve, because we have such enormous challenges right across the Territory.
I look forward, as Planning minister, to debate and discussion by the council - bringing the expertise in for considered debate and discussion within the council and getting the recommendations from the council. Ill behove a government not prepared to listen, not prepared to engage at grassroots community level, but also at the level of bringing in expertise. There are many experts in this field here in the Territory now. Equally, there are many experts in this field broadly in our nation, and we bring some of that expertise into …
Mr Elferink: Your argument is not helping the opposition one bit.
Ms LAWRIE: The urban design advisory panel is part of a body of experts. Real opportunities exist in this council to genuinely and openly consider what the picture looks like across those challenges - real opportunities. At the end of the day, we are here to serve Territorians, and this council gives us an added opportunity to serve them better, and, as I say, away from the blame and the divide which occurs in the heat of this Chamber and in the arguments we all do through the media. Leave that out of this council, is my urging to the opposition.
In terms of the question of who should be on it, well, of course, we have had a discussion and deliberated on who would be well served to sit on the council to serve the interests of the Territory cooperatively. The members for Fannie Bay and Arafura have both put their hands up and said: ‘We are keen to be on this. We see the potential for it, and we want to be engaged in this process’. They have the full support of all their colleagues to be the government representatives on the council. They genuinely want to be engaged, going in with the right mindset, with the right approach, to see what can come out of this council for the benefit of Territorians - not to score political points, none of that; it is genuine. It is helpful and useful we have a combination of an urban-based member and a bush-based member. That value adds to the council’s deliberations, and that is a good outcome.
There is a desire by the government to be genuine, take the blame, take the division, leave that away from the council, and genuinely bring in the debate and discussion of the experts - people who understand the Territory, and listen and learn and see what evolves out of that. Policy, by its nature, evolves, and it should evolve.
This is an enormous opportunity for us. Like anything, it will work if people genuinely want it to work. Across all members of the council, it will work if people genuinely want it to work. Why do I say that? When I was chair of the Environment Committee, it had a couple of very seasoned, very senior politicians on it, and a few newbies. The seasoned politicians on it were former CLP ministers, Steve Dunham and Tim Baldwin. I was a newbie, the member for Nelson was a newbie, and so was the then member for Barkly. We commenced an inquiry into the incursion of cane toads into the Territory.
Each and every one of us went into the committee with a mind to genuinely look at the issues and inquire. We did not go in with preconceived ideas of what the outcomes would be. A few of us had a view - I certainly had a view we had to tackle the incursion. The former ministers had a view, probably limited, as to how you could tackle it. We arrived at a series of agreed recommendations which, today, I believe, have stood the test of time. We have seen the groundswell of community support in tackling cane toads which had its genesis in a genuine inquiry by a parliamentary committee to go down the path, to listen to the researchers and experts.
We did not have division and politics in the committee. It was a good process, a sound process, and I believe a very sound outcome as a consequence. There are examples in the Northern Territory legislative processes, in committees, where you get those good, genuine outcomes.
I congratulate the Chief Minister and the member for Nelson for coming up with the Council of Territory Cooperation. I will provide every support and encouragement to my colleagues, the members for Fannie Bay and Arafura, in the work they are doing. I thank them for putting their hand up for taking on the task. We all know it requires time, effort and energy, and I am genuinely available to provide information and support. I look forward to the outcomes of council.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I have long weighed up what this particular committee means in my mind’s eye, and whether we should acquiesce on this side of the House to be part of it. There are strong arguments for and against our participation.
I listened carefully to what both the Chief Minister and the Treasurer had to say on this issue, and it is hard to believe from their lips come the words of reconciliation and cooperation, when only such a short time ago ‘suck it up, boys’ was the attitude from the other side of the House.
The Leader of the Opposition referred to a road to Damascus rediscovery of oneself. If one reads those sections of the Bible you realise Saul, who after his conversion became Paul, was confronted with a truth so undeniable he turned his faith and his whole life around. I hope this was the motivation of a government which had suddenly been confronted by the truth of what they had been doing so, absolutely, it was no longer a tenable position on any construct for them to continue behaving the way they were.
The facts surrounding this road to Damascus conversion, which we see in front of us, are less than entirely reassuring that the motivation is one of grace and more one of necessity. If one considers Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I suspect we are still at the bottom rung, the baser rung of the particular hierarchy, regarding what is motivating this government to make these decisions. Nevertheless, we now find ourselves in the situation where the government is mouthing the words of cooperation and reconciliation in relation to how we proceed as a self-governing jurisdiction.
The decision to go down this path has been articulated in the past by the member for Nelson who has said in the past, and prior to this actual motion being brought before the House, he would like to see government work as a council where there are no political parties and the best interest of the jurisdiction is always considered.
There are practical problems with that issue, which had not been considered by the member for Nelson when he came into this place and decided to give a lifeline to the decrepit and dying government of the Chief Minister. The people, in spite of what the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition said at the time, were certainly anxious for an election - or that is my belief, at least.
When the member for Nelson described in the no confidence motion what he wanted, I was so curious I was moved to ask him what exactly this committee would look like. His answer was: ‘I do not know’. So I pursued him on the matter, and the question. I asked: ‘Is this a subcommittee of Cabinet, or are we talking about a parliamentary committee, or what?’ He said: ‘I do not know, I have not had enough time to figure it out’ - or words to that effect.
It immediately raised some concerns amongst people in the community, not least of which were many lawyers who were saying: ‘Goodness gracious me, is this thing even going to be constitutional?’ If it were a subcommittee of the Cabinet, it would offend section 33 of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act, so that could not be done.
If it was going to be run like a council, then the practical problems of the separation of powers would immediately apply because, if the council approach was going to be taken, we must remember how councils work. Councils work because you get elected to a council and you sit as a Cabinet, and then you make executive decisions, and the executive arm of the council does its business. The next tier up in our governmental system separates those powers because of the enormity of the decisions being taken. So, it is impossible for us to apply a council model. We, as a parliament, could not sit as a Cabinet of 25 and could not produce the same types of decisions in the process described by the member for Nelson.
Finally, this has all been realised by the government itself - and I expect they received advice from Solicitor-General – so, ultimately, the only place that this could go was a parliamentary committee - the motion we are debating now.
I pause briefly to talk about adversarial systems and, as much as people do not like them, they do have the effect of keeping governments on their toes. We know the Treasurer is not one who likes conceding points at all, because it is a matter of pride - not only pride, but integrity for ministers to be able to do their jobs completely. When a minister finally gets pushed into a position where they have to acknowledge they have missed a point or overlooked a point, it is not something they do with any pleasure. The adversarial system works because it actually appeals to some of our baser elements. One of those base elements is we are proud of what we do, and we do not like to be wrong. It is easier and often more productive to work that little harder than to be criticised in public. That is one of the advantages of the adversarial system.
Often, oppositions do as much to keep governments in government than gain government themselves through that process, because they make governments better at what they do. I am sure the Housing Minister does not look forward to coming into this Chamber some days in the current environment because he does not like the criticism which comes his way. My goodness, I hope it motivates him to do his job better, which is one of the upsides of the adversarial system - it looks confronting, it is confronting, but confrontation leads to motion from governments.
However, the separation of powers is what a council approach would offend. It could not work under the current structures of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act, which is a federal act, nor does it in any way reflect the conventions we have adopted from the British system - it just would not work.
What we are left with is a model which was not envisaged by the member for Nelson. What we now have is a model which the member for Nelson acknowledges is the only vehicle - I suspect will acknowledge - which can effectively work. We are expected, by the member for Nelson as well as the government, to approach this council in good faith. The government has acknowledged, or suggested, it is prepared to work in good faith. That will be the approach I expect members on this side of the House to take when this council is announced. However, let us not be unmindful of the fact that what the member for Nelson said he expected and what we are getting are actually quite structurally and substantially two different things.
It was also put together in a hurry. It is clear from reading the motion - I still have some minor issues with the motion as it is currently written, but nothing that is going to cause any major grief - it was a motion that was quickly put together. That was clear in the first draft I read, in it being a select committee. Select committees are, by their very definition - and I am not going to quote, I cannot lay my hands on it right now – basically, deal with a single issue, and then they cease to exist when they report. To describe this as a select committee demonstrates how quickly this thing is being rolled out. A lack of thought and preparation may, ultimately, manifest itself in the way the committee operates. I hope the committee and the government would be prepared, should it need, to change the terms of reference from this House to the committee in a way which will satisfactorily deal with those issues, should they arise.
One such issue is the inoculation of ministers from being brought before the committee to advise it. I already believe that diminishes the capacity of this committee and the expectations outlined by the member for Nelson during the period of the no confidence motion. The reason I believe that is because there is an expectation this committee is actually higher, bigger, and better than what happens in this place and out there in the public mind; that we should be working together to achieve an outcome.
I also note from the terms of reference for this committee there is no obligation on government to feel, in any way, compelled to do anything other than respond to what the committee says. We have to be mindful of the track record of this government’s attitude towards this parliament. Only now that they are fighting for their lives have they taken on the conciliatory mantle. Moreover, there is a motion on the books of this House which should compel government to move the prison - and the response from government has been abject indifference to this House. They do so at their own peril. To feel and to indicate they will not be compelled by this committee’s input, for its own policy settings, to me, is a matter of concern. I will look very closely, as I suspect members of this side of the House will, at how this government responds to the recommendations of policy settings of government, should government receive reports from this committee - and I suspect they will.
It is now incumbent on government to cooperate with this committee in every way possible. Despite the fact a minister is not compelled to give evidence before a committee of this nature, I hope ministers would feel enthusiastic about doing so, and avail themselves should the committee ask them to do so. The reason being is, often - and read House of Representatives Practice - the vast majority of people who become before parliamentary committees want to be there. It is not because they are being dragged there; it is because they actually want to contribute to the processes of improving our community. I hope ministers maintain a similar predisposition towards this committee. I ask Cabinet to discuss this matter and turn their minds to it because, whilst they will not be compellable under this arrangement, they may still have a valuable contribution to make.
As a matter of point - and I know I am not breaching a privilege; we have had this discussion before - on every single occasion in the PAC, unless I have missed one, I object to the presence of a minister in the PAC. The reason I do so is because it offends the system of responsible government we have. I pause briefly to read from some Commonwealth cases dealing with interpretation of our Constitution and other arrangements about responsible government. I refer to Egan v Willis [1998] HCA 71:
That is, ministers coming before committees.
Responsible government is how our separation of powers works. I ask ministers to be very mindful of this truth. I quote from that same case:
This committee will not be able to compel ministers, but I certainly hope we will be able to compel the senior bureaucrats who advise ministers, if ministers do not volunteer. This goes to the very integrity of government itself and its capacity to stand up and be counted for its own policy decisions. This committee will definitely make policy inquiries, and it is right the ministers themselves should be demonstrating to the committee what the policy decision is, what the policy rationale is, rather than a public servant. Nevertheless, if you look at other committees in other jurisdictions, such as the federal estimates process, often it is just the public servant answering questions. If this committee is going to work, it must have access to enthusiastic ministers who are prepared to explain their own policy rationale.
I pause briefly also to note – and it was an issue I am coming back to - ministers should not sit on committees. They have one on the PAC at the moment. It is so offensive to the imagination of the South Australian parliament that it should occur, they have legislated against it. I point out their Parliamentary Committees Act of 1991 in relation to the PAC, section 5(2):
I further point out, in the House of Representatives Practice:
I note the announcement by the Treasurer - surprisingly not by the announcement from the Chief Minister himself - the members for Fannie Bay and Arafura, neither whom are ministers, will be on the committee. That is some comfort to me in the propriety of how this committee operates. Having said that, I will passionately resist any attempt to place a minister of the Crown on the committee. It would be contrary to our system of responsible government and, moreover, contrary to simple common sense and the will which is trying to be generated in relation to this particular committee.
Madam Speaker, I expect public servants, when they come to the committee, would also be allowed to speak freely and openly about the advice and policy advice they give ministers. This committee’s integrity will be exemplified only by the committee’s capacity to investigate. I continue to harbour reservations about this government’s motivations in relation to how this committee operates. I have now expressed those reservations, reasonable clearly in this House, as to how this government will go about its business. I hope to be proven wrong.
My inner idealist has suggested to me we should pursue this in an effort to try to create something the member for Nelson has articulated in the past. The contribution from the Treasurer, in which she could not help but take an adversarial role, only demonstrates to me there may well be less than a full desire to achieve those goals - but we will see. Therefore, I am supportive of this particular arrangement. However, it is a qualified support - qualified by the evidence I expect to see of government compliance with the desires, ends, and objectives of this committee. If that compliance is absent, if that willingness to proceed as a government for the true welfare of the people of the Northern Territory is absent, then so shall we be.
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I support this motion. This motion is opening up some very important issues we need to deal with as an Assembly, and as a Territory. The vision expressed in terms of the function and aims of this committee, and how it might improve the life of Territorians, is a very important consideration. Much of the discussion - and the member for Nelson has raised this before - is about the size of the Territory, the size of this legislature, and the argument we are too small to have adversarial politics play out in the Territory. In many ways, he would argue, with many others in our community, adversarial politics can be quite counterproductive.
The member for Port Darwin and the Leader of the Opposition alluded to the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act, and the structure of government and executive government within the Northern Territory. I do not question at all what the member for Port Darwin has said in that regard. However, I point out there are times within the history of Australia and other nations where, particularly during wartime, when there are governments of cooperation, where the adversarial politic is put to one side and war Cabinets are called together. Those Cabinets draw on the best of all sides of politics for the common good, to bring about cooperation and collaboration. I am not suggesting on the floor of this parliament there is a war going on within the Northern Territory, but we have some enormous challenges within the Northern Territory which do not exist, I argue, anywhere else in Australia. We debate them day in and day out within this Assembly - and rightly so.
Housing has been one of them, and Indigenous housing has been at the forefront. Within the terms of reference of the Council of Territory Cooperation, SIHIP is front and centre for the consideration and investigation by this particular council. It is the opposition’s job to point to the failings of government and lack of implementation of policy, and to a whole range of flaws within the system. As well as that, no one in opposition - particularly given the fact no one in the opposition has actually, with two exceptions, been in government - has been in executive government; no one has been a minister. There needs to be more appreciation of the framework in which executive government works, particularly in relation to major issues such as SIHIP.
This Council of Territory Cooperation can, and I hope does, present itself as a vehicle to progress understanding, cooperation, and to come up with vital ideas with different perspectives which are constructive, rather than destructive.
The member for Port Darwin talked about the positives of the adversarial system - through pressure things move along. I believe there are also negatives about the adversarial system, and probably are some of the things the member for Nelson has alluded to over some time. We are a small Territory, we have major challenges, and a number of those challenges have been identified for reference to the committee – SIHIP and local government reform.
There is no doubt this government, through various successive ministers, has embarked on a very ambitious program of reform of local government. We would not pretend it is perfect - far from it – it is very difficult terrain out there. I have spent a substantial amount of time during the 30 years I have been in the Northern Territory interfacing with local community government councils on Indigenous communities. I know the difficulties which exist there. I know the difficulties my colleague, the member for Daly, talked about in his employment relationship speech yesterday, in the job he had to do and the issues and confrontations he had to deal with in the job.
I have seen it time and time again with CEOs of various Indigenous corporations trying to do the right thing and coming under inordinate pressure over resources such as cars, trips, orders, and cash advances. I have seen firsthand the threats to good CEOs doing the right thing. I have seen the plots against various CEOs to get them out of the community because they had a reform agenda, and breaking down power bases within Indigenous communities.
Yesterday, I understand what happened here. I understand it is politics, but I wonder how productive it is in adversarial politics to go back through someone’s work history before they got in to this place, and then try to link that to their ministerial performance now. I believe all of us have histories in this place and, by doing that in an adversarial, political sense, I believe we open up a Pandora’s box. People need to think carefully about what they do and what they present to this parliament.
The Opposition Leader talked about a character change on behalf of government. Well, I believe in a spirit of openness and moving on together, there needs to be some thought about character changes, about presenting documents and saying in this place, ‘Here is a graph based on something or another that shows you have lied and misled this parliament‘, then being unable to actually present the document or report to this parliament.
It is a two-way street, and I believe this council actually presents a way forward on this, given the challenges which exist for this wonderful Northern Territory. It is not about our side or your side, in the end it should about the people on the ground; the little Indigenous children, the schoolchildren we see here, full of hope and life and a future. Then you think: ‘What future is there for those children?’ We need, as a Territory parliament, to move these issues on. It is churlish to think, somehow, this government is not trying its best. There needs to be the acknowledgement and understanding of the difficulties which are faced particularly, when you are dealing with the Commonwealth government.
I am talking about successive Commonwealth governments that do not deliver services, in the main. They give funding - we are grateful as a Territory for the money we receive from the Commonwealth. However, the Commonwealth, in general, does not deliver any services - it gives grants and it is has its layers of accountability it wants on top of it, which is, sometimes, quite counterproductive to getting on with the job.
I believe the Palmerston Super Clinic was an example of that, and the radiation oncology unit another example. When I was Health Minister, I asked Nicola Roxon whether those grants would come directly to the Territory, rather than being in DOHA where these things just go around in circles ad nauseum. It might be a Coalition government or a Labor government, but that is the way the bureaucracy works within Canberra.
That is one of the problems we face as a Territory government, because we are so reliant on federal funding. Yet, there are so many layers attached – it does not matter which government is in power federally – to it. That is something we have to break through. It is something we need to work together on and put a united front to the Commonwealth, because it is an issue and has been in SIHIP. There are many other issues in SIHIP, but these are the type of issues I believe the Council of Territory Cooperation needs to get right into. It will be a powerful report, particularly if it is a bipartisan report back to this parliament, pointing out the flaws which might exist at a Territory level. However, I believe we need to have a global look at what is going on, and not just through the prism of adversarial politics.
I commend this approach; it is a bold approach, and there are many risks associated with it; there is no doubt about that - big risks. However, we have to have a go. That is a motto I took from Mr Ahn Do, who is a comedian who has been appearing at the October Business Month - a very inspirational speaker. He talks about times of adversity he has learned from through his life. His family were refugees from Vietnam, and they were almost massacred by pirates on their way here. He has had a hard time through his life in Australia, but he said his father’s motto has always been: ‘Have a go, son, have a go’. This is what we are doing. That might have even been what the Leader of the Opposition said: ‘We have to give it a go’. To that extent, I certainly am in agreement with the Leader of the Opposition.
Basically, Madam Speaker, we have to move forward with some confidence. Echoing the words of the member for Nelson on 14 August:
The motion sets out very clearly what the aims of the committee are: to facilitate greater levels of collaboration in the governance of the Northern Territory which means parliamentary democracy by providing a strong role for members of the Legislative Assembly who are not members of executive government - it is very plain there, member for Port Darwin, and it has been announced ministers will not be sitting on this particular committee; expand it, involve them in important Territory initiatives and projects; and provide new avenues for Territorians to have input - the member for Nelson is actually presenting a way Territorians or organisations can have input into this process; and provide a road map for tackling some specific issues currently facing the Northern Territory. As I said, local government, the planning scheme, and the establishment of Weddell are all crucially important for the development of the Northern Territory.
Under the former federal government, the homelands policy was part of the arrangement Mal Brough wanted; that the Northern Territory government would take responsibility for homelands. Rightfully, as a Cabinet, as executive government, we said: ‘We do not know the extent of the infrastructure for a start. We do not know the state of that infrastructure’. We sought to find out more about what was being offered by the Commonwealth and what was required regarding the infrastructure we would be taking responsibility for. We were criticised for that, and for dragging the chain or whatever. However, as a responsible government, you really have to look at the responsibilities and liabilities you are taking on. It is issues such as this which need to be understood.
Regarding homelands - and the member for Arafura has articulated this very strongly and her electorate is probably one of the strongest homeland regions in the whole of Australia, as, of course, is that of the member for Nhulunbuy. I have had a bit to do with homelands in both of those electorates. There are certainly great opportunities for Indigenous people on their homelands, but there are resource and service delivery issues also. All of these things need to be balanced and appreciated. These are very important issues which will be considered by the committee.
I really do commend the work of the committee. At the end of the day, I also commend the member for Nelson for bringing forward this idea. The opposition is right; there were circumstances where government said: ‘Okay, we will move along this path’. Government will continue to move along this path, and to work cooperatively with the member for Nelson. We would like to try to work cooperatively with the opposition here, because there are many people in this Northern Territory saying: ‘Okay, there are 25 of them in there and they have electorates of about 5000 people; it is all just a bit too small’. I believe it is really incumbent on us also to take a few steps in this direction. There will always be adversarial politics; I am not saying there will not be. There is a need for it, but there is also a need, at various times in history as I have alluded to before, for areas of cooperation in the mutual interests of the people we serve.
Madam Speaker, I support this motion. I look forward to the committee coming into operation. As much as I can in my portfolio areas, I will certainly be endeavouring, through my department and in other ways, to try to assist the work of this committee.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I contribute with a genuine spirit of cooperation regarding the establishment of the Council of Territory Cooperation. It would serve no purpose to attack the formulation of this council, but I will give qualified support for the establishment of this council. However, like my colleagues on this side of the House, I, too, have serious concerns about the operation of this council and whether it will, in fact, achieve the results it is intended to achieve, or whether it will simply be lip service by the government to the member for Nelson.
An observation I want to make before I go on is, up until the recent crisis of the Labor government a couple of months ago, the Chief Minister quite often used the term in respect to his government, ‘they had a mandate to govern’. Unless I have missed something in parliament, I do not think I have actually heard him utter those words since the crisis. It seems to me, now, the government is, in fact, hobbled by the member for Nelson, and they really will not be able to get on with the business of governing unless the member for Nelson largely sanctions many of the actions and the policies the government intends to take. So it is, I believe, with the Council of Territory Cooperation.
I listened to the contributions this morning from the members opposite. I thought the Chief Minister was being completely disingenuous in speaking of the council. He made it appear it was some creation of his, but we all know the truth behind it - it was a creation of the member for Nelson and set aside, in the list of demands, kept the Labor government in power. That raises a question in my mind of whether the Chief Minister really wants this council. I suspect the answer to that is no. Of course, we know it is not the Chief Minister’s idea either.
You have to excuse me for being a little cynical about the whole thing. It is only since the crisis of the Labor government we have heard any talk at all from the government about cooperation in any way, shape, or form, with members of the opposition.
We are in a position of having to have this Council of Territory Cooperation. It must exist for the government to maintain power, at least according to the agreement made. It is designed, partly, to make the government more accountable and more transparent. I do not know the government really wants a further level of accountability or transparency. What this Council of Territory Cooperation could end up as - and this is my biggest fear – is a toothless tiger, but I do sincerely hope not.
I hope it will be a workable, genuine opportunity to achieve something - and achieve something I have mentioned in this House many times, and as recently as yesterday; that is, for opposition members - and by extension Independent members - to have more input into the decisions and the policies made by government. What we have seen up until now, of course, is the government going on its merry way, making one mistake after another, despite opposition calls for stronger decisive action in many areas, and opposition input into policy ideas the government could quite easily adopt. However, they do not want to do that because it makes themselves look weak.
I am not so nave as to suggest the opposition members, or the Independent members, who might sit on this council, have a direct role in the government executive. We know that is not how the Westminster system works. It is high time the representatives of more than 50% of the voting constituency in the Northern Territory had far more say, and an avenue to be better heard for the good of all Territorians.
The member for Nelson said in his parliamentary debate, on 14 August I believe, he wanted to see enhanced parliamentary democracy. That is fine, and I agree with that. However, what if this new form of enhanced parliamentary democracy does not work - after all its deliberations, after all the hard work it puts in, it does not work because the government ignores the recommendations of the council? At that point, it will prove the government is really only paying lip service to the process, lip service to the Council of Territory Cooperation, and lip service to the member for Nelson.
However, the opposition does give its qualified support to the formation of this council. It is, and it will be, genuine support because, notwithstanding the issues and problems we see with the formation of this, it could make a difference. I believe it is certainly worth a try.
We will, however, be going into this council - to use the Chief Minister’s words this morning - with our eyes wide open. The members of the opposition who will sit on the Council of Territory Cooperation will do all in their power to facilitate the workability of the council. Make no mistake, we will not allow the wool to be pulled over our eyes, we will not allow ourselves, or the council, to be hobbled in a way which makes it unworkable, because that would then entirely defeat the purpose of having such a council as put forward by the member for Nelson.
My colleagues have covered most of the concerns. I have a few specific concerns about the operation of the council; that it should be properly funded, of course. I suppose that raises an issue about additional cost to the taxpayer, particularly if this Council of Territory Cooperation ends up being not much more than a committee which runs in parallel to the PAC. That, then, raises the question of whether the PAC, with a little tweaking, cannot do exactly the same job.
I would like to get a guarantee from the government that public servants will always be made available to the Council of Territory Cooperation and that the questioning - because this is an inquisitorial committee - of public servants will not be hobbled or stymied in any way which prevents us from digging into matters of importance in the Northern Territory. It seems, hearing the speeches, what has been said about the council, particularly by the member for Nelson, he wants to see this committee drilling down into the real issues; he wants to have access to people who can provide him with the answers. Reading between the lines, when he says he does not necessarily want to talk to ministers because he can ask them questions in Question Time, it seems to me as though the member for Nelson wants to avoid the spin, and actually get down to some real answers. I hope the government provides a mechanism to do that.
One of my biggest concerns here - and I have alluded to it already - is the Council of Territory Cooperation, from the motion which has been put forward, cannot compel the government to do anything. At the end of the day, however, the effectiveness of the council in how it requests the government to do certain things will largely come down to the member for Nelson and how firmly he presses the issues which are brought before the council, and how firmly he presses the resolutions and recommendations which come from the council. In effect, we largely would have to leave it to the member for Nelson, but I can assure you the members of the opposition who sit on that council will be pressing the member for Nelson to ensure we do, in fact, get some results from the hard work and deliberation the council puts in.
Madam Speaker, I do not believe I need to belabour any other points; they have largely been raised by the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Port Darwin; the proof of pudding will be in the eating. We are prepared to give this a go and, as I mentioned before, it will be a genuine go. However, the government is on notice we will not give this mechanism oxygen just for the sake of it; it will need to have some results. It will need to show it is producing something at the end of the day because, otherwise, it ends up being nothing more than a waste of time.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Arafura): Madam Speaker, I support the motion brought forward by the Chief Minister, and I want to commend at the outset the member for Nelson and the Chief Minister for bringing this forward.
I would be most honoured to be a member of what I believe is a groundbreaking committee. I go back to 19 June - I was sitting on that side, actually - when I introduced a motion into this parliament to look at some of the very issues we see will be part of the terms of reference for inquiry by the Council for Territory Cooperation. It can work and it will work. It can only work if members of that committee make it work.
Since 2001 when I first came into this parliament - and I was listening to the Deputy Chief Minister talking about the time she was part of the Environment committee - my humble beginnings came as the first Chair of the Substance Abuse Committee. When I look at the recommendations and what has happened since the Labor government came in, in 2001 with those committees - issues we investigated, we inquired into - we made some quite extensive recommendations for government to take on board. The volatile Substance Abuse Act was a big policy step forward, not just underwritten by a legislative framework, but also substantial funding to address this scourge which had been happening for a long time on the ground in those communities.
The Deputy Chief Minister talked about the Environment committee and the issues of cane toads and the EPA. There were many things which came out of these committees government took on. I spoke yesterday about the many challenges and opportunities facing government and the Territory. With those challenges came many opportunities. I see this council as looking at - we sometimes get too consumed with the negatives and nothing is working out there. We often forget there are opportunities and, if we all put our collective thoughts and expertise together, and come up with some really good ways forward for the advancement of everybody in the Northern Territory, we can create a government and a Territory inclusive of everybody - it is not just about the northern suburbs or Alice Springs, but about our regions; it is the vibrancy of everybody who lives in the Northern Territory. I am humbled, and I thank all of my Caucus colleagues for agreeing to allow me to be a part of it, given I felt so strongly about these things and it took me back to the motion I put to parliament.
When the member for Nelson talked about this on 14 August, he talked about SIHIP, A Working Future, the homelands, the planning scheme and the establishment of Weddell. I may be a bush member, but I am also a Territorian who grew up in Darwin, who sees and has an interest in developing other suburbs in the greater expanse of Darwin where urban encroachment is going. These are all issues I have a big interest in. Just because I am a bush member does not mean I do not have an interest in planning both in our urban areas, but also our regions and our remote communities.
During the debate on 14 August, I said, as we move into a demographic reality where Aboriginal people make up well over a quarter of the Territory’s population, and a much higher percentage than that of its truly permanent population, we can no longer expect issues relating to Aboriginal disadvantage and unfulfilled aspirations are not going to regularly dominate Territory politics in the way they have been recently. We can, for the first time - as I said yesterday - stop using these issues as political footballs. Let us stop the argy-bargy between the CLP policy versus the ALP policy. This is about what we, as members in this Chamber, and as part of a committee, do in going beyond and rising above our respective party ideology to really take seriously what we say in the prayer every time we walk into this Chamber; that we swear to ensure we can serve for the advancement of the Northern Territory. I know from my constituents - and I have heard it from a lot of bush and remote constituents – they want us to stop using them as a political football. There are opportunities, let us all work together.
I will not say much more other than, once again, many of the criticisms of the member for Nelson are uncalled for. We need to go into this committee, not in an adversarial approach, but rather one we all can make work. I am certainly looking forward, as a member of the committee, to working with the member for Nelson but, also, whoever the CLP members of the committee are going to be. I believe it is exciting and new, and we can look at some of those issues which have bogged down the politics, and move forward in the Northern Territory to ensure Aboriginal issues, SIHIP, A Working Future, and homelands, are not a burden on the taxpayer. It should not be what is perceived as a burden on the taxpayer but, rather, as Aboriginal people having an investment to move the Northern Territory forward. That is the greatest challenge. As I have said, we have to all do it together, and we can do it.
Member for Nelson, I commend you and the Chief Minister for this. It is the sign of a government which is willing to look at how we do it differently. We are transparent, and let us move forward.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Speaker, I support the motion. I welcome the comments from the member for Arafura. I thought she spoke very well about the genuine spirit we need to go forward on to this council with. I look forward to working with her and the member for Nelson. We, obviously, do not know - unless I did not hear it - the full complement of membership yet, and who is going to come forward from the opposition. I look forward to working very cooperatively on the council. The motion seeks to create another way of doing business; of putting aside party politics and cooperating on the Council of Territory Cooperation and looking at issues of concern to the Territory.
The majority of members in this Chamber, if not all the members in this Chamber, I am sure, have served time on a parliamentary committee. I am on a few at the moment, and am enjoying it. I found, the majority of times, relationships on committees are quite cordial. I enjoy working with the members for Goyder and Brennan on the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee; and with the members for Sanderson and Brennan on the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee. I believe we are spending five hours together on Friday on the committee. I even enjoy the times with the members for Fong Lim and Port Darwin on the Public Accounts Committee.
On that point, I note members of the opposition have said, with some tweaking, the PAC might be able carry out the role of the Council of Territory Cooperation. I do not necessarily agree with that; the ambit of the Council of Territory Cooperation is going to be very broad. I believe the PAC has a very distinct role, a very important role, a very specific role we need to carry out. As a general rule, PACs do not report or examine on matters of government policy, or proposed government expenditure. They have a very important role in examining the public account. You have to be careful, sometimes, if you look to expand the role of something which works.
I believe the PAC, by and large, works. There are a few things we are talking about doing which came up last sittings very worthy of examination. You have to be very careful if you expand the role of the PAC to something like the CTC then, essentially, you might water down what its core responsibilities are. That is not something we should do as a parliament. The PAC has a very important role, and it is one we should look after. The members of the PAC form the Estimates Committee. We have a very important role in servicing this parliament and moving ahead. The Public Accounts Committee should not be confused with the Council of Territory Cooperation, and what we want the Council of Territory Cooperation to achieve.
I believe it is possible for politicians of different parties to work together. Sometimes, under the lights of this Chamber, it is hard to avoid. We have had our differences, but that is the point of this Chamber, I believe. We have an adversarial system to examine differences in policies, and that is fine; that is what happens in this Chamber.
However, when you get away from the bear pit, as some call it, I believe, more often than not, we can work together. The Council of Territory Cooperation attempts to take the best aspects of those committees which do work well together, and see if we can do that in pursuing the issues of significant interest to the Territory. We will always have the Chamber, we are always going to have Question Time, we are always going to have parliament, and the level of debate we have here. That is fine; have that here.
Let us see if there is another way we can do business outside this Chamber. We are all here because we have an interest in the future of the Territory. While we might differ, sometimes, in how we go about it, we are here as we have put up our hand because we want to see the Territory move ahead. The Council of Territory Cooperation is a genuine attempt to find a way of doing that. It is a way to look at avoiding party politics, of getting out on the ground and talking to people doing the work - not talking to the ministers, but to people building the houses for example, for SIHIP.
The experience I had as a member which most closely resembles what the Council of Territory Cooperation is trying to achieve, was working with the members for Nelson and Macdonnell on the introduction of a cash for container scheme in the Northern Territory. We went to South Australia to see how their scheme worked. We did not meet the South Australia minister. We spoke to the people who worked in the different links of the chain that saw the bottles go from the recycling depot to the super collectors. We talked to people who were doing the work to make the system work. That was a very worthwhile experience, and I came away with a much better understanding of how their scheme worked in practice there, rather than looking at the theory of it and talking to the minister about it. We were actually talking to the people who were collecting the cans, crushing them up, and shipping them off to get their recycling value. It was a great experience, and I thought the members for Nelson and Macdonnell came into it with the right spirit.
This motion sets out the terms of reference for the council. I believe most members would appreciate these are the boundaries we will work within. It is the spirit members bring to the council which will ensure whether it works or not. We need to go on to that with a genuine spirit of cooperation. The member for Arafura clearly indicated that is what she is bringing to the table. I have faith that is what the members of opposition will bring - we do not know who they are yet. I am sure they will bring genuine spirit to the table also. They have expressed some concerns, reservations, or some qualifications on their support at the moment, which is probably fair enough in this Chamber.
We have not had the first meeting yet with the council, but I believe it will work. It is too early, before it is has had its first meeting, to say it is going to have recommendations government will ignore - that is jumping too far ahead. The member for Katherine expressed that concern. Let us pass this motion, create the council, have its first meeting, get together, have a genuine spirit and move on. To look already at the first report and first response of government, when we have not even had the first meeting, is getting a bit carried away. We need to look at the genuine spirit we are going to bring on to the council. I am going to do that, and I know the members for Arafura and Nelson will certainly do that. I have the confidence the members opposite will do it.
The committee has a very broad ambit. It starts off by seeking greater levels of cooperation - we have talked about that – but looking at involvement in important Northern Territory initiatives and projects, looking at avenues for Territorians to participate, getting the public on board, and providing a road map for tackling some specific issues currently facing the Territory. It is a very broad ambit, much broader than any other committees we have in parliament at the moment. It is an excellent idea. I certainly believe it is going to work. It will work because I have confidence the members going on to the council are going to operate in a genuine interest of cooperation. I have that faith. As the member for Johnston said: we are going to give it a go, son. I am certainly looking forward to the first meeting of the council and working with whoever steps up from the opposition to be on the council.
Debate suspended.
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank all members of this House; it looks as though this motion to establish the Council of Territory Cooperation will be supported by members of this House. I am thankful for that, because I really believe, as I said in my opening comments, this is a new opportunity to open the doors and windows of this parliament, to allow the community to participate in the big issues, challenges, and opportunities facing the Northern Territory, and for members of the public to assist us in our deliberations in this parliament and the decision-making of government to a greater effect than exists today.
I would like to comment on some of the comments by the opposition members and the Leader of the Opposition. I acknowledge - and we did have a conversation - the Leader of the Opposition has a degree of cynicism about this. I do go into this with eyes wide open and with a commitment for our government, through our public officials, to be cooperative with this council. This is not about a witch-hunt, this is not about inquiries, this is not an issue about interrogating public servants; this is about getting across the major policy challenges of the Northern Territory and providing information to guide government policy, and robust informed debate in this parliament.
The Leader of the Opposition talked about - and there is a degree of philosophical difference we are working through about the council and how it is going to operate - the council holding the government to account. As I said, this is not about accountability issues across government. There are other forums in parliament - the Public Accounts Committee and the Estimates Committee. The philosophy of this is about getting across the big policy issues, better informed debate, letting the public in to the processes of government, questioning the experts and public servants about how decisions have been made, what the policy challenges are, and advice back to government over the big issues.
He made some comments - I have been in opposition as well and I accept some cynicism - about why it was established as a select committee. I hope we have got to the bottom of that. We took advice from the Clerk in drafting the initial motion. The member for Port Darwin explained he had an issue with it being a select committee because that would confine it to a specific issue and report, and that is the end of the committee. Okay, we get that. It is a sessional committee and it will run for the session of this parliament and, hopefully, if it is successful in opening the doors and windows of this place to more informed scrutiny and debate, it will outlive this session of parliament and live on into the future. We were quite happy to consider that.
There was another issue the member for Port Darwin raised in regard to incorporating within the motion an observation where there could be some crossover between two committees. This could occur. In a spirit of cooperation, we have no problem with that.
The costs of the committee, obviously, will be determined once it has established its work program. We have made a commitment to provide for budget allocations for the committee.
The member for Port Darwin talked about possible constitutional issues. Again, we have had formal legal advice from the Solicitor-General that there are no constitutional issues here. That has been provided to members. The Solicitor-General’s advice is there are no constitutional issues. Where the member for Port Darwin was going was that, somehow, this committee should be required to compel the executive government and the sworn Cabinet of the day to implement any recommendations. Well, that goes totally contrary to Westminster principles. It is the executive of government which makes decisions and is held accountable through the parliament. This is a minority government; the government stills governs and the Cabinet still makes decisions. I know the member for Nelson certainly does not want the Council of Territory Cooperation to become the de facto Cabinet and government of the Northern Territory.
We go into this wanting to cooperate across the benches in regard to the big policy issues, challenges, and opportunities which face the Northern Territory. We want to invite into the process eminent Territorians who have ideas to contribute, and public servants who implement government decisions and advise government on policy to be open to questioning from parliamentarians about where advice has come from, how programs and policies are being implemented, and provide suggestions about how they can be improved. This will all be done with members of the public invited to attend, and also media, if media is interested.
Madam Speaker, I thank all members for their anticipated support of this motion. I reflect on the comments from a couple of members regarding with all goodwill in the world these are just words on a page. It is going to be the spirit of what happens on the committee which will guide the outcomes of the Council of Territory Cooperation. I know on our side, the members for Arafura and Fannie Bay very quickly put their hands up in our Caucus room to say, yes, they wanted to be a part of this. I know they enter into this historic occasion in the ongoing evolution of the Territory’s parliament, with a sense of positive attitude about this being a good step forward in government and governance in the Northern Territory. I thank all members for their contributions and commend the motion to the House.
Motion agreed to.
Continued from 13 October 2009.
Mr McCARTHY (Transport): Madam Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement on the challenges and opportunities presented by the growth of the Northern Territory - growth and prosperity that I say is the envy of all Australians. I am incredibly proud to stand here today to listen to the Chief Minister and my parliamentary colleagues talking about the challenges and opportunities of growth.
I remember only too well when I came to the Territory nearly 30 years ago, it was impossible to picture then the Northern Territory we see today. It was impossible to picture then there would be nearly a quarter of a million Territorians today, and 7924 in the Barkly. The reason for this growth is this government set out to grow the Territory, planned to grow the services people would need, planned to make this a place where people would want to come to investment, to raise a family and to work. This government planned to make this the best place in Australia so people would live here by choice, and not by chance.
This Henderson government has a plan to keep growing the Territory. Growth is good because it brings new investment, new jobs, new people, and new opportunities. The challenges we face are those of providing infrastructure for new suburbs, housing for new families, schools and hospitals, roads and transport, ways for everyone to enjoy this - the best and the most beautiful place in Australia. The challenge is to grow in a way which enhances our sustainability, at the same time as strengthening our community and our economy. I am proud to say this Henderson government is continuing to deliver the fresh ideas needed to support and sustain this growth.
Some of these plans are: 20 towns; 2030; a Smart Territory; the Indigenous Economy Development Strategy announced last week, and, the Integrated Regional Transport Plan I look forward to delivering next year. There are also plans for new and improved Correctional Services, plans for new models of art funding. These are plans which have and will generate passionate debate - and rightly so. We welcome that debate. We welcome all Territorians having a say and putting forward their ideas. We enjoy listening to and including them.
However, no one enjoys listening to ill-informed, cynical politics, out of touch with Territorians, which talks down the Territory. The challenge for those is to be a part of solutions rather than a part of problems. As I say, growth is good, debate is good. After all, these are times of dynamic change in the Territory, and our public policies and debates need to be equally dynamic. The Henderson government will continue to listen, to govern for all Territorians, and continue to take decisive action to secure the Northern Territory’s future.
It is heartening and exciting to note the Chief Minister’s articulation of growth figures for the Territory. It is even more so when you consider this growth is not just confined to Darwin and Alice Springs. My own electorate of the Barkly will boom again soon. Tennant Creek is looking at growth of around 6.4%. The Barkly is not only a great place to live in the world, but it is a vivid example of the population growth our regional centres are facing. We know the Indigenous population will grow. We know the number of older Territorians will also grow. We know the number of school-aged children will grow. That is why this government is rolling up the sleeves and getting on with our duty for the future, planning for an even better Northern Territory.
I reiterate some of the main challenges the Chief Minister has highlighted: the need to continue to invest heavily in infrastructure for all Territorians; be more effective in engaging the Indigenous community across the Territory in education, training and employment; and ensuring services for the aged are increasing.
When it comes to basic human needs, there is probably no more important infrastructure than housing. Housing Territorians is attracting plenty of debate - and bring it on, I say. I am proud to be part of a government doing something about housing, not cynically trying to talk down programs which are trying to fix the problem caused over many decades of government neglect. Again, debate about improving plans and getting better results is welcome. Destructive and mindless politics without a plan is not.
I will talk about housing in Tennant Creek and what I remember from 30 years of living and teaching in the Barkly. I may present a little history lesson for the member for Fong Lim, who often talks about the Barkly and Tennant Creek. Upon coming to Tennant Creek 30 years ago, as a Commonwealth public servant, I was made very aware the Commonwealth was developing the Territory. The member for Greatorex gave a good summary of how the Commonwealth was developing the Territory. What changes is the policy and the direction, and that is where governments come into play, and particularly Northern Territory governments.
I was a school teacher. I came to Tennant Creek, and my students were coming to school from behind pieces of corrugated iron. It is true to say, member for Greatorex, the Northern Territory government at the time, the Country Liberal government, rolled up their sleeves and got on with the job. They built tin houses and created town camps - a policy I did not agree with then, and I do not agree with now. However, the member for Greatorex did outline grand policies and plans the Country Liberals had put into place relating to five-star hotels and tourist resorts and so forth - and that was definitely building the Territory.
I was questioning the policy about education, the policy on housing, and Indigenous policy at the time, and I am still questioning the Country Liberals’ about housing and Indigenous policies.
I will continue with a little more of the history which started to unfold: the fledgling Warrumungu Housing Association, evolving into now the might and power of the Julalikari Aboriginal Council Corporation. The Henderson government is about supporting organisations and, in the case of Julalikari, Indigenous organisations making decisions by Indigenous people for Indigenous people. Those decisions are well documented regarding the current SIHIP project.
This is a powerful way forward, and we have heard many speakers on this side of the House explain SIHIP is way more than a housing program; it is engagement of Indigenous people. On my visits to the construction sites with the Minister for Housing on a number of occasions, and on my own visits in the town of Tennant Creek, I have also engaged with Indigenous Territorians working on the construction sites. I have engaged with the alliance contractors, and in many discussions about a project which is delivering real self-determination, sustainability, and far more.
What the member for Fong Lim tabled one day was about emergency housing, where they do not need kitchens and bathrooms - just bang them up. In Tennant Creek, member for Fong Lim, we have a model on the ground working every day, five days a week, which demonstrates this policy is moving forward; this is a policy which is going to deliver differences.
Attached to that, the might and power of the Julalikari Aboriginal Corporation has also put its mind, and its efforts and resourcing, into civil works as well. This is another innovative approach. Additional to that, they are looking at lobbying for more housing. Of course, we are all looking at lobbying for more housing, and we have heard from the Minister for Housing the sheer scope of delivering this in the Northern Territory. The Julalikari council is planning now new houses and will not create town camps; they are moving forward with new models, new ideas, new developments of suburbs, new developments for town and community, and a way forward.
I have visited construction sites with the minister. I have witnessed the Henderson government out there in the field, battling forward, growing the Territory with new ways ahead with engagement of Indigenous Territorians.
But, wait, there is more - land release - and in Tennant Creek I have been very proud to see land release of both residential and industrial blocks. In Tennant Creek, we are moving forward, we are a small town and we are taking small steps. But these steps are in the right direction, let me tell you, member for Fong Lim.
We are also delivering power infrastructure upgrades in Tennant Creek. These elements of growth are close to my heart. It is this government’s plan to engage with the Indigenous community in the economic and social development not only of the Barkly, but the Northern Territory. This government has made this issue a major priority, and we have in place a number of strategies, plans, and actions to ensure we are able to close the gap of Indigenous disadvantage.
So, with my short walk through history, I have seen great steps forward, seen plans for growth, seen Indigenous engagement, seen Tennant Creek and the Barkly, and seen our highways. I have 90 000 km on a Toyota out the back. However, the only thing I have not seen in Tennant Creek and the Barkly is the member for Fong Lim. The member for Fong Lim is welcome any time, so, in future when I sit in this place and listen to the member for Fong Lim bang on about Tennant Creek, the Barkly, and Territory highways, he will know what he is talking about. So, bring it on and come down any time, because I will give you a personal guided tour.
A Smart Territory, the government’s education and training strategic plan, A Working Future, and the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy announced last week are just some examples of the Henderson government growing the Territory. As a teacher and principal, I cannot be keener on a Smart Territory. This plan will revolutionise Indigenous education plans to see the students and the young people of our regional areas in jobs. This is about working with employees and industries, identifying skill shortages, and then making sure we provide the educational tools for our kids to get them ready for these jobs. This backward mapping process is new policy, bold policy, and is the way forward for all Territory kids. It will bring parents into the loop by showing them where we are heading and how they can help.
In the Barkly, the opportunities to come are exciting, and the industries and mining ventures looking to set up in the area will need even more of our kids to get up and running, and then to continue to profit and feed the economic and social growth of the Northern Territory. I am looking forward to seeing this Henderson government doing everything which can and should be done to create local jobs for local people to help local employers get the skilled workers they need.
This plan is well advanced and it will be an historic day for our future. This all feeds the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy launched last week, appropriately in Alice Springs, by the Minister for Regional Development, Hon Karl Hampton MLA - a bloke with a plan who knows we need to get the tools on the ground and to get engaged with our Indigenous communities. It has a number of key initiatives, none more important than improving numeracy and literacy for Indigenous students and mapping out real pathways for employment - from supporting the development of Indigenous enterprises on Aboriginal land by securing leases for the development of local businesses, to supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and developing and delivering work-ready programs. It is a strong plan with a clear vision for the future, and I urge all here to congratulate the minister for a good way forward.
This plan commits to 3000 more Indigenous people in jobs in the public and private sectors by 2012, 10% Indigenous employment in the public sector, and 200 new Indigenous businesses. That is the plan. It is bold, aspirational, and looks to the future - a better future - and stands in stark contrast to the vacuum of the past.
As Minister for Senior Territorians, one of the greatest challenges thrown up by the growth of the Territory is the increase in the number of senior Territorians. Again, this is a good thing; it shows our health system is working. It shows more seniors want to stay here or move here. It is good for tourism, it is good for our families, it is good for our Northern Territory community. Besides the plans, the Minister for Health and the Minister for Housing have to address current and future needs. We need to ensure the financial and social support structures we have in place continue to improve and meet these challenges.
The Northern Territory Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme is the best in Australia. Its simple aim - and I am proud to say its simple outcome - is to reduce the cost of living to pensioners. However, we know there is always more to do. That is why this government released Building the Territory for all Generations – A Framework for Active Ageing in the NT in November 2007. The framework illustrates this government’s commitment to supporting Territorians as they age, while encouraging them to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. The framework outlines three key outcomes: people maintain their physical and mental health for as long as possible and the effects of ill health are minimised; people have the resources to maintain their preferred lifestyle; and people support older people to remain active, independent and connected.
Seniors Month in the Northern Territory, which is held in August each year, makes its own significant contribution to the achievement of the framework’s outcomes. It aims to promote positive understanding of ageing in the community, to encourage seniors to enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle, and to enable people and organisations to work to promote active ageing.
The Territory is proud of its rich cultural heritage. To support our seniors from a multicultural background, the Office of Multicultural Affairs has provided grants to several community groups with the aim of supporting seniors and providing them with an opportunity to stay connected to their culture and community through social and support activities.
Ensuring government is responsive to the needs of the community is important. To assist with the delivery of policy and programs for seniors, government is establishing the Senior Territorians Advisory Council. The council will give seniors across the Territory the opportunity to provide advice to the minister. As the Minister for Senior Territorians, seniors’ issues, government programs and policies, and identifying future opportunities, will all come together to progress outcomes for seniors in the Northern Territory.
This work builds on the Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme. It got even better this year with the Henderson government announcing free public bus travel for all seniors, pensioners, and carers from 1 January. From 1 July this year, drivers’ licences became free, and motor vehicle registration concessions increased from $104 to $154 per year for eligible members of the Northern Territory Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme.
The Northern Territory government is also absorbing the extra costs involved with increased power, water and sewerage costs announced by the Treasurer on 7 April 2009. This means power and water concessions have not been eroded by these increases. There were some problems with the way the rebate was calculated, but we have made sure no one will be worse off, with refunds given to anyone who was affected.
I also reiterate my commitment to developing our transport systems. As I said earlier, it is imperative our public and private transport systems on land, in the air, and on water improve, grow, and rise to the challenges we face. The Henderson government is delivering on transport planning for the Territory through the Regional Integrated Transport Strategy and the overarching 10-year NT Transport Strategy, which is due for completion by the year’s end. These strategies will forge better links between our regions and centres, and deliver better education, health, and social outcomes for all Territorians. This strategy will improve an overarching model, and will also include initiatives targeting the specific requirements of each region. The strategy will be developed in close association with other current NT government strategies and initiatives, including A Working Future and detailed road and infrastructure plans in preparation. It will also assess whether there are appropriate initiatives which can be put in place by the NT government to improve the viability of regular public transport air routes.
I will look at possible NT government initiatives towards improving and expanding regular bus transport to remote communities, and marine transport in relation to both freight and passenger services. The study …
Ms WALKER: Madam Speaker, I move the minister be granted an extension of time to complete his speech, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr McCARTHY: Madam Speaker, I thank you and the member for Nhulunbuy.
The study has involved ascertaining transport demand profiles from regions across the NT, existing transport models and usage, and gaps in the provision of transport infrastructure and services. It has also involved extensive consultation with industry, transport providers and users, communities, and the people of the Northern Territory. I am pleased to say a preliminary draft strategy has been provided to the government, with a final report to be completed soon. I am confident it will tie the threads together to help us plan and meet our challenges for the future.
One consequence of growth is increasing demand for our Correctional Services system. We know we have to increase the capacity of the system, but also plan for a better system which breaks the cycle of crime and provides real rehabilitation for anyone deserving of a second chance. This Henderson government has agreed with the Independent member for Nelson; the issue of increased capacity will be re-examined to allow him the opportunity to place his concerns formally on the table, and for the government to thoroughly examine and review our decisions to date in light of those concerns.
It has been our intention to build a new prison. We believe the old prison is no longer big enough or modern enough to be successfully continued as a prison. We are determined to provide a much stronger rehabilitation basis to the prison. We want proper training and education facilities built into the prison. We want to design the prison in a way which allows us to further these aims. The cost of the prison has been currently estimated at $300m, although the final cost will depend on the construction method and whether the procurement method involves a public/private partnership.
To allow the Independent member for Nelson input into this process, we have established an expert panel to review the location of the prison and make recommendations as to whether the one big prison remains the way to go. Alternatives to the one big prison will be canvassed and assessed. The panel’s report will be considered by a subcommittee of Cabinet, consisting of the Treasurer, the minister for Corrections, and the member for Nelson.
Additionally, we will consider alternative options, including prison farms at Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Darwin, and will seek public comment on such proposals. Work is also continuing on the establishment of a prisoner work camp in the Barkly region, with Budget 2009-10 providing $2m for this project. A work camp will contribute to providing life skills and real work experience to assist prisoners to gain employment on release.
In addition, we have provided record funding to ensure there are more prison officers than ever before in the Territory, with recent graduation ceremonies I attended seeing the total number rise to 379 this year.
We are also spending on vital improvements to the Darwin and Alice Springs Correctional Centres. Extra beds, additional program and education space, expansion to services, upgrades in headworks services such as sewage ponds, new storage and warehouse facilities and administration space, all go together to provide the new era in Correctional Services we are driving forward. Construction works at both Correctional Services facilities in the Northern Territory are due for completion in 2010.
As Minister for Arts and Museums, I can say that our 10-year plan for the museum sector is on track to be delivered next year as promised. This plan will set the direction for the museum sector, examining the needs of a growing population and the sector’s contribution to the tourism industry in the Northern Territory. Key areas to be addressed by the plan include: the reconnection of collections to culture, landscape, place and stories; regional and cultural development; redevelopment of urban museums and galleries; a national centre of Indigenous art; and connecting museums, art, heritage, libraries, parks and gardens.
I want to see art at the centre of our lives in the Territory, and I want to see our internationally famous art continue to create jobs and opportunities for Territorians. That is why the draft arts policy, Living Arts, will focus on arts as a central part of lifelong learning, and supporting regional development through regional delivery of arts and cultural programs.
Three new themes will be reflected in program funding areas: arts and learning communities; regional arts service delivery; and art places and spaces. The role of creativity and arts processes to facilitate learning within and between communities, and is central to our new policy direction, recognising art as a tool for change, as a means of public dialogue, and as an enabler, helping to create healthy communities capable of action and engagement.
The move to regionalise all programs will enable the Northern Territory government to ensure continuity of funding to communities, address issues for access and equity, and empower communities to prioritise arts activities in their regions, by highlighting the central role of government in providing specific purpose infrastructure, theatres, exhibition venues and workshops, as well as developing and supporting hubs for art practice.
The needs of communities and artists will be met through a strategic and coordinated response which looks to growth and the future. The new directions will be supported by a new service provision model aimed at brokering resource imports across a range of organisations and agencies, and maximising community outcomes which go beyond the arts portfolio.
A good example is the Araluen Arts Centre, and the draft Araluen Cultural Precinct Development Plan. This plan seeks to deliver key initiatives regarding arts and tourism industry outcomes, while continuing to fulfil the needs and aspirations of Northern Territory residents and visitors alike. The plan is staged over a seven-year time frame, and consists of a range of initiatives which will develop new tourism attractions while enhancing community usage and access.
Other initiatives are planned, such as the development of social history displays within the Museum of Central Australia and in implementation of an Artist in Residence. The plan also suggests a number of modifications …
Mr BOHLIN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House.
Madam SPEAKER: Ring the bells. We now have a quorum, minister.
Mr McCARTHY: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The plan also suggests a number of modifications to structures and amenities, with a focus on the modernisation and beautification of existing buildings, gardens and public spaces, and the development of areas to better accommodate current functions. As part of the plan, and linked to the Alice Springs Solar Cities Initiative, a solar air-conditioning plant is being developed for the Araluen Art Centre, with a current tender release date of December 2009.
The Northern Territory government has currently committed $4.5m to this project. Formal written submissions on the draft plan will be accepted until the end of this month, and further consultation will then be undertaken with the community to discuss the submissions, with one or two facilitated sessions next month, to achieve community consensus on the overall arts plan.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to be part of the team facilitating growth here in the Territory. I am glad we are facing issues and we are planning to support our future generations. I am glad to be talking about Northern Territory growth; I am glad to be planning for growth. I am especially glad to be delivering for a positive Territory future.
Madam Speaker, I commend the Chief Minister’s statement to the House, and I look forward to seeing the results of this planning, and the amazing new Northern Territory we will one day deliver.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for his statement. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to participate in this important discussion. I will begin on a more personal note.
I have lived in the Territory for almost 23 years, with most of that time in Nhulunbuy. During that time, I have been struck by the growth of the Territory.
I took my first teaching job at Palmerston High School and, then, it was just in its second year of operation. Palmerston was a relatively small place with a small shopping centre, and Palmerston today certainly bears almost no resemblance to the Palmerston I first encountered in 1987: well-established, multiple suburbs with many beautiful homes and gardens, tree-lined streets and a massive shopping centre. As for Palmerston High School, I can barely recognise the place that I first set foot in all those years ago when I revisited with the Chief Minister in May for the official opening of the new Palmerston Senior School wing. As the Chief Minister mentioned during Question Time yesterday, this government has invested $54.5m in Palmerston schools.
The new senior school is a wonderful example of modern architecture, with state-of-the-art facilities which would be the envy of any school in any jurisdiction - plenty of space and light, SMART Boards in every classroom, pods of computers in communal spaces, and a fully-equipped commercial kitchen. As we heard in Question Time yesterday from the Treasurer, this government will continue to grow Palmerston with the suburbs of Johnston, Zuccoli, Mitchell and Bellamack, and 4000 new housing lots.
Following my year at Palmerston, I moved to Katherine where I took up a position at Katherine High School and, at that time, Katherine was going through a phase of growth with the establishment of the new subdivision of Katherine East, designed to accommodate new families arriving with RAAF Base Tindal. This subdivision also housed the new high school which opened its doors in 1988. Having visited Katherine again in July, I was struck by what is clearly a vibrant community. It was definitely peak season, being Dry Season and school holidays, and the Katherine Show under way, and there was not a hotel bed to be had anywhere in the town. At the same time, it was the same in Darwin.
The member for Katherine may recall he and I had a conversation at the show and he was telling me Katherine was, indeed, booming and just a week ago - or maybe it was that day - in the main street of Katherine a Coffee Club franchise had just opened. So, quite clearly, there is strong business confidence in Katherine, despite the global financial situation, as there is across the Territory.
I note in the Chief Minister’s statement growth in Katherine is anticipated to be around 18% over the 2006 to 2021 period. While I do not have to hand the anticipated growth rate for Nhulunbuy during this period, I can attest anecdotally, during almost 20 years in Nhulunbuy, the growth has been considerable, especially considering the town has only been in existence since the early 1970s. Then, the establishment of bauxite mining and alumina processing operations by Nabalco, the manager of the Gove Joint Venture, was the driver for the establishing of a town, and well supported by the federal government. It did for the Gove region and the Territory what INPEX and the gas plant before that, on a much greater scale, will eventually do for Darwin, and the Territory. It is attracting and securing this kind of investment which is absolutely critical for our economy and future growth, and something this government is very focused on.
With the start-up of mining operations in Nhulunbuy in 1972, the Nabalco alumina refinery had a capacity to produce a million tonnes of alumina per year. Now, under Rio Tinto ownership and the completion of the Gove expansion project - a project which commenced in 2004 and employed at its peak some 5000 people, with a budget around $2.5bn - the refinery today has the capacity of around 3.8 million tonnes per annum, more than three times what it was originally designed for.
When the Chief Minister spoke about the population statistics associated with growth, he mentioned in the last two-and-a-quarter years, there had been seven quarters of growth. This would certainly reflect part of the growth period in Nhulunbuy associated with the G3 project. As the Chief Minister also said, this growth can be attributed to the strength of the Territory economy and the Territory’s lifestyle appeal. I can say this is so true for Nhulunbuy. Without fail, people who live there say, apart from the employment opportunities, the reason they come to and stay in Gove is because of the location and the lifestyle, which is certainly very true for me and my husband.
While we have, obviously, seen growth in the mining operations which currently provides work for around 900 employees directly and 500 contractors, concurrently we have also seen growth in the township of Nhulunbuy within the government and the private sector. Around 50% of the rates in Nhulunbuy are paid by Rio Tinto, while the remainder are evenly split between both the Australian and Northern Territory governments, and the private sector. I believe it is fair to say Nhulunbuy is much more than a mining town. It has grown and evolved to become an important regional centre for the delivery of services, not only for the town itself, but for what the Chief Minister described as growth hot spots in the Territory, namely, remote communities.
Before I move on to talk about remote communities in my region and the opportunities and challenges of growth, I will touch on the subject of land release in my electorate and, specifically, in Nhulunbuy. Regarding the demand for land to be released to enable new and affordable housing to be built, Nhulunbuy township is no different to the rest of the Territory in that demand. Certainly, with the growth of the town, we do have a need for housing for government employees, public tenants, as well as the opportunity for private investors and businesses. The need for additional housing for government employees is a direct result of the growth of government agencies in Nhulunbuy and the region. Under this government, we have seen an increase in the numbers of teachers, police, and nurses, to not only accommodate an increasing population, but also to see that the raft of initiatives to support delivery of the Closing the Gap policy has the people and the expertise to do so.
Where Nhulunbuy is different to the rest of the Territory in land release is the township, along with the rest of Rio Tinto’s operations, exists on special leases which were granted under a federal government agreement in 1969. The lease agreement at Gove is for two 42-year periods, with the first period due to expire on 29 May 2011, which is only some 18 months away. In simple terms, there is automatic right of renewal for most of the special purpose leases, though there are conditions attached. There is an enormous body of work under way between Rio Tinto Alcan and the traditional owners and main clan leaders. While the Northern Territory government has been kept abreast of this critical process, my understanding is lease renewal negotiations are commercial-in-confidence between Rio Tinto Alcan and the Gumatj and Rirratjingu clans, but there is reason for optimism that the renewal of the town lease where the town centre, schools, hospital, and residential areas are located will, indeed, be renewed.
Further to this, pockets of land on the town lease area have long been identified and earmarked as new subdivisions. While land release cannot happen soon enough in Nhulunbuy, I have every confidence it can and will happen, and the relevant Northern Territory government agencies - typically Department of Planning and Infrastructure - will provide the necessary support. The exciting thing to note is when land is released, there will be enormous opportunity for property developers - and who better positioned to take this on other than the traditional landowners?
We have already seen demonstrated success with the opening of the Malpi Village subdivision adjacent to Gove District Hospital in 2006. Malpi Village includes a mix of around two dozen units of accommodation; amongst them three-bedroom houses and two- and three-bedroom duplexes, all of which are leased back to the Australian and Northern Territory governments to house a mix of public servants including police, doctors, nurses, teachers, and Customs personnel. Malpi Village was built and is maintained and managed by Bunuwul Investments, a company owned by the Rirratjingu clan. It provides a long-term secure investment for the clan, and this is the very kind of economic opportunity which provides a win/win for all parties and is key to the growth of my region.
I said I would come back to the subject of growth in remote communities because there is, as the Chief Minister said, significant population increase occurring in these areas. Being the elected member representing a bush electorate, it is a subject very close to my heart. The Territory Growth Town Strategy, as part of A Working Future policy, is a key platform for dealing with the opportunities and challenges associated with how the Australian and Northern Territory governments can best support the Territory’s larger remote communities and transition them into townships and regional service hubs.
The identification of 20 growth towns, with almost half of them in Arnhem Land, recognises these remote communities and the people who live there are entitled to standards of service and infrastructure which are broadly comparable with communities of similar size, location, and need elsewhere in Australia. Within the electorate of Nhulunbuy, Yirrkala and Galiwinku have been earmarked as growth towns. Yirrkala is home to close to 900 people, and servicing a further 1000 people or so across its homeland. As the Chief Minister highlighted, Yirrkala, in the period 2006 to 2021, is anticipated to grow by 35.4%. Galiwinku on Elcho Island is home to around 2000 people and through Marthakal Homelands, services are also provided to a further 400 or so homelands residents on Elcho Island and the adjoining mainland.
Key to developing these towns is the need for planning and a commitment to invest in infrastructure, a need to develop and advance government service delivery, and the need to be, as the Chief Minister said, effective in engaging the Indigenous community – and I am not talking only about children – in education, training and employment. Further to this, there needs to be an opportunity for private investment in order to realise the potential for development of commercial enterprises which can, in turn, provide an avenue for employment and training.
This government’s A Working Future policy provides the framework and the vision to see these key elements progress in order to see real change for the better in our remote and very remote communities. It is a bold plan and one for which we know there will never be sufficient funding, but we are tackling it head on in partnership with the Australian government.
The investment in infrastructure brings both challenges and opportunities in remote communities. The Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program, SIHIP, the largest ever investment in Indigenous housing in this country, will deliver in my electorate more than $50m-worth of new houses, housing rebuilds and housing refurbishments. With leases signed in Galiwinku, works are to commence in the very near future, and Yirrkala will follow once lease arrangements are finalised.
I appreciate from my constituents progress is not fast enough. However, I also have to remind people when they say, for instance, the streets of Galiwinku are in a state of disrepair, they did not fall into this state since the shires have come into being a little over 12 months ago. We are talking about years and, indeed, decades of accumulated deficit and disrepair.
On that note, I acknowledge the commitment and hard work to date of the East Arnhem Shire. The East Arnhem Shire, as with all the newly created shires under this government’s local government reforms, has taken on an unenviable and incredibly challenging task in addressing and endeavouring to fix accumulated problems during years of community government council where, all too often, municipal services and housing programs were poorly delivered, or worse, not delivered at all. It is the single most important thing shires need to do; that is, ensure delivery of efficient and effective services on the ground for residents in remote communities. Obviously, the shires have a pivotal role in transitioning our larger communities in growth towns.
Madam Speaker, I add that, having witnessed the process of the introduction of local government reforms - and I first heard about it long before I got into this role - it was something that seemed to me to be incredibly sensible and courageous on the part of the Labor government. It was something which, in more than two decades of CLP government, was simply never addressed because it sat there in the too-hard basket.
Before I close, I will also talk about education, especially in our remote communities, because education is, fundamentally, at the core of any child’s future. Raising the bar on education outcomes is absolutely critical, and the Smart Territory strategy aims to do just that – to raise the bar so all children, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, have the same opportunities to learn to read and write; to be literate and numerate in English - and that is not to say they do not become literate and numerate in their own language; indeed, this government is very supportive of promoting and protecting Indigenous culture and language - but to learn how to learn, and to complete school and be ready to take the next step and be work ready, and/or ready to take on further training and study, and then embark on a pathway to real jobs and a secure future.
So many people I talk to in my electorate, even before the A Working Future policy was launched, have told me - as I know they do all bush members - they want real jobs. They want to be self-determining, and they want to have control over their futures. They want to be in a position to do the jobs which, at present, far too many non-Indigenous people in their communities do: health workers, nurses, doctors, teachers, administrators, mechanics, electricians, carpenters – all of those jobs and more. These jobs are all too often done by people who fly in and visit communities and fly out again. Indigenous people in too many communities are under-represented in their local workforces. Growing our own is critical to the future of Indigenous people and remote communities.
We all know the challenges for this government in seeing this through for our remote and very remote schools are huge. It is not something this government can do on its own. There have to be partnerships and a real commitment between schools and communities, and acceptance of mutual responsibility.
I am encouraged by some of the success stories I have seen in the East Arnhem region. Garthalala community, which I last visited with the Chief Minister in July, has a boarding facility which sees secondary students from surrounding homelands spend Monday to Friday in the community to complete their studies. It is the source of enormous pride for the community, and for the local teacher, Multhura Mununggurr, to see students coming to school, learning - and last year, the graduation of the first-ever homeland students - seven of them - with their NTCE. How many Indigenous students graduated in remote communities under the CLP? Zero.
At the community of Yilpara, the largest of the Laynhupuy Homelands, more than $2m has been committed to upgrade and expand the school’s facilities for its growing student population, a project committed to by this government long before the stimulus package was announced. Along with two houses built for teachers and occupied at the start of this year, so the school is now staffed permanently and not on a visiting teacher basis, this community will soon graduate from being a homeland learning centre to small school status. I last visited Yilpara, a three-hour drive from Nhulunbuy, just a couple of weeks ago and spent a couple of days out there. Construction work on the school is going ahead at breakneck speed, and is due for completion in mid-November. I was pleased to see the project has also provided employment opportunities for some of the community members.
Shepherdson College at Galiwinku is also another success story in my electorate, thanks to strong leadership under its principal, and strong partnerships with families and communities to see student attendance increased and sustained. It is not just about getting students through the school gate. It is about engaging with kids, ensuring their schooling is meaningful and rewarding, and having the right professionals in front of the class who are supported and valued so they can do their jobs and stay in their jobs.
There are success stories out there, and I know there are also stories of failure, the latter of which the media, the down south armchair moralists, and the CLP, are all too quick to jump on. Let us remember we are dealing with decades of successive failure to deliver to remote communities and, with it, decades of deficit to address and fix. It is something which will take time to address, but this government is addressing it.
On a subject of partnerships, I note also the plans in West Arnhem, which I know my colleague, the member for Arafura, is delighted about, which will see mining company ERA work with government and the people at Jabiru and Gunbalanya to see 30 places made available to people in those communities within the ranks of Rio Tinto Alcan. With Rio Tinto Alcan also present in my electorate, and knowing the successful work they have done with their ALERT training program to train and employ young Indigenous people, I hope a similar partnership might also be brokered.
At times, the challenges of growing the Territory and, in particular, growing our remote communities seem almost overwhelming. I have a degree of confidence because I have seen it happen over time. With clear and sound strategies - Territory 2030, A Working Future, growth towns, regional transport infrastructure, Smart Territory - and goals, and with determined and committed partnerships, this government will continue to grow the Territory and improve the lives of Territorians, and continue to make the Territory the best place to live, work, and raise a family.
Madam Speaker, I commend the Chief Minister for his statement.
Mr BOHLIN (Drysdale): Madam Speaker, I respond to the statement by the Chief Minister recently, Growing the Territory, the Opportunities and Challenges of Growth. Opportunities have to be taken by the horns, as they say. With the Labor government taking power in 2001, it has given them eight years to develop their plan, to make some real change - eight years.
Day in, day out, we hear them retort with: ‘You did not do this, you did not do that’. I point out again, eight years, Madam Speaker - eight years. That is a very long time to continue to blame someone else when you actually have the control. The benefit of government is you are in power; you have the right to be in control - eight years to continually blame someone else for not achieving to date. I can understand a political point if you were in the first one or two years but, now, we are eight years down the track - eight years and we now face an extreme housing crisis.
The Labor government was the government which restrained land development in the Northern Territory. The Chief Minister, last year, at the beginning of this parliamentary session, bragged about his land policy and how great it has been for the Territory. How dare the Chief Minister gloat about how great it has been for the Territory when today we find people homeless in greater numbers than ever before, the rent the most expensive in the country, and it is now becoming nearly impossible for the average first homebuyer to get into the new market! How dare the Chief Minister gloat about how it was a great move to restrain land, because that is what they did! Now we have a crisis and they are rushing madly to release land.
We heard even before the last election the number of land releases they intended to do. However, they have not actually delivered land into the hands of the people who need it. They have sold blocks of land off the plan. What that means for those who do not yet know, is there is no title attached to the land yet. That means the person who has bought it, maybe two or three weeks ago at one of the sales, or the month prior to that, have the mortgage over a block of dirt which they cannot actually define yet. They cannot take their picnic rug there; they cannot go there and share a roast chook with their kids and say, ‘This is my future’, because it is not yet laid out enough - the development has not happened. All they have done is: ‘Here, have it quick. Now we will do a media release on it and say we have done something’. You are so far behind the ball, it is an embarrassment.
It is a shocking reality, in this land of plenty - and we have plenty, we are such a lucky country; we are an amazing country - this government deliberately restrained land release and now we have families with their backs to the wall, back-to-back in caravan parks, at Casuarina Beach, in parks around Palmerston, rolling up their swags, if they are that lucky, every day to go to work. That is a big difference. We are not talking about long grassers any more. We have a whole new society of people who are homeless, because of the government’s failings.
This is not an eight-year-old failing, this is a four-year-old failing: a plan you put in place four years ago. If you were watching and listening to the marketplace, you would have seen even three years ago, or two years ago, the importance of it. It was part of the reason I stood for parliament - so you can blame yourself for me standing here. I have many businesses owned by friends of mine saying: ‘We have a serious problem’. Any builder will tell you it has been a problem for a while. If the Planning minister had been speaking to those business owners, she might have identified it. If she had stopped being such a bully, she would have actually realised ‘We have a problem, we need to adjust our plan’ - or have a plan for that matter. It has been an orchestrated failure by this government. They thought they were being smart. They thought: ‘We are economic smarts here, we are pretty clever about what we are doing. We are going to raise property values, make it great for investment’.
I must say it is technically great for investment but when you have 120 people lining up to view one property for rent, is that really great? Have you achieved your goal? Have you done the right thing by the Territory people? I say no, you have not; you are an absolute failure. You are a disgrace to have even come in here and thought you were that smart – to have over 120 people rocking up to a rental viewing. How is it possible a young couple, maybe only 20 or 21, even 18, are going to be able to get a rental property? There will be someone else who has a trade, perhaps the partner has some form of trade or a good business backing, so there may be two of them earning good money. They have come to the Territory because there is good business opportunity - if you can find a house. How is the young person and his or her partner going to get a rental property when they are bidding for a $500 a week house against people who might have an income of $100 000?
From personal experience, when we had to look for a rental property late last year, it took four months - four months for the incident I talk about. We were lucky to have been able to work through that, but it was four months. I even have a constituent who was misguided in the thought they could get rental property in four days. Four months is a long time to get into the private market. Then, to have to fight against up to 100 to 120 people, it is ridiculous to think it is even a feasible outcome.
It is all because the Labor government has restrained land release and left it so far behind the eight ball that homes are not being built quickly enough to keep up with the market requirements. It is very simple maths. We do not need special cosines or the X and Y factors to work this out. This is basic maths, pure numbers - 1, 2, and 3. You failed to pick it up, you failed to meet it. The Planning minister and the Chief Minister keep going on about how many land release lots they will have in five years time. It is still going to be, as the member for Braitling pointed out yesterday, a couple of thousand behind the eight ball of the minimum requirement. You cannot even do the numbers now.
We have the time; we are in a better position than most states because we have great resources here. However, the builders are almost idle. The builders do not have land on their books to help set up first homebuyers. The Lyons development releases maybe 10 blocks a month, maybe 12, sometimes fewer and sometimes more. The last lot they had - I think it was three weeks ago - there were people camping at the site on the Monday, and the sale was on the next Saturday. Where are we? We are in the Northern Territory; we have huge masses of land. We have some of the best weather in the country as far as I am concerned. We have some great opportunities, but people have to camp at a sales office to bid for 10 or 12 blocks of land and then they are paying an extremely huge premium for the land. I call upon the developers of Lyons to get into gear and actually release more land - show they are a very concerned citizen and get the land out quicker. At the same time they are releasing only drip feed, it continues to drive up the price – which is great for their investor.
It is the same practice the Chief Minister employed: ‘We will control the land release so it drives up the price of land’. There is no logical reason we should have such high land prices. It is inexcusable of the Chief Minister to have gloated about it, to have said the other day - what was the comment? I cannot quite quote the comment: ‘We are having a stressful time or a bit of land stress at the moment …
Mr Styles: Housing stress.
Mr BOHLIN: Housing stress is the direct quote.
Mr Giles: Despair is a better word.
Mr BOHLIN: Despair is a much better word. We are critical; we are more than in despair, it is an absolute shame - it is a national shame.
Mr Giles: An international shame.
Mr BOHLIN: I will tell you a story. After recent discussions I have had in the last two weeks, it is an international shame. People around the world in other Commonwealth parliaments cannot understand how it is possible Australia, particularly the Northern Territory, can suffer from housing shortage. They look, and ask: Why?
Mr Knight: Because you sold it off.
Mr BOHLIN: I will pick up on the interjection, ‘You sold it off’. Eight years, minister. If someone cannot identify to the minister the government has had eight years of control of this situation, maybe we should tattoo it on his forehead. Eight years of control. You are the people in control. You are the people who have allowed this situation to develop. You orchestrated it around 2005. You are directly to blame for the housing crisis to date - not the GST, some magical being, some global change in environment, or some other excuse or vision the Chief Minister and his cronies might come up with. You orchestrated the housing constraint, the strangulation of the property releases and, now, the public is paying for your mismanagement. You have failed. Every family which hurts out there needs to know: eight years of your failure is what we have had.
You have had the opportunities, you have had the steering wheel of this ship, and you have failed to direct it in the right direction. You have seen the glory of thought where you could make some magical financial wonderland which would be great for investors. But, what about mum and dad? What about little Johnny? They have been left in the cold. Whilst, minister, you go home at night, other people live in their cars or sleep under trees in our parks, because you have failed.
I will step away from the housing crisis for a second, because it is a crisis, you have had eight years to do something about it. In fact, going back four years ago, you orchestrated it, you wrote the script, you stuck to the script, and you created the crisis we have today.
I will touch on police because, although the other side do not give much credit for it, I actually was police for over 10 years, and so were several other members on this side. I point out a little pattern we saw during that time. Some of the best policing methods we had, was what is known as proactive policing - world renowned, proactive policing. It is actually where you get out there before the crime happens and police the jurisdictions. It is proven to work. I recall the times when I have been on a rostered bicycle patrol. I recall the times when we had, month in, month out, bike patrols. They were very effective. They cost a couple of hundred bucks per bike, saddle bags, night light helmet, reflective vests. They were such an effective tool, and they actually happened under this government. They happened in the Liberal times before that as well.
Proactive policing: allocating your resources so, first, you had enough patrols on the road to meet demand, plus you had enough resources to man pushbike patrols. You might rotate it then with a motor bike patrol, horse patrol or, like the Bobbies did it in great London town, a foot patrol. Those patrols were proactive patrols. They were on top of existing general duties response patrols, and they were effective. You do not need a shopfront to be effective. You need to dedicate resources to and maintain those resources because, during the time those patrols were operational, crime went down. They were fantastic; they were a great PR tool as well.
Without fail, they would run a month or two, maybe three at times and, then, they would be axed because there were no staffing resources to match general duties response patrols. It would be ripped out from underneath them - bang, back on general duties again. All your little crimes, the antisocial and other things, the little crooks roaming around the shops, they went back up because the on-the-ground police presence was not there. Even the quiet stealth response of a bike patrol was not there. The baddies did not hear the cage come to get them. They are still there causing trouble. The policeman rolls up on the bike and – bang, gotcha mate, you are gone.
I remember responding to pub brawls, or fights, or calls for assistance from nightclubs when we were on bike patrol. You would not believe the shock and amazement of a person who had been drinking that night and, next minute, there is someone with a bike saying: ‘G’day, how are you going?’ He is saying ‘time to calm down’. He could not believe it. He did not see the car arrive. So, he was still being cheeky to security. Right, now the car comes, in the slammer - you are gone! It was a great tool; they never knew where you were. They could not hear you coming. Without taking up a great deal more time, those patrols work. They were proactive patrols they just …
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Deputy Speaker! I move an extension of time for the member to complete his remarks, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed.
Mr BOHLIN: Thank you. Those types of patrols are what we need. They are needed today. You do not have to build a big shopfront to have proactive dedicated patrols. The one thing you have done is allocate resources to those shopfronts - that is the key; allocate the right resources. We have been calling for it on this side. Let us look into where the resources are allocated, then you can get some real results. I point out to the public it already existed. When we had the resources, those patrols were fantastic. They worked well and the public loved them.
I go back to the failed Labor government. It has been eight years in government and it has caused more pain than good. People do not forget this government has had eight years to formulate their plans, to put in place, day in, day out, their plans; to come into this House and move all the laws they require to effect their plans. Eight years to make sufficient change, to serve and protect and deliver for the Territory people.
One of their biggest failures I see at the moment - and I do not honestly think we have seen the full extent of this pain yet - is the housing land release. You, the Labor government, deliberately restrained land release. Dried it up and, now, we are seeing the effect. The Chief Minister gloated about his policy at the beginning of sessions last year - he gloated about it.
To the people: remember this Chief Minister is gloating about their pain. He has gloated about their pain. He has gloated about the fact he orchestrated it and, therefore, he is responsible for the housing crisis we have today. It was foreseeable, it was avoidable and, if they been serious and worked a lot harder, they could make some serious change.
Madam Deputy Speaker, eight years is a long time with a failed government - eight years.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement. The Chief Minister has laid out in his statement very clearly the challenges we face as a result of population growth. In recent years, the population growth in the Territory has been double what was forecast. ABS predicted growth was just above the 1% level and, in fact, population has grown at just over 2% a year. That makes a significant difference and has led to a level of housing stress we all have a personal experience of. We all know someone who is mortgage stressed, struggling with the rent, or struggling to find a place to rent. We have a significant challenge with housing in the Territory; there is no doubt about that. As a government, this is a challenge we need to meet, and we do have a plan to meet it.
One reason we have this challenge is, as a government, we deliberately set out to make the Territory a better place to live and work. We have a strong economy. Even in the middle of a global financial crisis, we have a strong economy. This has taken a lot of work by our current Treasurer, the member for Karama, and our former Treasurer, the former member for Nhulunbuy. Much credit also needs to go to the stimulus packages delivered by the Rudd government federally - a stimulus package the CLP voted against in the Senate.
We have a strong economy, but we did many other things to ensure the Territory is the best place to live and work in the country. We made a deliberate decision to invest in lifestyle infrastructure such as the Leanyer Recreation Park and the waterfront. We made a deliberate attempt, as a government, to retain people. People are our biggest resource - there is no doubt about that. We are a big place; we need our people. For example, I am sure most members have had this experience or witnessed it: you can often see the impact of one person on an organisation, one person leaving an organisation. One person can often make the difference in the Territory between, say, a community group being viable or not from the work they do. We do not want people to leave the Territory; we want to give them every reason to stay.
The biggest challenge in the Territory for many years has been to grow our population, to retain our people, to ensure we are on the right side of the nett migration ledger. That challenge has been more than met; we have doubled the forecast population growth. The challenge now is housing and we have a Housing the Territory plan which recognises the varied challenges we face in doing that. I will turn to the strategy in a moment.
I want to look again at some of the measures we took, as a government, to make the Territory a better place to live and work, which are part of the reason our population growth has been double what was forecast. One of the things we looked at was how to keep our senior Territorians here in the Territory. My electorate has a significant number of people who have lived in the Territory for a long time, who have made a significant contribution to the development of the Territory. I believe it is important the Territory looks after our senior Territorians. If we look after our senior Territorians, our grandparents, then we go a long way toward ensuring young families stay here.
Often we see families - young people in their early 30s, perhaps with their first child - moving down south to be close to their grandparents. We want them to stay. We want our grandparents to stay. That is one reason we have made sure our Pensioner and Carers Concession Scheme is the best in the country. It is one reason why we have, in the Territory, the most generous concessions in Australia for women over the age of 60 and men over 65. Our commitment to senior Territorians has seen Labor constantly working to improve the NT Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme.
In the last budget, we continued to support pensioners across the Territory by insulating pensioners from an increase in power and water tariffs through the freezing of tariff rates for the holders of Pensioner and Carer Concession Cards, free driver licence renewal, and increasing the motor vehicle registration subsidy from $104 to $150 per year. The scheme also provides pensioner concessions for local council property rates, garbage charges, interstate and overseas travel, and prescription glasses.
I believe all senior Territorians continue to make an ongoing contribution to the Territory. From an ongoing role in our workforce, in community involvement, or even in being a grandmother or a grandfather, they make an ongoing contribution. That is why it is good to see these measures such as free driver licence renewals, the increased motor vehicle registration subsidy, and frozen power prices in this budget, on top of our ongoing concessions which make this the most generous scheme in Australia. The advantage of keeping our grandparents is we keep more of our young families. It also creates other challenges we need to meet. We need to better cater for housing and health for our seniors.
There are other things we did as well to make the Territory a better place to live and work. We are the youngest population of any jurisdiction in Australia and, when we first won government in 2001, we looked at what else we might be able to do to help keep young people in the Territory. There were things you could do down south you could not do in the Territory, so we actively went out and brought to the Territory major events which happen down south but you could not get here. We brought to town regular season AFL matches, one day international and test cricket. We invested heavily on the surface at Marrara, the lights, the change rooms and more - many millions to ensure these events could come to town.
One of our election promises in 2001 when we were first elected to government was BassintheGrass, an attempt to have a Big Day Out-style festival in the Territory. It has been a huge success. It has sold out every year and we have had an extraordinary calibre of artists come here to perform. Live music was definitely something many people love, but something which only happened in the Territory on an ad hoc basis. We are now guaranteed of a quality festival in the Territory every year.
A number of artists still come here of their own accord, of course, but sometimes you have to go out and get them. Territorians jumped on board the campaign to get Elton John to come to town. It is great to know in the Territory you do get quality entertainment which used to be only in the southern domain.
We invested heavily in the Leanyer Recreation Park. The opposition berated me for this last night, but it is a fantastic free facility. Many families love the Leanyer Recreation Park. It is a popular destination as is the new wave pool. I am sure all members have been to the waterfront. I have never seen it quiet. The sea beach lagoon is also very popular. These are some of the infrastructure investments we made with population retention in mind. These are some of the decisions we made which have contributed significantly to population growth in the Territory, doubling forecasted figures.
Mr Elferink: Yesterday, they were coming; now they are just retaining them.
Mr GUNNER: Yes, they are retaining. The other great contributor is our strong economy. Even during a global financial crisis, our economy is still strong. We entered into a temporary budget deficit this year. The centrepiece of our budget was a $1.3bn infrastructure program - a targeted and timely investment made with jobs firmly in mind. These are the decisions this government made which has seen it successfully meet one of the biggest challenges the Territory has faced over many years, which has been to grow our population, to retain our people, to ensure we are on the right side of the nett migration ledger. That challenge has been more than met; we have doubled forecast population growth.
That doubling of population growth, though, has led to a huge challenge, which is housing our population. We have a Housing the Territory Strategy which recognises the various challenges. As the Chief Minister outlined in his statement, a one-size-fits-all strategy will not work, and careful attention has been given to where growth is occurring, and the demographics of the growth. Our Housing the Territory Strategy recognises those various needs.
Seniors housing and affordable housing are the ones that jump out at me. They are issues we are tackling in my electorate. Regarding senior housing, we have work starting soon on Waratah Oval, for the new Southern Cross Care retirement village. The first stage is 85 aged-care beds. Further stages, when approved, will see the flexi-care apartments and independent living town houses built. Between those two, will be 85 apartments and town houses in addition to the 85 aged-care beds. I said last night this is a very popular project; I get people coming into my electorate office all the time to look at the plans, to put their name on the wait list - and it is not just popular with people living in my electorate, I get other people visiting from outside my electorate to ask about it as well. The retirement village will meet need in Darwin.
In my electorate alone, I have over 800 people who are aged 60 and over. In the last electoral roll update it was about 871 people living in my electorate who are aged 60 and over. This is a need they are starting to look for; they want to have a retirement village option they like and is in the community they currently live in.
We are also addressing a need for affordable housing options in my electorate. Prior to the last election, we announced the creation of an affordable housing rental company, and the first project they will be involved in as a company will be the public housing redevelopment on Parap Road. Wirrina is the first set of units we are going to be redeveloping. We have knocked it down already. If you head down to the corner of Parap Road and Gregory Street, you will see Wirrina is now gone. That is a very clear signal we are moving into a new era in Territory Housing; we are moving on from the failed housing model to delivering on our election commitments. There is no doubt the current housing model for public housing does not work - not just at Wirrina, but at Kurringal, Shiers Street, and so on.
The shadow minister for Housing in the CLP last night made it clear, again, that they do not support the demolition of Wirrina. Now it has been knocked down, they want us to recreate the failed housing model on the site. They want us to rebuild Wirrina. I find it a little incredulous when you consider the opposition has brought into this Chamber, quite reasonably, questions on issues which emerge in Territory Housing unit complexes. The member for Fong Lim is quite strident on the issues that emerge from Shiers Street units. I am not sure if the member for Fong Lim has another gear, but he is quite strident on issues emerging from those units. Yet, the CLP policy position is those units work; that the housing model is the best way. Their solution is to do nothing. I find that quite extraordinary. We believe we need to find a better way to house Territory Housing tenants.
The housing conditions in these complexes are not good enough. We believe the mixed tenure model is a better model - to have a mix of public and private housing. The first place we are trialling this new model is at the site of the old Wirrina units. On that site, we will be building a mixed tenure, public/private and affordable housing development. We, obviously, do not have detailed plan as yet, but we will work with the local community to ensure this project works, and we create a better environment for everyone to live and work in - for the Territory Housing tenants, neighbours, and local businesses.
We will soon go out to expressions of interest. It is a large site, so I expect a range of views to be put forward. With such a large site, especially when you consider we are including in the redevelopment six town houses in the single housing block, I expect the number of people living on the site will actually go up from what it was before. That makes sense to me; Wirrina is on the main road, Parap Road, and is next to the shopping village, and is on the public transport route. That is where buildings of density should go. Within the complex, the affordable housing rental company will have a number of units.
There are a couple of different models around the country for how affordable housing rental companies work. They are targeted to the people who fall outside social housing, but struggle to find homes in the private and public market in the areas where they work. Essentially, the affordable housing rental company rent the units at a percentage of the market rate, which I understand is 80% and less under the tax laws. The models I have seen down south were at 75% of the market rate, and they had an income cap on who could be tenants. As it is established as a company separate from government, and with those measures of the percentage of the market rent and the income cap, the company qualifies for Commonwealth rent assistance and for GST exemptions, which means the affordable housing rental company gets greater value for every dollar it spends on housing compared to Territory Housing.
The affordable housing rental company will target those with an income but have trouble in finding a place to rent. It makes sure there are places built to meet that need, and they are built in the areas where they work. We recognise the housing challenge which exists in the Territory. We also recognise that population has grown quicker than forecast. We also recognise population will continue to grow and our Housing the Territory strategy is making sure we not only meet the need we recognise, but we meet the variety of needs which exist.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for bringing this matter to the House, and I commend the statement.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Deputy Speaker, I speak to this motion, and point directly to some of the ways in which government has lost its direction. It has sought to undertake a centralised approach to policy and program delivery in the Northern Territory. Specifically, I talk about the approach to dealing with regional areas such Alice Springs but, also, some of the more remote parts of the Northern Territory.
The centralisation of policies and programs and the distribution of wealth throughout the Northern Territory has had a negative effect on the lifestyle and future growth opportunities of some of those areas. Darwin is in a position where there are some economic opportunities, albeit many of them coming from overseas companies wishing to invest in the Northern Territory. What we are seeing in places like Alice Springs is reflected in the ministerial statement about potential growth; it is not as substantial as is being experienced in the northern part of the Territory.
As one member in government said in speaking to the statement, the potential growth has fallen by the establishment and filling of employment opportunities. It is suffice to say the lack of investment in Alice Springs and the lack of support for Central Australia and the regional and remote areas of the Northern Territory is a direct indication why there is a lack of employment opportunities in the future. It is not saying the Territory economy in areas outside of Darwin and Palmerston has the potential to grow; it is about the willingness of the Northern Territory government, through its ideological position, to take a decentralised model and promote growth in those areas.
We are seeing a massive housing crisis in Alice Springs which is currently constraining the growth of Alice Springs. Particularly in the seat of Braitling, but also across Alice Springs in the seats of Greatorex and Araluen, the situation of trying to rent or buy a property is becoming very difficult. We have up to 20 people at a time lining up at real estate agents’ offices to try to get an opportunity to access the rental market.
Between the June and September quarter this year, we saw an 11% increase, according to the LJ Hooker sales figures; 11% increase in Sadadeen in three months on the price of a house. I reported here last sittings the 29% increase in Larapinta, a 17% to 19% increase in Braitling. These substantial increases over a three-month period placed, what I would call, inflationary pressures on residents of Central Australia. These inflationary pressures are found right throughout the Northern Territory. We have heard about the rental and house prices in Darwin and Palmerston and the rural area. These prices actually inflate, or promote inflation, in the Northern Territory. They are contributors to interest rate rises. Combine that with an increase in price of groceries and fuel, and Territorians do it really tough.
I do not think the government really considers that. When you see people in the morning, as you go for a walk around Darwin, camped in cars, in their swags in cars - these are public servants who have good jobs in the Northern Territory, earning a good wicket, and cannot find a house to rent – it is a real concern. It is something the government continues to overlook.
The housing situation right across the Territory is something which can be attributed to the lack of the government to release land, to urban drift, and to people moving to the Territory for lifestyle or economic opportunities. However, the failure to plan has created a problem. I do not think the government is adequately responding to what I call a crisis - a significant crisis. When you have a vacancy of 0% and there is nowhere to rent, it is a significant crisis. If you go to the Esplanade in Darwin, there are people camping in tents and the government turns a blind eye.
I spoke the other night about the situation in town camps in Alice Springs. Not all the town camps are the same and not all tenants are the same. I believe the situation there to be at crisis point. I called on the Northern Territory government recently to cancel the leases of town camps which are breaching their lease conditions. I recommend Hoppy’s Camp is one of the first places they do that. It is clearly a breach of lease conditions. It is clearly a problem of housing. It is clearly below the standards of what any person should be expected to live in.
We are all aware of the current court process the federal Indigenous Affairs minister, Jenny Macklin, is going through over trying to get access to those town camps. That would not have been necessary had the Northern Territory government done their job through the consultation process on the town camps. This is where the neglect by the Minister for Housing comes to the forefront because, if he had been able to provide effective and substantial leadership in this process, he would have ensured all town camp residents were consulted about the take-over process. Instead, he has not done that so we now have a court process, people have to continue to live in squalid conditions, children still live in those squalid conditions, the housing is not suitable, they are overcrowded, and the homelessness will continue. I just think the government turns a blind eye. The Minister for Central Australia, the Minister for Housing, and the Treasurer go home at night, and it is just out of their minds.
It is beyond comprehension how they cannot treat this as a crisis. I say, thank God for the Liberals. Mal Brough saw it as a crisis. The Northern Territory government will not see kids having nowhere to sleep as a crisis. It is a disgraceful thing! If it happened anywhere else in the country, there would be hell to pay but, here, these people go home at night, and they will not treat it as a crisis. It is absolutely shocking and something should be done about it.
We can stand here all day and talk about housing in the Northern Territory and the failure of the member for Daly, his inability to manage - whether it is Power and Water and power going out to the northern suburbs. Look at Casuarina substation and the $50m taken out of the repairs and maintenance budget. What did the Northern Territory government have to say? ‘Go and buy a generator’. I am not sure if the glass is half empty or half full when you tell people to buy a generator.
Mr Conlan: Half baked.
Mr GILES: Half baked. I do not even know if it is half baked. I do not think this man could cook a cake, let alone build a house.
We can talk about housing all day. I often talk to my colleagues and ask what the answer is to some of these problems. I do not see the Labor government of the Northern Territory doing anything. They do not have any response; they just have spin, no plans, and no delivery. Surprisingly, I picked up the paper on Monday this week and I thought: ‘Who is going to save us?’ I opened up to page 6 and saw the federal member for Solomon, Damien Hale, was having a housing forum. I thought: ‘Hello, the light is shining down from the heavens above. We have someone here who can come and save us. St Mary’s Football Club at 5 pm to 7 pm on Monday’. I thought this is amazing. We have someone who has jumped on the bandwagon of his own Territory colleagues’ failure, and he is going to come back and report some news, and he will have some answers to the problem. I hear 12 people turned up. I am pretty sure there are more than 12 people living in Darwin but maybe they are just his supporters at the moment. Some of those were his family members, I am told - a great bastion for the Labor party in the seat of Solomon, Damien Hale. Well, can we not do better to find a new replacement so Darwin really has a voice?
It is surprising this happened on Monday night. Then, we heard today the dongas set aside for temporary accommodation for Indigenous people in Alice Springs in 2006, which have been mothballed and dusty, sitting in Dalgety Road in Braitling for all that time while the Housing Minister for the Northern Territory, the member for Daly, has done nothing. He did not even have the competence to utilise those demountables on vacant land in Alice Springs to help solve the housing dilemma. He tried to blame the Commonwealth today, but I do know the NT government has been trying to utilise those and trying to find a block of land on which they can be used, but they have given up. They have washed their hands and said: ‘We cannot do it’. The Chief Minister’s Department in Alice Springs was trying to find somewhere to utilise those demountables, but could not do it.
Now, we have the position where Kevin Rudd cancelled the Pacific Island solution and boat people are coming in droves. There have been 2000 people in 41 boats over the last year-and-a-bit. So, now they have decided they cannot house Indigenous Territorians because the Minister for Housing cannot build a house, they cannot house Territorians because the NT government has no control as does the Minister for Housing, so they have decided to house boat people.
What we have is the federal Immigration minister and the Foreign minister with a policy of housing boat people in the Northern Territory. We have a minister for Corrections who is housing prisoners, but we do not have anyone else who can get a house. It makes you wonder - and the member for Brennan whispered in my ear before - perhaps we should go out and steal a loaf of bread and we might get a house in the gaol. That seems to be the only thing we can do.
I note the failures of SIHIP. I note the letter that was tabled in parliament yesterday. There has been a bit of argy-bargy, and the member for Johnston gets the hairs on the back of his neck up and gets fiery about this stuff, but it is an important point. It is very important. In any business, who would employ someone who has that record to manage part of your business? Failure to provide effective leadership - and they put this man in charge of a $700m housing program? He has failed to provide effective leadership, and is unable to delegate and to get appropriate decisions made. I cannot understand how the Chief Minister has allowed this incompetent minister to continue to try to manage housing in the Northern Territory.
Public housing houses are empty everywhere. Rents are going up for pensioners. The federal government puts up the pension rate and, all of a sudden, the NT government puts the market rent to take more money off pensioners. Now, they do it twice a year which is probably costing twice as much in bureaucracy to make it happen. I do not quite understand it. Lack of ability to motivate others and manage conflict - how can this man be in charge of a $700m Indigenous housing program, in charge of Power and Water where the lights go out, and in charge of shire council reform? I will let the member for Katherine, the shadow Local Government member, talk about that in an MPI. We know how well he has done on that, especially with CouncilBiz - great stuff, member for Daly.
What else does he look after? Public service employment – well, he has capped the wages on the public servants. He is doing a great job - not. ‘Company time spent on personal pursuits, failure to maintain a good rapport with council members, community representatives and staff; failure to ensure sound management of council financial, fiscal and human resources’. To me, this sounds like the management of SIHIP. We could have changed the top of the letter. It is all exactly the same.
I recall a comment the member for Macdonnell made the other day when she said perhaps the Army should come in. That is a very interesting point because the Army would do a much better job. They could come in for 12 months and take over this program, get it back on track, get things happening, get housing happening and, then, hand it back to the Northern Territory when the Country Liberals are in power. We would manage it properly. I know the member for Daly would love to see the Army come in. The member for Macdonnell was a Housing Commissioner for ATISC at the time when the Army was coming into the region. The member for Daly would remember the Army coming into the region where he was working at the previous council, on which the summary of dismissal notice was tabled yesterday for such things as lack of ability to set priorities and manage and delegate decisions.
I quote an interview which was conducted on Radio National, The Health Report program with Natasha Mitchell on Aboriginal Health on Monday, 5 July 1999. There were a number of people who were interviewed on the program including John Herron, Lowitja O'Donohue, Raelene Fry and Paul Pholerous. There were a number of things spoken about. I will quote the member for Daly who, in his previous life, took part in the interview. It says:
A slab on the floor! That is exactly the same as the houses under SIHIP - all six of them have a slab on the floor. Nothing seems to have changed much in the eight years you have been in parliament, member for Daly - nothing at all. It went on to say:
What seems to have changed? I wonder what has changed at Bulla, member for Daly, Minister for Housing? You cannot build a house. It says here:
Robert Knight said:
Well, there is the tick of approval for John Howard - a tick of approval. Here we had a Liberal government putting money into Aboriginal housing. The member for Daly does not like to talk about that.
After the program where the Army came in, in this interview Rob Knight said:
What he is saying is a bit over a year, a year-and-a-half, they built 10 houses in one community. If they could do that in 1999, why can they not do it now? The member for Daly stands here and says: ‘They were all terrible housing designs way back then’. However, in a quote two paragraphs down, Robert Knight said, in responding to ‘What are the houses like?’:
It seems to me there is already a housing design out there. The Army was out there building houses under a Liberal government, under the ATSIC/Army Community Assistance Program. They were doing it; the Liberals were building houses. You say the Liberals were not building houses. They built 10 in a year. You cannot build one in two years. It shows your failure.
Therefore, I support the member for Macdonnell. I believe the Army should come in and take over the housing program in the Northern Territory and replace you in your job. It is quite clear and evident there are housing models out there, as you said in this interview. It is quite clear houses can be built in less than two years. The Army built 10 in a year. You have built none in two years.
The case that the Chief Minister has really no other solution but replace his Housing Minister is pretty much rested. To see the situation become so dire in the Northern Territory people cannot obtain rental in the urban areas or in the regional areas, houses are not being built, they are not being maintained in the remote areas, is a clear sign this minister has an inability to set priorities and manage and delegate decisions. He is unable to encourage teamwork amongst other staff and elected members, or to motivate others in managed conflict, a lack of timeliness and clarity with which important information is communicated to other parties, and a failure to provide effective leadership. These are all common ground for this minister.
However, I digress, Madam Deputy Speaker. I keep getting stuck on housing, because it is the biggest failure of the minister.
Perhaps we should move to somewhere like the port and talk about how poorly the port is operating: how it is losing $400 000 a month, and how the people in the offshore industries are so unhappy with the management of the port. It is reported repairs and maintenance is a small problem on the port when, in fact, it is actual structural problems with the port and …
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! I move the member be given an extension of time, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, member for Katherine.
You have mud coming out of the drain holes on the port. The port is in such disarray that only half the port is actually capable of being used. There are 34 supply vessels sitting off the berths because there are no berths at the port able to be used. It is a massive costly delay to all these companies. We have the Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Major Projects, the member for Stuart, talking about how certain companies have been given major project status where they may look at using the rail line to get to the port to get export materials out from the Barkly region. I can tell you, there is no opportunity to utilise the port. The port is in such disarray, through bad management, poor repairs and maintenance, and poor upgrading, it is inaccessible to use on an overcapacity basis.
We know there is a big oil leak off Western Australia which has been leaking for seven weeks. I spoke to people and said: ‘When did the boats first go out to try to fix this leaking oil?’ ‘Oh, three weeks, we could not get a berth spot. Only half the port is working while we are trying to fix it. We had to wait three weeks before we could get anyone out to try to fix the oil spill’. This is an environmental disaster by the green lovers on the communist side over there. This is an environmental disaster – it is an absolute disgrace.
I have not heard the Labor government talking about the impacts of the oil slick there. What is it doing to our commercial fishing industry? What does the Seafood Council think about the oil slick which continues to leak at 400 barrels per day? It has economic impact, not just environmental impacts. I can tell you, I would love to get a copy of the harbour review of January 2009 this year and find out exactly what is happening.
I would like to ask the member for Solomon, the person who ran a housing forum the other night with 12 people from Darwin, including his family members, exactly why the federal government, through its budget this year, decided to give nearly all its money for ports to Okagee in Western Australia, and give $50m, maybe, to the Northern Territory. If we are the gateway to Asia, and we have such a debilitated port – which the Deputy Chief Minister, the minister for Infrastructure never talks about - why did the federal government not come and help us?
We looked for up to $350m from Infrastructure Australia to try to rebuild our port, get a strategic plan to see how we can further expand into Asia, how it can help companies such as Minemakers Ltd get the materials out, how we can support China in exporting more uranium through our port so we can help solve the crisis with climate change and carbon emissions through the power generation. But, no, the federal government did not look favourably on the Northern Territory. Maybe they have seen the writing on the wall - the numbers do not stack up in Solomon, no point putting any money into Solomon. Maybe that is what it is about. Maybe it has become so bad it is not a marginal seat anymore. Maybe it is a Liberal seat now, so they do not put any money into it. They are going to try to bankroll Western Australia. Well, that is clearly not good enough.
I do no think the question is about the glass being half empty or half full; it is about the size of the glass. The Northern Territory government might like to use a shot glass; we would like to use a bucket. There are plenty opportunities in the Northern Territory. It is not about talking the Territory down, it is about looking at growth, the spectrum of the Northern Territory, and everything this government puts its hands on - and it is failure. The port is not working.
We heard today about the Royal Darwin Hospital, and the report from the AMA – problems; housing – problems; transport – problems; gaols are full – problems. We cannot have any birthing services in Tennant Creek. How do we get to the point where you cannot have birthing services in Tennant Creek? If you live out at Corella Creek, you have to travel all the way into Tennant Creek, wait all day for a bus, get on the 12-hour trip to Alice Springs, have your baby, then they put you on an early discharge system. You get on the bus just after having the baby, nurse the baby 12 hours back to Tennant Creek, get there in the middle of the night and, then, try to find somewhere to stay, and then travel back to your community ...
Mr Conlan: Yes, but you have to live in Alice from 36 weeks, and sit there for four weeks.
Mr GILES: Sit there for four weeks on $38 through PATS. You can live in a hostel if you are Indigenous, if not, you cannot afford anything. That is a disgrace, and the member for Barkly likes to say he has a new era in Barkly. Gee! I would hate to be pregnant in Barkly. I would hate to try to catch a bus in Barkly ...
Mr Mills: I would hate to see you pregnant anywhere.
Mr GILES: Oh, no, that is a genetic thing.
You do not have to look far for problems, but you have to look a long way for solutions in the Northern Territory.
I congratulate the member for Araluen for bringing her motion on about alcohol policy reform in Alice Springs? I also congratulate the member for Greatorex, the Country Liberal spokesperson on alcohol policy, because they know the real issue with alcohol in Alice Springs. They know, since reforms to alcohol policy in Alice Springs, custody orders have gone straight through the roof. Thousands and thousands of drunk people everywhere. People drunk absolutely everywhere!
The police are doing as good a job as they can. They are picking people up, and they are pouring out grog. If they had to pick up everyone whose grog they poured out, we would have nowhere to put them. We would be building 10 gaols, member for Barkly. It is not the alcohol policy and the sale of alcohol. It is about the consumption of alcohol, and the people who are not being treated and rehabilitated who have chronic alcohol disease. It is an abuse of substance; alcoholism is a disease.
The Northern Territory government fails to treat people with the disease of alcoholism. Rather, they change the operating times of the sale of alcohol, but continue to allow people with the disease of alcoholism to top up their alcohol. They are getting drunker and drunker at night. The difference between selling alcohol at 10 am ...
Mr Conlan: The same drunks are drinking in at night.
Mr GILES: The same people who are chronic alcoholics will still get drunk but, in the daytime, they can be better looked after. By selling alcohol at a certain time in the afternoon or evening, people are getting chronically smashed in the night, causing problems for themselves and to others, in a dangerous position, and the police cannot deal with the problem.
The message of our policy comes from police. We get this from the community, the police, and from the people who say when it was open at 10 am, they could deal with the problem, now they cannot. The Northern Territory government does not deal with alcoholics; they do not deal with people who have chronic alcohol problems. When you have thousands and thousands of people each year picked up in PCs, it is a clear sign the alcoholics are not being dealt with properly. There are probably only 500 chronic alcoholics in Alice Springs, if that is the maximum.
We have to find a way to support those people who are chronic alcoholics. An alcohol farm – if people are picked up three times for chronic alcohol abuse, we try to assist people through proper treatment. Do not just put them back in the town camp, in their home, in their community, and allow them to buy grog. This government is saying: ‘You are right, keep buying grog. You cannot buy it until 2 pm’ ...
Mr Conlan: Yes, but keep buying it.
Mr GILES: Keep buying it, go down the shop to get some Listerine, shampoo, or cooking essence. Drink that until 2 pm ...
Mr Knight: Shampoo?
Mr GILES: You asked, yes, people drink shampoo to get drunk. ‘Drink that before 2 pm and then go and get drunk’. This is what happens. You would not have any touch of reality, member for Daly, you are absolutely incompetent.
This is what happens. Changing the time to 10 am provides an opportunity for responsible people to purchase alcohol. If this government was serious, it would support people who have chronic alcohol problems and treat it as a disease, rather than what you are doing now - allowing people to keep drinking. That is actually killing people. You will not house people, and you let people die from alcoholism. That is terrible.
There are many opportunities in the Northern Territory. It is unfortunate we have a Labor government which does not support growth in the Northern Territory. They employ their 109 spin doctors and get all their media out to try to manage life through the media. I believe the Territory would be a much better place if the Country Liberals were in power. We would develop the Territory, open up the Territory, and support those people who have problems such as chronic alcoholism. We would not sit here and play games. Our job is not to be in government just to be in government. Our job is to be in government to build the Territory, and solve the problems of the Territory. Madam Deputy Speaker, we have a bucket and we will fill it up.
Motion agreed; statement noted.
Continued from 20 August 2009.
Mr KNIGHT (Housing): Madam Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to support this statement. The Commonwealth stimulus package is a nation building plan and has delivered positive change to the Northern Territory. Under the Commonwealth stimulus package, 19 200 new dwellings have been committed across the country. It is unlike anything Australia has ever seen before.
In my own ministerial portfolio of Housing, the package will deliver more than $55m into social housing infrastructure. I was extremely pleased to be able to support this package. Those opposite do not believe in supporting packages such as this, packages which are designed to protect Territory jobs. They do not want to support investment in social housing in providing homes for families and children which are really needed ...
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Can the member for Daly explain why he knocks down perfectly good houses to build new ones on the same site?
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Resume your seat. You have the call, minister.
Members interjecting.
Mr Giles: Pull your head in, mongrels. Stop screaming across the Chamber.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask the member to withdraw. He is just a very base character who is demeaning this parliament, and I ask him to withdraw.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Braitling, I ask you to withdraw those comments please.
Mr GILES: Madam Deputy Speaker, what would you like me to withdraw?
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: You know very well what you have just said. I have asked you to withdraw, member for Braitling.
Mr GILES: I withdraw.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you member for Braitling. Minister, you have the call.
Mr KNIGHT: Again, the great Adam Giles, CLP candidate for Lingiari in October 2007, said he had a plan for housing in the Territory and he would tell the constituency in the following six weeks about his plan for the future of housing in the Territory. Two years later, we are still waiting for the plan.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I will just move on. Again, I was extremely ...
Mr Giles: That is all you have, because you cannot build a house, member for Daly.
Mr KNIGHT: You have a glass jaw. Glass jaw Giles. You do not like it ...
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask to be referred to by my seat rather than by my name.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, minister, you well know to refer to members by their electorate.
Mr KNIGHT: The member for Braitling does have a glass jaw.
I was extremely pleased to support these packages, Madam Deputy Speaker. They were right across the country. They were well received.
The opposition does not really want to support investment in social housing, much needed after the sell off of 1300 homes over their last period in government. What those opposite do not see, and continue to fail to see, is the investment in housing construction not only builds more houses and upgrades existing properties, but also creates jobs across trades including roofers, cabinet makers, brick layers, steel makers, carpenters and concreters - the list goes on and on. This is a massive additional investment in housing infrastructure and employment right across the Northern Territory.
I have had the opportunity to talk to some of the contractors on-site at some of our housing projects, and I can inform the House they are very grateful for work within these packages over the last six months. I spoke to some of the builders in Malak. They were saying the work was drying up. With this $55m package they knew was coming online, they kept their other subbies on. All those subbies have families and they were well supported.
The aims of the package are to build for 2008-09 to 2011-12, over 19 000 additional social housing dwellings nationally - an enormous increase in social housing stock right across the country. We should all pause and consider the benefit this package will deliver, not just in the Northern Territory, but the number of lives which have been touched through delivering so many new homes. This is a nation building program designed to ensure people have the infrastructure they need to ensure Australia’s economy remains strong.
Two-thirds of the stimulus package is going into infrastructure. In fact, investment in housing infrastructure is the largest ever since Prime Minister Ben Chifley – which was quite a long time ago. Members opposite may be interested to know, over the period of the Howard government, we saw a 24.1% decrease in social housing funding. That is disgraceful: winding back social housing by a staggering quarter of their funding over the period has meant a serious under-investment in social housing to the detriment of low-income families. We are now trying to catch up to ensure families and people who need social housing are able to access it.
To get this work under way as quickly as possible, the government reviewed the procurement processes and streamlined them. This has meant the work on current properties and new dwellings is well under way. Businesses have embraced this because it means they can get to work constructing and delivering new social housing for Territorians in need as quickly as possible.
For too long successive governments have been almost totally focused on renovating and refurbishing existing ageing stock. That is why I am really excited about the new public housing; it is nearly complete in the northern suburbs of Darwin and Alice Springs. I am looking forward to turning the key and opening the first of these new homes in the very near future. We are not just building houses; we want them to be energy efficient to support tenants’ living costs. All new dwellings will meet a six-star energy rating. This will mean new properties will use less power, less water, and will meet the energy efficient guidelines. This highlights the future directions of housing in Australia to more energy efficient and environmentally friendly homes.
The Commonwealth stimulus package has targeted social housing to stimulate the economy through the building sector, and addressing the high levels of homelessness across Australia by increasing the supply of social housing. We have secured almost $56m for new social housing in the Northern Territory. I thank the members of the Department of Housing who spent countless hours on the stimulus project, working them up, working with local companies, and with the non-profit sector to develop the groundwork for the bids which went to the Commonwealth.
Money has already started hitting the ground. To get Operation Stimulus under way, governments had to bid in each of the three priority areas. The Northern Territory government has completed three separate bids to the Commonwealth. These are social housing upgrade funding focusing on repairs and maintenance of existing public housing properties which has resulted in a successful bid of $4.1m; Stage 1 capital funding for new social housing construction projects resulting in a successful bid of $7.1m; and Stage 2 capital funding for new social housing constructions program which resulted in the successful bid of $48m for these new projects.
I am pleased to advise all the advertised contracts have now been awarded for the repairs and maintenance for the public housing under Operation Stimulus. We have already completed more than 280 upgrades, and this is helping to house those on our public housing waiting lists. This is great news for those residents.
Nationally, the package will also refurbish around 2500 existing public housing dwellings so they can remain available for occupancy by providing funding for the repairs and maintenance. This further increases the nett social housing stock. The repairs and maintenance part of the project is important because it allows properties to be revamped to ensure families and individuals living in public housing are appropriately housed. It also means we can provide more houses for more people.
The repairs and maintenance program is well under way. Works have included full and partial renovations, roof replacements and repairs, and installation of solar hot water systems. This is important work because it means we can get to the problems early and ensure we do not have to take a number of properties off-line which ensures they are continually used. Over the weekend, I met a young family in Malak. They moved into their newly refurbished home, one of 84 we have been able to get back online which has been off-line for a while. It was great to see the Lay family. They were very excited; they just had a new baby; the young fellow was about 14 days old.
Stage 1 of this project totals $7.1m. Stage 1 is the construction of new social housing, and this work has commenced. We will deliver 22 additional dwellings, built at an average estimated cost of $320 000.
Before I talk about the new social housing construction in detail, I want to again correct the record for the member for Braitling. He is making a habit of getting his facts wrong. The last thing he claimed was Territory Housing had demolished a three-bedroom house in Irvine Street, Araluen and built a four-bedroom house. It did not sound right, so I had my staff check up. The member for Braitling is actually wrong. People will be interested to know we do not own any properties in Irvine Street, Araluen. He puts little stories out …
Dr Burns: But he is a genius, he cannot be wrong.
Mr KNIGHT: Yes. We have not for a very long time. Perhaps the property in Irvine Street was part of the mass sell-off the Country Liberals had in the late 1990s. Let us not forget they sold off 1300 properties in their last few years in government. It was absolutely disgraceful. I keep all the numbers for Alice Springs, especially when I am questioned by the member for Braitling. They are quite significant. There would not be a housing shortage in Alice Springs if the CLP had not sold off houses there.
That is just one reason why investing in new and refurbished public housing is so important for the Territory. We need to provide appropriate housing for those most in need in our community, and this stimulus package is delivering. In Alice Springs, we have demolished two heavily damaged three-bedroom houses in Alice Springs. These are located at Carruthers Crescent in Gillen, and Spicer Crescent in Araluen. I advise the house at Carruthers Crescent suffered extensive fire damage and had to be demolished. The second property at Spicer Crescent in Araluen was also very badly damaged and needed repair. In fact, the estimated cost required was more than $130 000 for repairs, so it was quite significant. Our investment decisions need to consider the best value for taxpayers. In this instance, it was more appropriate for us to build a new home than try to repair a house which was some 35 years old. The expert from Braitling, apparently was more knowledgeable than a structural engineer, in saying we should have just repaired them.
Where will these new properties be built and what sort of new properties are we talking about in Stage 1? I am happy to provide the House with a full list. They include a four-bedroom home in Araluen; a four-bedroom home in Gillen; three two-bedroom duplexes in Bakewell - and member for Brennan, you will be happy about that; one two-bedroom duplex in Humpty Doo; a four-bedroom home in Malak; one two-bedroom duplex in Malak; two two-bedroom duplexes in Millner; two three-bedroom duplexes in Millner; and a four-bedroom home in Tennant Creek, which is great for the Tennant Creek community.
Contracts have already been awarded for the construction of dwellings in Malak, Alice Springs, and Tennant Creek. Some of these projects are now under way and will be finished very soon. The remainder of the program is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of next year.
I am pleased to advise a small building company called Habitat was awarded the contract for the four-bedroom dwelling in Malak. This construction is close to completion. A contract has also been awarded to Probuild for the construction of three four-bedroom houses – two in Alice Springs and one in Tennant Creek. These houses are also close to completion and should be ready sometime next month.
Additional tenders for construction of duplexes in Millner, Malak, Bakewell and Humpty Doo have been awarded, and I look forward to providing the House with updates on these projects as they progress.
I was pleased to announce, with the federal member for Solomon, Damian Hale, the outcome of Stage 2 of the stimulus package. This is worth $48m, and almost 200 additional dwellings will be coming to the Northern Territory. These projects include: the Parap Gateway redevelopment; 18 units of managed accommodation at Crerar Road in Berrimah; eight units of 28 beds at Patterson Street, Malak; 12 bedroom group homes at the Catherine Booth House, which is operated by the Salvation Army - and what a great facility it is at Catherine Booth House; I was delighted to be able to allocate some money to get some modern facilities, and also expansion of facilities which directly caters for single women; 20 units at Coconut Grove operated by St Vincent de Paul - and it was great to be there with the Bishop for that announcement; four two-bedroom duplexes at Bellamack, 35 units for renal dialysis patients in Alice Springs which is a great facility for Alice Springs through this and the federal Labor government’s commitment to the people of Alice Springs; eight units at Goyder Street in Alice Springs, run by the Salvation Army; four apartments at the Gap, Alice Springs; and 24 units at Percy Court.
These projects will see more social housing delivered across the Northern Territory in partnership with the non-government sector, to provide greater assistance to individuals and families in need. This is a very significant increase in social housing right across the Northern Territory.
In developing the Northern Territory’s bid for stimulus funding, we worked with the social housing sector to gain their insight and experience to ensure our projects made the greatest impact to address the housing need in our community. The Commonwealth stimulus package will assist in alleviating public housing wait times. We all agree there is a need to reduce it. It will be nice to get a copy of the ABS report the member for Goyder still has not provided. The great thing about this package is it is not just about building homes, as I said; it is about creation of jobs, maintaining the livelihood of people in the biggest recession we have seen in a lifetime.
We have already heard from the Education minister of the significant investments being delivered through the stimulus package for schools across the Territory. This government is committed to delivering quality strategies and programs for all stages of schooling, and improving school infrastructure will keep improving those outcomes. We have well-established infrastructure plans to improve education outcomes, including the building of new schools, major upgrades, improved repairs and maintenance, and additional classrooms and facilities.
My electorate is benefiting from the unprecedented $235m being invested by the Northern Territory and federal governments to upgrade facilities in our schools. Several schools in my electorate of Daly have reaped the benefits of the Primary Schools for the 21st Century Round 2 funding. In Adelaide River, the school received $0.25m for investment in the outdoor learning area. It is a great school; real Territory-style elevated school, with great gardens.
The Berry Springs Primary School, which is dear to my heart, is getting a new multipurpose pavilion. I have inspected the plans and it is going to serve also as a cyclone shelter, which has been long needed in the rural area. It is a very significant building and the school is very excited to see its completion.
Our Lady of Sacred Heart school at Wadeye will receive $2.5m for a library through Round 1. I was there recently and they are gearing up for big construction projects happening with other funding. This is a very significant part of the building of the school.
The Belyuen School is a lovely little school. The principal, Tim, does a great job with those kids. They have funding for an outdoor learning area as well. Nganmarriyanga, a school at Palumpa, will receive $850 000 for a multipurpose hall. That school is growing and they really need a larger hall to meet in. Right next door, the Peppimenarti School will have a new classroom and outdoor learning area. Having been out there, I know they are very grateful for this significant investment which has not only built the schools but also maintained jobs in these bad economic times.
These packages have and are delivering. They have created jobs and I have seen it for myself. They have kept the economy stimulated over this period of time. Importantly, for me as the Housing Minister, it is the biggest infrastructure investment from the Commonwealth into social housing since Chifley’s era. That is great, but it is an indictment on previous federal governments, I guess, that this sort of money has not been coming in before. You wonder how we got to a situation in Australia where a federal government, for 12 years, can reduce social housing by 24%. How is any state or territory going to survive with its social housing program with the major funding body actually reducing the funding by a quarter?
Madam Deputy Speaker, I am delighted the federal Rudd Labor government has decided social housing was going to be an important part of the stimulus package. It certainly has worked, and I am delighted to be able to deliver many of these projects.
Ms McCARTHY (Families and Children): Madam Deputy Speaker, I respond to the stimulus summit statement. We have heard from my colleague, the Minister for Business, about the progress of the federal government’s $42bn stimulus package in the Northern Territory. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the Nation Building and Jobs Plan in February. The plan was about heading off the global economic crisis through a range of measures including significant Australia-wide investment in infrastructure. I do not think there is any doubt the economic stimulus plan has achieved its aim of cushioning Australia from the worst of the global economic crisis, in particular, here in the Northern Territory.
The Territory has been a remarkable success story in the recent tale of world economic gloom. Even so, there is no doubting working with Canberra, as the Henderson government is doing, will provide economic benefit for the Northern Territory, particularly in the more remote regions of the Territory. Our government has developed a five-point plan to help implement the package in the Territory. Amongst other things, the plan will help local companies get part of the action here, and our government departments will ensure the projects can be brought online as soon as possible, and are working to cut red tape in the procurement process. Projects are being, or have already been, delivered in the Northern Territory through the stimulus plan.
One of the specific areas which will benefit significantly from the Rudd government’s initiative is education, with $14.7bn being invested in Australia’s 9200 schools. Not surprisingly, the announcement of the commitment to national education was welcomed by the education sector. It is hardly surprising the President of the Australian Primary Principals Association described the magnitude of the spending as unprecedented. The package for education includes some $12.4bn for large-scale school buildings, with a further $1.3bn being invested in the refurbishment or renewal of structures. In the Territory, some $300m has been committed to school infrastructure as part of the national spend, and more than $200m worth of contracts have already been awarded by the Territory’s Department of Education and Training. The money has been committed to nearly 300 separate contracts for education-related projects across the Territory.
In the East Arnhem area, $36m is being pumped into education infrastructure. Many of these projects are needed. Let us have a look at what is happening with schools in my electorate of Arnhem as part of the federal government’s stimulus package: Alyangula, $850 000 for the school library and $125 000 for refurbishment work; Angurugu, $2m for a multipurpose hall; Gapuwiyak, $2m for a multipurpose pavilion and $125 000 to upgrade infrastructure; Milingimbi, $2.5m for school classrooms and $1.97m for a science centre; Milyakburra or Bickerton Island, $250 000 for a covered outdoor area; Numbulwar, $2m for a multipurpose pavilion and $125 000 for school pride projects; Umbakumba, $850 000 for classrooms and $75 000 for painting and landscaping; and Ramingining, $2m for a new classroom block and $125 000 for a cabling upgrade. The cabling upgrade will help the school take advantage of Telstra’s roll-out of the $35m fibre-optic cable across Arnhem Land. This infrastructure is very necessary.
At Groote Eylandt, along with Angurugu, Milyakburra and Umbakumba, the money going towards the school infrastructure is important. Governments, both at a Territory and federal level, recognise the importance of getting our children to school, through primary school and on to secondary school. Yes, there are constant challenges, certainly in the remote regions. However, the fact we have been able to add to the work we are doing in the day-to-day running of schools, with the concerns about getting the kids to school, and working with the families through our early childhood programs, we are now able to see, with the addition of infrastructure support, the schools themselves are getting the much-needed equipment for the children who go to these schools. That is an important message being sent to remote areas: both the federal and Northern Territory governments know this infrastructure is vital, and the services are required for these areas.
I also add this funding is in addition to individual $300 000 funding packages to Umbakumba, Gapuwiyak, Numbulwar and Angurugu schools as part of our government’s $246m four-year infrastructure program. A list of school projects I have just outlined in my electorate alone, as remote as it is, is remarkable and an unexpected bonus to what is happening in the global economic crisis for the people in the regions. We are just not talking about immediate economic benefit here, but the prospective educational benefit of projects like these in Arnhem is enormous.
The $125 000 cabling upgrade at Ramingining school, which will allow it to link with the optic fibre, has been rolled out across Arnhem Land and, like the economic stimulus spending, the $35m Arnhem Land fibre-optic cable project has potential which is both economic and, of course importantly, educational. One of the things I do with students in some of the classrooms across Arnhem is link up with them, first by telephone. This is, in the first couple of years, my way of communicating with the children when we talk about assignments they are working on, if they want to ask me questions about being a member of parliament, or raise some of the issues I speak about on their behalf. I have this kind of interaction with the communities, knowing at times it is very difficult to get out there in the Wet Season when particular roads have been flooded, bridges are closed, or bridges need to be built in particular locations. We are looking at another way of communication other than the phone such as via the Internet and computers.
Our government is focused on working towards this kind of communication, and building the links across the Northern Territory so our children of today are equally as capable in whatever language - English, Aboriginal languages, or other languages such as Greek or Italian – and also have the language of technology. This is important for our children who are growing up in our regions.
Our partnership with Telstra, Rio Tinto Alcan, and the Northern Land Council, has seen more than 800 km of optical fibre being laid from Jabiru to Nhulunbuy in record time. The communities of Gunbalanya, Maningrida, Ramingining, Gapuwiyak and Yirrkala are directly connected to the optical fibre. They are now able to use high-speed broadband at the same cost and service as residents enjoy in Alice Springs, in Darwin, and even Sydney.
Just think about it for a moment. Looking at the history of the Northern Territory and communication, I remember going to school and knowing it was through telephone contact, where you had to take your time sending telegrams over the phone, and trying to get a location, or get some word of family in particular areas, or even to send information to my Dad, who was living somewhere else, as to how we were doing out bush. It was all by radio telephone. The kids of today in the Northern Territory, in places such as Ramingining and Gapuwiyak, can actually get on the Internet at the same cost as someone in Sydney.
Territory government services have been upgraded in most communities on the fibre. The Australian government has also installed videoconferencing equipment at Maningrida, which will use the fibre network to enable telemedicine, virtual prison visits, and other teleconferences. On the communication contact, I think of the many prisoners in our gaols. We accept the incarceration rate of Indigenous people in the prisons is high. The important thing we are seeing with the technology is those prisoners are able to communicate with their families through the visual medium, not just the telephone conversations they can have from Berrimah prison. Family members who have been in prison have been able to communicate and see family in Borroloola, for example, and it has made a tremendous difference to the prisoner’s wellbeing and state of mind - being in prison and able to cope by having this communication at certain times.
The fibre run was completed just before Christmas, and since then, there have been an additional 130 new residential ADSL users in Nhulunbuy alone, with a further 48 new subscribers in the mainland communities. In addition to these residential users, there have been between 15 and 20 new business users subscribed along the link to date. The island communities of Minjilang, Warruwi, Millingimbi and Galiwinku will be connected to the optical fibre via high-speed radio links. Work on these radio transmission links has commenced, and all works, with the possible exception of Galiwinku, are due for completion before the end of the calendar year.
Access to broadband will complement the Northern Territory government’s A Working Future initiative to address Indigenous disadvantage through better service delivery across a range of areas, including health and education. Access to communications is, of course, not just a one-way street; access to broadband opens up a world of opportunities for e-commerce. I have no doubt people out bush will be exploring all kinds of new opportunities through access to broadband technology.
To get some sense of the potential, we have to remind ourselves of how quickly the Chooky Dancers phenomenon became internationally known through YouTube. It was a dance which was first performed at the Ramingining Festival, filmed by an amazing man who passed away this year - a wonderful man who contributed so much to broadcasting and Indigenous media across the Northern Territory, and who left us in June this year. He was a great loss, not only to the people of Galiwinku, but to most people of Arnhem Land. It was this amazing man who filmed his son and nephews dancing at Ramingining and then put it on YouTube. Most Territorians would be aware of the Chooky Dancers; in fact, probably many Australians - those thousands and thousands of viewers online who tapped into YouTube to watch this remarkable dance and the sharing of a strong culture. Mixing it with comedy and humour is very much the surviving aspect of Indigenous people in moving forward through trials and tribulations. That sense of humour was very much what was shared through the Chooky Dancers. I guess the Greeks were incredibly pleased to see it. In fact, there were invitations for the Chooky Dancers to go over there.
I am also reminded, at this point of how communication has changed in the regions with the use of mobile phones and Facebook on the Internet. One of the things I notice, not so much with the younger generation, the kids at school, but with many Aboriginal people as they come in and move across the Territory, is the use of the phones for texting. There is also now this incredible program on mobile phones, I think it is called Divas Chat, but there are other names and terminologies. People are communicating from one end of the Territory to the other and seem to know what is going on from Millingimbi to Yuendumu, from Groote Eylandt across to Wadeye, by the use of the mobile phone. I do not mean just ringing someone; they actually have little chats and networking through the phone system - something which is amazing when you think about how far technology has advanced, but more so, how far it has advanced for linking people in remote and isolated areas across the Territory and, indeed, across Australia.
Attraction and retention of professional staff and workers to remote communities will also be assisted by having access to high-quality broadband services in their homes. They will be able to communicate not just across the Territory or Australia, but across the world. Demand for the services has necessitated Telstra providing a regular visiting service from their Winnellie Business Centre to Nhulunbuy on a monthly basis.
The Territory government has also increased services to most health clinics, schools, and police stations along the way, with 24 services ordered and 13 already installed. In discussing the stimulus plan this afternoon, I have focused on the benefits to education in my electorate.
It is also worth noting, apart from underpinning Territory jobs, another important focus of the stimulus plan is apprenticeships and traineeships. There is no doubt during tough economic times there is the potential for business not to take on as many apprentices and trainees, as would happen in better times. The stimulus spending plays an important role in bolstering apprentice numbers at a time when employers might be looking to not only refuse to take on apprentices and trainees, but to lay them off. The stimulus spending will help to maintain this buoyancy and, as such, will also play a part in convincing employers to consider taking on these apprentices and trainees.
In announcing the stimulus package, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made it clear it was not just a cash injection to fend off the impact of the global economic crisis; it was a thoughtful and powerful plan based on nation building and job creation. This comes at an opportune time for the Territory as we embark on our plan A Working Future, to improve lives and opportunities for Northern Territorians in the bush.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.
Mr HAMPTON (Regional Development): Madam Deputy Speaker, I am very pleased to speak in support of the Chief Minister and his statement on the implementation and impact of the federal government’s stimulus package in the Northern Territory.
When we debated the stimulus package earlier this year, I said the challenge for governments during the global financial crisis was to provide leadership, economic management, and clever planning while maintaining confidence within the community. It has been eight months since the $42bn federal stimulus package has been rolled out around the nation, and things are looking up, but with a word of caution - the experts are still saying we need to be cautious.
At the global level, the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund believes the recovery is under way, but it will be long and difficult. The Chief Economist, Mr Olivier Blanchard said there needs to be a massive rebalancing in the global economic landscape. He also said the global financial crisis has left deep scars which will affect both supply and demand for many years to come.
In Australia, our Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and Treasurer, Wayne Swan, deserve a huge amount of credit for their response to the global financial crisis, including the stimulus package. It is not just me saying this; last week I heard Australia being described as ‘the Switzerland of the South Pacific, a solid destination for capital whose economy is at the vanguard of the global recovery’.
Also last week the World Economic Forum ranked Australia second on a list of the world’s top 55 global financial centres. Australia was the only country in the top 10 to have a positive change in its overall score. In the Territory, we have been focused on implementing the federal government’s stimulus package, and speed was crucial to ensure the economy did not slide into recession.
The Chief Minister and the Business Minister moved quickly to involve the business community. I take this opportunity to acknowledge all the hard work which has been done by the public sector and the private sector to ensure the tight deadlines had been met. More than 300 contracts have been awarded for the vast majority of this $220m investment going towards new and upgraded educational facilities. All the feedback I have received in Alice Springs and around the electorate has been positive.
As an Alice Springs man, born and bred, it has given me great pleasure to see the stimulus dollars being spent on schools in my home town. In Araluen, for example, there is $1.97m being spent on the new language centre at the Alice Springs High School. There is also $2.5m for a new multipurpose learning area at the Bradshaw Primary School, and $2.1m for the Gillen Primary School.
In the electorate of Braitling, there is $850 000 on the library extension on the Alice Springs School of the Air; and $2.5m for a similar multipurpose learning area at the Braitling Primary School. Also in Braitling there is $125 000 for ANZAC Hill High School, and $2.1m for the Larapinta Primary School. In Greatorex, we see $2m for another multipurpose learning area at the Sadadeen Primary School, and $850 000 on Acacia Hills School. There is also $200 000 to upgrade the front of Centralian Senior Secondary College. I am sure the parents are definitely pleased the CLP did not get their way and block the package.
As Minister for Central Australia, it gives me enormous pleasure to see the stimulus dollars being directed to some of our more remote communities. Harts Range School gets more than $900 000 of new facilities; the Hermannsburg School gets more than $2.1m for a new classroom block plus an outdoor teaching and learning environment. The Papunya School is getting more than $900 000 for a new resource centre plus repairs; and the school at Kintore is getting more than $900 000 for new facilities.
I particularly thank and acknowledge the Territory’s three federal representatives who supported the stimulus package: Warren Snowdon, the member for Lingiari; Damian Hale, the member for Solomon; and the Senator for the Northern Territory, Trish Crossin.
Several other schools in Central Australia are also receiving $300 000 or more in federal stimulus funding for new facilities or upgrades. They include Alcoota, Amoonguna, Ampilatwatja, Areyonga, Bonya, Docker River, Finke, Haasts Bluff, Imanpa, Lilla, Mbunghara, Mutitjulu, Titjikala, Wallace Rockhole, Watiyawanu and Yulara schools. It is fantastic news for all of those students and parents.
As the member for Stuart, I thank the federal government on behalf of my electorate and constituents for the stimulus dollars being spent on new and upgraded facilities for the many children in my electorate. The Community Education Centre at Kalkarindji received $125 000 to build a solid roof over their basketball court, and is also eligible for up to $2m for a new library and three new classrooms. As members of this House would recall, this is the school where Rhonda Rankin, Leanne Brown and Meshach Paddy completed their Year 12 studies in 2003, the first Indigenous students to complete Year 12 in a remote school. I was at Kalkarindji recently when they had their sports day, and I can report the new roof is a big hit for the locals - not just the basketball players, but all types of sports and community activities are going on in the shade.
I recently visited my constituents in Beswick, Barunga, Manyallaluk, Mataranka and Pine Creek. They are very pleased with the stimulus package. More than $900 000 is going to the Wugularr school in Beswick, and more than $900 000 for the Barunga School, $300 000 for Manyallaluk School, $300 000 for the Mataranka School, $300 000 for the Pine Creek School, and $900 000 for the Timber Creek Primary School. I also travelled recently to Yarralin which is also receiving $900 000. The school at Pigeon Hole has been awarded $300 000 for new facilities and upgrades, and I acknowledge we had some of those students in Parliament House today.
The Community Education Centre at Lajamanu is getting $125 000 for an early childhood safe area. More than $900 000 has also been put into new and upgraded facilities going to other schools in my electorate such as Laramba, Mt Allen, Nyirripi, Yuendumu and Ti Tree - which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. Projects worth $300 000 or more will be undertaken at some of my other schools such as Amanbidji, Bulla Camp, Stirling and Willowra. As you can see, I have focused on the stimulus package and those schools, not only in Central Australia but in my electorate. It is fantastic the federal government is directing these funds into the schools and to the future of our Northern Territory.
I know there have been objections to the federal government’s stimulus package, most noticeably from the other side of politics. However, it appears, to date, the swift and decisive action by Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and Treasurer, Wayne Swan, has kept Australia out of recession. We should be grateful for this because recession means unemployment. That is the real tragedy of negative economic growth; it is the human impact. The Chief Minister has made it clear he places a priority on securing jobs for Territorians. As Minister for Regional Development, I am committed to creating and sustaining jobs in our regions, which is clearly spelt out in this government’s Indigenous Economic Development Strategy. This government is doing this in partnership with business and individual communities.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I am very pleased to support the Chief Minister’s statement.
Mr McCARTHY (Transport): Madam Deputy Speaker, it is a pleasure to add my support to the implementation and impact of the federal government’s stimulus package.
In partnership with the federal Rudd Labor government, this Henderson government is setting the national pace in delivering this massive, unprecedented boost to the Northern Territory’s infrastructure to the vital services we continue to see all Territory families enjoy, and good times delivered by Labor governments. While the world’s financial powerhouses fell like nine pins as the global financial crisis raged, Australia, and the Northern Territory in particular, has continued to weather the storm. As Australians, the media and, surely, even those opposite know, this was due in no small part to the Rudd federal Labor government’s $42bn Nation Building and Jobs Plan.
This massive investment shows the stark political divide between Australia’s political forces. It has been, and always will be, Labor governments which entered into the nation building and job space to support vital infrastructure and business, both small and large - Labor government investment to ensure that no one is left behind. This stands in sharp, painful contrast to those opposite and their federal counterparts down south. We talk jobs; they are slaves to the economists. They only talk of paying debt and they did not invest in anything. We say build our future now, and that is exactly what the Henderson government is doing - delivering the biggest single investment in our nation and the Territory which has ever been.
I watched for many years as the Country Liberal Party spent 27 years building an exclusive list of projects, and favouring their own, which created few Territory jobs and kept the wealth in what we call a silver circle. I am lucky enough to represent the people of Barkly because nowhere was this more apparent than Barkly. Another little history lesson: I spent 10 long years in the Barkly in the era we call starvation, with a Labor MLA who rose to the position of Leader of the Opposition; however, who was still ignored by the Country Liberal Party government. However, we are on our way back in the Barkly.
Let us have a look at education - education dear to my heart, not only in terms of our kids but also Corrections and Community Development. Let us look at education. Operation Stimulus has already seen 20 contracts totalling over $11.77m awarded in education in the Barkly region. This overwhelms the rivers of money that flowed through Tennant Creek in its gold boom days. Those rivers flowed down the highway and over the borders, never to be seen again, but this money is staying put. I am thrilled the Building the Education Revolution extends to the Tennant Creek High School, which was successful in getting $1.97m for a sports science centre - a centre that will harness the energy and dreams of the youth of the Barkly.
It does not stop there - no way. Primary Schools for the 21st Century - the P21 program - delivered by the Construction Division of the hard-working Department of Planning and Infrastructure, will fund construction of new, iconic facilities such as libraries, multipurpose halls or classrooms, or to upgrade existing facilities. Alekarenge Primary School gets $2m for a multipurpose facility. The Elliott Primary School - $850 000 for a multipurpose facility; Epenarra Primary School gets $850 000 for a covered outdoor learning area; and $850 000 for a multipurpose area and library for Alpurrurulam Primary School. Canteen Creek Primary School has won new classrooms worth $850 000; Neutral Junction Primary, Newcastle Waters Primary; Murray Downs and Rockhampton Downs schools each get a $250 000 covered outdoor learning area. Tennant Creek Primary School gets a $2.5m multipurpose hall; Borroloola CEC, $2m worth of new classrooms; Kiana School - a $250 000 resource centre; and the Robinson River School gets $850 000 worth of new classrooms.
Then, there is the National School Pride Program for minor capital works and maintenance projects. These projects are being delivered directly by the individual school councils and are aimed at local small-scale contractors and suppliers. Alekarenge will get $125 000 for a multipurpose hall, vinyl and painting; Borroloola CEC gets a security fence worth $125 000; Canteen Creek, $750 000 for its covered outdoor learning centre; Elliot, $75 000 for carpeting; Epenarra School, $75 000 for its outdoor learning area; Kiana and Newcastle Waters schools get $50 000 for fencing; Murray Downs School, $50 000 for its multipurpose area; $50 000 for classroom upgrades for Neutral Junction School; Robinson River School, $75 000 for fencing; Rockhampton Downs, $50 000 to build a shaded rubber surface; Tennant Creek High, $125 000 to revitalise the school; and Tennant Creek Primary, $150 000 for more security of the perimeter.
I speak with pride and excitement about this because I can talk, not about 10 years, but three decades. I was a founding teacher at five schools in the Barkly. I remember being given silver bullet caravans. When I travel around my electorate now and spread this message which came from a stimulus package from the federal Rudd government, orchestrated and managed by the Henderson government, well, I tell you, I walk pretty tall. I am very proud to see, not only does this deliver massive economic benefits in an unprecedented time of economic challenges, it also delivers for our kids and our future. Well done, Mr Rudd, well done, Mr Henderson …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Katherine!
Mr McCARTHY: As Transport Minister, the Operation Stimulus investment in our roads systems, we ensure we can continue to improve the transport of goods and services, and improve health, education and other social outcomes for Territorians. All the road/rail projects covered by Operation Stimulus are being delivered within the deadlines, and will provide Territorians with ongoing benefits for many years.
With regard to regional roads, there is $12m in repairs which have been completed on the National Highway Network, comprising the Stuart, Victoria and Barkly Highways. This included contracts for Darwin, Katherine, and the Tennant Creek regions, and additional works also carried out in Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs.
I cannot help but highlight this stunning investment in the Barkly. This is work which complements and informs the development of the Henderson government’s Integrated Regional Transport Strategy, and overarching Northern Territory Transport Strategy, which will assist the development of transport policy and the coordinated delivery of transport services across the Territory into the future. The strategy development is due for completion by the end of this year.
However, let us not forget the benefits of this funding for all Territorians. Among many other things, I highlight the $95m for individual payments of up to $900 per eligible Territorian paid in 2008-09, and its special impact on a small economy like Tennant Creek, and tax breaks for small Territory business of $27m for additional tax deductions for eligible assets.
This is all about creating jobs, inspiring investment, and spreading the good times around the Territory. Territorians can enjoy the sharply increased economic growth and heightened business activity from flow-on effects for other sectors of the NT economy. Territorians can look forward to having better skills for the future, more hope and confidence around working and raising a family.
Operation Stimulus is a success. Territorians think so; members on this side of the House know so.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the statement and commend it to the House.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Acting Speaker, I support the minister’s statement and the $42bn Nation Building and Jobs Plan, a critical stimulus package for Australia in a time of global financial crisis. I support the measures the Territory government has put in place to ensure the stimulus package rolls out quickly.
Targeted timing and temporary measures are key to an effective response to a possible recession. They have been a test for the stimulus measures put together by the federal government. The federal government has taken timely action. They have taken measures targeted for the best impact in the economy, and measures one-off in nature - not recurrent, they are one-off investments. The $42bn Nation Building and Jobs Plan was rolled out in February and has had an impact. Four thousand jobs have been created in the last year in the Territory, remarkable in a time of global downturn. That did not happen by accident.
The Rudd government stimulus package was critical, and was supported by tough decisions by this government. After seven surpluses in a row, we made the decision to enter into a temporary deficit - not a decision taken lightly. The centrepiece of our last budget was a $1.3bn investment in Territory infrastructure. That was a decision made for the same reasons Rudd engineered his stimulus package.
Infrastructure spends are timely, they can be targeted, and they are not recurrent. I believe our Treasurer should be commended for delivering a budget in difficult times, and for providing considered support to the federal stimulus package.
Nobody wants to get ahead of themselves, but Treasury Secretary, Ken Henry, made remarks in August when addressing the Australian Industry Group Annual National Forum in Canberra, and also made some media comments, where he said:
And:
Last week, the Treasury Secretary went further, appearing before the Senate Economics Committee he said:
In other words, the private sector, the market, is not yet ready to take on the full weight of the economy, which is why the stimulus package has been so critical and so necessary to ensuring our economy, nationally - and it has impacted on the Territory - continues to roll on. We still need the stimulus. We still need to see the decisive, significant increase in government spending the Rudd government has made.
The calls from the opposition federally to stop the spending are irresponsible. The federal plan is for the stimulus to be set down in the 2010-11 financial year, and wound down in 2011-12.
In monetary policy, we need to thank the considered decision-making of the Reserve Bank. Interest rates were reduced by three 0.75 percentage points from early October 2008 to early February 2009. The Reserve Bank has just increased rates by 0.25%. Not many people like to see interest rates go up, but it is a sign of confidence in the national economy by the Reserve Bank. They are probably slightly more optimistic than the Treasury Secretary - essentially a fiscal policy and monetary policy in step. There is a chance the Reserve Bank Governor-General is slightly more optimistic than the Treasury Secretary. From the statement of the Reserve Bank Governor, Glenn Stevens last Tuesday, he said:
This, effectively, means he believes the private sector may be ready earlier than expected to pre-global financial crisis levels.
The picture the Reserve Bank Governor and Treasury Secretary paints are very similar. They are, at this stage, probably a financial quarter apart - maybe two - which is an amazing effort considering the situation we came from and the uncertainty which comes with a global financial crisis. They both, within a reasonable amount of time, expect the economy to return to trend. In other words, the stimulus has worked big time; it was a brave fiscal policy decision which has proved to be the right one.
The fiscal policy response has been a result of decisive action by the Rudd government, and we benefited in the Territory. The most obvious sign in my electorate has been the money invested in the primary schools from the second package. Both Parap and Stuart Park are going to benefit enormously from the Rudd government stimulus package. I will talk about them in a little more detail later.
The result from the first package, though, should not be underestimated. The Economic Security Strategy, as the first package was called, was targeted at the consumer, and retail sales. The impact on the Territory has been significant, and we have seen the Territory’s retail trade turnover increase by 7.5% between August 2008 and August 2009. Obviously, August 2008 is outside the global financial crisis time frame – a crisis which had the serious possibility of affecting consumer confidence; a crisis which started in mid-September 2008 when the Lehman Brothers failed. However, if you want to look at the increase of sales for this year to date, it is 12.6%. That is a huge result; it is a very good result. I believe it is one reason why business confidence in the Territory increased last quarter. In the last Sensis Business Index, the Commonwealth government’s economic stimulus package was cited as the main reason for supporting the Commonwealth government.
It is worth noting business confidence in the Territory has been equal to, or higher than, the national average since November 2004. We are the lowest taxing jurisdiction for small business in the country, which was a deliberate decision by the former Treasurer, and has been maintained by the current Treasurer. It is one of the factors which underpins business confidence in the Territory. To have the federal government’s stimulus packages roll out at the end of last year and the start of this year has had a big impact on business in the Territory.
The best impact has been the creation of jobs and, considering Australia was on the verge of a recession, the retention of jobs. For the third consecutive month, the Territory has recorded an unemployment rate of 4.2%, the second lowest unemployment rate of all jurisdictions. Compared to September 2008, the number of employed people in the Territory has increased by 3.5%. That means there are 4040 more Territorians employed in September 2009 than compared to September 2008. The Territory recorded its strongest annual growth of all jurisdictions. Looking at ANZ job advertisement figures, that might moderate going forward this year, but the federal government’s stimulus package is rolling out over that time. It will be interesting to see what impact that has on jobs in the Territory over the next six months, and the next 12 months. That is one important reason why we have a responsibility as a government to back the federal government on their stimulus package; to support the federal government in ensuring those measures in the Territory are rolled out as quickly as possible. Jobs make sure people have money for bread on the table.
We have actively backed the stimulus package, and the minister outlined a range of ways in which we supported the quick roll-out of the $42bn Nation Building and Jobs Plan: the Development Consent Authority now meets every fortnight instead of every month; a summit of construction industry leaders is held to brief industry and get all ideas on the table; and dedicated stimulus action squads were set up in government departments to get projects up and running as fast as possible. We made it even easier for local companies to get local projects. There was a short and sharp review of procurement practices to streamline development processes and cut red tape, including raising the threshold before you have to go out to tender, and getting contractors involved earlier in the processes.
I know, in talking to a number of people who want to build things in Darwin, the changes to the Development Consent Authority have been welcomed. The fortnightly meetings are significantly reducing delays in projects. It was a huge problem. If you had a project going to the Development Consent Authority and you had your building crew lined up and the project did not get up at that meeting with the Development Consent Authority, waiting another month was a big issue. Just as welcome was the initiative to allow developers to brief the Development Consent Authority about their development before lodging an application. That improves the two-way communication and should reduce delays in the decision-making process.
Those improvements to the Development Consent Authority process are one of the reasons why we will be able to roll out quickly the new infrastructure programs for primary schools under the 21st Century program. Both of the primary schools in my electorate qualify for the first stage of the roll-out, and both qualify for the maximum investment; that is $3m each for Parap Primary and Stuart Park Primary. That investment is going to make a huge difference to each school.
Parap Primary School is getting a covered, multipurpose hall and upgraded canteen, a classroom and an after-school facility. That is what an astute expenditure of $3m can get you. The contract was awarded to NS Constructions in Nightcliff just recently, the site fencing is up, and work will begin shortly. There have been some logistical issues the school has worked through as the result of this investment. The relocation of the canteen, the relocation of the after-school care program have been issues staff and parents have worked through. While they are headaches, they are welcome ones, because they exist because we are building a new $3m assembly hall, a covered multipurpose hall, an upgraded canteen, a classroom, and an after-school facility. These are definitely things the local school community welcomes, and they are more than happy to work through any of the challenges which get thrown up over the next six months in ensuring it is accommodated on the grounds of the school. The after-school care issue is the most important one to work through, in a sense. Everyone wants to ensure their children are well catered for in an after-school facility. There are legislative requirements about that, and they worked through those issues and made sure they were appropriately accommodated after school.
The new facilities are much-needed facilities. The current assembly area is quite old and, from memory, the school stage has been replaced three times in the last 10 years or so because of termite damage. So, there is no doubt this investment is very worthwhile. The school continues to grow. Parap is the place to be, according to a recent article in the Territory Business Review, which is probably a couple of months old now. It said, ‘All power to Parap’, and is a fantastic article about the rejuvenation in the area and the confidence people are having in Parap and the direction it is going forward. Even though Year 7s are going across to the middle school, with the residential developments going on in the area, the number of students at Parap Primary School have not really gone backwards, and the school is continuing to grow. Parap has many passionate parents; they have a very active school council and school community. The other day, they held a country music muster just to do something different and, again, had a fantastic fundraising result. It is a school community which really knows how to get together and make a dollar when they do it. I know the new hall is going to be very well received.
Parap Primary School also made the decision to use the $200 000 out of the National School Pride Program for 25 to 30 minor projects around the school, ranging from playground equipment replacement, irrigation, fencing, replacement of old school and sports equipment, and paint. Basically, they took the $200 000 and got rid of a lot of very small projects around the school they have been meaning to do for a very long time. It has certainly made a difference. The principal, Mick Myers, took his National School Pride Program file home with him, he took it interstate with him when he travelled, and he spent all his time reading it to ensure every cent was spent wisely. He had the money and he thought, ‘I am going to make sure I get the maximum value out of this $200 000’, and he spent it on a whole realm of very small projects. When you walk around the school grounds you can see how those small projects are changing the school for the better, making it safer for students and staff. I know they are very proud – which is probably appropriate under the National School Pride Program - of those changes which have happened at the school. Staff and parents have mentioned it when I talked to them. It gives a really good lift to the place, to have a lot of minor problems fixed.
All this work has helped keep Parap the equal best primary school in the Territory; the other one being Stuart Park Primary School. Stuart Park is also going ahead in leaps and bounds with $3m from the Primary Schools for the 21st Century Program, and the $200 000 from the National School Pride Program. Stuart Park Primary School is constructing a covered outdoor learning area, and an after-school facility with their $3m. Tenders closed recently and the contract was awarded to North West Construction of Darwin, with work to begin soon. It is great to see local companies getting all this work. The new assembly hall, the covered outdoor learning area, and the after-school facility will mean the loss of the current palm garden. Staff and parents have done a lot of work in the palm garden, but they are prepared to see it go for the new hall. They have done a lot more work moving what they can of the palm garden out to other parts of the school grounds. You can probably see it most distinctly if you go down the Verburg Street side of the school. They have done a palm tree fence line. The palms, last time I was down there the other day, were still looking a little worse for wear. Hopefully, they survive the transplanting and they come on. They have moved those palms to the new spots and are very prepared, despite the work they have done, to lose the palm garden for the new $3m school hall. It is much needed.
There has been a significant increased use of part of the new hall, with the after-school care facility, and there has been a significant increase in after-school numbers in the last couple of years at Stuart Park. In 2007, Stuart Park Primary School had a touch over 50 students in after-school care. In 2008, the after-school care enrolment figures were around 100, and the numbers for this year, I believe, are a touch over 130. That is a dramatic change in after-school numbers and reflects the changing demographic of the people living in and around the school, where both parents are working and kids are in care there.
The school has managed the after-school care program within existing space which has meant a degree of sacrifice and compromise from various staff. The school has given over its general purpose room and a sports store shed to become after-school care facilities, and the new assembly hall will ensure school staff and, most importantly students, have a great environment for teaching and for after-school care. Essentially, while they are getting a $3m hall and after-school program, they are freeing up the general purpose room and sports store shed and getting those back. They are getting a lot of value for their dollar. After-school care really does need to be offered by the school, especially when you consider developments such as the Dinah Beach housing development coming on.
Stuart Park Primary School took a different approach to Parap with their $200 000 from National School Pride Program. They invested in one large project. They built a very long verandah. It looks fantastic. If you get there, it is on the early primary wing of the school. Stuart Park Primary School has fantastic gardens - possibly the best I have seen. In this job in politics you get to see a lot of primary schools, normally on voting days. Stuart Park Primary School has fantastic school grounds and the verandah they have built on that wing has opened up the whole side of the school. It makes it much easier now for teachers in Early Primary to take their kids out to that side. Before, they could not really get around there. They had this fantastic side of the school they could not really use. Now, you can see classes quite often going out into that area, using what is a fantastic space. It is a very lush, tropical garden. We went there for the opening of the verandah.
They had a naming competition - I am not sure if I have told this story in the Assembly yet - for the verandah from all of the students. The name that won was ‘The Verandah’. They very proudly launched it the other day. They had the cut out of the verandah, they put big letters up on the verandah, and they had a picnic day there. They used to go down to the Botanic Gardens, but it became too difficult with the increase in students at the school to be able to take them on a picnic day to the Botanic Gardens, so they timed the opening of the verandah with almost a casual morning for the Early Primary kids, with a series of activity stations they could go to afterwards. I have not finger painted for a long time, but I had an opportunity to do that, and make a few kites. There are a few different interesting things there. You could tell there was a definite pride in what that new verandah has delivered. It is a fantastic investment; you can really see how it has value-added to the school experience for the kids there. That was done by yet another local company, Paul McGrath Construction. I commend Bernie Bree, the principal. He has done a great job as head of the school council. They show a lot pride in their primary school - the equal best primary school in the Territory along with Parap.
Madam Speaker, the stimulus package is very exciting for both of these schools. It came at just the right time. It will also be very good for our economy. As I said before, we will take a tradie and put a tool in one hand and a pay cheque in the other, and that is fantastic news for our economy, which has had a real benefit. That is great news and I am very happy to support this statement and this package.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I welcome the statement on the Implementation and Impact of the Federal Government Stimulus Package delivered by my colleague, the Minister for Business in the August sittings. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate. It is, indeed, an important subject and, in February, I participated in the debate following the Chief Minister’s statement on the newly-announced federal government $42bn stimulus package, which was welcomed by this side of the House, if not the opposition’s.
It is a package which was set with very clear targets and time frames, substantial budgets, and aimed at stimulating the economy through billions of dollars in infrastructure projects which would not only create jobs, but deliver much-needed resources and infrastructure for the benefit of Australians and Territorians, with schools, social housing, and roads being the main focus. Ultimately, the stimulus package was engineered to stave off the possibility of a recession in light of the global financial crisis which engulfed countries around the world. There is strong evidence and no shortage of economic analysts - not the least of them the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia - who have indicated optimism, albeit cautious optimism, the Rudd government’s Nation Building and Jobs Plan initiative has been successful in achieving this.
In just eight months since the federal government’s announcement, we have seen incredible progress in this package’s implementation. I would like to focus my remarks specifically on my electorate of Nhulunbuy.
Education and children and, with it, children’s and communities’ futures, have been the big winners in my electorate. Let us start with Nhulunbuy High School, because it is a place which has been a big part of my life. In fact, it is the whole reason I found myself in Nhulunbuy almost 20 years ago when I took up an English teaching position at the start of 1990, and worked there very happily until my departure at the end of 1996 to work for the mining company. It is where I met some lifelong friends, and where I met my husband, who continues to teach there, and is where my son is currently at school in Year 8.
Nhulunbuy High School is home to around 295 students in Years 7 through to 12. Nhulunbuy High School’s slice of the stimulus package was $131 000, which has seen two outdoor projects completed. One is a double cricket pitch for the benefit of students, and the second is the installation of two handball courts, both of which have shade structures to keep users safe in our tropical climate. This accommodates a growing need for outdoor play areas, especially given the increase in student numbers following middle school implementation, which saw Year 7 students arrive on the campus in 2008. As part of the way Nhulunbuy High School does business, the contract had to be awarded locally and, as such, Mr Peter McCue from KP Carpentry was successful in bidding for the work. Of course, KP Carpentry is a locally-based Gove business.
Nhulunbuy Primary School is one of the older schools in the Northern Territory, with construction having started in approximately 1970, and completed and officially opened in 1972. It served for many years as an area school in the region, taking students from preschool to Year 10, until a separate high school campus was eventually constructed. It was built by Nabalco as part of the establishment of the township of Nhulunbuy under the agreement with the then the federal government which saw the commencement of the Gove project and the mining of bauxite and processing of alumina. The Gove project, as I said in an earlier speech today, owned by Rio Tinto Alcan, remains the central focus of core activity, although we are definitely starting to see the community evolve into something much more than a mining community, to become more of a regional centre delivering important government and non-government services to people in the northern region.
Nhulunbuy Primary School’s current enrolment figure is in the vicinity of 480, plus 90 preschoolers or four-year-olds, who are located in a separate campus, making it one of the biggest primary schools in the Northern Territory, I believe. Given the age of the school, some 37 years, and the size of the school, Nhulunbuy primary has welcomed the federal government’s stimulus package. Under the National School Pride Program, they were eligible for the maximum funding of $200 000, which has seen the refurbishment of 10 classrooms in the mid-year break.
Principal Cindy McGarry tells me students were literally arriving for the first day of school at the start of Term 3 as the tradesmen were walking out the front gate. It highlights the challenges schools constantly face trying to conduct repairs, maintenance and construction with minimum disruption to school programs and student learning. The refurbishment of the 10 classrooms included the installation of new cupboards and shelving, new carpets, as well as a coat of paint. In addition, long overdue electrical works were carried out to install additional power points. With the advent and reliance on electrical items like computers, power points were at risk of being overloaded with additional power boards, and the constant presence of extension cords, obviously, presented a very real safety hazard.
The last part of the $200 000 will see the whole school, including the library, re-carpeted. Because of the disruption this will cause to day-to-day operations, the only way this job can be done will be at the end of the school year when the students and staff are on holidays.
Nhulunbuy Primary School has also qualified for $3m under the federal government’s Primary Schools for the 21st Century, which will see the school’s covered multipurpose area upgraded to become and enclosed hall. I have seen the plans for the upgrade at the primary school council meeting, and it is very similar to the upgrade for Millner Primary School. It will see the floor re-surfaced, the adjourning stage area refurbished, the installation of louvered panels to see some weather protection, as well as the installation of these massive ceiling fans to keep the areas as cool as possible, whether there are PE classes in there, school assemblies, or the end of school Christmas concert.
Initial scoping of the planned works would indicate refurbishment to the multipurpose hall area can be completed for the less than the allocated $3m, so the school is hoping to use leftover funds for the refurbishment of the school’s exterior entrance in the belief first impressions are extremely important. Further, it is also hoped the funding may also cover the cost of refurbishment and facelift for the staff room area, in the belief school staff also deserve to be in an area which is both comfortable and modern.
I will take a look at other schools in my electorate outside the township of Nhulunbuy. Yirrkala Community Education Centre, which has students from Yirrkala and Gunyangara, also known as Ski Beach, and also from Wallaby Beach. Staff and community members are working hard to see attendance levels increase at this school. It certainly is a vibrant school community under the stewardship of principal Rosa McKenna, who arrived just after Easter this year. There exists a very strong relationship and strong support with their school council, Yanbirrpa School Council, which is chaired by traditional owner, Djuwalpi Marika. The council oversees both the community education centre and Yirrkala Homeland School as well.
Yirrkala Community Education Centre has been a hive of building activity. New classrooms, which I might add were not part of the stimulus package, have been built. This $1.8m project was only very recently completed and the keys handed over to the school by Department of Planning and Infrastructure just two weeks ago, I think it was. I visited the work in progress a few times when those classrooms were under construction, including with our Minister for Regional Development when he was in Gove some months ago.
Apart from the fact the school and students will benefit enormously from new classrooms, I highlight the successful contractor for the particular job was Deltareef, a company which is well known in my region. It is owned and operated by Mick Martin, who is quite a talented businessman as well as a talented builder. He also happens to be a very fluent speaker of Yolngu Matha, and is very much dedicated to training and employing Yolngu men to work with him on construction projects.
Under the stimulus packages’ National School Pride Program, Yirrkala CEC has also benefited from $125 000 to upgrade the covered outdoor area, which is a very popular area for sporting activities as well as school assemblies. I last visited an assembly there some months ago - a very special assembly at the school which was held to mark the graduation of two Year 12 students and four Indigenous Education Workers. As we know, Indigenous students in remote communities graduating at Year 12 level is something we never saw under the CLP government. Further upgrades to Yirrkala CEC, again under the National School Pride Program, will see the construction of a new preschool at a cost of approximately $2m. With the elevation of the importance of early childhood in schools following the review in the Department of Education and Training, and the subsequent adoption of the recommendations into the DET strategy for 2009-12, this is a critically important part of the school’s program for little ones - or djamakuli as they are known in Yolngu Matha - and it is a very important part of Closing the Gap. On top of that, there is a further $2m under the stimulus package for Yirrkala CEC which will also be allocated to construction of new classrooms.
Yirrkala Homelands School oversees the delivery of education to students living on traditional homeland communities and does this through what are known as homeland learning centres. These centres see visiting teachers fly to homeland communities and work with Yolngu teachers and Indigenous Education Workers based in the community to deliver teaching programs. These visiting teachers stay overnight in anything from a swag to VOQs, where those communities are fortunate enough to have them. This government has always actively supported education for students in remote and very remote locations, and recognises the challenges this presents in remote service delivery. Most certainly, this government will continue to provide education and continue to find ways to improve the delivery of education and education outcomes in homeland schools. These school building projects are very much part of that.
For Yirrkala Homeland Schools, the stimulus package will deliver $2m. The challenge for them is they operate across multiple campuses so, where the $2m for a single-school campus is identified for a big project, obviously, this $2m has to be split. The decision has been the $2m for Yirrkala Homeland Schools will be split across four homeland communities being GanGan, Garthalala, Borrowuy and Dhalinbuy to see four new classrooms built in those communities. Laynhapuy Homeland Association, the homeland resource agency which supports around 1000 residents on its homelands, is also contributing to the project to enhance these new buildings so they can service training facilities for the benefit of the broader community, as well as being classrooms during the day. That is certainly something we are talking much more about; we invest these millions of dollars in infrastructure in schools and, yet, they are used for students during the school day. So, we need to get smarter about how we are utilising the infrastructure to see greater benefits for communities, especially in remote and very remote areas, by allowing those facilities to be open to the wider communities.
I talked about Yilpara Homeland Learning Centre, which will soon be graduating to small school status, earlier this afternoon. Yilpara community, the largest of the Lanhupuy homeland communities with around 150 residents, has a sizeable school but there is, obviously, a need for an upgrade for the school. So, not under the stimulus package but through other funding, new buildings are going up at that community. Two permanent teacher houses were built at the end of last year, and occupied from the beginning of this year. So, Yilpara community will be allocated $75 000 under the stimulus package which will go towards landscaping of an outdoor learning environment.
Elcho Island is in my electorate to the north off the coast, and Shepherdson College is the main school there. Shepherdson College is a beautiful school with fantastic facilities. I am pleased to say with the growth in the enrolment figures and looking like sustainable school attendance, something which occurred as a result of much work and partnerships between the school and the community, families, and kids, to get these children to school. Under the stimulus package, they have done extremely well. Other schools are very envious of what they have received and will receive: $3m for a multipurpose hall. This is a fantastic asset for this community; it provides the community with a hall for sport and dance, whatever indoor activity they might want to do, and will also double as a cyclone shelter. Given their location, in a very high risk area for cyclones, this facility will be absolutely fantastic.
Shepherdson College has also received $200 000 for a covered outdoor learning area. In addition, Shepherdson College is just one of eight schools in the Northern Territory which has been funded for a science centre. It is a $1.97m investment in Shepherdson College, which will be terrific. Also, right to the north of Elcho Island at the very tip is a little community called Gawa homeland community. The drive from Galiwinku to Gawa is about 58 km. Gawa school has been successful in attracting $250 000 funding through the stimulus package for a school library upgrade.
Nhulunbuy Christian School has been approved for, and is well under way with, some general school building renovations for which they were funded $125 000. In addition, they were, obviously, very pleased to receive $1.75m for a new building which will house the school’s science lab, home economics, and a performing arts area. Nhulunbuy Christian School, in the 10 years it has now been operating, has grown from strength to strength with about 185 students. They now go from Transition through to Year 9, and it certainly provides an option to families in Nhulunbuy for an alternative education option.
Madam Speaker, this investment in our schools is an investment in our children and their futures. We all know - it has been said time and time again - education is at the core of our children’s futures. In my electorate, school councils, parents, teachers, children, and the wider community right across the electorate are delighted to see what the stimulus package is delivering to their school. However, let us remember as well what this investment is also doing is creating jobs, providing employment and income for Territorians and Territory businesses and, most definitely, stimulating the Territory economy. I commend the minister’s statement.
Dr BURNS (Business): Madam Speaker, I thank all speakers for their contribution to this very important debate. The starting point should be what the stimulus package is all about. As everyone knows, it is a $42bn Nation Building and Jobs Plan which was announced in February this year. I am reading a little from my initial speech, but it is worthwhile to repeat it. It was designed to do a number of things: providing direct payments to stimulate expenditure - and I certainly believe it has done that; providing tax breaks to ensure ongoing business investment; supporting employment through massive infrastructure investment particularly in schools, Defence Housing, and roof installation amongst others; and social housing.
I was very interested in what the member for Fannie Bay had to say. Obviously, he has been doing a lot of reading in the financial press, getting a lot of background about the value of the stimulus package, particularly in protecting jobs, which was very important. He used the figure mooted of 100 000 jobs the stimulus package has protected. The world was going into uncertain financial times, and we are still not really sure of the financial future. However, the stimulus package for Australia as a nation and, I believe, for the Northern Territory as a jurisdiction, has been very important.
For the Northern Territory, the stimulus package has been approximately $500m - $500m of very strategically placed expenditure. Basically, some of the benefits: $200m for school infrastructure and maintenance; $76m for Defence Housing; $64m for public and community housing; $34m for energy efficient homes; $9m for black spot funding; $27m in tax breaks for Territory businesses; and $95m for individual payments to Territorians.
There have been many members who have spoken about the school infrastructure, and I will come back to that.
I will go on to housing and roads. There is $76m for 185 Defence homes to be built in the Territory; $64m for new public and community housing and repairs; $34m for energy efficiency measures; $9m for black spots, as I mentioned before; $27m for small business in additional tax breaks for eligible assets; and the payments to eligible Territorians of up to $900 in 2008-09.
It was great to hear all the members who contributed, really, I suppose, on this side. It was significant - and I have a list here of the speakers who contributed in this very important debate. The only member who contributed, apart from all the government members on this side, with the exception of you, Madam Speaker, was the member for Port Darwin from the opposition. I would like to table that list, because it is a very important list of speakers. It indicates to me, and it has really been noticeable, members opposite, with the exception of the member for Port Darwin, have not contributed to this important debate.
I heard the murmur in the background when it was said the Coalition opposed the stimulus package …
Mr Tollner: Goodness me, you are in dream world.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: We will come to you soon, member for Fong Lim. Really, the Coalition at the national level opposed this – which is on the record; there is no doubt about that. The CLP Senator opposed it in the Senate - that is on the record.
There have been objections from the other side that it has been implied they, too, opposed it. I heard the member for Katherine saying, ‘When did we ever vote on it?’ Well, we have had various motions in here; we have also had this statement. None of you would avail yourselves of the opportunity to actually come in here and put on the record where you stand on this because, as we heard from all the speakers on this side, there has been a great benefit to schools all over the Northern Territory - not just in one electorate, but all over the Territory …
Members interjecting.
Dr BURNS: I have a list here …
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Members interjecting.
Dr BURNS: The member for Greatorex has a bit to say …
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order! Member for Greatorex!
Dr BURNS: The member for Fong Lim has a bit to say ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: Ludmilla Primary received $850 000; in Greatorex: Acacia Hill, $800 000; Araluen, $1.9m; and Braitling $2.5m ...
Mr CONLAN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Honestly! Can the minister, the member for Johnston, read from his own script instead of taking things from his federal colleagues, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, resume your seat.
Mr Conlan: Why do not you try to be a bit original?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, resume your seat.
Mr Conlan: You know …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, you are on a warning!
Mr Conlan interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, you are on a warning!
Mr Conlan: Okay.
Dr BURNS: ... Gillen Primary, $2m; Blain, $2.5m; Bakewell Primary in Brennan, $3m; Drysdale, $3m; and Blain again. There is the whole range. I think I have Katherine here somewhere as well. The member for Katherine had a bit to say. Where are we with Katherine? Casuarina Street Primary, $2m; and Katherine High School, $1.97m. For each and every one of these members opposite, there is a lot of money going into your schools because of the stimulus package. I would have thought you would have got this out to the school councils. I thought you would have been up there, at least …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: Are you going to go to knock it back? Are you going to go to your school council and oppose it? No. I have been at the school council when the member for Sanderson has been there, and the school council at Wagaman is very excited about the money they are getting, and the works they are carrying out. Not a peep from the member for Sanderson about that. The opposition really needs to have a good look at itself. However, I digress. I might come back to that a little later.
On the issues raised by the member for Port Darwin, where he talked about the genesis of the global financial crisis, and about government spending without results regarding the stimulus package. Well, what has been demonstrated with the progress thus far in the stimulus package is the satisfaction, particularly amongst the schools I visit, in the way which the works are being rolled out and really progressed. I get a lot of positive feedback about that. I believe there will be results; there are results. It is certainly a very big investment in what is going on.
He talked about borrowing, and we have been through that. Ken Henry talked about the importance of the stimulus package, of not withdrawing the stimulus package more precipitately. I note the comments by Ross Garnaut in the last day or so. I also note the comments by the Prime Minister; that they are prepared to be flexible in the stimulus package, and take advice on it. I am very reassured by that. However, we have to accept the stimulus package was necessary, it was implemented by many nations right across the economic world, including Australia. It has been a very positive thing because it has invested in very much-needed infrastructure around Australia.
Some might think the Chief Minister was a little unkind with what he had to say. He said he believed there was a failure by John Howard to really invest heavily in infrastructure. I know a surplus budget was a focus of the Howard government. Peter Costello has retired now, but I believe, in the financial management of the Howard government, there was very strong financial management, but there was a failure to invest in infrastructure. I will just come back to that a little later in what I have to say, because you can be focused on your surplus and lose sight of the fact you have to invest in infrastructure, because that is what governments are about.
This investment in infrastructure has been right across the Northern Territory ...
Mr Tollner: What happened to the telecommunications fund? That disappeared.
Dr BURNS: We have moved it right across the regions, right across the major centres within the Northern Territory and it certainly …
Mr Tollner: Setting yourselves up for the future, and you mob just raided the lot – blew the lot.
Dr BURNS: So, you are saying you are opposed to the stimulus package, member for Fong Lim?
Mr Tollner: I have always said that.
Dr BURNS: You are opposed.
Mr Tollner: I have always said that.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Dr BURNS: Just picking up on the interjection, the member for Fong Lim is against the expenditure at Nemarluk Special School, he is against the expenditure ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Greatorex, that is your final warning.
Dr BURNS: He is pretty good at bellowing across this Chamber, but when he had the opportunity to lay on the Parliamentary Record exactly what his position is in relation to this, he was nowhere ...
Mr Tollner: I just told you then. I told you when we had debates. You do not listen; clean your ears out.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order! Member for Fong Lim, cease interjecting.
Dr BURNS: You had an opportunity, member for Fong Lim, to contribute to this debate as all other members on this side did, and your colleague, the member for Port Darwin, contributed. All of you have run away; you have not grasped the opportunity.
Mr Tollner: Why do you not put a decent debate on the books?
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Fong Lim!
Dr BURNS: The member for Fong Lim is talking about lost opportunities, Madam Speaker ...
Mr Tollner: You will not come in here and talk about crime or SIHIP. You only come and talk about nonsense.
Madam SPEAKER: Please, pause. Minister, resume your seat. Member for Fong Lim, the Minister for Business has the call. You do not have the call. There have been far too many interjections and you are now on a warning. Minister, you have the call. Please direct your comments through the Chair, minister.
Dr BURNS: On the topic of lost opportunities, the member for Fong Lim is a wonderful example of lost and squandered opportunities when he was the member for Solomon. He is always berating and castigating this government for an inability to deliver - of promising up big but not delivering. I think that is the paraphrase of the message often delivered to this government, in spades, by the member for Fong Lim.
Let us just look at his record. I do this in the context of this statement, because here is something which has been delivered. It has been delivered right across the Territory in the stimulus package. However, let us just look at the record of the member for Fong Lim.
After-hours health care: in May 2006, Tony Abbott announced round-the-clock Medicare. That was an after-hours Medicare service. Coming up to the election in October 2007 there was a splash in The Sun newspaper:
So, we are getting into an election cycle coming into 2008. It has been a year since the after-hours Medicare has been announced. The member for Fong Lim thought: ‘Oh, we are a year out from the election, this is an issue. I had better get on it’. He made his big splash and announcement and the rest of it. Then, coming into the election 2007, he was on Daryl Manzie’s radio show and, instead of saying we actually have this after-hours medical clinic, he pulled back and said to Daryl:
That was the extent of it. Here is someone in one of the most marginal seats in Australia and he could not grasp that opportunity. Contrast that, there is a 24-hour emergency care service at Palmerston which has been delivered by the Rudd government. So, there is one example.
Radiation oncology: well, we have been up hill and down dale about that. Here is the blurb he put out around the election time. He said: ‘Strong economic management delivers cancer treatment unit’. We know, and I know, basically, the tender process failed, not only once but twice in his watch. He just could not seal the deal, but he was going out and putting it in his election material that he has actually secured it. And there is more like …
Mr Bohlin: What are you currently talking about? What are you supposed to be talking about?
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Drysdale!
Dr BURNS: In March 2007 he said: ‘Construction is going to start in the Dry Season of this year’. This is the member for Solomon in March 2007, saying construction was going to start in 2007. In 2007 there was an article: ‘Tollner wins fight for cancer unit’. There is another headline in the NT News: ‘NT cancer ward to go ahead’. Then, The Sun newspaper of Wednesday, 23 May 2007, said: ‘Cancer Centre Tenders called’:
Well, it all was not happening; it did not happen. It was not delivered. It was promised. It was spieled up and spun up in the paper - talk about spin. The member for Solomon, at that time during the election, knew the tender process had failed. Why had it failed?
I will come back to what I said this morning about the way the Commonwealth operates. They are completely inflexible in the way they were calling the tender. They called the tender to actually construct and operate the radiation oncology unit. What was wrong with that? What was wrong was they were asking radiation specialists to be also engineers and a construction company. They did not want to do that. I was able to convince Nicola Roxon that the tender should be given to the Northern Territory government, taken out of the hands of DoHA and split. Paul Tyrrell has been a wonderful asset in progressing the particular project.
What I am saying, in trying to get the message across to members opposite, is we deal a lot with the Commonwealth government and we need to realise the way the Commonwealth government operates. It presents problems for the Northern Territory’s delivery of services and the implementation of policies within the Northern Territory.
Similarly, Madam Speaker - and I will finish on this one, of course, I have to mention Tiger Brennan Drive. I was the Infrastructure minister at the time. The sticking point for the Commonwealth was, at that stage, it was approximately a $27m or $28m project which was 50:50 - the Northern Territory would pay 50%, and the Commonwealth would pay 50%. The Commonwealth said if there were any escalations in the project, it would not put any money towards those escalations. It was not just for the Territory, it was right across Australia. It caused a lot of friction within the ministerial council meetings because it was felt the Commonwealth was not pulling its weight in these projects; the states and territories were willing to meet those costs of the escalation. It was a time when there was escalating costs in bitumen, labour, steel - you name it. Basically, we were willing to put in our extra bit, but the Commonwealth was not.
In August 2006, the member for Solomon was standing with Jim Lloyd, who is a good bloke - I liked Jim and always got along well with him. According the newspaper article:
That was in 2006. Obviously, in capital works programs, they are usually on the list and designed for a number of years before they actually come forward and are ready to be progressed. We had already done the design work and were prepared to pay our half. Blow me down! Almost the next day, or within a week or so, Jim Lloyd wrote to me and said:
I can say Tiger Brennan Drive was never going to go ahead until the Commonwealth was willing to pay their half of the construction. Since the Rudd government gained government, and there has been a change of member, the Rudd government has realised Solomon is one of the most marginal electorates in Australia. The member is lobbying to get these things implemented and funded. That is the difference between …
Mr McCARTHY: Madam Speaker, I move the Leader of Government Business be granted a 10 minute extension, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Dr BURNS: Thank you. I will finish very soon. The contrast is a matter of fact. It is still a marginal seat - probably one of the most marginal seats in Australia when the member for Fong Lim was the member. Now, with Damian Hale as the member, the difference is the results are starting to show. I would not mind all of this history so much, except the member for Fong Lim, without fail, bags on, accuses and castigates this government for lack of performance, for spitting up things, for promising things to the Northern Territory people, and not delivering.
The member for Fong Lim needs to let someone else do it for a while, because these are but three cases. There are probably many other things I could mention about the member for Fong Lim. There is a lot of history of the member for Fong Lim with Tiger Brennan Drive. We keep on raising it but, basically, the member for Fong Lim needs to take on board what has been said here today, and think about the old adage ‘people in glass houses should not throw stones’ when he criticise us next.
We know how difficult it is to deal with the Commonwealth, in some instances, and we know they have very set ideas, particularly about money. However, we all have to work together to try to do the best for the Territory.
However, I digress, Madam Speaker. I will wrap up now with the stimulus package. I believe this has been a great thing for Australia, and for the Northern Territory. I know history will judge the stimulus package very well, despite the nay saying of those who talk without debt. It was a must do, and it has been sensibly done. It has been widely appreciated by business, by a whole range of sectors.
We know the Coalition nationally has been very negative and opposed this package, and tried to pick it to bits. You see them often on the floor of parliament asking Julia Gillard fairly negative questions about the stimulus package. With such a large package, you will always find anomalies, and something which can be criticised. However, we have to look at the bigger picture.
Regarding the Country Liberal Party locally in the Territory, well, they get upset when we lump them in with the Coalition nationally and their opposition but, to some degree, apart from what the member for Port Darwin had to say on behalf of them all, we are never really going to know.
But, do you know what, Madam Speaker? I suspect there are going to be a few of them lost, along with a few school councils, and pretend or try to grab some credit for it in some way. I do not know. However, the public is a bit smarter than that. The Rudd government has certainly done a lot in the two or so years it has been in power. It will be very interesting to see what happens over the next 12 months with a Commonwealth election in the offing.
In the meantime, jobs in the Northern Territory are being protected. There is whole range of nation building projects, particularly in our schools, which we on this side, at least, all welcome.
Madam Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have given my leave to the member for Goyder to give a personal explanation. I remind honourable members it is a normal courtesy to listen to a personal explanation in silence.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Speaker, today, in Question Time, the government claimed I referred to an Australian Bureau of Statistics report in Tuesday’s Question Time in the context of a question to the Housing Minister in relation to the Territory housing waiting lists. In fact, I made no reference to an Australian Bureau of Statistics report. Indeed, the reference was to Australian Bureau of Statistics’ figures. Hansard records show I said:
The figures were a compilation of March 2009 Australian Bureau of Statistics demographic data; September 2009 Australian Social Trends, which includes public housing waiting lists; and our own per capita waiting list calculations ...
Mr Elferink: So it was a dataset, not a report …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Elferink: So when you rang up the ABS and asked for a report you were misleading …
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr Elferink: Deceptive, deceptive, deceptive.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin! I ask you to withdraw those comments. I ask you to withdraw, thank you.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you.
Mr Elferink: Fibbers.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members …
Mr Knight: You are deceitful.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Daly, I ask you to withdraw.
Mr KNIGHT: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Honourable members …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Daly and member for Goyder, cease interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have received the following letter from the member for Katherine:
Is the proposed discussion supported? The discussion is supported. I call on the member for Katherine.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, on 9 September 2008, I ran a matter of public importance in this House dealing with local government issues, and pointed out the failings of the government in dealing with the implementation of the shires, and some of the problems around at the time. Perhaps naively, Madam Speaker, I expected there would be some changes for the better. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. The problems with the shires have escalated to a point where, frankly, it will require an enormous amount of work and leadership to turn them around.
I rise tonight to speak of the abject failure and total lack of leadership which has contributed to the debacle the NT Labor government and the NT Minister for Local Government refer to as reform of our local government system.
Let me say, Madam Speaker, it is generally acknowledged there is a requirement for the local government system to change. Some might dispute that, but I am not going to head down that path. What I want to discuss is how this monster was beset upon us, how, in so many ways, it is failing Territorians, and how an appalling lack of leadership by the Local Government minister has contributed to this mess the shires are presently in, and how that lack of leadership will leave us in a mire of failed systems for as long as it takes the shires to dig their way out of the mess.
My first question, rhetorical as it might be, because I do not think the minister will even bother to answer it in any meaningful way, is why the legislation was rushed through in 2008. This is pertinent because the premature implementation of the shire reforms was the beginning of the downfall of the entire system, set it up for failures, and ensured shire staff would be condemned to working with untried and untested defective systems, including their IT systems, for years. That is probably not a bad place to start.
Let us look at what is happening with the IT systems. Amongst other things, CouncilBiz is supposed to provide the financial accounting software for the eight shires across the Territory. It is a system touted by the incompetent minister for Local Government as a great tool. I can assure you it certainly is not.
Let us look at what the lame duck Minister for Local Government said in his press release on 29 February 2008. He says: the business systems were part of the job of getting on with fixing governance and service delivery problems in the bush. The $6.3m business system is a great tool. It will help fix problems in the bush. CouncilBiz is designed to support core local government business by providing a framework for sound financial management, and allows easy, quick and accurate reporting’.
A member: How much did it cost?
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE cont: $6.3m. You must be joking, minister. How can you sit there with that look on your face and expect not to be held accountable for coming out with a load of bunkum?
Let us look at where CouncilBiz is right now. Let me refer to the NT News article by Alyssa Betts, which was on the 1 October 2009. This is not the only case, but a typical case of where the shires are at the moment. The article is entitled ‘Books blackout keeps budgets in dark’, which is a pretty apt headline which relates to the minister, because he knows only too well about blackouts and keeping Territorians in the dark. It goes on to say:
That, in itself speaks volumes for probably what is the most significant failure of this local government minister in dealing with some of the issues of the shires. It is so typical of what are seeing. It goes on to say the government did not respond to the NT News questions on why CouncilBiz systems were not working, and how much they had spent on them. There was some comment from the minister’s media advisor, where she said: the business systems core components had now been working for some months and shires should have an accurate picture of their financial status, which of course is untrue. It is reported in the same article the East Arnhem Shire Chief Executive, Ian Bodill, said the shire did not know where it stood after the first 12 months. That is just one shire, there are more.
Another example of a shire which cannot work with the great tool of the Minister for Local Government is the Barkly Shire. Barkly Shire has dumped CouncilBiz because it is such a failed system. CEO, Jeff Sowiak, says: the problem for us is we cannot wait 18 months for a financial report.
That leaves shires in a position of not being able to comply with certain parts of the Local Government Act. I refer specifically to section 127, which says a council must prepare a budget for each financial year. Not all councils can prepare a budget for each financial year because they have not worked the system to a point where they can produce those budgets. They cannot produce accurate financial statements. ‘Accounting records’, section 129: the council must keep accounting records that give a true and fair view of the council’s receipts and payments and the council’s assets and liabilities. I do not know if there is a penalty for breaching parts of the act, or whether the Local Government minister has given an exemption or a ‘get out jail free’ card, but that is the administrative end of the failures of the member for Daly, the Local Government minister, when it comes to dealing with financial matters in shires.
Not complying with the legislation is only one cost. I am advised the cost of the retrofit to the CouncilBiz system is going to cost shires twice what they have budgeted for. I do not know where that additional funding will come from. It certainly will not be from rates, because rates have been capped to the CPI for three years. That only covers the cost of goods and services the shires need to run their operations on a day-to-day basis.
Speaking of capping costs, something rings a bell with other things this government has done to cap costs, and I am referring to power and water costs. We know that after many years of fixed rates for power and water, we are seeing a rise of somewhere in the vicinity of 25% for Territorians, again under the helm of this minister. There is a pattern of behaviour forming here, Madam Speaker.
A member: Of consistency.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: It is consistent. You have heard of delayed gratification, this is just the opposite; it is delayed pain. What is going to happen with power and water charges is going to happen with rates for shires as well. Clare Martin was clever enough to realise her replacement would have to bear the electoral pain of that policy when she was well and truly out of the picture. Of course the big losers will be the ratepayers. That makes the system inequitable. While the shire rate bases effectively remained unchanged, municipal councils and the councils which were not caught up in the shire reform, raised their rates so they could provide additional or better services to their ratepayers. Unfortunately, the shires do not have that luxury courtesy of policy by this government to simply to delay the pain.
The rate capping, in the manner in which your government has implemented it, flies completely in the face of the New South Wales experience, where rate capping was a failure. It flies in the face of findings and recommendations of a number of eminent reports on rate capping. I wonder whether the minister read the PricewaterhouseCoopers report on sustainability where it refers to associated problems with rates for small councils. Another report along the same lines was the Productivity Commission’s report on revenue raising for local government. I do not know if the minister has read that. I wonder whether the minister read the Cost Shifting Inquiry report on rates and taxes. Those reports clearly outline the problems associated with rate capping. It is obvious the minister is too lazy or too incompetent to seek out the most contemporary information relating to rate capping.
The shires are also feeling pain in other areas of their finances. When I spoke to an outgoing shire CEO, he told me his shire was heading toward a deficit. Section 127(3) of the Local Government Act says councils must not budget for a deficit. The regulations mention it as well. I ask: if a council is heading toward a deficit, and the budget has been prepared according to the act, then you, minister, have set the wheels in motion for the council to have a deficit budget, which is a breach of the act and you are responsible. You are responsible because you are the minister, but the Chief Minister is also partly responsible. One of the reasons cited in your summary dismissal notice was your failure to ensure sound management of council’s financial, physical and human resources. What has the Chief Minister done? He has put you in charge of shires with millions of dollars in the budget, and you are a failed financial manager.
However, let us move on to some of the other problems you are presiding over as the incompetent Minister for Local Government. I have to ask why the Tiwi Islands council went to the extraordinary length of asking employees to sign up for a $30-a-month contribution towards the purchase of equipment and to fund cultural events. Would that have anything to do with them being broke? I am not surprised given the Grants Commission has taken $800 000 from the shire in the past two years.
I ask the minister when he is going to help councils properly fund roads. Currently, councils are funded for about 7500 km of roads. Would it surprise you to know, minister, there is approximately 7000 km more in roads, and a further 8000 km of roads yet to be transferred. Yet, the councils are floundering in insufficient budgets; particularly now they are responsible for twice the amount of roads budgeted for.
Minister, what are you doing about leasing arrangements? Are you going to keep those leasing arrangements consistent across the NT? I know the answer is no, because we have seen it already. Three communities have their leasing arrangements finalised; one with a 99-year lease, and two with a 40-year lease. I suggest you keep things within the shires consistent or you will end up with a mish-mash, like everything you get your hands on, minister. Are you comfortable with the fact shire councils will have to pay commercial rates to the federal government for the buildings they occupy? Who will fund the council to pay those leases? Is it not just a case of Peter robbing Paul to pay your mates in the land councils to keep them off your back?
How long is it going to take to resolve these problems? Under the stewardship of the current minister, probably forever. I will qualify that for the House. The qualification is this: some aspects of this mess are slowly being worked out by shire staff. They are working overtime to dig shires out of the financial mess they are in - literally. Minister, you have given the shires a system which fails them; lets them down at every turn. The price for your incompetence is very high. I have outlined some of the costs to date, but now the shires will have to pay their staff overtime to fix your bungles as a minister - more costs to the shires. Your performance as a minister of this government is absolutely woeful. You are a woeful Minister for Local Government, you are a woeful Minister for Essential Services, and you are a woeful Minister for Housing.
It is easy for us to stand on this side of the House and make broad, sweeping statements. It is another thing to come up with a solution. So, here comes the solution, are you ready for it? Resign, minister! Resign from the position which makes you responsible for any serious decision this government needs to make! If you do not have the intelligence, if you do not have the common sense, or if you do not have enough compassion to care about the Territorians you are hurting every day of your lousy ministerial life, then I have a second solution to the problem; the Chief Minister should simply sack you - sack you and get rid of you from Cabinet.
It has been a few months since the last Cabinet reshuffle. It is something we on this side of the House, and Territorians, are becoming accustomed to, so it is not a huge deal. The Chief Minister should sack you and find someone who can bring about some positive change in local government, and fix the problems this minister has visited upon Territorians. Perhaps you could do that as a favour for us, because the longer you leave this minister in charge of Local Government and Housing, the bigger the legacy he will leave behind for the Country Liberals to fix.
Mr KNIGHT (Local Government): He even finished early on his own MPI. That is great to see.
Madam Speaker, I rise to provide quite a comprehensive response to what has been put forward by the shadow for Local Government. He did highlight a few things, make a few allegations, got it down in the gutter. I thought it was pretty pitiful for him. He talked about the summary dismissal. I do not mind going into my personal life. It would be interesting if a police report into a police officer who got information about his child fell off the back of a truck as well. That might be interesting as well, member for Katherine.
Madam Speaker, what he did not talk about, because he does not know, is the last 30 years in the Territory with Local Government. The CLP set up very small community government councils. I remember them; I was in Tennant Creek at the time. A lady said to me, ‘All I have to do is fill out 20 names on this page and I get a local government council. I get an establishment grant’. She was trying to set up Blue Bush, an outstation north of Warrego to the west of the Stuart Highway, and it is all but three houses. It is a very small community which has not grown. Under the criteria of the CLP, you could set up a community government council.
Small community government councils were set up for several decades. It was also about wedging the Commonwealth government. Commonwealth governments were funding association councils; a Labor federal government was supporting land councils. It was about trying to get their tentacles into the bush. A total of 63 community government councils were established across the Northern Territory, taking up 5% of the land mass, and there were as little as 150 people in some of them.
I recently attended the Australian Council of Local Government, representing the 560 local governments around Australia. They had a large map of all local government boundaries across Australia. I looked at the Northern Territory and thought thank goodness; thank goodness Labor reformed local government. We would have seen circles all across the Territory, and unincorporated land. We want to sit with these major local government councils and be seen as legitimate.
Many of those councils did survive, but many were in trouble. That has been reported in this parliament, and the previous Legislative Council, for years and years. Successive CLP ministers attempted to deal with local government councils which were in constant trouble. A lack of governance, a lack of appropriate staff employed; it was not a tenable situation. It was a ridiculous situation to have local government which was not truly a third tier of government.
The CLP tried reform in 1999. Loraine Braham started it, then Dr Lim, then Tim Baldwin. It all became too hard; they had no conviction for getting some legitimacy in the bush, and they backed away at a million miles an hour. The problems persisted in those communities. The member for Katherine talks about local government roads. As the member for Nhulunbuy highlighted, those roads were bad before the shires got to them. They really were under-funded.
The member for Katherine talked about roads funding. That is part of the reform. A vast majority of the roads in the Territory were not claimed for. One of the first things we did as part of the reform was conduct an audit with DPI and LGANT. South Australia conducted a similar audit, and approached the Commonwealth government with a comprehensive report on the state of the roads and the level of funding. They were able to get an extra $10m per annum. If we had claimed for each and every one of those roads over 30 years, getting an extra $5 or $10m per year, those roads would be in a much better condition than they are now. So we are way ahead of the member for Katherine; that audit is under way.
The passage of the act was quite comprehensive; it was almost a total rewrite of the Local Government Act. It was done with consultation. There were several hundred clauses and I was here for five or six hours debating it, mostly with the member for Nelson, because the member for Greatorex was not interested. I think he asked several questions and then left the Chamber.
A member: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member should well know he cannot refer to the presence or otherwise, either now or at a former time, of a member in the Chamber and should withdraw it.
Madam SPEAKER: I do not think he was alluding to that.
A member: Madam Speaker, he said it. He referred to the member walking out of the Chamber.
Mr KNIGHT: Madam Speaker I withdraw it. I will say the CLP were very uninterested in the Local Government Act at the time. The act was really debated by the Independent member for Nelson. It was a complete rewrite of the act; a complete modernisation of the Local Government Act.
The member for Katherine referred to the IT system. Prior to local government reform, LGANT performed services such as IT and accounting. The opportunity to centralise financial systems and IT systems presented itself. People realised the concept was a good idea, and there was very little criticism of the proposal. We went through a comprehensive procurement process; we got money from the Commonwealth government to put the financial and IT systems in place. When I became Minister, and as the reforms took place, I became aware there were problems with the configuration of the IT system. Late last year we made some advancement with data entry.
Early this year we commissioned a report by Mr Des Kennedy, a very well respected IT professional. His report was critical, and it was very honest. The shires accepted the report and its recommendations. I have been working through the report with the shires, and I have given them opportunities to go their own way. They realise Tech One is a good system, however it had been installed incorrectly. This has been fixed.
A committee has been established for the remedial project made up of the CEO from West Arnhem, Mark Griffioen, Sandra Cannon from the Victoria Daly Shire, Trish Angus from my department, Vicki Wright who is the General Manager from CouncilBiz, and Des Kennedy. They have consulted with of the shires. MacDonnell Shire had two implement workshops in September and their implementation plan signed off on 18 September. The committee will return for a reporting and profiling format workshop at the end of this month. The Victoria Daly had an initial consultation in mid-September and a week later a sign-off on the scope of the works, with work continuing into November. The East Arnhem Shire, the Roper Gulf, West Arnhem and Tiwi Islands are using CouncilBiz. I met with representatives from MacDonnell Shire several weeks ago and they were delighted with the way things were working. They have produced some reports. Yes, it has been insufficient and there are concerns about accuracy, but they have done some projections.
Local government reform was about putting a framework out, and what went into that framework was up to each shire. We have seen an evolution in Alice Springs where both Central Desert and MacDonnell thought they would have a centralised financial system. They now want to go it alone. If they feel there are deficiencies in autonomy and they cannot work both systems together, that is their choice. The shires are made up of elected members who receive advice and guidance from their staff and they have chosen this course. I fully support that.
The cost of the implementation plan will be borne by the Northern Territory government. Yes, it has been difficult; it was mammoth reform. To go from 63 councils down to eight major shires was an amazing job, and incorporating almost all of the Northern Territory is a substantial job.
Many of these small councils had outstanding grants which today are still being sorted out. I have stepped in with both the Commonwealth and Territory agencies to hold off on acquittals as the shires work rapidly to acquit old grants. I have told each shire the first term of office is going to be very difficult; they will be cleaning up the mess left by small councils, but they are putting in a solid foundation for future councils. These shires will grow from strength to strength.
The old community government councils succeeded initially but struggled with inappropriate governance or management, taking many years to recover. Lajamanu needed a Treasury loan at one stage; other councils experienced difficulties. Now there is more professionalism and, although development might not be as rapid, it will be consistent. If we have consistent growth and development, professionalism, a strong financial position, the shires will do well in the future.
The member for Katherine also talked about rate capping. At one stage he was criticising the government for rate capping, then he said we should allow councils to raise money. I do not know what he was supporting. Rate capping was put in place for a certain period of time to protect people coming into local government areas who had not been there previously. It was also about providing arrangements with the pastoral industry and the mining industry.
It seemed the member for Katherine was saying the mining companies and pastoralists should be charged the full amount. I am sure the pastoralists of the Katherine region will be interested to know he is supportive of that. Shires will be able to work successfully with pastoralists and miners to find an appropriate rates solution. Many pastoral properties in the Territory are corporately owned and have stations all over Australia. There are also privately-owned properties. One of our more prominent pastoralists who complain about paying rates to local government has properties in Central Australia and Victoria. He quite happily pays substantial rates there. The shires realise pastoralists and miners want their rates money spent on the local roads.
The member for Katherine also mentioned the Tiwi Island’s service charge. I have met with the president and members of the Tiwi Islands council. This charge was to raise money for additional services outside local government and is unique to the Territory. I understand their argument, and we need to look at levying a service charge
The member for Katherine talked about Grants Commission funding. The Commonwealth Grants Commission operates off a methodology, and the Northern Territory Grants Commission ostensibly uses that for the Northern Territory operational funding. We have applied that formula, however there were many variations and when the opportunity arose; I chose to allow a transition period. As some shires saw significant funding changes this gave councils the ability to budget, raise revenue, and to ensure fairness for their ratepayers.
Madam Deputy Speaker, local government reform was a huge undertaking and I am irked by the CLP’s arrogance; this had to be done. It had been talked about for decades, and this government showed the courage and foresight to implement it. Every local government reform throughout Australia has been difficult but, ultimately, the local government has benefited and gone from strength to strength. Whatever the problems are, we will see those shires develop and grow, and people will benefit into the future.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Katherine for bringing this matter of public importance on, because it is a matter of public importance. It is something that is raised fairly regularly in the bush. I want to ensure the member for Daly understands the Country Liberals do not and did not oppose council reform. We were not happy with the process, we were not happy with the implementation, and I have some serious concerns about the shire councils now. Some of the current concerns go to the heart of the ability for shire councils to deliver the services they are mandated to deliver.
In some ways, I suggest the shire councils have been set up to fail, particularly in response to their system of funding and their rate base. Talking to some of the councils, and the fact 97% of their budgets are done on a grant type system, where only 3% of the budget is from a rate base, I think is a serious concern to the sustainability of those shires. The shires, in a certain area, were set up to fail. The shires should be able to incorporate and rate all property within those shire boundaries. I see no reason why land council land or trust land should not be rated.
It is quite all right for pastoral properties and mining companies to pay rates, however I do not understand why Aboriginal communities should not pay rates. That is not on a rights basis, it is on a degree of service basis, because we understand how these councils operate. Pastoral properties and mining leases all pay rates. The shire council offices in Aboriginal communities are providing services, which is good, but they are not establishing a rate base for roads, rates and rubbish from the people they provide services to.
For the shires to operate, they are obtaining grants for the delivery of services, whether that is childcare, CDEP, or Territory Housing, and they have to take an administrative fee to deliver that service. By taking up to 20% administrative fee and a GST component, shires have less money to deliver the services at the bottom end, meaning the community gets less money. Before the money gets to the shire, in cases such as public housing, it comes from the Commonwealth to the Territory government, then down to the shires, then down to the community shire offices.
Everyone takes a piece of the pie, everyone is killing the pig. That is not to say shires should not take money to administer services; there are too many layers of bureaucracy. If the shires are going to deliver housing services, perhaps the Northern Territory government should not be taking a slice of the pie to deliver those services on the ground. At the end of the day, the people on the ground are not getting the best services.
I will give an example of housing. In Santa Teresa, shire council officials were confidentially telling me they have a problem receiving funding for repairs and maintenance on houses; they receive $250 a quarter. I know the Northern Territory government gives thousands of dollars to shires for house repairs and maintenance each year. Why only $250 a quarter, $1000 a year, to maintain and repair houses? Why that happens beggars belief in the process! It costs between $4000 and $6000 a year to repair and maintain any public housing asset, but in Santa Teresa they are only getting $1000. The Northern Territory government was clearly taking money before it got to the shire; the shire took money for administration. In Alice Springs, the Macdonnell and Central Desert shires have bought a $15m building for their headquarters, and they wonder why they cannot get any money for repairs and maintenance at the local level. These are some of the silly things shires have done.
Part of the systemic nature in being set up to fail is how the administrative component is coming out before the shires get the money, and how the shires do not have an appropriate rate base. Shires should be able to rate land trust land, and provide services to those people living on those land trusts. That is what shire councils are all about. You cannot expect pastorals and mining companies to pay rates for delivery of services to people on land trusts. There is a fairness or equity imbalance in this whole process.
An example is Northern Concrete, based out of Alice Springs. They have seven extractive mineral leases where they remove sand. They access their properties off the Stuart Highway, a federal road. They have their own dirt road into their properties unserviced by shire council, unmaintained, no rubbish collection, no power, water or sewer, yet they have to pay rates on seven different properties. They have to pay DPIFM fees for the extractive mineral leases each year. They also have to pay a $7000 open bank security to entitle them to the leases. It is not a restraint of trade, but it is a restriction on trade which makes it very difficult for small operators such as Northern Concrete to be able to proceed in their business ventures, and at the same time as paying rates, not receiving any services. I am sure companies like Northern Concrete, or pastoral properties, would be only too happy to pay rates - as much as anyone can ever be to pay rates - if there was a fair and equitable system where everybody in the boundaries of the shire council had to pay rates. That is not the case right now.
The member for Katherine has raised a number of important issues with CouncilBiz and the structure of capping rates. I really want to focus on how the councils can operate with the budgets they have, and the labour base, and how they deliver services on the ground. We know the councils are now getting into …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ring the bells please. We have a quorum.
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I did not have much more to add except to say it is very important for shires to be able to expand their rate base. I know it will not be too palatable, but the importance of being able to rate land trust land, land council land, so the level of service provision can be improved for those Indigenous people living in those communities, those outstations can be raised. I know that the shires are struggling in doing that.
The member for Katherine commented on technical issues. I would also like to raise one other concern, I would like to find out if any money may have gone missing in councils before the shire councils started; what that amount of money was, and what is the Northern Territory government doing to ensure they get that money back. Places like the old Yuendumu council. I am aware of some payments made just before the shire council commenced. I am interested in finding out what those moneys were used for and where it went. I think $345 000 went to Walkatjara Arts in Yuendumu for services as requested by the previous CEO. Also, $25 000 was paid to manage the grant. There are a number of things which have been paid for by Yuendumu council, some which I am sure are quite correct, but other things which raise some questions. A number of people in Yuendumu have asked me about these.
I am aware $80 000 was spent in putting temporary accommodation in Willowra, but was never completed. That was part of a federal government grant as part of the intervention, but the money was never fully expended, and the works were never done. Now there are four small shipping containers sitting up on stilts but have never been refurbished with the money given to the council, and the shire would not take it over. I am interested, member for Daly, if you could do some investigation for me. It is about council receiving money before the shire reform, then after the shire reform, council not taking that over. I am not sure of the processes, but it is an important issue for Willowra.
I am very keen to understand what happened with expenditure of money from old councils, and how that transferred over to the new shires. Also, whether there were any commitments made, or whether there was any expenditure of money which looked a little dodgy, in a financial sense, and what involvement has the Northern Territory government had or whether any police investigations have been made into misuse of money – perceived or otherwise, across the board but, in particular, with the Yuendumu/Willowra shire council.
There is a pastoral company at Willowra, and a block on the community of Willowra. I am not sure how it is leased to the community, because I believe that is land trust land. There is a block which is separated particularly for the pastoral company with a shipping container on it. I have received information that the old council property has been purchased and is now in the shipping container. I wonder how that material gets transferred to the new Central Desert Shire. If there is any investigation going on, I am very keen to find out about that, member for Daly.
It is interesting to visit Willowra and talk to the shire council people in Alice. They tell you the six houses which they upgraded in Willowra for $100 000 was done very quickly and cheaply. I ask how can six houses in Willowra be upgraded for $100 000 in such a speedy process, when recently $16 000-a-day consultants have turned up at Willowra to do their consultations for SIHIP? The SIHIP budget has been reduced by $2m in Willowra, yet no houses will be built in Willowra, and the refurbishments, repairs and maintenance are still a mile away. I wonder how the shire council can be given the money, after the SIHIP announcement, to finish the works yet SIHIP cannot even get started in Willowra. There are tradesmen there, people who want to work. The shire council has done the work, but the Northern Territory government cannot. I do not know why you cannot build a house, member for Daly.
I am also interested to know how Mt Theo - which is a substance abuse body around Yuendumu - can build a shade shelter for $20 000.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Braitling, your time has expired.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Deputy Speaker, I noticed a letter in yesterday’s paper, 13 October, headed ‘Exodus of shire bosses’ and I will read it out because it highlights some of the things I said when the idea of super shires was put forward. There is no name on this letter. It says:
I concur thoroughly with that letter.
It is a shame the reform of local government went off the rails when certain people had certain grand ideas, not based on practical outcomes, but on some huge theory that bigger was better; if you pay many people big money to come in and run these super shires, you would achieve great things such as increase employment and more opportunities for locals. This would be part of a great five year plan to improve the lot of people out in those areas. I doubt that has happened.
In some cases, yes, there will be successes. I have no doubt about that; I am not here to knock those successes. I do not even know whether the IT program is running at the moment; however the Barkly Shire had to get its own IT program. That is how good it was; it was not up and running when these shires came into being. Millions of taxpayers’ dollars have been spent on a program meant to run local government which does not work. For one shire to get its own says it all. They were sick of it, and they got their own.
The question I also ask is what happened to the millions of dollars the Local Government Association spent bringing new improved IT programs into existing councils, which I thought was quite successful. What happened to all that? Where did that all go? Did someone say we know we spent millions of dollars through the Local Government Association, but we will throw that away and start again? The Local Government Association received a large amount of money from the Commonwealth government to invest in proper electronic accounting systems, and, for some reason, that has disappeared.
At the moment we need a review of everything these councils are doing. They have been operating for 12 months with elected members, but they were operating before that under a benevolent dictator; the CEO was paid by the government and took over for some six months running the council without an elected body to represent that shire.
Since then we have had councils set up their headquarters outside their shire. The theory behind that was to save money by putting them all together; reduce overheads. I would like to see proof we have reduced overheads. If it has reduced overheads, has it diminished the democratic process of local government? You can talk about efficiencies, you can talk about economics, but if you throw out the democracy of local government, you might as well have your councils run by administrators.
In the case of Victoria Daly, there is a council headquarters in Katherine - which is not in the Victoria Daly Shire - and you have the largest population of people at Wadeye. I will say again, I think that is a disgrace. It says to the people of Wadeye: ‘you are not good enough for us to stick our headquarters in the main town in Victoria Daly’. There might be transport issues, there might be housing issues, it might be workers from the southern states are finding it difficult to live there because they are not used to it. If we are serious about local government, we put local government where it belongs: amongst the people it serves. We do not achieve that by putting it in Katherine. It might be great for people who look at efficiency; we can share administrative costs and computers. That is fine, but it is sad we are taking away the very essence of local government, that is putting it amongst the people it is supposed to represent.
There is an issue in local government we need to address. I asked, in this House, why are meetings not being held in some of these communities. The answer was because you would have to get a permit to go to the meetings. It is beholden on this government to say if a local government council is being held in a community no permit is required.
I will give you an example, if I go to a council meeting anywhere I am not required to have permission to attend the meeting. However, I have been told if I want to go to a council meeting on Aboriginal land I have to have a permit. I am not against permits, but I think a local government council meeting would be exempt. It is my council, and as a ratepayer I should be entitled to go there freely. Any member of the public in the Northern Territory should be entitled to attend. If that is an issue, it needs to be resolved. I do not object to obtaining a permit to enter private land. If the concept of local government is about an elected body going into the community and listening to people, and some of those people are inhibited because they could not get a permit that would be very bad. The pastoralist next door pays his rates and wants to go to a meeting but because it is on Aboriginal land he has to get a permit; that is contrary to how local government should work.
Another area raised with me is allowances. I have never agreed with these huge councils. The council of Barkly is 1.5 times as big as Victoria. A councillor from Alpurrurulam, not on a huge wage, might move around the district. He might go to Barkly for some meetings, which could mean several days off work. He gets a normal council allowance not sufficient to cover wages lost. There is a move by some of the councils to ask for payment. This is an issue we have to look at carefully. Local government has always had a basis of voluntary work, plus an allowance to help with costs. When I was on Litchfield Council it was $40 a meeting; and we crammed three committee meetings in on one night and were paid $40. The whole process behind local government was voluntary.
That is fine with a small council; you do not have far to travel, and you might work in the area. Now we have these huge councils, and I can understand many of these people, especially those who live out bush, might have to travel hundreds of kilometres and take two or three days off work for a meeting, notwithstanding they may inspect some roads. If I live in Elliott and I have to go to Camp Creek to check out the road, I might need to take two or three days off work. The government needs to look at this. We have produced huge councils; perhaps we did not recognise there might be these problems. Paying councillors will need to come out of your rates. That is an extra burden on the ratepayer.
We need to look at the functions of council. Something which hurt me was people saying local government will make more jobs. Local government only makes the number of jobs, when it is doing its work, to do the normal things: roads, reserves and rubbish. It has more jobs, not because it has created them, but because it has become the agent for the Northern Territory and Commonwealth government. It has taken on night patrol. When has that been a local government matter? I would have thought it was the Department of Justice or the police - it is their job, they should run it. You have the post office. I heard, when I was at Bathurst Island, the council got $6000 to run the post office. That is not a good thing because post offices do not make much money. I would like to see what strain these agencies are putting on councils.
I remember people said there were many dysfunctional councils in the Northern Territory; Jack Ah Kit made his famous statement. How many of those councils took on agencies where they were not paid enough? How many councils have a pool when it cost half their road money to maintain the pool? That is what happened to many councils; either the pool closed or the roads did not get graded. We need to review where these councils.
When I was at Bathurst Island it was in the red. It was broke. I do not know how councils can do that. I suppose they can get funding to keep them going, but I would be really worried if a council is losing money. When either East Arnhem or West Arnhem put out their rates notice for rubbish collection it was about $1288, a very large amount. There might be reasons for that but as a ratepayer, a concerned. Some of these councils with a very small rate base are finding it very difficult to raise the money they need to run vast areas of the Territory.
I have mentioned this in other forums: we need to review the boundaries of some of these councils. It might be thinking outside the square, but to me Timber Creek West should belong to Kununurra Shire. That is where people go. They do not go to Katherine, they go the other way. I know we have a boundary but where will the Aboriginal people in that area go to school? They will go to Kununurra. Where will they go to hospital? They go to Kununurra. Where is our local government? It is based in the Victoria Daly area and its headquarters are Katherine.
It is the same with Alpurrurulam. Where do people go? They go to Mount Isa and Camooweal. Where do they play football? Mount Isa and Camooweal. Where would they go to boarding school or secondary school?
Ms Purick: Charters Towers.
Mr WOOD: They might, but more than likely Mount Isa. That is their area. That is where their people are. These boundaries are not Aboriginal boundaries, they are white boundaries. Sometimes they do not relate to where the people are. Why did they not look for something unique to make a local government area which included the people who used those facilities? I say that because when we are talking of the growth towns we should include Mount Isa and Kununurra.
Madam Deputy Speaker, there is much I could say on local government. We need to step back and observe what is happening. I have no doubt there are good things, but there are things which will cause problems and be to the detriment of the people they are meant to serve.
The member for Braitling raised the issue of rate base and I agree. I have always been a big supporter of service fees. When I worked with the Nguiu Council, every person in the community paid a service fee. That council was able to raise quite significant revenue, and they put that revenue into services within the community. I have discussed with the minister, and the department, service fees being a way to provide councils with revenue.
The member for Nelson mentioned the Victoria Daly Shire being in Katherine, which is central for communities such as Kalkarindji and Yarralin. He also spoke about permits for the West Arnhem Shire. I spoke to non-Indigenous representatives of the West Arnhem Shire recently. There are no problems relating to permits for meetings or visits to communities, and I understand, since the intervention, there has not been a permit system. As a matter of respect, people still acknowledge the traditional owners when they go into the main communities, but I have never heard, in my electorate, or within the West Arnhem Shire, that being an issue. Tiwi Shire is the same; I have never seen the issue of permits.
I have listened to most of the debate regarding reform; it was reform which needed to happen. Anyone who has lived in the Northern Territory for a long time would know many of the small community government councils were not functioning. Former minister John Ah Kit, was looking at reform because of the level of dysfunction in our communities. We had small councils which were not able to operate effectively. We are still far from perfect but there are many areas, including the East Arnhem Shire and the Roper Gulf Shire, which are very effective in providing effective services.
A member: You are embarrassed.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: Sorry?
Mr Chandler: You are embarrassed.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: What? What was that?
A member: He said you are embarrassed.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: I am embarrassed. I think you are embarrassing.
Members interjecting.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: A big intellect, Madam Deputy Speaker
There have been problems with the reform. In talking to the CEO and members of both shires in my electorate I know there are problems, and problems with CouncilBiz. Some of that will change now elected members are part of the process. There is a real sense of change coming from these shires; having a say with CouncilBiz and their financial accountability.
Whilst we know there are problems, there were very few solutions from the CLP. The member for Braitling spoke on several issues, and we can all criticise, but it is harder to propose some positive solutions. If there are problems, how do we solve them? The member for Braitling discussed funding issues which have come to his attention. They are serious allegations which should be brought to the attention of the minister. People talk about these things all the time, and they should be brought to the attention of the minister and the department to be investigated.
West Arnhem Shire and the Tiwi Islands Shire have had teething problems. I work quite closely with both shires. I get a sense of the blurring of the line between elected members and their role in setting policy and the operation of the organisation, and training needs to be ongoing.
Local government reform was something the CLP had pushed for many years. The member for Nelson has placed it on the agenda for the council of cooperation, and the CLP will participate in that inquiry. Shires are not perfect, but they are government’s beast. We do have to make them work. If we persevere, work with elected members, with staff on the ground, we can make it work. We can take this local government reform forward and look at ways to raise revenue. The rating issue the member for Braitling raised is a genuine issue and should be looked at.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Deputy Speaker, I will keep my comments brief. I support my colleague in regard to this definite matter of public importance, and that is the failure of the Northern Territory government to provide effective leadership in the shire reform.
As someone involved with shire reform from the beginning in a previous working life, I am familiar with the processes. From the very beginning many of the processes involved in this shire amalgamation were flawed, and as a consequence, when you have flawed methodology you end up with a flawed product, whether it is a report, or the shires we now live with.
At the beginning, the process was announced, and the advisory council was set up with a cast of thousands from across the Territory. All very good people, but I am not convinced they all contributed in a way which benefited the whole process. I was involved with an industry group, and other industry groups were involved with the advisory committee. It was only with much pushing and shoving the minerals industry group I was involved with did get a seat on the committee. At that point, there was a general view within government the minerals and pastoral industries were going to be the cash cows when it came to supporting these new shires. There was a plan, from the minerals industry point of view, not only to rate mineral licences, which were their operating mines, but the government wanted to rate exploration licences of companies which have very limited or no cash flow, and not very high capital expenditure or capex levels. It was only after considerable lobbying the government backed down from rating exploration licences, but wanted to rate mineral leases at a fairly exorbitant rate, and for what was argued nil return regarding services and benefits.
Without speaking for the cattle industry, that was a similar argument. As I understand it, to this day there are still reservations as to how this shire system benefits them. I understand there are not too many benefits.
The other point in the history of this shire amalgamation was a very strong opposition, not only from industry groups involved with the greater land mass of the Northern Territory, but the Northern Land Council was involved in a cooperative to oppose the shire amalgamations. They too could see there were problems with how it was being developed, the processes employed, and the potential outcomes.
There was also opposition from residents in the rural area, mainly the Litchfield Shire as it was called, because the government was forcing the Litchfield Shire to amalgamate with Cox Peninsula, the Belyuen area, Dundee, Marrakai, Douglas Daly, with no consultation. They wanted to unilaterally change the name of the Litchfield Shire, which is named after a historic Territory family. They were going to call it something quite boring like the Top End Shire. This was resisted quite strongly by everyone in the Litchfield Shire, and was most evident in the rallies organised by the member for Nelson against the government’s local shire reforms. From memory, there were two car rallies during parliamentary sittings. There were some 200 to 300 cars and tractors which came into town with placards, and horns blaring, to demonstrate their disquiet against what government was doing.
Interestingly, after these rallies and the outcry from residents in the rural area, the government backed down. Paul Henderson the Chief Minister said: no, no, we will leave the Litchfield Shire alone, we will not force them to amalgamate, and they can continue to be their own shire. That has been to this day, and they are now the Litchfield Council.
There is a consultant in the rural area, funded through the department of Local Government, telling public meetings at Marrakai, Dundee, and other places, it is not a question of if they will be amalgamated, it is a question of when they will become part of the Litchfield Shire or some other shire. That is not particularly democratic, and it is also pre-empting the final report. How can you become part of a shire before consultation has finished?
The other concern I have with shire amalgamations, and the lack of effective leadership by this government is, that it is my understanding that after 12 months of operation these new shires have no real operational accounting systems in place. This is an appalling situation which goes to the heart of how the amalgamation, and the leadership of this government, has failed. I understand this is the same for procurement systems and services. They are not very well set up, and there is a very poor sharing of services across the shires.
Workplace agreements for shire employees have not been finalised. This is despite the Northern Territory government giving $250 000 to LGANT to work with a Western Australian organisation to put these systems in place. This is after 12 months of operation. I would have thought these issues would be addressed prior to the commencement of the shire.
I support the member for Katherine, and the member for Braitling, in bringing to the attention of the House this government’s failure in setting up the shires and bringing benefits to the Northern Territory.
The member for Nelson has also highlighted the failure to provide economic and employment opportunities for Territorians. I urge the government to look at it more seriously, and to stop forcing systems on people when quite clearly that is not the right way to go about bringing economic and social benefits to Territorians.
Discussion concluded.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Tonight I pay tribute to and say thank you to Police Commissioner Paul White, who has retired as Police Commissioner after nearly eight years of loyal service to the people of the Northern Territory. As Police Minister, I have come to know him very well. At a personal level I always found him to be a man of enormous integrity, a man who was totally committed to policing in the Northern Territory, and building a modern and forward looking police force. A police force which was doing its job upholding law and order across the Northern Territory, and with a very clear focus on community based policing, a very clear focus on crime reduction, a very clear commitment to reducing domestic violence across the Northern Territory, and a passion for doing that. Paul made a very significant contribution as Chief Executive of our police in Co-Ord and other senior sub-committees of government relating to assisting with the implementation policy, and also advice to government on policy.
History will show Paul’s time in the Northern Territory got off to a rocky start. He certainly was not unanimously endorsed by some senior officers at the time who reacted to an external appointment. At his final press conference, which was at the opening of the new Casuarina Police Station, the Commissioner said when he came to the Northern Territory the police force was underfunded and understaffed. He certainly leaves a much healthier police force, and a police force which is very highly regarded, not only here in the Northern Territory, but by his peers around Australia. I firmly believe we have the best police force in Australia.
Paul had a personal commitment to and leadership in delivering the domestic violence squads in Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Darwin; a real commitment to having the police develop a much stronger working relationship with FACS in the child abuse teams established across the Northern Territory; and a commitment to Indigenous policing, a significant recovery in the number of ACPOs across the Territory, and putting in place a transitional pathway for ACPOs to become fully-sworn police officers in the Northern Territory. Two squads have graduated in the last few years. He has tripled the number of fully-sworn Indigenous police officers in our police force. It is acknowledged our police force in the Northern Territory leads the way in Indigenous policing with a commitment to seeing fully-sworn Indigenous police as part of our police force in the Territory.
Paul has made a very significant contribution. In leadership positions, we hope to leave our organisations better than we inherited them and there is no doubt in my mind the Northern Territory Police Force is a much better police force than the one inherited. That is not a disparaging remark on Paul’s predecessor. The fact is the police force he inherited was underfunded, undermanned, with poor morale throughout the force as a result. That is not the fault of the previous Police Commissioner, Brian Bates. Those issues go to funding of the police force over the preceding period and the problems that caused.
All in this House recognise Paul did make a very big commitment to policing in the Northern Territory. He is leaving very big shoes to fill. I wish him and Cynthia well in returning to South Australia.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Deputy Speaker, on Monday evening I spoke about the appalling situation with a particular builder operating in Darwin who is ripping off families and creating all manner of problems. I gave details of three families who have suffered under this dodgy character, do not have a proper home, and are unlikely to have one in the near future. I urge the minister for Planning to do something about this builder; at the very least take an audit of the nominated houses. However, I get the distinct impression the minister does not want to get involved to help Territorians. How can the Planning minister excise Middle Arm from the planning scheme and the authority of the Development Consent Authority at the stroke of a pen, yet she cannot undertake an investigation into a builder who is undertaking unethical, if not illegal, business practices and bringing harm to families, contractors, the construction industry, and the community generally?
Since speaking on this matter, the true colours of this builder have come to light. Yesterday morning, this unsavoury character entered my office and gave various papers to his client, my electorate officer. During the course of this brief meeting, he was questioned on various items, at which time he became aggressive and intimidating in his behaviour, and was unacceptably objectionable. His behaviour has been reported to the police, who are taking the matter seriously and will be talking with him, as I understand the situation to date. Clearly, this builder is unfit to hold a builder’s licence, let alone any other kind of licence, if this is the behaviour he employs when he is put under pressure - brought on by his own doing I might add.
Despite complaints to the Building Board I know have been submitted, this builder continues to rip off contractors and families alike. Since Monday evening, I have received additional information and it highlights further this builder’s shocking track record in the building industry and his record of lies, misrepresentations and con artist tactics.
Another case - and it could be any number of dozens of families conned by this builder - again, two common items: the same builder and a Housing Industry Association contract. When I give details you will see the HIA contracts do not provide any consumer protection, and when there is a signed contract and a dispute, the HIA is unable to assist, or does not have the mechanics to discipline their members despite reconciliation clauses in their contracts. This builder was a member of the HIA, however, I would not be surprised to find he has been expelled based on his terrible performance. This does not help my constituents, or the other families ripped off by this builder, who is known by all, and after his behaviour at my office yesterday, will be known to the police. Clearly this builder has exploited the weakness of HIA contracts, and exploited the weakness in this government’s building regulations system.
I urge the minister, and the Chief Minister, to take urgent action against this crook and get him out of the industry once and for all. Interestingly, I am advised the Chief Minister would be well aware of this builder, as I understand he and his family are personal friends of the footy family. If that is the case, he would be aware of the problems they have had with the house in Palmerston and the builder, and it being brought to the attention of the Planning minister.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to give some brief details of the problems this builder is creating. One family who approached me had their contract signed on 24 May 2008; it was a HIA building contract for the construction of their house. The house remained unfinished at July 2009, and at that stage they received a termination of their contract under the terms they had moved into the house. They did move into the house out of sheer frustration, as they had been waiting 14 months for this house to be completed. Through my discussions with industry, it takes between three and four months to complete a house, even in the Wet Season.
This family with five children all under the age of 11 were living on the property in a structure similar to a granny flat. The family moved into an unfinished house because the builder had done no work for five months. They have had a terrible time, if not a nightmare. There were only five draw downs, even though the fourth progress of lockup is up to 95% of total construction. The family was unaware lockup meant temporary timber doors, and the house only 65% complete. They had paid much more than the full contract price. Legally they believed they had no choice but to pay him the 95%. They were hopeful; they believed in the system and that he would fulfil his end of the contract.
The work ground to a halt and that is when the problems started. It became evident to this family that tradesmen and suppliers had not been paid by this builder. I will not name companies; however a lighting company has never been paid and has written it off as a bad debt. As a result, the warranty claims for faulty fans and down lights cannot be processed. A concrete company is yet to receive any money from the builder. The tiles in the house had to be changed halfway through the job as the original tilers were not paid and refused to continue. The first lot of tiles were removed and a second lot put down. The painters did a first coat, but did not come back as they were not paid. The family had to paint the house internally. The external paint work still has not been completed.
The family were told to go to a kitchen company, however they could not deal with that company as the builder had a previous debt. They went to another company, got prices, got designs and went back to the builder. At this stage there was about $13 500 outstanding on the contract, but in good faith they decided to pay $8300 to the kitchen company to keep the building progressing. This company started to install the kitchen and wardrobes, but after not receiving payment from the builder, they too stopped work and the kitchen remained uncompleted.
The electrician would not return to fix antenna cables as he had lost too much money dealing with the builder. The family had to pay the plumber direct for the full cost of installation of the hot water system otherwise he would remove it due to non-payment, although the builder had been paid for this. They had to exchange a kitchen sink because it was the wrong type, and pay the plumbing company direct. The same thing occurred with another plumbing company when the taps they had chosen had to be returned.
The family have given me many details regarding dealing with the contractors over this period of 12 to 14 months. The concrete company stopped work because it had not been paid. The family paid another $25 000. The concrete company is still owed about $120 000.
In summarising, they signed their contract on 24 May 2008. On 25 June 2009, after months of anguish and frustration, this family took their five children into the house even though it was not fully finished. They commenced negotiations with the builder regarding outstanding work and outstanding moneys via e-mail late at night; he then terminated the contract. So much for the reconciliation clauses in the HIA contract! They then had the problem of getting their certification. They have had to pay many of the subcontractors to get their certificates of completion.
This builder is a very successful conman: a cheat, a liar, a thug and a bully. He should not be allowed to hold a builders licence, let alone any other licence. This builder has ruined lives, cost people hundreds of thousands of dollars, created chaos around the town, and is known by everyone, and not for one good reason.
Madam Speaker, I urge the government to get out of their purpose built homes and do something for these families who are continuing to live and suffer extreme duress and objectionable behaviour by this builder. The minister knows what to do. She needs to act, and act fast, before this builder takes any more money and dreams from hard-working Territorians, or goes further than entering offices and intimidating and threatening people.
Members: Hear, hear.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Deputy Speaker, I recognise the passion of the member for Goyder and acknowledge it. My office involvement has been to work with the complainant to ensure a formal complaint was lodged so the process, under the Building Act, can be followed. We are ensuring the process is being followed.
Ms Purick: It needs to go further than that, minister; he is starting to become objectionable and intimidating.
Ms LAWRIE: I would like to get further advice from you regarding the threats, because I think that would be a matter to refer to the police.
Ms Purick: Happy to oblige.
Ms LAWRIE: In terms of my electorate, I acknowledge the hard work, commitment, and effort of the staff and students at O’Loughlin Catholic College, who worked tirelessly over months to create and ultimately perform a musical called Your History.
The musical was performed by O’Loughlin Catholic College on 24 and 25 September at the Darwin Entertainment Centre. The musical director is Mary Wright. She is an incredibly energetic, passionate teacher at the school and I can say, with great knowledge, she is an inspiration to the students at the school, and energises other staff at the school. We are indeed very fortunate to have her working at O’Loughlin College.
Mary Wright was ably assisted by Debbie Savill. Mary’s husband, Paul, Courtney Blume and Miranda Colquhoun were the key staff pulling together the musical and working tirelessly with the students. Staff who helped and also performed were John Hassett and Anne Brooks. There was a cast of about 50 students ranging from Year 7 to Year 12 who went through an audition process. The main cast, because 50 is too many to mention here, were Taylor Emeny, a Year 9 student; Taylor Piccinelli, Year 10; Geobe Catuncan, Year 12; Casey Clements, Year 11; Jessica Old, Year 9; William Burton, Year 10; and David Carroll, Year 10.
The music is essentially a story about Lauchie McSwoon, the most popular boy in Australia telling his friends he is dating the nerdy girl, Boppy Baxter. His friends are extremely unimpressed with his latest girlfriend and, after much peer pressure, he breaks up with Boppy through a text message. Desperate to get back with him, Boppy uses her phone to travel back in time to the school camp which started it all. The end result however, finds an unlucky detention class travelling much further back in time than Boppy originally anticipated. Along the way, the class runs into gladiators, pirates and Vikings. It was written by Tim Bain, and Michael Patterson wrote the music.
I can sincerely say it was the most engaging, entertaining and enjoyable musical I have witnessed from a school cohort. It was incredibly witty in its construct. The students all performed beautifully, and the entire school community should be immensely proud of this performance. I am aware of how hard they all worked. I have children attending the school and they were in the musical cast. I recognise how many weeks of rehearsals they went through, I recognised the effort of the staff in ensuring they were there, teaching, helping, nurturing, and encouraging the students in this musical.
There was a good turnout at the Darwin Entertainment Centre from the broader Karama Catholic community supporting O’Loughlin College. I thank everyone who made the time and effort to turn up and support the school with the musical. It was truly engaging; quite frankly it was awesome. I liked the fact they had an after party; in fact, they had several after parties. It was a well-deserved celebration by staff and students because it was an exceptional musical and highly entertaining.
I look forward to the next performance from O’Loughlin Catholic College. I recognise this is a very engaged group of staff. Mary Wright, who is at the core of the group, ensures they work hard to go that extra yard, take care of the children and not just have school around the structured learning processes, which of course is incredibly important, but also inspire them as well in the after-school activities. So, a hearty congratulations to O’Loughlin Catholic College.
I also congratulate Karama Primary School. It has been very successful as a school. It has won many awards and accolades over the years. The latest success goes to a national award recognising schools that go the extra effort. After hosting 75 workshops around Australian from March to June this year, an organisation called Schools First received 1565 applications. Over 700 Australian school representatives attended the workshops. There are two types of awards – Seed Funding awards to start up a new partnership; and Impact Awards to recognise an existing successful partnership. Twenty schools nationally received Seed Funding awards - none in the Territory. Sixty-eight schools received Impact Awards, two in the Northern Territory. The Impact Award was a pledge to the schools. Karama Primary School was recognised in one of these two Territory Impact Awards. They were recognised for their partnership with the Smith Family, which includes a music program, Indigenous sports trainees, a sports program, and the Tata family centre, which engages the whole community.
The other school to receive an Impact Award was Katherine Group School, which was recognised for its partnership with the Ian Thorpe Foundation for Youth, which provides literacy backpacks to 13 remote communities in the Katherine region. Both these schools won a significant grant of $25 000, and they are eligible for a further $50 000 in the Schools First Impact Awards, which will be announced later this month in Adelaide. In November, one school will go through and be awarded up to $1m in recognition of a truly exception school community partnership.
It is very exciting to see the work the Smith Family is doing at Karama Primary School in partnership with the school. The Tata Family Centre was set up by the Northern Territory government, in partnership, and the centre caters for 0 to 3-year-old play groups with workshops on parenting, children’s development, health and nutrition, financial literacy, and digital literacy. It is staffed by a coordinator who organises activities, conducts adult training, and supports the mothers and carers of the community. The centre is very well resourced with age-appropriate toys, play equipment, a garden, all-weather area, air-conditioned room and kitchen. Approximately 11 different organisations use the centre including Anglicare, Melaleuca Refugee Centre, the Karama Health Clinic, Charles Darwin University, Good Beginnings and the Playgroup Association.
Recently, the federal minister for Early Childhood Education, Hon Kate Ellis MP, chose the Tata Family Centre at Karama Primary School to announce the establishment of five new children and family centres in the Territory. I was there that day. It was a great honour for the school to be singled out and recognised.
In music support at the school, the Smith Family provide a music teacher for Years 4 to 6 for two years. The students are learning to play djembe drums and percussion instruments. Twice a year, they workshop with the internationally acclaimed jazz percussionist, John Morrison, and perform at Parliament House and Mindil Markets. The school was so impressed with the improved self-esteem and confidence of the music students they have employed a full-time music teacher so the whole school now enjoys music.
The Smith Family also funds two young male Indigenous sports trainees to complete their traineeships while working at Karama school. They provide excellent role models for the students. The student cohort has a 43% Indigenous content. They work across the school in soccer, AFL, swimming, excursions, school camps, reading programs, and the breakfast program. Their presence in the playground has really helped to improve playground behaviour.
In literacy support, the Smith Family has provided volunteers to listen to children read in the mornings, book prizes for the accelerated literacy program, and an electronic whiteboard. Significant and hearty congratulations and thanks go to the Smith Family. They identified a few years ago the special needs at Karama school in the cohort of students there coming from lower socioeconomic and disadvantaged backgrounds, and have done an enormous amount of work and support for the school. None of this could have occurred, of course, with the school principal, Marg Fenbury. It has been her vision, drive, and strength that has ensured the school is open, available, and engaged in this partnership. I sincerely thank Marg and all the staff at the school, and the coordinator of the Tata Family Centre for the great work she is doing as well.
Another thing I want to touch on is thanks to Bronwyn Miller and the Malak Community Arts, Melaleuca Refugee Centre, and Kiwanis for holding a charity event in Malak to bring the community together called Peace in the Park. It was highly successful, and we had very positive feedback on the evening. It was a great night for a peaceful event at the park in Malak.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, tonight I speak of a matter of some concern to me. It has become the habit of this government, when one of their ministers is under pressure, to turn, by whatever means possible, the debate to another or more trivial matter as quickly as they possibly can. We have seen the machinations of this government, led by the Leader of Government Business, operating in this area to protect the decrepit and failing Housing Minister over the last two days.
Yesterday, a question was put by the member for Goyder in relation to some numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics - a question which was repeated and quoted in today’s Question Time by the Leader of Government Business. One could have been forgiven, in the hubbub of Question Time, for believing the Leader of Government Business may well have misheard what the member for Goyder had said. The question she posed was a reference to Australian Bureau of Statistics’ figures, at which point the standard, usual line of ‘Oh, my God, they are relying on figures, let us challenge the figures, challenge the graph, challenge any document’. They then create a lot of noise, smoke and mirrors, and convince the press gallery the opposition is up to some wickedness or no good and are fabricating documents’. That is the form; the one they always use. It is a set template approach.
The Leader of Government Business asked the member for Goyder to table the report. Now, at this point you could forgive the minister misunderstanding what the member for Goyder had said. However, I rose to my feet immediately afterwards, and whilst I was not able to finish my point of order to demonstrate to the Leader of Government Business he was demanding she table a report, the fact is I was about to say she was not referring to a report because there was no ABS report. She did not suggest there was an ABS report. She said she was relying on ABS figures.
We heard, last night, the Minister for Housing lay the platform for the trap they were going to set in Question Time today. Several ministers, during Question Time, also built on that platform, which was the allegation the member for Goyder may have misled the House. In the process of laying that trap, do you think they would have read the Hansard? My word they would have, Madam Speaker, because they are not foolish; they are more careful than that. They are merely dishonest when it comes to dealing with this House, and the way they deal with the truth with Territorians. If they read Hansard, they would have read what the member for Goyder said. In fact, we know Hansard had been read, because the minister himself quotes exactly the same quote that the member for Goyder used in this afternoon’s Question Time. Nowhere in the quote he uses does he for one second say she is quoting from a report. She is quoting from figures. Do they desist? Do they suddenly say, ‘Oh, hang on this may be a mistake on our part?’ No, because it is not a mistake, it is a deliberate attempt to deceive Territorians and to mislead them in the way they conduct themselves, because at no point did the member for Goyder refer to a report.
She has explained in this House the figure she used was indeed an ABS data set, and that data set, on an Excel spreadsheet, is the standard way ABS produce their figures …
A member: But you can still attribute it.
Mr ELFERINK: She attributed it! She said they were ABS numbers. You did not have the courtesy to find out. You decided to use this Chamber as a place to slander her good reputation!
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin! I ask you to address your comments through the Chair.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, Madam Deputy Speaker. They decided to use this Chamber as a House of slander rather than
Members interjecting.
Mr ELFERINK: … ‘where did you get those numbers from’? No, no such inquiry was made, Madam Deputy Speaker. Why
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin!
Mr ELFERINK: … because they wanted to besmirch …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin! I ask you to address your comments through the Chair please?
Mr ELFERINK: I am addressing the comments through the Chair, Madam Deputy Speaker, I have referred to you a dozen times.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, direct to me please, not to the member.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Deputy Speaker, they chose to besmirch this good member’s reputation without so much as a modest inquiry, and further, what did they do? They telephoned the Australian Bureau of Statistics and asked them for a report they knew did not exist. Their attempt to mislead Territorians now goes to misrepresenting the facts to the Australian Bureau of Statistics themselves. The facts are they rang the Australian Bureau of Statistics and said: ‘Where is the report?’ The Australian Bureau of Statistics quite rightly said: ‘There is not one.’ So they come to this House saying: ‘The Australian Bureau of Statistics said there was no report, so clearly the member for Goyder is wrong’.
You have used Question Time to cover up your own minister’s ineptitude, the man who does not even know he is the Minister for Housing, and this standard slander, which is being produced time and time again, is a disgrace.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! The Hansard clearly reflects the member for Goyder did refer to the ABS statistics, which the government has simply asked to be tabled.
Members interjecting.
Ms Lawrie: On housing waiting lists.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Deputy Speaker, they are doing it again! He demanded a report. I quote the Leader of Government Business from yesterday:
What report? There is no report. There never was a report.
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr ELFERINK: The deception by using the good name of the Australian Bureau of Statistics diminishes this government, and just shows how tired and desperate they have become. Arrogant to the extreme, because that sort of dishonesty is the sort of thing Territorians despise.
Madam Deputy Speaker, the good reputation of the member for Goyder deserves to be protected. She in no way tried to mislead this House. She gained some statistics from a legitimate source. She extrapolated from those statistics a question, and those extrapolations have been explained. This is grubby, low, desperate politics from a grubby, low, desperate government.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr HAMPTON (Stuart): Madam Deputy Speaker, last weekend the NT LINK netball championships were held at the new netball centre at Marrara. Teams from Katherine, Alice Springs and Darwin took part in the Under 13, Under 15, Under 17 and Open competitions. Play started on Friday night with the Alice Springs Under 17 and Open teams stamping their authority with early wins. Both teams continued through the championships undefeated, and what a great achievement.
The grand finals were played on Saturday night, with the Under 13s leading the way. Darwin was the winner, and there was a tie for most valuable player. Congratulations to Joyce Akeena from Darwin and Peta Ross from Katherine. The Under 15s final was next. Darwin was again victorious, with Rebecca Winch from a well known Darwin netball family, voted the most valuable player. The two rivals in the Open section, Alice and Darwin, took to the courts. Alice Springs was out to avenge last year’s loss to Darwin, and was quick off the mark with their shooter, Amy Rodda, being fed brilliantly by Ronnell Hall in the centre. Tight defence from Helen Brown made it difficult for Darwin to score; Alice lead at every quarter and came home strongly to ensure their win. Congratulations to all the girls from the Alice, and their coach Dave Yeaman and manager Sally Preece.
The Under 17s grand final was given the premier time slot. Again, Alice Springs showed they have a wealth of talent in this age group. Danielle Trindle-Price, who was voted MVP, got Alice off to a great start with excellent feeding to shooter, Jessie Johannsen. Jess Smith, who played the first quarter as a wing defender and then came to the centre position, was also a stand out for the game. Alice led each quarter and powered home at the end. Congratulations to all the girls from Alice, and their coach Deb Gray. It was a fantastic weekend of netball, showcasing the talent we have here in the Territory, especially in our junior ranks.
I have no doubt we will see quite a few girls from Alice Springs wearing the Territory storm colours in the not too distant future.
These championships would not have been possible without the support of Alice Springs business, NT Meats, and a big thank you to Tony Smith and Libby Prell. I also acknowledge the hard-working committee of Netball NT, and also those great Alice Springs Netball Association members, headed by Anthony Yoffa, the President; Treasurer, Elissa Wingrove; Registrar, Helen Brown; Umpires Coordinator, Michelle Turke; Coaching Coordinator, David Yeaman; and the rest of the committee members, Steven Menzies, Kira Tapps, Robyn Donnelly and the administration officer, Amanda Durham.
Speaking of Alice Springs netballers, I was delighted to be invited to present the medals to our junior netballers during their recent Alice Springs Junior Netball Association grand finals on 5 September. In the grand final held on 19 September, the Federals Netball club dominated the junior ranks, with Federal Red and Federal THS winning their respected divisions in the Under13s and the Under15s. They also went through the whole competition undefeated; a fantastic effort and I congratulate all the girls.
Federals also won the A grade grand final last year against premiers Memo Rovers. Pat Gallagher, the former president of the Federals Netball Club and Alice Springs Netball Association, was also on hand and was very proud of her club. I congratulate Amy Rodda, the captain of the Memo Rovers, who was voted the A grade players player for 2009.
I acknowledge the sponsors of Netball in Alice Springs, particularly Frampton Real Estate, Sport Scene Web Pack Productions, and the local member Matt Conlan, member for Greatorex.
September was a very busy grand final month in Alice Springs. I will briefly talk about the grand final of the AFL Central Australia on 12 September 2009, and what was truly a historic day.
Starting off the day was the MacDonnell Shire Under 17 competition, with Hermannsburg running out winners 10.5.65 to Ltyentye Apurte 7.4.46. In the Reserves, Wests Football Club 8.6.54 defeated Ltyentye Apurte 7.6.48. In the big game, the Ngurratjuta Cup, my team Pioneers defeated Federals 74 to 71. As I said, it was an historic day which saw the game go into overtime, and extra time, with Pioneers coming out on top. Our Mayor was there; he enjoyed the day as well as I understand it.
I also attended the grand final of soccer in Alice Springs where, on 20 September 2009 at Ross Park, a dominant Verdi swept aside Celtic Warriors 3:0. Congratulations to Verdi and the Captain Coach, Gio Morelli. Many years ago I played seven aside soccer with Gio. It was my honour and pleasure to present the winning and losing medals to the players from both sides, along with Bill Constantis of Football Federation NT. The women’s Verdi Red and White soccer teams were also successful in winning a grand final for the first time, and many congratulations to them.
Turning back to the AFLCA, I acknowledge the sponsors, Ngurratjuta Accounting Services, who are the premier’s partner of the AFL Central Australia and a long time supporter of Aussie Rules in the Centre; the MacDonnell Shire is a major corporate partner of AFL Central Australia and has the naming rights of the CAFL Under 17 competition; Santos, a long-time supporter and major corporate partner of the AFLCA; Power and Water, which supports our Power and Water talent squad in the Centre; Southern Cross TV, a proud sponsor and one the major corporate sponsors; Coca-Cola Amatil, Fosters, NITV, OAMPS, the official insurance supplier for AFL Central Australia; the Cricket and Football Shop; Hot Stuff for the Sporting Buff are all great sponsors. Also, the MacDonnell Range Holiday Park and DASA, Drugs & Alcohol Services of Central Australia.
Madam Deputy Speaker, it has been a fantastic month for sport in the Alice. I congratulate all the players, coaches and the hard - working parents who get along on the weekend to see their children play sport and once again, to all of the wonderful sponsors, I congratulate them.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise tonight to speak on a number of issues. I have letters from ministers, from people complaining about housing, FACS, health, unanswered letters from ministers. Given the damning report from the AMA, I think tonight I will read a couple of short ones and give some examples of our health system.
At this moment I am working on a rather longer, difficult medical process which I will be handing to Madam Speaker for tomorrow night’s adjournment. It is a little long to speak on, but it really is more damning evidence against our failing health system.
I will read from this letter, however. This is about the self-care unit at RDH:
This is three days after she was released:
Madam Deputy Speaker, I suppose there are much worse things which could happen, and people suffer a great deal over many issues. The reality is, we are talking 2009, and we cannot even keep our hospitals and our same day care units clean.
I recall, only last month, taking my son, Brandon, to RDH. We had visited a doctor first due to pains in his lower stomach. The doctor suggested it was appendicitis. He immediately contacted the hospital to make them aware we were on the way. I will not go into the details about how long we waited. I do know I counted 15 down lights in the emergency department which did not work. I know the cold water system was not working. I know the coffee machine, although probably not an RDH issue, but at 3 am after a long day to be able to get a coffee would have been nice.
We were kept amused by a lovely Aboriginal lady who was complaining she had everything. In fact, she was walking up to the walls and looking at all the signs, and turning around and saying she had broken arms and broken legs. She looked up and saw a sign. She was saying ‘Mena, mena, menopause – I have this one too’. She was reading all the signs on the walls, going to the window and saying ‘I have this one, I have this one’. It was quite amusing. Seriously after arriving at 7 pm, it was 2.30 am we first saw a doctor. This was on a Monday night, not a Friday or Saturday night where you might expect it to be busy.
After Brandon was checked and put on a drip, we were told he needed to see a surgeon. We had been there since 7 pm the previous night, and 9.30 am was the first time a surgeon came to see him. Sitting in the cubicle waiting, I found an unopened glass vial of adrenalin. It was one you break off the top and put the needle in. This was under the bed. I handed it to a doctor, after taking a photo of it. I then looked down, and the sheets Brandon was sleeping on were dishevelled. I move them and found the foam pieces stuck on the chest when monitors are used. These were embedded into the sheets. The sheets had been washed, but there was still contamination.
Last year, my other son, Jackson, had his tonsils and adenoids removed. On the first day a syringe was dropped and it rolled under the bed. Later in the day a cleaner came through. I was about to hand the syringe over but decided to leave it to see how long it stayed there. We were at the hospital for three days, and for three days the syringe stayed on the floor under the bed. There is a section of the Children’s Ward put aside for parents with a big sign which says, ‘This is not cleaned or the responsibility of RDH, if you come in here, leave it as you find it’. There was excrement on the walls, there were dirty nappies; it was a disgrace.
We are talking hospitals here, we are talking cleanliness. We know infections run through hospitals. You cannot put a section of the hospital aside and remove any responsibility. It may be there for parents, it may be there for people to rest, to get respite from their child at the time, but you must clean it. You cannot stick a sign up which says it is not managed. It is an indictment. I can recall times in hospitals where you could walk down a hallway and see the mirror on the vinyl, and you would see someone with the polisher. They were spick and span; they were kept so clean. I wonder if our cleanliness today has dropped and this is what is causes infections spreading through hospitals.
And it is not only here. I recall recently visiting my father in Melbourne. I went there because he is having heart problems. The hospital had carpet on the floors. There were beds everywhere and people were being treated. Surely there are hospital standards. How can you have people being treated where syringes are being used and there is a risk of blood dropping on the floor? How could you make sure the carpet is kept clean? Have Australian standards dropped when it comes to how we construct our hospitals? Carpet on the floor was a bizarre thing to see.
Back to RDH, I think there has been a drop in the standards of cleanliness. Whether that comes down to budgets, whether it comes down to mismanagement, I do not know. I think we should be doing more to keep places like RDH clean, and perhaps that would lower the level of the bacteria and the disease which spreads from time to time.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Deputy Speaker, sometimes when the NT News writes an article, you think what a load of codswallop. You would like to refute it, but I know one of policies of the NT News is they will not publish a long letter from a politician. My only opportunity to refute what was in the Editorial today is to speak in the adjournment debate.
The Editorial was about the need for a new prison. It says quite a number of things I do not agree with, and a number of things I do agree with. It says:
I thought the opposition supported me on this one.
Those are fighting words from the editor! I would like to raise several things. I do not claim to be an expert, but I will give the editor some understanding of my background in studying correctional facilities.
I have visited Alice Springs prison; I have visited Berrimah prison three times. When Wildman River existed, I visited it and in 2003 spoke on it in this House. I visited the West Central Community Centre in Ohio and the Ohio Reformatory for Women. I visited Wyndham work camp recently. I visited the Wetlands Work Camp, and the Karnet and Wooroloo Prison Farms in Western Australia. I have visited Hamilton Downs Juvenile Camp, and of course, Don Dale Juvenile Centre in Berrimah. In 2004, I spoke to recommendation 66 of the CAYA report regarding prison farms and I questioned why we did not have prison farms.
In 2004, I spoke about low security prisons, prison industries, work camps, and prison farms. In 2005, I introduced a motion that the government investigate, independently or in partnership, to construct and manage, in appropriate regional areas of the Northern Territory, low-security correctional and rehabilitation centres suitable, but not exclusive, for juvenile offenders, low-risk prisoners, and people affected by substance abuse. I was talking about places for people affected by alcohol who have been through the revolving door; that we have places set up where those people could get treatment and help, and live in a reasonably pleasant environment like a small farm. I know the CLP supports that concept. The member for Sanderson spoke recently on something similar.
I thought I would let people know this is not something new. It is something which goes back a long way, even before I was a politician, regarding the importance of helping people in prison. I think it is important we do our best. People need to be punished for doing the wrong thing, no doubt about it. We need to look at how we punish people, and look at ways to turn their life around.
The editor says I have no planning qualification. My background is a Diploma in Horticultural Science, which at that time was the highest in that field. Horticultural science is not only about growing tomatoes and cabbage, it includes town planning. I do not claim to be an expert, but I studied town planning as part of my diploma. I was acting Town Clerk at Nguiu Shire; planning was required and we developed a new suburb based on the existing town plan. I was a member of the planning committee of Litchfield Shire for 13 years. For quite a number of years I was a member of a Planning Authority, and also the Development Consent Authority. I do not claim to be an expert, but one can get qualifications by prior experience. It is not all about having letters after your name. It can also be using common sense.
I say to the Editor of the NT News, criticise me, I do not have a problem with that; however, I need an opportunity to respond. The article also says:
It is not something the NT News has thought about. I have spoken about it many times and will continue to look at it. That is the reason I went to Western Australia recently. The paper also says leaving it at Berrimah:
Which I presume means it is in the middle of those two cities. It goes on to say:
Commercial buildings do not fringe Berrimah; they are industrial buildings. I do not think BHP would call itself a commercial establishment, nor Bridgestone Tyres, nor Reece Plumbing, nor the Ostojic extractive mining facility. It is surrounded by industrial buildings.
I challenge the Editor of the NT News to go into the valley on a Friday night when the drags or the mud races are operating, and tell me he would like to live there amongst the sandflies with a four-lane Tiger Brennan Drive nearby.
It is very short-sighted to use Berrimah Farm for housing. It is close to the East Arm port, which is filling rapidly. I recently toured that industrial development. Once it is full it only has one place to move: back to Berrimah on the high ground. If we divide that land for housing we will risk further industrial development because of noise complaints, smell and lights. We will also remove the option of having industrial land close to the port. I think it is short-sighted if we look at it from that point of view.
We have a new city Weddell. We have a plan developed years ago to have three cities, Darwin, Palmerston and Weddell. Let us stick to that plan. Do not have an urban sprawl such Melbourne, where I came from. The greenways they had to break up the city were sold because councils found it easier to sell them than to maintain them. I do not think we should be that short-sighted. The editor might say that is his point of view; other people have a different point of view.
I have said we need a new prison. However, do we need a big prison? Do we need a prison at Weddell, or should we look at alternatives? We have $300m of taxpayers’ money to spend; this is a great opportunity to rethink where we are going with our prisons. We have a special clientele, our Indigenous brothers and sisters, who make up 80% of our prisoners. Half are in prison for six months or less, some only for a month. It is an opportune time for us to look at alternatives.
I am very much a supporter of prison farms. At the NT Agricultural Association dinner in Katherine recently I mentioned Katherine would be an ideal place to set up a prison farm. It would help Katherine’s economy; it would also help the people in that prison farm. An alcohol rehabilitation centre could be attached also. Minister McCarthy is a great supporter of work camps. We could also have mobile work camps, working in national parks, working on cattle stations. We should have more people doing community orders for those one month prison cases. What is the point in putting a person in for one month; it takes three weeks to get them classified and it costs $180.
Why not have a shirt similar to Western Australia saying ‘paying back our community’. That tells people what they are doing when they are mowing lawns or removing graffiti; they are out doing community work. We have to look at options. Prisoners with one month sentences are going to clog up our gaols; have them do something beneficial for the community.
I say to the Editor of the NT News it is fine to criticise, I have no problem with that. I would like to use this opportunity to say there are other options, and your editorial is not necessarily correct in what you say.
Dr BURNS (Johnston): Madam Deputy Speaker, on Saturday, 10 October 2009, the Sri Lanka-Australia Friendship Association held a function at Sanderson Middle School gym to raise funds for the association’s 30th anniversary celebrations next year. It was also to welcome the Sri Lankan Under 19 cricket team who were in Darwin to play five one day international matches against the Australian Under 19 cricket team in preparation for the Cricket Under 19 World Cup, to be held in New Zealand in January 2010. There were almost 300 people present, and it was a pleasure to see such a multicultural cross-section of the Darwin community enjoying delicious home-cooked Sri Lankan cuisine.
The menu showcased delicious Sri Lankan fare: yellow rice with spicy chicken and beef curry, bean and potatoes in a coconut sauce, a lentil curry for the vegetarians, together with pol sambol, a mix of coconut chillies, lime and onions, with pappadums and date and lime pickle chutney as a garnish. I have to confess I enjoy Sri Lankan food, and the food the Sri Lankan Friendship Association provides is absolutely superb. A great tribute to those who and worked hard and prepared such a beautiful meal.
The young Sri Lankan cricketers, who are managed by a former distinguished Sri Lankan player, Mr M Devaraj were, I am told, quite surprised by the number of people at the function. The Sri Lankans beat the Australians three games to two in the one day internationals, or ODIs, played in Darwin, and should be a side to be reckoned with at the World Cup Competition in January. I am sure we will hear more of some who fared well in this tour in the years to come: Bhanuka Rajapakse, who scored 159 runs in the third ODI; Romesh Buddika, the Man of the Match in the fifth ODI; the wicket keeper/batsman Andre Berenger; and the medium pacer, Lahiru Jayaratne.
On the evening, there were two delightful cultural dances performed by the young girls and boys of the Sri Lankan community. These young people were very well trained and choreographed by a renowned Sri Lankan dancer, Chandana Herath, who now lives in Darwin. The very colourful costumes were made by Mrs Sumana Perera, a long-time resident of Darwin also.
I was happy to chat with Chandra, President of the SLAFA and his wife, Hemali Seneviratne and their son Gayan; Muni Kulatunga, husband of Brenda, Treasurer of the association; and Lalith Ramachandra, secretary of the association and also the MC for the evening. I was also pleased to catch up with Wagaman constituents, Dr Chandima de Alwis and his wife, Dr Himani Kariyawasam; Selva and Lalitha Selvaratnam and their son Shan; and young Dr Dev Thilakaratne who has come back to Darwin to work after graduating as a doctor. There were also constituents from Jingili: Walter and Claudette Perera, and Peter and Karuna Fernando and their children. Other members of the Sri Lankan community attending the function were Dr Ben Dayaratne and his wife, Bernie; Victor and Cassandra de Silva; Tyronne and Charmaine de Zilva; and Dr T Mahendrarajah. A great was evening enjoyed by all. Well done and congratulations to the organisers.
At Jingili Primary School, a few sportsmen deserve acknowledgement. Brayden McLennan participated in the NT Athletics Championships and was awarded the overall 2009 Outstanding Sprinter. What an achievement! To earn this title, Brayden won three gold medals, two silver, and one bronze. I am sure all members join with me in congratulating Brayden on his great effort. Also at Jingili was Georgia Kenna, who came fourth in the NT State Titles for BMX held at Satellite City, Palmerston last week. Well done, Georgia!
Congratulations also to the following students who have been selected to represent the northern suburbs schools in the SSNT/NT Athletics Championships held on 4, 5 and 6 September 2009: Jakisa Bachu, in the 100 m, 200 m, high jump, and shot put; and Naomi McLachlan in the 200 m, 800 m and high jump.
Whilst students are to be congratulated for their achievements, so too are teachers. Mid-year, Loretta Simmonds of Moil Primary School won a National Award for Excellence in Teaching School Music from the Australian Society for Music Educators. Loretta received a $5000 scholarship towards her own professional development and, together with her children, was flown to Tasmania to attend the awards ceremony. Loretta won the Special Commendation Teachers Award and of her it was said:
That is great rap for a great teacher, and a national acknowledgement for the wonderful work she has been doing in music education, and building our students in the Northern Territory in the creative arts, and giving them self-esteem and a sense of achievement through their efforts in the realm of music. There are many teachers in our secondary and primary school system who deserve such acknowledgement. It is great to hear acknowledgement, at a national level, of the teaching excellence within our schools. I certainly commend Loretta, and all teachers within our school system in the Northern Territory.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Deputy Speaker, I start by congratulating Debbie Page who has won gold at the World Masters Games in Sydney in the 50 to 55 age group. Debbie was seventh across the line in the 10 km road walk, and fourth fastest woman overall. She is from Alice Springs. Congratulations Debbie, it shows you how well you can do when you walk from Alice Springs to Sydney!
It has been one day since the introduction of the $6500 maximum fine for begging, through the Justice Legislation (Penalties) Amendment Bill put through by the Attorney-General, the member for Karama. The Chief Minister said, on ABC radio on 31 July, he could not believe somebody so impoverished and destitute that they were begging for money, could afford to pay that fine. He was referring to the $130 fine by Alice Springs Town Council for begging.
Chief Minister, your Attorney-General has put forward anyone begging, or humbugging as you might like to call it, should be a charged a maximum $6500. Someone who is begging for 50 cents will now be charged a maximum fine of $6500. Might I say, member for Brennan, that might be a way to get a house in the Northern Territory; beg for 50 cents, get a fine - it is a gaoling offence now. You can go to gaol and actually get a house! If you are homeless, beg for 50 cents, you can get a house and a $6500 fine.
I call on the Chief Minister to apologise to Mayor Damien Ryan, Deputy Mayor John Rawnsley, and all the councillors in Alice Springs for the contempt he showed when attacking them about the poor, impoverished and destitute begging for money who cannot afford to pay the fine. Now the Northern Territory government is imposing a $6500 maximum penalty with a possible prison sentence! The Chief Minister should publicly apologise to the Alice Springs Town Council. I would like to see it on Hansard; I would like to hear him say: ‘I am sorry Alice Springs Town Council, clearly you got it right at $130, and we got it wrong at $6500’. No one likes to see begging; no one likes to see humbugging. We want our streets clean, but we recognise some people do it tough. To give a $6500 fine for begging for 50 cents, that is quite, quite funny.
I would like to refer to an earlier debate tonight, where the member for Daly, the Minister for Housing, during a debt-laden Labor stimulus package debate, referred to my comments on a house at Irvine Street, owned by Territory Housing. As part of the stimulus package, they had to build two houses in Alice Springs. I said they knocked down a three-bedroom house in Irvine Street to build a brand new four-bedroom house; a complete waste of our future taxpayers’ dollars given the stimulus package is all borrowed money. The Minister for Housing was quite right. I did make a mistake. It was not Irvine Street, it was Spicer Crescent. Spicer Crescent had a three-bedroom house which had been empty for two years. There were two homeless girls living there, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old. The stimulus money was to build two houses in Alice Springs. Because there are no blocks in Alice Springs and they had time lines to meet, what were they going to do?
We know the minister cannot build an Aboriginal house, but when Kevin Rudd says do it, he has to. He found this house, empty for two years, perfectly structurally sound according to the builder, who built the four bedroom house on top of it. He kicked out those two young girls. I was not there at the time; I do not know what happened. I have made inquiries and have not been able to find the girls because no one knew their names. He knocked down the structurally sound three-bedroom house in Spicer Crescent. The construction of the four-bedroom house is nearly finished.
We spent $426 000 to build an extra bedroom and remove a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old from a house they were temporarily living in because there was no other accommodation in Alice Springs. That is disgraceful! That is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. It is absurd to kick the two girls out. Let us put the sting in the tail: the $426 000 did not include - this is how smart the minister for Housing is - the removal of asbestos. He did not stop to see if there was asbestos in the house. $426 000 to knock down a good house, build another one on top of it, and then got hit with another $50 000 to take the asbestos away.
Managing Territory taxpayers dollars, or should I say the dollars of our children, because all the stimulus money is borrowed, to pontificate about how good the federal Labor government is to be borrowing money to be spending it, I think is quite absurd.
I should explain my confusion. I may have accidentally said Irvine Street because of a long battle with the minister for Planning and the Minister for Business about helping people in three houses in Irvine Street who have problems with their boundary fences. Approval was given to build extensions over a fence line where the fence was not on the correct boundary. The people are now being told to remove their extensions because their house is built over the fence line. The Territory government cannot help them. Cannot help them at all, but they can knock down a perfectly good, vacant Territory government housing property and spend $426 000 to build a new house, plus $50 000 for asbestos. They cannot set aside $13 000 in Territory government fees to help move a boundary fence line on a plan.
This is the incompetence of the Minister for Housing. You cannot help people move a boundary fence on a plan for about $13 000, but you can spend $476 000 knocking down a perfectly good, structurally sound three bedroom house, kicking out a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl who were boarding there because they were homeless, to build a four bedroom house. That is absolutely disgraceful!
While we are talking about the stimulus package, we heard how good it is in the schools: they have new libraries, new halls, new fences, and all the bells and whistles. It is great; our kids will be paying it off for years, but it is great. There is one thing I would have preferred to see in our schools. I am sure the member for Katherine and the member for Drysdale are wondering what that is. It would have been an improvement in the NAPLAN test results. I have not been to all schools in the Northern Territory, but I can tell you of the schools I have been to, of the parents of students I have spoken to, I have not found one school which has beaten the national benchmark. Not one school!
I am happy for anyone to correct me if they know of one. I would like to see 10% of the Northern Territory public schools meet the benchmark in the NAPLAN test results. I would like to see 10%; I do not think there would be 5%. I would be happy to hear from the minister for Education. What a sad indictment that the Northern Territory government talks about how good it is Kevin Rudd has borrowed money from our children’s future to build infrastructure in these schools, but he still cannot get the poor kids to the national level of literacy and numeracy; cannot get to the national benchmark levels in those areas.
If anything, the stimulus money should have supported the teachers and students to get a better education, to provide tutoring services, to provide before and after school learning facilities, to improve school attendance. However, now everyone has a hall, a library, or a sports field, but no one meets the national testing. That is a disgrace in this whole stimulus debate, and it is a complete waste of money when your children cannot meet the test.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Deputy Speaker, the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards are - and I quote from the website –‘the oldest and largest poetry competition for school students in Australia’. They are arguably the pre-eminent poetry awards for school aged children in Australia.
There are nine awards handed out; there were eight until this year and then a ninth was added. I am pleased to advise the House that of those nine national awards, Katherine School of the Air won three. It is an absolutely outstanding effort on the part of two of the students who won awards, and the school which won the schools award! These are significant pieces of literature by virtue of the fact they have won awards at the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards. Because they are significant pieces of literature, I intend to enter them into the permanent records of the Parliamentary Record.
This poem is by Jayden Wilson of Nelson Springs Station. He won the award for the Learning Assistance and Special Education Primary. His poem is titled Nelson Springs - My Home:
Madam Deputy Speaker, that is from a primary school student.
I would also like to enter into the Parliamentary Record the winning poem from Drago Kalinic of Borroloola. He won the Learning Assistance and Special Education Secondary:
Exceptional poetry which stirs emotion.
Congratulations also to the School of the Air in picking up the Schools Award. It is a testament to the exceptional quality of the staff, the teachers, and all the people involved in looking after the students who attend the school from a distance. Under difficult circumstances they teach our young people who are the future. For people who have the disadvantage of living away from the school they attend, to write literature of such quality is inspiring.
I move on quickly to something which is related but will be hard to pick why it is related to begin with. It was the October Business Month dinner in Katherine on 10 October. First, I acknowledge the good things the Northern Territory government does and the October Business Month initiative is a good initiative. The dinners held in each of the major centres are a useful networking tool, and well worth continuing. I would like to see business dinners in other regional towns, but I understand there are difficulties associated with that.
The MC for the business dinner was Pete Davies, FM104.9. Two items were donated as lucky door prizes – one was a blackberry, and one was leather compendium. Pete’s idea, to his credit, was rather than give those prizes away as lucky door prizes, auction them to raise money for Katherine School of the Air. He took that on himself without knowing the success of the Katherine School of the Air and the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards. I thank Pete for doing this; it was an exceptionally thoughtful thing for him to do. I acknowledge the people who bought those items and donated them to the School of the Air - Alice Beilby, a local lady from Katherine, and Allen Carter, a local business man in Katherine. I am pleased to advise I will be able to pass on the money to the Katherine School of the Air. They raised $1200. That is so typical of the people of Katherine, who so often put their hands deep into their pockets to provide much needed funds for many of the organisations and charities in Katherine.
I thank everyone who attended, and also Morag Dwyer, who was instrumental in organising that particular function.
Mr BOHLIN (Drysdale): Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I rise to speak on several issues. First, I will talk about some of our older Palmerston residents who I have to give thanks to. One in particular is Maggie Schoenfisch. Maggie is in my office up to five times a week. I love her visiting, because she has so much energy for an older lady. She was runner up in last year’s Palmerston Australia Day Awards for all of her efforts in the Palmerston area and all her community work. One of the ones I unfortunately do not get to enough, but I enjoy going to, is the Alexander Day Club, which Maggie holds in the Gray community hall; a great venue but unfortunately the subject of crime on many occasions.
It is a lovely group of people Maggie helps out. The older residents are not as nimble as they used to be and they rely on other people to get them to the hall. Maggie helps out, or they catch a taxi. The Red Cross bus does not operate any more, and I think funding has been cut.
Maggie has contacted a Mr Stewart Knowles, who she was advised to speak to by the Transport Minister. He has provided her with a list of non-government organisations who receive grant funding. None of those people have been able to help Maggie with transport for about five senior Territorians. They do get a $5 voucher to help with transport, but there are problems. Not all taxis or mini-buses have the appropriate code readers for these vouchers. It does not amount to much money, but it means people go to these events, which are great social events, they are out, and when you get people out and about, it gives them that extra bit of life. I intend to work on resolving the issue with the taxis. We can work with the community also.
I come back to where the minister referred Maggie to Mr Stewart Knowles, and Stewart Knowles referred her to several non-government agencies. It leads us back to the letter from the Minister for Transport. Maggie is a great lady who tried to organise a trip for the University of the Third Age in Palmerston to go to the Territory Wildlife Park. She wrote to the Transport Minister seeking help in obtaining a bus or some other form of transport. I seek leave to table that document.
Leave granted
I will read the letter from the Minister for Transport.
The letter says:
It is great to tell Maggie of these free bus services, but no bus goes there. How ludicrous? It is one of our biggest attractions in the area, it is a magnificent park, we pump money into it, but we do not have public bus service running there. We do not service that area. We have tourists coming to the Territory, these fantastic senior people who want to go out and explore the Territory, but there is no bus service. It is a fantastic facility. We have tourists in town but no bus running to that area.
You wonder why sometimes the attendance rate is not too good. Not every tourist is going to get a taxi, a mini-bus, hire a coach, pedal, or hire a car to go there. If there was a bus, what an amazing idea! This could also support the existing community. Would it be viable? That is an interesting question. I suggest, in certain parts of the year, it would be more than viable. I have not done the figures; I am suggesting it could be viable.
I thank the Transport Minister for his letter telling Maggie Shoenfisch absolutely nothing. He told her to use a bus service which does not run, and then if you do not mind, because I know you are a pensioner and you have much money, hire a charter. What a joke!
Thank you, Maggie, you do a great job. You are a true Territorian who supports all her friends. You will see her at the markets. If anyone wants to come I will show you where she is, and I will introduce you to her. Fantastic lady! Kiwanis, she does not stop. She helps out everywhere. She is a JP; you will find her in the library as well.
I want to raise an issue and forewarn the Sports minister, who we do not hear much from. Hidden Valley Drag Strip was very lucky to get a $3m grant from the federal government, just before the Territory election, to upgrade their facilities. The election was more than a year ago, and to date this government is hindering serious progress in the purchase of a new scoreboard, which is made by an American company that has previously done business in Australia. Our government, through DPI, is procrastinating. Yes, there are protocols to be followed, but at the end of the day there is only one company to deal with. The will fly out and do the installation. However, they want payment in advance. The government says it does not do business that way. The money is there, the Wet Season will be finished, and all the opportunities to do this work will be another failure on the government’s behalf.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
STATEMENT BY SPEAKER
Birthday Wishes – Clerk Assistant,
Mr Graham Gadd
Birthday Wishes – Clerk Assistant,
Mr Graham Gadd
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr Graham Gadd on celebrating his 60th birthday today; he is hiding in the Sub-Table Office looking very celebratory. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very happy birthday.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr Elferink: Madam Speaker, he does not look a day over 70!
ASSEMBLY MEMBERS and STATUTORY OFFICERS (REMUNERATION and OTHER ENTITLEMENTS) AMENDMENT BILL (No 2)
(Serial 67)
(Serial 67)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move the bill be now read a second time.
Section 3 of the current Assembly Members and Statutory Officers (Remuneration and Other Entitlements) Act 2006 provides the basic salary of a member of the Legislative Assembly is to be the same as for a member of the federal House of Representatives, less $3000. The base pay of federal members of parliament is determined by the government of the day, after receiving advice from the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal. For some years, however, the arrangement has been parliamentary base pay has been linked to the principal executive officeholder pay level within the Commonwealth public service.
In September this year, the Remuneration Tribunal determined the pay rate for principal executive officeholders should be increased by 3%, with effect from 1 October 2009. Consequently, the base pay for members of the House of Representatives would also be increased by that amount from 1 October, as would the basic salary of members of the Territory’s Legislative Assembly if the current legislative provisions remain as they now stand.
Given the overall economic circumstances and the Northern Territory’s budgetary situation, the government considered whether (a) such an increase was justified; and (b) whether it was appropriate to continue to link the pay of members of the Assembly to pay movements of federal parliamentarians.
An essential component in considering these issues were the principles set out in the government’s recently announced Northern Territory Public Sector Wages Policy 2009-12. The public sector wages policy covers wage negotiations for the next four years. It sets out the government’s bargaining principles which include: keeping costs within defined parameters, and delivering increased efficiency, effectiveness and service outcomes across agencies. In particular, it provides bargaining outcomes will provide the salary increases of up to 2.5% per annum over the life of an agreement.
It would be difficult for the government to enter into wage negotiations with the public sector on the basis of these principles if we were not prepared to exercise similar restraint. Accordingly, it has been determined, from 1 October, the nexus with the federal sphere should be repealed and the base salary for MLAs from that date will be increased as per the terms of the government’s public sector wages policy - namely 2.5%.
Having determined that, this government wishes to clearly state this outcome should not be taken in any way as an adverse reflection on the contribution and efforts of honourable members. The dedication and sacrifices members make in the course of their duties needs to be acknowledged and recognised. Their service to the public and contribution to society should not be diminished or devalued in any way.
In this regard, I note the following passage in the report by the Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal in December 1999 when dealing with salaries and allowances for Senators and members of parliament:
- Past increases in parliamentary remuneration and allowances have been greeted with harsh criticism by some sections of the community. They have attracted a level of publicity that is usually reserved for major events. The persistence of such attitudes seems to be a curious feature of Australian political life. We expect our politicians to work hard and over long hours for the public good, to be astute leaders and legislators, and to manage the affairs of the nation with vision and the highest degree of integrity. Yet there is often adverse reaction when asked to remunerate them at an appropriate level.
In an effort to strike the right balance between an appropriate level of remuneration whilst, at the same time, leading the way and showing restraint in these difficult economic times, the proposed bill removes the nexus between the pay of MLAs and members of the House of Representatives, and provides instead for an increase in the base salary of MLAs of 2.5% effective from 1 October 2009. This increase coincides with the government’s position as set out in the Northern Territory Public Sector Wages Policy of 2009-12. It replaces the 3% increase which would have taken place from 1 October had the current legislation remained in place.
From the date of the next salary movement for general Northern Territory administrative and professional public sector employees, which will be in accordance with the terms of an agreement scheduled for completion in August 2010, the base salary of MLAs will be recalculated. The new rate of pay from the date specified in the agreement will be the base salary payable prior to 1 October 2009 adjusted by the percentage increase payable to the general Territory public sector. However, any such adjustment will be limited so it will not exceed the amount payable at that time to a member of the House of Representatives, less $3000.
From that date forward the base salary of members of the Legislative Assembly will be linked to general wage limits of the Territory public sector, except any future increase will be limited so, at the time of calculation, they do not exceed the amount payable to a member of the House of Representatives, less $3000.
It is the firm view of the government this new approach is responsible and restrained. We suggest it is more relevant to link wage movements of members of this House with those of the Territory public sector rather than federal politicians.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table the accompanying explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Pass Bill through all Stages
Pass Bill through all Stages
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent a bill entitled Assembly Members and Statutory Officers (Remuneration and Other Entitlements) Amendment Bill (No 2) 2009 (Serial 67) passing through all stages on Thursday, 22 October 2009.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Establishment of a Sessional Committee –
The Council of Territory Cooperation
Establishment of a Sessional Committee –
The Council of Territory Cooperation
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move:
(1) That the Legislative Assembly establish a Sessional Committee to be known as ‘The Council of Territory Cooperation’;
(2) That the committee facilitate:
(a) greater levels of collaboration in the governance of the Northern Territory;
(b) enhance parliamentary democracy by providing a strong role for members of the Legislative Assembly who are not members of the executive government, particularly on matters of common concern;
(c) expand involvement in important Northern Territory initiatives and projects;
(d) provide new avenues for Territorians to have input through the Legislative Assembly into the government of the Northern Territory; and
(e) provide a road map for tackling some specific issues currently facing the Territory.
(3) The committee consist of up to six members including two government members, two opposition members and at least one Independent member to be appointed by a subsequent resolution and that unless otherwise ordered, Mr Wood be appointed Chairman of the committee.
Duties of the committee
(4) That the committee inquire into, consider, make recommendations and report to the Assembly from time to time on the following matters of public importance:
(a) the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program (SIHIP);
(c) the planning scheme and the establishment of Weddell;
(d) A Working Future (including homelands policy);
(e) any other matter of public importance referred to it by the Legislative Assembly; and
(f) any matter of public importance concerned with the administration of matters of which ministers of the Territory have executive authority pursuant to the provisions of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act and Regulations (Commonwealth).
(5) That the provisions of paragraph (4) have effect notwithstanding the terms of reference of other Assembly committees.
(6) That the committee determine appropriate time frames and work plans and the priority for consideration of matters referred to it;
(7) That, notwithstanding paragraph (4) above, the committee report to the Assembly as soon as possible after 30 June each year on its activities during the preceding financial year;
(8) That in the event of an equality of voting, the member chairing the committee shall have a casting vote;
(9) That the committee have power to appoint subcommittees and to refer to any such subcommittee any matter which the committee is empowered to examine.
(10) That three members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee and two members of a subcommittee constitute a quorum of the subcommittee.
(11) That the committee or any subcommittee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to adjourn from place to place, to meet and transact business in public or private session and to sit during any adjournment of the Assembly.
(12) That the committee shall be empowered to print from day to day such papers and evidence as may be ordered by it and, unless otherwise ordered by the committee, a daily Hansard shall be published of such proceedings of the committee as take place in public.
(13) That the committee have leave to report from time to time and any member of the committee has power to add a protest or dissent to any report.
(14) That any report tabled by the committee which recommends action by the government, shall within three months from the date of tabling of such report generate an information paper in response to the report and that the Assembly has the capacity to take note of the response.
(15) That unless otherwise ordered by the committee, all documents received by the committee during its inquiry shall remain in the custody of the Assembly provided that, on the application of a department or person, any document, if not likely to be further required, may, in the Speaker’s discretion, be returned to the department or person from whom it was obtained.
(16) That members of the public and representatives of the news media may attend and report any public sessions of the committee, unless otherwise ordered by the committee.
(17) That the committee may authorise the broadcasting of public hearings of the committee under such rules as the Speaker considers appropriate.
(18) That the committee shall be provided with all necessary staff, facilities and resources and shall be empowered, with the approval of the Speaker, to appoint persons with specialist knowledge for the purposes of the committee.
(19) That the committee be empowered to consider the minutes of proceedings, evidence taken and records of committees established in previous Assemblies; and
(20) That the foregoing provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders.
Madam Speaker, the intention behind the creation of the Council of Territory Cooperation is to change the political culture in the Northern Territory. When this council arose through the discussions held between me and the member for Nelson, our intention was to create a body within the parliamentary system which would open up the Legislative Assembly and its processes to more people to provide greater input. We wanted a body which would allow scrutiny of the work being done at an officer level on the ground, and for input into the way policy is developed and implemented.
The member for Nelson will speak for himself but, from my point of view, I have held the belief, in a parliamentary system which is small, where there is one Chamber, where the normal run of events is for an executive to govern for the four years it is elected, it is even more important to have mechanisms in place which provide avenues for all elected members and for others in the community to have input into governance. For me, it is a logical extension of the policies the government has introduced to open up and make more transparent the processes of government and, importantly, to bring in from outside of government advice, input and ideas.
No matter what your politics, members would have to agree this government has introduced a significant raft of reforms which have made the processes of government more transparent than they were before. We have introduced: freedom of information legislation, whistleblowers laws, the Estimates Committee, fixed four-year parliamentary terms, a modern Members Pecuniary Interest Act, a code of conduct for members, and a new Ombudsman’s Act with additional powers.
We have imposed a very public discipline on ourselves by publicly reporting on the progress of our election commitments every June and November. No government in the nation does this. Furthermore, we are the first government in the Territory to bring non-elected people into the Cabinet process through the Territory 2030 subcommittee of Cabinet.
I believe the Council of Territory Cooperation will bring about a fundamental shift in the way we do business, both in this House and as a democracy. It will bring an increased transparency to the decision-making processes of government, and it will ensure all members of parliament have an understanding of the pressures and drivers that lead to certain decisions. This transparency will lead to better government decision-making and better understanding of those decisions by parliamentarians and the public. It should also lead to a more informed and sophisticated commentary on these decisions by the media and the opposition.
The Territory is at the cusp on a period of great economic and social development, and government will be faced with challenges which have not been faced before. In facing these challenges, government may have to make hard decisions which upset some sectors of our community. Transparency provided by this agreement will mean a better understanding and, hopefully, acceptance of such decisions.
This council brings openness and transparency, but it also brings responsibility. This reform will be brought into disrepute if it is used to politicise and as a weapon to embarrass. The council is at liberty through its self-referencing power to look at whatever issues it wants. I hope the council will take the opportunity to focus on the big issues. The Territory is on the cusp of significant social and economic developments and I hope the council will assist the government in addressing the challenges of that development.
It should also address issues such as what we want our cities and towns to look like as their populations grow and even double. How are we going to ensure Indigenous Territorians share the economic life of the Territory whilst living and enjoying their cultural heritage? How do we balance our lifestyle aspirations with the demand of sustainability, both in economic and environmental terms? These are the big issues. If the council takes on these big strategic issues, it will become a key and respected institution in Territory political life. Of course, if the focus is short-term political gain, then the public will see it as business as usual and an opportunity will have been lost.
The committee will be able to call senior public servants and, in some cases, private citizens involved in the delivery of such programs. It is not intended ministers appear before the committee in the interests of keeping politics out of the committee as much as possible. Ministers, of course, will continue to answer the parliament through Question Time, and the Estimates Committee in particular.
Government must and will continue to make decisions whilst the council is considering issues. The government has a responsibility to govern, but I commit my government to listening and to taking advice from the council. One aspect of our system we all will fight to preserve is, ultimately, the people judge us. They will judge us on the decisions we make, how and why we make them, and how well we implement them. The government will govern. This may, on occasion, lead to some tension between the government and the committee, but I assure the House we will keep that to a minimum; we will listen; we will take advice.
Madam Speaker, I conclude where I began. This motion provides an opportunity for the Territory to do something different; an opportunity for us to lead the nation in the way parliament is conducted and the way business of governments is facilitated. It is an exciting moment in our history, and one which, I believe, will be viewed by future generations as a significant opening up of the parliamentary process.
There is a lot of detail here regarding the duties of the committee. In discussions I have had with the member for Nelson, and also brief discussions with the Leader of the Opposition and other members, the immediate matters of public importance - SIHIP; local government reform; the planning scheme and the establishment of Weddell; A Working Future, including the homelands policy - are all big-picture issues for the Northern Territory. Regarding the politics around these issues, these are all issues this parliament wants us to get right on behalf of the people of the Northern Territory.
I see this committee very much working to facilitate good, well-informed advice and recommendations to government to make the Territory a better place for all Territorians, and not turn into some political adversarial process. This House provides for opportunities for the political adversarial process to test issues.
This is groundbreaking reform. Whilst speaking with the Clerk - who everyone in this House recognises is an absolute expert in the institutions which have evolved through the Westminster parliamentary system - nothing like this has evolved through the Australian parliamentary system; we are breaking new ground. I go into this process with my eyes wide open, and in the firm belief if the members of this council genuinely work together to get to the bottom of issues - the big-picture policy issues which face the Northern Territory with our strong population growth, our strong economic growth, the absolute desire and passion of everybody in this House to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage - if we can bring people to the committee to bring forward ideas and suggestions, to be asked questions of by the committee and, ultimately, reports come back to this House in a genuine way to facilitate better outcomes for Territorians, this will be a success.
This committee is going to be open to the public. I look forward to the people of the Northern Territory coming before this committee with ideas and information for the committee to consider and report back to government. The strength of this committee is it is open to the public. There is going to be transparency around all of this. As well as being open to the public, the committee will be open to the media - again, a reform in government. We were the government which allowed television cameras into this parliament for the first time during broadcast Question Time.
Madam Speaker, you have facilitated the streaming of parliament over the Internet for people to follow if they so wish, not only in Question Time but through all debates of the parliament.
The Estimates Committee is a public process, and members of the media are invited, and so they will be to the deliberations of this committee.
This is all about the evolution of parliamentary democracy in the Northern Territory. I believe it is a good step forward. I urge this House to seize the opportunity this council provides - which is to better inform all of us, as parliamentarians, on the issues and challenges facing the Northern Territory and the opportunities the Northern Territory has into the future, given strong economic and population growth and our natural competitive advantage in a whole range of issues - to ensure the decisions this parliament and the government, ultimately, make are well informed, well considered, and for the betterment of the people of the Northern Territory.
Madam Speaker, I commend this motion to the House.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I welcome the motion from the Chief Minister. The introduction and passing of this motion today establishing the Council of Territory Cooperation is a new approach which, in some small way, I hope, will lead to better governance of the Northern Territory.
I know all in this parliament are here because we believe we can do something for the betterment of the people of the Territory. I have felt for a long time there are some issues where, by working together, we may achieve a better result rather than spending our time trying to prove to the public this party is better than that party. Some may say that is what the Westminster system is all about; it is adversarial by its nature and is the best way to achieve outcomes. If yesterday’s Question Time is a reflection of that, well, I rest my case. No doubt, the Westminster system will continue, but it should not stop new approaches to governance being tried.
This CTC, which is part of the August agreement between the Chief Minister and me, has this as its basis in an attempt to put party differences to one side and work together to try to develop better policies and achieve improvements in our society by opening up the processes to public scrutiny. The agreement sets out how this can be facilitated under the heading, ‘Purpose of the committee’, which says the committee facilitate:
(a) greater levels of collaboration in governance of the Northern Territory;
(a) the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program;
(c) the planning scheme and establishment of Weddell;
(d) A Working Future, including homelands policy;
(e) any other matter of public importance referred to it by the Legislative Assembly;
In other words, this committee can self-refer issues it would like to investigate.
How many issues the CTC can manage at one time will be a matter for the committee to decide. It will, naturally, have to work within a budget and also to decide what is achievable from a practical point of view, with members having to balance other committee duties, their electorate responsibilities, bearing in mind some may live away from Darwin.
The committee will also have the ability, through the Speaker, to appoint specialist persons for the purposes of the committee. This will allow more detailed scrutiny of specific issues where people with qualifications or prior experience will be able to assist the committee during its hearings. The committee will have to report to parliament as soon as possible after 30 June each year. Any report tabled by the committee which recommends action by the government shall, within three months from the date of tabling, generate an information paper response to the report and the Assembly has the capacity to take note of the report.
In keeping with the concept of openness and transparency, clause 16 states that:
- That members of the public and representatives of the news media may attend and report any public sessions of the committee, unless otherwise ordered by the committee.
This is certainly the right approach. This allows for the public to have a better understanding of the issues which are important in the Northern Territory by the public reporting of proceedings. It also means departments can publicly explain what they are doing in relation to certain government initiatives they are responsible for, and tell the committee what problems they are encountering, or successes they are achieving. This will make for a more accountable public service and, by its nature, a better government.
Some may say the committee should have the power to force ministers to hearings. First, under the standing orders for committees, this has never been the case. Second, I believe this committee is about investigating, scrutinising, making recommendations, and reporting on a whole range of matters of public importance. It will do that by talking to people at the coalface who are involved in the operations of government’s projects. Having ministers involved risks politicising the process. That does not mean a minister cannot attend. If invited, they may be happy to attend but, unless by motion of parliament, cannot be forced to attend. A minister can still be questioned in parliament in Question Time, which is appropriate and where the politics can take place.
There is no doubt this new council will have some teething problems but, if there is goodwill on all sides of the political spectrum, then I believe it can work for the benefit of the Territory. If there needs to be change to improve the committee, then I am sure it can be allowed for.
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his cooperation, at least giving the council a go, and for the member for Port Darwin for raising some issues in relation to the wording of the motion.
Naturally, Madam Speaker, I very much welcome and support this motion. I reiterate it is something new, something positive, something a little different, and something I feel will be good for the Northern Territory.
Mr MILLS (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, this presents honourable members with a real challenge. For those of us who have been in this Chamber for some time, we are drawn here from our own life experience and our expectations of what we can achieve in this parliament. Of course, all of us would reflect in our private times we are frustrated and take comfort, perhaps, from time to time, in the words of Winston Churchill, it has to be the worst system ever devised to manage the affairs of society, except any other. So, it has its faults, without a doubt.
However, look around at other systems in other places and you have to come to the conclusion what we have in parliamentary democracy is the best system – the Westminster system - when contrast with the alternatives. We all know no system, of itself, is perfect, nor is any constitution which binds any group perfect. You can have exemplary constitutions which describe all sorts of intentions, desires, aims, and objectives and, if you have people of ill will, it will not work. With a good constitution, having people with other motives will not make it work. You can have an inferior, deficient constitution, and people of goodwill, and it will work. There is the nub of this.
In and around this there is the word ‘hope. We hope this will work. The member for Wanguri and I both had a moment of dj vu, recognising how long we have been here, when we celebrated and recognised 60 years for Mr Gadd. Bang! I heard it the other day and it was the 50th. We have been here for 10 years. Nine of those years I served on committees. For those who have been here for some time and served on committees, sometimes, looking back at the experience, you wonder whether you can actually have hope all that activity and meeting time actually produced something.
I have an excellent report which came from the Substance Abuse Committee. It is good reading - sad reading too. However, what changes have occurred as a result of those meetings? Some, perhaps. The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee I have been on for nine years, and Statehood. How many times we have been inspired, excited about what could possible be, and it becomes quite a challenge to continue with real hope there is going to be real changes as a result of your meetings and your times together.
Honestly, weigh it up. Is this new construct going to, in fact, achieve the desired objective? Maybe after all this time in parliament, I have become a little cynical and I have to be careful I do not bring that cynicism to be the sole judge of this. I have to recognise what is also in the public interest. What does the community want? They would like us to give it a go and try to work a better way forward in their interests. I have to balance it with my own cynicism, having seen the behaviour of governments, and this government in particular. It is quite difficult to launch in with a completely sanguine view this is going to be really good. I have my serious reservations for a number of reasons. Those reservations sit alongside the expectation of our broader community to see some form of leadership. I say to those who have an expectation of us, I will not allow leadership to be subject to naivety; that being, to rush on and say it is going to be really good. I go in with serious reservations; the opposition has serious reservations. Nonetheless, in balance, there is a decision to give it a go in the best interests of those who look to us for leadership.
I need to talk about the reservations, because those reservations are not just borne out of a political standpoint because, if we were to play sheer politics with this, of course, we would be playing hard ball. I too saw the footage from Question Time on Channel 9 News last night. I was a former educator who sat up there in the gallery with kids, many years ago, and thought, hmm. We have an obligation, but we also need to recognise, in order for decisions to be made, those decisions have to be properly tested, therefore, we have robust debate. We also have to recognise there is the issue of authority, and the authority granted by a community to govern and lead on their behalf, has to be properly tested. We have that issue: there is a government duly elected which needs to be held to account.
Will this vehicle hold the government to account? Is that its objective? Is the reform to allow better decision-making because, at the end of the day, that is what it is about - better decision-making in the interests of the community. In my experience, I am growing tired of things which are constructed for superficial reasons. The first alert, the alarm bell rang, when this vehicle was constructed as a select committee, which describes it as a temporary vehicle. Being temporary, the nature of a temporary vehicle is to achieve a short-term objective. What is the short-term objective? It is a political crisis of the government and, it being temporary, we then manage to get ourselves through this by constructing this temporary vehicle called the Council of Territory Corporation, and we move on.
We talked about this on Monday. Does that fundamentally change the nature of the problem? As I said, I am very troubled by responses to serious matters with a superficial response. I am pleased at least my colleague, the member for Port Darwin, was able to present this issue to the government and the member for Nelson, to say, by very virtue of it being a temporary vehicle, a select committee, it should at least be sessional to show it is a fixture - a part of the parliamentary process in a more permanent nature rather than a temporary nature. That shows there is some willingness to move. I have to respect and acknowledge that; that is good.
There is much use of the word ‘reform’. Three definitions come to mind, one being improving something by removing faults. I would like to have a dissection of what the faults, in fact, are. Is it the fault we just do not get on with each other and we should all work together and have a good time in this Chamber, and enjoy our time on committees, and say: ‘Gee, that was really good. I enjoyed work today getting on with the guys on the other side’. It could well be nave because, as the member for Wanguri went to watch the grand final of Geelong and St Kilda, I do not think the grandstand would be very pleased if everyone all got on and had a good time on the football field. The nature of politics is also a contest; it is a contest of ideas and debate; it is a battle of ideas. How we conduct ourselves in the debate is the issue. Will this vehicle address the fundamental fault? Will it improve the quality of debate, and argument, rationale, and analysis of issues? Will it result in greater levels of honesty and accountability of government because, ultimately, that is where the pressure must come to bear?
Without pressure you do not have change. Without having something checked, you do not have any alteration of behaviour. We know the fundamental: unless it is checked it is not done. So will it change the fault? I am fearful of, and have grave reservations, for the superficial nature of this without the clear dissection analysis of what the underlining fault is. Will it fix it? There is a little problem there. Nonetheless, I am going to weigh that carefully and we, as the opposition, will continue to monitor.
Another definition of reform is to reorganise and improve. When you think of that, the cynic in me says you can reorganise deck chairs on a ship, but unless you change the direction of the vessel nothing changes, perhaps just the view for a time, which is then called reform. Reform is, in fact, changing the direction of the vessel, not reorganising the seating arrangements. Will it really change things? I have to weigh that up. I have been around for long enough, and take my job seriously enough, as do my fellow colleagues, to not rush in. There are reservations on that front, and I put them on the record.
There is another definition for reform, and that is character improvement. That is probably getting to the nub of it - that is reform: an alcoholic, a reformed alcoholic; a smoker, a reformed smoker, and so on. It is the change of the attitude born from a change and the way you think and respond to issues as parliamentarians. I believe that is what this is hoping to achieve. I hope it does but, given we have seen, as a result of the pressure brought to bear upon government by virtue of the crisis - in fact, being a minority government sustained by the will of an Independent - they have had a road to Damascus experience and embarked on all sorts of remarkable reforms. Only because of the pressure! Will this vehicle apply pressure? Will it provide the required scrutiny, at the required level, to reform the way in which decision-making occurs within a government?
We all know in this Westminster system, ultimately, in politics it is not until the pressure is brought to bear change, in fact, comes. When the people line up outside Parliament House, for example regarding TIO, then government changes its mind. It takes a lot of power to move a government. In fact, it takes a lot of pressure to move anyone from their particular point of view. Will this vehicle have the required power to shift the view, change the attitude, and reform the way things occur? That is the question: will it?
In considering this, I came to a conclusion, having weighed what I understood and what I thought it meant to embark upon reform, as was described when we had the historic gathering here concerning the vote of no confidence. Then, we had the decision of the member for Nelson. He spoke of holding government to account, and the desire for significant reform. I have weighed the spirit of those words and I want to see they are, in fact, applied now in the same manner in which they were uttered then. I have to weigh that up and assess that.
I thought to follow that through and be practical and pragmatic about the nature of this game, the Public Accounts Committee would be the better vehicle to apply this idea. It is actually a part of the architecture of the parliament; it sits in other parliaments - and, by the way, recognise this parliament does not have a Senate above it as a house of review, so we are trying to find some way, with checks and balances, so we have a Public Accounts Committee with enlarged powers such as self-reference, public access, media access which would be a better positioned vehicle to achieve this objective.
I am still persuaded of that view, and it would not be a temporary vehicle, but a permanent alteration of the architecture of our parliament to provide that capacity. I say now, I believe it is the better approach, but I am the Opposition Leader and we are talking about the need to cooperate. Notwithstanding the very serious reservations and my own experience which has given me a particular view of things, and weighing up what the community’s expectations of us are, I have to finally adjudicate and make a decision. We still do not know how much it will cost. It has been described in meetings in general terms, but we do not have on the record how much this will cost us, who will be on it, or which people are proposed to be put on it. It will test, in some significant ways, the senior ministers, for example, who are on this Council of Territory Cooperation.
When one looks at the Public Accounts Committee and its extension into estimates, all of us, even though we be weary, leave estimates thinking it was a good experience. We had the chance to speak to a minister; to ask questions of a senior public servant, and get a better understanding of particular issues. Even ministers say, ‘I actually learned some things, too’, which I find surprising - I thought they would be completely across everything. However, that aside, we feel the estimates process has been a really good process and we actually come out of the other end of it, all of us, with a better understanding.
So, it is my view, and the view of my colleagues, a far better vehicle would be an enhanced Public Accounts Committee with its own self-referencing capacity, external access to public and media, and with its extension into estimates. It would be a vehicle better positioned to achieve the objective in real terms.
Having said all of that - and it sits on the record and will stay there - what has been described and deliberated by the Territory opposition will remain as witness to our decision as a parliament. We will respect the decision of the parliament in the interests of the wider community. Yet, be fully aware we have very real reservations, but will endeavour to use this vehicle to advance the best interests of Territorians and, never for a moment, the best interests of the Territory government - whoever they may be.
Ms LAWRIE (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I congratulate both the Chief Minister and the member for Nelson for coming up with the idea of a Council of Territory Cooperation, and for the work they have done since August in establishing the terms of reference for this committee. The idea of the council, of course, had its genesis during the quite dramatic circumstances we saw in August. Both the Chief Minister and the member for Nelson, at the time, had a great many issues on their minds to deal with, and were both under a great deal of pressure. Yet, it is a credit to both of them, during this time, they were able to work through the issues and come up with such an innovative idea.
I believe the political culture of the Territory has been evolving and improving in recent years. The intention behind the creation of the Council of Territory Cooperation is to further improve the political culture of the Northern Territory. The Territory is a crossroads of enormous growth and development. Unity is what is required to move the Territory forward in the best possible way. We are far too small a jurisdiction to be tied up with tearing ourselves apart instead of taking advantage of the opportunities which lie before us. The nature of politics often leads to division, but the lessons of the past are we cannot afford to go back to the days of blame and divide which is not to the benefit of Territorians.
This council will be about working together without the politics of division. It will be about harnessing the knowledge and talent of Territorians, whether they be in local government, big-, small-, medium-sized enterprises, public servants, researchers, industry organisations and representatives or, indeed, the broader public. Through this council, they will have an opportunity to have their say in what we hope will be a cooperative environment.
I understand the reservations of the Leader of the Opposition, but I sincerely urge the opposition to get on board. I believe this is a true test of the Leader of the Opposition’s leadership. He often talks about the importance of getting beyond politics - well, here is his chance; this is his test. Of course, there will still be a place for politics – it is in this Chamber and in the media commentary we make outside this Chamber. However, let us try to take the politics out of the Council of Territory Cooperation and genuinely pursue the intent of the council – a significant challenge.
As Treasurer, looking at the argument we should just morph the PAC into this role, the Public Accounts Committee is about scrutinising the accounts of government. Appropriately so, the estimates process scrutinises the budgets and expenditure of government. The council has a far broader remit than that. It is not just about the financials, the accounts, the resources and how those resources are being used. Surely, it is also about the policy settings; about how those policy setting evolve - and policy by its nature should evolve, it has evolved, and it must continue to evolve.
You cannot and should not just look through the issues confronting the Territory through the prism of the accounts and the funding. If we did that we would achieve little. What the government often sets for test in government is say: ‘We know the resources are limited’. To put it in context, the Territory has a $4.2bn budget, yet when you look at housing need alone, unmet housing need outstrips the entire Territory budget. When you look at the outstanding road needs, it outstrips the entire Territory budget. So, if you continue to look through just the prism of the resources available, you will not find the solutions. You need to find the pathways to the solutions through the policy settings and through understanding better practices, and how they exist. That is often through listening to the researchers who are specialists in their field, by understanding what practices occur elsewhere, how they could, potentially, be adapted and modified to suit the Territory? This is the way.
I know the Council of Territory Cooperation has planning as one of the references on the list it will get to and work through. Again, planning is far broader and wider than the resources attached to facilitate the planning functions and processes - how many planners you have employed, how you are funding your development assessment processes to ensure they meet the timeliness required, etcetera. Planning is far broader than that; it is far broader than resources and the accounts. It is about genuinely understanding how you engage and involve the community in the evolution of contemporary planning practices, what those planning practices are, what the urban policy requirements are to achieve sustainability …
Mr Tollner: Contemporary planning practices, you have to be joking.
Ms LAWRIE: I hear the member for Fong Lim chuckling. I am very interested to know who the opposition have going on this Council of Territory Cooperation, because that is also a test of the Leader of the Opposition’s leadership. If the member for Fong Lim is going on it …
Mr Mills: Do not lecture us. Who is on it from your side?
Ms LAWRIE: … well, you will be putting the Wilson Tuckey of Territory politics on there.
Mr Mills: Okay, we are off to a good start.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order!
Ms LAWRIE: As I was saying, you can sit there chuckling, when I am talking about the opportunity the council has to thoroughly look at contemporary planning practices, understand the evolution of urban policy, understand the sustainability coming through much of the planning practices, and where we need to evolve, because we have such enormous challenges right across the Territory.
I look forward, as Planning minister, to debate and discussion by the council - bringing the expertise in for considered debate and discussion within the council and getting the recommendations from the council. Ill behove a government not prepared to listen, not prepared to engage at grassroots community level, but also at the level of bringing in expertise. There are many experts in this field here in the Territory now. Equally, there are many experts in this field broadly in our nation, and we bring some of that expertise into …
Mr Elferink: Your argument is not helping the opposition one bit.
Ms LAWRIE: The urban design advisory panel is part of a body of experts. Real opportunities exist in this council to genuinely and openly consider what the picture looks like across those challenges - real opportunities. At the end of the day, we are here to serve Territorians, and this council gives us an added opportunity to serve them better, and, as I say, away from the blame and the divide which occurs in the heat of this Chamber and in the arguments we all do through the media. Leave that out of this council, is my urging to the opposition.
In terms of the question of who should be on it, well, of course, we have had a discussion and deliberated on who would be well served to sit on the council to serve the interests of the Territory cooperatively. The members for Fannie Bay and Arafura have both put their hands up and said: ‘We are keen to be on this. We see the potential for it, and we want to be engaged in this process’. They have the full support of all their colleagues to be the government representatives on the council. They genuinely want to be engaged, going in with the right mindset, with the right approach, to see what can come out of this council for the benefit of Territorians - not to score political points, none of that; it is genuine. It is helpful and useful we have a combination of an urban-based member and a bush-based member. That value adds to the council’s deliberations, and that is a good outcome.
There is a desire by the government to be genuine, take the blame, take the division, leave that away from the council, and genuinely bring in the debate and discussion of the experts - people who understand the Territory, and listen and learn and see what evolves out of that. Policy, by its nature, evolves, and it should evolve.
This is an enormous opportunity for us. Like anything, it will work if people genuinely want it to work. Across all members of the council, it will work if people genuinely want it to work. Why do I say that? When I was chair of the Environment Committee, it had a couple of very seasoned, very senior politicians on it, and a few newbies. The seasoned politicians on it were former CLP ministers, Steve Dunham and Tim Baldwin. I was a newbie, the member for Nelson was a newbie, and so was the then member for Barkly. We commenced an inquiry into the incursion of cane toads into the Territory.
Each and every one of us went into the committee with a mind to genuinely look at the issues and inquire. We did not go in with preconceived ideas of what the outcomes would be. A few of us had a view - I certainly had a view we had to tackle the incursion. The former ministers had a view, probably limited, as to how you could tackle it. We arrived at a series of agreed recommendations which, today, I believe, have stood the test of time. We have seen the groundswell of community support in tackling cane toads which had its genesis in a genuine inquiry by a parliamentary committee to go down the path, to listen to the researchers and experts.
We did not have division and politics in the committee. It was a good process, a sound process, and I believe a very sound outcome as a consequence. There are examples in the Northern Territory legislative processes, in committees, where you get those good, genuine outcomes.
I congratulate the Chief Minister and the member for Nelson for coming up with the Council of Territory Cooperation. I will provide every support and encouragement to my colleagues, the members for Fannie Bay and Arafura, in the work they are doing. I thank them for putting their hand up for taking on the task. We all know it requires time, effort and energy, and I am genuinely available to provide information and support. I look forward to the outcomes of council.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I have long weighed up what this particular committee means in my mind’s eye, and whether we should acquiesce on this side of the House to be part of it. There are strong arguments for and against our participation.
I listened carefully to what both the Chief Minister and the Treasurer had to say on this issue, and it is hard to believe from their lips come the words of reconciliation and cooperation, when only such a short time ago ‘suck it up, boys’ was the attitude from the other side of the House.
The Leader of the Opposition referred to a road to Damascus rediscovery of oneself. If one reads those sections of the Bible you realise Saul, who after his conversion became Paul, was confronted with a truth so undeniable he turned his faith and his whole life around. I hope this was the motivation of a government which had suddenly been confronted by the truth of what they had been doing so, absolutely, it was no longer a tenable position on any construct for them to continue behaving the way they were.
The facts surrounding this road to Damascus conversion, which we see in front of us, are less than entirely reassuring that the motivation is one of grace and more one of necessity. If one considers Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I suspect we are still at the bottom rung, the baser rung of the particular hierarchy, regarding what is motivating this government to make these decisions. Nevertheless, we now find ourselves in the situation where the government is mouthing the words of cooperation and reconciliation in relation to how we proceed as a self-governing jurisdiction.
The decision to go down this path has been articulated in the past by the member for Nelson who has said in the past, and prior to this actual motion being brought before the House, he would like to see government work as a council where there are no political parties and the best interest of the jurisdiction is always considered.
There are practical problems with that issue, which had not been considered by the member for Nelson when he came into this place and decided to give a lifeline to the decrepit and dying government of the Chief Minister. The people, in spite of what the Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition said at the time, were certainly anxious for an election - or that is my belief, at least.
When the member for Nelson described in the no confidence motion what he wanted, I was so curious I was moved to ask him what exactly this committee would look like. His answer was: ‘I do not know’. So I pursued him on the matter, and the question. I asked: ‘Is this a subcommittee of Cabinet, or are we talking about a parliamentary committee, or what?’ He said: ‘I do not know, I have not had enough time to figure it out’ - or words to that effect.
It immediately raised some concerns amongst people in the community, not least of which were many lawyers who were saying: ‘Goodness gracious me, is this thing even going to be constitutional?’ If it were a subcommittee of the Cabinet, it would offend section 33 of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act, so that could not be done.
If it was going to be run like a council, then the practical problems of the separation of powers would immediately apply because, if the council approach was going to be taken, we must remember how councils work. Councils work because you get elected to a council and you sit as a Cabinet, and then you make executive decisions, and the executive arm of the council does its business. The next tier up in our governmental system separates those powers because of the enormity of the decisions being taken. So, it is impossible for us to apply a council model. We, as a parliament, could not sit as a Cabinet of 25 and could not produce the same types of decisions in the process described by the member for Nelson.
Finally, this has all been realised by the government itself - and I expect they received advice from Solicitor-General – so, ultimately, the only place that this could go was a parliamentary committee - the motion we are debating now.
I pause briefly to talk about adversarial systems and, as much as people do not like them, they do have the effect of keeping governments on their toes. We know the Treasurer is not one who likes conceding points at all, because it is a matter of pride - not only pride, but integrity for ministers to be able to do their jobs completely. When a minister finally gets pushed into a position where they have to acknowledge they have missed a point or overlooked a point, it is not something they do with any pleasure. The adversarial system works because it actually appeals to some of our baser elements. One of those base elements is we are proud of what we do, and we do not like to be wrong. It is easier and often more productive to work that little harder than to be criticised in public. That is one of the advantages of the adversarial system.
Often, oppositions do as much to keep governments in government than gain government themselves through that process, because they make governments better at what they do. I am sure the Housing Minister does not look forward to coming into this Chamber some days in the current environment because he does not like the criticism which comes his way. My goodness, I hope it motivates him to do his job better, which is one of the upsides of the adversarial system - it looks confronting, it is confronting, but confrontation leads to motion from governments.
However, the separation of powers is what a council approach would offend. It could not work under the current structures of the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act, which is a federal act, nor does it in any way reflect the conventions we have adopted from the British system - it just would not work.
What we are left with is a model which was not envisaged by the member for Nelson. What we now have is a model which the member for Nelson acknowledges is the only vehicle - I suspect will acknowledge - which can effectively work. We are expected, by the member for Nelson as well as the government, to approach this council in good faith. The government has acknowledged, or suggested, it is prepared to work in good faith. That will be the approach I expect members on this side of the House to take when this council is announced. However, let us not be unmindful of the fact that what the member for Nelson said he expected and what we are getting are actually quite structurally and substantially two different things.
It was also put together in a hurry. It is clear from reading the motion - I still have some minor issues with the motion as it is currently written, but nothing that is going to cause any major grief - it was a motion that was quickly put together. That was clear in the first draft I read, in it being a select committee. Select committees are, by their very definition - and I am not going to quote, I cannot lay my hands on it right now – basically, deal with a single issue, and then they cease to exist when they report. To describe this as a select committee demonstrates how quickly this thing is being rolled out. A lack of thought and preparation may, ultimately, manifest itself in the way the committee operates. I hope the committee and the government would be prepared, should it need, to change the terms of reference from this House to the committee in a way which will satisfactorily deal with those issues, should they arise.
One such issue is the inoculation of ministers from being brought before the committee to advise it. I already believe that diminishes the capacity of this committee and the expectations outlined by the member for Nelson during the period of the no confidence motion. The reason I believe that is because there is an expectation this committee is actually higher, bigger, and better than what happens in this place and out there in the public mind; that we should be working together to achieve an outcome.
I also note from the terms of reference for this committee there is no obligation on government to feel, in any way, compelled to do anything other than respond to what the committee says. We have to be mindful of the track record of this government’s attitude towards this parliament. Only now that they are fighting for their lives have they taken on the conciliatory mantle. Moreover, there is a motion on the books of this House which should compel government to move the prison - and the response from government has been abject indifference to this House. They do so at their own peril. To feel and to indicate they will not be compelled by this committee’s input, for its own policy settings, to me, is a matter of concern. I will look very closely, as I suspect members of this side of the House will, at how this government responds to the recommendations of policy settings of government, should government receive reports from this committee - and I suspect they will.
It is now incumbent on government to cooperate with this committee in every way possible. Despite the fact a minister is not compelled to give evidence before a committee of this nature, I hope ministers would feel enthusiastic about doing so, and avail themselves should the committee ask them to do so. The reason being is, often - and read House of Representatives Practice - the vast majority of people who become before parliamentary committees want to be there. It is not because they are being dragged there; it is because they actually want to contribute to the processes of improving our community. I hope ministers maintain a similar predisposition towards this committee. I ask Cabinet to discuss this matter and turn their minds to it because, whilst they will not be compellable under this arrangement, they may still have a valuable contribution to make.
As a matter of point - and I know I am not breaching a privilege; we have had this discussion before - on every single occasion in the PAC, unless I have missed one, I object to the presence of a minister in the PAC. The reason I do so is because it offends the system of responsible government we have. I pause briefly to read from some Commonwealth cases dealing with interpretation of our Constitution and other arrangements about responsible government. I refer to Egan v Willis [1998] HCA 71:
- The legislative body cannot legislate wisely or effectively in the absence of information respecting the conditions which the legislation is intended to affect or change; and where the legislative body does not itself possess the requisite information - which not infrequently is true - recourse must be had to those who possess it.
That is, ministers coming before committees.
Responsible government is how our separation of powers works. I ask ministers to be very mindful of this truth. I quote from that same case:
- Each minister is responsible to parliament for the conduct of his or her department and for the actions carried out by the department in pursuit of government policies or in the discharge of responsibilities laid upon him or her as a minister. Ministers are accountable to parliament in the sense that they have a duty to explain in the parliament and the exercise of their powers and duties and give an account to parliament of what is done by them in their capacities as ministers and their departments.
This committee will not be able to compel ministers, but I certainly hope we will be able to compel the senior bureaucrats who advise ministers, if ministers do not volunteer. This goes to the very integrity of government itself and its capacity to stand up and be counted for its own policy decisions. This committee will definitely make policy inquiries, and it is right the ministers themselves should be demonstrating to the committee what the policy decision is, what the policy rationale is, rather than a public servant. Nevertheless, if you look at other committees in other jurisdictions, such as the federal estimates process, often it is just the public servant answering questions. If this committee is going to work, it must have access to enthusiastic ministers who are prepared to explain their own policy rationale.
I pause briefly also to note – and it was an issue I am coming back to - ministers should not sit on committees. They have one on the PAC at the moment. It is so offensive to the imagination of the South Australian parliament that it should occur, they have legislated against it. I point out their Parliamentary Committees Act of 1991 in relation to the PAC, section 5(2):
- A Minister of the Crown is not eligible for an appointment to the Committee.
I further point out, in the House of Representatives Practice:
- Office holders and Ministers have not normally served on committees except in an ex officio capacity on committees concerned with the operations of the House or the Parliament. Given their role of scrutinising the Executive it has been considered inappropriate for Ministers to serve on investigatory committees.
I note the announcement by the Treasurer - surprisingly not by the announcement from the Chief Minister himself - the members for Fannie Bay and Arafura, neither whom are ministers, will be on the committee. That is some comfort to me in the propriety of how this committee operates. Having said that, I will passionately resist any attempt to place a minister of the Crown on the committee. It would be contrary to our system of responsible government and, moreover, contrary to simple common sense and the will which is trying to be generated in relation to this particular committee.
Madam Speaker, I expect public servants, when they come to the committee, would also be allowed to speak freely and openly about the advice and policy advice they give ministers. This committee’s integrity will be exemplified only by the committee’s capacity to investigate. I continue to harbour reservations about this government’s motivations in relation to how this committee operates. I have now expressed those reservations, reasonable clearly in this House, as to how this government will go about its business. I hope to be proven wrong.
My inner idealist has suggested to me we should pursue this in an effort to try to create something the member for Nelson has articulated in the past. The contribution from the Treasurer, in which she could not help but take an adversarial role, only demonstrates to me there may well be less than a full desire to achieve those goals - but we will see. Therefore, I am supportive of this particular arrangement. However, it is a qualified support - qualified by the evidence I expect to see of government compliance with the desires, ends, and objectives of this committee. If that compliance is absent, if that willingness to proceed as a government for the true welfare of the people of the Northern Territory is absent, then so shall we be.
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, I support this motion. This motion is opening up some very important issues we need to deal with as an Assembly, and as a Territory. The vision expressed in terms of the function and aims of this committee, and how it might improve the life of Territorians, is a very important consideration. Much of the discussion - and the member for Nelson has raised this before - is about the size of the Territory, the size of this legislature, and the argument we are too small to have adversarial politics play out in the Territory. In many ways, he would argue, with many others in our community, adversarial politics can be quite counterproductive.
The member for Port Darwin and the Leader of the Opposition alluded to the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act, and the structure of government and executive government within the Northern Territory. I do not question at all what the member for Port Darwin has said in that regard. However, I point out there are times within the history of Australia and other nations where, particularly during wartime, when there are governments of cooperation, where the adversarial politic is put to one side and war Cabinets are called together. Those Cabinets draw on the best of all sides of politics for the common good, to bring about cooperation and collaboration. I am not suggesting on the floor of this parliament there is a war going on within the Northern Territory, but we have some enormous challenges within the Northern Territory which do not exist, I argue, anywhere else in Australia. We debate them day in and day out within this Assembly - and rightly so.
Housing has been one of them, and Indigenous housing has been at the forefront. Within the terms of reference of the Council of Territory Cooperation, SIHIP is front and centre for the consideration and investigation by this particular council. It is the opposition’s job to point to the failings of government and lack of implementation of policy, and to a whole range of flaws within the system. As well as that, no one in opposition - particularly given the fact no one in the opposition has actually, with two exceptions, been in government - has been in executive government; no one has been a minister. There needs to be more appreciation of the framework in which executive government works, particularly in relation to major issues such as SIHIP.
This Council of Territory Cooperation can, and I hope does, present itself as a vehicle to progress understanding, cooperation, and to come up with vital ideas with different perspectives which are constructive, rather than destructive.
The member for Port Darwin talked about the positives of the adversarial system - through pressure things move along. I believe there are also negatives about the adversarial system, and probably are some of the things the member for Nelson has alluded to over some time. We are a small Territory, we have major challenges, and a number of those challenges have been identified for reference to the committee – SIHIP and local government reform.
There is no doubt this government, through various successive ministers, has embarked on a very ambitious program of reform of local government. We would not pretend it is perfect - far from it – it is very difficult terrain out there. I have spent a substantial amount of time during the 30 years I have been in the Northern Territory interfacing with local community government councils on Indigenous communities. I know the difficulties which exist there. I know the difficulties my colleague, the member for Daly, talked about in his employment relationship speech yesterday, in the job he had to do and the issues and confrontations he had to deal with in the job.
I have seen it time and time again with CEOs of various Indigenous corporations trying to do the right thing and coming under inordinate pressure over resources such as cars, trips, orders, and cash advances. I have seen firsthand the threats to good CEOs doing the right thing. I have seen the plots against various CEOs to get them out of the community because they had a reform agenda, and breaking down power bases within Indigenous communities.
Yesterday, I understand what happened here. I understand it is politics, but I wonder how productive it is in adversarial politics to go back through someone’s work history before they got in to this place, and then try to link that to their ministerial performance now. I believe all of us have histories in this place and, by doing that in an adversarial, political sense, I believe we open up a Pandora’s box. People need to think carefully about what they do and what they present to this parliament.
The Opposition Leader talked about a character change on behalf of government. Well, I believe in a spirit of openness and moving on together, there needs to be some thought about character changes, about presenting documents and saying in this place, ‘Here is a graph based on something or another that shows you have lied and misled this parliament‘, then being unable to actually present the document or report to this parliament.
It is a two-way street, and I believe this council actually presents a way forward on this, given the challenges which exist for this wonderful Northern Territory. It is not about our side or your side, in the end it should about the people on the ground; the little Indigenous children, the schoolchildren we see here, full of hope and life and a future. Then you think: ‘What future is there for those children?’ We need, as a Territory parliament, to move these issues on. It is churlish to think, somehow, this government is not trying its best. There needs to be the acknowledgement and understanding of the difficulties which are faced particularly, when you are dealing with the Commonwealth government.
I am talking about successive Commonwealth governments that do not deliver services, in the main. They give funding - we are grateful as a Territory for the money we receive from the Commonwealth. However, the Commonwealth, in general, does not deliver any services - it gives grants and it is has its layers of accountability it wants on top of it, which is, sometimes, quite counterproductive to getting on with the job.
I believe the Palmerston Super Clinic was an example of that, and the radiation oncology unit another example. When I was Health Minister, I asked Nicola Roxon whether those grants would come directly to the Territory, rather than being in DOHA where these things just go around in circles ad nauseum. It might be a Coalition government or a Labor government, but that is the way the bureaucracy works within Canberra.
That is one of the problems we face as a Territory government, because we are so reliant on federal funding. Yet, there are so many layers attached – it does not matter which government is in power federally – to it. That is something we have to break through. It is something we need to work together on and put a united front to the Commonwealth, because it is an issue and has been in SIHIP. There are many other issues in SIHIP, but these are the type of issues I believe the Council of Territory Cooperation needs to get right into. It will be a powerful report, particularly if it is a bipartisan report back to this parliament, pointing out the flaws which might exist at a Territory level. However, I believe we need to have a global look at what is going on, and not just through the prism of adversarial politics.
I commend this approach; it is a bold approach, and there are many risks associated with it; there is no doubt about that - big risks. However, we have to have a go. That is a motto I took from Mr Ahn Do, who is a comedian who has been appearing at the October Business Month - a very inspirational speaker. He talks about times of adversity he has learned from through his life. His family were refugees from Vietnam, and they were almost massacred by pirates on their way here. He has had a hard time through his life in Australia, but he said his father’s motto has always been: ‘Have a go, son, have a go’. This is what we are doing. That might have even been what the Leader of the Opposition said: ‘We have to give it a go’. To that extent, I certainly am in agreement with the Leader of the Opposition.
Basically, Madam Speaker, we have to move forward with some confidence. Echoing the words of the member for Nelson on 14 August:
- I have made this decision not for the benefit of any political party, but for the benefit of the Northern Territory.
The motion sets out very clearly what the aims of the committee are: to facilitate greater levels of collaboration in the governance of the Northern Territory which means parliamentary democracy by providing a strong role for members of the Legislative Assembly who are not members of executive government - it is very plain there, member for Port Darwin, and it has been announced ministers will not be sitting on this particular committee; expand it, involve them in important Territory initiatives and projects; and provide new avenues for Territorians to have input - the member for Nelson is actually presenting a way Territorians or organisations can have input into this process; and provide a road map for tackling some specific issues currently facing the Northern Territory. As I said, local government, the planning scheme, and the establishment of Weddell are all crucially important for the development of the Northern Territory.
Under the former federal government, the homelands policy was part of the arrangement Mal Brough wanted; that the Northern Territory government would take responsibility for homelands. Rightfully, as a Cabinet, as executive government, we said: ‘We do not know the extent of the infrastructure for a start. We do not know the state of that infrastructure’. We sought to find out more about what was being offered by the Commonwealth and what was required regarding the infrastructure we would be taking responsibility for. We were criticised for that, and for dragging the chain or whatever. However, as a responsible government, you really have to look at the responsibilities and liabilities you are taking on. It is issues such as this which need to be understood.
Regarding homelands - and the member for Arafura has articulated this very strongly and her electorate is probably one of the strongest homeland regions in the whole of Australia, as, of course, is that of the member for Nhulunbuy. I have had a bit to do with homelands in both of those electorates. There are certainly great opportunities for Indigenous people on their homelands, but there are resource and service delivery issues also. All of these things need to be balanced and appreciated. These are very important issues which will be considered by the committee.
I really do commend the work of the committee. At the end of the day, I also commend the member for Nelson for bringing forward this idea. The opposition is right; there were circumstances where government said: ‘Okay, we will move along this path’. Government will continue to move along this path, and to work cooperatively with the member for Nelson. We would like to try to work cooperatively with the opposition here, because there are many people in this Northern Territory saying: ‘Okay, there are 25 of them in there and they have electorates of about 5000 people; it is all just a bit too small’. I believe it is really incumbent on us also to take a few steps in this direction. There will always be adversarial politics; I am not saying there will not be. There is a need for it, but there is also a need, at various times in history as I have alluded to before, for areas of cooperation in the mutual interests of the people we serve.
Madam Speaker, I support this motion. I look forward to the committee coming into operation. As much as I can in my portfolio areas, I will certainly be endeavouring, through my department and in other ways, to try to assist the work of this committee.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I contribute with a genuine spirit of cooperation regarding the establishment of the Council of Territory Cooperation. It would serve no purpose to attack the formulation of this council, but I will give qualified support for the establishment of this council. However, like my colleagues on this side of the House, I, too, have serious concerns about the operation of this council and whether it will, in fact, achieve the results it is intended to achieve, or whether it will simply be lip service by the government to the member for Nelson.
An observation I want to make before I go on is, up until the recent crisis of the Labor government a couple of months ago, the Chief Minister quite often used the term in respect to his government, ‘they had a mandate to govern’. Unless I have missed something in parliament, I do not think I have actually heard him utter those words since the crisis. It seems to me, now, the government is, in fact, hobbled by the member for Nelson, and they really will not be able to get on with the business of governing unless the member for Nelson largely sanctions many of the actions and the policies the government intends to take. So it is, I believe, with the Council of Territory Cooperation.
I listened to the contributions this morning from the members opposite. I thought the Chief Minister was being completely disingenuous in speaking of the council. He made it appear it was some creation of his, but we all know the truth behind it - it was a creation of the member for Nelson and set aside, in the list of demands, kept the Labor government in power. That raises a question in my mind of whether the Chief Minister really wants this council. I suspect the answer to that is no. Of course, we know it is not the Chief Minister’s idea either.
You have to excuse me for being a little cynical about the whole thing. It is only since the crisis of the Labor government we have heard any talk at all from the government about cooperation in any way, shape, or form, with members of the opposition.
We are in a position of having to have this Council of Territory Cooperation. It must exist for the government to maintain power, at least according to the agreement made. It is designed, partly, to make the government more accountable and more transparent. I do not know the government really wants a further level of accountability or transparency. What this Council of Territory Cooperation could end up as - and this is my biggest fear – is a toothless tiger, but I do sincerely hope not.
I hope it will be a workable, genuine opportunity to achieve something - and achieve something I have mentioned in this House many times, and as recently as yesterday; that is, for opposition members - and by extension Independent members - to have more input into the decisions and the policies made by government. What we have seen up until now, of course, is the government going on its merry way, making one mistake after another, despite opposition calls for stronger decisive action in many areas, and opposition input into policy ideas the government could quite easily adopt. However, they do not want to do that because it makes themselves look weak.
I am not so nave as to suggest the opposition members, or the Independent members, who might sit on this council, have a direct role in the government executive. We know that is not how the Westminster system works. It is high time the representatives of more than 50% of the voting constituency in the Northern Territory had far more say, and an avenue to be better heard for the good of all Territorians.
The member for Nelson said in his parliamentary debate, on 14 August I believe, he wanted to see enhanced parliamentary democracy. That is fine, and I agree with that. However, what if this new form of enhanced parliamentary democracy does not work - after all its deliberations, after all the hard work it puts in, it does not work because the government ignores the recommendations of the council? At that point, it will prove the government is really only paying lip service to the process, lip service to the Council of Territory Cooperation, and lip service to the member for Nelson.
However, the opposition does give its qualified support to the formation of this council. It is, and it will be, genuine support because, notwithstanding the issues and problems we see with the formation of this, it could make a difference. I believe it is certainly worth a try.
We will, however, be going into this council - to use the Chief Minister’s words this morning - with our eyes wide open. The members of the opposition who will sit on the Council of Territory Cooperation will do all in their power to facilitate the workability of the council. Make no mistake, we will not allow the wool to be pulled over our eyes, we will not allow ourselves, or the council, to be hobbled in a way which makes it unworkable, because that would then entirely defeat the purpose of having such a council as put forward by the member for Nelson.
My colleagues have covered most of the concerns. I have a few specific concerns about the operation of the council; that it should be properly funded, of course. I suppose that raises an issue about additional cost to the taxpayer, particularly if this Council of Territory Cooperation ends up being not much more than a committee which runs in parallel to the PAC. That, then, raises the question of whether the PAC, with a little tweaking, cannot do exactly the same job.
I would like to get a guarantee from the government that public servants will always be made available to the Council of Territory Cooperation and that the questioning - because this is an inquisitorial committee - of public servants will not be hobbled or stymied in any way which prevents us from digging into matters of importance in the Northern Territory. It seems, hearing the speeches, what has been said about the council, particularly by the member for Nelson, he wants to see this committee drilling down into the real issues; he wants to have access to people who can provide him with the answers. Reading between the lines, when he says he does not necessarily want to talk to ministers because he can ask them questions in Question Time, it seems to me as though the member for Nelson wants to avoid the spin, and actually get down to some real answers. I hope the government provides a mechanism to do that.
One of my biggest concerns here - and I have alluded to it already - is the Council of Territory Cooperation, from the motion which has been put forward, cannot compel the government to do anything. At the end of the day, however, the effectiveness of the council in how it requests the government to do certain things will largely come down to the member for Nelson and how firmly he presses the issues which are brought before the council, and how firmly he presses the resolutions and recommendations which come from the council. In effect, we largely would have to leave it to the member for Nelson, but I can assure you the members of the opposition who sit on that council will be pressing the member for Nelson to ensure we do, in fact, get some results from the hard work and deliberation the council puts in.
Madam Speaker, I do not believe I need to belabour any other points; they have largely been raised by the Leader of the Opposition and the member for Port Darwin; the proof of pudding will be in the eating. We are prepared to give this a go and, as I mentioned before, it will be a genuine go. However, the government is on notice we will not give this mechanism oxygen just for the sake of it; it will need to have some results. It will need to show it is producing something at the end of the day because, otherwise, it ends up being nothing more than a waste of time.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Arafura): Madam Speaker, I support the motion brought forward by the Chief Minister, and I want to commend at the outset the member for Nelson and the Chief Minister for bringing this forward.
I would be most honoured to be a member of what I believe is a groundbreaking committee. I go back to 19 June - I was sitting on that side, actually - when I introduced a motion into this parliament to look at some of the very issues we see will be part of the terms of reference for inquiry by the Council for Territory Cooperation. It can work and it will work. It can only work if members of that committee make it work.
Since 2001 when I first came into this parliament - and I was listening to the Deputy Chief Minister talking about the time she was part of the Environment committee - my humble beginnings came as the first Chair of the Substance Abuse Committee. When I look at the recommendations and what has happened since the Labor government came in, in 2001 with those committees - issues we investigated, we inquired into - we made some quite extensive recommendations for government to take on board. The volatile Substance Abuse Act was a big policy step forward, not just underwritten by a legislative framework, but also substantial funding to address this scourge which had been happening for a long time on the ground in those communities.
The Deputy Chief Minister talked about the Environment committee and the issues of cane toads and the EPA. There were many things which came out of these committees government took on. I spoke yesterday about the many challenges and opportunities facing government and the Territory. With those challenges came many opportunities. I see this council as looking at - we sometimes get too consumed with the negatives and nothing is working out there. We often forget there are opportunities and, if we all put our collective thoughts and expertise together, and come up with some really good ways forward for the advancement of everybody in the Northern Territory, we can create a government and a Territory inclusive of everybody - it is not just about the northern suburbs or Alice Springs, but about our regions; it is the vibrancy of everybody who lives in the Northern Territory. I am humbled, and I thank all of my Caucus colleagues for agreeing to allow me to be a part of it, given I felt so strongly about these things and it took me back to the motion I put to parliament.
When the member for Nelson talked about this on 14 August, he talked about SIHIP, A Working Future, the homelands, the planning scheme and the establishment of Weddell. I may be a bush member, but I am also a Territorian who grew up in Darwin, who sees and has an interest in developing other suburbs in the greater expanse of Darwin where urban encroachment is going. These are all issues I have a big interest in. Just because I am a bush member does not mean I do not have an interest in planning both in our urban areas, but also our regions and our remote communities.
During the debate on 14 August, I said, as we move into a demographic reality where Aboriginal people make up well over a quarter of the Territory’s population, and a much higher percentage than that of its truly permanent population, we can no longer expect issues relating to Aboriginal disadvantage and unfulfilled aspirations are not going to regularly dominate Territory politics in the way they have been recently. We can, for the first time - as I said yesterday - stop using these issues as political footballs. Let us stop the argy-bargy between the CLP policy versus the ALP policy. This is about what we, as members in this Chamber, and as part of a committee, do in going beyond and rising above our respective party ideology to really take seriously what we say in the prayer every time we walk into this Chamber; that we swear to ensure we can serve for the advancement of the Northern Territory. I know from my constituents - and I have heard it from a lot of bush and remote constituents – they want us to stop using them as a political football. There are opportunities, let us all work together.
I will not say much more other than, once again, many of the criticisms of the member for Nelson are uncalled for. We need to go into this committee, not in an adversarial approach, but rather one we all can make work. I am certainly looking forward, as a member of the committee, to working with the member for Nelson but, also, whoever the CLP members of the committee are going to be. I believe it is exciting and new, and we can look at some of those issues which have bogged down the politics, and move forward in the Northern Territory to ensure Aboriginal issues, SIHIP, A Working Future, and homelands, are not a burden on the taxpayer. It should not be what is perceived as a burden on the taxpayer but, rather, as Aboriginal people having an investment to move the Northern Territory forward. That is the greatest challenge. As I have said, we have to all do it together, and we can do it.
Member for Nelson, I commend you and the Chief Minister for this. It is the sign of a government which is willing to look at how we do it differently. We are transparent, and let us move forward.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Speaker, I support the motion. I welcome the comments from the member for Arafura. I thought she spoke very well about the genuine spirit we need to go forward on to this council with. I look forward to working with her and the member for Nelson. We, obviously, do not know - unless I did not hear it - the full complement of membership yet, and who is going to come forward from the opposition. I look forward to working very cooperatively on the council. The motion seeks to create another way of doing business; of putting aside party politics and cooperating on the Council of Territory Cooperation and looking at issues of concern to the Territory.
The majority of members in this Chamber, if not all the members in this Chamber, I am sure, have served time on a parliamentary committee. I am on a few at the moment, and am enjoying it. I found, the majority of times, relationships on committees are quite cordial. I enjoy working with the members for Goyder and Brennan on the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee; and with the members for Sanderson and Brennan on the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee. I believe we are spending five hours together on Friday on the committee. I even enjoy the times with the members for Fong Lim and Port Darwin on the Public Accounts Committee.
On that point, I note members of the opposition have said, with some tweaking, the PAC might be able carry out the role of the Council of Territory Cooperation. I do not necessarily agree with that; the ambit of the Council of Territory Cooperation is going to be very broad. I believe the PAC has a very distinct role, a very important role, a very specific role we need to carry out. As a general rule, PACs do not report or examine on matters of government policy, or proposed government expenditure. They have a very important role in examining the public account. You have to be careful, sometimes, if you look to expand the role of something which works.
I believe the PAC, by and large, works. There are a few things we are talking about doing which came up last sittings very worthy of examination. You have to be very careful if you expand the role of the PAC to something like the CTC then, essentially, you might water down what its core responsibilities are. That is not something we should do as a parliament. The PAC has a very important role, and it is one we should look after. The members of the PAC form the Estimates Committee. We have a very important role in servicing this parliament and moving ahead. The Public Accounts Committee should not be confused with the Council of Territory Cooperation, and what we want the Council of Territory Cooperation to achieve.
I believe it is possible for politicians of different parties to work together. Sometimes, under the lights of this Chamber, it is hard to avoid. We have had our differences, but that is the point of this Chamber, I believe. We have an adversarial system to examine differences in policies, and that is fine; that is what happens in this Chamber.
However, when you get away from the bear pit, as some call it, I believe, more often than not, we can work together. The Council of Territory Cooperation attempts to take the best aspects of those committees which do work well together, and see if we can do that in pursuing the issues of significant interest to the Territory. We will always have the Chamber, we are always going to have Question Time, we are always going to have parliament, and the level of debate we have here. That is fine; have that here.
Let us see if there is another way we can do business outside this Chamber. We are all here because we have an interest in the future of the Territory. While we might differ, sometimes, in how we go about it, we are here as we have put up our hand because we want to see the Territory move ahead. The Council of Territory Cooperation is a genuine attempt to find a way of doing that. It is a way to look at avoiding party politics, of getting out on the ground and talking to people doing the work - not talking to the ministers, but to people building the houses for example, for SIHIP.
The experience I had as a member which most closely resembles what the Council of Territory Cooperation is trying to achieve, was working with the members for Nelson and Macdonnell on the introduction of a cash for container scheme in the Northern Territory. We went to South Australia to see how their scheme worked. We did not meet the South Australia minister. We spoke to the people who worked in the different links of the chain that saw the bottles go from the recycling depot to the super collectors. We talked to people who were doing the work to make the system work. That was a very worthwhile experience, and I came away with a much better understanding of how their scheme worked in practice there, rather than looking at the theory of it and talking to the minister about it. We were actually talking to the people who were collecting the cans, crushing them up, and shipping them off to get their recycling value. It was a great experience, and I thought the members for Nelson and Macdonnell came into it with the right spirit.
This motion sets out the terms of reference for the council. I believe most members would appreciate these are the boundaries we will work within. It is the spirit members bring to the council which will ensure whether it works or not. We need to go on to that with a genuine spirit of cooperation. The member for Arafura clearly indicated that is what she is bringing to the table. I have faith that is what the members of opposition will bring - we do not know who they are yet. I am sure they will bring genuine spirit to the table also. They have expressed some concerns, reservations, or some qualifications on their support at the moment, which is probably fair enough in this Chamber.
We have not had the first meeting yet with the council, but I believe it will work. It is too early, before it is has had its first meeting, to say it is going to have recommendations government will ignore - that is jumping too far ahead. The member for Katherine expressed that concern. Let us pass this motion, create the council, have its first meeting, get together, have a genuine spirit and move on. To look already at the first report and first response of government, when we have not even had the first meeting, is getting a bit carried away. We need to look at the genuine spirit we are going to bring on to the council. I am going to do that, and I know the members for Arafura and Nelson will certainly do that. I have the confidence the members opposite will do it.
The committee has a very broad ambit. It starts off by seeking greater levels of cooperation - we have talked about that – but looking at involvement in important Northern Territory initiatives and projects, looking at avenues for Territorians to participate, getting the public on board, and providing a road map for tackling some specific issues currently facing the Territory. It is a very broad ambit, much broader than any other committees we have in parliament at the moment. It is an excellent idea. I certainly believe it is going to work. It will work because I have confidence the members going on to the council are going to operate in a genuine interest of cooperation. I have that faith. As the member for Johnston said: we are going to give it a go, son. I am certainly looking forward to the first meeting of the council and working with whoever steps up from the opposition to be on the council.
Debate suspended.
MOTION
Establishment of a Sessional Committee –
The Council of Territory Cooperation
Establishment of a Sessional Committee –
The Council of Territory Cooperation
Continued from earlier this day.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I thank all members of this House; it looks as though this motion to establish the Council of Territory Cooperation will be supported by members of this House. I am thankful for that, because I really believe, as I said in my opening comments, this is a new opportunity to open the doors and windows of this parliament, to allow the community to participate in the big issues, challenges, and opportunities facing the Northern Territory, and for members of the public to assist us in our deliberations in this parliament and the decision-making of government to a greater effect than exists today.
I would like to comment on some of the comments by the opposition members and the Leader of the Opposition. I acknowledge - and we did have a conversation - the Leader of the Opposition has a degree of cynicism about this. I do go into this with eyes wide open and with a commitment for our government, through our public officials, to be cooperative with this council. This is not about a witch-hunt, this is not about inquiries, this is not an issue about interrogating public servants; this is about getting across the major policy challenges of the Northern Territory and providing information to guide government policy, and robust informed debate in this parliament.
The Leader of the Opposition talked about - and there is a degree of philosophical difference we are working through about the council and how it is going to operate - the council holding the government to account. As I said, this is not about accountability issues across government. There are other forums in parliament - the Public Accounts Committee and the Estimates Committee. The philosophy of this is about getting across the big policy issues, better informed debate, letting the public in to the processes of government, questioning the experts and public servants about how decisions have been made, what the policy challenges are, and advice back to government over the big issues.
He made some comments - I have been in opposition as well and I accept some cynicism - about why it was established as a select committee. I hope we have got to the bottom of that. We took advice from the Clerk in drafting the initial motion. The member for Port Darwin explained he had an issue with it being a select committee because that would confine it to a specific issue and report, and that is the end of the committee. Okay, we get that. It is a sessional committee and it will run for the session of this parliament and, hopefully, if it is successful in opening the doors and windows of this place to more informed scrutiny and debate, it will outlive this session of parliament and live on into the future. We were quite happy to consider that.
There was another issue the member for Port Darwin raised in regard to incorporating within the motion an observation where there could be some crossover between two committees. This could occur. In a spirit of cooperation, we have no problem with that.
The costs of the committee, obviously, will be determined once it has established its work program. We have made a commitment to provide for budget allocations for the committee.
The member for Port Darwin talked about possible constitutional issues. Again, we have had formal legal advice from the Solicitor-General that there are no constitutional issues here. That has been provided to members. The Solicitor-General’s advice is there are no constitutional issues. Where the member for Port Darwin was going was that, somehow, this committee should be required to compel the executive government and the sworn Cabinet of the day to implement any recommendations. Well, that goes totally contrary to Westminster principles. It is the executive of government which makes decisions and is held accountable through the parliament. This is a minority government; the government stills governs and the Cabinet still makes decisions. I know the member for Nelson certainly does not want the Council of Territory Cooperation to become the de facto Cabinet and government of the Northern Territory.
We go into this wanting to cooperate across the benches in regard to the big policy issues, challenges, and opportunities which face the Northern Territory. We want to invite into the process eminent Territorians who have ideas to contribute, and public servants who implement government decisions and advise government on policy to be open to questioning from parliamentarians about where advice has come from, how programs and policies are being implemented, and provide suggestions about how they can be improved. This will all be done with members of the public invited to attend, and also media, if media is interested.
Madam Speaker, I thank all members for their anticipated support of this motion. I reflect on the comments from a couple of members regarding with all goodwill in the world these are just words on a page. It is going to be the spirit of what happens on the committee which will guide the outcomes of the Council of Territory Cooperation. I know on our side, the members for Arafura and Fannie Bay very quickly put their hands up in our Caucus room to say, yes, they wanted to be a part of this. I know they enter into this historic occasion in the ongoing evolution of the Territory’s parliament, with a sense of positive attitude about this being a good step forward in government and governance in the Northern Territory. I thank all members for their contributions and commend the motion to the House.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note Statement – Growing the Territory
Note Statement – Growing the Territory
Continued from 13 October 2009.
Mr McCARTHY (Transport): Madam Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement on the challenges and opportunities presented by the growth of the Northern Territory - growth and prosperity that I say is the envy of all Australians. I am incredibly proud to stand here today to listen to the Chief Minister and my parliamentary colleagues talking about the challenges and opportunities of growth.
I remember only too well when I came to the Territory nearly 30 years ago, it was impossible to picture then the Northern Territory we see today. It was impossible to picture then there would be nearly a quarter of a million Territorians today, and 7924 in the Barkly. The reason for this growth is this government set out to grow the Territory, planned to grow the services people would need, planned to make this a place where people would want to come to investment, to raise a family and to work. This government planned to make this the best place in Australia so people would live here by choice, and not by chance.
This Henderson government has a plan to keep growing the Territory. Growth is good because it brings new investment, new jobs, new people, and new opportunities. The challenges we face are those of providing infrastructure for new suburbs, housing for new families, schools and hospitals, roads and transport, ways for everyone to enjoy this - the best and the most beautiful place in Australia. The challenge is to grow in a way which enhances our sustainability, at the same time as strengthening our community and our economy. I am proud to say this Henderson government is continuing to deliver the fresh ideas needed to support and sustain this growth.
Some of these plans are: 20 towns; 2030; a Smart Territory; the Indigenous Economy Development Strategy announced last week, and, the Integrated Regional Transport Plan I look forward to delivering next year. There are also plans for new and improved Correctional Services, plans for new models of art funding. These are plans which have and will generate passionate debate - and rightly so. We welcome that debate. We welcome all Territorians having a say and putting forward their ideas. We enjoy listening to and including them.
However, no one enjoys listening to ill-informed, cynical politics, out of touch with Territorians, which talks down the Territory. The challenge for those is to be a part of solutions rather than a part of problems. As I say, growth is good, debate is good. After all, these are times of dynamic change in the Territory, and our public policies and debates need to be equally dynamic. The Henderson government will continue to listen, to govern for all Territorians, and continue to take decisive action to secure the Northern Territory’s future.
It is heartening and exciting to note the Chief Minister’s articulation of growth figures for the Territory. It is even more so when you consider this growth is not just confined to Darwin and Alice Springs. My own electorate of the Barkly will boom again soon. Tennant Creek is looking at growth of around 6.4%. The Barkly is not only a great place to live in the world, but it is a vivid example of the population growth our regional centres are facing. We know the Indigenous population will grow. We know the number of older Territorians will also grow. We know the number of school-aged children will grow. That is why this government is rolling up the sleeves and getting on with our duty for the future, planning for an even better Northern Territory.
I reiterate some of the main challenges the Chief Minister has highlighted: the need to continue to invest heavily in infrastructure for all Territorians; be more effective in engaging the Indigenous community across the Territory in education, training and employment; and ensuring services for the aged are increasing.
When it comes to basic human needs, there is probably no more important infrastructure than housing. Housing Territorians is attracting plenty of debate - and bring it on, I say. I am proud to be part of a government doing something about housing, not cynically trying to talk down programs which are trying to fix the problem caused over many decades of government neglect. Again, debate about improving plans and getting better results is welcome. Destructive and mindless politics without a plan is not.
I will talk about housing in Tennant Creek and what I remember from 30 years of living and teaching in the Barkly. I may present a little history lesson for the member for Fong Lim, who often talks about the Barkly and Tennant Creek. Upon coming to Tennant Creek 30 years ago, as a Commonwealth public servant, I was made very aware the Commonwealth was developing the Territory. The member for Greatorex gave a good summary of how the Commonwealth was developing the Territory. What changes is the policy and the direction, and that is where governments come into play, and particularly Northern Territory governments.
I was a school teacher. I came to Tennant Creek, and my students were coming to school from behind pieces of corrugated iron. It is true to say, member for Greatorex, the Northern Territory government at the time, the Country Liberal government, rolled up their sleeves and got on with the job. They built tin houses and created town camps - a policy I did not agree with then, and I do not agree with now. However, the member for Greatorex did outline grand policies and plans the Country Liberals had put into place relating to five-star hotels and tourist resorts and so forth - and that was definitely building the Territory.
I was questioning the policy about education, the policy on housing, and Indigenous policy at the time, and I am still questioning the Country Liberals’ about housing and Indigenous policies.
I will continue with a little more of the history which started to unfold: the fledgling Warrumungu Housing Association, evolving into now the might and power of the Julalikari Aboriginal Council Corporation. The Henderson government is about supporting organisations and, in the case of Julalikari, Indigenous organisations making decisions by Indigenous people for Indigenous people. Those decisions are well documented regarding the current SIHIP project.
This is a powerful way forward, and we have heard many speakers on this side of the House explain SIHIP is way more than a housing program; it is engagement of Indigenous people. On my visits to the construction sites with the Minister for Housing on a number of occasions, and on my own visits in the town of Tennant Creek, I have also engaged with Indigenous Territorians working on the construction sites. I have engaged with the alliance contractors, and in many discussions about a project which is delivering real self-determination, sustainability, and far more.
What the member for Fong Lim tabled one day was about emergency housing, where they do not need kitchens and bathrooms - just bang them up. In Tennant Creek, member for Fong Lim, we have a model on the ground working every day, five days a week, which demonstrates this policy is moving forward; this is a policy which is going to deliver differences.
Attached to that, the might and power of the Julalikari Aboriginal Corporation has also put its mind, and its efforts and resourcing, into civil works as well. This is another innovative approach. Additional to that, they are looking at lobbying for more housing. Of course, we are all looking at lobbying for more housing, and we have heard from the Minister for Housing the sheer scope of delivering this in the Northern Territory. The Julalikari council is planning now new houses and will not create town camps; they are moving forward with new models, new ideas, new developments of suburbs, new developments for town and community, and a way forward.
I have visited construction sites with the minister. I have witnessed the Henderson government out there in the field, battling forward, growing the Territory with new ways ahead with engagement of Indigenous Territorians.
But, wait, there is more - land release - and in Tennant Creek I have been very proud to see land release of both residential and industrial blocks. In Tennant Creek, we are moving forward, we are a small town and we are taking small steps. But these steps are in the right direction, let me tell you, member for Fong Lim.
We are also delivering power infrastructure upgrades in Tennant Creek. These elements of growth are close to my heart. It is this government’s plan to engage with the Indigenous community in the economic and social development not only of the Barkly, but the Northern Territory. This government has made this issue a major priority, and we have in place a number of strategies, plans, and actions to ensure we are able to close the gap of Indigenous disadvantage.
So, with my short walk through history, I have seen great steps forward, seen plans for growth, seen Indigenous engagement, seen Tennant Creek and the Barkly, and seen our highways. I have 90 000 km on a Toyota out the back. However, the only thing I have not seen in Tennant Creek and the Barkly is the member for Fong Lim. The member for Fong Lim is welcome any time, so, in future when I sit in this place and listen to the member for Fong Lim bang on about Tennant Creek, the Barkly, and Territory highways, he will know what he is talking about. So, bring it on and come down any time, because I will give you a personal guided tour.
A Smart Territory, the government’s education and training strategic plan, A Working Future, and the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy announced last week are just some examples of the Henderson government growing the Territory. As a teacher and principal, I cannot be keener on a Smart Territory. This plan will revolutionise Indigenous education plans to see the students and the young people of our regional areas in jobs. This is about working with employees and industries, identifying skill shortages, and then making sure we provide the educational tools for our kids to get them ready for these jobs. This backward mapping process is new policy, bold policy, and is the way forward for all Territory kids. It will bring parents into the loop by showing them where we are heading and how they can help.
In the Barkly, the opportunities to come are exciting, and the industries and mining ventures looking to set up in the area will need even more of our kids to get up and running, and then to continue to profit and feed the economic and social growth of the Northern Territory. I am looking forward to seeing this Henderson government doing everything which can and should be done to create local jobs for local people to help local employers get the skilled workers they need.
This plan is well advanced and it will be an historic day for our future. This all feeds the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy launched last week, appropriately in Alice Springs, by the Minister for Regional Development, Hon Karl Hampton MLA - a bloke with a plan who knows we need to get the tools on the ground and to get engaged with our Indigenous communities. It has a number of key initiatives, none more important than improving numeracy and literacy for Indigenous students and mapping out real pathways for employment - from supporting the development of Indigenous enterprises on Aboriginal land by securing leases for the development of local businesses, to supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and developing and delivering work-ready programs. It is a strong plan with a clear vision for the future, and I urge all here to congratulate the minister for a good way forward.
This plan commits to 3000 more Indigenous people in jobs in the public and private sectors by 2012, 10% Indigenous employment in the public sector, and 200 new Indigenous businesses. That is the plan. It is bold, aspirational, and looks to the future - a better future - and stands in stark contrast to the vacuum of the past.
As Minister for Senior Territorians, one of the greatest challenges thrown up by the growth of the Territory is the increase in the number of senior Territorians. Again, this is a good thing; it shows our health system is working. It shows more seniors want to stay here or move here. It is good for tourism, it is good for our families, it is good for our Northern Territory community. Besides the plans, the Minister for Health and the Minister for Housing have to address current and future needs. We need to ensure the financial and social support structures we have in place continue to improve and meet these challenges.
The Northern Territory Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme is the best in Australia. Its simple aim - and I am proud to say its simple outcome - is to reduce the cost of living to pensioners. However, we know there is always more to do. That is why this government released Building the Territory for all Generations – A Framework for Active Ageing in the NT in November 2007. The framework illustrates this government’s commitment to supporting Territorians as they age, while encouraging them to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. The framework outlines three key outcomes: people maintain their physical and mental health for as long as possible and the effects of ill health are minimised; people have the resources to maintain their preferred lifestyle; and people support older people to remain active, independent and connected.
Seniors Month in the Northern Territory, which is held in August each year, makes its own significant contribution to the achievement of the framework’s outcomes. It aims to promote positive understanding of ageing in the community, to encourage seniors to enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle, and to enable people and organisations to work to promote active ageing.
The Territory is proud of its rich cultural heritage. To support our seniors from a multicultural background, the Office of Multicultural Affairs has provided grants to several community groups with the aim of supporting seniors and providing them with an opportunity to stay connected to their culture and community through social and support activities.
Ensuring government is responsive to the needs of the community is important. To assist with the delivery of policy and programs for seniors, government is establishing the Senior Territorians Advisory Council. The council will give seniors across the Territory the opportunity to provide advice to the minister. As the Minister for Senior Territorians, seniors’ issues, government programs and policies, and identifying future opportunities, will all come together to progress outcomes for seniors in the Northern Territory.
This work builds on the Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme. It got even better this year with the Henderson government announcing free public bus travel for all seniors, pensioners, and carers from 1 January. From 1 July this year, drivers’ licences became free, and motor vehicle registration concessions increased from $104 to $154 per year for eligible members of the Northern Territory Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme.
The Northern Territory government is also absorbing the extra costs involved with increased power, water and sewerage costs announced by the Treasurer on 7 April 2009. This means power and water concessions have not been eroded by these increases. There were some problems with the way the rebate was calculated, but we have made sure no one will be worse off, with refunds given to anyone who was affected.
I also reiterate my commitment to developing our transport systems. As I said earlier, it is imperative our public and private transport systems on land, in the air, and on water improve, grow, and rise to the challenges we face. The Henderson government is delivering on transport planning for the Territory through the Regional Integrated Transport Strategy and the overarching 10-year NT Transport Strategy, which is due for completion by the year’s end. These strategies will forge better links between our regions and centres, and deliver better education, health, and social outcomes for all Territorians. This strategy will improve an overarching model, and will also include initiatives targeting the specific requirements of each region. The strategy will be developed in close association with other current NT government strategies and initiatives, including A Working Future and detailed road and infrastructure plans in preparation. It will also assess whether there are appropriate initiatives which can be put in place by the NT government to improve the viability of regular public transport air routes.
I will look at possible NT government initiatives towards improving and expanding regular bus transport to remote communities, and marine transport in relation to both freight and passenger services. The study …
Ms WALKER: Madam Speaker, I move the minister be granted an extension of time to complete his speech, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr McCARTHY: Madam Speaker, I thank you and the member for Nhulunbuy.
The study has involved ascertaining transport demand profiles from regions across the NT, existing transport models and usage, and gaps in the provision of transport infrastructure and services. It has also involved extensive consultation with industry, transport providers and users, communities, and the people of the Northern Territory. I am pleased to say a preliminary draft strategy has been provided to the government, with a final report to be completed soon. I am confident it will tie the threads together to help us plan and meet our challenges for the future.
One consequence of growth is increasing demand for our Correctional Services system. We know we have to increase the capacity of the system, but also plan for a better system which breaks the cycle of crime and provides real rehabilitation for anyone deserving of a second chance. This Henderson government has agreed with the Independent member for Nelson; the issue of increased capacity will be re-examined to allow him the opportunity to place his concerns formally on the table, and for the government to thoroughly examine and review our decisions to date in light of those concerns.
It has been our intention to build a new prison. We believe the old prison is no longer big enough or modern enough to be successfully continued as a prison. We are determined to provide a much stronger rehabilitation basis to the prison. We want proper training and education facilities built into the prison. We want to design the prison in a way which allows us to further these aims. The cost of the prison has been currently estimated at $300m, although the final cost will depend on the construction method and whether the procurement method involves a public/private partnership.
To allow the Independent member for Nelson input into this process, we have established an expert panel to review the location of the prison and make recommendations as to whether the one big prison remains the way to go. Alternatives to the one big prison will be canvassed and assessed. The panel’s report will be considered by a subcommittee of Cabinet, consisting of the Treasurer, the minister for Corrections, and the member for Nelson.
Additionally, we will consider alternative options, including prison farms at Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Darwin, and will seek public comment on such proposals. Work is also continuing on the establishment of a prisoner work camp in the Barkly region, with Budget 2009-10 providing $2m for this project. A work camp will contribute to providing life skills and real work experience to assist prisoners to gain employment on release.
In addition, we have provided record funding to ensure there are more prison officers than ever before in the Territory, with recent graduation ceremonies I attended seeing the total number rise to 379 this year.
We are also spending on vital improvements to the Darwin and Alice Springs Correctional Centres. Extra beds, additional program and education space, expansion to services, upgrades in headworks services such as sewage ponds, new storage and warehouse facilities and administration space, all go together to provide the new era in Correctional Services we are driving forward. Construction works at both Correctional Services facilities in the Northern Territory are due for completion in 2010.
As Minister for Arts and Museums, I can say that our 10-year plan for the museum sector is on track to be delivered next year as promised. This plan will set the direction for the museum sector, examining the needs of a growing population and the sector’s contribution to the tourism industry in the Northern Territory. Key areas to be addressed by the plan include: the reconnection of collections to culture, landscape, place and stories; regional and cultural development; redevelopment of urban museums and galleries; a national centre of Indigenous art; and connecting museums, art, heritage, libraries, parks and gardens.
I want to see art at the centre of our lives in the Territory, and I want to see our internationally famous art continue to create jobs and opportunities for Territorians. That is why the draft arts policy, Living Arts, will focus on arts as a central part of lifelong learning, and supporting regional development through regional delivery of arts and cultural programs.
Three new themes will be reflected in program funding areas: arts and learning communities; regional arts service delivery; and art places and spaces. The role of creativity and arts processes to facilitate learning within and between communities, and is central to our new policy direction, recognising art as a tool for change, as a means of public dialogue, and as an enabler, helping to create healthy communities capable of action and engagement.
The move to regionalise all programs will enable the Northern Territory government to ensure continuity of funding to communities, address issues for access and equity, and empower communities to prioritise arts activities in their regions, by highlighting the central role of government in providing specific purpose infrastructure, theatres, exhibition venues and workshops, as well as developing and supporting hubs for art practice.
The needs of communities and artists will be met through a strategic and coordinated response which looks to growth and the future. The new directions will be supported by a new service provision model aimed at brokering resource imports across a range of organisations and agencies, and maximising community outcomes which go beyond the arts portfolio.
A good example is the Araluen Arts Centre, and the draft Araluen Cultural Precinct Development Plan. This plan seeks to deliver key initiatives regarding arts and tourism industry outcomes, while continuing to fulfil the needs and aspirations of Northern Territory residents and visitors alike. The plan is staged over a seven-year time frame, and consists of a range of initiatives which will develop new tourism attractions while enhancing community usage and access.
Other initiatives are planned, such as the development of social history displays within the Museum of Central Australia and in implementation of an Artist in Residence. The plan also suggests a number of modifications …
Mr BOHLIN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House.
Madam SPEAKER: Ring the bells. We now have a quorum, minister.
Mr McCARTHY: Thank you, Madam Speaker. The plan also suggests a number of modifications to structures and amenities, with a focus on the modernisation and beautification of existing buildings, gardens and public spaces, and the development of areas to better accommodate current functions. As part of the plan, and linked to the Alice Springs Solar Cities Initiative, a solar air-conditioning plant is being developed for the Araluen Art Centre, with a current tender release date of December 2009.
The Northern Territory government has currently committed $4.5m to this project. Formal written submissions on the draft plan will be accepted until the end of this month, and further consultation will then be undertaken with the community to discuss the submissions, with one or two facilitated sessions next month, to achieve community consensus on the overall arts plan.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to be part of the team facilitating growth here in the Territory. I am glad we are facing issues and we are planning to support our future generations. I am glad to be talking about Northern Territory growth; I am glad to be planning for growth. I am especially glad to be delivering for a positive Territory future.
Madam Speaker, I commend the Chief Minister’s statement to the House, and I look forward to seeing the results of this planning, and the amazing new Northern Territory we will one day deliver.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for his statement. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to participate in this important discussion. I will begin on a more personal note.
I have lived in the Territory for almost 23 years, with most of that time in Nhulunbuy. During that time, I have been struck by the growth of the Territory.
I took my first teaching job at Palmerston High School and, then, it was just in its second year of operation. Palmerston was a relatively small place with a small shopping centre, and Palmerston today certainly bears almost no resemblance to the Palmerston I first encountered in 1987: well-established, multiple suburbs with many beautiful homes and gardens, tree-lined streets and a massive shopping centre. As for Palmerston High School, I can barely recognise the place that I first set foot in all those years ago when I revisited with the Chief Minister in May for the official opening of the new Palmerston Senior School wing. As the Chief Minister mentioned during Question Time yesterday, this government has invested $54.5m in Palmerston schools.
The new senior school is a wonderful example of modern architecture, with state-of-the-art facilities which would be the envy of any school in any jurisdiction - plenty of space and light, SMART Boards in every classroom, pods of computers in communal spaces, and a fully-equipped commercial kitchen. As we heard in Question Time yesterday from the Treasurer, this government will continue to grow Palmerston with the suburbs of Johnston, Zuccoli, Mitchell and Bellamack, and 4000 new housing lots.
Following my year at Palmerston, I moved to Katherine where I took up a position at Katherine High School and, at that time, Katherine was going through a phase of growth with the establishment of the new subdivision of Katherine East, designed to accommodate new families arriving with RAAF Base Tindal. This subdivision also housed the new high school which opened its doors in 1988. Having visited Katherine again in July, I was struck by what is clearly a vibrant community. It was definitely peak season, being Dry Season and school holidays, and the Katherine Show under way, and there was not a hotel bed to be had anywhere in the town. At the same time, it was the same in Darwin.
The member for Katherine may recall he and I had a conversation at the show and he was telling me Katherine was, indeed, booming and just a week ago - or maybe it was that day - in the main street of Katherine a Coffee Club franchise had just opened. So, quite clearly, there is strong business confidence in Katherine, despite the global financial situation, as there is across the Territory.
I note in the Chief Minister’s statement growth in Katherine is anticipated to be around 18% over the 2006 to 2021 period. While I do not have to hand the anticipated growth rate for Nhulunbuy during this period, I can attest anecdotally, during almost 20 years in Nhulunbuy, the growth has been considerable, especially considering the town has only been in existence since the early 1970s. Then, the establishment of bauxite mining and alumina processing operations by Nabalco, the manager of the Gove Joint Venture, was the driver for the establishing of a town, and well supported by the federal government. It did for the Gove region and the Territory what INPEX and the gas plant before that, on a much greater scale, will eventually do for Darwin, and the Territory. It is attracting and securing this kind of investment which is absolutely critical for our economy and future growth, and something this government is very focused on.
With the start-up of mining operations in Nhulunbuy in 1972, the Nabalco alumina refinery had a capacity to produce a million tonnes of alumina per year. Now, under Rio Tinto ownership and the completion of the Gove expansion project - a project which commenced in 2004 and employed at its peak some 5000 people, with a budget around $2.5bn - the refinery today has the capacity of around 3.8 million tonnes per annum, more than three times what it was originally designed for.
When the Chief Minister spoke about the population statistics associated with growth, he mentioned in the last two-and-a-quarter years, there had been seven quarters of growth. This would certainly reflect part of the growth period in Nhulunbuy associated with the G3 project. As the Chief Minister also said, this growth can be attributed to the strength of the Territory economy and the Territory’s lifestyle appeal. I can say this is so true for Nhulunbuy. Without fail, people who live there say, apart from the employment opportunities, the reason they come to and stay in Gove is because of the location and the lifestyle, which is certainly very true for me and my husband.
While we have, obviously, seen growth in the mining operations which currently provides work for around 900 employees directly and 500 contractors, concurrently we have also seen growth in the township of Nhulunbuy within the government and the private sector. Around 50% of the rates in Nhulunbuy are paid by Rio Tinto, while the remainder are evenly split between both the Australian and Northern Territory governments, and the private sector. I believe it is fair to say Nhulunbuy is much more than a mining town. It has grown and evolved to become an important regional centre for the delivery of services, not only for the town itself, but for what the Chief Minister described as growth hot spots in the Territory, namely, remote communities.
Before I move on to talk about remote communities in my region and the opportunities and challenges of growth, I will touch on the subject of land release in my electorate and, specifically, in Nhulunbuy. Regarding the demand for land to be released to enable new and affordable housing to be built, Nhulunbuy township is no different to the rest of the Territory in that demand. Certainly, with the growth of the town, we do have a need for housing for government employees, public tenants, as well as the opportunity for private investors and businesses. The need for additional housing for government employees is a direct result of the growth of government agencies in Nhulunbuy and the region. Under this government, we have seen an increase in the numbers of teachers, police, and nurses, to not only accommodate an increasing population, but also to see that the raft of initiatives to support delivery of the Closing the Gap policy has the people and the expertise to do so.
Where Nhulunbuy is different to the rest of the Territory in land release is the township, along with the rest of Rio Tinto’s operations, exists on special leases which were granted under a federal government agreement in 1969. The lease agreement at Gove is for two 42-year periods, with the first period due to expire on 29 May 2011, which is only some 18 months away. In simple terms, there is automatic right of renewal for most of the special purpose leases, though there are conditions attached. There is an enormous body of work under way between Rio Tinto Alcan and the traditional owners and main clan leaders. While the Northern Territory government has been kept abreast of this critical process, my understanding is lease renewal negotiations are commercial-in-confidence between Rio Tinto Alcan and the Gumatj and Rirratjingu clans, but there is reason for optimism that the renewal of the town lease where the town centre, schools, hospital, and residential areas are located will, indeed, be renewed.
Further to this, pockets of land on the town lease area have long been identified and earmarked as new subdivisions. While land release cannot happen soon enough in Nhulunbuy, I have every confidence it can and will happen, and the relevant Northern Territory government agencies - typically Department of Planning and Infrastructure - will provide the necessary support. The exciting thing to note is when land is released, there will be enormous opportunity for property developers - and who better positioned to take this on other than the traditional landowners?
We have already seen demonstrated success with the opening of the Malpi Village subdivision adjacent to Gove District Hospital in 2006. Malpi Village includes a mix of around two dozen units of accommodation; amongst them three-bedroom houses and two- and three-bedroom duplexes, all of which are leased back to the Australian and Northern Territory governments to house a mix of public servants including police, doctors, nurses, teachers, and Customs personnel. Malpi Village was built and is maintained and managed by Bunuwul Investments, a company owned by the Rirratjingu clan. It provides a long-term secure investment for the clan, and this is the very kind of economic opportunity which provides a win/win for all parties and is key to the growth of my region.
I said I would come back to the subject of growth in remote communities because there is, as the Chief Minister said, significant population increase occurring in these areas. Being the elected member representing a bush electorate, it is a subject very close to my heart. The Territory Growth Town Strategy, as part of A Working Future policy, is a key platform for dealing with the opportunities and challenges associated with how the Australian and Northern Territory governments can best support the Territory’s larger remote communities and transition them into townships and regional service hubs.
The identification of 20 growth towns, with almost half of them in Arnhem Land, recognises these remote communities and the people who live there are entitled to standards of service and infrastructure which are broadly comparable with communities of similar size, location, and need elsewhere in Australia. Within the electorate of Nhulunbuy, Yirrkala and Galiwinku have been earmarked as growth towns. Yirrkala is home to close to 900 people, and servicing a further 1000 people or so across its homeland. As the Chief Minister highlighted, Yirrkala, in the period 2006 to 2021, is anticipated to grow by 35.4%. Galiwinku on Elcho Island is home to around 2000 people and through Marthakal Homelands, services are also provided to a further 400 or so homelands residents on Elcho Island and the adjoining mainland.
Key to developing these towns is the need for planning and a commitment to invest in infrastructure, a need to develop and advance government service delivery, and the need to be, as the Chief Minister said, effective in engaging the Indigenous community – and I am not talking only about children – in education, training and employment. Further to this, there needs to be an opportunity for private investment in order to realise the potential for development of commercial enterprises which can, in turn, provide an avenue for employment and training.
This government’s A Working Future policy provides the framework and the vision to see these key elements progress in order to see real change for the better in our remote and very remote communities. It is a bold plan and one for which we know there will never be sufficient funding, but we are tackling it head on in partnership with the Australian government.
The investment in infrastructure brings both challenges and opportunities in remote communities. The Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program, SIHIP, the largest ever investment in Indigenous housing in this country, will deliver in my electorate more than $50m-worth of new houses, housing rebuilds and housing refurbishments. With leases signed in Galiwinku, works are to commence in the very near future, and Yirrkala will follow once lease arrangements are finalised.
I appreciate from my constituents progress is not fast enough. However, I also have to remind people when they say, for instance, the streets of Galiwinku are in a state of disrepair, they did not fall into this state since the shires have come into being a little over 12 months ago. We are talking about years and, indeed, decades of accumulated deficit and disrepair.
On that note, I acknowledge the commitment and hard work to date of the East Arnhem Shire. The East Arnhem Shire, as with all the newly created shires under this government’s local government reforms, has taken on an unenviable and incredibly challenging task in addressing and endeavouring to fix accumulated problems during years of community government council where, all too often, municipal services and housing programs were poorly delivered, or worse, not delivered at all. It is the single most important thing shires need to do; that is, ensure delivery of efficient and effective services on the ground for residents in remote communities. Obviously, the shires have a pivotal role in transitioning our larger communities in growth towns.
Madam Speaker, I add that, having witnessed the process of the introduction of local government reforms - and I first heard about it long before I got into this role - it was something that seemed to me to be incredibly sensible and courageous on the part of the Labor government. It was something which, in more than two decades of CLP government, was simply never addressed because it sat there in the too-hard basket.
Before I close, I will also talk about education, especially in our remote communities, because education is, fundamentally, at the core of any child’s future. Raising the bar on education outcomes is absolutely critical, and the Smart Territory strategy aims to do just that – to raise the bar so all children, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, have the same opportunities to learn to read and write; to be literate and numerate in English - and that is not to say they do not become literate and numerate in their own language; indeed, this government is very supportive of promoting and protecting Indigenous culture and language - but to learn how to learn, and to complete school and be ready to take the next step and be work ready, and/or ready to take on further training and study, and then embark on a pathway to real jobs and a secure future.
So many people I talk to in my electorate, even before the A Working Future policy was launched, have told me - as I know they do all bush members - they want real jobs. They want to be self-determining, and they want to have control over their futures. They want to be in a position to do the jobs which, at present, far too many non-Indigenous people in their communities do: health workers, nurses, doctors, teachers, administrators, mechanics, electricians, carpenters – all of those jobs and more. These jobs are all too often done by people who fly in and visit communities and fly out again. Indigenous people in too many communities are under-represented in their local workforces. Growing our own is critical to the future of Indigenous people and remote communities.
We all know the challenges for this government in seeing this through for our remote and very remote schools are huge. It is not something this government can do on its own. There have to be partnerships and a real commitment between schools and communities, and acceptance of mutual responsibility.
I am encouraged by some of the success stories I have seen in the East Arnhem region. Garthalala community, which I last visited with the Chief Minister in July, has a boarding facility which sees secondary students from surrounding homelands spend Monday to Friday in the community to complete their studies. It is the source of enormous pride for the community, and for the local teacher, Multhura Mununggurr, to see students coming to school, learning - and last year, the graduation of the first-ever homeland students - seven of them - with their NTCE. How many Indigenous students graduated in remote communities under the CLP? Zero.
At the community of Yilpara, the largest of the Laynhupuy Homelands, more than $2m has been committed to upgrade and expand the school’s facilities for its growing student population, a project committed to by this government long before the stimulus package was announced. Along with two houses built for teachers and occupied at the start of this year, so the school is now staffed permanently and not on a visiting teacher basis, this community will soon graduate from being a homeland learning centre to small school status. I last visited Yilpara, a three-hour drive from Nhulunbuy, just a couple of weeks ago and spent a couple of days out there. Construction work on the school is going ahead at breakneck speed, and is due for completion in mid-November. I was pleased to see the project has also provided employment opportunities for some of the community members.
Shepherdson College at Galiwinku is also another success story in my electorate, thanks to strong leadership under its principal, and strong partnerships with families and communities to see student attendance increased and sustained. It is not just about getting students through the school gate. It is about engaging with kids, ensuring their schooling is meaningful and rewarding, and having the right professionals in front of the class who are supported and valued so they can do their jobs and stay in their jobs.
There are success stories out there, and I know there are also stories of failure, the latter of which the media, the down south armchair moralists, and the CLP, are all too quick to jump on. Let us remember we are dealing with decades of successive failure to deliver to remote communities and, with it, decades of deficit to address and fix. It is something which will take time to address, but this government is addressing it.
On a subject of partnerships, I note also the plans in West Arnhem, which I know my colleague, the member for Arafura, is delighted about, which will see mining company ERA work with government and the people at Jabiru and Gunbalanya to see 30 places made available to people in those communities within the ranks of Rio Tinto Alcan. With Rio Tinto Alcan also present in my electorate, and knowing the successful work they have done with their ALERT training program to train and employ young Indigenous people, I hope a similar partnership might also be brokered.
At times, the challenges of growing the Territory and, in particular, growing our remote communities seem almost overwhelming. I have a degree of confidence because I have seen it happen over time. With clear and sound strategies - Territory 2030, A Working Future, growth towns, regional transport infrastructure, Smart Territory - and goals, and with determined and committed partnerships, this government will continue to grow the Territory and improve the lives of Territorians, and continue to make the Territory the best place to live, work, and raise a family.
Madam Speaker, I commend the Chief Minister for his statement.
Mr BOHLIN (Drysdale): Madam Speaker, I respond to the statement by the Chief Minister recently, Growing the Territory, the Opportunities and Challenges of Growth. Opportunities have to be taken by the horns, as they say. With the Labor government taking power in 2001, it has given them eight years to develop their plan, to make some real change - eight years.
Day in, day out, we hear them retort with: ‘You did not do this, you did not do that’. I point out again, eight years, Madam Speaker - eight years. That is a very long time to continue to blame someone else when you actually have the control. The benefit of government is you are in power; you have the right to be in control - eight years to continually blame someone else for not achieving to date. I can understand a political point if you were in the first one or two years but, now, we are eight years down the track - eight years and we now face an extreme housing crisis.
The Labor government was the government which restrained land development in the Northern Territory. The Chief Minister, last year, at the beginning of this parliamentary session, bragged about his land policy and how great it has been for the Territory. How dare the Chief Minister gloat about how great it has been for the Territory when today we find people homeless in greater numbers than ever before, the rent the most expensive in the country, and it is now becoming nearly impossible for the average first homebuyer to get into the new market! How dare the Chief Minister gloat about how it was a great move to restrain land, because that is what they did! Now we have a crisis and they are rushing madly to release land.
We heard even before the last election the number of land releases they intended to do. However, they have not actually delivered land into the hands of the people who need it. They have sold blocks of land off the plan. What that means for those who do not yet know, is there is no title attached to the land yet. That means the person who has bought it, maybe two or three weeks ago at one of the sales, or the month prior to that, have the mortgage over a block of dirt which they cannot actually define yet. They cannot take their picnic rug there; they cannot go there and share a roast chook with their kids and say, ‘This is my future’, because it is not yet laid out enough - the development has not happened. All they have done is: ‘Here, have it quick. Now we will do a media release on it and say we have done something’. You are so far behind the ball, it is an embarrassment.
It is a shocking reality, in this land of plenty - and we have plenty, we are such a lucky country; we are an amazing country - this government deliberately restrained land release and now we have families with their backs to the wall, back-to-back in caravan parks, at Casuarina Beach, in parks around Palmerston, rolling up their swags, if they are that lucky, every day to go to work. That is a big difference. We are not talking about long grassers any more. We have a whole new society of people who are homeless, because of the government’s failings.
This is not an eight-year-old failing, this is a four-year-old failing: a plan you put in place four years ago. If you were watching and listening to the marketplace, you would have seen even three years ago, or two years ago, the importance of it. It was part of the reason I stood for parliament - so you can blame yourself for me standing here. I have many businesses owned by friends of mine saying: ‘We have a serious problem’. Any builder will tell you it has been a problem for a while. If the Planning minister had been speaking to those business owners, she might have identified it. If she had stopped being such a bully, she would have actually realised ‘We have a problem, we need to adjust our plan’ - or have a plan for that matter. It has been an orchestrated failure by this government. They thought they were being smart. They thought: ‘We are economic smarts here, we are pretty clever about what we are doing. We are going to raise property values, make it great for investment’.
I must say it is technically great for investment but when you have 120 people lining up to view one property for rent, is that really great? Have you achieved your goal? Have you done the right thing by the Territory people? I say no, you have not; you are an absolute failure. You are a disgrace to have even come in here and thought you were that smart – to have over 120 people rocking up to a rental viewing. How is it possible a young couple, maybe only 20 or 21, even 18, are going to be able to get a rental property? There will be someone else who has a trade, perhaps the partner has some form of trade or a good business backing, so there may be two of them earning good money. They have come to the Territory because there is good business opportunity - if you can find a house. How is the young person and his or her partner going to get a rental property when they are bidding for a $500 a week house against people who might have an income of $100 000?
From personal experience, when we had to look for a rental property late last year, it took four months - four months for the incident I talk about. We were lucky to have been able to work through that, but it was four months. I even have a constituent who was misguided in the thought they could get rental property in four days. Four months is a long time to get into the private market. Then, to have to fight against up to 100 to 120 people, it is ridiculous to think it is even a feasible outcome.
It is all because the Labor government has restrained land release and left it so far behind the eight ball that homes are not being built quickly enough to keep up with the market requirements. It is very simple maths. We do not need special cosines or the X and Y factors to work this out. This is basic maths, pure numbers - 1, 2, and 3. You failed to pick it up, you failed to meet it. The Planning minister and the Chief Minister keep going on about how many land release lots they will have in five years time. It is still going to be, as the member for Braitling pointed out yesterday, a couple of thousand behind the eight ball of the minimum requirement. You cannot even do the numbers now.
We have the time; we are in a better position than most states because we have great resources here. However, the builders are almost idle. The builders do not have land on their books to help set up first homebuyers. The Lyons development releases maybe 10 blocks a month, maybe 12, sometimes fewer and sometimes more. The last lot they had - I think it was three weeks ago - there were people camping at the site on the Monday, and the sale was on the next Saturday. Where are we? We are in the Northern Territory; we have huge masses of land. We have some of the best weather in the country as far as I am concerned. We have some great opportunities, but people have to camp at a sales office to bid for 10 or 12 blocks of land and then they are paying an extremely huge premium for the land. I call upon the developers of Lyons to get into gear and actually release more land - show they are a very concerned citizen and get the land out quicker. At the same time they are releasing only drip feed, it continues to drive up the price – which is great for their investor.
It is the same practice the Chief Minister employed: ‘We will control the land release so it drives up the price of land’. There is no logical reason we should have such high land prices. It is inexcusable of the Chief Minister to have gloated about it, to have said the other day - what was the comment? I cannot quite quote the comment: ‘We are having a stressful time or a bit of land stress at the moment …
Mr Styles: Housing stress.
Mr BOHLIN: Housing stress is the direct quote.
Mr Giles: Despair is a better word.
Mr BOHLIN: Despair is a much better word. We are critical; we are more than in despair, it is an absolute shame - it is a national shame.
Mr Giles: An international shame.
Mr BOHLIN: I will tell you a story. After recent discussions I have had in the last two weeks, it is an international shame. People around the world in other Commonwealth parliaments cannot understand how it is possible Australia, particularly the Northern Territory, can suffer from housing shortage. They look, and ask: Why?
Mr Knight: Because you sold it off.
Mr BOHLIN: I will pick up on the interjection, ‘You sold it off’. Eight years, minister. If someone cannot identify to the minister the government has had eight years of control of this situation, maybe we should tattoo it on his forehead. Eight years of control. You are the people in control. You are the people who have allowed this situation to develop. You orchestrated it around 2005. You are directly to blame for the housing crisis to date - not the GST, some magical being, some global change in environment, or some other excuse or vision the Chief Minister and his cronies might come up with. You orchestrated the housing constraint, the strangulation of the property releases and, now, the public is paying for your mismanagement. You have failed. Every family which hurts out there needs to know: eight years of your failure is what we have had.
You have had the opportunities, you have had the steering wheel of this ship, and you have failed to direct it in the right direction. You have seen the glory of thought where you could make some magical financial wonderland which would be great for investors. But, what about mum and dad? What about little Johnny? They have been left in the cold. Whilst, minister, you go home at night, other people live in their cars or sleep under trees in our parks, because you have failed.
I will step away from the housing crisis for a second, because it is a crisis, you have had eight years to do something about it. In fact, going back four years ago, you orchestrated it, you wrote the script, you stuck to the script, and you created the crisis we have today.
I will touch on police because, although the other side do not give much credit for it, I actually was police for over 10 years, and so were several other members on this side. I point out a little pattern we saw during that time. Some of the best policing methods we had, was what is known as proactive policing - world renowned, proactive policing. It is actually where you get out there before the crime happens and police the jurisdictions. It is proven to work. I recall the times when I have been on a rostered bicycle patrol. I recall the times when we had, month in, month out, bike patrols. They were very effective. They cost a couple of hundred bucks per bike, saddle bags, night light helmet, reflective vests. They were such an effective tool, and they actually happened under this government. They happened in the Liberal times before that as well.
Proactive policing: allocating your resources so, first, you had enough patrols on the road to meet demand, plus you had enough resources to man pushbike patrols. You might rotate it then with a motor bike patrol, horse patrol or, like the Bobbies did it in great London town, a foot patrol. Those patrols were proactive patrols. They were on top of existing general duties response patrols, and they were effective. You do not need a shopfront to be effective. You need to dedicate resources to and maintain those resources because, during the time those patrols were operational, crime went down. They were fantastic; they were a great PR tool as well.
Without fail, they would run a month or two, maybe three at times and, then, they would be axed because there were no staffing resources to match general duties response patrols. It would be ripped out from underneath them - bang, back on general duties again. All your little crimes, the antisocial and other things, the little crooks roaming around the shops, they went back up because the on-the-ground police presence was not there. Even the quiet stealth response of a bike patrol was not there. The baddies did not hear the cage come to get them. They are still there causing trouble. The policeman rolls up on the bike and – bang, gotcha mate, you are gone.
I remember responding to pub brawls, or fights, or calls for assistance from nightclubs when we were on bike patrol. You would not believe the shock and amazement of a person who had been drinking that night and, next minute, there is someone with a bike saying: ‘G’day, how are you going?’ He is saying ‘time to calm down’. He could not believe it. He did not see the car arrive. So, he was still being cheeky to security. Right, now the car comes, in the slammer - you are gone! It was a great tool; they never knew where you were. They could not hear you coming. Without taking up a great deal more time, those patrols work. They were proactive patrols they just …
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Deputy Speaker! I move an extension of time for the member to complete his remarks, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed.
Mr BOHLIN: Thank you. Those types of patrols are what we need. They are needed today. You do not have to build a big shopfront to have proactive dedicated patrols. The one thing you have done is allocate resources to those shopfronts - that is the key; allocate the right resources. We have been calling for it on this side. Let us look into where the resources are allocated, then you can get some real results. I point out to the public it already existed. When we had the resources, those patrols were fantastic. They worked well and the public loved them.
I go back to the failed Labor government. It has been eight years in government and it has caused more pain than good. People do not forget this government has had eight years to formulate their plans, to put in place, day in, day out, their plans; to come into this House and move all the laws they require to effect their plans. Eight years to make sufficient change, to serve and protect and deliver for the Territory people.
One of their biggest failures I see at the moment - and I do not honestly think we have seen the full extent of this pain yet - is the housing land release. You, the Labor government, deliberately restrained land release. Dried it up and, now, we are seeing the effect. The Chief Minister gloated about his policy at the beginning of sessions last year - he gloated about it.
To the people: remember this Chief Minister is gloating about their pain. He has gloated about their pain. He has gloated about the fact he orchestrated it and, therefore, he is responsible for the housing crisis we have today. It was foreseeable, it was avoidable and, if they been serious and worked a lot harder, they could make some serious change.
Madam Deputy Speaker, eight years is a long time with a failed government - eight years.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the Chief Minister’s statement. The Chief Minister has laid out in his statement very clearly the challenges we face as a result of population growth. In recent years, the population growth in the Territory has been double what was forecast. ABS predicted growth was just above the 1% level and, in fact, population has grown at just over 2% a year. That makes a significant difference and has led to a level of housing stress we all have a personal experience of. We all know someone who is mortgage stressed, struggling with the rent, or struggling to find a place to rent. We have a significant challenge with housing in the Territory; there is no doubt about that. As a government, this is a challenge we need to meet, and we do have a plan to meet it.
One reason we have this challenge is, as a government, we deliberately set out to make the Territory a better place to live and work. We have a strong economy. Even in the middle of a global financial crisis, we have a strong economy. This has taken a lot of work by our current Treasurer, the member for Karama, and our former Treasurer, the former member for Nhulunbuy. Much credit also needs to go to the stimulus packages delivered by the Rudd government federally - a stimulus package the CLP voted against in the Senate.
We have a strong economy, but we did many other things to ensure the Territory is the best place to live and work in the country. We made a deliberate decision to invest in lifestyle infrastructure such as the Leanyer Recreation Park and the waterfront. We made a deliberate attempt, as a government, to retain people. People are our biggest resource - there is no doubt about that. We are a big place; we need our people. For example, I am sure most members have had this experience or witnessed it: you can often see the impact of one person on an organisation, one person leaving an organisation. One person can often make the difference in the Territory between, say, a community group being viable or not from the work they do. We do not want people to leave the Territory; we want to give them every reason to stay.
The biggest challenge in the Territory for many years has been to grow our population, to retain our people, to ensure we are on the right side of the nett migration ledger. That challenge has been more than met; we have doubled the forecast population growth. The challenge now is housing and we have a Housing the Territory plan which recognises the varied challenges we face in doing that. I will turn to the strategy in a moment.
I want to look again at some of the measures we took, as a government, to make the Territory a better place to live and work, which are part of the reason our population growth has been double what was forecast. One of the things we looked at was how to keep our senior Territorians here in the Territory. My electorate has a significant number of people who have lived in the Territory for a long time, who have made a significant contribution to the development of the Territory. I believe it is important the Territory looks after our senior Territorians. If we look after our senior Territorians, our grandparents, then we go a long way toward ensuring young families stay here.
Often we see families - young people in their early 30s, perhaps with their first child - moving down south to be close to their grandparents. We want them to stay. We want our grandparents to stay. That is one reason we have made sure our Pensioner and Carers Concession Scheme is the best in the country. It is one reason why we have, in the Territory, the most generous concessions in Australia for women over the age of 60 and men over 65. Our commitment to senior Territorians has seen Labor constantly working to improve the NT Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme.
In the last budget, we continued to support pensioners across the Territory by insulating pensioners from an increase in power and water tariffs through the freezing of tariff rates for the holders of Pensioner and Carer Concession Cards, free driver licence renewal, and increasing the motor vehicle registration subsidy from $104 to $150 per year. The scheme also provides pensioner concessions for local council property rates, garbage charges, interstate and overseas travel, and prescription glasses.
I believe all senior Territorians continue to make an ongoing contribution to the Territory. From an ongoing role in our workforce, in community involvement, or even in being a grandmother or a grandfather, they make an ongoing contribution. That is why it is good to see these measures such as free driver licence renewals, the increased motor vehicle registration subsidy, and frozen power prices in this budget, on top of our ongoing concessions which make this the most generous scheme in Australia. The advantage of keeping our grandparents is we keep more of our young families. It also creates other challenges we need to meet. We need to better cater for housing and health for our seniors.
There are other things we did as well to make the Territory a better place to live and work. We are the youngest population of any jurisdiction in Australia and, when we first won government in 2001, we looked at what else we might be able to do to help keep young people in the Territory. There were things you could do down south you could not do in the Territory, so we actively went out and brought to the Territory major events which happen down south but you could not get here. We brought to town regular season AFL matches, one day international and test cricket. We invested heavily on the surface at Marrara, the lights, the change rooms and more - many millions to ensure these events could come to town.
One of our election promises in 2001 when we were first elected to government was BassintheGrass, an attempt to have a Big Day Out-style festival in the Territory. It has been a huge success. It has sold out every year and we have had an extraordinary calibre of artists come here to perform. Live music was definitely something many people love, but something which only happened in the Territory on an ad hoc basis. We are now guaranteed of a quality festival in the Territory every year.
A number of artists still come here of their own accord, of course, but sometimes you have to go out and get them. Territorians jumped on board the campaign to get Elton John to come to town. It is great to know in the Territory you do get quality entertainment which used to be only in the southern domain.
We invested heavily in the Leanyer Recreation Park. The opposition berated me for this last night, but it is a fantastic free facility. Many families love the Leanyer Recreation Park. It is a popular destination as is the new wave pool. I am sure all members have been to the waterfront. I have never seen it quiet. The sea beach lagoon is also very popular. These are some of the infrastructure investments we made with population retention in mind. These are some of the decisions we made which have contributed significantly to population growth in the Territory, doubling forecasted figures.
Mr Elferink: Yesterday, they were coming; now they are just retaining them.
Mr GUNNER: Yes, they are retaining. The other great contributor is our strong economy. Even during a global financial crisis, our economy is still strong. We entered into a temporary budget deficit this year. The centrepiece of our budget was a $1.3bn infrastructure program - a targeted and timely investment made with jobs firmly in mind. These are the decisions this government made which has seen it successfully meet one of the biggest challenges the Territory has faced over many years, which has been to grow our population, to retain our people, to ensure we are on the right side of the nett migration ledger. That challenge has been more than met; we have doubled forecast population growth.
That doubling of population growth, though, has led to a huge challenge, which is housing our population. We have a Housing the Territory Strategy which recognises the various challenges. As the Chief Minister outlined in his statement, a one-size-fits-all strategy will not work, and careful attention has been given to where growth is occurring, and the demographics of the growth. Our Housing the Territory Strategy recognises those various needs.
Seniors housing and affordable housing are the ones that jump out at me. They are issues we are tackling in my electorate. Regarding senior housing, we have work starting soon on Waratah Oval, for the new Southern Cross Care retirement village. The first stage is 85 aged-care beds. Further stages, when approved, will see the flexi-care apartments and independent living town houses built. Between those two, will be 85 apartments and town houses in addition to the 85 aged-care beds. I said last night this is a very popular project; I get people coming into my electorate office all the time to look at the plans, to put their name on the wait list - and it is not just popular with people living in my electorate, I get other people visiting from outside my electorate to ask about it as well. The retirement village will meet need in Darwin.
In my electorate alone, I have over 800 people who are aged 60 and over. In the last electoral roll update it was about 871 people living in my electorate who are aged 60 and over. This is a need they are starting to look for; they want to have a retirement village option they like and is in the community they currently live in.
We are also addressing a need for affordable housing options in my electorate. Prior to the last election, we announced the creation of an affordable housing rental company, and the first project they will be involved in as a company will be the public housing redevelopment on Parap Road. Wirrina is the first set of units we are going to be redeveloping. We have knocked it down already. If you head down to the corner of Parap Road and Gregory Street, you will see Wirrina is now gone. That is a very clear signal we are moving into a new era in Territory Housing; we are moving on from the failed housing model to delivering on our election commitments. There is no doubt the current housing model for public housing does not work - not just at Wirrina, but at Kurringal, Shiers Street, and so on.
The shadow minister for Housing in the CLP last night made it clear, again, that they do not support the demolition of Wirrina. Now it has been knocked down, they want us to recreate the failed housing model on the site. They want us to rebuild Wirrina. I find it a little incredulous when you consider the opposition has brought into this Chamber, quite reasonably, questions on issues which emerge in Territory Housing unit complexes. The member for Fong Lim is quite strident on the issues that emerge from Shiers Street units. I am not sure if the member for Fong Lim has another gear, but he is quite strident on issues emerging from those units. Yet, the CLP policy position is those units work; that the housing model is the best way. Their solution is to do nothing. I find that quite extraordinary. We believe we need to find a better way to house Territory Housing tenants.
The housing conditions in these complexes are not good enough. We believe the mixed tenure model is a better model - to have a mix of public and private housing. The first place we are trialling this new model is at the site of the old Wirrina units. On that site, we will be building a mixed tenure, public/private and affordable housing development. We, obviously, do not have detailed plan as yet, but we will work with the local community to ensure this project works, and we create a better environment for everyone to live and work in - for the Territory Housing tenants, neighbours, and local businesses.
We will soon go out to expressions of interest. It is a large site, so I expect a range of views to be put forward. With such a large site, especially when you consider we are including in the redevelopment six town houses in the single housing block, I expect the number of people living on the site will actually go up from what it was before. That makes sense to me; Wirrina is on the main road, Parap Road, and is next to the shopping village, and is on the public transport route. That is where buildings of density should go. Within the complex, the affordable housing rental company will have a number of units.
There are a couple of different models around the country for how affordable housing rental companies work. They are targeted to the people who fall outside social housing, but struggle to find homes in the private and public market in the areas where they work. Essentially, the affordable housing rental company rent the units at a percentage of the market rate, which I understand is 80% and less under the tax laws. The models I have seen down south were at 75% of the market rate, and they had an income cap on who could be tenants. As it is established as a company separate from government, and with those measures of the percentage of the market rent and the income cap, the company qualifies for Commonwealth rent assistance and for GST exemptions, which means the affordable housing rental company gets greater value for every dollar it spends on housing compared to Territory Housing.
The affordable housing rental company will target those with an income but have trouble in finding a place to rent. It makes sure there are places built to meet that need, and they are built in the areas where they work. We recognise the housing challenge which exists in the Territory. We also recognise that population has grown quicker than forecast. We also recognise population will continue to grow and our Housing the Territory strategy is making sure we not only meet the need we recognise, but we meet the variety of needs which exist.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for bringing this matter to the House, and I commend the statement.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Deputy Speaker, I speak to this motion, and point directly to some of the ways in which government has lost its direction. It has sought to undertake a centralised approach to policy and program delivery in the Northern Territory. Specifically, I talk about the approach to dealing with regional areas such Alice Springs but, also, some of the more remote parts of the Northern Territory.
The centralisation of policies and programs and the distribution of wealth throughout the Northern Territory has had a negative effect on the lifestyle and future growth opportunities of some of those areas. Darwin is in a position where there are some economic opportunities, albeit many of them coming from overseas companies wishing to invest in the Northern Territory. What we are seeing in places like Alice Springs is reflected in the ministerial statement about potential growth; it is not as substantial as is being experienced in the northern part of the Territory.
As one member in government said in speaking to the statement, the potential growth has fallen by the establishment and filling of employment opportunities. It is suffice to say the lack of investment in Alice Springs and the lack of support for Central Australia and the regional and remote areas of the Northern Territory is a direct indication why there is a lack of employment opportunities in the future. It is not saying the Territory economy in areas outside of Darwin and Palmerston has the potential to grow; it is about the willingness of the Northern Territory government, through its ideological position, to take a decentralised model and promote growth in those areas.
We are seeing a massive housing crisis in Alice Springs which is currently constraining the growth of Alice Springs. Particularly in the seat of Braitling, but also across Alice Springs in the seats of Greatorex and Araluen, the situation of trying to rent or buy a property is becoming very difficult. We have up to 20 people at a time lining up at real estate agents’ offices to try to get an opportunity to access the rental market.
Between the June and September quarter this year, we saw an 11% increase, according to the LJ Hooker sales figures; 11% increase in Sadadeen in three months on the price of a house. I reported here last sittings the 29% increase in Larapinta, a 17% to 19% increase in Braitling. These substantial increases over a three-month period placed, what I would call, inflationary pressures on residents of Central Australia. These inflationary pressures are found right throughout the Northern Territory. We have heard about the rental and house prices in Darwin and Palmerston and the rural area. These prices actually inflate, or promote inflation, in the Northern Territory. They are contributors to interest rate rises. Combine that with an increase in price of groceries and fuel, and Territorians do it really tough.
I do not think the government really considers that. When you see people in the morning, as you go for a walk around Darwin, camped in cars, in their swags in cars - these are public servants who have good jobs in the Northern Territory, earning a good wicket, and cannot find a house to rent – it is a real concern. It is something the government continues to overlook.
The housing situation right across the Territory is something which can be attributed to the lack of the government to release land, to urban drift, and to people moving to the Territory for lifestyle or economic opportunities. However, the failure to plan has created a problem. I do not think the government is adequately responding to what I call a crisis - a significant crisis. When you have a vacancy of 0% and there is nowhere to rent, it is a significant crisis. If you go to the Esplanade in Darwin, there are people camping in tents and the government turns a blind eye.
I spoke the other night about the situation in town camps in Alice Springs. Not all the town camps are the same and not all tenants are the same. I believe the situation there to be at crisis point. I called on the Northern Territory government recently to cancel the leases of town camps which are breaching their lease conditions. I recommend Hoppy’s Camp is one of the first places they do that. It is clearly a breach of lease conditions. It is clearly a problem of housing. It is clearly below the standards of what any person should be expected to live in.
We are all aware of the current court process the federal Indigenous Affairs minister, Jenny Macklin, is going through over trying to get access to those town camps. That would not have been necessary had the Northern Territory government done their job through the consultation process on the town camps. This is where the neglect by the Minister for Housing comes to the forefront because, if he had been able to provide effective and substantial leadership in this process, he would have ensured all town camp residents were consulted about the take-over process. Instead, he has not done that so we now have a court process, people have to continue to live in squalid conditions, children still live in those squalid conditions, the housing is not suitable, they are overcrowded, and the homelessness will continue. I just think the government turns a blind eye. The Minister for Central Australia, the Minister for Housing, and the Treasurer go home at night, and it is just out of their minds.
It is beyond comprehension how they cannot treat this as a crisis. I say, thank God for the Liberals. Mal Brough saw it as a crisis. The Northern Territory government will not see kids having nowhere to sleep as a crisis. It is a disgraceful thing! If it happened anywhere else in the country, there would be hell to pay but, here, these people go home at night, and they will not treat it as a crisis. It is absolutely shocking and something should be done about it.
We can stand here all day and talk about housing in the Northern Territory and the failure of the member for Daly, his inability to manage - whether it is Power and Water and power going out to the northern suburbs. Look at Casuarina substation and the $50m taken out of the repairs and maintenance budget. What did the Northern Territory government have to say? ‘Go and buy a generator’. I am not sure if the glass is half empty or half full when you tell people to buy a generator.
Mr Conlan: Half baked.
Mr GILES: Half baked. I do not even know if it is half baked. I do not think this man could cook a cake, let alone build a house.
We can talk about housing all day. I often talk to my colleagues and ask what the answer is to some of these problems. I do not see the Labor government of the Northern Territory doing anything. They do not have any response; they just have spin, no plans, and no delivery. Surprisingly, I picked up the paper on Monday this week and I thought: ‘Who is going to save us?’ I opened up to page 6 and saw the federal member for Solomon, Damien Hale, was having a housing forum. I thought: ‘Hello, the light is shining down from the heavens above. We have someone here who can come and save us. St Mary’s Football Club at 5 pm to 7 pm on Monday’. I thought this is amazing. We have someone who has jumped on the bandwagon of his own Territory colleagues’ failure, and he is going to come back and report some news, and he will have some answers to the problem. I hear 12 people turned up. I am pretty sure there are more than 12 people living in Darwin but maybe they are just his supporters at the moment. Some of those were his family members, I am told - a great bastion for the Labor party in the seat of Solomon, Damien Hale. Well, can we not do better to find a new replacement so Darwin really has a voice?
It is surprising this happened on Monday night. Then, we heard today the dongas set aside for temporary accommodation for Indigenous people in Alice Springs in 2006, which have been mothballed and dusty, sitting in Dalgety Road in Braitling for all that time while the Housing Minister for the Northern Territory, the member for Daly, has done nothing. He did not even have the competence to utilise those demountables on vacant land in Alice Springs to help solve the housing dilemma. He tried to blame the Commonwealth today, but I do know the NT government has been trying to utilise those and trying to find a block of land on which they can be used, but they have given up. They have washed their hands and said: ‘We cannot do it’. The Chief Minister’s Department in Alice Springs was trying to find somewhere to utilise those demountables, but could not do it.
Now, we have the position where Kevin Rudd cancelled the Pacific Island solution and boat people are coming in droves. There have been 2000 people in 41 boats over the last year-and-a-bit. So, now they have decided they cannot house Indigenous Territorians because the Minister for Housing cannot build a house, they cannot house Territorians because the NT government has no control as does the Minister for Housing, so they have decided to house boat people.
What we have is the federal Immigration minister and the Foreign minister with a policy of housing boat people in the Northern Territory. We have a minister for Corrections who is housing prisoners, but we do not have anyone else who can get a house. It makes you wonder - and the member for Brennan whispered in my ear before - perhaps we should go out and steal a loaf of bread and we might get a house in the gaol. That seems to be the only thing we can do.
I note the failures of SIHIP. I note the letter that was tabled in parliament yesterday. There has been a bit of argy-bargy, and the member for Johnston gets the hairs on the back of his neck up and gets fiery about this stuff, but it is an important point. It is very important. In any business, who would employ someone who has that record to manage part of your business? Failure to provide effective leadership - and they put this man in charge of a $700m housing program? He has failed to provide effective leadership, and is unable to delegate and to get appropriate decisions made. I cannot understand how the Chief Minister has allowed this incompetent minister to continue to try to manage housing in the Northern Territory.
Public housing houses are empty everywhere. Rents are going up for pensioners. The federal government puts up the pension rate and, all of a sudden, the NT government puts the market rent to take more money off pensioners. Now, they do it twice a year which is probably costing twice as much in bureaucracy to make it happen. I do not quite understand it. Lack of ability to motivate others and manage conflict - how can this man be in charge of a $700m Indigenous housing program, in charge of Power and Water where the lights go out, and in charge of shire council reform? I will let the member for Katherine, the shadow Local Government member, talk about that in an MPI. We know how well he has done on that, especially with CouncilBiz - great stuff, member for Daly.
What else does he look after? Public service employment – well, he has capped the wages on the public servants. He is doing a great job - not. ‘Company time spent on personal pursuits, failure to maintain a good rapport with council members, community representatives and staff; failure to ensure sound management of council financial, fiscal and human resources’. To me, this sounds like the management of SIHIP. We could have changed the top of the letter. It is all exactly the same.
I recall a comment the member for Macdonnell made the other day when she said perhaps the Army should come in. That is a very interesting point because the Army would do a much better job. They could come in for 12 months and take over this program, get it back on track, get things happening, get housing happening and, then, hand it back to the Northern Territory when the Country Liberals are in power. We would manage it properly. I know the member for Daly would love to see the Army come in. The member for Macdonnell was a Housing Commissioner for ATISC at the time when the Army was coming into the region. The member for Daly would remember the Army coming into the region where he was working at the previous council, on which the summary of dismissal notice was tabled yesterday for such things as lack of ability to set priorities and manage and delegate decisions.
I quote an interview which was conducted on Radio National, The Health Report program with Natasha Mitchell on Aboriginal Health on Monday, 5 July 1999. There were a number of people who were interviewed on the program including John Herron, Lowitja O'Donohue, Raelene Fry and Paul Pholerous. There were a number of things spoken about. I will quote the member for Daly who, in his previous life, took part in the interview. It says:
- Robert Knight: The major problem with Bulla was the overcrowding and the standards of housing. Some of the housing went back to when they originally got the excision off Auvergne Station. Most of the buildings that were constructed around that time have just basically a slab on the floor ...
A slab on the floor! That is exactly the same as the houses under SIHIP - all six of them have a slab on the floor. Nothing seems to have changed much in the eight years you have been in parliament, member for Daly - nothing at all. It went on to say:
- ... there’s no floor coverings, a lot of the buildings weren’t insulated, a lot of them had no kitchens or toilets or showers within a lot of those buildings.
What seems to have changed? I wonder what has changed at Bulla, member for Daly, Minister for Housing? You cannot build a house. It says here:
- With the sewerage there’s a lot of bodgy jobs put in over the years, and you might have sewage running out on to the grass or whatever, where the kids usually play.
- ... did Aboriginal communities wonder whether part of the reason Bulla was chosen was because the Army was about to set up camp nearby?
Robert Knight said:
- I think it all came down to timing with Bulla being given the nod for the Nation Aboriginal Health Strategy program
- They were on the list and at that time I think John Howard and Senator Herron, and I think Tracker Tilmouth was involved in it too, announced that the Army would be getting involved in Aboriginal housing ...
Well, there is the tick of approval for John Howard - a tick of approval. Here we had a Liberal government putting money into Aboriginal housing. The member for Daly does not like to talk about that.
After the program where the Army came in, in this interview Rob Knight said:
- It’s a bit over a year now, a year-and-a-half. They’re still just now finalising the last house, the tenth house, and that was constructed with the young Aboriginal guys, trainees, from the community and other communities, with our carpenter.
What he is saying is a bit over a year, a year-and-a-half, they built 10 houses in one community. If they could do that in 1999, why can they not do it now? The member for Daly stands here and says: ‘They were all terrible housing designs way back then’. However, in a quote two paragraphs down, Robert Knight said, in responding to ‘What are the houses like?’:
- Big. Three-bedrooms, a lounge room, a verandah area, and it’s kind of the spill over for extended families when they come to visit. They’re off the ground, and it’s a very cool house, with the design they are.
It seems to me there is already a housing design out there. The Army was out there building houses under a Liberal government, under the ATSIC/Army Community Assistance Program. They were doing it; the Liberals were building houses. You say the Liberals were not building houses. They built 10 in a year. You cannot build one in two years. It shows your failure.
Therefore, I support the member for Macdonnell. I believe the Army should come in and take over the housing program in the Northern Territory and replace you in your job. It is quite clear and evident there are housing models out there, as you said in this interview. It is quite clear houses can be built in less than two years. The Army built 10 in a year. You have built none in two years.
The case that the Chief Minister has really no other solution but replace his Housing Minister is pretty much rested. To see the situation become so dire in the Northern Territory people cannot obtain rental in the urban areas or in the regional areas, houses are not being built, they are not being maintained in the remote areas, is a clear sign this minister has an inability to set priorities and manage and delegate decisions. He is unable to encourage teamwork amongst other staff and elected members, or to motivate others in managed conflict, a lack of timeliness and clarity with which important information is communicated to other parties, and a failure to provide effective leadership. These are all common ground for this minister.
However, I digress, Madam Deputy Speaker. I keep getting stuck on housing, because it is the biggest failure of the minister.
Perhaps we should move to somewhere like the port and talk about how poorly the port is operating: how it is losing $400 000 a month, and how the people in the offshore industries are so unhappy with the management of the port. It is reported repairs and maintenance is a small problem on the port when, in fact, it is actual structural problems with the port and …
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! I move the member be given an extension of time, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr GILES: Thank you very much, member for Katherine.
You have mud coming out of the drain holes on the port. The port is in such disarray that only half the port is actually capable of being used. There are 34 supply vessels sitting off the berths because there are no berths at the port able to be used. It is a massive costly delay to all these companies. We have the Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Major Projects, the member for Stuart, talking about how certain companies have been given major project status where they may look at using the rail line to get to the port to get export materials out from the Barkly region. I can tell you, there is no opportunity to utilise the port. The port is in such disarray, through bad management, poor repairs and maintenance, and poor upgrading, it is inaccessible to use on an overcapacity basis.
We know there is a big oil leak off Western Australia which has been leaking for seven weeks. I spoke to people and said: ‘When did the boats first go out to try to fix this leaking oil?’ ‘Oh, three weeks, we could not get a berth spot. Only half the port is working while we are trying to fix it. We had to wait three weeks before we could get anyone out to try to fix the oil spill’. This is an environmental disaster by the green lovers on the communist side over there. This is an environmental disaster – it is an absolute disgrace.
I have not heard the Labor government talking about the impacts of the oil slick there. What is it doing to our commercial fishing industry? What does the Seafood Council think about the oil slick which continues to leak at 400 barrels per day? It has economic impact, not just environmental impacts. I can tell you, I would love to get a copy of the harbour review of January 2009 this year and find out exactly what is happening.
I would like to ask the member for Solomon, the person who ran a housing forum the other night with 12 people from Darwin, including his family members, exactly why the federal government, through its budget this year, decided to give nearly all its money for ports to Okagee in Western Australia, and give $50m, maybe, to the Northern Territory. If we are the gateway to Asia, and we have such a debilitated port – which the Deputy Chief Minister, the minister for Infrastructure never talks about - why did the federal government not come and help us?
We looked for up to $350m from Infrastructure Australia to try to rebuild our port, get a strategic plan to see how we can further expand into Asia, how it can help companies such as Minemakers Ltd get the materials out, how we can support China in exporting more uranium through our port so we can help solve the crisis with climate change and carbon emissions through the power generation. But, no, the federal government did not look favourably on the Northern Territory. Maybe they have seen the writing on the wall - the numbers do not stack up in Solomon, no point putting any money into Solomon. Maybe that is what it is about. Maybe it has become so bad it is not a marginal seat anymore. Maybe it is a Liberal seat now, so they do not put any money into it. They are going to try to bankroll Western Australia. Well, that is clearly not good enough.
I do no think the question is about the glass being half empty or half full; it is about the size of the glass. The Northern Territory government might like to use a shot glass; we would like to use a bucket. There are plenty opportunities in the Northern Territory. It is not about talking the Territory down, it is about looking at growth, the spectrum of the Northern Territory, and everything this government puts its hands on - and it is failure. The port is not working.
We heard today about the Royal Darwin Hospital, and the report from the AMA – problems; housing – problems; transport – problems; gaols are full – problems. We cannot have any birthing services in Tennant Creek. How do we get to the point where you cannot have birthing services in Tennant Creek? If you live out at Corella Creek, you have to travel all the way into Tennant Creek, wait all day for a bus, get on the 12-hour trip to Alice Springs, have your baby, then they put you on an early discharge system. You get on the bus just after having the baby, nurse the baby 12 hours back to Tennant Creek, get there in the middle of the night and, then, try to find somewhere to stay, and then travel back to your community ...
Mr Conlan: Yes, but you have to live in Alice from 36 weeks, and sit there for four weeks.
Mr GILES: Sit there for four weeks on $38 through PATS. You can live in a hostel if you are Indigenous, if not, you cannot afford anything. That is a disgrace, and the member for Barkly likes to say he has a new era in Barkly. Gee! I would hate to be pregnant in Barkly. I would hate to try to catch a bus in Barkly ...
Mr Mills: I would hate to see you pregnant anywhere.
Mr GILES: Oh, no, that is a genetic thing.
You do not have to look far for problems, but you have to look a long way for solutions in the Northern Territory.
I congratulate the member for Araluen for bringing her motion on about alcohol policy reform in Alice Springs? I also congratulate the member for Greatorex, the Country Liberal spokesperson on alcohol policy, because they know the real issue with alcohol in Alice Springs. They know, since reforms to alcohol policy in Alice Springs, custody orders have gone straight through the roof. Thousands and thousands of drunk people everywhere. People drunk absolutely everywhere!
The police are doing as good a job as they can. They are picking people up, and they are pouring out grog. If they had to pick up everyone whose grog they poured out, we would have nowhere to put them. We would be building 10 gaols, member for Barkly. It is not the alcohol policy and the sale of alcohol. It is about the consumption of alcohol, and the people who are not being treated and rehabilitated who have chronic alcohol disease. It is an abuse of substance; alcoholism is a disease.
The Northern Territory government fails to treat people with the disease of alcoholism. Rather, they change the operating times of the sale of alcohol, but continue to allow people with the disease of alcoholism to top up their alcohol. They are getting drunker and drunker at night. The difference between selling alcohol at 10 am ...
Mr Conlan: The same drunks are drinking in at night.
Mr GILES: The same people who are chronic alcoholics will still get drunk but, in the daytime, they can be better looked after. By selling alcohol at a certain time in the afternoon or evening, people are getting chronically smashed in the night, causing problems for themselves and to others, in a dangerous position, and the police cannot deal with the problem.
The message of our policy comes from police. We get this from the community, the police, and from the people who say when it was open at 10 am, they could deal with the problem, now they cannot. The Northern Territory government does not deal with alcoholics; they do not deal with people who have chronic alcohol problems. When you have thousands and thousands of people each year picked up in PCs, it is a clear sign the alcoholics are not being dealt with properly. There are probably only 500 chronic alcoholics in Alice Springs, if that is the maximum.
We have to find a way to support those people who are chronic alcoholics. An alcohol farm – if people are picked up three times for chronic alcohol abuse, we try to assist people through proper treatment. Do not just put them back in the town camp, in their home, in their community, and allow them to buy grog. This government is saying: ‘You are right, keep buying grog. You cannot buy it until 2 pm’ ...
Mr Conlan: Yes, but keep buying it.
Mr GILES: Keep buying it, go down the shop to get some Listerine, shampoo, or cooking essence. Drink that until 2 pm ...
Mr Knight: Shampoo?
Mr GILES: You asked, yes, people drink shampoo to get drunk. ‘Drink that before 2 pm and then go and get drunk’. This is what happens. You would not have any touch of reality, member for Daly, you are absolutely incompetent.
This is what happens. Changing the time to 10 am provides an opportunity for responsible people to purchase alcohol. If this government was serious, it would support people who have chronic alcohol problems and treat it as a disease, rather than what you are doing now - allowing people to keep drinking. That is actually killing people. You will not house people, and you let people die from alcoholism. That is terrible.
There are many opportunities in the Northern Territory. It is unfortunate we have a Labor government which does not support growth in the Northern Territory. They employ their 109 spin doctors and get all their media out to try to manage life through the media. I believe the Territory would be a much better place if the Country Liberals were in power. We would develop the Territory, open up the Territory, and support those people who have problems such as chronic alcoholism. We would not sit here and play games. Our job is not to be in government just to be in government. Our job is to be in government to build the Territory, and solve the problems of the Territory. Madam Deputy Speaker, we have a bucket and we will fill it up.
Motion agreed; statement noted.
MOTION
Note Statement - Nation Building and Jobs Plan – Progress of Implementation
Note Statement - Nation Building and Jobs Plan – Progress of Implementation
Continued from 20 August 2009.
Mr KNIGHT (Housing): Madam Deputy Speaker, I am pleased to support this statement. The Commonwealth stimulus package is a nation building plan and has delivered positive change to the Northern Territory. Under the Commonwealth stimulus package, 19 200 new dwellings have been committed across the country. It is unlike anything Australia has ever seen before.
In my own ministerial portfolio of Housing, the package will deliver more than $55m into social housing infrastructure. I was extremely pleased to be able to support this package. Those opposite do not believe in supporting packages such as this, packages which are designed to protect Territory jobs. They do not want to support investment in social housing in providing homes for families and children which are really needed ...
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Can the member for Daly explain why he knocks down perfectly good houses to build new ones on the same site?
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Resume your seat. You have the call, minister.
Members interjecting.
Mr Giles: Pull your head in, mongrels. Stop screaming across the Chamber.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask the member to withdraw. He is just a very base character who is demeaning this parliament, and I ask him to withdraw.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Braitling, I ask you to withdraw those comments please.
Mr GILES: Madam Deputy Speaker, what would you like me to withdraw?
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: You know very well what you have just said. I have asked you to withdraw, member for Braitling.
Mr GILES: I withdraw.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you member for Braitling. Minister, you have the call.
Mr KNIGHT: Again, the great Adam Giles, CLP candidate for Lingiari in October 2007, said he had a plan for housing in the Territory and he would tell the constituency in the following six weeks about his plan for the future of housing in the Territory. Two years later, we are still waiting for the plan.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I will just move on. Again, I was extremely ...
Mr Giles: That is all you have, because you cannot build a house, member for Daly.
Mr KNIGHT: You have a glass jaw. Glass jaw Giles. You do not like it ...
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask to be referred to by my seat rather than by my name.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, minister, you well know to refer to members by their electorate.
Mr KNIGHT: The member for Braitling does have a glass jaw.
I was extremely pleased to support these packages, Madam Deputy Speaker. They were right across the country. They were well received.
The opposition does not really want to support investment in social housing, much needed after the sell off of 1300 homes over their last period in government. What those opposite do not see, and continue to fail to see, is the investment in housing construction not only builds more houses and upgrades existing properties, but also creates jobs across trades including roofers, cabinet makers, brick layers, steel makers, carpenters and concreters - the list goes on and on. This is a massive additional investment in housing infrastructure and employment right across the Northern Territory.
I have had the opportunity to talk to some of the contractors on-site at some of our housing projects, and I can inform the House they are very grateful for work within these packages over the last six months. I spoke to some of the builders in Malak. They were saying the work was drying up. With this $55m package they knew was coming online, they kept their other subbies on. All those subbies have families and they were well supported.
The aims of the package are to build for 2008-09 to 2011-12, over 19 000 additional social housing dwellings nationally - an enormous increase in social housing stock right across the country. We should all pause and consider the benefit this package will deliver, not just in the Northern Territory, but the number of lives which have been touched through delivering so many new homes. This is a nation building program designed to ensure people have the infrastructure they need to ensure Australia’s economy remains strong.
Two-thirds of the stimulus package is going into infrastructure. In fact, investment in housing infrastructure is the largest ever since Prime Minister Ben Chifley – which was quite a long time ago. Members opposite may be interested to know, over the period of the Howard government, we saw a 24.1% decrease in social housing funding. That is disgraceful: winding back social housing by a staggering quarter of their funding over the period has meant a serious under-investment in social housing to the detriment of low-income families. We are now trying to catch up to ensure families and people who need social housing are able to access it.
To get this work under way as quickly as possible, the government reviewed the procurement processes and streamlined them. This has meant the work on current properties and new dwellings is well under way. Businesses have embraced this because it means they can get to work constructing and delivering new social housing for Territorians in need as quickly as possible.
For too long successive governments have been almost totally focused on renovating and refurbishing existing ageing stock. That is why I am really excited about the new public housing; it is nearly complete in the northern suburbs of Darwin and Alice Springs. I am looking forward to turning the key and opening the first of these new homes in the very near future. We are not just building houses; we want them to be energy efficient to support tenants’ living costs. All new dwellings will meet a six-star energy rating. This will mean new properties will use less power, less water, and will meet the energy efficient guidelines. This highlights the future directions of housing in Australia to more energy efficient and environmentally friendly homes.
The Commonwealth stimulus package has targeted social housing to stimulate the economy through the building sector, and addressing the high levels of homelessness across Australia by increasing the supply of social housing. We have secured almost $56m for new social housing in the Northern Territory. I thank the members of the Department of Housing who spent countless hours on the stimulus project, working them up, working with local companies, and with the non-profit sector to develop the groundwork for the bids which went to the Commonwealth.
Money has already started hitting the ground. To get Operation Stimulus under way, governments had to bid in each of the three priority areas. The Northern Territory government has completed three separate bids to the Commonwealth. These are social housing upgrade funding focusing on repairs and maintenance of existing public housing properties which has resulted in a successful bid of $4.1m; Stage 1 capital funding for new social housing construction projects resulting in a successful bid of $7.1m; and Stage 2 capital funding for new social housing constructions program which resulted in the successful bid of $48m for these new projects.
I am pleased to advise all the advertised contracts have now been awarded for the repairs and maintenance for the public housing under Operation Stimulus. We have already completed more than 280 upgrades, and this is helping to house those on our public housing waiting lists. This is great news for those residents.
Nationally, the package will also refurbish around 2500 existing public housing dwellings so they can remain available for occupancy by providing funding for the repairs and maintenance. This further increases the nett social housing stock. The repairs and maintenance part of the project is important because it allows properties to be revamped to ensure families and individuals living in public housing are appropriately housed. It also means we can provide more houses for more people.
The repairs and maintenance program is well under way. Works have included full and partial renovations, roof replacements and repairs, and installation of solar hot water systems. This is important work because it means we can get to the problems early and ensure we do not have to take a number of properties off-line which ensures they are continually used. Over the weekend, I met a young family in Malak. They moved into their newly refurbished home, one of 84 we have been able to get back online which has been off-line for a while. It was great to see the Lay family. They were very excited; they just had a new baby; the young fellow was about 14 days old.
Stage 1 of this project totals $7.1m. Stage 1 is the construction of new social housing, and this work has commenced. We will deliver 22 additional dwellings, built at an average estimated cost of $320 000.
Before I talk about the new social housing construction in detail, I want to again correct the record for the member for Braitling. He is making a habit of getting his facts wrong. The last thing he claimed was Territory Housing had demolished a three-bedroom house in Irvine Street, Araluen and built a four-bedroom house. It did not sound right, so I had my staff check up. The member for Braitling is actually wrong. People will be interested to know we do not own any properties in Irvine Street, Araluen. He puts little stories out …
Dr Burns: But he is a genius, he cannot be wrong.
Mr KNIGHT: Yes. We have not for a very long time. Perhaps the property in Irvine Street was part of the mass sell-off the Country Liberals had in the late 1990s. Let us not forget they sold off 1300 properties in their last few years in government. It was absolutely disgraceful. I keep all the numbers for Alice Springs, especially when I am questioned by the member for Braitling. They are quite significant. There would not be a housing shortage in Alice Springs if the CLP had not sold off houses there.
That is just one reason why investing in new and refurbished public housing is so important for the Territory. We need to provide appropriate housing for those most in need in our community, and this stimulus package is delivering. In Alice Springs, we have demolished two heavily damaged three-bedroom houses in Alice Springs. These are located at Carruthers Crescent in Gillen, and Spicer Crescent in Araluen. I advise the house at Carruthers Crescent suffered extensive fire damage and had to be demolished. The second property at Spicer Crescent in Araluen was also very badly damaged and needed repair. In fact, the estimated cost required was more than $130 000 for repairs, so it was quite significant. Our investment decisions need to consider the best value for taxpayers. In this instance, it was more appropriate for us to build a new home than try to repair a house which was some 35 years old. The expert from Braitling, apparently was more knowledgeable than a structural engineer, in saying we should have just repaired them.
Where will these new properties be built and what sort of new properties are we talking about in Stage 1? I am happy to provide the House with a full list. They include a four-bedroom home in Araluen; a four-bedroom home in Gillen; three two-bedroom duplexes in Bakewell - and member for Brennan, you will be happy about that; one two-bedroom duplex in Humpty Doo; a four-bedroom home in Malak; one two-bedroom duplex in Malak; two two-bedroom duplexes in Millner; two three-bedroom duplexes in Millner; and a four-bedroom home in Tennant Creek, which is great for the Tennant Creek community.
Contracts have already been awarded for the construction of dwellings in Malak, Alice Springs, and Tennant Creek. Some of these projects are now under way and will be finished very soon. The remainder of the program is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of next year.
I am pleased to advise a small building company called Habitat was awarded the contract for the four-bedroom dwelling in Malak. This construction is close to completion. A contract has also been awarded to Probuild for the construction of three four-bedroom houses – two in Alice Springs and one in Tennant Creek. These houses are also close to completion and should be ready sometime next month.
Additional tenders for construction of duplexes in Millner, Malak, Bakewell and Humpty Doo have been awarded, and I look forward to providing the House with updates on these projects as they progress.
I was pleased to announce, with the federal member for Solomon, Damian Hale, the outcome of Stage 2 of the stimulus package. This is worth $48m, and almost 200 additional dwellings will be coming to the Northern Territory. These projects include: the Parap Gateway redevelopment; 18 units of managed accommodation at Crerar Road in Berrimah; eight units of 28 beds at Patterson Street, Malak; 12 bedroom group homes at the Catherine Booth House, which is operated by the Salvation Army - and what a great facility it is at Catherine Booth House; I was delighted to be able to allocate some money to get some modern facilities, and also expansion of facilities which directly caters for single women; 20 units at Coconut Grove operated by St Vincent de Paul - and it was great to be there with the Bishop for that announcement; four two-bedroom duplexes at Bellamack, 35 units for renal dialysis patients in Alice Springs which is a great facility for Alice Springs through this and the federal Labor government’s commitment to the people of Alice Springs; eight units at Goyder Street in Alice Springs, run by the Salvation Army; four apartments at the Gap, Alice Springs; and 24 units at Percy Court.
These projects will see more social housing delivered across the Northern Territory in partnership with the non-government sector, to provide greater assistance to individuals and families in need. This is a very significant increase in social housing right across the Northern Territory.
In developing the Northern Territory’s bid for stimulus funding, we worked with the social housing sector to gain their insight and experience to ensure our projects made the greatest impact to address the housing need in our community. The Commonwealth stimulus package will assist in alleviating public housing wait times. We all agree there is a need to reduce it. It will be nice to get a copy of the ABS report the member for Goyder still has not provided. The great thing about this package is it is not just about building homes, as I said; it is about creation of jobs, maintaining the livelihood of people in the biggest recession we have seen in a lifetime.
We have already heard from the Education minister of the significant investments being delivered through the stimulus package for schools across the Territory. This government is committed to delivering quality strategies and programs for all stages of schooling, and improving school infrastructure will keep improving those outcomes. We have well-established infrastructure plans to improve education outcomes, including the building of new schools, major upgrades, improved repairs and maintenance, and additional classrooms and facilities.
My electorate is benefiting from the unprecedented $235m being invested by the Northern Territory and federal governments to upgrade facilities in our schools. Several schools in my electorate of Daly have reaped the benefits of the Primary Schools for the 21st Century Round 2 funding. In Adelaide River, the school received $0.25m for investment in the outdoor learning area. It is a great school; real Territory-style elevated school, with great gardens.
The Berry Springs Primary School, which is dear to my heart, is getting a new multipurpose pavilion. I have inspected the plans and it is going to serve also as a cyclone shelter, which has been long needed in the rural area. It is a very significant building and the school is very excited to see its completion.
Our Lady of Sacred Heart school at Wadeye will receive $2.5m for a library through Round 1. I was there recently and they are gearing up for big construction projects happening with other funding. This is a very significant part of the building of the school.
The Belyuen School is a lovely little school. The principal, Tim, does a great job with those kids. They have funding for an outdoor learning area as well. Nganmarriyanga, a school at Palumpa, will receive $850 000 for a multipurpose hall. That school is growing and they really need a larger hall to meet in. Right next door, the Peppimenarti School will have a new classroom and outdoor learning area. Having been out there, I know they are very grateful for this significant investment which has not only built the schools but also maintained jobs in these bad economic times.
These packages have and are delivering. They have created jobs and I have seen it for myself. They have kept the economy stimulated over this period of time. Importantly, for me as the Housing Minister, it is the biggest infrastructure investment from the Commonwealth into social housing since Chifley’s era. That is great, but it is an indictment on previous federal governments, I guess, that this sort of money has not been coming in before. You wonder how we got to a situation in Australia where a federal government, for 12 years, can reduce social housing by 24%. How is any state or territory going to survive with its social housing program with the major funding body actually reducing the funding by a quarter?
Madam Deputy Speaker, I am delighted the federal Rudd Labor government has decided social housing was going to be an important part of the stimulus package. It certainly has worked, and I am delighted to be able to deliver many of these projects.
Ms McCARTHY (Families and Children): Madam Deputy Speaker, I respond to the stimulus summit statement. We have heard from my colleague, the Minister for Business, about the progress of the federal government’s $42bn stimulus package in the Northern Territory. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the Nation Building and Jobs Plan in February. The plan was about heading off the global economic crisis through a range of measures including significant Australia-wide investment in infrastructure. I do not think there is any doubt the economic stimulus plan has achieved its aim of cushioning Australia from the worst of the global economic crisis, in particular, here in the Northern Territory.
The Territory has been a remarkable success story in the recent tale of world economic gloom. Even so, there is no doubting working with Canberra, as the Henderson government is doing, will provide economic benefit for the Northern Territory, particularly in the more remote regions of the Territory. Our government has developed a five-point plan to help implement the package in the Territory. Amongst other things, the plan will help local companies get part of the action here, and our government departments will ensure the projects can be brought online as soon as possible, and are working to cut red tape in the procurement process. Projects are being, or have already been, delivered in the Northern Territory through the stimulus plan.
One of the specific areas which will benefit significantly from the Rudd government’s initiative is education, with $14.7bn being invested in Australia’s 9200 schools. Not surprisingly, the announcement of the commitment to national education was welcomed by the education sector. It is hardly surprising the President of the Australian Primary Principals Association described the magnitude of the spending as unprecedented. The package for education includes some $12.4bn for large-scale school buildings, with a further $1.3bn being invested in the refurbishment or renewal of structures. In the Territory, some $300m has been committed to school infrastructure as part of the national spend, and more than $200m worth of contracts have already been awarded by the Territory’s Department of Education and Training. The money has been committed to nearly 300 separate contracts for education-related projects across the Territory.
In the East Arnhem area, $36m is being pumped into education infrastructure. Many of these projects are needed. Let us have a look at what is happening with schools in my electorate of Arnhem as part of the federal government’s stimulus package: Alyangula, $850 000 for the school library and $125 000 for refurbishment work; Angurugu, $2m for a multipurpose hall; Gapuwiyak, $2m for a multipurpose pavilion and $125 000 to upgrade infrastructure; Milingimbi, $2.5m for school classrooms and $1.97m for a science centre; Milyakburra or Bickerton Island, $250 000 for a covered outdoor area; Numbulwar, $2m for a multipurpose pavilion and $125 000 for school pride projects; Umbakumba, $850 000 for classrooms and $75 000 for painting and landscaping; and Ramingining, $2m for a new classroom block and $125 000 for a cabling upgrade. The cabling upgrade will help the school take advantage of Telstra’s roll-out of the $35m fibre-optic cable across Arnhem Land. This infrastructure is very necessary.
At Groote Eylandt, along with Angurugu, Milyakburra and Umbakumba, the money going towards the school infrastructure is important. Governments, both at a Territory and federal level, recognise the importance of getting our children to school, through primary school and on to secondary school. Yes, there are constant challenges, certainly in the remote regions. However, the fact we have been able to add to the work we are doing in the day-to-day running of schools, with the concerns about getting the kids to school, and working with the families through our early childhood programs, we are now able to see, with the addition of infrastructure support, the schools themselves are getting the much-needed equipment for the children who go to these schools. That is an important message being sent to remote areas: both the federal and Northern Territory governments know this infrastructure is vital, and the services are required for these areas.
I also add this funding is in addition to individual $300 000 funding packages to Umbakumba, Gapuwiyak, Numbulwar and Angurugu schools as part of our government’s $246m four-year infrastructure program. A list of school projects I have just outlined in my electorate alone, as remote as it is, is remarkable and an unexpected bonus to what is happening in the global economic crisis for the people in the regions. We are just not talking about immediate economic benefit here, but the prospective educational benefit of projects like these in Arnhem is enormous.
The $125 000 cabling upgrade at Ramingining school, which will allow it to link with the optic fibre, has been rolled out across Arnhem Land and, like the economic stimulus spending, the $35m Arnhem Land fibre-optic cable project has potential which is both economic and, of course importantly, educational. One of the things I do with students in some of the classrooms across Arnhem is link up with them, first by telephone. This is, in the first couple of years, my way of communicating with the children when we talk about assignments they are working on, if they want to ask me questions about being a member of parliament, or raise some of the issues I speak about on their behalf. I have this kind of interaction with the communities, knowing at times it is very difficult to get out there in the Wet Season when particular roads have been flooded, bridges are closed, or bridges need to be built in particular locations. We are looking at another way of communication other than the phone such as via the Internet and computers.
Our government is focused on working towards this kind of communication, and building the links across the Northern Territory so our children of today are equally as capable in whatever language - English, Aboriginal languages, or other languages such as Greek or Italian – and also have the language of technology. This is important for our children who are growing up in our regions.
Our partnership with Telstra, Rio Tinto Alcan, and the Northern Land Council, has seen more than 800 km of optical fibre being laid from Jabiru to Nhulunbuy in record time. The communities of Gunbalanya, Maningrida, Ramingining, Gapuwiyak and Yirrkala are directly connected to the optical fibre. They are now able to use high-speed broadband at the same cost and service as residents enjoy in Alice Springs, in Darwin, and even Sydney.
Just think about it for a moment. Looking at the history of the Northern Territory and communication, I remember going to school and knowing it was through telephone contact, where you had to take your time sending telegrams over the phone, and trying to get a location, or get some word of family in particular areas, or even to send information to my Dad, who was living somewhere else, as to how we were doing out bush. It was all by radio telephone. The kids of today in the Northern Territory, in places such as Ramingining and Gapuwiyak, can actually get on the Internet at the same cost as someone in Sydney.
Territory government services have been upgraded in most communities on the fibre. The Australian government has also installed videoconferencing equipment at Maningrida, which will use the fibre network to enable telemedicine, virtual prison visits, and other teleconferences. On the communication contact, I think of the many prisoners in our gaols. We accept the incarceration rate of Indigenous people in the prisons is high. The important thing we are seeing with the technology is those prisoners are able to communicate with their families through the visual medium, not just the telephone conversations they can have from Berrimah prison. Family members who have been in prison have been able to communicate and see family in Borroloola, for example, and it has made a tremendous difference to the prisoner’s wellbeing and state of mind - being in prison and able to cope by having this communication at certain times.
The fibre run was completed just before Christmas, and since then, there have been an additional 130 new residential ADSL users in Nhulunbuy alone, with a further 48 new subscribers in the mainland communities. In addition to these residential users, there have been between 15 and 20 new business users subscribed along the link to date. The island communities of Minjilang, Warruwi, Millingimbi and Galiwinku will be connected to the optical fibre via high-speed radio links. Work on these radio transmission links has commenced, and all works, with the possible exception of Galiwinku, are due for completion before the end of the calendar year.
Access to broadband will complement the Northern Territory government’s A Working Future initiative to address Indigenous disadvantage through better service delivery across a range of areas, including health and education. Access to communications is, of course, not just a one-way street; access to broadband opens up a world of opportunities for e-commerce. I have no doubt people out bush will be exploring all kinds of new opportunities through access to broadband technology.
To get some sense of the potential, we have to remind ourselves of how quickly the Chooky Dancers phenomenon became internationally known through YouTube. It was a dance which was first performed at the Ramingining Festival, filmed by an amazing man who passed away this year - a wonderful man who contributed so much to broadcasting and Indigenous media across the Northern Territory, and who left us in June this year. He was a great loss, not only to the people of Galiwinku, but to most people of Arnhem Land. It was this amazing man who filmed his son and nephews dancing at Ramingining and then put it on YouTube. Most Territorians would be aware of the Chooky Dancers; in fact, probably many Australians - those thousands and thousands of viewers online who tapped into YouTube to watch this remarkable dance and the sharing of a strong culture. Mixing it with comedy and humour is very much the surviving aspect of Indigenous people in moving forward through trials and tribulations. That sense of humour was very much what was shared through the Chooky Dancers. I guess the Greeks were incredibly pleased to see it. In fact, there were invitations for the Chooky Dancers to go over there.
I am also reminded, at this point of how communication has changed in the regions with the use of mobile phones and Facebook on the Internet. One of the things I notice, not so much with the younger generation, the kids at school, but with many Aboriginal people as they come in and move across the Territory, is the use of the phones for texting. There is also now this incredible program on mobile phones, I think it is called Divas Chat, but there are other names and terminologies. People are communicating from one end of the Territory to the other and seem to know what is going on from Millingimbi to Yuendumu, from Groote Eylandt across to Wadeye, by the use of the mobile phone. I do not mean just ringing someone; they actually have little chats and networking through the phone system - something which is amazing when you think about how far technology has advanced, but more so, how far it has advanced for linking people in remote and isolated areas across the Territory and, indeed, across Australia.
Attraction and retention of professional staff and workers to remote communities will also be assisted by having access to high-quality broadband services in their homes. They will be able to communicate not just across the Territory or Australia, but across the world. Demand for the services has necessitated Telstra providing a regular visiting service from their Winnellie Business Centre to Nhulunbuy on a monthly basis.
The Territory government has also increased services to most health clinics, schools, and police stations along the way, with 24 services ordered and 13 already installed. In discussing the stimulus plan this afternoon, I have focused on the benefits to education in my electorate.
It is also worth noting, apart from underpinning Territory jobs, another important focus of the stimulus plan is apprenticeships and traineeships. There is no doubt during tough economic times there is the potential for business not to take on as many apprentices and trainees, as would happen in better times. The stimulus spending plays an important role in bolstering apprentice numbers at a time when employers might be looking to not only refuse to take on apprentices and trainees, but to lay them off. The stimulus spending will help to maintain this buoyancy and, as such, will also play a part in convincing employers to consider taking on these apprentices and trainees.
In announcing the stimulus package, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made it clear it was not just a cash injection to fend off the impact of the global economic crisis; it was a thoughtful and powerful plan based on nation building and job creation. This comes at an opportune time for the Territory as we embark on our plan A Working Future, to improve lives and opportunities for Northern Territorians in the bush.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.
Mr HAMPTON (Regional Development): Madam Deputy Speaker, I am very pleased to speak in support of the Chief Minister and his statement on the implementation and impact of the federal government’s stimulus package in the Northern Territory.
When we debated the stimulus package earlier this year, I said the challenge for governments during the global financial crisis was to provide leadership, economic management, and clever planning while maintaining confidence within the community. It has been eight months since the $42bn federal stimulus package has been rolled out around the nation, and things are looking up, but with a word of caution - the experts are still saying we need to be cautious.
At the global level, the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund believes the recovery is under way, but it will be long and difficult. The Chief Economist, Mr Olivier Blanchard said there needs to be a massive rebalancing in the global economic landscape. He also said the global financial crisis has left deep scars which will affect both supply and demand for many years to come.
In Australia, our Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and Treasurer, Wayne Swan, deserve a huge amount of credit for their response to the global financial crisis, including the stimulus package. It is not just me saying this; last week I heard Australia being described as ‘the Switzerland of the South Pacific, a solid destination for capital whose economy is at the vanguard of the global recovery’.
Also last week the World Economic Forum ranked Australia second on a list of the world’s top 55 global financial centres. Australia was the only country in the top 10 to have a positive change in its overall score. In the Territory, we have been focused on implementing the federal government’s stimulus package, and speed was crucial to ensure the economy did not slide into recession.
The Chief Minister and the Business Minister moved quickly to involve the business community. I take this opportunity to acknowledge all the hard work which has been done by the public sector and the private sector to ensure the tight deadlines had been met. More than 300 contracts have been awarded for the vast majority of this $220m investment going towards new and upgraded educational facilities. All the feedback I have received in Alice Springs and around the electorate has been positive.
As an Alice Springs man, born and bred, it has given me great pleasure to see the stimulus dollars being spent on schools in my home town. In Araluen, for example, there is $1.97m being spent on the new language centre at the Alice Springs High School. There is also $2.5m for a new multipurpose learning area at the Bradshaw Primary School, and $2.1m for the Gillen Primary School.
In the electorate of Braitling, there is $850 000 on the library extension on the Alice Springs School of the Air; and $2.5m for a similar multipurpose learning area at the Braitling Primary School. Also in Braitling there is $125 000 for ANZAC Hill High School, and $2.1m for the Larapinta Primary School. In Greatorex, we see $2m for another multipurpose learning area at the Sadadeen Primary School, and $850 000 on Acacia Hills School. There is also $200 000 to upgrade the front of Centralian Senior Secondary College. I am sure the parents are definitely pleased the CLP did not get their way and block the package.
As Minister for Central Australia, it gives me enormous pleasure to see the stimulus dollars being directed to some of our more remote communities. Harts Range School gets more than $900 000 of new facilities; the Hermannsburg School gets more than $2.1m for a new classroom block plus an outdoor teaching and learning environment. The Papunya School is getting more than $900 000 for a new resource centre plus repairs; and the school at Kintore is getting more than $900 000 for new facilities.
I particularly thank and acknowledge the Territory’s three federal representatives who supported the stimulus package: Warren Snowdon, the member for Lingiari; Damian Hale, the member for Solomon; and the Senator for the Northern Territory, Trish Crossin.
Several other schools in Central Australia are also receiving $300 000 or more in federal stimulus funding for new facilities or upgrades. They include Alcoota, Amoonguna, Ampilatwatja, Areyonga, Bonya, Docker River, Finke, Haasts Bluff, Imanpa, Lilla, Mbunghara, Mutitjulu, Titjikala, Wallace Rockhole, Watiyawanu and Yulara schools. It is fantastic news for all of those students and parents.
As the member for Stuart, I thank the federal government on behalf of my electorate and constituents for the stimulus dollars being spent on new and upgraded facilities for the many children in my electorate. The Community Education Centre at Kalkarindji received $125 000 to build a solid roof over their basketball court, and is also eligible for up to $2m for a new library and three new classrooms. As members of this House would recall, this is the school where Rhonda Rankin, Leanne Brown and Meshach Paddy completed their Year 12 studies in 2003, the first Indigenous students to complete Year 12 in a remote school. I was at Kalkarindji recently when they had their sports day, and I can report the new roof is a big hit for the locals - not just the basketball players, but all types of sports and community activities are going on in the shade.
I recently visited my constituents in Beswick, Barunga, Manyallaluk, Mataranka and Pine Creek. They are very pleased with the stimulus package. More than $900 000 is going to the Wugularr school in Beswick, and more than $900 000 for the Barunga School, $300 000 for Manyallaluk School, $300 000 for the Mataranka School, $300 000 for the Pine Creek School, and $900 000 for the Timber Creek Primary School. I also travelled recently to Yarralin which is also receiving $900 000. The school at Pigeon Hole has been awarded $300 000 for new facilities and upgrades, and I acknowledge we had some of those students in Parliament House today.
The Community Education Centre at Lajamanu is getting $125 000 for an early childhood safe area. More than $900 000 has also been put into new and upgraded facilities going to other schools in my electorate such as Laramba, Mt Allen, Nyirripi, Yuendumu and Ti Tree - which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. Projects worth $300 000 or more will be undertaken at some of my other schools such as Amanbidji, Bulla Camp, Stirling and Willowra. As you can see, I have focused on the stimulus package and those schools, not only in Central Australia but in my electorate. It is fantastic the federal government is directing these funds into the schools and to the future of our Northern Territory.
I know there have been objections to the federal government’s stimulus package, most noticeably from the other side of politics. However, it appears, to date, the swift and decisive action by Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and Treasurer, Wayne Swan, has kept Australia out of recession. We should be grateful for this because recession means unemployment. That is the real tragedy of negative economic growth; it is the human impact. The Chief Minister has made it clear he places a priority on securing jobs for Territorians. As Minister for Regional Development, I am committed to creating and sustaining jobs in our regions, which is clearly spelt out in this government’s Indigenous Economic Development Strategy. This government is doing this in partnership with business and individual communities.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I am very pleased to support the Chief Minister’s statement.
Mr McCARTHY (Transport): Madam Deputy Speaker, it is a pleasure to add my support to the implementation and impact of the federal government’s stimulus package.
In partnership with the federal Rudd Labor government, this Henderson government is setting the national pace in delivering this massive, unprecedented boost to the Northern Territory’s infrastructure to the vital services we continue to see all Territory families enjoy, and good times delivered by Labor governments. While the world’s financial powerhouses fell like nine pins as the global financial crisis raged, Australia, and the Northern Territory in particular, has continued to weather the storm. As Australians, the media and, surely, even those opposite know, this was due in no small part to the Rudd federal Labor government’s $42bn Nation Building and Jobs Plan.
This massive investment shows the stark political divide between Australia’s political forces. It has been, and always will be, Labor governments which entered into the nation building and job space to support vital infrastructure and business, both small and large - Labor government investment to ensure that no one is left behind. This stands in sharp, painful contrast to those opposite and their federal counterparts down south. We talk jobs; they are slaves to the economists. They only talk of paying debt and they did not invest in anything. We say build our future now, and that is exactly what the Henderson government is doing - delivering the biggest single investment in our nation and the Territory which has ever been.
I watched for many years as the Country Liberal Party spent 27 years building an exclusive list of projects, and favouring their own, which created few Territory jobs and kept the wealth in what we call a silver circle. I am lucky enough to represent the people of Barkly because nowhere was this more apparent than Barkly. Another little history lesson: I spent 10 long years in the Barkly in the era we call starvation, with a Labor MLA who rose to the position of Leader of the Opposition; however, who was still ignored by the Country Liberal Party government. However, we are on our way back in the Barkly.
Let us have a look at education - education dear to my heart, not only in terms of our kids but also Corrections and Community Development. Let us look at education. Operation Stimulus has already seen 20 contracts totalling over $11.77m awarded in education in the Barkly region. This overwhelms the rivers of money that flowed through Tennant Creek in its gold boom days. Those rivers flowed down the highway and over the borders, never to be seen again, but this money is staying put. I am thrilled the Building the Education Revolution extends to the Tennant Creek High School, which was successful in getting $1.97m for a sports science centre - a centre that will harness the energy and dreams of the youth of the Barkly.
It does not stop there - no way. Primary Schools for the 21st Century - the P21 program - delivered by the Construction Division of the hard-working Department of Planning and Infrastructure, will fund construction of new, iconic facilities such as libraries, multipurpose halls or classrooms, or to upgrade existing facilities. Alekarenge Primary School gets $2m for a multipurpose facility. The Elliott Primary School - $850 000 for a multipurpose facility; Epenarra Primary School gets $850 000 for a covered outdoor learning area; and $850 000 for a multipurpose area and library for Alpurrurulam Primary School. Canteen Creek Primary School has won new classrooms worth $850 000; Neutral Junction Primary, Newcastle Waters Primary; Murray Downs and Rockhampton Downs schools each get a $250 000 covered outdoor learning area. Tennant Creek Primary School gets a $2.5m multipurpose hall; Borroloola CEC, $2m worth of new classrooms; Kiana School - a $250 000 resource centre; and the Robinson River School gets $850 000 worth of new classrooms.
Then, there is the National School Pride Program for minor capital works and maintenance projects. These projects are being delivered directly by the individual school councils and are aimed at local small-scale contractors and suppliers. Alekarenge will get $125 000 for a multipurpose hall, vinyl and painting; Borroloola CEC gets a security fence worth $125 000; Canteen Creek, $750 000 for its covered outdoor learning centre; Elliot, $75 000 for carpeting; Epenarra School, $75 000 for its outdoor learning area; Kiana and Newcastle Waters schools get $50 000 for fencing; Murray Downs School, $50 000 for its multipurpose area; $50 000 for classroom upgrades for Neutral Junction School; Robinson River School, $75 000 for fencing; Rockhampton Downs, $50 000 to build a shaded rubber surface; Tennant Creek High, $125 000 to revitalise the school; and Tennant Creek Primary, $150 000 for more security of the perimeter.
I speak with pride and excitement about this because I can talk, not about 10 years, but three decades. I was a founding teacher at five schools in the Barkly. I remember being given silver bullet caravans. When I travel around my electorate now and spread this message which came from a stimulus package from the federal Rudd government, orchestrated and managed by the Henderson government, well, I tell you, I walk pretty tall. I am very proud to see, not only does this deliver massive economic benefits in an unprecedented time of economic challenges, it also delivers for our kids and our future. Well done, Mr Rudd, well done, Mr Henderson …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Katherine!
Mr McCARTHY: As Transport Minister, the Operation Stimulus investment in our roads systems, we ensure we can continue to improve the transport of goods and services, and improve health, education and other social outcomes for Territorians. All the road/rail projects covered by Operation Stimulus are being delivered within the deadlines, and will provide Territorians with ongoing benefits for many years.
With regard to regional roads, there is $12m in repairs which have been completed on the National Highway Network, comprising the Stuart, Victoria and Barkly Highways. This included contracts for Darwin, Katherine, and the Tennant Creek regions, and additional works also carried out in Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Alice Springs.
I cannot help but highlight this stunning investment in the Barkly. This is work which complements and informs the development of the Henderson government’s Integrated Regional Transport Strategy, and overarching Northern Territory Transport Strategy, which will assist the development of transport policy and the coordinated delivery of transport services across the Territory into the future. The strategy development is due for completion by the end of this year.
However, let us not forget the benefits of this funding for all Territorians. Among many other things, I highlight the $95m for individual payments of up to $900 per eligible Territorian paid in 2008-09, and its special impact on a small economy like Tennant Creek, and tax breaks for small Territory business of $27m for additional tax deductions for eligible assets.
This is all about creating jobs, inspiring investment, and spreading the good times around the Territory. Territorians can enjoy the sharply increased economic growth and heightened business activity from flow-on effects for other sectors of the NT economy. Territorians can look forward to having better skills for the future, more hope and confidence around working and raising a family.
Operation Stimulus is a success. Territorians think so; members on this side of the House know so.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the statement and commend it to the House.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Madam Acting Speaker, I support the minister’s statement and the $42bn Nation Building and Jobs Plan, a critical stimulus package for Australia in a time of global financial crisis. I support the measures the Territory government has put in place to ensure the stimulus package rolls out quickly.
Targeted timing and temporary measures are key to an effective response to a possible recession. They have been a test for the stimulus measures put together by the federal government. The federal government has taken timely action. They have taken measures targeted for the best impact in the economy, and measures one-off in nature - not recurrent, they are one-off investments. The $42bn Nation Building and Jobs Plan was rolled out in February and has had an impact. Four thousand jobs have been created in the last year in the Territory, remarkable in a time of global downturn. That did not happen by accident.
The Rudd government stimulus package was critical, and was supported by tough decisions by this government. After seven surpluses in a row, we made the decision to enter into a temporary deficit - not a decision taken lightly. The centrepiece of our last budget was a $1.3bn investment in Territory infrastructure. That was a decision made for the same reasons Rudd engineered his stimulus package.
Infrastructure spends are timely, they can be targeted, and they are not recurrent. I believe our Treasurer should be commended for delivering a budget in difficult times, and for providing considered support to the federal stimulus package.
Nobody wants to get ahead of themselves, but Treasury Secretary, Ken Henry, made remarks in August when addressing the Australian Industry Group Annual National Forum in Canberra, and also made some media comments, where he said:
- There are grounds for optimism, there's no doubt about that.
And:
- It does seem clear that the measures taken to date, both the monetary policy response and the fiscal policy response, have had quite an impact in supporting aggregate demand.
Last week, the Treasury Secretary went further, appearing before the Senate Economics Committee he said:
- If all the stimulus scheduled to impact in 2010-11 was cancelled, that would mean a further detraction of 1.5% from GDP growth and the loss of up to an additional 100 000 jobs ...
I say further detraction because on our figuring the fiscal stimulus package, in the way it has been constructed, is already likely to attract about 1.25% from growth in that year.
- It’s unlikely the recovery in private sector demand would be sufficiently strong for the economy to withstand such a sudden withdrawal of public sector activity without significant costs in terms of lost output and higher unemployment.
In other words, the private sector, the market, is not yet ready to take on the full weight of the economy, which is why the stimulus package has been so critical and so necessary to ensuring our economy, nationally - and it has impacted on the Territory - continues to roll on. We still need the stimulus. We still need to see the decisive, significant increase in government spending the Rudd government has made.
The calls from the opposition federally to stop the spending are irresponsible. The federal plan is for the stimulus to be set down in the 2010-11 financial year, and wound down in 2011-12.
In monetary policy, we need to thank the considered decision-making of the Reserve Bank. Interest rates were reduced by three 0.75 percentage points from early October 2008 to early February 2009. The Reserve Bank has just increased rates by 0.25%. Not many people like to see interest rates go up, but it is a sign of confidence in the national economy by the Reserve Bank. They are probably slightly more optimistic than the Treasury Secretary - essentially a fiscal policy and monetary policy in step. There is a chance the Reserve Bank Governor-General is slightly more optimistic than the Treasury Secretary. From the statement of the Reserve Bank Governor, Glenn Stevens last Tuesday, he said:
- Overall, growth through 2010 looks likely to be close to trend.
This, effectively, means he believes the private sector may be ready earlier than expected to pre-global financial crisis levels.
The picture the Reserve Bank Governor and Treasury Secretary paints are very similar. They are, at this stage, probably a financial quarter apart - maybe two - which is an amazing effort considering the situation we came from and the uncertainty which comes with a global financial crisis. They both, within a reasonable amount of time, expect the economy to return to trend. In other words, the stimulus has worked big time; it was a brave fiscal policy decision which has proved to be the right one.
The fiscal policy response has been a result of decisive action by the Rudd government, and we benefited in the Territory. The most obvious sign in my electorate has been the money invested in the primary schools from the second package. Both Parap and Stuart Park are going to benefit enormously from the Rudd government stimulus package. I will talk about them in a little more detail later.
The result from the first package, though, should not be underestimated. The Economic Security Strategy, as the first package was called, was targeted at the consumer, and retail sales. The impact on the Territory has been significant, and we have seen the Territory’s retail trade turnover increase by 7.5% between August 2008 and August 2009. Obviously, August 2008 is outside the global financial crisis time frame – a crisis which had the serious possibility of affecting consumer confidence; a crisis which started in mid-September 2008 when the Lehman Brothers failed. However, if you want to look at the increase of sales for this year to date, it is 12.6%. That is a huge result; it is a very good result. I believe it is one reason why business confidence in the Territory increased last quarter. In the last Sensis Business Index, the Commonwealth government’s economic stimulus package was cited as the main reason for supporting the Commonwealth government.
It is worth noting business confidence in the Territory has been equal to, or higher than, the national average since November 2004. We are the lowest taxing jurisdiction for small business in the country, which was a deliberate decision by the former Treasurer, and has been maintained by the current Treasurer. It is one of the factors which underpins business confidence in the Territory. To have the federal government’s stimulus packages roll out at the end of last year and the start of this year has had a big impact on business in the Territory.
The best impact has been the creation of jobs and, considering Australia was on the verge of a recession, the retention of jobs. For the third consecutive month, the Territory has recorded an unemployment rate of 4.2%, the second lowest unemployment rate of all jurisdictions. Compared to September 2008, the number of employed people in the Territory has increased by 3.5%. That means there are 4040 more Territorians employed in September 2009 than compared to September 2008. The Territory recorded its strongest annual growth of all jurisdictions. Looking at ANZ job advertisement figures, that might moderate going forward this year, but the federal government’s stimulus package is rolling out over that time. It will be interesting to see what impact that has on jobs in the Territory over the next six months, and the next 12 months. That is one important reason why we have a responsibility as a government to back the federal government on their stimulus package; to support the federal government in ensuring those measures in the Territory are rolled out as quickly as possible. Jobs make sure people have money for bread on the table.
We have actively backed the stimulus package, and the minister outlined a range of ways in which we supported the quick roll-out of the $42bn Nation Building and Jobs Plan: the Development Consent Authority now meets every fortnight instead of every month; a summit of construction industry leaders is held to brief industry and get all ideas on the table; and dedicated stimulus action squads were set up in government departments to get projects up and running as fast as possible. We made it even easier for local companies to get local projects. There was a short and sharp review of procurement practices to streamline development processes and cut red tape, including raising the threshold before you have to go out to tender, and getting contractors involved earlier in the processes.
I know, in talking to a number of people who want to build things in Darwin, the changes to the Development Consent Authority have been welcomed. The fortnightly meetings are significantly reducing delays in projects. It was a huge problem. If you had a project going to the Development Consent Authority and you had your building crew lined up and the project did not get up at that meeting with the Development Consent Authority, waiting another month was a big issue. Just as welcome was the initiative to allow developers to brief the Development Consent Authority about their development before lodging an application. That improves the two-way communication and should reduce delays in the decision-making process.
Those improvements to the Development Consent Authority process are one of the reasons why we will be able to roll out quickly the new infrastructure programs for primary schools under the 21st Century program. Both of the primary schools in my electorate qualify for the first stage of the roll-out, and both qualify for the maximum investment; that is $3m each for Parap Primary and Stuart Park Primary. That investment is going to make a huge difference to each school.
Parap Primary School is getting a covered, multipurpose hall and upgraded canteen, a classroom and an after-school facility. That is what an astute expenditure of $3m can get you. The contract was awarded to NS Constructions in Nightcliff just recently, the site fencing is up, and work will begin shortly. There have been some logistical issues the school has worked through as the result of this investment. The relocation of the canteen, the relocation of the after-school care program have been issues staff and parents have worked through. While they are headaches, they are welcome ones, because they exist because we are building a new $3m assembly hall, a covered multipurpose hall, an upgraded canteen, a classroom, and an after-school facility. These are definitely things the local school community welcomes, and they are more than happy to work through any of the challenges which get thrown up over the next six months in ensuring it is accommodated on the grounds of the school. The after-school care issue is the most important one to work through, in a sense. Everyone wants to ensure their children are well catered for in an after-school facility. There are legislative requirements about that, and they worked through those issues and made sure they were appropriately accommodated after school.
The new facilities are much-needed facilities. The current assembly area is quite old and, from memory, the school stage has been replaced three times in the last 10 years or so because of termite damage. So, there is no doubt this investment is very worthwhile. The school continues to grow. Parap is the place to be, according to a recent article in the Territory Business Review, which is probably a couple of months old now. It said, ‘All power to Parap’, and is a fantastic article about the rejuvenation in the area and the confidence people are having in Parap and the direction it is going forward. Even though Year 7s are going across to the middle school, with the residential developments going on in the area, the number of students at Parap Primary School have not really gone backwards, and the school is continuing to grow. Parap has many passionate parents; they have a very active school council and school community. The other day, they held a country music muster just to do something different and, again, had a fantastic fundraising result. It is a school community which really knows how to get together and make a dollar when they do it. I know the new hall is going to be very well received.
Parap Primary School also made the decision to use the $200 000 out of the National School Pride Program for 25 to 30 minor projects around the school, ranging from playground equipment replacement, irrigation, fencing, replacement of old school and sports equipment, and paint. Basically, they took the $200 000 and got rid of a lot of very small projects around the school they have been meaning to do for a very long time. It has certainly made a difference. The principal, Mick Myers, took his National School Pride Program file home with him, he took it interstate with him when he travelled, and he spent all his time reading it to ensure every cent was spent wisely. He had the money and he thought, ‘I am going to make sure I get the maximum value out of this $200 000’, and he spent it on a whole realm of very small projects. When you walk around the school grounds you can see how those small projects are changing the school for the better, making it safer for students and staff. I know they are very proud – which is probably appropriate under the National School Pride Program - of those changes which have happened at the school. Staff and parents have mentioned it when I talked to them. It gives a really good lift to the place, to have a lot of minor problems fixed.
All this work has helped keep Parap the equal best primary school in the Territory; the other one being Stuart Park Primary School. Stuart Park is also going ahead in leaps and bounds with $3m from the Primary Schools for the 21st Century Program, and the $200 000 from the National School Pride Program. Stuart Park Primary School is constructing a covered outdoor learning area, and an after-school facility with their $3m. Tenders closed recently and the contract was awarded to North West Construction of Darwin, with work to begin soon. It is great to see local companies getting all this work. The new assembly hall, the covered outdoor learning area, and the after-school facility will mean the loss of the current palm garden. Staff and parents have done a lot of work in the palm garden, but they are prepared to see it go for the new hall. They have done a lot more work moving what they can of the palm garden out to other parts of the school grounds. You can probably see it most distinctly if you go down the Verburg Street side of the school. They have done a palm tree fence line. The palms, last time I was down there the other day, were still looking a little worse for wear. Hopefully, they survive the transplanting and they come on. They have moved those palms to the new spots and are very prepared, despite the work they have done, to lose the palm garden for the new $3m school hall. It is much needed.
There has been a significant increased use of part of the new hall, with the after-school care facility, and there has been a significant increase in after-school numbers in the last couple of years at Stuart Park. In 2007, Stuart Park Primary School had a touch over 50 students in after-school care. In 2008, the after-school care enrolment figures were around 100, and the numbers for this year, I believe, are a touch over 130. That is a dramatic change in after-school numbers and reflects the changing demographic of the people living in and around the school, where both parents are working and kids are in care there.
The school has managed the after-school care program within existing space which has meant a degree of sacrifice and compromise from various staff. The school has given over its general purpose room and a sports store shed to become after-school care facilities, and the new assembly hall will ensure school staff and, most importantly students, have a great environment for teaching and for after-school care. Essentially, while they are getting a $3m hall and after-school program, they are freeing up the general purpose room and sports store shed and getting those back. They are getting a lot of value for their dollar. After-school care really does need to be offered by the school, especially when you consider developments such as the Dinah Beach housing development coming on.
Stuart Park Primary School took a different approach to Parap with their $200 000 from National School Pride Program. They invested in one large project. They built a very long verandah. It looks fantastic. If you get there, it is on the early primary wing of the school. Stuart Park Primary School has fantastic gardens - possibly the best I have seen. In this job in politics you get to see a lot of primary schools, normally on voting days. Stuart Park Primary School has fantastic school grounds and the verandah they have built on that wing has opened up the whole side of the school. It makes it much easier now for teachers in Early Primary to take their kids out to that side. Before, they could not really get around there. They had this fantastic side of the school they could not really use. Now, you can see classes quite often going out into that area, using what is a fantastic space. It is a very lush, tropical garden. We went there for the opening of the verandah.
They had a naming competition - I am not sure if I have told this story in the Assembly yet - for the verandah from all of the students. The name that won was ‘The Verandah’. They very proudly launched it the other day. They had the cut out of the verandah, they put big letters up on the verandah, and they had a picnic day there. They used to go down to the Botanic Gardens, but it became too difficult with the increase in students at the school to be able to take them on a picnic day to the Botanic Gardens, so they timed the opening of the verandah with almost a casual morning for the Early Primary kids, with a series of activity stations they could go to afterwards. I have not finger painted for a long time, but I had an opportunity to do that, and make a few kites. There are a few different interesting things there. You could tell there was a definite pride in what that new verandah has delivered. It is a fantastic investment; you can really see how it has value-added to the school experience for the kids there. That was done by yet another local company, Paul McGrath Construction. I commend Bernie Bree, the principal. He has done a great job as head of the school council. They show a lot pride in their primary school - the equal best primary school in the Territory along with Parap.
Madam Speaker, the stimulus package is very exciting for both of these schools. It came at just the right time. It will also be very good for our economy. As I said before, we will take a tradie and put a tool in one hand and a pay cheque in the other, and that is fantastic news for our economy, which has had a real benefit. That is great news and I am very happy to support this statement and this package.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I welcome the statement on the Implementation and Impact of the Federal Government Stimulus Package delivered by my colleague, the Minister for Business in the August sittings. I am very pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to this debate. It is, indeed, an important subject and, in February, I participated in the debate following the Chief Minister’s statement on the newly-announced federal government $42bn stimulus package, which was welcomed by this side of the House, if not the opposition’s.
It is a package which was set with very clear targets and time frames, substantial budgets, and aimed at stimulating the economy through billions of dollars in infrastructure projects which would not only create jobs, but deliver much-needed resources and infrastructure for the benefit of Australians and Territorians, with schools, social housing, and roads being the main focus. Ultimately, the stimulus package was engineered to stave off the possibility of a recession in light of the global financial crisis which engulfed countries around the world. There is strong evidence and no shortage of economic analysts - not the least of them the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia - who have indicated optimism, albeit cautious optimism, the Rudd government’s Nation Building and Jobs Plan initiative has been successful in achieving this.
In just eight months since the federal government’s announcement, we have seen incredible progress in this package’s implementation. I would like to focus my remarks specifically on my electorate of Nhulunbuy.
Education and children and, with it, children’s and communities’ futures, have been the big winners in my electorate. Let us start with Nhulunbuy High School, because it is a place which has been a big part of my life. In fact, it is the whole reason I found myself in Nhulunbuy almost 20 years ago when I took up an English teaching position at the start of 1990, and worked there very happily until my departure at the end of 1996 to work for the mining company. It is where I met some lifelong friends, and where I met my husband, who continues to teach there, and is where my son is currently at school in Year 8.
Nhulunbuy High School is home to around 295 students in Years 7 through to 12. Nhulunbuy High School’s slice of the stimulus package was $131 000, which has seen two outdoor projects completed. One is a double cricket pitch for the benefit of students, and the second is the installation of two handball courts, both of which have shade structures to keep users safe in our tropical climate. This accommodates a growing need for outdoor play areas, especially given the increase in student numbers following middle school implementation, which saw Year 7 students arrive on the campus in 2008. As part of the way Nhulunbuy High School does business, the contract had to be awarded locally and, as such, Mr Peter McCue from KP Carpentry was successful in bidding for the work. Of course, KP Carpentry is a locally-based Gove business.
Nhulunbuy Primary School is one of the older schools in the Northern Territory, with construction having started in approximately 1970, and completed and officially opened in 1972. It served for many years as an area school in the region, taking students from preschool to Year 10, until a separate high school campus was eventually constructed. It was built by Nabalco as part of the establishment of the township of Nhulunbuy under the agreement with the then the federal government which saw the commencement of the Gove project and the mining of bauxite and processing of alumina. The Gove project, as I said in an earlier speech today, owned by Rio Tinto Alcan, remains the central focus of core activity, although we are definitely starting to see the community evolve into something much more than a mining community, to become more of a regional centre delivering important government and non-government services to people in the northern region.
Nhulunbuy Primary School’s current enrolment figure is in the vicinity of 480, plus 90 preschoolers or four-year-olds, who are located in a separate campus, making it one of the biggest primary schools in the Northern Territory, I believe. Given the age of the school, some 37 years, and the size of the school, Nhulunbuy primary has welcomed the federal government’s stimulus package. Under the National School Pride Program, they were eligible for the maximum funding of $200 000, which has seen the refurbishment of 10 classrooms in the mid-year break.
Principal Cindy McGarry tells me students were literally arriving for the first day of school at the start of Term 3 as the tradesmen were walking out the front gate. It highlights the challenges schools constantly face trying to conduct repairs, maintenance and construction with minimum disruption to school programs and student learning. The refurbishment of the 10 classrooms included the installation of new cupboards and shelving, new carpets, as well as a coat of paint. In addition, long overdue electrical works were carried out to install additional power points. With the advent and reliance on electrical items like computers, power points were at risk of being overloaded with additional power boards, and the constant presence of extension cords, obviously, presented a very real safety hazard.
The last part of the $200 000 will see the whole school, including the library, re-carpeted. Because of the disruption this will cause to day-to-day operations, the only way this job can be done will be at the end of the school year when the students and staff are on holidays.
Nhulunbuy Primary School has also qualified for $3m under the federal government’s Primary Schools for the 21st Century, which will see the school’s covered multipurpose area upgraded to become and enclosed hall. I have seen the plans for the upgrade at the primary school council meeting, and it is very similar to the upgrade for Millner Primary School. It will see the floor re-surfaced, the adjourning stage area refurbished, the installation of louvered panels to see some weather protection, as well as the installation of these massive ceiling fans to keep the areas as cool as possible, whether there are PE classes in there, school assemblies, or the end of school Christmas concert.
Initial scoping of the planned works would indicate refurbishment to the multipurpose hall area can be completed for the less than the allocated $3m, so the school is hoping to use leftover funds for the refurbishment of the school’s exterior entrance in the belief first impressions are extremely important. Further, it is also hoped the funding may also cover the cost of refurbishment and facelift for the staff room area, in the belief school staff also deserve to be in an area which is both comfortable and modern.
I will take a look at other schools in my electorate outside the township of Nhulunbuy. Yirrkala Community Education Centre, which has students from Yirrkala and Gunyangara, also known as Ski Beach, and also from Wallaby Beach. Staff and community members are working hard to see attendance levels increase at this school. It certainly is a vibrant school community under the stewardship of principal Rosa McKenna, who arrived just after Easter this year. There exists a very strong relationship and strong support with their school council, Yanbirrpa School Council, which is chaired by traditional owner, Djuwalpi Marika. The council oversees both the community education centre and Yirrkala Homeland School as well.
Yirrkala Community Education Centre has been a hive of building activity. New classrooms, which I might add were not part of the stimulus package, have been built. This $1.8m project was only very recently completed and the keys handed over to the school by Department of Planning and Infrastructure just two weeks ago, I think it was. I visited the work in progress a few times when those classrooms were under construction, including with our Minister for Regional Development when he was in Gove some months ago.
Apart from the fact the school and students will benefit enormously from new classrooms, I highlight the successful contractor for the particular job was Deltareef, a company which is well known in my region. It is owned and operated by Mick Martin, who is quite a talented businessman as well as a talented builder. He also happens to be a very fluent speaker of Yolngu Matha, and is very much dedicated to training and employing Yolngu men to work with him on construction projects.
Under the stimulus packages’ National School Pride Program, Yirrkala CEC has also benefited from $125 000 to upgrade the covered outdoor area, which is a very popular area for sporting activities as well as school assemblies. I last visited an assembly there some months ago - a very special assembly at the school which was held to mark the graduation of two Year 12 students and four Indigenous Education Workers. As we know, Indigenous students in remote communities graduating at Year 12 level is something we never saw under the CLP government. Further upgrades to Yirrkala CEC, again under the National School Pride Program, will see the construction of a new preschool at a cost of approximately $2m. With the elevation of the importance of early childhood in schools following the review in the Department of Education and Training, and the subsequent adoption of the recommendations into the DET strategy for 2009-12, this is a critically important part of the school’s program for little ones - or djamakuli as they are known in Yolngu Matha - and it is a very important part of Closing the Gap. On top of that, there is a further $2m under the stimulus package for Yirrkala CEC which will also be allocated to construction of new classrooms.
Yirrkala Homelands School oversees the delivery of education to students living on traditional homeland communities and does this through what are known as homeland learning centres. These centres see visiting teachers fly to homeland communities and work with Yolngu teachers and Indigenous Education Workers based in the community to deliver teaching programs. These visiting teachers stay overnight in anything from a swag to VOQs, where those communities are fortunate enough to have them. This government has always actively supported education for students in remote and very remote locations, and recognises the challenges this presents in remote service delivery. Most certainly, this government will continue to provide education and continue to find ways to improve the delivery of education and education outcomes in homeland schools. These school building projects are very much part of that.
For Yirrkala Homeland Schools, the stimulus package will deliver $2m. The challenge for them is they operate across multiple campuses so, where the $2m for a single-school campus is identified for a big project, obviously, this $2m has to be split. The decision has been the $2m for Yirrkala Homeland Schools will be split across four homeland communities being GanGan, Garthalala, Borrowuy and Dhalinbuy to see four new classrooms built in those communities. Laynhapuy Homeland Association, the homeland resource agency which supports around 1000 residents on its homelands, is also contributing to the project to enhance these new buildings so they can service training facilities for the benefit of the broader community, as well as being classrooms during the day. That is certainly something we are talking much more about; we invest these millions of dollars in infrastructure in schools and, yet, they are used for students during the school day. So, we need to get smarter about how we are utilising the infrastructure to see greater benefits for communities, especially in remote and very remote areas, by allowing those facilities to be open to the wider communities.
I talked about Yilpara Homeland Learning Centre, which will soon be graduating to small school status, earlier this afternoon. Yilpara community, the largest of the Lanhupuy homeland communities with around 150 residents, has a sizeable school but there is, obviously, a need for an upgrade for the school. So, not under the stimulus package but through other funding, new buildings are going up at that community. Two permanent teacher houses were built at the end of last year, and occupied from the beginning of this year. So, Yilpara community will be allocated $75 000 under the stimulus package which will go towards landscaping of an outdoor learning environment.
Elcho Island is in my electorate to the north off the coast, and Shepherdson College is the main school there. Shepherdson College is a beautiful school with fantastic facilities. I am pleased to say with the growth in the enrolment figures and looking like sustainable school attendance, something which occurred as a result of much work and partnerships between the school and the community, families, and kids, to get these children to school. Under the stimulus package, they have done extremely well. Other schools are very envious of what they have received and will receive: $3m for a multipurpose hall. This is a fantastic asset for this community; it provides the community with a hall for sport and dance, whatever indoor activity they might want to do, and will also double as a cyclone shelter. Given their location, in a very high risk area for cyclones, this facility will be absolutely fantastic.
Shepherdson College has also received $200 000 for a covered outdoor learning area. In addition, Shepherdson College is just one of eight schools in the Northern Territory which has been funded for a science centre. It is a $1.97m investment in Shepherdson College, which will be terrific. Also, right to the north of Elcho Island at the very tip is a little community called Gawa homeland community. The drive from Galiwinku to Gawa is about 58 km. Gawa school has been successful in attracting $250 000 funding through the stimulus package for a school library upgrade.
Nhulunbuy Christian School has been approved for, and is well under way with, some general school building renovations for which they were funded $125 000. In addition, they were, obviously, very pleased to receive $1.75m for a new building which will house the school’s science lab, home economics, and a performing arts area. Nhulunbuy Christian School, in the 10 years it has now been operating, has grown from strength to strength with about 185 students. They now go from Transition through to Year 9, and it certainly provides an option to families in Nhulunbuy for an alternative education option.
Madam Speaker, this investment in our schools is an investment in our children and their futures. We all know - it has been said time and time again - education is at the core of our children’s futures. In my electorate, school councils, parents, teachers, children, and the wider community right across the electorate are delighted to see what the stimulus package is delivering to their school. However, let us remember as well what this investment is also doing is creating jobs, providing employment and income for Territorians and Territory businesses and, most definitely, stimulating the Territory economy. I commend the minister’s statement.
Dr BURNS (Business): Madam Speaker, I thank all speakers for their contribution to this very important debate. The starting point should be what the stimulus package is all about. As everyone knows, it is a $42bn Nation Building and Jobs Plan which was announced in February this year. I am reading a little from my initial speech, but it is worthwhile to repeat it. It was designed to do a number of things: providing direct payments to stimulate expenditure - and I certainly believe it has done that; providing tax breaks to ensure ongoing business investment; supporting employment through massive infrastructure investment particularly in schools, Defence Housing, and roof installation amongst others; and social housing.
I was very interested in what the member for Fannie Bay had to say. Obviously, he has been doing a lot of reading in the financial press, getting a lot of background about the value of the stimulus package, particularly in protecting jobs, which was very important. He used the figure mooted of 100 000 jobs the stimulus package has protected. The world was going into uncertain financial times, and we are still not really sure of the financial future. However, the stimulus package for Australia as a nation and, I believe, for the Northern Territory as a jurisdiction, has been very important.
For the Northern Territory, the stimulus package has been approximately $500m - $500m of very strategically placed expenditure. Basically, some of the benefits: $200m for school infrastructure and maintenance; $76m for Defence Housing; $64m for public and community housing; $34m for energy efficient homes; $9m for black spot funding; $27m in tax breaks for Territory businesses; and $95m for individual payments to Territorians.
There have been many members who have spoken about the school infrastructure, and I will come back to that.
I will go on to housing and roads. There is $76m for 185 Defence homes to be built in the Territory; $64m for new public and community housing and repairs; $34m for energy efficiency measures; $9m for black spots, as I mentioned before; $27m for small business in additional tax breaks for eligible assets; and the payments to eligible Territorians of up to $900 in 2008-09.
It was great to hear all the members who contributed, really, I suppose, on this side. It was significant - and I have a list here of the speakers who contributed in this very important debate. The only member who contributed, apart from all the government members on this side, with the exception of you, Madam Speaker, was the member for Port Darwin from the opposition. I would like to table that list, because it is a very important list of speakers. It indicates to me, and it has really been noticeable, members opposite, with the exception of the member for Port Darwin, have not contributed to this important debate.
I heard the murmur in the background when it was said the Coalition opposed the stimulus package …
Mr Tollner: Goodness me, you are in dream world.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: We will come to you soon, member for Fong Lim. Really, the Coalition at the national level opposed this – which is on the record; there is no doubt about that. The CLP Senator opposed it in the Senate - that is on the record.
There have been objections from the other side that it has been implied they, too, opposed it. I heard the member for Katherine saying, ‘When did we ever vote on it?’ Well, we have had various motions in here; we have also had this statement. None of you would avail yourselves of the opportunity to actually come in here and put on the record where you stand on this because, as we heard from all the speakers on this side, there has been a great benefit to schools all over the Northern Territory - not just in one electorate, but all over the Territory …
Members interjecting.
Dr BURNS: I have a list here …
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Members interjecting.
Dr BURNS: The member for Greatorex has a bit to say …
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order! Member for Greatorex!
Dr BURNS: The member for Fong Lim has a bit to say ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: Ludmilla Primary received $850 000; in Greatorex: Acacia Hill, $800 000; Araluen, $1.9m; and Braitling $2.5m ...
Mr CONLAN: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Honestly! Can the minister, the member for Johnston, read from his own script instead of taking things from his federal colleagues, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, resume your seat.
Mr Conlan: Why do not you try to be a bit original?
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, resume your seat.
Mr Conlan: You know …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, you are on a warning!
Mr Conlan interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, you are on a warning!
Mr Conlan: Okay.
Dr BURNS: ... Gillen Primary, $2m; Blain, $2.5m; Bakewell Primary in Brennan, $3m; Drysdale, $3m; and Blain again. There is the whole range. I think I have Katherine here somewhere as well. The member for Katherine had a bit to say. Where are we with Katherine? Casuarina Street Primary, $2m; and Katherine High School, $1.97m. For each and every one of these members opposite, there is a lot of money going into your schools because of the stimulus package. I would have thought you would have got this out to the school councils. I thought you would have been up there, at least …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Dr BURNS: Are you going to go to knock it back? Are you going to go to your school council and oppose it? No. I have been at the school council when the member for Sanderson has been there, and the school council at Wagaman is very excited about the money they are getting, and the works they are carrying out. Not a peep from the member for Sanderson about that. The opposition really needs to have a good look at itself. However, I digress. I might come back to that a little later.
On the issues raised by the member for Port Darwin, where he talked about the genesis of the global financial crisis, and about government spending without results regarding the stimulus package. Well, what has been demonstrated with the progress thus far in the stimulus package is the satisfaction, particularly amongst the schools I visit, in the way which the works are being rolled out and really progressed. I get a lot of positive feedback about that. I believe there will be results; there are results. It is certainly a very big investment in what is going on.
He talked about borrowing, and we have been through that. Ken Henry talked about the importance of the stimulus package, of not withdrawing the stimulus package more precipitately. I note the comments by Ross Garnaut in the last day or so. I also note the comments by the Prime Minister; that they are prepared to be flexible in the stimulus package, and take advice on it. I am very reassured by that. However, we have to accept the stimulus package was necessary, it was implemented by many nations right across the economic world, including Australia. It has been a very positive thing because it has invested in very much-needed infrastructure around Australia.
Some might think the Chief Minister was a little unkind with what he had to say. He said he believed there was a failure by John Howard to really invest heavily in infrastructure. I know a surplus budget was a focus of the Howard government. Peter Costello has retired now, but I believe, in the financial management of the Howard government, there was very strong financial management, but there was a failure to invest in infrastructure. I will just come back to that a little later in what I have to say, because you can be focused on your surplus and lose sight of the fact you have to invest in infrastructure, because that is what governments are about.
This investment in infrastructure has been right across the Northern Territory ...
Mr Tollner: What happened to the telecommunications fund? That disappeared.
Dr BURNS: We have moved it right across the regions, right across the major centres within the Northern Territory and it certainly …
Mr Tollner: Setting yourselves up for the future, and you mob just raided the lot – blew the lot.
Dr BURNS: So, you are saying you are opposed to the stimulus package, member for Fong Lim?
Mr Tollner: I have always said that.
Dr BURNS: You are opposed.
Mr Tollner: I have always said that.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Dr BURNS: Just picking up on the interjection, the member for Fong Lim is against the expenditure at Nemarluk Special School, he is against the expenditure ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Greatorex, that is your final warning.
Dr BURNS: He is pretty good at bellowing across this Chamber, but when he had the opportunity to lay on the Parliamentary Record exactly what his position is in relation to this, he was nowhere ...
Mr Tollner: I just told you then. I told you when we had debates. You do not listen; clean your ears out.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order! Member for Fong Lim, cease interjecting.
Dr BURNS: You had an opportunity, member for Fong Lim, to contribute to this debate as all other members on this side did, and your colleague, the member for Port Darwin, contributed. All of you have run away; you have not grasped the opportunity.
Mr Tollner: Why do you not put a decent debate on the books?
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Fong Lim!
Dr BURNS: The member for Fong Lim is talking about lost opportunities, Madam Speaker ...
Mr Tollner: You will not come in here and talk about crime or SIHIP. You only come and talk about nonsense.
Madam SPEAKER: Please, pause. Minister, resume your seat. Member for Fong Lim, the Minister for Business has the call. You do not have the call. There have been far too many interjections and you are now on a warning. Minister, you have the call. Please direct your comments through the Chair, minister.
Dr BURNS: On the topic of lost opportunities, the member for Fong Lim is a wonderful example of lost and squandered opportunities when he was the member for Solomon. He is always berating and castigating this government for an inability to deliver - of promising up big but not delivering. I think that is the paraphrase of the message often delivered to this government, in spades, by the member for Fong Lim.
Let us just look at his record. I do this in the context of this statement, because here is something which has been delivered. It has been delivered right across the Territory in the stimulus package. However, let us just look at the record of the member for Fong Lim.
After-hours health care: in May 2006, Tony Abbott announced round-the-clock Medicare. That was an after-hours Medicare service. Coming up to the election in October 2007 there was a splash in The Sun newspaper:
- Palmy gets its after-hours medical clinic.
... with a start-up grant of $200 000 from the federal government.
So, we are getting into an election cycle coming into 2008. It has been a year since the after-hours Medicare has been announced. The member for Fong Lim thought: ‘Oh, we are a year out from the election, this is an issue. I had better get on it’. He made his big splash and announcement and the rest of it. Then, coming into the election 2007, he was on Daryl Manzie’s radio show and, instead of saying we actually have this after-hours medical clinic, he pulled back and said to Daryl:
- Well, what we said is we have committed the 50 family emergency medical centres around Australia. The Prime Minister says we will thoroughly investigate putting one of these centres in Palmerston.
That was the extent of it. Here is someone in one of the most marginal seats in Australia and he could not grasp that opportunity. Contrast that, there is a 24-hour emergency care service at Palmerston which has been delivered by the Rudd government. So, there is one example.
Radiation oncology: well, we have been up hill and down dale about that. Here is the blurb he put out around the election time. He said: ‘Strong economic management delivers cancer treatment unit’. We know, and I know, basically, the tender process failed, not only once but twice in his watch. He just could not seal the deal, but he was going out and putting it in his election material that he has actually secured it. And there is more like …
Mr Bohlin: What are you currently talking about? What are you supposed to be talking about?
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Drysdale!
Dr BURNS: In March 2007 he said: ‘Construction is going to start in the Dry Season of this year’. This is the member for Solomon in March 2007, saying construction was going to start in 2007. In 2007 there was an article: ‘Tollner wins fight for cancer unit’. There is another headline in the NT News: ‘NT cancer ward to go ahead’. Then, The Sun newspaper of Wednesday, 23 May 2007, said: ‘Cancer Centre Tenders called’:
- Tenders to build and run the long-awaited radiation oncology treatment centre at Royal Darwin Hospital have been called. Work could begin before the end of the year, said federal member for Solomon, David Tollner.
Well, it all was not happening; it did not happen. It was not delivered. It was promised. It was spieled up and spun up in the paper - talk about spin. The member for Solomon, at that time during the election, knew the tender process had failed. Why had it failed?
I will come back to what I said this morning about the way the Commonwealth operates. They are completely inflexible in the way they were calling the tender. They called the tender to actually construct and operate the radiation oncology unit. What was wrong with that? What was wrong was they were asking radiation specialists to be also engineers and a construction company. They did not want to do that. I was able to convince Nicola Roxon that the tender should be given to the Northern Territory government, taken out of the hands of DoHA and split. Paul Tyrrell has been a wonderful asset in progressing the particular project.
What I am saying, in trying to get the message across to members opposite, is we deal a lot with the Commonwealth government and we need to realise the way the Commonwealth government operates. It presents problems for the Northern Territory’s delivery of services and the implementation of policies within the Northern Territory.
Similarly, Madam Speaker - and I will finish on this one, of course, I have to mention Tiger Brennan Drive. I was the Infrastructure minister at the time. The sticking point for the Commonwealth was, at that stage, it was approximately a $27m or $28m project which was 50:50 - the Northern Territory would pay 50%, and the Commonwealth would pay 50%. The Commonwealth said if there were any escalations in the project, it would not put any money towards those escalations. It was not just for the Territory, it was right across Australia. It caused a lot of friction within the ministerial council meetings because it was felt the Commonwealth was not pulling its weight in these projects; the states and territories were willing to meet those costs of the escalation. It was a time when there was escalating costs in bitumen, labour, steel - you name it. Basically, we were willing to put in our extra bit, but the Commonwealth was not.
In August 2006, the member for Solomon was standing with Jim Lloyd, who is a good bloke - I liked Jim and always got along well with him. According the newspaper article:
- The federal government yesterday promised to pay half the cost of Darwin’s Tiger Brennan Drive 6.3 km extension. This is expected to be up to $25m.
Federal Roads minister, Jim Lloyd said the NT government would have to pay the other half of the project. Costs were only $27m when the extension was announced in 2001.
That was in 2006. Obviously, in capital works programs, they are usually on the list and designed for a number of years before they actually come forward and are ready to be progressed. We had already done the design work and were prepared to pay our half. Blow me down! Almost the next day, or within a week or so, Jim Lloyd wrote to me and said:
- I did not make the comments attributed to me in the Northern Territory News article on 30 August, and certainly did not make a promise to fund 50% of Tiger Brennan Drive at its latest reported cost. It is unfortunate inaccurate journalism on the part of the Northern Territory News has confused the issue.
I can say Tiger Brennan Drive was never going to go ahead until the Commonwealth was willing to pay their half of the construction. Since the Rudd government gained government, and there has been a change of member, the Rudd government has realised Solomon is one of the most marginal electorates in Australia. The member is lobbying to get these things implemented and funded. That is the difference between …
Mr McCARTHY: Madam Speaker, I move the Leader of Government Business be granted a 10 minute extension, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Dr BURNS: Thank you. I will finish very soon. The contrast is a matter of fact. It is still a marginal seat - probably one of the most marginal seats in Australia when the member for Fong Lim was the member. Now, with Damian Hale as the member, the difference is the results are starting to show. I would not mind all of this history so much, except the member for Fong Lim, without fail, bags on, accuses and castigates this government for lack of performance, for spitting up things, for promising things to the Northern Territory people, and not delivering.
The member for Fong Lim needs to let someone else do it for a while, because these are but three cases. There are probably many other things I could mention about the member for Fong Lim. There is a lot of history of the member for Fong Lim with Tiger Brennan Drive. We keep on raising it but, basically, the member for Fong Lim needs to take on board what has been said here today, and think about the old adage ‘people in glass houses should not throw stones’ when he criticise us next.
We know how difficult it is to deal with the Commonwealth, in some instances, and we know they have very set ideas, particularly about money. However, we all have to work together to try to do the best for the Territory.
However, I digress, Madam Speaker. I will wrap up now with the stimulus package. I believe this has been a great thing for Australia, and for the Northern Territory. I know history will judge the stimulus package very well, despite the nay saying of those who talk without debt. It was a must do, and it has been sensibly done. It has been widely appreciated by business, by a whole range of sectors.
We know the Coalition nationally has been very negative and opposed this package, and tried to pick it to bits. You see them often on the floor of parliament asking Julia Gillard fairly negative questions about the stimulus package. With such a large package, you will always find anomalies, and something which can be criticised. However, we have to look at the bigger picture.
Regarding the Country Liberal Party locally in the Territory, well, they get upset when we lump them in with the Coalition nationally and their opposition but, to some degree, apart from what the member for Port Darwin had to say on behalf of them all, we are never really going to know.
But, do you know what, Madam Speaker? I suspect there are going to be a few of them lost, along with a few school councils, and pretend or try to grab some credit for it in some way. I do not know. However, the public is a bit smarter than that. The Rudd government has certainly done a lot in the two or so years it has been in power. It will be very interesting to see what happens over the next 12 months with a Commonwealth election in the offing.
In the meantime, jobs in the Northern Territory are being protected. There is whole range of nation building projects, particularly in our schools, which we on this side, at least, all welcome.
Madam Speaker, I commend this statement to the House.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Member for Goyder
Member for Goyder
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have given my leave to the member for Goyder to give a personal explanation. I remind honourable members it is a normal courtesy to listen to a personal explanation in silence.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Speaker, today, in Question Time, the government claimed I referred to an Australian Bureau of Statistics report in Tuesday’s Question Time in the context of a question to the Housing Minister in relation to the Territory housing waiting lists. In fact, I made no reference to an Australian Bureau of Statistics report. Indeed, the reference was to Australian Bureau of Statistics’ figures. Hansard records show I said:
- The fact is, the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that the Territory has the second-largest per capita waiting list in the country, and it is growing, as this chart indicates.
The figures were a compilation of March 2009 Australian Bureau of Statistics demographic data; September 2009 Australian Social Trends, which includes public housing waiting lists; and our own per capita waiting list calculations ...
Mr Elferink: So it was a dataset, not a report …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Elferink: So when you rang up the ABS and asked for a report you were misleading …
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr Elferink: Deceptive, deceptive, deceptive.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin! I ask you to withdraw those comments. I ask you to withdraw, thank you.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you.
Mr Elferink: Fibbers.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members …
Mr Knight: You are deceitful.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Daly, I ask you to withdraw.
Mr KNIGHT: I withdraw, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Honourable members …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Daly and member for Goyder, cease interjecting.
MATTER OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Local Government Reform
Local Government Reform
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have received the following letter from the member for Katherine:
- I propose for discussion today the following definite matter of public importance –
The failure of the Northern Territory government to provide effective leadership in shire reform.
Is the proposed discussion supported? The discussion is supported. I call on the member for Katherine.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, on 9 September 2008, I ran a matter of public importance in this House dealing with local government issues, and pointed out the failings of the government in dealing with the implementation of the shires, and some of the problems around at the time. Perhaps naively, Madam Speaker, I expected there would be some changes for the better. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. The problems with the shires have escalated to a point where, frankly, it will require an enormous amount of work and leadership to turn them around.
I rise tonight to speak of the abject failure and total lack of leadership which has contributed to the debacle the NT Labor government and the NT Minister for Local Government refer to as reform of our local government system.
Let me say, Madam Speaker, it is generally acknowledged there is a requirement for the local government system to change. Some might dispute that, but I am not going to head down that path. What I want to discuss is how this monster was beset upon us, how, in so many ways, it is failing Territorians, and how an appalling lack of leadership by the Local Government minister has contributed to this mess the shires are presently in, and how that lack of leadership will leave us in a mire of failed systems for as long as it takes the shires to dig their way out of the mess.
My first question, rhetorical as it might be, because I do not think the minister will even bother to answer it in any meaningful way, is why the legislation was rushed through in 2008. This is pertinent because the premature implementation of the shire reforms was the beginning of the downfall of the entire system, set it up for failures, and ensured shire staff would be condemned to working with untried and untested defective systems, including their IT systems, for years. That is probably not a bad place to start.
Let us look at what is happening with the IT systems. Amongst other things, CouncilBiz is supposed to provide the financial accounting software for the eight shires across the Territory. It is a system touted by the incompetent minister for Local Government as a great tool. I can assure you it certainly is not.
Let us look at what the lame duck Minister for Local Government said in his press release on 29 February 2008. He says: the business systems were part of the job of getting on with fixing governance and service delivery problems in the bush. The $6.3m business system is a great tool. It will help fix problems in the bush. CouncilBiz is designed to support core local government business by providing a framework for sound financial management, and allows easy, quick and accurate reporting’.
A member: How much did it cost?
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE cont: $6.3m. You must be joking, minister. How can you sit there with that look on your face and expect not to be held accountable for coming out with a load of bunkum?
Let us look at where CouncilBiz is right now. Let me refer to the NT News article by Alyssa Betts, which was on the 1 October 2009. This is not the only case, but a typical case of where the shires are at the moment. The article is entitled ‘Books blackout keeps budgets in dark’, which is a pretty apt headline which relates to the minister, because he knows only too well about blackouts and keeping Territorians in the dark. It goes on to say:
- … the Territory’s new super shires have no real idea if they are viable or close to bankruptcy, because the NT Government’s financial system is still not up and running after more than a year. Super shires are locked into a contract with the NT Government created CouncilBiz, which was set up to provide IT, financial, and administration services to shires. CouncilBiz, it is reported, has yet to produce any up-to-date financial statements for any of them.
That, in itself speaks volumes for probably what is the most significant failure of this local government minister in dealing with some of the issues of the shires. It is so typical of what are seeing. It goes on to say the government did not respond to the NT News questions on why CouncilBiz systems were not working, and how much they had spent on them. There was some comment from the minister’s media advisor, where she said: the business systems core components had now been working for some months and shires should have an accurate picture of their financial status, which of course is untrue. It is reported in the same article the East Arnhem Shire Chief Executive, Ian Bodill, said the shire did not know where it stood after the first 12 months. That is just one shire, there are more.
Another example of a shire which cannot work with the great tool of the Minister for Local Government is the Barkly Shire. Barkly Shire has dumped CouncilBiz because it is such a failed system. CEO, Jeff Sowiak, says: the problem for us is we cannot wait 18 months for a financial report.
That leaves shires in a position of not being able to comply with certain parts of the Local Government Act. I refer specifically to section 127, which says a council must prepare a budget for each financial year. Not all councils can prepare a budget for each financial year because they have not worked the system to a point where they can produce those budgets. They cannot produce accurate financial statements. ‘Accounting records’, section 129: the council must keep accounting records that give a true and fair view of the council’s receipts and payments and the council’s assets and liabilities. I do not know if there is a penalty for breaching parts of the act, or whether the Local Government minister has given an exemption or a ‘get out jail free’ card, but that is the administrative end of the failures of the member for Daly, the Local Government minister, when it comes to dealing with financial matters in shires.
Not complying with the legislation is only one cost. I am advised the cost of the retrofit to the CouncilBiz system is going to cost shires twice what they have budgeted for. I do not know where that additional funding will come from. It certainly will not be from rates, because rates have been capped to the CPI for three years. That only covers the cost of goods and services the shires need to run their operations on a day-to-day basis.
Speaking of capping costs, something rings a bell with other things this government has done to cap costs, and I am referring to power and water costs. We know that after many years of fixed rates for power and water, we are seeing a rise of somewhere in the vicinity of 25% for Territorians, again under the helm of this minister. There is a pattern of behaviour forming here, Madam Speaker.
A member: Of consistency.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: It is consistent. You have heard of delayed gratification, this is just the opposite; it is delayed pain. What is going to happen with power and water charges is going to happen with rates for shires as well. Clare Martin was clever enough to realise her replacement would have to bear the electoral pain of that policy when she was well and truly out of the picture. Of course the big losers will be the ratepayers. That makes the system inequitable. While the shire rate bases effectively remained unchanged, municipal councils and the councils which were not caught up in the shire reform, raised their rates so they could provide additional or better services to their ratepayers. Unfortunately, the shires do not have that luxury courtesy of policy by this government to simply to delay the pain.
The rate capping, in the manner in which your government has implemented it, flies completely in the face of the New South Wales experience, where rate capping was a failure. It flies in the face of findings and recommendations of a number of eminent reports on rate capping. I wonder whether the minister read the PricewaterhouseCoopers report on sustainability where it refers to associated problems with rates for small councils. Another report along the same lines was the Productivity Commission’s report on revenue raising for local government. I do not know if the minister has read that. I wonder whether the minister read the Cost Shifting Inquiry report on rates and taxes. Those reports clearly outline the problems associated with rate capping. It is obvious the minister is too lazy or too incompetent to seek out the most contemporary information relating to rate capping.
The shires are also feeling pain in other areas of their finances. When I spoke to an outgoing shire CEO, he told me his shire was heading toward a deficit. Section 127(3) of the Local Government Act says councils must not budget for a deficit. The regulations mention it as well. I ask: if a council is heading toward a deficit, and the budget has been prepared according to the act, then you, minister, have set the wheels in motion for the council to have a deficit budget, which is a breach of the act and you are responsible. You are responsible because you are the minister, but the Chief Minister is also partly responsible. One of the reasons cited in your summary dismissal notice was your failure to ensure sound management of council’s financial, physical and human resources. What has the Chief Minister done? He has put you in charge of shires with millions of dollars in the budget, and you are a failed financial manager.
However, let us move on to some of the other problems you are presiding over as the incompetent Minister for Local Government. I have to ask why the Tiwi Islands council went to the extraordinary length of asking employees to sign up for a $30-a-month contribution towards the purchase of equipment and to fund cultural events. Would that have anything to do with them being broke? I am not surprised given the Grants Commission has taken $800 000 from the shire in the past two years.
I ask the minister when he is going to help councils properly fund roads. Currently, councils are funded for about 7500 km of roads. Would it surprise you to know, minister, there is approximately 7000 km more in roads, and a further 8000 km of roads yet to be transferred. Yet, the councils are floundering in insufficient budgets; particularly now they are responsible for twice the amount of roads budgeted for.
Minister, what are you doing about leasing arrangements? Are you going to keep those leasing arrangements consistent across the NT? I know the answer is no, because we have seen it already. Three communities have their leasing arrangements finalised; one with a 99-year lease, and two with a 40-year lease. I suggest you keep things within the shires consistent or you will end up with a mish-mash, like everything you get your hands on, minister. Are you comfortable with the fact shire councils will have to pay commercial rates to the federal government for the buildings they occupy? Who will fund the council to pay those leases? Is it not just a case of Peter robbing Paul to pay your mates in the land councils to keep them off your back?
How long is it going to take to resolve these problems? Under the stewardship of the current minister, probably forever. I will qualify that for the House. The qualification is this: some aspects of this mess are slowly being worked out by shire staff. They are working overtime to dig shires out of the financial mess they are in - literally. Minister, you have given the shires a system which fails them; lets them down at every turn. The price for your incompetence is very high. I have outlined some of the costs to date, but now the shires will have to pay their staff overtime to fix your bungles as a minister - more costs to the shires. Your performance as a minister of this government is absolutely woeful. You are a woeful Minister for Local Government, you are a woeful Minister for Essential Services, and you are a woeful Minister for Housing.
It is easy for us to stand on this side of the House and make broad, sweeping statements. It is another thing to come up with a solution. So, here comes the solution, are you ready for it? Resign, minister! Resign from the position which makes you responsible for any serious decision this government needs to make! If you do not have the intelligence, if you do not have the common sense, or if you do not have enough compassion to care about the Territorians you are hurting every day of your lousy ministerial life, then I have a second solution to the problem; the Chief Minister should simply sack you - sack you and get rid of you from Cabinet.
It has been a few months since the last Cabinet reshuffle. It is something we on this side of the House, and Territorians, are becoming accustomed to, so it is not a huge deal. The Chief Minister should sack you and find someone who can bring about some positive change in local government, and fix the problems this minister has visited upon Territorians. Perhaps you could do that as a favour for us, because the longer you leave this minister in charge of Local Government and Housing, the bigger the legacy he will leave behind for the Country Liberals to fix.
Mr KNIGHT (Local Government): He even finished early on his own MPI. That is great to see.
Madam Speaker, I rise to provide quite a comprehensive response to what has been put forward by the shadow for Local Government. He did highlight a few things, make a few allegations, got it down in the gutter. I thought it was pretty pitiful for him. He talked about the summary dismissal. I do not mind going into my personal life. It would be interesting if a police report into a police officer who got information about his child fell off the back of a truck as well. That might be interesting as well, member for Katherine.
Madam Speaker, what he did not talk about, because he does not know, is the last 30 years in the Territory with Local Government. The CLP set up very small community government councils. I remember them; I was in Tennant Creek at the time. A lady said to me, ‘All I have to do is fill out 20 names on this page and I get a local government council. I get an establishment grant’. She was trying to set up Blue Bush, an outstation north of Warrego to the west of the Stuart Highway, and it is all but three houses. It is a very small community which has not grown. Under the criteria of the CLP, you could set up a community government council.
Small community government councils were set up for several decades. It was also about wedging the Commonwealth government. Commonwealth governments were funding association councils; a Labor federal government was supporting land councils. It was about trying to get their tentacles into the bush. A total of 63 community government councils were established across the Northern Territory, taking up 5% of the land mass, and there were as little as 150 people in some of them.
I recently attended the Australian Council of Local Government, representing the 560 local governments around Australia. They had a large map of all local government boundaries across Australia. I looked at the Northern Territory and thought thank goodness; thank goodness Labor reformed local government. We would have seen circles all across the Territory, and unincorporated land. We want to sit with these major local government councils and be seen as legitimate.
Many of those councils did survive, but many were in trouble. That has been reported in this parliament, and the previous Legislative Council, for years and years. Successive CLP ministers attempted to deal with local government councils which were in constant trouble. A lack of governance, a lack of appropriate staff employed; it was not a tenable situation. It was a ridiculous situation to have local government which was not truly a third tier of government.
The CLP tried reform in 1999. Loraine Braham started it, then Dr Lim, then Tim Baldwin. It all became too hard; they had no conviction for getting some legitimacy in the bush, and they backed away at a million miles an hour. The problems persisted in those communities. The member for Katherine talks about local government roads. As the member for Nhulunbuy highlighted, those roads were bad before the shires got to them. They really were under-funded.
The member for Katherine talked about roads funding. That is part of the reform. A vast majority of the roads in the Territory were not claimed for. One of the first things we did as part of the reform was conduct an audit with DPI and LGANT. South Australia conducted a similar audit, and approached the Commonwealth government with a comprehensive report on the state of the roads and the level of funding. They were able to get an extra $10m per annum. If we had claimed for each and every one of those roads over 30 years, getting an extra $5 or $10m per year, those roads would be in a much better condition than they are now. So we are way ahead of the member for Katherine; that audit is under way.
The passage of the act was quite comprehensive; it was almost a total rewrite of the Local Government Act. It was done with consultation. There were several hundred clauses and I was here for five or six hours debating it, mostly with the member for Nelson, because the member for Greatorex was not interested. I think he asked several questions and then left the Chamber.
A member: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The member should well know he cannot refer to the presence or otherwise, either now or at a former time, of a member in the Chamber and should withdraw it.
Madam SPEAKER: I do not think he was alluding to that.
A member: Madam Speaker, he said it. He referred to the member walking out of the Chamber.
Mr KNIGHT: Madam Speaker I withdraw it. I will say the CLP were very uninterested in the Local Government Act at the time. The act was really debated by the Independent member for Nelson. It was a complete rewrite of the act; a complete modernisation of the Local Government Act.
The member for Katherine referred to the IT system. Prior to local government reform, LGANT performed services such as IT and accounting. The opportunity to centralise financial systems and IT systems presented itself. People realised the concept was a good idea, and there was very little criticism of the proposal. We went through a comprehensive procurement process; we got money from the Commonwealth government to put the financial and IT systems in place. When I became Minister, and as the reforms took place, I became aware there were problems with the configuration of the IT system. Late last year we made some advancement with data entry.
Early this year we commissioned a report by Mr Des Kennedy, a very well respected IT professional. His report was critical, and it was very honest. The shires accepted the report and its recommendations. I have been working through the report with the shires, and I have given them opportunities to go their own way. They realise Tech One is a good system, however it had been installed incorrectly. This has been fixed.
A committee has been established for the remedial project made up of the CEO from West Arnhem, Mark Griffioen, Sandra Cannon from the Victoria Daly Shire, Trish Angus from my department, Vicki Wright who is the General Manager from CouncilBiz, and Des Kennedy. They have consulted with of the shires. MacDonnell Shire had two implement workshops in September and their implementation plan signed off on 18 September. The committee will return for a reporting and profiling format workshop at the end of this month. The Victoria Daly had an initial consultation in mid-September and a week later a sign-off on the scope of the works, with work continuing into November. The East Arnhem Shire, the Roper Gulf, West Arnhem and Tiwi Islands are using CouncilBiz. I met with representatives from MacDonnell Shire several weeks ago and they were delighted with the way things were working. They have produced some reports. Yes, it has been insufficient and there are concerns about accuracy, but they have done some projections.
Local government reform was about putting a framework out, and what went into that framework was up to each shire. We have seen an evolution in Alice Springs where both Central Desert and MacDonnell thought they would have a centralised financial system. They now want to go it alone. If they feel there are deficiencies in autonomy and they cannot work both systems together, that is their choice. The shires are made up of elected members who receive advice and guidance from their staff and they have chosen this course. I fully support that.
The cost of the implementation plan will be borne by the Northern Territory government. Yes, it has been difficult; it was mammoth reform. To go from 63 councils down to eight major shires was an amazing job, and incorporating almost all of the Northern Territory is a substantial job.
Many of these small councils had outstanding grants which today are still being sorted out. I have stepped in with both the Commonwealth and Territory agencies to hold off on acquittals as the shires work rapidly to acquit old grants. I have told each shire the first term of office is going to be very difficult; they will be cleaning up the mess left by small councils, but they are putting in a solid foundation for future councils. These shires will grow from strength to strength.
The old community government councils succeeded initially but struggled with inappropriate governance or management, taking many years to recover. Lajamanu needed a Treasury loan at one stage; other councils experienced difficulties. Now there is more professionalism and, although development might not be as rapid, it will be consistent. If we have consistent growth and development, professionalism, a strong financial position, the shires will do well in the future.
The member for Katherine also talked about rate capping. At one stage he was criticising the government for rate capping, then he said we should allow councils to raise money. I do not know what he was supporting. Rate capping was put in place for a certain period of time to protect people coming into local government areas who had not been there previously. It was also about providing arrangements with the pastoral industry and the mining industry.
It seemed the member for Katherine was saying the mining companies and pastoralists should be charged the full amount. I am sure the pastoralists of the Katherine region will be interested to know he is supportive of that. Shires will be able to work successfully with pastoralists and miners to find an appropriate rates solution. Many pastoral properties in the Territory are corporately owned and have stations all over Australia. There are also privately-owned properties. One of our more prominent pastoralists who complain about paying rates to local government has properties in Central Australia and Victoria. He quite happily pays substantial rates there. The shires realise pastoralists and miners want their rates money spent on the local roads.
The member for Katherine also mentioned the Tiwi Island’s service charge. I have met with the president and members of the Tiwi Islands council. This charge was to raise money for additional services outside local government and is unique to the Territory. I understand their argument, and we need to look at levying a service charge
The member for Katherine talked about Grants Commission funding. The Commonwealth Grants Commission operates off a methodology, and the Northern Territory Grants Commission ostensibly uses that for the Northern Territory operational funding. We have applied that formula, however there were many variations and when the opportunity arose; I chose to allow a transition period. As some shires saw significant funding changes this gave councils the ability to budget, raise revenue, and to ensure fairness for their ratepayers.
Madam Deputy Speaker, local government reform was a huge undertaking and I am irked by the CLP’s arrogance; this had to be done. It had been talked about for decades, and this government showed the courage and foresight to implement it. Every local government reform throughout Australia has been difficult but, ultimately, the local government has benefited and gone from strength to strength. Whatever the problems are, we will see those shires develop and grow, and people will benefit into the future.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Acting Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Katherine for bringing this matter of public importance on, because it is a matter of public importance. It is something that is raised fairly regularly in the bush. I want to ensure the member for Daly understands the Country Liberals do not and did not oppose council reform. We were not happy with the process, we were not happy with the implementation, and I have some serious concerns about the shire councils now. Some of the current concerns go to the heart of the ability for shire councils to deliver the services they are mandated to deliver.
In some ways, I suggest the shire councils have been set up to fail, particularly in response to their system of funding and their rate base. Talking to some of the councils, and the fact 97% of their budgets are done on a grant type system, where only 3% of the budget is from a rate base, I think is a serious concern to the sustainability of those shires. The shires, in a certain area, were set up to fail. The shires should be able to incorporate and rate all property within those shire boundaries. I see no reason why land council land or trust land should not be rated.
It is quite all right for pastoral properties and mining companies to pay rates, however I do not understand why Aboriginal communities should not pay rates. That is not on a rights basis, it is on a degree of service basis, because we understand how these councils operate. Pastoral properties and mining leases all pay rates. The shire council offices in Aboriginal communities are providing services, which is good, but they are not establishing a rate base for roads, rates and rubbish from the people they provide services to.
For the shires to operate, they are obtaining grants for the delivery of services, whether that is childcare, CDEP, or Territory Housing, and they have to take an administrative fee to deliver that service. By taking up to 20% administrative fee and a GST component, shires have less money to deliver the services at the bottom end, meaning the community gets less money. Before the money gets to the shire, in cases such as public housing, it comes from the Commonwealth to the Territory government, then down to the shires, then down to the community shire offices.
Everyone takes a piece of the pie, everyone is killing the pig. That is not to say shires should not take money to administer services; there are too many layers of bureaucracy. If the shires are going to deliver housing services, perhaps the Northern Territory government should not be taking a slice of the pie to deliver those services on the ground. At the end of the day, the people on the ground are not getting the best services.
I will give an example of housing. In Santa Teresa, shire council officials were confidentially telling me they have a problem receiving funding for repairs and maintenance on houses; they receive $250 a quarter. I know the Northern Territory government gives thousands of dollars to shires for house repairs and maintenance each year. Why only $250 a quarter, $1000 a year, to maintain and repair houses? Why that happens beggars belief in the process! It costs between $4000 and $6000 a year to repair and maintain any public housing asset, but in Santa Teresa they are only getting $1000. The Northern Territory government was clearly taking money before it got to the shire; the shire took money for administration. In Alice Springs, the Macdonnell and Central Desert shires have bought a $15m building for their headquarters, and they wonder why they cannot get any money for repairs and maintenance at the local level. These are some of the silly things shires have done.
Part of the systemic nature in being set up to fail is how the administrative component is coming out before the shires get the money, and how the shires do not have an appropriate rate base. Shires should be able to rate land trust land, and provide services to those people living on those land trusts. That is what shire councils are all about. You cannot expect pastorals and mining companies to pay rates for delivery of services to people on land trusts. There is a fairness or equity imbalance in this whole process.
An example is Northern Concrete, based out of Alice Springs. They have seven extractive mineral leases where they remove sand. They access their properties off the Stuart Highway, a federal road. They have their own dirt road into their properties unserviced by shire council, unmaintained, no rubbish collection, no power, water or sewer, yet they have to pay rates on seven different properties. They have to pay DPIFM fees for the extractive mineral leases each year. They also have to pay a $7000 open bank security to entitle them to the leases. It is not a restraint of trade, but it is a restriction on trade which makes it very difficult for small operators such as Northern Concrete to be able to proceed in their business ventures, and at the same time as paying rates, not receiving any services. I am sure companies like Northern Concrete, or pastoral properties, would be only too happy to pay rates - as much as anyone can ever be to pay rates - if there was a fair and equitable system where everybody in the boundaries of the shire council had to pay rates. That is not the case right now.
The member for Katherine has raised a number of important issues with CouncilBiz and the structure of capping rates. I really want to focus on how the councils can operate with the budgets they have, and the labour base, and how they deliver services on the ground. We know the councils are now getting into …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! I draw your attention to the state of the House.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ring the bells please. We have a quorum.
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling, you have the call.
Mr GILES: Madam Speaker, I did not have much more to add except to say it is very important for shires to be able to expand their rate base. I know it will not be too palatable, but the importance of being able to rate land trust land, land council land, so the level of service provision can be improved for those Indigenous people living in those communities, those outstations can be raised. I know that the shires are struggling in doing that.
The member for Katherine commented on technical issues. I would also like to raise one other concern, I would like to find out if any money may have gone missing in councils before the shire councils started; what that amount of money was, and what is the Northern Territory government doing to ensure they get that money back. Places like the old Yuendumu council. I am aware of some payments made just before the shire council commenced. I am interested in finding out what those moneys were used for and where it went. I think $345 000 went to Walkatjara Arts in Yuendumu for services as requested by the previous CEO. Also, $25 000 was paid to manage the grant. There are a number of things which have been paid for by Yuendumu council, some which I am sure are quite correct, but other things which raise some questions. A number of people in Yuendumu have asked me about these.
I am aware $80 000 was spent in putting temporary accommodation in Willowra, but was never completed. That was part of a federal government grant as part of the intervention, but the money was never fully expended, and the works were never done. Now there are four small shipping containers sitting up on stilts but have never been refurbished with the money given to the council, and the shire would not take it over. I am interested, member for Daly, if you could do some investigation for me. It is about council receiving money before the shire reform, then after the shire reform, council not taking that over. I am not sure of the processes, but it is an important issue for Willowra.
I am very keen to understand what happened with expenditure of money from old councils, and how that transferred over to the new shires. Also, whether there were any commitments made, or whether there was any expenditure of money which looked a little dodgy, in a financial sense, and what involvement has the Northern Territory government had or whether any police investigations have been made into misuse of money – perceived or otherwise, across the board but, in particular, with the Yuendumu/Willowra shire council.
There is a pastoral company at Willowra, and a block on the community of Willowra. I am not sure how it is leased to the community, because I believe that is land trust land. There is a block which is separated particularly for the pastoral company with a shipping container on it. I have received information that the old council property has been purchased and is now in the shipping container. I wonder how that material gets transferred to the new Central Desert Shire. If there is any investigation going on, I am very keen to find out about that, member for Daly.
It is interesting to visit Willowra and talk to the shire council people in Alice. They tell you the six houses which they upgraded in Willowra for $100 000 was done very quickly and cheaply. I ask how can six houses in Willowra be upgraded for $100 000 in such a speedy process, when recently $16 000-a-day consultants have turned up at Willowra to do their consultations for SIHIP? The SIHIP budget has been reduced by $2m in Willowra, yet no houses will be built in Willowra, and the refurbishments, repairs and maintenance are still a mile away. I wonder how the shire council can be given the money, after the SIHIP announcement, to finish the works yet SIHIP cannot even get started in Willowra. There are tradesmen there, people who want to work. The shire council has done the work, but the Northern Territory government cannot. I do not know why you cannot build a house, member for Daly.
I am also interested to know how Mt Theo - which is a substance abuse body around Yuendumu - can build a shade shelter for $20 000.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Braitling, your time has expired.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Deputy Speaker, I noticed a letter in yesterday’s paper, 13 October, headed ‘Exodus of shire bosses’ and I will read it out because it highlights some of the things I said when the idea of super shires was put forward. There is no name on this letter. It says:
- In reference to the Northern Territory News article, ‘Another shire boss bites the dust’, 8 October, it comes as no surprise to those of us who have worked in the NT for many years. Not only have three shires CEOs left recently, but how many of the Department of Local Government gurus who foisted this shire model on remote areas are left? Most were on highly-paid salaries, thought they knew all the answers, ignored advice from locals who had lived and worked in remote NT areas and, if they have not left the NT, most have left the department leaving others to try to sort out the mess.
The Local Government Association, while blaming the NT government for the debacle, is not without blame. Senior managers of LGANT were involved in the recruitment process, and the CEO was on the recruitment panel. There were a number of very experienced council Clerks who were not even considered for interview for shire CEO positions, in preference for southern recruits. It was clear that even the cursory reading of budget plans (showed) there was never going to be enough money to come close to running the new shires. It will also be interesting to know how many senior managers have left the shires in the last 12 months. Judging from the positions vacant in your newspaper, there must be quite a few.
I concur thoroughly with that letter.
It is a shame the reform of local government went off the rails when certain people had certain grand ideas, not based on practical outcomes, but on some huge theory that bigger was better; if you pay many people big money to come in and run these super shires, you would achieve great things such as increase employment and more opportunities for locals. This would be part of a great five year plan to improve the lot of people out in those areas. I doubt that has happened.
In some cases, yes, there will be successes. I have no doubt about that; I am not here to knock those successes. I do not even know whether the IT program is running at the moment; however the Barkly Shire had to get its own IT program. That is how good it was; it was not up and running when these shires came into being. Millions of taxpayers’ dollars have been spent on a program meant to run local government which does not work. For one shire to get its own says it all. They were sick of it, and they got their own.
The question I also ask is what happened to the millions of dollars the Local Government Association spent bringing new improved IT programs into existing councils, which I thought was quite successful. What happened to all that? Where did that all go? Did someone say we know we spent millions of dollars through the Local Government Association, but we will throw that away and start again? The Local Government Association received a large amount of money from the Commonwealth government to invest in proper electronic accounting systems, and, for some reason, that has disappeared.
At the moment we need a review of everything these councils are doing. They have been operating for 12 months with elected members, but they were operating before that under a benevolent dictator; the CEO was paid by the government and took over for some six months running the council without an elected body to represent that shire.
Since then we have had councils set up their headquarters outside their shire. The theory behind that was to save money by putting them all together; reduce overheads. I would like to see proof we have reduced overheads. If it has reduced overheads, has it diminished the democratic process of local government? You can talk about efficiencies, you can talk about economics, but if you throw out the democracy of local government, you might as well have your councils run by administrators.
In the case of Victoria Daly, there is a council headquarters in Katherine - which is not in the Victoria Daly Shire - and you have the largest population of people at Wadeye. I will say again, I think that is a disgrace. It says to the people of Wadeye: ‘you are not good enough for us to stick our headquarters in the main town in Victoria Daly’. There might be transport issues, there might be housing issues, it might be workers from the southern states are finding it difficult to live there because they are not used to it. If we are serious about local government, we put local government where it belongs: amongst the people it serves. We do not achieve that by putting it in Katherine. It might be great for people who look at efficiency; we can share administrative costs and computers. That is fine, but it is sad we are taking away the very essence of local government, that is putting it amongst the people it is supposed to represent.
There is an issue in local government we need to address. I asked, in this House, why are meetings not being held in some of these communities. The answer was because you would have to get a permit to go to the meetings. It is beholden on this government to say if a local government council is being held in a community no permit is required.
I will give you an example, if I go to a council meeting anywhere I am not required to have permission to attend the meeting. However, I have been told if I want to go to a council meeting on Aboriginal land I have to have a permit. I am not against permits, but I think a local government council meeting would be exempt. It is my council, and as a ratepayer I should be entitled to go there freely. Any member of the public in the Northern Territory should be entitled to attend. If that is an issue, it needs to be resolved. I do not object to obtaining a permit to enter private land. If the concept of local government is about an elected body going into the community and listening to people, and some of those people are inhibited because they could not get a permit that would be very bad. The pastoralist next door pays his rates and wants to go to a meeting but because it is on Aboriginal land he has to get a permit; that is contrary to how local government should work.
Another area raised with me is allowances. I have never agreed with these huge councils. The council of Barkly is 1.5 times as big as Victoria. A councillor from Alpurrurulam, not on a huge wage, might move around the district. He might go to Barkly for some meetings, which could mean several days off work. He gets a normal council allowance not sufficient to cover wages lost. There is a move by some of the councils to ask for payment. This is an issue we have to look at carefully. Local government has always had a basis of voluntary work, plus an allowance to help with costs. When I was on Litchfield Council it was $40 a meeting; and we crammed three committee meetings in on one night and were paid $40. The whole process behind local government was voluntary.
That is fine with a small council; you do not have far to travel, and you might work in the area. Now we have these huge councils, and I can understand many of these people, especially those who live out bush, might have to travel hundreds of kilometres and take two or three days off work for a meeting, notwithstanding they may inspect some roads. If I live in Elliott and I have to go to Camp Creek to check out the road, I might need to take two or three days off work. The government needs to look at this. We have produced huge councils; perhaps we did not recognise there might be these problems. Paying councillors will need to come out of your rates. That is an extra burden on the ratepayer.
We need to look at the functions of council. Something which hurt me was people saying local government will make more jobs. Local government only makes the number of jobs, when it is doing its work, to do the normal things: roads, reserves and rubbish. It has more jobs, not because it has created them, but because it has become the agent for the Northern Territory and Commonwealth government. It has taken on night patrol. When has that been a local government matter? I would have thought it was the Department of Justice or the police - it is their job, they should run it. You have the post office. I heard, when I was at Bathurst Island, the council got $6000 to run the post office. That is not a good thing because post offices do not make much money. I would like to see what strain these agencies are putting on councils.
I remember people said there were many dysfunctional councils in the Northern Territory; Jack Ah Kit made his famous statement. How many of those councils took on agencies where they were not paid enough? How many councils have a pool when it cost half their road money to maintain the pool? That is what happened to many councils; either the pool closed or the roads did not get graded. We need to review where these councils.
When I was at Bathurst Island it was in the red. It was broke. I do not know how councils can do that. I suppose they can get funding to keep them going, but I would be really worried if a council is losing money. When either East Arnhem or West Arnhem put out their rates notice for rubbish collection it was about $1288, a very large amount. There might be reasons for that but as a ratepayer, a concerned. Some of these councils with a very small rate base are finding it very difficult to raise the money they need to run vast areas of the Territory.
I have mentioned this in other forums: we need to review the boundaries of some of these councils. It might be thinking outside the square, but to me Timber Creek West should belong to Kununurra Shire. That is where people go. They do not go to Katherine, they go the other way. I know we have a boundary but where will the Aboriginal people in that area go to school? They will go to Kununurra. Where will they go to hospital? They go to Kununurra. Where is our local government? It is based in the Victoria Daly area and its headquarters are Katherine.
It is the same with Alpurrurulam. Where do people go? They go to Mount Isa and Camooweal. Where do they play football? Mount Isa and Camooweal. Where would they go to boarding school or secondary school?
Ms Purick: Charters Towers.
Mr WOOD: They might, but more than likely Mount Isa. That is their area. That is where their people are. These boundaries are not Aboriginal boundaries, they are white boundaries. Sometimes they do not relate to where the people are. Why did they not look for something unique to make a local government area which included the people who used those facilities? I say that because when we are talking of the growth towns we should include Mount Isa and Kununurra.
Madam Deputy Speaker, there is much I could say on local government. We need to step back and observe what is happening. I have no doubt there are good things, but there are things which will cause problems and be to the detriment of the people they are meant to serve.
The member for Braitling raised the issue of rate base and I agree. I have always been a big supporter of service fees. When I worked with the Nguiu Council, every person in the community paid a service fee. That council was able to raise quite significant revenue, and they put that revenue into services within the community. I have discussed with the minister, and the department, service fees being a way to provide councils with revenue.
The member for Nelson mentioned the Victoria Daly Shire being in Katherine, which is central for communities such as Kalkarindji and Yarralin. He also spoke about permits for the West Arnhem Shire. I spoke to non-Indigenous representatives of the West Arnhem Shire recently. There are no problems relating to permits for meetings or visits to communities, and I understand, since the intervention, there has not been a permit system. As a matter of respect, people still acknowledge the traditional owners when they go into the main communities, but I have never heard, in my electorate, or within the West Arnhem Shire, that being an issue. Tiwi Shire is the same; I have never seen the issue of permits.
I have listened to most of the debate regarding reform; it was reform which needed to happen. Anyone who has lived in the Northern Territory for a long time would know many of the small community government councils were not functioning. Former minister John Ah Kit, was looking at reform because of the level of dysfunction in our communities. We had small councils which were not able to operate effectively. We are still far from perfect but there are many areas, including the East Arnhem Shire and the Roper Gulf Shire, which are very effective in providing effective services.
A member: You are embarrassed.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: Sorry?
Mr Chandler: You are embarrassed.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: What? What was that?
A member: He said you are embarrassed.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: I am embarrassed. I think you are embarrassing.
Members interjecting.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: A big intellect, Madam Deputy Speaker
There have been problems with the reform. In talking to the CEO and members of both shires in my electorate I know there are problems, and problems with CouncilBiz. Some of that will change now elected members are part of the process. There is a real sense of change coming from these shires; having a say with CouncilBiz and their financial accountability.
Whilst we know there are problems, there were very few solutions from the CLP. The member for Braitling spoke on several issues, and we can all criticise, but it is harder to propose some positive solutions. If there are problems, how do we solve them? The member for Braitling discussed funding issues which have come to his attention. They are serious allegations which should be brought to the attention of the minister. People talk about these things all the time, and they should be brought to the attention of the minister and the department to be investigated.
West Arnhem Shire and the Tiwi Islands Shire have had teething problems. I work quite closely with both shires. I get a sense of the blurring of the line between elected members and their role in setting policy and the operation of the organisation, and training needs to be ongoing.
Local government reform was something the CLP had pushed for many years. The member for Nelson has placed it on the agenda for the council of cooperation, and the CLP will participate in that inquiry. Shires are not perfect, but they are government’s beast. We do have to make them work. If we persevere, work with elected members, with staff on the ground, we can make it work. We can take this local government reform forward and look at ways to raise revenue. The rating issue the member for Braitling raised is a genuine issue and should be looked at.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Deputy Speaker, I will keep my comments brief. I support my colleague in regard to this definite matter of public importance, and that is the failure of the Northern Territory government to provide effective leadership in the shire reform.
As someone involved with shire reform from the beginning in a previous working life, I am familiar with the processes. From the very beginning many of the processes involved in this shire amalgamation were flawed, and as a consequence, when you have flawed methodology you end up with a flawed product, whether it is a report, or the shires we now live with.
At the beginning, the process was announced, and the advisory council was set up with a cast of thousands from across the Territory. All very good people, but I am not convinced they all contributed in a way which benefited the whole process. I was involved with an industry group, and other industry groups were involved with the advisory committee. It was only with much pushing and shoving the minerals industry group I was involved with did get a seat on the committee. At that point, there was a general view within government the minerals and pastoral industries were going to be the cash cows when it came to supporting these new shires. There was a plan, from the minerals industry point of view, not only to rate mineral licences, which were their operating mines, but the government wanted to rate exploration licences of companies which have very limited or no cash flow, and not very high capital expenditure or capex levels. It was only after considerable lobbying the government backed down from rating exploration licences, but wanted to rate mineral leases at a fairly exorbitant rate, and for what was argued nil return regarding services and benefits.
Without speaking for the cattle industry, that was a similar argument. As I understand it, to this day there are still reservations as to how this shire system benefits them. I understand there are not too many benefits.
The other point in the history of this shire amalgamation was a very strong opposition, not only from industry groups involved with the greater land mass of the Northern Territory, but the Northern Land Council was involved in a cooperative to oppose the shire amalgamations. They too could see there were problems with how it was being developed, the processes employed, and the potential outcomes.
There was also opposition from residents in the rural area, mainly the Litchfield Shire as it was called, because the government was forcing the Litchfield Shire to amalgamate with Cox Peninsula, the Belyuen area, Dundee, Marrakai, Douglas Daly, with no consultation. They wanted to unilaterally change the name of the Litchfield Shire, which is named after a historic Territory family. They were going to call it something quite boring like the Top End Shire. This was resisted quite strongly by everyone in the Litchfield Shire, and was most evident in the rallies organised by the member for Nelson against the government’s local shire reforms. From memory, there were two car rallies during parliamentary sittings. There were some 200 to 300 cars and tractors which came into town with placards, and horns blaring, to demonstrate their disquiet against what government was doing.
Interestingly, after these rallies and the outcry from residents in the rural area, the government backed down. Paul Henderson the Chief Minister said: no, no, we will leave the Litchfield Shire alone, we will not force them to amalgamate, and they can continue to be their own shire. That has been to this day, and they are now the Litchfield Council.
There is a consultant in the rural area, funded through the department of Local Government, telling public meetings at Marrakai, Dundee, and other places, it is not a question of if they will be amalgamated, it is a question of when they will become part of the Litchfield Shire or some other shire. That is not particularly democratic, and it is also pre-empting the final report. How can you become part of a shire before consultation has finished?
The other concern I have with shire amalgamations, and the lack of effective leadership by this government is, that it is my understanding that after 12 months of operation these new shires have no real operational accounting systems in place. This is an appalling situation which goes to the heart of how the amalgamation, and the leadership of this government, has failed. I understand this is the same for procurement systems and services. They are not very well set up, and there is a very poor sharing of services across the shires.
Workplace agreements for shire employees have not been finalised. This is despite the Northern Territory government giving $250 000 to LGANT to work with a Western Australian organisation to put these systems in place. This is after 12 months of operation. I would have thought these issues would be addressed prior to the commencement of the shire.
I support the member for Katherine, and the member for Braitling, in bringing to the attention of the House this government’s failure in setting up the shires and bringing benefits to the Northern Territory.
The member for Nelson has also highlighted the failure to provide economic and employment opportunities for Territorians. I urge the government to look at it more seriously, and to stop forcing systems on people when quite clearly that is not the right way to go about bringing economic and social benefits to Territorians.
Discussion concluded.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Tonight I pay tribute to and say thank you to Police Commissioner Paul White, who has retired as Police Commissioner after nearly eight years of loyal service to the people of the Northern Territory. As Police Minister, I have come to know him very well. At a personal level I always found him to be a man of enormous integrity, a man who was totally committed to policing in the Northern Territory, and building a modern and forward looking police force. A police force which was doing its job upholding law and order across the Northern Territory, and with a very clear focus on community based policing, a very clear focus on crime reduction, a very clear commitment to reducing domestic violence across the Northern Territory, and a passion for doing that. Paul made a very significant contribution as Chief Executive of our police in Co-Ord and other senior sub-committees of government relating to assisting with the implementation policy, and also advice to government on policy.
History will show Paul’s time in the Northern Territory got off to a rocky start. He certainly was not unanimously endorsed by some senior officers at the time who reacted to an external appointment. At his final press conference, which was at the opening of the new Casuarina Police Station, the Commissioner said when he came to the Northern Territory the police force was underfunded and understaffed. He certainly leaves a much healthier police force, and a police force which is very highly regarded, not only here in the Northern Territory, but by his peers around Australia. I firmly believe we have the best police force in Australia.
Paul had a personal commitment to and leadership in delivering the domestic violence squads in Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Darwin; a real commitment to having the police develop a much stronger working relationship with FACS in the child abuse teams established across the Northern Territory; and a commitment to Indigenous policing, a significant recovery in the number of ACPOs across the Territory, and putting in place a transitional pathway for ACPOs to become fully-sworn police officers in the Northern Territory. Two squads have graduated in the last few years. He has tripled the number of fully-sworn Indigenous police officers in our police force. It is acknowledged our police force in the Northern Territory leads the way in Indigenous policing with a commitment to seeing fully-sworn Indigenous police as part of our police force in the Territory.
Paul has made a very significant contribution. In leadership positions, we hope to leave our organisations better than we inherited them and there is no doubt in my mind the Northern Territory Police Force is a much better police force than the one inherited. That is not a disparaging remark on Paul’s predecessor. The fact is the police force he inherited was underfunded, undermanned, with poor morale throughout the force as a result. That is not the fault of the previous Police Commissioner, Brian Bates. Those issues go to funding of the police force over the preceding period and the problems that caused.
All in this House recognise Paul did make a very big commitment to policing in the Northern Territory. He is leaving very big shoes to fill. I wish him and Cynthia well in returning to South Australia.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Deputy Speaker, on Monday evening I spoke about the appalling situation with a particular builder operating in Darwin who is ripping off families and creating all manner of problems. I gave details of three families who have suffered under this dodgy character, do not have a proper home, and are unlikely to have one in the near future. I urge the minister for Planning to do something about this builder; at the very least take an audit of the nominated houses. However, I get the distinct impression the minister does not want to get involved to help Territorians. How can the Planning minister excise Middle Arm from the planning scheme and the authority of the Development Consent Authority at the stroke of a pen, yet she cannot undertake an investigation into a builder who is undertaking unethical, if not illegal, business practices and bringing harm to families, contractors, the construction industry, and the community generally?
Since speaking on this matter, the true colours of this builder have come to light. Yesterday morning, this unsavoury character entered my office and gave various papers to his client, my electorate officer. During the course of this brief meeting, he was questioned on various items, at which time he became aggressive and intimidating in his behaviour, and was unacceptably objectionable. His behaviour has been reported to the police, who are taking the matter seriously and will be talking with him, as I understand the situation to date. Clearly, this builder is unfit to hold a builder’s licence, let alone any other kind of licence, if this is the behaviour he employs when he is put under pressure - brought on by his own doing I might add.
Despite complaints to the Building Board I know have been submitted, this builder continues to rip off contractors and families alike. Since Monday evening, I have received additional information and it highlights further this builder’s shocking track record in the building industry and his record of lies, misrepresentations and con artist tactics.
Another case - and it could be any number of dozens of families conned by this builder - again, two common items: the same builder and a Housing Industry Association contract. When I give details you will see the HIA contracts do not provide any consumer protection, and when there is a signed contract and a dispute, the HIA is unable to assist, or does not have the mechanics to discipline their members despite reconciliation clauses in their contracts. This builder was a member of the HIA, however, I would not be surprised to find he has been expelled based on his terrible performance. This does not help my constituents, or the other families ripped off by this builder, who is known by all, and after his behaviour at my office yesterday, will be known to the police. Clearly this builder has exploited the weakness of HIA contracts, and exploited the weakness in this government’s building regulations system.
I urge the minister, and the Chief Minister, to take urgent action against this crook and get him out of the industry once and for all. Interestingly, I am advised the Chief Minister would be well aware of this builder, as I understand he and his family are personal friends of the footy family. If that is the case, he would be aware of the problems they have had with the house in Palmerston and the builder, and it being brought to the attention of the Planning minister.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to give some brief details of the problems this builder is creating. One family who approached me had their contract signed on 24 May 2008; it was a HIA building contract for the construction of their house. The house remained unfinished at July 2009, and at that stage they received a termination of their contract under the terms they had moved into the house. They did move into the house out of sheer frustration, as they had been waiting 14 months for this house to be completed. Through my discussions with industry, it takes between three and four months to complete a house, even in the Wet Season.
This family with five children all under the age of 11 were living on the property in a structure similar to a granny flat. The family moved into an unfinished house because the builder had done no work for five months. They have had a terrible time, if not a nightmare. There were only five draw downs, even though the fourth progress of lockup is up to 95% of total construction. The family was unaware lockup meant temporary timber doors, and the house only 65% complete. They had paid much more than the full contract price. Legally they believed they had no choice but to pay him the 95%. They were hopeful; they believed in the system and that he would fulfil his end of the contract.
The work ground to a halt and that is when the problems started. It became evident to this family that tradesmen and suppliers had not been paid by this builder. I will not name companies; however a lighting company has never been paid and has written it off as a bad debt. As a result, the warranty claims for faulty fans and down lights cannot be processed. A concrete company is yet to receive any money from the builder. The tiles in the house had to be changed halfway through the job as the original tilers were not paid and refused to continue. The first lot of tiles were removed and a second lot put down. The painters did a first coat, but did not come back as they were not paid. The family had to paint the house internally. The external paint work still has not been completed.
The family were told to go to a kitchen company, however they could not deal with that company as the builder had a previous debt. They went to another company, got prices, got designs and went back to the builder. At this stage there was about $13 500 outstanding on the contract, but in good faith they decided to pay $8300 to the kitchen company to keep the building progressing. This company started to install the kitchen and wardrobes, but after not receiving payment from the builder, they too stopped work and the kitchen remained uncompleted.
The electrician would not return to fix antenna cables as he had lost too much money dealing with the builder. The family had to pay the plumber direct for the full cost of installation of the hot water system otherwise he would remove it due to non-payment, although the builder had been paid for this. They had to exchange a kitchen sink because it was the wrong type, and pay the plumbing company direct. The same thing occurred with another plumbing company when the taps they had chosen had to be returned.
The family have given me many details regarding dealing with the contractors over this period of 12 to 14 months. The concrete company stopped work because it had not been paid. The family paid another $25 000. The concrete company is still owed about $120 000.
In summarising, they signed their contract on 24 May 2008. On 25 June 2009, after months of anguish and frustration, this family took their five children into the house even though it was not fully finished. They commenced negotiations with the builder regarding outstanding work and outstanding moneys via e-mail late at night; he then terminated the contract. So much for the reconciliation clauses in the HIA contract! They then had the problem of getting their certification. They have had to pay many of the subcontractors to get their certificates of completion.
This builder is a very successful conman: a cheat, a liar, a thug and a bully. He should not be allowed to hold a builders licence, let alone any other licence. This builder has ruined lives, cost people hundreds of thousands of dollars, created chaos around the town, and is known by everyone, and not for one good reason.
Madam Speaker, I urge the government to get out of their purpose built homes and do something for these families who are continuing to live and suffer extreme duress and objectionable behaviour by this builder. The minister knows what to do. She needs to act, and act fast, before this builder takes any more money and dreams from hard-working Territorians, or goes further than entering offices and intimidating and threatening people.
Members: Hear, hear.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Deputy Speaker, I recognise the passion of the member for Goyder and acknowledge it. My office involvement has been to work with the complainant to ensure a formal complaint was lodged so the process, under the Building Act, can be followed. We are ensuring the process is being followed.
Ms Purick: It needs to go further than that, minister; he is starting to become objectionable and intimidating.
Ms LAWRIE: I would like to get further advice from you regarding the threats, because I think that would be a matter to refer to the police.
Ms Purick: Happy to oblige.
Ms LAWRIE: In terms of my electorate, I acknowledge the hard work, commitment, and effort of the staff and students at O’Loughlin Catholic College, who worked tirelessly over months to create and ultimately perform a musical called Your History.
The musical was performed by O’Loughlin Catholic College on 24 and 25 September at the Darwin Entertainment Centre. The musical director is Mary Wright. She is an incredibly energetic, passionate teacher at the school and I can say, with great knowledge, she is an inspiration to the students at the school, and energises other staff at the school. We are indeed very fortunate to have her working at O’Loughlin College.
Mary Wright was ably assisted by Debbie Savill. Mary’s husband, Paul, Courtney Blume and Miranda Colquhoun were the key staff pulling together the musical and working tirelessly with the students. Staff who helped and also performed were John Hassett and Anne Brooks. There was a cast of about 50 students ranging from Year 7 to Year 12 who went through an audition process. The main cast, because 50 is too many to mention here, were Taylor Emeny, a Year 9 student; Taylor Piccinelli, Year 10; Geobe Catuncan, Year 12; Casey Clements, Year 11; Jessica Old, Year 9; William Burton, Year 10; and David Carroll, Year 10.
The music is essentially a story about Lauchie McSwoon, the most popular boy in Australia telling his friends he is dating the nerdy girl, Boppy Baxter. His friends are extremely unimpressed with his latest girlfriend and, after much peer pressure, he breaks up with Boppy through a text message. Desperate to get back with him, Boppy uses her phone to travel back in time to the school camp which started it all. The end result however, finds an unlucky detention class travelling much further back in time than Boppy originally anticipated. Along the way, the class runs into gladiators, pirates and Vikings. It was written by Tim Bain, and Michael Patterson wrote the music.
I can sincerely say it was the most engaging, entertaining and enjoyable musical I have witnessed from a school cohort. It was incredibly witty in its construct. The students all performed beautifully, and the entire school community should be immensely proud of this performance. I am aware of how hard they all worked. I have children attending the school and they were in the musical cast. I recognise how many weeks of rehearsals they went through, I recognised the effort of the staff in ensuring they were there, teaching, helping, nurturing, and encouraging the students in this musical.
There was a good turnout at the Darwin Entertainment Centre from the broader Karama Catholic community supporting O’Loughlin College. I thank everyone who made the time and effort to turn up and support the school with the musical. It was truly engaging; quite frankly it was awesome. I liked the fact they had an after party; in fact, they had several after parties. It was a well-deserved celebration by staff and students because it was an exceptional musical and highly entertaining.
I look forward to the next performance from O’Loughlin Catholic College. I recognise this is a very engaged group of staff. Mary Wright, who is at the core of the group, ensures they work hard to go that extra yard, take care of the children and not just have school around the structured learning processes, which of course is incredibly important, but also inspire them as well in the after-school activities. So, a hearty congratulations to O’Loughlin Catholic College.
I also congratulate Karama Primary School. It has been very successful as a school. It has won many awards and accolades over the years. The latest success goes to a national award recognising schools that go the extra effort. After hosting 75 workshops around Australian from March to June this year, an organisation called Schools First received 1565 applications. Over 700 Australian school representatives attended the workshops. There are two types of awards – Seed Funding awards to start up a new partnership; and Impact Awards to recognise an existing successful partnership. Twenty schools nationally received Seed Funding awards - none in the Territory. Sixty-eight schools received Impact Awards, two in the Northern Territory. The Impact Award was a pledge to the schools. Karama Primary School was recognised in one of these two Territory Impact Awards. They were recognised for their partnership with the Smith Family, which includes a music program, Indigenous sports trainees, a sports program, and the Tata family centre, which engages the whole community.
The other school to receive an Impact Award was Katherine Group School, which was recognised for its partnership with the Ian Thorpe Foundation for Youth, which provides literacy backpacks to 13 remote communities in the Katherine region. Both these schools won a significant grant of $25 000, and they are eligible for a further $50 000 in the Schools First Impact Awards, which will be announced later this month in Adelaide. In November, one school will go through and be awarded up to $1m in recognition of a truly exception school community partnership.
It is very exciting to see the work the Smith Family is doing at Karama Primary School in partnership with the school. The Tata Family Centre was set up by the Northern Territory government, in partnership, and the centre caters for 0 to 3-year-old play groups with workshops on parenting, children’s development, health and nutrition, financial literacy, and digital literacy. It is staffed by a coordinator who organises activities, conducts adult training, and supports the mothers and carers of the community. The centre is very well resourced with age-appropriate toys, play equipment, a garden, all-weather area, air-conditioned room and kitchen. Approximately 11 different organisations use the centre including Anglicare, Melaleuca Refugee Centre, the Karama Health Clinic, Charles Darwin University, Good Beginnings and the Playgroup Association.
Recently, the federal minister for Early Childhood Education, Hon Kate Ellis MP, chose the Tata Family Centre at Karama Primary School to announce the establishment of five new children and family centres in the Territory. I was there that day. It was a great honour for the school to be singled out and recognised.
In music support at the school, the Smith Family provide a music teacher for Years 4 to 6 for two years. The students are learning to play djembe drums and percussion instruments. Twice a year, they workshop with the internationally acclaimed jazz percussionist, John Morrison, and perform at Parliament House and Mindil Markets. The school was so impressed with the improved self-esteem and confidence of the music students they have employed a full-time music teacher so the whole school now enjoys music.
The Smith Family also funds two young male Indigenous sports trainees to complete their traineeships while working at Karama school. They provide excellent role models for the students. The student cohort has a 43% Indigenous content. They work across the school in soccer, AFL, swimming, excursions, school camps, reading programs, and the breakfast program. Their presence in the playground has really helped to improve playground behaviour.
In literacy support, the Smith Family has provided volunteers to listen to children read in the mornings, book prizes for the accelerated literacy program, and an electronic whiteboard. Significant and hearty congratulations and thanks go to the Smith Family. They identified a few years ago the special needs at Karama school in the cohort of students there coming from lower socioeconomic and disadvantaged backgrounds, and have done an enormous amount of work and support for the school. None of this could have occurred, of course, with the school principal, Marg Fenbury. It has been her vision, drive, and strength that has ensured the school is open, available, and engaged in this partnership. I sincerely thank Marg and all the staff at the school, and the coordinator of the Tata Family Centre for the great work she is doing as well.
Another thing I want to touch on is thanks to Bronwyn Miller and the Malak Community Arts, Melaleuca Refugee Centre, and Kiwanis for holding a charity event in Malak to bring the community together called Peace in the Park. It was highly successful, and we had very positive feedback on the evening. It was a great night for a peaceful event at the park in Malak.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, tonight I speak of a matter of some concern to me. It has become the habit of this government, when one of their ministers is under pressure, to turn, by whatever means possible, the debate to another or more trivial matter as quickly as they possibly can. We have seen the machinations of this government, led by the Leader of Government Business, operating in this area to protect the decrepit and failing Housing Minister over the last two days.
Yesterday, a question was put by the member for Goyder in relation to some numbers from the Australian Bureau of Statistics - a question which was repeated and quoted in today’s Question Time by the Leader of Government Business. One could have been forgiven, in the hubbub of Question Time, for believing the Leader of Government Business may well have misheard what the member for Goyder had said. The question she posed was a reference to Australian Bureau of Statistics’ figures, at which point the standard, usual line of ‘Oh, my God, they are relying on figures, let us challenge the figures, challenge the graph, challenge any document’. They then create a lot of noise, smoke and mirrors, and convince the press gallery the opposition is up to some wickedness or no good and are fabricating documents’. That is the form; the one they always use. It is a set template approach.
The Leader of Government Business asked the member for Goyder to table the report. Now, at this point you could forgive the minister misunderstanding what the member for Goyder had said. However, I rose to my feet immediately afterwards, and whilst I was not able to finish my point of order to demonstrate to the Leader of Government Business he was demanding she table a report, the fact is I was about to say she was not referring to a report because there was no ABS report. She did not suggest there was an ABS report. She said she was relying on ABS figures.
We heard, last night, the Minister for Housing lay the platform for the trap they were going to set in Question Time today. Several ministers, during Question Time, also built on that platform, which was the allegation the member for Goyder may have misled the House. In the process of laying that trap, do you think they would have read the Hansard? My word they would have, Madam Speaker, because they are not foolish; they are more careful than that. They are merely dishonest when it comes to dealing with this House, and the way they deal with the truth with Territorians. If they read Hansard, they would have read what the member for Goyder said. In fact, we know Hansard had been read, because the minister himself quotes exactly the same quote that the member for Goyder used in this afternoon’s Question Time. Nowhere in the quote he uses does he for one second say she is quoting from a report. She is quoting from figures. Do they desist? Do they suddenly say, ‘Oh, hang on this may be a mistake on our part?’ No, because it is not a mistake, it is a deliberate attempt to deceive Territorians and to mislead them in the way they conduct themselves, because at no point did the member for Goyder refer to a report.
She has explained in this House the figure she used was indeed an ABS data set, and that data set, on an Excel spreadsheet, is the standard way ABS produce their figures …
A member: But you can still attribute it.
Mr ELFERINK: She attributed it! She said they were ABS numbers. You did not have the courtesy to find out. You decided to use this Chamber as a place to slander her good reputation!
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin! I ask you to address your comments through the Chair.
Mr ELFERINK: Yes, Madam Deputy Speaker. They decided to use this Chamber as a House of slander rather than
Members interjecting.
Mr ELFERINK: … ‘where did you get those numbers from’? No, no such inquiry was made, Madam Deputy Speaker. Why
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin!
Mr ELFERINK: … because they wanted to besmirch …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin! I ask you to address your comments through the Chair please?
Mr ELFERINK: I am addressing the comments through the Chair, Madam Deputy Speaker, I have referred to you a dozen times.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, direct to me please, not to the member.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Deputy Speaker, they chose to besmirch this good member’s reputation without so much as a modest inquiry, and further, what did they do? They telephoned the Australian Bureau of Statistics and asked them for a report they knew did not exist. Their attempt to mislead Territorians now goes to misrepresenting the facts to the Australian Bureau of Statistics themselves. The facts are they rang the Australian Bureau of Statistics and said: ‘Where is the report?’ The Australian Bureau of Statistics quite rightly said: ‘There is not one.’ So they come to this House saying: ‘The Australian Bureau of Statistics said there was no report, so clearly the member for Goyder is wrong’.
You have used Question Time to cover up your own minister’s ineptitude, the man who does not even know he is the Minister for Housing, and this standard slander, which is being produced time and time again, is a disgrace.
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! The Hansard clearly reflects the member for Goyder did refer to the ABS statistics, which the government has simply asked to be tabled.
Members interjecting.
Ms Lawrie: On housing waiting lists.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Deputy Speaker, they are doing it again! He demanded a report. I quote the Leader of Government Business from yesterday:
- A point of order, Madam Speaker! I ask the member for Goyder to table the document, also the ABS report.’
What report? There is no report. There never was a report.
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr ELFERINK: The deception by using the good name of the Australian Bureau of Statistics diminishes this government, and just shows how tired and desperate they have become. Arrogant to the extreme, because that sort of dishonesty is the sort of thing Territorians despise.
Madam Deputy Speaker, the good reputation of the member for Goyder deserves to be protected. She in no way tried to mislead this House. She gained some statistics from a legitimate source. She extrapolated from those statistics a question, and those extrapolations have been explained. This is grubby, low, desperate politics from a grubby, low, desperate government.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr HAMPTON (Stuart): Madam Deputy Speaker, last weekend the NT LINK netball championships were held at the new netball centre at Marrara. Teams from Katherine, Alice Springs and Darwin took part in the Under 13, Under 15, Under 17 and Open competitions. Play started on Friday night with the Alice Springs Under 17 and Open teams stamping their authority with early wins. Both teams continued through the championships undefeated, and what a great achievement.
The grand finals were played on Saturday night, with the Under 13s leading the way. Darwin was the winner, and there was a tie for most valuable player. Congratulations to Joyce Akeena from Darwin and Peta Ross from Katherine. The Under 15s final was next. Darwin was again victorious, with Rebecca Winch from a well known Darwin netball family, voted the most valuable player. The two rivals in the Open section, Alice and Darwin, took to the courts. Alice Springs was out to avenge last year’s loss to Darwin, and was quick off the mark with their shooter, Amy Rodda, being fed brilliantly by Ronnell Hall in the centre. Tight defence from Helen Brown made it difficult for Darwin to score; Alice lead at every quarter and came home strongly to ensure their win. Congratulations to all the girls from the Alice, and their coach Dave Yeaman and manager Sally Preece.
The Under 17s grand final was given the premier time slot. Again, Alice Springs showed they have a wealth of talent in this age group. Danielle Trindle-Price, who was voted MVP, got Alice off to a great start with excellent feeding to shooter, Jessie Johannsen. Jess Smith, who played the first quarter as a wing defender and then came to the centre position, was also a stand out for the game. Alice led each quarter and powered home at the end. Congratulations to all the girls from Alice, and their coach Deb Gray. It was a fantastic weekend of netball, showcasing the talent we have here in the Territory, especially in our junior ranks.
I have no doubt we will see quite a few girls from Alice Springs wearing the Territory storm colours in the not too distant future.
These championships would not have been possible without the support of Alice Springs business, NT Meats, and a big thank you to Tony Smith and Libby Prell. I also acknowledge the hard-working committee of Netball NT, and also those great Alice Springs Netball Association members, headed by Anthony Yoffa, the President; Treasurer, Elissa Wingrove; Registrar, Helen Brown; Umpires Coordinator, Michelle Turke; Coaching Coordinator, David Yeaman; and the rest of the committee members, Steven Menzies, Kira Tapps, Robyn Donnelly and the administration officer, Amanda Durham.
Speaking of Alice Springs netballers, I was delighted to be invited to present the medals to our junior netballers during their recent Alice Springs Junior Netball Association grand finals on 5 September. In the grand final held on 19 September, the Federals Netball club dominated the junior ranks, with Federal Red and Federal THS winning their respected divisions in the Under13s and the Under15s. They also went through the whole competition undefeated; a fantastic effort and I congratulate all the girls.
Federals also won the A grade grand final last year against premiers Memo Rovers. Pat Gallagher, the former president of the Federals Netball Club and Alice Springs Netball Association, was also on hand and was very proud of her club. I congratulate Amy Rodda, the captain of the Memo Rovers, who was voted the A grade players player for 2009.
I acknowledge the sponsors of Netball in Alice Springs, particularly Frampton Real Estate, Sport Scene Web Pack Productions, and the local member Matt Conlan, member for Greatorex.
September was a very busy grand final month in Alice Springs. I will briefly talk about the grand final of the AFL Central Australia on 12 September 2009, and what was truly a historic day.
Starting off the day was the MacDonnell Shire Under 17 competition, with Hermannsburg running out winners 10.5.65 to Ltyentye Apurte 7.4.46. In the Reserves, Wests Football Club 8.6.54 defeated Ltyentye Apurte 7.6.48. In the big game, the Ngurratjuta Cup, my team Pioneers defeated Federals 74 to 71. As I said, it was an historic day which saw the game go into overtime, and extra time, with Pioneers coming out on top. Our Mayor was there; he enjoyed the day as well as I understand it.
I also attended the grand final of soccer in Alice Springs where, on 20 September 2009 at Ross Park, a dominant Verdi swept aside Celtic Warriors 3:0. Congratulations to Verdi and the Captain Coach, Gio Morelli. Many years ago I played seven aside soccer with Gio. It was my honour and pleasure to present the winning and losing medals to the players from both sides, along with Bill Constantis of Football Federation NT. The women’s Verdi Red and White soccer teams were also successful in winning a grand final for the first time, and many congratulations to them.
Turning back to the AFLCA, I acknowledge the sponsors, Ngurratjuta Accounting Services, who are the premier’s partner of the AFL Central Australia and a long time supporter of Aussie Rules in the Centre; the MacDonnell Shire is a major corporate partner of AFL Central Australia and has the naming rights of the CAFL Under 17 competition; Santos, a long-time supporter and major corporate partner of the AFLCA; Power and Water, which supports our Power and Water talent squad in the Centre; Southern Cross TV, a proud sponsor and one the major corporate sponsors; Coca-Cola Amatil, Fosters, NITV, OAMPS, the official insurance supplier for AFL Central Australia; the Cricket and Football Shop; Hot Stuff for the Sporting Buff are all great sponsors. Also, the MacDonnell Range Holiday Park and DASA, Drugs & Alcohol Services of Central Australia.
Madam Deputy Speaker, it has been a fantastic month for sport in the Alice. I congratulate all the players, coaches and the hard - working parents who get along on the weekend to see their children play sport and once again, to all of the wonderful sponsors, I congratulate them.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise tonight to speak on a number of issues. I have letters from ministers, from people complaining about housing, FACS, health, unanswered letters from ministers. Given the damning report from the AMA, I think tonight I will read a couple of short ones and give some examples of our health system.
At this moment I am working on a rather longer, difficult medical process which I will be handing to Madam Speaker for tomorrow night’s adjournment. It is a little long to speak on, but it really is more damning evidence against our failing health system.
I will read from this letter, however. This is about the self-care unit at RDH:
- On Thursday, 1 October 2009, I was admitted to the same day procedure unit at Royal Darwin Hospital for surgery to have a tooth removed from the lower left side of my jaw, plus a bone biopsy in the same area. I have no complaints about the staff or the treatment I received at RDH. When I recovered enough I was advised I was being sent over to the self – care unit. As I was not strong enough to walk, I was taken over in a wheelchair by an attendant. Something needs to be done about the kerbs as they are not wheelchair friendly.
The manager of the SCU showed me to my room, room number 3, and when I woke up, my mouth was bleeding. I went to the office and I was told I could walk over to the A&E at RDH. I could barely walk from my room to the office. He tried to find a security guard to drive me over - no luck. At this stage I became a bit upset and teary. I will tell you I am not a drama queen, I am a hard woman. I then went back to my room.
- After a while the bleeding stopped, and I advised the manager. For dinner, I had to walk to the common room, where there was fried rice and something that I could not identify, also scones. Not the best food for someone recovering from oral surgery.
- There were a lot of ants around where the tea and coffee are kept. Yes, I realise ants are a part of living in the Territory, but I am talking about health care here. I can only speak about the room I was in, but after speaking to the other women, I presume the rooms are all in the same condition. There was no toilet paper. I had to get some from the office. There was no glass or cups. I got a paper cup from the office. There was no waste bin. I had to flush bloody tissues down the toilet. No clock. How do you know when to take medication? No mirror.
When I got home I found I had dried blood in my ear. No key to lock the door and no locked cabinet to keep personal items in when sharing with a stranger. Mould on the walls and floors of the shower, and a clip to hold the shower head as it was broken. I had to hold the shower while I washed. Although the air-conditioner worked, it was in need of maintenance and it was filthy, and this is where infection starts.
- Worst of all, no one came to check on me. I could have bled to death and no one would have known. I did bleed during the night, as there was blood on the sheets and the pillowslips in the morning.
- As I understand, because I live by myself I could not go home as I needed an adult to stay with me overnight. Why, when no-one checked on me anyway? Without sounding too facetious, my cat did a better job of looking after me when I did get home on 2 October 2009.
The bed was comfortable and the bed linen and towels were clean. My face is still swollen, bruised and painful. A nurse from the SDPU at RDH rang me on 5 October 2009 …
This is three days after she was released:
- … to inquire about my health and to make sure that I was all right.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I suppose there are much worse things which could happen, and people suffer a great deal over many issues. The reality is, we are talking 2009, and we cannot even keep our hospitals and our same day care units clean.
I recall, only last month, taking my son, Brandon, to RDH. We had visited a doctor first due to pains in his lower stomach. The doctor suggested it was appendicitis. He immediately contacted the hospital to make them aware we were on the way. I will not go into the details about how long we waited. I do know I counted 15 down lights in the emergency department which did not work. I know the cold water system was not working. I know the coffee machine, although probably not an RDH issue, but at 3 am after a long day to be able to get a coffee would have been nice.
We were kept amused by a lovely Aboriginal lady who was complaining she had everything. In fact, she was walking up to the walls and looking at all the signs, and turning around and saying she had broken arms and broken legs. She looked up and saw a sign. She was saying ‘Mena, mena, menopause – I have this one too’. She was reading all the signs on the walls, going to the window and saying ‘I have this one, I have this one’. It was quite amusing. Seriously after arriving at 7 pm, it was 2.30 am we first saw a doctor. This was on a Monday night, not a Friday or Saturday night where you might expect it to be busy.
After Brandon was checked and put on a drip, we were told he needed to see a surgeon. We had been there since 7 pm the previous night, and 9.30 am was the first time a surgeon came to see him. Sitting in the cubicle waiting, I found an unopened glass vial of adrenalin. It was one you break off the top and put the needle in. This was under the bed. I handed it to a doctor, after taking a photo of it. I then looked down, and the sheets Brandon was sleeping on were dishevelled. I move them and found the foam pieces stuck on the chest when monitors are used. These were embedded into the sheets. The sheets had been washed, but there was still contamination.
Last year, my other son, Jackson, had his tonsils and adenoids removed. On the first day a syringe was dropped and it rolled under the bed. Later in the day a cleaner came through. I was about to hand the syringe over but decided to leave it to see how long it stayed there. We were at the hospital for three days, and for three days the syringe stayed on the floor under the bed. There is a section of the Children’s Ward put aside for parents with a big sign which says, ‘This is not cleaned or the responsibility of RDH, if you come in here, leave it as you find it’. There was excrement on the walls, there were dirty nappies; it was a disgrace.
We are talking hospitals here, we are talking cleanliness. We know infections run through hospitals. You cannot put a section of the hospital aside and remove any responsibility. It may be there for parents, it may be there for people to rest, to get respite from their child at the time, but you must clean it. You cannot stick a sign up which says it is not managed. It is an indictment. I can recall times in hospitals where you could walk down a hallway and see the mirror on the vinyl, and you would see someone with the polisher. They were spick and span; they were kept so clean. I wonder if our cleanliness today has dropped and this is what is causes infections spreading through hospitals.
And it is not only here. I recall recently visiting my father in Melbourne. I went there because he is having heart problems. The hospital had carpet on the floors. There were beds everywhere and people were being treated. Surely there are hospital standards. How can you have people being treated where syringes are being used and there is a risk of blood dropping on the floor? How could you make sure the carpet is kept clean? Have Australian standards dropped when it comes to how we construct our hospitals? Carpet on the floor was a bizarre thing to see.
Back to RDH, I think there has been a drop in the standards of cleanliness. Whether that comes down to budgets, whether it comes down to mismanagement, I do not know. I think we should be doing more to keep places like RDH clean, and perhaps that would lower the level of the bacteria and the disease which spreads from time to time.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Deputy Speaker, sometimes when the NT News writes an article, you think what a load of codswallop. You would like to refute it, but I know one of policies of the NT News is they will not publish a long letter from a politician. My only opportunity to refute what was in the Editorial today is to speak in the adjournment debate.
The Editorial was about the need for a new prison. It says quite a number of things I do not agree with, and a number of things I do agree with. It says:
- Apparently, Berrimah Farm will be used for the expanded prison - thus losing another site perfect for housing.
- All this is to accommodate Mr Wood. In other words, one man …
I thought the opposition supported me on this one.
- … with no qualifications in correctional services or planning, seems likely to get his way.
Those are fighting words from the editor! I would like to raise several things. I do not claim to be an expert, but I will give the editor some understanding of my background in studying correctional facilities.
I have visited Alice Springs prison; I have visited Berrimah prison three times. When Wildman River existed, I visited it and in 2003 spoke on it in this House. I visited the West Central Community Centre in Ohio and the Ohio Reformatory for Women. I visited Wyndham work camp recently. I visited the Wetlands Work Camp, and the Karnet and Wooroloo Prison Farms in Western Australia. I have visited Hamilton Downs Juvenile Camp, and of course, Don Dale Juvenile Centre in Berrimah. In 2004, I spoke to recommendation 66 of the CAYA report regarding prison farms and I questioned why we did not have prison farms.
In 2004, I spoke about low security prisons, prison industries, work camps, and prison farms. In 2005, I introduced a motion that the government investigate, independently or in partnership, to construct and manage, in appropriate regional areas of the Northern Territory, low-security correctional and rehabilitation centres suitable, but not exclusive, for juvenile offenders, low-risk prisoners, and people affected by substance abuse. I was talking about places for people affected by alcohol who have been through the revolving door; that we have places set up where those people could get treatment and help, and live in a reasonably pleasant environment like a small farm. I know the CLP supports that concept. The member for Sanderson spoke recently on something similar.
I thought I would let people know this is not something new. It is something which goes back a long way, even before I was a politician, regarding the importance of helping people in prison. I think it is important we do our best. People need to be punished for doing the wrong thing, no doubt about it. We need to look at how we punish people, and look at ways to turn their life around.
The editor says I have no planning qualification. My background is a Diploma in Horticultural Science, which at that time was the highest in that field. Horticultural science is not only about growing tomatoes and cabbage, it includes town planning. I do not claim to be an expert, but I studied town planning as part of my diploma. I was acting Town Clerk at Nguiu Shire; planning was required and we developed a new suburb based on the existing town plan. I was a member of the planning committee of Litchfield Shire for 13 years. For quite a number of years I was a member of a Planning Authority, and also the Development Consent Authority. I do not claim to be an expert, but one can get qualifications by prior experience. It is not all about having letters after your name. It can also be using common sense.
I say to the Editor of the NT News, criticise me, I do not have a problem with that; however, I need an opportunity to respond. The article also says:
- The Northern Territory News consistently said the Northern Territory could have the new prison and a prison farm and work camps..
It is not something the NT News has thought about. I have spoken about it many times and will continue to look at it. That is the reason I went to Western Australia recently. The paper also says leaving it at Berrimah:
- … would be a short-sighted move, one that would cost the next generation of Territorians hundreds of millions of dollars to put right.
- In a few years, Berrimah will be the centre of a Darwin-Palmerston city. It will be inappropriate to have prison in the middle of that conurbation.
Which I presume means it is in the middle of those two cities. It goes on to say:
- Berrimah would have been an ideal site for a large parkland estate fringed by commercial buildings.
Commercial buildings do not fringe Berrimah; they are industrial buildings. I do not think BHP would call itself a commercial establishment, nor Bridgestone Tyres, nor Reece Plumbing, nor the Ostojic extractive mining facility. It is surrounded by industrial buildings.
I challenge the Editor of the NT News to go into the valley on a Friday night when the drags or the mud races are operating, and tell me he would like to live there amongst the sandflies with a four-lane Tiger Brennan Drive nearby.
It is very short-sighted to use Berrimah Farm for housing. It is close to the East Arm port, which is filling rapidly. I recently toured that industrial development. Once it is full it only has one place to move: back to Berrimah on the high ground. If we divide that land for housing we will risk further industrial development because of noise complaints, smell and lights. We will also remove the option of having industrial land close to the port. I think it is short-sighted if we look at it from that point of view.
We have a new city Weddell. We have a plan developed years ago to have three cities, Darwin, Palmerston and Weddell. Let us stick to that plan. Do not have an urban sprawl such Melbourne, where I came from. The greenways they had to break up the city were sold because councils found it easier to sell them than to maintain them. I do not think we should be that short-sighted. The editor might say that is his point of view; other people have a different point of view.
I have said we need a new prison. However, do we need a big prison? Do we need a prison at Weddell, or should we look at alternatives? We have $300m of taxpayers’ money to spend; this is a great opportunity to rethink where we are going with our prisons. We have a special clientele, our Indigenous brothers and sisters, who make up 80% of our prisoners. Half are in prison for six months or less, some only for a month. It is an opportune time for us to look at alternatives.
I am very much a supporter of prison farms. At the NT Agricultural Association dinner in Katherine recently I mentioned Katherine would be an ideal place to set up a prison farm. It would help Katherine’s economy; it would also help the people in that prison farm. An alcohol rehabilitation centre could be attached also. Minister McCarthy is a great supporter of work camps. We could also have mobile work camps, working in national parks, working on cattle stations. We should have more people doing community orders for those one month prison cases. What is the point in putting a person in for one month; it takes three weeks to get them classified and it costs $180.
Why not have a shirt similar to Western Australia saying ‘paying back our community’. That tells people what they are doing when they are mowing lawns or removing graffiti; they are out doing community work. We have to look at options. Prisoners with one month sentences are going to clog up our gaols; have them do something beneficial for the community.
I say to the Editor of the NT News it is fine to criticise, I have no problem with that. I would like to use this opportunity to say there are other options, and your editorial is not necessarily correct in what you say.
Dr BURNS (Johnston): Madam Deputy Speaker, on Saturday, 10 October 2009, the Sri Lanka-Australia Friendship Association held a function at Sanderson Middle School gym to raise funds for the association’s 30th anniversary celebrations next year. It was also to welcome the Sri Lankan Under 19 cricket team who were in Darwin to play five one day international matches against the Australian Under 19 cricket team in preparation for the Cricket Under 19 World Cup, to be held in New Zealand in January 2010. There were almost 300 people present, and it was a pleasure to see such a multicultural cross-section of the Darwin community enjoying delicious home-cooked Sri Lankan cuisine.
The menu showcased delicious Sri Lankan fare: yellow rice with spicy chicken and beef curry, bean and potatoes in a coconut sauce, a lentil curry for the vegetarians, together with pol sambol, a mix of coconut chillies, lime and onions, with pappadums and date and lime pickle chutney as a garnish. I have to confess I enjoy Sri Lankan food, and the food the Sri Lankan Friendship Association provides is absolutely superb. A great tribute to those who and worked hard and prepared such a beautiful meal.
The young Sri Lankan cricketers, who are managed by a former distinguished Sri Lankan player, Mr M Devaraj were, I am told, quite surprised by the number of people at the function. The Sri Lankans beat the Australians three games to two in the one day internationals, or ODIs, played in Darwin, and should be a side to be reckoned with at the World Cup Competition in January. I am sure we will hear more of some who fared well in this tour in the years to come: Bhanuka Rajapakse, who scored 159 runs in the third ODI; Romesh Buddika, the Man of the Match in the fifth ODI; the wicket keeper/batsman Andre Berenger; and the medium pacer, Lahiru Jayaratne.
On the evening, there were two delightful cultural dances performed by the young girls and boys of the Sri Lankan community. These young people were very well trained and choreographed by a renowned Sri Lankan dancer, Chandana Herath, who now lives in Darwin. The very colourful costumes were made by Mrs Sumana Perera, a long-time resident of Darwin also.
I was happy to chat with Chandra, President of the SLAFA and his wife, Hemali Seneviratne and their son Gayan; Muni Kulatunga, husband of Brenda, Treasurer of the association; and Lalith Ramachandra, secretary of the association and also the MC for the evening. I was also pleased to catch up with Wagaman constituents, Dr Chandima de Alwis and his wife, Dr Himani Kariyawasam; Selva and Lalitha Selvaratnam and their son Shan; and young Dr Dev Thilakaratne who has come back to Darwin to work after graduating as a doctor. There were also constituents from Jingili: Walter and Claudette Perera, and Peter and Karuna Fernando and their children. Other members of the Sri Lankan community attending the function were Dr Ben Dayaratne and his wife, Bernie; Victor and Cassandra de Silva; Tyronne and Charmaine de Zilva; and Dr T Mahendrarajah. A great was evening enjoyed by all. Well done and congratulations to the organisers.
At Jingili Primary School, a few sportsmen deserve acknowledgement. Brayden McLennan participated in the NT Athletics Championships and was awarded the overall 2009 Outstanding Sprinter. What an achievement! To earn this title, Brayden won three gold medals, two silver, and one bronze. I am sure all members join with me in congratulating Brayden on his great effort. Also at Jingili was Georgia Kenna, who came fourth in the NT State Titles for BMX held at Satellite City, Palmerston last week. Well done, Georgia!
Congratulations also to the following students who have been selected to represent the northern suburbs schools in the SSNT/NT Athletics Championships held on 4, 5 and 6 September 2009: Jakisa Bachu, in the 100 m, 200 m, high jump, and shot put; and Naomi McLachlan in the 200 m, 800 m and high jump.
Whilst students are to be congratulated for their achievements, so too are teachers. Mid-year, Loretta Simmonds of Moil Primary School won a National Award for Excellence in Teaching School Music from the Australian Society for Music Educators. Loretta received a $5000 scholarship towards her own professional development and, together with her children, was flown to Tasmania to attend the awards ceremony. Loretta won the Special Commendation Teachers Award and of her it was said:
- Loretta Simmonds has made an enormous contribution to the development of the music program at Moil Primary School. Loretta has prepared and showcased numerous excellent student performances - both instrumental and choral - over years of teaching, but making a public ‘splash’ is not her preferred style. Rather, she has revolutionised perceptions and understanding amongst her students and school communities about the nature and impact of music education, initially by developing a caring relationship of mutual trust with children, then by fostering creativity, exciting children’s imagination, and building self-esteem through achievement.
That is great rap for a great teacher, and a national acknowledgement for the wonderful work she has been doing in music education, and building our students in the Northern Territory in the creative arts, and giving them self-esteem and a sense of achievement through their efforts in the realm of music. There are many teachers in our secondary and primary school system who deserve such acknowledgement. It is great to hear acknowledgement, at a national level, of the teaching excellence within our schools. I certainly commend Loretta, and all teachers within our school system in the Northern Territory.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Madam Deputy Speaker, I start by congratulating Debbie Page who has won gold at the World Masters Games in Sydney in the 50 to 55 age group. Debbie was seventh across the line in the 10 km road walk, and fourth fastest woman overall. She is from Alice Springs. Congratulations Debbie, it shows you how well you can do when you walk from Alice Springs to Sydney!
It has been one day since the introduction of the $6500 maximum fine for begging, through the Justice Legislation (Penalties) Amendment Bill put through by the Attorney-General, the member for Karama. The Chief Minister said, on ABC radio on 31 July, he could not believe somebody so impoverished and destitute that they were begging for money, could afford to pay that fine. He was referring to the $130 fine by Alice Springs Town Council for begging.
Chief Minister, your Attorney-General has put forward anyone begging, or humbugging as you might like to call it, should be a charged a maximum $6500. Someone who is begging for 50 cents will now be charged a maximum fine of $6500. Might I say, member for Brennan, that might be a way to get a house in the Northern Territory; beg for 50 cents, get a fine - it is a gaoling offence now. You can go to gaol and actually get a house! If you are homeless, beg for 50 cents, you can get a house and a $6500 fine.
I call on the Chief Minister to apologise to Mayor Damien Ryan, Deputy Mayor John Rawnsley, and all the councillors in Alice Springs for the contempt he showed when attacking them about the poor, impoverished and destitute begging for money who cannot afford to pay the fine. Now the Northern Territory government is imposing a $6500 maximum penalty with a possible prison sentence! The Chief Minister should publicly apologise to the Alice Springs Town Council. I would like to see it on Hansard; I would like to hear him say: ‘I am sorry Alice Springs Town Council, clearly you got it right at $130, and we got it wrong at $6500’. No one likes to see begging; no one likes to see humbugging. We want our streets clean, but we recognise some people do it tough. To give a $6500 fine for begging for 50 cents, that is quite, quite funny.
I would like to refer to an earlier debate tonight, where the member for Daly, the Minister for Housing, during a debt-laden Labor stimulus package debate, referred to my comments on a house at Irvine Street, owned by Territory Housing. As part of the stimulus package, they had to build two houses in Alice Springs. I said they knocked down a three-bedroom house in Irvine Street to build a brand new four-bedroom house; a complete waste of our future taxpayers’ dollars given the stimulus package is all borrowed money. The Minister for Housing was quite right. I did make a mistake. It was not Irvine Street, it was Spicer Crescent. Spicer Crescent had a three-bedroom house which had been empty for two years. There were two homeless girls living there, a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old. The stimulus money was to build two houses in Alice Springs. Because there are no blocks in Alice Springs and they had time lines to meet, what were they going to do?
We know the minister cannot build an Aboriginal house, but when Kevin Rudd says do it, he has to. He found this house, empty for two years, perfectly structurally sound according to the builder, who built the four bedroom house on top of it. He kicked out those two young girls. I was not there at the time; I do not know what happened. I have made inquiries and have not been able to find the girls because no one knew their names. He knocked down the structurally sound three-bedroom house in Spicer Crescent. The construction of the four-bedroom house is nearly finished.
We spent $426 000 to build an extra bedroom and remove a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old from a house they were temporarily living in because there was no other accommodation in Alice Springs. That is disgraceful! That is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. It is absurd to kick the two girls out. Let us put the sting in the tail: the $426 000 did not include - this is how smart the minister for Housing is - the removal of asbestos. He did not stop to see if there was asbestos in the house. $426 000 to knock down a good house, build another one on top of it, and then got hit with another $50 000 to take the asbestos away.
Managing Territory taxpayers dollars, or should I say the dollars of our children, because all the stimulus money is borrowed, to pontificate about how good the federal Labor government is to be borrowing money to be spending it, I think is quite absurd.
I should explain my confusion. I may have accidentally said Irvine Street because of a long battle with the minister for Planning and the Minister for Business about helping people in three houses in Irvine Street who have problems with their boundary fences. Approval was given to build extensions over a fence line where the fence was not on the correct boundary. The people are now being told to remove their extensions because their house is built over the fence line. The Territory government cannot help them. Cannot help them at all, but they can knock down a perfectly good, vacant Territory government housing property and spend $426 000 to build a new house, plus $50 000 for asbestos. They cannot set aside $13 000 in Territory government fees to help move a boundary fence line on a plan.
This is the incompetence of the Minister for Housing. You cannot help people move a boundary fence on a plan for about $13 000, but you can spend $476 000 knocking down a perfectly good, structurally sound three bedroom house, kicking out a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl who were boarding there because they were homeless, to build a four bedroom house. That is absolutely disgraceful!
While we are talking about the stimulus package, we heard how good it is in the schools: they have new libraries, new halls, new fences, and all the bells and whistles. It is great; our kids will be paying it off for years, but it is great. There is one thing I would have preferred to see in our schools. I am sure the member for Katherine and the member for Drysdale are wondering what that is. It would have been an improvement in the NAPLAN test results. I have not been to all schools in the Northern Territory, but I can tell you of the schools I have been to, of the parents of students I have spoken to, I have not found one school which has beaten the national benchmark. Not one school!
I am happy for anyone to correct me if they know of one. I would like to see 10% of the Northern Territory public schools meet the benchmark in the NAPLAN test results. I would like to see 10%; I do not think there would be 5%. I would be happy to hear from the minister for Education. What a sad indictment that the Northern Territory government talks about how good it is Kevin Rudd has borrowed money from our children’s future to build infrastructure in these schools, but he still cannot get the poor kids to the national level of literacy and numeracy; cannot get to the national benchmark levels in those areas.
If anything, the stimulus money should have supported the teachers and students to get a better education, to provide tutoring services, to provide before and after school learning facilities, to improve school attendance. However, now everyone has a hall, a library, or a sports field, but no one meets the national testing. That is a disgrace in this whole stimulus debate, and it is a complete waste of money when your children cannot meet the test.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Deputy Speaker, the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards are - and I quote from the website –‘the oldest and largest poetry competition for school students in Australia’. They are arguably the pre-eminent poetry awards for school aged children in Australia.
There are nine awards handed out; there were eight until this year and then a ninth was added. I am pleased to advise the House that of those nine national awards, Katherine School of the Air won three. It is an absolutely outstanding effort on the part of two of the students who won awards, and the school which won the schools award! These are significant pieces of literature by virtue of the fact they have won awards at the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards. Because they are significant pieces of literature, I intend to enter them into the permanent records of the Parliamentary Record.
This poem is by Jayden Wilson of Nelson Springs Station. He won the award for the Learning Assistance and Special Education Primary. His poem is titled Nelson Springs - My Home:
- It is daybreak.
Sunrise –
the dawn is shattering and the silence passes.
Native birds are looking hungrily for survival food –
Soaring, wild, wedged tailed eagles,
Screeching, noisy, red-tailed cockatoos,
Bouncing, active, grey brolgas,
Chorusing, together, black & white magpies,
Perched, bush turkeys
Whistling –
Racing –
Hovering –
my alarm clock!
It makes me feel hungry as well.
I love the quiet –
the fresh smell of breezy seasonal rain.
In the stock camp
counting big horned, brindle, scrub cattle
floury, fine, red, bulldust floating in the dry air.
Drinking hurriedly –
fresh, cool, dripping water from the nearby spring –
dancing wildly
and furiously over smooth, limestone boulders.
Our Negri River fed by the ever flowing Sterling River –
both deep, wide, bending, skipping down to the lake.
Flowing aggressively
and quickly
to the vast Ord –
into boundless, diamond blue Lake Argyle.
Fish – white, big, juicy, bream, silver, grey catfish,
Ancient, ridged, concealed crocodiles - protecting
their precious eggs
Flowering white gums,
paperbark shedding its seasonal cracking skin,
yellow, orange flowering prickly pear trees,
grazing cattle, newborn calves, fat steers,
scaly, black-headed rock pythons.
Goannas, wild buffalo, feral pigs, big, shiny
- sharing our lonely land.
Stunning, scenic sunsets,
everything is humid –
I wish I could get closer to the sun to feel it more.
Natural, open spaces –
The cool, evening breeze on my young, smooth, cool, brown skin –
Nelson Springs,
My home,
My country –
Forever.
Madam Deputy Speaker, that is from a primary school student.
I would also like to enter into the Parliamentary Record the winning poem from Drago Kalinic of Borroloola. He won the Learning Assistance and Special Education Secondary:
- Marralawa –
Marralawa -
Ancient voices calling me from a deep, dreaming sleep -
Looking –
Searchingly towards the east’s dawning, reflective horizon -
Feeling instinctively - age, old intuition -
Something in the sky, shimmering in the shadowy dimness caught my eyes -
Something so bright –
Existing – nomaleea –
I want to shine, flicker and flash like the mythical,magical Marralawa.
Everything Marralawa can see -
Whatever belongs to the land belongs to me.
Touching –
Crisp air - washes over me -
Arousing alertness –
Something awakens exhilarating -
Something rouses and stirs –
Beginning of another, age, old day -
I want to shine, flicker and flash like the mythical, magical Marralawa.
Everything Marralawa can see –
Whatever belongs to the land, belongs to me.
Fading –
Waiting for Marralawa -
Hiding behind the sun’s fierce, powerful, intense light -
Something moving and looping westerly across the daily track -
Something setting - the reddish, orange sun fading over the dry, brown plains
Appearing silently – visible, and unreachable .
I want to shine, flicker and flash like the mythical, magical Marralawa.
Everything Marralawa can see -
Whatever belongs to the land, belongs to me.
Marralawa,
Marralawa,
Ancient voices calling me from a deep, dreaming sleep -
I want to be Marralawa.
I want to shine.
It’s my shining and my dreaming –
I wish,
I wish,
Oh I wish I was Marralawa.
The Morning Star.
Exceptional poetry which stirs emotion.
Congratulations also to the School of the Air in picking up the Schools Award. It is a testament to the exceptional quality of the staff, the teachers, and all the people involved in looking after the students who attend the school from a distance. Under difficult circumstances they teach our young people who are the future. For people who have the disadvantage of living away from the school they attend, to write literature of such quality is inspiring.
I move on quickly to something which is related but will be hard to pick why it is related to begin with. It was the October Business Month dinner in Katherine on 10 October. First, I acknowledge the good things the Northern Territory government does and the October Business Month initiative is a good initiative. The dinners held in each of the major centres are a useful networking tool, and well worth continuing. I would like to see business dinners in other regional towns, but I understand there are difficulties associated with that.
The MC for the business dinner was Pete Davies, FM104.9. Two items were donated as lucky door prizes – one was a blackberry, and one was leather compendium. Pete’s idea, to his credit, was rather than give those prizes away as lucky door prizes, auction them to raise money for Katherine School of the Air. He took that on himself without knowing the success of the Katherine School of the Air and the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards. I thank Pete for doing this; it was an exceptionally thoughtful thing for him to do. I acknowledge the people who bought those items and donated them to the School of the Air - Alice Beilby, a local lady from Katherine, and Allen Carter, a local business man in Katherine. I am pleased to advise I will be able to pass on the money to the Katherine School of the Air. They raised $1200. That is so typical of the people of Katherine, who so often put their hands deep into their pockets to provide much needed funds for many of the organisations and charities in Katherine.
I thank everyone who attended, and also Morag Dwyer, who was instrumental in organising that particular function.
Mr BOHLIN (Drysdale): Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I rise to speak on several issues. First, I will talk about some of our older Palmerston residents who I have to give thanks to. One in particular is Maggie Schoenfisch. Maggie is in my office up to five times a week. I love her visiting, because she has so much energy for an older lady. She was runner up in last year’s Palmerston Australia Day Awards for all of her efforts in the Palmerston area and all her community work. One of the ones I unfortunately do not get to enough, but I enjoy going to, is the Alexander Day Club, which Maggie holds in the Gray community hall; a great venue but unfortunately the subject of crime on many occasions.
It is a lovely group of people Maggie helps out. The older residents are not as nimble as they used to be and they rely on other people to get them to the hall. Maggie helps out, or they catch a taxi. The Red Cross bus does not operate any more, and I think funding has been cut.
Maggie has contacted a Mr Stewart Knowles, who she was advised to speak to by the Transport Minister. He has provided her with a list of non-government organisations who receive grant funding. None of those people have been able to help Maggie with transport for about five senior Territorians. They do get a $5 voucher to help with transport, but there are problems. Not all taxis or mini-buses have the appropriate code readers for these vouchers. It does not amount to much money, but it means people go to these events, which are great social events, they are out, and when you get people out and about, it gives them that extra bit of life. I intend to work on resolving the issue with the taxis. We can work with the community also.
I come back to where the minister referred Maggie to Mr Stewart Knowles, and Stewart Knowles referred her to several non-government agencies. It leads us back to the letter from the Minister for Transport. Maggie is a great lady who tried to organise a trip for the University of the Third Age in Palmerston to go to the Territory Wildlife Park. She wrote to the Transport Minister seeking help in obtaining a bus or some other form of transport. I seek leave to table that document.
Leave granted
I will read the letter from the Minister for Transport.
The letter says:
- Thank you for your letter of 1 June 2009 regarding University of the Third Age, Palmerston and Rural planned excursion to the Territory Wildlife Park and your request for assistance to obtain the use of a bus to transport your members to the event.
As you will be aware, the Northern Territory government provides free travel for seniors, pensioners, carers and students on our existing public system. Several private companies provide charter services for transport outside the Darwin and Palmerston urban areas. If you would like additional information relating to transport alternatives, please contact the Department of Planning & Infrastructure Liaison Officer, Mr Stuart Knowles on phone number. I wish you all the best in your excursion.
It is great to tell Maggie of these free bus services, but no bus goes there. How ludicrous? It is one of our biggest attractions in the area, it is a magnificent park, we pump money into it, but we do not have public bus service running there. We do not service that area. We have tourists coming to the Territory, these fantastic senior people who want to go out and explore the Territory, but there is no bus service. It is a fantastic facility. We have tourists in town but no bus running to that area.
You wonder why sometimes the attendance rate is not too good. Not every tourist is going to get a taxi, a mini-bus, hire a coach, pedal, or hire a car to go there. If there was a bus, what an amazing idea! This could also support the existing community. Would it be viable? That is an interesting question. I suggest, in certain parts of the year, it would be more than viable. I have not done the figures; I am suggesting it could be viable.
I thank the Transport Minister for his letter telling Maggie Shoenfisch absolutely nothing. He told her to use a bus service which does not run, and then if you do not mind, because I know you are a pensioner and you have much money, hire a charter. What a joke!
Thank you, Maggie, you do a great job. You are a true Territorian who supports all her friends. You will see her at the markets. If anyone wants to come I will show you where she is, and I will introduce you to her. Fantastic lady! Kiwanis, she does not stop. She helps out everywhere. She is a JP; you will find her in the library as well.
I want to raise an issue and forewarn the Sports minister, who we do not hear much from. Hidden Valley Drag Strip was very lucky to get a $3m grant from the federal government, just before the Territory election, to upgrade their facilities. The election was more than a year ago, and to date this government is hindering serious progress in the purchase of a new scoreboard, which is made by an American company that has previously done business in Australia. Our government, through DPI, is procrastinating. Yes, there are protocols to be followed, but at the end of the day there is only one company to deal with. The will fly out and do the installation. However, they want payment in advance. The government says it does not do business that way. The money is there, the Wet Season will be finished, and all the opportunities to do this work will be another failure on the government’s behalf.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016