2006-02-15
Madam Speaker Aagaard took the Chair at 10 am.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise you of the presence in the Speaker’s gallery of friends and colleagues of the late Mr Andy McNeill, APM. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is with deep regret that I advise of the death on 25 December 2005 of Mr Andy McNeill APM, a long-serving and high-ranking member of the Northern Territory Police, and Mayor of Alice Springs from 1992 to 2000. I ask honourable members, on completion of debate, to stand for one minute as a mark of respect.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly:
Andy McNeill died peacefully in Adelaide on Christmas Day, with his wife, Marlene, and family at his bedside. Even though he was born and raised in Sydney and country New South Wales and did not arrive in the Territory until his early 20s, it is very true to say that Andy McNeill was a Territorian through and through, and a very proud one. He arrived here in 1959 to join our police force and, over the next 45 years, made a major contribution to Alice Springs and to the wider Territory community. Along the way he got to know this part of the world pretty well, working in Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek as well as his beloved home of Alice Springs. He worked in a wide range of roles during his time in the police force - counter disaster operations, air crashes, major crimes and planning for royal and VIP visits.
I know that many will never forget the role he played in the overland evacuations from Darwin in the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy 1974-75. He was Inspector of Police in Katherine at the time and experienced up close the severe trauma of many fleeing and frightened Darwinians. His tireless work and compassion, and that of the Katherine community, will never be forgotten by the many people he helped.
Of course, Andy is also remembered by many Territorians for the shoot-out he was involved in with a highjacker at Alice Springs Airport in 1972, an incident that gained worldwide coverage and one that has become part of Territory folklore. The highjacker, who held six passengers and four crew hostage, shot Constable Paul Sandeman before opening fire on Andy and his colleagues. The siege ended soon after when the highjacker shot and killed himself. Andy displayed bravery and coolness under pressure during this harrowing time, yet even in recounting these events his well-known sense of humour was never far away. Andy maintained that it was only having to run up and down the control tower stairs four times during the height of the crisis that he discovered he was an asthmatic.
Andy’s 33 years in the Northern Territory Police Force saw him rise through the ranks to finish his career as the Assistant Commissioner in Alice Springs in 1992. However, Andy’s contribution to his community did not end with his retirement from the police force. He served two terms as Mayor of Alice Springs, retiring in 2000. His passion and commitment to making his home town of Alice an even better place to live was well known and widely respected by those who knew him and worked with him. Perhaps his greatest legacy from this time was his work in developing the town’s tourism industry – a particular passion. I am sure he would be immensely proud of the progress the town is making as an increasingly popular tourist destination for many Australians.
Andy was a proud Territorian who made a big impact on those who had the pleasure of meeting him. He will be sorely missed by many throughout the Territory. Our sympathy goes to Andy’s wife, Marlene, and their three children Adam, Michelle and Lee. I wish them all the very best for the future.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, today I talk about the passing of a Territory policeman who served with distinction and honour during his years in the police force. Andy McNeill served the people of Katherine in 1974 and 1975, and he dealt with the refugee crisis that Katherine was confronted with after the devastation of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy. This was a natural disaster that shocked the world.
However, before I talk about the public figure, I would like to say a few words about the impression that Andy McNeill left on those who worked with him on a day-to-day basis. I have taken the time to speak to a former Northern Territory police officer who knew Andy McNeill well, and who Andy commanded. This young and slightly overeager constable wanted to do so many things, and he often needed permission from the bosses to pursue some of the aspects of police work that needed careful planning - and often permission from more senior police to do so.
If a search warrant was to be applied for, there was a protocol in place and steps to be taken before a constable could approach a JP or a magistrate for judicial authority. As the story was related to me, this young police officer could not find his station sergeant, or the Divisional Inspector as it was at that time, so he crossed Parsons Street in Alice Springs to totally side-step the chain of command to get an officer’s signature. At that time, the senior management in Alice Springs occupied an office in the Greatorex building on the other side of the street from the police station. This eager young constable waltzed straight past the Chief Superintendent’s secretary and went in to see the Chief Superintendent who, of course, was Andy McNeill. Bold as brass, he approached his boss and began to explain what he wanted to do to the impassive face of Chief Superintendent McNeill. After about two minutes, the Chief Superintendent put his hand up quietly and the young constable became silent. A long pause followed and quietly Andy McNeill asked why the young constable had come to him. After being told that he could not find any of his immediate bosses, Andy McNeill followed standard police management practices of the day and told him to ‘mmm, mmm, mmm’ - well, let us just say the second word was something like ‘off’ - and for that young constable to wait outside.
This eager young police officer did what he was told and, 10 minutes later, he was pulled back into the office and dressed down soundly for his breach of rules of command. His ears burnt from the dressing down, and his cheeks burnt from embarrassment as the law was laid down. Nevertheless, at the end of the dressing down, Andy McNeill demanded to see the paperwork. He read the information, asked a few questions and signed off on the information to be presented to the magistrate. This young officer left Superintendent McNeill’s office very embarrassed and resentful of his distant superior.
Over the course of the next couple of days, the investigation proceeded, and three times Chief Superintendent McNeill contacted this young police officer to see how things were going. It was not a major investigation and it turned out to be a simple prosecution, but Chief Superintendent McNeill remained abrupt, gruff and short with this young constable. However, it soon dawned on him that the Chief Superintendent was taking a personal and active interest in his development as a policeman. From that, he then wanted to do well to impress the commander of the whole of the Southern Region of the Northern Territory Police Force.
Before the investigation was completed, this young police officer was producing the best work he had ever produced, simply to gain the approval of Andy McNeill. When a grudging ‘well done’ was finally forthcoming from his boss, it meant the world to this young police officer. This occurred over 20 years or so ago, but it is clear from the story that this former police officer relates, that, in spite of the abrasive style Andy McNeill put forth, he cared about his troops and about them becoming professional police officers. This young police officer is now in his 40s. When he reflected on his relationship with his former boss, he remembered him with fondness and respect, and remembered him as a leader of men.
Gruff as he may have been, the measure of a leader is not how he leads in times of easy command, but how he leads in times of peril and challenge. We have all heard of Andy’s role in the hijacking in Alice Springs many years ago in 1972.
To be called to a time and a place where a commander, albeit a junior one at the time, had to lead men into peril, is a measure of his capacity. It would have been too easy to make it someone else’s problem or to defer to instructions of bosses of remote Alice Springs. He did not. He saw his duty and he took a decision.
It may seem odd to talk of a hijacking in Alice Springs, but it was a serious situation and people were injured and killed. A police officer was shot twice in the hand and in the abdomen, and the hijacker himself was shot and killed. When he reported to his commissioner of the events that had occurred, his final words in that phone call were: ‘I take full responsibility’. If there are any words that capture the integrity of the man that was Andy McNeill, those are it: ‘I take full responsibility’.
I wish that such a forthright and honest approach existed as a general rule in the community as a whole. There are, doubtlessly, people in the community who exemplify that sort of ethical fibre, but they are all too far between. In this age of passing the buck and finding excuses for shortcomings, it is refreshing to know that there are people who have the courage to say ‘I take full responsibility’. That means upsetting people from time to time, and worse, also on occasion, people who take such positions do so to their detriment. I am certain Marlene, his widow, can point to occasions where Andy’s sense of duty meant some sort of personal cost. Of course, it was never a personal cost in Andy’s eyes. When he stood up and was counted, any other option was simply not on the table. For people who believe in moral and ethical courage, compromise is not an option. The personal shame of having dodged a duty would be a much greater burden than having lived up to the creed, ‘I am responsible’.
The Territory has lost one of its finest sons; a dedicated man who served the people of the Northern Territory as a police officer, and the people of Alice Springs as their Mayor, with determination and, affectionately, gruffness and humour. People respected this man as a natural leader; even those who did not particularly like him had to acknowledge his capacity and his integrity. The fact is they did respect him and they showed it in the support of him as the Mayor of Alice Springs. True to his creed, he fought tenaciously and passionately for his town and he was quite happy to pick a fight on behalf of his town.
Madam Speaker, the Territory will miss this man. On behalf of my colleagues, I extend my sincerest, deepest sympathy to Marlene and the members of his family. He has left a wonderful legacy for them; a legacy in which courage, ethics, firmness and resolve reign. This man who was known as Big Deal McNeill, made a big deal of things that were worth making a big deal about. I want to close by saying I hope that, in each of our lives, we can live up to the moral code that Andy lived by. I hope that at the end of my life I can say that I am and was responsible.
Dr TOYNE (Central Australia): Madam Speaker, I had, I suppose, the sadness and pleasure to attend the commemoration for Andy a couple of weeks ago in Alice Springs at the Alice Springs Golf Club. Andy would have been very pleased at the roll-up. There were many hundreds of people there including the Administrator, Ted Egan, members of the police force who served with Andy, members of the Alice Springs Town Council, several other of my parliamentary colleagues, and numerous people for whom he had done things for in Central Australia. He would have been equally pleased with the fact that people did not hang their heads during the affair. There was humour that really reflected what Andy was all about, and people were quite happy to tell stories about Andy’s quirky ways at times. It really brought him back for us all to remember.
My main memory of working with him was as a newly elected, humble member of the opposition finding my way through politics and, particularly, the issues that I began to work on in Alice Springs as well as in my electorate of Stuart.
It was Andy who first showed me an open door to come and discuss in a constructive way things that we all wanted to see for the town and the region. I have always appreciated that because, too often in politics, we tend to wall ourselves off on ideological or party lines. Andy only had one party, it was the Central Australian party and he was the only member. As far as I remember, he did not ever register it. It was good for the town, it was good for Central Australia; he was more than happy to talk it over.
The first thing I went to him with, and I suppose it is topical at the moment, was a survey that I had done around the households of Alice Springs regarding antisocial behaviour. Andy’s reaction to that was it is great that someone had gone to households, directly to the people in the town, to ask: ‘What do you think is the problem? What do you think we can do about it?’ That was the hallmark of his way of operating too. It was very grassroots, very connected to the people and very true to the people. He never played games with people’s issues; he always did his best to give them an outcome. That is a role model all of us can continue to take into public life.
He worked across all sectors of the Central Australian community, whether it was in business or his involvement with the promotion of the Masters Games. All of that was grist to his mill; anything that was good for Alice Springs and Central Australia, there he was. As a member of parliament representing that region, and in common with other members, we Central Australians have to be very assertive at times to make sure that Central Australia is firmly in the minds of all decision makers, whether they be in this House or in our government agencies or in non-governmental organisations. It is a never-ending task to remind everyone that we have big mountains down there, it looks different and it is still really important because it also has some very great people in it.
I will probably also remember the final phase of the commemoration in that we all adjourned from the golf club to the first tee and planted a very large ghost gum right next door to the tee-off area that will, no doubt, provide shade and tower over everything around it. I hope on the tree there might be a little statement directly from Andy to remind golfers not to indulge in slow play; get around the course and give other people a chance to get to the hole and putt out. He was quite famous for that. People were quite terrified when he was following them around the course.
To Marlene and the family, it is a great loss to the family I am sure but, gee, they must have some terrific memories of the man. They saw very clearly two weeks ago that those memories are shared with equal fondness by many people in Central Australia.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I also support the condolence motion on Andy McNeill. I worked on the town council as an alderman when Andy was the Mayor and have known Andy and Marlene for some time. In the gallery are retired Assistant Commissioner Arthur Grant and his wife Norma - Saus as he is commonly known to everyone. They have allowed me to read the eulogy that Saus wrote and spoke to at the funeral of Andy in Adelaide. It is very personal and it talks about the man Andy McNeill. I appreciate, Saus, you allowing me to put this on the public record for Andy.
I am going to speak as though it was Saus delivering it:
I recall that when the Queen came to Alice Springs, Andy was in his robes and, as he walked along the Todd Mall, all the young children thought Andy was the king:
To Marlene and the family, I too extend my sympathy. I thank you very much for allowing us to have this, Saus.
I must also pass on the condolences of our Clerk, Ian McNeill. Ian and Andy shared common relationships or ancestors back in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and Northern Ireland. They both established the fact that their relatives probably came to Australia for their high crimes and misdemeanours many years ago, and it was probably a little ironic that Andy ended up on the other side of the law. On behalf of Kit and Ian and family, I pass on their condolences also.
Madam Speaker, Andy McNeill is someone we will always remember as he has made an impact upon the town and on the Northern Territory. May he rest in peace.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr HENDERSON (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, today I join with the Chief Minister and other members of this House in extending my condolences to the family and friends of Edward Andy McNeill. I would like to use the occasion to talk about Andy’s long and distinguished career with the Northern Territory Police Force. I thank the Northern Territory Retired Police Association for their permission to read directly from Mr McNeill’s personal memoirs. They really are a great read. I am just starting to get through it. It is titled Big Deal - 33 years in the Northern Territory Police Force.
Andy McNeill’s move to the Northern Territory started with an ad in the Daily Telegraph in Sydney in early 1959. As a 22-year-old, Andy was enjoying life, like most young men but, in his own words, ‘had no real prospects’. Quoting from Andy:
So, on the promise of a good job and a new adventure, Andy moved to the Territory, travelling to Darwin on his first commercial flight to join the Northern Territory Police Force which, at that time, had a strength of 97 officers. How it has grown today, Madam Speaker.
Andy McNeill witnessed many firsts in his career with the Northern Territory Police, a career littered with great yarns of his experiences right across the Territory. In his first month on the job, Andy served in the information subsection at Darwin Police Station which, he admitted, was not for him. It gave him an appreciation of the value of forensic investigation in policing. He was serving in this section when fingerprints evidence was given in a Territory court case for the first time which resulted in Gordon Morris being convicted for home break-in. He was there when the first women were recruited to the Territory police force in 1961 - there are some interesting reads in the memoirs about that - no doubt an event which created quite a stir at the station and back at the single men’s quarters.
He witnessed the arrival of radio communications in patrol vehicles on 25 September 1959. Prior to that, police invariably arrived at the scene of a fight or a disturbance after the events had quietened down. Andy remembers that on the first night of radios, being in the patrol cars:
Andy served in a number of locations in his early career including, in 1959, he was able to combine his love of motorcycle riding with his job as a traffic officer in Darwin. He arrived in CIB in June 1961 and by the next month was Assistant Prosecutor. In 1963, he was promoted to Senior Constable, the same year that the Queen came to Darwin in March - right at the end of the Wet Season. Andy had the job of driving the pilot car, the vehicle right behind the motorcycle escort at the head of the motorcade, and received a commendation for his role. Andy recalled:
Andy was appointed as a detective in CIB in 1964 and, of his time in the section, said:
A great experience.
On Christmas Eve 1964, Andy was appointed the Officer-in-Charge at Nightcliff Police Station, the four-man station in Bougainvillea Street that was ‘just a small office building in the yard of the residence of the Officer-in-Charge’.
Over the next few years, Andy would serve again at Darwin station and CIB in Alice Springs before arriving in Tennant Creek as the Officer-in-Charge in 1970 as a Sergeant 3rd Class. Quoting from Andy again:
Perhaps one of the most memorable moments of Andy’s career occurred during his second posting in Alice Springs: Australia’s first and only plane hijacking:
had been hijacked.
Andy rang Darwin HQ to relay the news and waited for some helpful advice as to the next step. His Chief Inspector replied: ‘All right Andy, let us know how you go’. Over the next few hours, the incident evolved. Andy McNeill and seven fellow officers acting as negotiators and tactical response members supported by a very brave civilian pilot, Ossie Watts. The incident played out over about three hours during which time Constable Paul Sandeman was shot by the hijacker whilst attempting to negotiate with him on the tarmac. Ossie Watts, seeing what had happened, bravely shot at the hijacker, drawing him away from the terminal and the plane. The hijacker began firing at approaching police vehicles including the one being driven by Andy McNeill, before eventually turning the gun on himself. Andy recalled that in the middle of the incident they got a call from New South Wales saying they were going to send up a group to take over the situation. He thought that was very nice of them but did not know what they were supposed to do for three or four hours.
Whilst working in Alice Springs, Andy McNeill was promoted to Inspector, hearing about it for the first time on 22 November 1973 whilst listening to the ABC news that morning. I do not think it works like that these days. Soon after, he was posted to Katherine:
A rather understated comment.
By 1976, Andy had returned to Darwin as the Officer-in-Charge of the region. In 1978, he was promoted to Superintendent, and then Chief Superintendent in 1981 of management and planning, and was engaged in equipping the police force and administering training programs to better meet the needs of the Territory’s multicultural community. On 30 June 1986, Andy McNeil was promoted to Assistant Commissioner, Alice Springs, Southern Region. He was awarded an Australian Police Medal in June 1987 for distinguished service, and retired from the Northern Territory Police Force on 30 April 1992.
Madam Speaker, I cannot help but read a couple more anecdotes out of these diaries from the speech that has been prepared for me upstairs. I am sure people would love to hear a couple of anecdotes. Going through the index, there are 92 different chapters in here, different stories. Running through the index, one caught my eye which was ‘Wharfies v Coppers’. As somebody who spent a few years working in the shipyards, I was keen to read this. I will just read this piece from Andy’s memoirs:
There is also a yarn here about gambling. I will read this, given that Saus is in the gallery today:
And for Kon and Richard Lim, just a lucky last.
These are just some of Andy McNeill’s memoirs of his time with the Northern Territory Police Force. To sum up his career, I turn again to his memoirs.
Andy is one of those Territorians, as many speakers have said, who really did make a difference to this great Territory of ours. My condolences to Marlene, the family and friends and colleagues of Andy McNeill. He did make a difference. Vale, Andy McNeill!
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I join in the motion. Andy McNeill - copper, assistant commissioner, mayor, Territorian, Central Australian - those are the words that come to my mind when I think of this man.
I did not serve any time with him on the town council. In fact, I retired in 1992 before he was elected as the Mayor of the Alice Springs Town Council. In the dealings that I had with him by the time he was the mayor; in 1994 I was elected to the Legislative Assembly. I suppose, as local members of parliament, we sometimes used local government as a bit of a foil for our local constituency issues. I would often criticise the Alice Springs Town Council for some of the things that it did not do. Likewise, Andy in his professional way with his sharp tongue, caustic remarks, and brusque attitude, would address me in the Alice Springs Town Council as the alderman for Greatorex. It was done tongue-in-cheek and I understood that.
Without a doubt, his performance as the Mayor of Alice Springs was probably what endeared him very much to the people of the town. In his time as a police officer, Assistant Commissioner, he was a very prominent figure and there was a no-nonsense attitude, back in those days when Alice Springs was a better law-abiding town than it is now.
I got to know him personally in the sense that we used to play golf on occasions - not that I played golf as much as Andy did. That was his passion. The few times that I played golf with him, we were regaled with ribald jokes and his impatience with slow golfers and always wanting to get on with the round. He was over six feet – or he looked to me as though he was over six feet - and when he walked around a golf course I had to run just to keep up.
Many times I had dealings with him in the town council when the argy-bargy was going on. Once he retired from council, he was a very helpful citizen. He would send me e-mails on a very regular basis on the issues that we were dealing with, in particular about the law and order issues in Alice Springs, the alcohol abuse that we encountered, and the many attempts or processes that he commenced at the town council to address those issues.
At the memorial service we attended, which the member for Stuart mentioned, there were, indeed, a lot of people who attended. I was very moved by the personal thoughts expressed by Lynn Peterkin, who was Andy and Marlene’s neighbour at McMinn Street, which is in my electorate. Lynn spoke very warmly about Andy and the relationship they had between the Peterkin and the McNeill families, and the children who moved between those two homes
I wonder how tall the tree they planted in Andy’s memory at the first tee will grow? As the member for Stuart also said, hopefully it will cast a long, tall shadow, to the comfort of many people who will be playing golf in Alice Springs. His passion, his family, his career, his golf – those are the things that he will be readily remembered for in Alice Springs.
He was a great Territorian. The Alice Springs Town Council has chosen to honour Andy’s memory by naming what was formerly called the Garden Room, the Andy McNeill Room. It will be a significant meeting place for the community and his name will live forever in Alice Springs. Vale, Andy McNeill! My condolences to Marlene and the family. He will be remembered for a long time.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I join with my colleagues in extending my condolences to the family and friends of Andy McNeill and, also more importantly, in celebrating his contribution to the Northern Territory. Others here this morning have spoken about Mr McNeill’s capacity in his role as a policeman and other roles. However, I would like place on the Parliamentary Record his contribution in the area of local government.
After a lifetime of work, especially in the area such as policing, the response of most people would be to put your feet up and to take a well-earned rest, but this was not for Andy McNeill. He decided to take up a role in local government and stood as Mayor of Alice Springs in 1992, an office he successfully recontested in 1996 until his final retirement in 2000. Everyone who knew him in that role over that time speaks with enormous respect and high regard for his total commitment to Central Australia and Alice Springs in particular.
He was a member of the Central Australian Tourism Industry Association and participated in many tourism promotions and expos on behalf of that town – the town he loved. At a Territory level, he was also a member of the Brolga Awards selection committee. His commitment to promoting Central Australia was total.
Allan McGill, now the Chief Executive Officer of the Darwin City Council, acted as the CEO for Andy when he was Mayor of Alice Springs. During this period, Allan remembers him as being a man who was very forthright, very honest, a man of integrity, with a strong commitment to his family life. He was a man with a wicked sense of humour and very quick comeback lines.
Former Alice Springs resident, Sue Shearer, was at the sharp end of his humour on at least one occasion. Andy McNeill, as she tells it, was the first person in Alice Springs to sign up to the National Heart Foundation’s cardiac arrest fundraising campaign, which involved raising $5000 as bail money. Using his ex-copper’s influence, he managed to roll up a paddy wagon and uniforms to arrest Sue and Marie Kilgariff and he threw them in the back, regardless of their attire - they were dressed in very formal evening gowns. That is just indicative of the man and his sense of humour.
I would like to reflect upon some of the words that were written by Martin Plumb. Martin worked for my department and had a long history in local government. I would like to read these into the Parliamentary Record, and I thank Martin for the opportunity of doing so.
I thank Martin Plumb for those words. We should remember today that Mr McNeill’s life was best served working for the interests of the community. Local government is an integral part of the Northern Territory and, while Alice Springs was obviously well-served by Andy McNeill, the cause of local government throughout the Territory was well-served by this man as well. It was something he served with commitment, integrity and passion, an example to the entire local government sector.
Madam Speaker, on behalf of the many interests in local government, I extend my sincere sympathies to Marlene, Adam, Michelle, Lee and, of course, to his many friends and colleagues. Rest in peace, Andy.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I will be brief because, if Andy McNeill was here today, he would say ‘Stop the waffling and get on with it’. I would just like to say a few things. Andy McNeill was a good bloke. I knew him through local government when he was Mayor of Alice Springs, and when he was a member of the Local Government Association. He was a very funny man. I know the minister over there is still reading some of the memoirs and having trouble controlling himself. That just tells you what a funny bloke he was. When he and George Brown got together with a few reds, the jokes, the yarns and the stories got funnier and worse as the night went on.
He impressed me with his dedication to local government, and this was seen by the effort that he put into it. He was the instigator of the community councils and the municipal councils getting together under the one banner of the Local Government Association. The Minister for Local Government has just mentioned the time when he, basically, told the council clerks to butt out and sit down the back. Also, he should remember he told the government members of the department to ask for an invitation before they came into a local government meeting. That pleased many local government representatives.
Although I only knew him for a relatively short time, I was left with an impression of a man for all seasons. He spent most of his life in the Territory. He knew the Territory through his life as a copper and as Mayor of Alice Springs. He always promoted the Territory. He raised his family in the Territory. Add that to a man who was a leader, someone people would listen to, a storyteller, someone who could make you laugh, someone who loved people and his family and, perhaps, you have the essence of a real Territorian.
He will be missed by all those who knew him. My deepest sympathy to his wife, Marlene, and their family. Next time I am in Alice, I will check out the first tee at the golf course and see if Andy’s been looking after that ghost gum.
Madam SPEAKER: I thank all honourable members for their contribution. I, also, extend my condolences to the family and friends of Mr McNeill. I ask honourable members to stand for one minute as a sign of respect.
Motion agreed to.
Members stood and observed one minute’s silence as a mark of respect.
Ms LAWRIE (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, in the Northern Territory we normally associate the big sporting events with the Dry Season, and rightly so. With events like the V8s, the Darwin Cup, AFL games, the Finke Desert Race, international cricket and Arafura Games, it can be a hectic time of the year for sports fans.
However, if you look at the events that are on at the moment, this time of the year is not too far behind. It has been a very busy start to the 2006 sporting calendar. In January, the government was pleased to announce the renewed agreement with the Perth Wildcats which will ensure an annual Wildcats game in Darwin until 2009. I am sure all members would agree what a fantastic game we witnessed when the Wildcats defeated the Townsville Crocs a couple of weeks ago at the Marrara Indoor Stadium. The kids who were able to attend the basketball clinics with the Wildcats will remember the direct benefit of their visit to the Top End. The Wildcats are in this year’s NBL finals and are currently involved in the semi-final playoffs against Melbourne, and we wish them all the best.
Another great recent event was the Rugby Union Hottest 7s tournament that was hosted in Darwin. I would like to congratulate the NTRU for the fabulous job they do in putting on this world-class event and attracting such a strong field of international competitors. It is a credit to them and the Northern Territory government is very proud to support them in their efforts. It was a great event with international sides playing alongside regional teams from the Territory, such as the Groote Eylandt Mud Chooks who where a crowd favourite. I was pleased to purchase them in the Calcutta.
There are also some big AFL games on in the Territory at this time of year. We recently saw the North Adelaide Football Club travel to the Territory to take on the NT Buffalos. It was a great match with the Buffalos in it right up until the last quarter. I know the players loved the opportunity to wear the Territory jumper, and they did the Territory proud.
I am sure many Territorians are now eagerly awaiting the upcoming National Australia Bank Cup match between the Western Bulldogs and the Melbourne Demons at Marrara Oval on Friday week, as well as the NAB challenge match at Traeger Park in Alice Springs on 10 March. As part of their trip to the Territory, the Western Bulldogs will again host a variety of coaching clinics to develop junior sport.
In addition, the weekend of 25 and 26 March will be a huge weekend for Territory AFL with the NTFL TIO Premiership on the Saturday, and the wizardry of the Tiwi Island Football League grand final on the Sunday.
On Friday, for the first time in 10 years, Central Australia will see NRL action at Anzac Oval as the Newcastle Knights play the Penrith Panthers in the NRL trial match. Not only will the Alice Springs community see top level NRL action, they will also benefit from various coaching clinics and visits to schools, hospitals and communities. The government is very glad to have been able to deliver this exciting return of NRL to the Territory.
Next week, Alice Springs will again play host to the Imparja Cup, Australia’s leading indigenous cricket carnival. About 25 teams will compete including representative teams from every state and territory, plus 11 men’s Territory teams and seven women’s teams from urban and remote communities.
We have big events in such a variety of sports, with a great mix of sporting events for the elite and the grassroots in both Darwin and Alice Springs. It is very important that we do have these events this time of year rather than cram everything into the Dry Season. It helps the economy and tourism at a time of the year that is not always the busiest. It was amazing to see how many North Adelaide supporters made the trip up. Also at the Hottest 7s, we had competitors from all over Australia and, indeed, internationally. It is great for our lifestyle because Territorians love getting out to play and watch quality sport at all times of the year.
Madam Speaker, we recently witnessed the excitement of the Territory leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, which will be held from 15 to 26 March. The Territory will proudly have several athletes competing: Alexis Rhodes, road cycling; Danni Miatke, swimming; Maria Tsoukalis, a reserve for the weightlifting team; Chris Jongewaard, mountain bike riding; and Crystal Attenborough, athletics. Both Maria and Crystal are current Northern Territory Institute of Sport athletes and Danni is a former scholarship holder. I am sure all Territorians will be watching them closely and will be right behind supporting them in their fantastic endeavours, and wish them all the best.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, the opposition welcomes the statement. It is good to have this level of activity right across the sporting spectrum. However, I ask the minister to consider the preparation and presentation of a cost-benefit analysis of all these endeavours, particularly the ones where a significant amount of money has been invested in bringing high-level sports to the Territory. If we are seen as being critical in our response, it is not, because we balance the benefits that are obvious and, in some degree perhaps superficial, with the other grassroots organisations. There are a number of them that are struggling. We need to balance these things to ensure that we are getting a genuine and deeper level benefit.
I have been a supporter, obviously, of the Perth Wildcats, having been raised in Western Australia. They had a tremendous profile in Western Australia. To bring them up here is a good thing and pretty exciting, and I am sure the minister was very pleased to be involved in those discussions. However, I note that there was no broadcast of the match; it was not televised. I wonder if there is a report that you can give on that event and whether you can inform the House whether the cost of that will result in deeper and long-term benefits?
There is also another issue I will take this opportunity to mention. Minister, you probably did not have time to mention, and members of the House may not be aware of this – but one of your senior staff members, Philip Leslie, was selected out of 100 young leaders across the nation to be involved in the Australian Futures Direction Forum. He would be loathe for me to mention this. There were two other Territorians who were selected out of 100 right across the nation, who were involved in a very important forum to establish future directions for our nation. That is something that I am sure the minister is very proud of.
Ms LAWRIE (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, I recommend that the shadow spokesperson go out to speak to the sporting codes. Rugby Union love the Hottest 7s and the support that the Territory government is bringing to the Hottest 7s event. I really urge you, before you go and run down these fantastic sporting events, to go out and talk to the codes. AFLNT is fully behind the government support for the Bulldogs playing games here. In fact, they are on a task force with us to try to get more games.
The Wildcats’ Andrew Vlahoff is a great operator and has shown true passion to the Territory - great, enormous response. Representatives of local basketball came up to me during that period and said it is fantastic for basketball to have the Wildcats here; we are seeing a resurgence in the passion for basketball. Before you go out and start talking it down and wanting to cut down these fantastic events, go and talk to the codes. Absolutely, it is very important that we reflect the needs, desires and wants of the sporting community, not just our own imagination.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Dr BURNS (Infrastructure and Transport): Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to provide this update to the Assembly on progress with builders’ registration and home warranty insurance. The Building Amendment Act 2004 incorporating builders’ registration and home warranty insurance, was assented to on 21 December 2004. The related Building Amendment Act 2005, incorporating the strengthening of accountabilities of building practitioners, was assented to on 17 March 2005.
The Construction Industry Reference Group, established in early 2004 to advise government on the implementation of a range of construction industry reforms, has been, and continues to be, a valuable player in the process. I would like to particularly thank the members of the group who generously gave their time and expertise in the interest of developing a better construction industry in the Northern Territory.
Since the amended acts were assented to, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure has been working in consultation with the Construction Industry Reference Group and industry on the preparation of the necessary regulations, determinations, and administrative procedures, as well as education programs which are needed to effect the amendments.
Grants of $30 000 each have been given to the Territory Construction Association and the Housing Industry Association to assist in the training and the education program. The Territory Construction Association and the Housing Industry Association, with the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, held information and pre-registration sessions for residential builders, other building practitioners and the general public in Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs during October and November 2005. More than 400 people attended these sessions.
On 14 December 2005, I made appointments to the new Building Practitioners Board. The chairman is Mr Barry Chambers who, members would be aware, has extensive experience in the building industry, management and public administration. The deputy chair is Ms Penny Whinney-Houghton, who is a building certifier. The builders on the board are Mr Paul Nowland and Mr Robert Cox. Mr Garry Neilsen represents the plumbers, Mr John Scott the engineers, and Mr Brendan Meney from Alice Springs, the architects. Mr Greg Macdonald is the legal officer on the board. He is from the Department of Justice and has extensive experience in the building industry.
The Building Practitioners Board held its first meeting on 1 February 2006 and will meet regularly to process applications received. At the request of the Construction Industry Reference Group, more time has been allowed for the lodgement and processing of applications for registration. The new date for the commencement is now 27 March 2006. All new prescribed residential building work after that date will require a registered builder or a person with an owner/builder certificate. More than 400 applications have now been received from individuals and companies who wish to be registered under the transitional provisions.
The remaining component of the reform is the home warranty insurance provisions. Unlike the current Home Builders Certification Fund that protects consumers against non-compliance of residential building work only, home warranty insurance also protects against non-completion if a builder dies, disappears or becomes insolvent. It is anticipated that the home warranty insurance provisions of the amending acts will be commenced in July 2006. Regulations are currently being prepared in consultation with industry, including the insurance industry.
The Northern Territory is the last jurisdiction to regulate residential builders. Taking an unregulated building industry to regulation has been a challenge in other jurisdictions, and the Northern Territory has been no different. The government is keeping abreast of the issues as the industry reforms are being rolled out, and making minor adjustments along the way has been necessary. After the registration has been operational for some time, the government is committed to undertaking a full review with industry.
In conclusion, the Northern Territory residential building industry will benefit from the reforms, as it will now be a professional industry underpinned by registration - an equal with peers interstate. There will be reciprocity and consumers will benefit in having such an industry with which to do business. Also, consumers will have the protection of home warranty insurance.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report. I would like to ask the minister what he is doing about a situation that we have in Katherine - and I have no doubt that it is happening in other areas also - where builders are unable to get engineers and certifiers in Katherine without a long and lengthy delay. This has been causing a problem for them for some time, creating unnecessary delays in getting their certificate of occupancy issued. Could the minister please tell me what is being done in that area?
Dr BURNS (Planning and Lands): Madam Speaker, the member for Katherine has raised a very valid issue. It is difficult to get engineers and certifiers beyond Palmerston. That is because, some years ago, even before this government came to power, it was decided that government would not be doing certification and engineering work; that it would be through private industry. It is an issue. I am working with industry to try to resolve those issues and, through the legislation that has been brought in and the building controlled areas that are named in there, we have tried to take account of that and decrease expense to home builders in those particular areas. I am more than willing to take the concerns of the member for Katherine on board and try to get solutions to these problems.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, this morning I report to the Assembly on the progress the government is making in skilling and training the Territory work force. Government has a strong record focusing on training. We produced the first ever Territory Jobs Plan, we put in place new training structures, and we have refocused the Territory’s training effort after years of neglect. In Budget 2005 and again in the election of June last year, the Chief Minister and I promised the Labor government would commence the training of 10 000 Territorians over four years.
Today, I advise the House that in 2005 the number of Territorians commencing training was 2624. We achieved our first-year goal with some to spare. In fact, we expect this level to go higher because some commencements in December have not yet been recorded. I will update the House as those figures come to hand. Four hundred and ninety-eight of these Territorians are in Alice Springs; 48 in the Barkly; 1657 in Darwin; 111 in East Arnhem; 93 in West Arnhem; and 97 in Katherine. In total, 3152 Territorians are in training at the end of 2005 – a record high for this time of year. It compares to the December 2001 figure of 2039 Territorians in training, and shows the government has lifted the training effort by more than 50% - an outcome of which we are proud.
Of the 3152 in training, almost 40% or 1224 are apprentices in traditional trades; 17.5% are in mechanical and fabrication engineering; 30% in automotive; 16% in construction; 25.6% in electrical; 11.6% in food; 32.5% of all trainees and apprentices are women, 67.5% are, obviously, men; and indigenous people make up 22% of the total, slightly under the level of indigenous people in the community as a whole, and an area to focus greater effort on into the future.
I am pleased with these results. Each and every statistic quoted, of course, is an individual; a person who is learning skills and will make, or is making a valuable contribution to our community once they are through their training. I am pleased of the role that government has played in giving those individuals that chance.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, I also recognise, as the minister stated, that each of those statistics represent people who have aspirations and dreams for a future and a growth in the economy for them to be able to engage actively in utilising the skills that they have gained. I also note that the language has changed to 10 000 in training, away from the implication initially that it was apprenticeships. There is quite a large difference between apprenticeships and traineeships. We will constantly maintain a watch on that.
Minister, I ask if you are able to give a report on the status of trades and technical teaching within the secondary school sector in terms of the tech studies rooms? I have always viewed - and you would be aware too - that often the tech studies rooms in our schools, particularly from the middle school upwards, are not utilised to the degree that they should be. Nor are those who are identified as being in an alternative stream - that is, not going to the academic stream - clearly earmarked and identified earlier on as preferring to go to a technical stream. We need to start a little earlier. I ask if you would be able to report on that? Also, that triggers a question: where are we with the technical college that was discussed in the last year or two as an initiative, initially, of the federal government? Do you have anything to report on that matter?
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, just to touch on those points very briefly, nationally for some years now apprentices/trainees are all called apprentices along with a new apprentice. We still differentiate. We think there is good cause to differentiate between apprentices on one hand and trainees on the other.
I will get information to the member regarding the proposed Commonwealth technical colleges. In relation to VET in Schools, in the statement later today, I have a bit to say on that and the work that we are doing in there. If you want any further information following that I will be happy to provide it. I will get back to you about technical colleges.
Feud Mediation Process in Central Australia
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I wish to report to parliament on a couple of successful mediation processes we have worked on in Central Australia recently. The purpose of the report is to illustrate that our approach to crime and justice issues is a multi-pronged approach. I am confident that those members who reside in Central Australia will be keen to hear about successful strategies to resolve disputes.
Some members will be aware of a longstanding family feud in Central Australia. A significant number of people have been affected by this feud between several large and well-known Warlpiri families. Many serious crimes, as well as ongoing unsettled activity in Central Australian communities and Alice Springs, are attributable to this feud. This was seen as a serious matter and the government took the initiative and applied a whole-of-government approach to help resolve the feud. We involved officers from the Office of Crime Prevention, Department of Chief Minister, and the Northern Territory Police in the process.
The outcome was that the representatives of the families reached an agreement to settle the feud, and that agreement has been honoured. The success of this meeting can be attributed to the format of the mediation process and the willingness of all parties to explore a resolution. The key features were: the meeting took place in a controlled court-like space, the Hearing Room of the Licensing Commission; there were explicit rules of engagement designed by government officers involved, and these were agreed to by all participants; while traditional law was respected and acknowledged, the matter was dealt with according to Australian law; and the meeting was conducted utilising mainstream rather than traditional conventions.
All participants came of their own accord and with goodwill. The meeting was the idea of the families; the families controlled the process and determined who should attend. The family members designed the agreement following discussions between all the parties. All participants stressed the need for honourable leadership on the issue for the sake of the future of young Warlpiri in particular. The agreement was witnessed by government officers and police. Family members in the mediation room used mobile phones to relate aspects of the agreement to a large number of family members who were assembled outside the building. A written version of the agreement was signed by every one of the people present at the meeting, including public officials who witnessed the event.
This was a very powerful event. The Warlpiri families involved have said that strength of the process for them was that government took their issues seriously and devoted time, energy and effort to facilitate a resolution on their terms. The families involved - in fact, all Warlpiri - were relieved and pleased with the outcome. I recently attended a meeting of some 500 people at the community barbecue at Yuendumu to formally acknowledge the achievement.
The wording of the agreement has been made into a poster, which marks the end of the feud in a way that is both visible and spreads the word to all the Warlpiri people. The results of the mediation continue to be felt, and no further reprisals or violence have been observed by police or other authorities.
The other example I want to draw attention to is the one involving young people in Alice Springs. The feud, in this case, was between two groups of young people. The feud was manifested in violence, typically whenever the two groups met at parties or other events around the town. In November 2005, a meeting was held between parents of the kids in one group with Commander Mark Coffey of the NT Police, me, staff of the Office of Central Australia, and the Leader of the Opposition, Jodeen Carney. A range of strategies were discussed, including exercising of more parental responsibility and supervision, and closer liaison with the police when parties were being held. Police can help parents and kids with party planning. Parents also agreed to talk more to their children about the feud.
Following this, another meeting was held on the 25 November 2005 at the Licensing Commission Conference Room in Alice Springs. In attendance were the parents of the other group of kids who were involved in the incidents, which were four families in total. Also in attendance was a representative from Lhere Artepe, the Alice Springs High School AIEW, Charlie Larkin who knew both groups of kids, and Commander Mark Coffey. Basically, parents were aware of some of the incidents, but did not realise that they were of such serious nature. Parents agreed to go away and discuss the issue with their children and to have Charlie work with both groups. As a result of this, the two groups have made peace with one another. My understanding from the police is that there have been no further incidents at public parties or elsewhere around the town.
I would like to place on record my thanks to those parents and particularly, the Alice Springs Police and Commander Mark Coffey. I would also mention Superintendent Michael White, who also played a major part in settling the feud. We will continue to explore these approaches to feud mediation; there are still disputes and conflicts out there. If we can reduce violent behaviour through this mechanism, alongside what the police are doing, all the better for the community.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the Attorney-General for his statement. It was a good, very interesting statement and establishes your bona fides as a minister - the only one, in my view, who is actually receptive to looking at new, different approaches. As I said last night in the adjournment debate, all of us do or should have a common interest in ensuring our communities are better places for our friends, families and, indeed, strangers to live in.
In relation to the mediation between the Warlpiri families, I commend you for pursuing that course. We know that, ultimately, it may not work. However, it seems to me that you have to give these things a bit of a spin. To the extent that it has been successful so far, congratulations, because that will achieve a better outcome for those people and their families. In relation to the families we met with in November, I am pleased to hear your view that it has finished or that peace has been made. I am hearing a couple of rumblings around the place, but I certainly do not want to sell short the efforts made by the people involved. On that basis, I will leave it at that. You and I both know that we will be keeping our fingers crossed and we will hope that the parties maintain good relations.
In fact, in conclusion I should say we should be able to complement each other in the solutions that we come up with, as these approaches are exactly what I would have established. I do not, for a moment, suggest that I have all of the solutions, but I live in a town that has about 28 000 or so people in it; I am sure there are plenty who do have some solutions and ideas. The situation is such where we should give everyone’s opinion equal value and weight. Thank you, minister, for your statement.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, yes, I am pleased that the minister has had some resolution of some of those difficult family disputes. As you are probably aware also, there are others that have been referred to you. It is important that, if we can be proactive rather than reactive in situations like this, we may stop some of the distress that is caused by family feuding within the town.
I was disappointed when I wrote to you, or notified your office about it, that you basically said to me ‘Butt out and let the police handle it’. If I do not make representation to you on families that are maybe having problems, what am I here for? This is my job: to actually put forward the problems we anticipate in our communities. I was a bit disappointed with that response because I am well aware that I do make representation on a number of occasions and it is only for the benefit of the neighbourhood and the people concerned. You are well aware of other cases I have put forward to you about which I have asked the police to be diligent.
It is a difficult situation. I understand how hard it is in Alice Springs, in particular, when people bring their family disputes into town; it reflects very much on the whole town and that is a bit sad. I really think we need to work together to make sure we can stop or prevent these things occurring before they happen. I guess we have to be proactive and, perhaps, look at the root cause and make sure that a lifestyle on communities is fulfilling rather than have people bring their anger into town and, then, eventually causing distress to not just the families involved, but to everyone.
Madam Speaker, it is a hard task; I do not envy the people concerned. If they can put water on the fire and keep everything at bay – fine. However, let us even go back further and start being proactive and making sure it does not happen again.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, the main reason I presented this report is to indicate that we do have a process, or a method of dealing with some of these issues. I agree that members of parliament are bound to pick up concerns from the community and to bring them to a proper process. In writing to you - and I say this to everyone - we have set up a process that gets the full facts around incidents or disputes between citizens who have come into dispute, either out bush or in town. I want that process to be the chosen method of dealing with these problems.
The downside of stepping into these disputes is always that you can inflame them and, if both parties are not feeling that they are getting a fair and complete process, it could have the opposite effect to the one that we all want. That is the point I was making and I am more than happy to hear from members of parliament in the Territory about issues of this type. We will continue to expand these approaches to dispute resolution, alongside the enforcement that the police will, as a matter of course, carry out in our communities.
Reports noted.
ASSEMBLY MEMBERS AND STATUTORY OFFICERS (REMUNERATION AND OTHER ENTITLEMENTS) BILL
(Serial 35)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, at the request of and on behalf of the Chief Minister, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of the Assembly Members and Statutory Officers (Remuneration and Other Entitlements) Bill 2006 is to repeal the Remuneration Tribunal Act and the Remuneration (Statutory Bodies) Act and replace these acts with a single act and, at the same time, put in place a new framework for setting out the entitlements of members of statutory bodies.
In October 2003, the Administrator requested the Remuneration Tribunal inquire into and report on the remuneration paid to members of statutory bodies, and to make further recommendations in relation to the manner in which reviews of remuneration and allowances and other entitlements may be undertaken. The tribunal’s report was tabled in this Assembly in August 2004. It recommended, among other measures, amalgamation of the Remuneration Tribunal Act and the Remuneration (Statutory) Bodies Act to create a single piece of legislation dealing with the operation of the tribunal and the setting of entitlements of various categories of people, including members of statutory bodies.
The tribunal also recommended a new framework for setting entitlements of members of government statutory bodies. In broad terms, the new framework will give the Administrator the power to determine the classification structure for statutory bodies and the remuneration levels of entitlements to apply in each category, and enable ministers to determine the allocation of statutory bodies to classification categories, having regard to administrative guidelines and any recommendations by the minister administering the acts.
Other key features of the bill are as follows:
separate divisions in the bill for members of the Legislative Assembly and ministers, magistrates, members of statutory bodies and other statutory officers, including judges;
providing ministers with the power to determine the remuneration increments up to the maximum amount set by the Administrator within a classification category where appropriate;
a requirement that determinations made by the minister under section 5 in respect of Assembly members’ entitlements not covered by the Remuneration Tribunal’s determination be tabled in the Assembly. This is a new requirement in the interests of consistency and transparency.
The bill also incorporates two new features in respect of tribunal determinations to address issues which have arisen in recent months. Firstly, the bill includes a requirement for the minister to release a Remuneration Tribunal determination to persons whose entitlements are affected by the determination within 14 days of the minister receiving it but prior to tabling it in the Assembly. This is a new mechanism which will give such persons notice of proposed changes to their entitlements prior to the determination becoming a public document. It addresses a previous uncertainty about whether such determinations could be released prior to tabling by making it clear that the tribunal’s only obligation is to provide its determinations and any accompanying reports to the government of the day. At that point, the responsible minister is then required to provide a copy of the determination to those persons directly affected by it prior to tabling of the report in the Assembly.
Secondly, the bill provides that Remuneration Tribunal determinations do not come into effect until after the parliamentary disallowance period. In relation to magistrates in particular, this will ensure that parliament is not prevented from disallowing an increased entitlement in a newly commenced determination because of the operation of section 6(2) of the Magistrates Act. That section provides that the salary, allowances and other benefits to which a magistrate is entitled must not be altered to the magistrate’s detriment during his or her term of office. If a tribunal determination was to commence immediately it was handed down by the tribunal, as has often been the case in the past, then the Assembly would have no discretion to disallow any increased entitlements in that determination, as this would constitute a detriment under the Magistrates Act.
Such a provision will also improve the administration of the Remuneration Tribunal determinations for Assembly members and ministers, in that no entitlements will come into effect until they are effectively endorsed by the parliament. This will eliminate the need for administrative adjustments to new entitlements which are subsequently disallowed.
In summary, the principal aim of this bill is to put in place a more efficient and transparent framework for setting entitlement remuneration for members of statutory bodies. It also revises the conditions of appointment for members of the tribunal to make this more consistent with modern approaches and to reflect the independence of the tribunal. Finally, it clarifies certain operational matters in respect of tribunal determinations.
Madam Speaker, I commend this bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement which accompanies the bill.
Debate adjourned.
Ms SCRYMGOUR: (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly:
August last year marked the 70th anniversary of the deliberate release of cane toads into Australia. In the course of those 70 years, cane toads have spread over vast distances, entering into the Territory in the 1980s. In their wake, they have decimated native quolls, goannas, snakes and many other species. Now in 2006, the invasion front extends into Darwin and westward to the Western Australia border. Cane toads have been nominated by the World Conservation Union as one of the world’s 100 worst invaders. If we do nothing this blight on our environment could permanently occupy coastal areas as far south as Port Macquarie on the east coast of Australia and Broome on the west coast - a staggering 2 million square kilometres of tropical coastal Australia. In warm years, modelling predicts cane toads could, over winter, go as far south as Bega near the Victorian border. In the Territory, they have been recorded well inland - as far south as Dunmarra.
It is truly an environmental catastrophe. Territorians do not want cane toads to spoil our unique environment and lifestyle. They want to do something about it, and government is equally determined to help stop this toxic pest. With cane toads now on our doorstep we need to redouble our efforts to get rid of them.
I was travelling recently at night through Litchfield National Park and the road was covered with hopping cane toads. In my own electorate I have seen the ground literally moving with the masses of cane toads. Like most Territorians, I am disgusted by them and really distressed to see our environment suffering in this way.
However, all is not lost. Over the last few months of the Wet, I have been really impressed with the enthusiasm in Darwin, Palmerston and rural residents have shown in taking action. They want to make a difference; they want to help our wildlife and the environment that makes the Territory so special. As Environment minister, I have found this groundswell of enthusiasm very inspiring.
Of course, community sentiment is one thing; harnessing that into real action on the ground is another. Here I want to pay tribute to FrogWatch and the incredible contribution they have made to thinking creatively about this problem and, more importantly, putting their ideas into action. By researching and developing cheap and effective traps, FrogWatch has helped people overcome decades of helplessness and a sense of inevitability over the cane toad invasion. It is this single idea and innovation of trapping that has changed community attitudes from being overwhelmed and dispirited to a determination to fight back.
Traps offer everyone the means by which they can do their bit in their own backyard or by banding together to help protect a special place such as a local lagoon or park. While traps will not eradicate cane toads, they will help reduce numbers locally to the point where we can help sustain our native wildlife, and our pets may be less likely poisoned. I understand that this leadership is not inspiring others further afield. FrogWatch tells me that they are selling their traps into Western Australia, Queensland and even Hawaii. It is the true Territory spirit of having a go, not listening to those who say it cannot be done and daring to be a bit different - because we have had to be different. Queensland did not bother to do anything for decades, and the CLP put their heads in the sand and pretended they simply were not coming.
Government has listened to Territorians and taken strong action. That is why we have provided almost $0.5m for the development and implementation of a local cane toad management program. The community is at the forefront of this campaign and, in particular, government is backing FrogWatch’s efforts both with direct support of more than $300 000 to the organisation and through research and community education. Already, we are seeing local community cane toad groups being formed, often in conjunction with Landcare groups. To date, nine community groups from the Darwin rural and suburban areas have been created, and are in the process of setting up traps in special areas such a wetlands, reserves and recreation areas.
Government has provided $80 000 to assist in the development of cane toad traps and, to make them more affordable, we promised a $30 rebate at the last election. Only certain types of traps have been approved for the rebate to ensure that the traps used will only catch the toads and not endanger any native wildlife in the area. These traps can be purchased at various locations across the Top End, such as pet shops and hardware stores. FrogWatch also sells their traps on-line. All up, $100 000 has been made available to subsidise traps over the next two years. The rebate is now in place and approximately 150 Territorians have taken up the offer. FrogWatch is reporting good sales of their traps. I encourage more people to buy a trap and get their $30 back. I am advised that if each trap that government subsidises only catches 100 toads each year then, together, we can remove around 200 tonnes of cane toads from our environment. That is about 10 semitrailer loads every year.
To encourage everyone to get out and trap cane toads, I have nominated 14 March as the Territory day of action called Not in My Backyard. I hope all Top End members get behind this initiative and help organise community efforts in their electorates. Toad packs are freely available from Parks and Wildlife for distribution to constituents through electorate offices and other venues. I will be out there and I am sure many other Territorians will join me.
Of course, something has to be done with the toads we collect and not everyone has room in the freezer, or a spare jar of haemorrhoid cream. For their part, FrogWatch has established the first drop-off point for live cane toads at Freds Pass Reserve with, I understand, more sites to follow. If you do not want to humanely - I am sorry, Madam Speaker, I will start that again. I was a bit distracted by the cream.
If you do not want to humanely despatch these creatures yourself, drop them off and let FrogWatch turn them into fertiliser or toad juice. This is another innovative approach to the whole problem of cane toads. A Darwin fertiliser manufacturer is running trials coordinated by FrogWatch to turn frozen toads into garden fertiliser similar to fish emulsion. It will be quite an achievement if we can turn this pest into something very useful.
Community action also requires education. In conjunction with FrogWatch, government has taken the lead in communicating the impact of cane toads and what the community can do to limit their spread. For example, information is being developed in Aboriginal languages for mainland and island communities. Government has undertaken a major community education campaign through radio advertisements and a mail-out to all Darwin and rural residents. Displays at shopping centres and public events and the distribution of fact sheets, stickers, and brochures to veterinary clinics and schools has ensured that Territorians are informed about how to identify cane toads and the risks they pose and how to manage them.
More needs to be done, and that is why I am pleased to announce that government will establish a scientific extension officer for cane toads, full-time for the next six months. This officer will help FrogWatch and local toad management groups in their efforts to monitor the effectiveness of control methods. In addition, applications will shortly be sought for the next round of environment grants, another initiative put in place by this government. I will particularly welcome cane toad projects coming forward from FrogWatch, local cane toad groups and other organisations. In fact, it would make a worthwhile theme for this next grant round. We have already funded a number of great local initiatives on cane toads under the environment grants at Knuckey Lagoon, Palmerston High School, Howard Springs, Berry Springs, Wanguri and Durack Primary Schools. There is much more we need to do, so get those applications in when the call goes out.
The Island Ark program is a further example of how we are creatively approaching this problem. Cane toads are having a devastating effect on some species such as the northern quoll to the point of local extinction. Island Ark aims to establish breeding colonies of these species on cane toad-free islands to secure their future in the wild until a solution can be found for eradicating cane toads and the quoll can then be reintroduced to its former range. I advise that, with the help of traditional owners who have been very supportive and will be undertaking much of the monitoring, the breeding colonies of quolls on the islands are thriving. On other islands, consideration is now being given to translocating the golden bandicoot. The Territory Wildlife Park is now complementing this work with a captive breeding program for northern quolls, and is currently looking for reports of quolls around Darwin so that they can breed a genetically diverse and healthy population. Our Island Ark’s effort will, of course, be in vain if cane toads manage to find their way on to the islands. That is why biosecurity is so important. Movement of people or freight to islands free of toads needs to be strictly controlled so that we can protect them as refuges for vulnerable wildlife.
As a responsible land manager, government has also been actively managing toads on our urban parks and reserves. In the Botanic Gardens, for example, two night-spotting activities have been organised with the assistance of FrogWatch, the garden staff and the community. Six traps have been purchased and have been deployed and checked for the last seven months. Likewise, the Territory Wildlife Park has eight super traps that are checked regularly. Lights around the park near exhibits are switched off at night to reduce the chances of toads coming into these areas. A Toad Action Committee has been formed for the park, and tadpoles and toadlets are removed from water bodies. Where necessary, water bodies have been treated to kill entire spawning masses.
Unfortunately, cane toad management in our larger parks is much more problematic, given the size of the area involved. However, the super traps developed by FrogWatch do offer some hope of reducing their population numbers in sensitive, environmentally important areas, and parks will be deploying them around camp grounds to ensure visitors can still enjoy camping. I know FrogWatch has been very keen to see other landholders such as councils and industrial premises take up the fight and install traps, and I, too, encourage them to do their bit.
In all, this government is spending more than $1.2m in tackling cane toads. We have moved the whole nation ahead on this very serious threat to our unique environment. We have successfully lobbied the Commonwealth and states to have the spread of the cane toad listed nationally as a key environmental threatening process. The National Cane Toad Taskforce is now in place, and we have the Queensland and Western Australian governments joining us in the fight.
None of this happened by accident; it happened because this government took the initiative after decades of inaction. However, as my motion proposes, we need greater national leadership and effort if we are to take the next step and really make a serious impact on the toad population. If we can make this step, it will not be just the eyes of Australia upon us; other countries will be watching very closely because cane toads are a serious pest across the world – in Hawaii, Florida and the Philippines to name a few – so the benefits of an Australian solution will be felt worldwide.
This motion is not about criticising the federal government, because it is providing some very worthwhile assistance. It has agreed that the Northern Territory can use $422 000 from the National Heritage Trust Strategic Reserve for work on cane toads. This will allow further islands to be surveyed to determine quarantine priorities, investigations into how quolls survived in pockets in Queensland, and provide further assistance to community efforts in the Victoria River district. However, this is not new money and it means other worthy projects have not been funded. The federal government has provided $40 000 to FrogWatch for trapping in sensitive wetlands, and more than $90 000 to ensure that barges to the Tiwi Islands do not offload cane toads. They are also assisting the Western Australian government and investing in research into biological control.
All this should be applauded, but it really is a drop in the ocean compared, for example, to the federal dollars being spent on controlling red fire ants in Queensland. It is worth noting that more than $24m will be spent on fire ants over the next three years by the Commonwealth, coming on top of more than $61m that they have poured into the eradication efforts between 2001 and 2005. I stress that I believe that has been money very well spent and, indeed, matched by contributions from state and territory governments, because fire ants are a serious threat. However, it does show the level of commitment that the federal government can make, and it should be doing the same on cane toads. Simply, the Commonwealth needs to do much more on the ground, and that is why I support this motion.
More funding is desperately needed for short-term action - harm minimisation, if you like. The Territory community has shown its willingness to provide its labour for free. It is an enormous resource; you simply cannot put a price on the work being carried out by the community. The federal government needs to dig deep and invest in this community effort.
Yes, biological control is the long-term solution to cost effectively control cane toads across our vast landscape, but we can and must do something now because, otherwise, the damage to the North Australian environment will be devastating.
In August 2004, the federal minister for the Environment said that the federal government would match the Western Australian government’s efforts to thwart the cane toad’s advance into the Kimberleys. The Western Australian government has put in $2.5m to fight cane toads. Unfortunately, the federal government has not put its money where its mouth is. It has provided $600 000 to the Western Australian government - hardly dollar-for-dollar as promised, although I am sure the Western Australian government is grateful. In the Northern Territory, we have spent more than $1.2m but, likewise, we have not seen a matching commitment from the federal government for on-ground cane toad action.
My message to Canberra is clear: yes, research on biological control is necessary and we support you on this, but we need action on the ground in the short term. Cane toads are recognised as a threatening process under federal legislation. I call on the federal Environment minister to acknowledge the responsibility that comes with this and match the Northern Territory and Western Australian governments’ commitment to on-ground control dollar-for-dollar - more would be even better - and with new money, not substitution.
This government will continue the fight against cane toads. We see it as a major investment in our environment and lifestyle.
Debate suspended until after Question Time.
Continued from earlier this day.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, today I talk to the motion on cane toads that the minister has introduced into this Assembly. There is no doubt about it; the cane toad can only be described as being one of the ugliest creatures I have ever seen. I am a great lover of the tropical green tree frogs and other species of frogs, but you would have to agree that there is nothing appealing about the cane toad - even that one that you had there, minister.
The first time I saw a live cane toad was when one was brought into Katherine from the Roper River area in about the year 2000. It was brought in to show me by a contract worker who had been working in that area. At that time, this worker reported that toads were in really large numbers in the Roper River area. It was pretty frightening to think that there could be thousands of these obnoxious creatures heading towards Katherine and beyond. Arrive they did, and in their thousands, and they invaded every ground-level waterhole and were found in garden areas, under street lights and near any light post at night - quite revolting.
At this time, there was nothing in place to deal with the invasion of this revolting creature, and I have no qualms in saying that the people in Katherine did whatever they could to get rid of as many cane toads as they could as quickly as possible. All of the tactics that have been talked about over the years were used, and most of them not terribly humane, I must say. However, there was no alternative offered at the time. I can assure you that the thought of cane toads slowly dying in a plastic bag in my freezer next to my meat and frozen food was not an option for me. I would suggest that most of you in here would feel the same way, especially when you try to imagine the hundreds and hundreds of them that there were. It just was not an option.
It is on public record that, at that time when they first became such a huge problem in Katherine, I was an Alderman on the Katherine Town Council, along with Alderman Anne Shepherd who is now the Mayor. Anne and I were quite a team of cane toad avengers following Katherine Town Council meetings. Anne and I would take a bucket with a sprayer containing disinfectant of some sort - or Domestos; whatever we could get - a torch each and, after meetings, we would patrol the grounds of the Civic Centre doing our bit to eliminate this pest. If anybody thinks that is inhumane, when you are looking at literally hundreds and hundreds of them at a time, there was no other way to eliminate this pest. You can imagine how much amusement it caused in Katherine when the suggestion was made that maybe we could put some haemorrhoid cream on each one of these cane toads. That was really one of the most ridiculous options that I have ever heard. There was and is nothing pleasant about cane toads and, at one stage, there was certainly no other option available.
The disappointing thing was that, at the time the cane toads arrived in Katherine, we very quickly saw the disappearance of the larger reptiles from around the area, especially from the picnic areas in Nitmiluk Gorge. We had been very fortunate for many years previously of having the experience of some very large reptiles which were of great interest, and an attraction and entertainment for visitors and the locals alike.
I can remember distinctly, a few years ago now, attending a wedding as a guest at Nitmiluk Gorge at the park, and the horror on a lot of the guests’ faces when a resident goanna decided to finish his stroll straight through the middle of the wedding guests. As you can imagine, the wedding ceremony had to be halted for a little while, while this beautiful goanna made his way through the park and proceeded to find himself a barbecue plate where somebody was cooking some chops. He proceeded to climb up. It was very clever the way he did it; he just put his front claws so that they were pointed onto the hot barbecue and just lifted the chops off and slowly marched off with this person’s food. Quite an entertaining scene for the guests at the wedding because most of these guests were from interstate.
Unfortunately, I have not seen any of those larger reptiles in the park since the cane toads arrived, which is one of the very sad side effects of having cane toads in our environment. I hope it is not too long before we see them back again. However, I am pleased to say we have seen the smaller species of lizards in greater numbers in recent times, which is really good news.
On the domestic animal scene, I know that there were losses of smaller dogs which were poisoned by cane toads in the Katherine region. However, I was always under the impression - and this advice was given to me by a vet - that if an animal was over 5 kg in weight, there was a lesser chance of them dying or being poisoned by a cane toad. I am fortunate that I have two dogs, both Labradors who weigh well over 30 kg each. Initially, when they started frothing at the mouth from being poisoned, I used to be quite beside myself running around with the hose, catching the dog and trying to wash their mouth out from the side. The cane toad leaves a deposit of quite a sticky poison on the tongue or on the roof of the dog’s mouth, so you have to actually wipe it off with a damp cloth. You try catching a 30 kg dog who does not want to be caught. It ended up that I had to just stand by and watch these dogs frothing at the mouth.
However, I discovered that both of these dogs know very well that, if they put the cane toad in their mouth, which they do, and have a little game with it, within a very short time they are going to have a reaction, and it is usually frothing at the mouth or staggering around like a doped dog. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I think my dogs like it. That is quite a different aspect of what can happen with cane toads. I do not encourage you to leave a dog out in the yard where you know you have cane toads, because if they are a very small dog under 5 kg, you might not have your dog next day. I am sorry, my two dogs think that they do not taste too bad, just that poison – a little addicted. That is a different aspect of cane toads. Of course, I do not allow them to be in my yard if I can help it. I have an inspection around the yard before I go to bed. That is a point that I wanted to talk about.
There has been a lot said about cane toads. I did not think that it was recognised as being a major concern in the Northern Territory until it was thought to have an affect on Kakadu and - heaven forbid! - the outer suburbs of Darwin. When they came through Katherine, nothing happened at all. It has been interesting to see how much work has been done in addressing the cane toad issues since they have become a threat to the suburbs of Darwin.
I am impressed with the amount of work that has been put into dealing with cane toads. I have been impressed by the number of people who have come forward with their ideas. The cane toad trap is a great idea for people who live in suburbia, and have somewhere to take these cane toads. I still think asking people to put cane toads in a plastic bag in their freezer is a difficult situation to put people in. There are too many of them - there are far too many of them to deal with to be able to make a dent in their numbers. I believe these nominated sites with containers are a good idea if people are committed to taking the cane toads to them. If you have the time to do that, it is great.
Another thing I am pleased to hear about - and I am surprised that it has not been done before - is the development of a liquid can toad fertiliser. That is a great idea. Hopefully, it helps your gardens grow and does not kill them.
Mr Wood: Managed by Howard Springs.
Mrs MILLER: Absolutely. Probably why it will be very successful, member for Nelson. I am sure it will be very successful.
I just wanted to mention a couple of things that I have in front of me. One is the comments of the member for Wanguri, as he was then and still is. However, at that time I am not sure what his position was. In 1999, the member for Wanguri was speaking about cane toads in this Assembly, and he made some statements that I thought were a little amusing. I want to talk about one of the things he said at the time, which was that cane toads would have an impact on tourism. He said, and I quote: ‘Tourism is currently the second largest contributor to the Territory’s economy’. I am very pleased to say that it still is. I can assure the member for Wanguri that if it was going to cut visitor numbers to Kakadu by 50%, I wonder what happened to Queensland? Queensland has had cane toads since 1935 and I would not mind their tourism revenue. I do not think it made the slightest bit of difference to the revenue. Therefore, it is not the tourism industry that we have to be concerned about at all, it is the environment.
The Not in My Backyard campaign, minister, is a great idea to raise people’s awareness about cane toads. Make it a bit of a fun day and, perhaps, they will work out how to pick up the cane toad, etcetera, and how to deposit them and it may get them into the habit of doing so. Hopefully, from that, it needs to be done daily. It is a habit that people need to get into, if they have not already got into the habit of disposing of cane toads daily.
We do not have a nominated site in Katherine. I know a lot of people who live in the rural areas are going to continue to dispose of them in the way that they have been for the last few years, and I do not blame them. Just get rid of them, as far as I am concerned. When you see how many eggs they lay in a night, it is absolutely terrifying. I have only had them in my spa once, and that is because it is a chlorine spa, so they do not tend to go in there, or if they do they do not come out alive. They do not mind saltwater ones. Anybody up here should be very careful of any water repository you have on your land that is at ground level. They do not jump so, if it is a foot high you should be reasonably safe; they do not tend to get in those.
Overall, minister, I agree with all of the points of this motion that you have put forward. I agree that they represent a significant threat to our Territory environment and lifestyle. I do believe the efforts that are being put into addressing cane toads are the best that we have had for a very long time and it is better than what Queensland has done. It is commendable and I support the motion.
Ms LAWRIE (Family and Community Services): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the minister’s motion. Members may recall last term I chaired a parliamentary inquiry into the incursion of cane toads into the Territory, and it is a matter very dear to my heart, being born and raised in the Territory. For many years, I have been very concerned about the inaction to combat cane toads as they started to invade the Territory a few decades ago. It was interesting; we heard a lot of expert advice over the months that the parliamentary Sessional Committee into the Environment and Sustainable Development undertook its inquiry.
A recurring theme amongst some of the experts that really struck home to me was that the battle that is occurring now to combat the cane toads should have occurred decades ago. It should have occurred in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Then we would not have seen them marching through Kakadu, up the track to Katherine and now on our doorstep in the rural area of Darwin and Palmerston if the battle that we are having now had occurred decades ago in the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is a shame of previous governments that they took the attitude that the march of the toad was inevitable; that it had really not adversely affected Queensland that much - so just let it go through and let it happen.
Subsequently, as we found out through the inquiry process listening to expert advice, they have a devastating impact on our environment. They have an absolutely devastating impact on a whole range of our native species. We should never have taken the attitude to allow that devastation to be inevitable. The devastation that is occurring through Kakadu, a pre-eminent national park in our nation, is an enormous shame. It is just horrifying.
I pick up on what the member for Katherine said about the questionable aspects of impact upon tourism. However, I want to support the member for Wanguri’s maiden MPI speech in that, in talking to a lot of people, it really starts to turn them off. If they are looking at where they are going to go for a holiday and they hear that the once pristine billabongs are no longer pristine but, in fact, awash with toads, they take a choice and holiday elsewhere. There is no data, there is no numbers but, anecdotally, there is certainly a lot of discussion in the community. When Territorians are holidaying within the Territory, it is something that Territorians are considering.
The call to arms occurred because the Territory Labor government decided it was not going to take the view that cane toads are inevitable. We knew it was somewhat too late but, upon listening to the expert advice, the parliamentary committee came up with a range of recommendations, 90% of which have been implemented by the Territory government to combat the cane toads.
An important theoretical recommendation, that many people do not understand the importance of, was to make it a threatening species under Commonwealth legislation. That, by nature, normally attracts significant funding. You heard in the minister’s comments on the motion that fire ants have attracted some $24m of funding to combat them in Queensland. Threatening processes attract funding of that nature in the history of Australia, and I find it extraordinary that the Commonwealth has not put the dollars in to that extent when it comes to combating cane toads.
This motion is a call to arms for the community to combat cane toads, but also for the Commonwealth tier of government to come in and weigh into combating cane toads and say: ‘Yes, we are going to use some of our $13bn surplus and try to protect significant areas of our beautiful environment, the Territory and, as we know the front will move westwards, to Western Australia’. The opportunity is now. I urge the federal government, in its considerations for its forthcoming 2006-07 budget, to make a bold statement to say that they will help a small jurisdiction that the Territory is to combat the cane toad, and weigh in and help protect Western Australia. Its magnificent Kimberley region will be hit after we have been hit with the can toad incursion.
The practical aspects of what the Territory government has been doing with its expenditure of $1.2m is really to be congratulated. The funding going to FrogWatch is significant. FrogWatch is doing a fantastic job. Graeme Sawyer and others are absolutely committed to the war against cane toads. I remember in the very early days, before the parliamentary inquiry even got under way, Graeme Sawyer coming to see me in my Karama office and talking to me about how, through community action, cane toads could be tackled. We could see successes because there were examples of such local action having success elsewhere. Interestingly enough, what he had to say was backed up by experts during the inquiry into cane toads. We heard about areas in Queensland where, single-handedly, a ranger had taken it upon himself to protect a particular billabong, and how he had succeeded because he literally, every day several times a day, went around and scooped up eggs. He did not allow the thousands of eggs that the female cane toad lays to hatch or the tadpoles to really take hold in the area.
I commend the government for supporting community action. I commend the minister for calling for a day of action on 14 March 2006, and I look forward to participating in that with my local community. A lot of the residents of Karama and Malak stop me, knowing that I have been heavily involved in looking at how to combat cane toads, and have an enormous number of questions about what they can do individually to tackle the cane toads.
One of the areas I get a lot of questions from is schools. Talking to local children, they are very interested in what they can do. It does raise some concerns for me that a member of federal parliament seems to think that there is some macabre sporting link to combating cane toads, and talked about getting the golf clubs out and clubbing toads to death. I have to say that, as a parent, I find his comments absolutely appalling. I will never teach my children that brutality is an acceptable method of eradicating a pest. Children need to be taught that we behave in humane ways; that we are, indeed, living in a civilised society, and there are civilised responses to what are pest issues. I pick up on what the member for Katherine said; that there are significant numbers of toads. However, I will be following the humane path in my backyard. I have already cleared the beer fridge, it has no beer left in it …
Mr Henderson: Haemorrhoid cream?
Ms LAWRIE: I will not be using haemorrhoid cream. I will be using plastic bags. The kids and I are prepared; we have stockpiled our plastic bags and cleared the beer fridge out. We are going to be moving them into the fridge first before they go into the freezer, and then we will be using the toad dumping sites, kindly provided by FrogWatch, because I do not look forward to disposing of them myself. I have a ute, so we can load the dead toads into an esky into the back of the ute and off to the toad dumping site …
Mr Wood: No, it is only for rural people. No, you are not coming out our way!
Ms LAWRIE: I do not have to go all the way out to Freds Pass, member for Nelson.
Mr Wood: We have to take our rubbish into Shoal Bay now.
Ms Scrymgour: Maybe we should go out to his electorate and dump them.
Ms LAWRIE: I dare say there will be a toad dumping facility at Shoal Bay which is very close. Wherever is the closest, we will be heading to.
I pose the question of what will happen at our schools because toads will be jumping through our school grounds. There is no DEET policy about how to handle cane toads, so I challenge local members to start the debate with their school councils. I have already started to talk to my local school principals about having a school policy for the handling of toads, because toads are highly toxic; they pose a great danger to our children. It is an opportunity for local members to work proactively with their schools to identify humane and safe non-handling policies regarding children and cane toads, because there is a huge awareness at the school level by schoolchildren of cane toads and what they want to do to combat them. I encourage local members to take this opportunity to talk to their local schools and put in place a cane toad handling policy in consultation with schools. I also urge the schools to have that school debate at school council level and with the principals and staff as to how best, at that school environment, they can manage the issue of cane toads.
It is a fantastic initiative to have a $30 rebate on traps. It is a very practical way of being able to combat cane toads. I am looking at a trap designed around my driveway because it is the only point of entry that cane toads can make into my yard because I am up on a hill and there is high bricks all around me. The only way cane toads can enter my yard is through my driveway. I have been doing some schematic diagrams around a cane toad trap that runs across the driveway. The kids are fully involved in this exercise with me and, if it is any good, I might even see if it has worldwide potential, the same as the trap that FrogWatch has come up with.
It is a great government initiative to have a scientific extension officer for six months to coordinate all of these efforts and to work with FrogWatch and other community-based groups, and to really focus the effort that needs to happen. I agree with the member for Katherine; it is a shame that the action is occurring now. I believe, wholeheartedly, action should have occurred decades ago when an opportunity presented itself to have the battle in the Gulf, as I said. However, it is to this government’s credit that it has found $1.2m to really get stuck in and support the community in combating cane toads, to support FrogWatch, a community-based organisation, to lead the charge, and through the EnvironmeNT grants to provide opportunities for any groups throughout the community to come up with innovative ideas for the removal of cane toads.
I urge people to go to as much effort as they can to provide frog habitats. One of the things that started FrogWatch’s enormous interest in cane toads is the devastation that cane toads have on our native frog species. Quite aside from the efforts to combat cane toads, can we also make that extra effort to provide frog habitats for our native frogs so that their numbers, as they will be decimated by the incursion of cane toads, can survive through; that we do have breeding areas for our native frogs in our backyards, to enable the variety of native frog species that we have and that really are quite splendid up here, to survive through what will be a horrible and horrendous front moving as a wave through Darwin and on to Western Australia.
We can learn from the experiences of people in the community of Katherine, and I thank the member for Katherine for that contribution. I found it interesting. I thank the minister for her vision, drive and focus in ensuring that we did not just rest on our laurels of a parliamentary inquiry. We got the agenda at the Commonwealth level, we have a national task force on cane toads, we started to attract funding, we got the Island Ark program up and operating to save the northern quoll species, and quarantine happening for the Tiwi Islands, which is incredibly important. We did not just rest on those laurels, we went on and we continually, incrementally, improve our efforts to combat cane toads.
This is an issue that will be in our face, and in our face, unfortunately, for far too many years. I wish it were not so. I wish the actions had been taken decades ago. They were not. They are here and we should do everything we can to protect our native species and the diversity of our beautiful wildlife that we enjoy in our quite pristine and gorgeous Northern Territory.
Each of us, if we do something, makes all the difference. That was clearly the message that the parliamentary inquiry heard from the scientific experts. Each of us, if we do something, will make a difference. So get your neighbours, the kids, the schools, and your community, and use 14 March as a rallying point and put in sustainable action to help combat cane toads in our community. Do not forget – find those breeding spots for your frogs. Find how you can help to protect the lizards and the snakes and the goannas. I have a beautiful family of frilled neck lizards that live in a park in front of my home. I will not just be taking action to protect my yard, the kids and I are going to be creating a regular assault on a park to combat the cane toads in that community park outside the front of our house. We already have some really good neighbours who keep their eye on the lizard species out the front as well, so I am sure we will be joined in our actions to do what we can.
This is a call to arms. The motion is clearly saying the Commonwealth has a larger role to play in combating cane toads. I urge the Commonwealth to really take the opportunity of an entire community galvanised to action to fund significant programs to combat cane toads.
Yes, ultimately, we hope there will be a biological solution. The great work being done by CSIRO is an opportunity that I hope will bear fruit before the 10 years that it is envisaged for that biological solution to be found. However, it can only be sped up by additional Commonwealth funding, and our actions can only be enhanced and improved and increased by additional Commonwealth funding. I really urge the Commonwealth to use the opportunity of the upcoming federal budget to announce significant increases in funding to combat cane toads which are a threatening process under their own legislation.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I noticed the minister brought out a Bufo marinus during Question Time and thought it looked like some of the people on this side of the parliament. I actually thought the government now had 20 members. Obviously, my mistake.
Ms Scrymgour: Not you, Gerry. I did not say you.
Mr WOOD: That was just an aside.
Ms Scrymgour: You are feeling a little precious.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: No, no, no. Purely just a little humour; nothing more, nothing less. I would not want to make the government laugh too much; it could be bad for their health.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson, please address the motion.
Mr WOOD: I was. I was talking about Bufos marinus, the cane toad, Madam Speaker. A signed-up member of the Labor Party.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson!
Mr WOOD: Sorry, Madam Speaker. I would like to address the statement the minister has presented. I say at the outset that I think this is the wrong statement. The reason I say that is because …
Ms Scrymgour: It is not a statement; it is a motion.
Mr WOOD: Well, it could have been a statement. However, I believe that you should have been using this document, Issues associated with the Progressive Entry Into The Northern Territory of Cane Toads. Recommendation 17 was that the Northern Territory government report to parliament on the progress of implementing the inquiry’s recommendations. There are 16 other recommendations in here and I believe this would have been the time to go through these recommendations one by one and report what the Northern Territory government has done about them. Some of the matters that the minister has brought forward are nice and some are relevant but, really, we should have been tackling the recommendations of the cane toad inquiry report. We have missed an opportunity there.
I would like to go through what the minister has asked us to support. The first statement really is a nice statement. Who is going to disagree with that? It is a very sad thing that cane toads have come to the Northern Territory, but I make the point that you have to live in the real world. Much as the member for Karama spoke about how we could have stopped them in years gone by perhaps, I do not think you could have stopped them any more than we are trying to do today. We could have stopped them in isolated areas for sure but, on a map of Australia and a map of the Northern Territory, there are a lot of people who do not live anywhere near places we could control them. The reality is, much as it is unpalatable, we will not stop cane toads. We can reduce the numbers in areas where we live and that is the way, hopefully, we will help protect some of our localised wildlife. However, to say that we could have stopped the movement from Queensland to the Northern Territory it is a bit like saying we are going to stop them from getting to Western Australia. We hope they would not get to Western Australia, but the reality is Western Australia is an almighty big place. In a Wet Season, most of the Kimberleys is under water and that reality, unfortunately, is going to happen in Western Australia. I wish you could run a big trench down the Western Australia/Northern Territory border and hope they all fall in it, but I doubt that is a very practical solution.
I take my hat off to people in FrogWatch. I know Graeme Sawyer and Dave Wilson have done a tremendous amount of work. I believe what they are trying to say is that you can do something in your area; you can protect the frogs and some of the wildlife in your area. That is a great thing. I congratulate the government for funding them to promote their actions. I know the member for Goyder was at Freds Pass the other day where they launched the detention centre for cane toads which is now set up just inside the front gate. It may have to be closer to the front gate because the front gate closes at 7 pm and because a lot of rural people come home fairly late at night, there may have to be some changes so people can put their cane toads into that box. However, what they are doing is terrific. I encourage the government to make sure we have more of those particular sites around Darwin, Palmerston and the rural area.
It is also good to see that the government is subsidising the cane toad traps. I must admit I do not have one. At the moment, I do not have any cane toads. It is all right. Howard Springs is partly cane toad-free at the moment. One reason I may not have cane toads is because my grass was fairly high, because I have not cut it until recently. If you were at the cane toad inquiry, you would have noticed that one of the recommendations was that, if you could keep your grass a little higher, cane toads have a lot of trouble walking where grass is fairly high. Nice manicured lawns are ideal for cane toads. Perhaps roughly slashed rural blocks are not quite such ideal for them walking. There are cane toads in the rural area; there are some around Howard Springs, but we definitely have not had the wave yet. You never know, they cannot be too far away. I will be getting a trap once I know they are around. At the present time, I do not really want to put a light outside in the middle of my paddock just to make sure they are there. I will wait until I see one and then I will try to trap him, not attract them all from around the districts. It is a great idea and I encourage people to take up the government’s subsidy.
The other area where we could have done more is trying some things that could help preserve some of our wildlife. I am referring to No 6 of the minister’s motion here, where she says:
One of the recommendations, of course, in this book - the famous one - is No 5:
It did not happen. We can talk about the cages and other things, but there was a chance to try something and not wait for the biological control, which could be 10 years away and might never work. We have been slow to act on some things that we could have, at least, tried.
Another area where we could have tried was to look at pastoral country or Aboriginal country and see whether we could have fenced off areas to protect things like the sand goannas. They are not on our islands. To my knowledge, a big goanna at Bathurst Island is about this big - a couple of feet. If you go to Daly River, well, a real goanna is six foot and stands up and looks at you. It is a real mean looking creature. Those sand goannas, we know, are all going to go. Yet, why could we not have leased some land, fenced it off - and that might entail some difficulty – and ask the owners of the land whether it is pastoral or Aboriginal, that they maintain the fences - make sure, of course, there is water available in those areas - and pay them rent? There is a possibility we could ensure some of these creatures are protected from cane toads. We know we can fence them out, and we know there are issues there with holes in fences, but that would be part of the maintenance program that you pay the rent for. There are little down-to-earth practical things that we could do now. Graeme Sawyer’s FrogWatch is great. We should have at least tried a fence across the Cobourg Peninsula and, if they have not got to Cobourg Peninsula, I say try it and use the rangers on Cobourg Peninsula to run traps on the other side of the fence like Graeme Sawyer’s trap, and have an ongoing maintenance to keep Cobourg Peninsula free. There other ways of doing things.
The other one is to make it easier for people who would like to breed some of these endangered species. I have some people in the rural area who breed quolls. It took them quite a while to get approval because they had to show that they could do this. While such important wild species are not endangered necessarily, we have, you might say, a period of emergency where we are going to lose species. If some people are willing to try to breed those species, and they may not come up to the scientific standard required, is it not better to at least try to keep breeding these species that are going to disappear when the cane toads come, or are we just going to let the cane toads take them all out? The certain species we know we are going to lose like quolls and king browns - not that I want to go and breed king browns necessarily. However, believe it or not king browns were one of the skin groups in the Borroloola area, and people do not dance any more because there are no king browns. We have herpetologists, the snake breeding people. Maybe we should encourage people to try to breed them, because they will disappear.
I am just putting those practical applications for doing something now instead of waiting for biological control. To me, biological control is not only a long way off, when we get there, somewhere along the line we have to prove that it is not going to wipe out all the species of frogs we already have. It is a bit ‘iffy’ even though we should encourage the government to do it ...
Mr Warren: They are doing it now.
Ms Scrymgour: We are doing it.
Mr WOOD: I am saying do some things now: fence off Cobourg Peninsula, put some traps there with the rangers …
Ms Scrymgour: I will talk about that.
Mr WOOD: It is one of the recommendations in here. Fence off some land on Aboriginal land and pastoral land - a fair area to protect things like the sand goannas - and allow people to have easier access to breeding some of our native species.
I am quite happy with all the other recommendations that the minister has here about encouraging people to get out and into their backyards. I just see that as a way of advertising the issue. This is going to be ongoing until many of us get old and grey unless the biological …
Ms Scrymgour: I hope you are going to get out in your backyard.
Mr WOOD: I do not have any cane toad yet. You might not have heard, minister, but I keep the grass long at the moment - which is more a case of the tractor broke down. There are no cane toads on my block at the moment, thank heavens. However, I will be keeping an eye out for them.
Getting back to the cane toad report, minister, I certainly think this is what you should be coming back to parliament and giving us some answers on. You talked about the Northern Territory Power and Water Corporation continuing to develop and implement monitoring and management regimes for risks that may be associated with the impact of cane toads on the management and control of water. Has that happened? I mentioned the cane toad fence. That certainly has not been done. Could you report whether the Northern Territory government has developed a comprehensive multimedia public awareness campaign to educate the community on dealing with cane toads? If you have, perhaps you should come back to us and say: ‘This is what we have done; we have done television ads, we have stickers, we have noise tapes so that people can recognise them …
Ms Scrymgour: Of course we have; we are doing all that.
Mr WOOD: No, hang on. Recommendation 17 said the Northern Territory government report to parliament on the progress of implementing the inquiry’s recommendations. It has not so far. What I am saying here is please do that; it is a good opportunity to do that. It would be good for people to find out what the government has done in relation to these issues. You have covered some of them in today’s motion, but you certainly have not covered them all. Whilst I appreciate what you are doing, I just think there are some gaps. For instance, recommendation 11 was that Northern Territory community and volunteer organisations be encouraged to adopt a waterway as one of the ways in managing and controlling the impact of cane toads. I know various Landcare groups have taken it on, but it would be interesting to see how many ‘adopt a waterway’ groups are in action and report back to parliament on it.
Madam Speaker, I am not knocking what the minister is doing, and I am not saying the things that government is doing are bad; I am just recommending it could do more and it should be reporting back to parliament on the recommendations of its own cane toad inquiry report.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Madam Speaker, we are all very familiar with the advancing cane toad plague that is enveloping the Top End. As many of you know, I live on the Cox Peninsula at Mandorah, and two or three days a week I drive home rather than catch the ferry.
Since the start of the Wet Season, I have sadly watched the progress of these insidious creatures move from the Blackmore River near Berry Springs to about 6 km past the Charlotte River, which is only about 40 km from Mandorah. Last Wednesday, sitting brazenly on the road was this humongous cane toad. It was on my side of the road and he was clearly part of the vanguard. As I came closer, I lined him up and - whack! In a flash it was one piece of road kill. I slowed down, turned around and went back to check. Sure enough, it was one flat cane toad.
Even though I had just killed a living creature, which I honestly can say I am very loathe to do, on this particularly occasion I felt that I had done something positive. I state that I felt I had, single-handedly, stopped progress of those toads. Truly! Because this is a vanguard creature, I truly stopped them progressing along the Cox Peninsula Road towards Mandorah. For maybe a day or two, or maybe even a week, I truly felt like I had made a difference - an individual difference. Sadly, though, my efforts will not really stop the cane toad. They will be completely invading the Cox Peninsula in three or four months. They will be everywhere on the peninsula, and we seem powerless to stop them.
My electorate of Goyder is now at the forefront of the main wave of these insidious invaders. The roadways of Litchfield Shire have become littered with the leathery carcasses of dead cane toads. I am now receiving reports from concerned constituents about hawks, eagles and other carrion eaters that are dying. Our snakes, goannas and those iconic frill-necked lizards cannot cope and they die in excruciating agony after eating young toads. What will happen to our myriad of frogs? I have seen first-hand how the tadpoles choke small waterholes. They bond together to form a writhing black mass, swarming back and forth, using up all the oxygen in the water and suffocating everything else. Native tadpoles cannot compete. Even if they do make it to frog size, they are likely to be eaten alive by those insidious toads. Even small native rodents are just as easily devoured alive by these insidious invaders. The populations of small predatory marsupials, such as the northern quoll, are being devastated by the advancing toads. Even our native insects, which are a food source for the whole ecosystem, are suffering. I can assure you all here, some of our native wildlife will be brought to the brink of extinction.
Many of our domestic pets, particularly dogs and poultry, will die as a consequence of coming into contact with these insidious invaders. They are dying now. The can toad toxin is so potent it acts almost immediately. Typical symptoms in dogs include excessive salivation, shaking the head whilst pawing at their mouth - and that is in less severe cases. In the severest cases, rapid breathing, vomiting, weakness, and staggering and fits may be a precursor to an agonising death in five to 10, maybe 20 minutes, unless veterinary help is promptly sought. Only last weekend, I was saddened to read in the newspaper of the death of a much-loved dog at Redcliffe Road within my electorate. The dog ate a cane toad, of course. I know the family and it was very distressing to read of their plight.
The cane toad is one of the most determined and robust pests in the world. There are clear signs that it is adapting to the different environments and climatic conditions around our continent. It has now also been found further south than every before. No natural method of combating these insidious invaders has yet been found. The odds against us ridding ourselves and our unique Territory of these insidious invaders seems insurmountable. Yes, sure, we could have done something years ago when they first came to the Northern Territory, but we did not.
To reconcile ourselves, as the member for Nelson said, by saying that ‘it is now too late, we will just have to get used to them’, seems to ring hollow to me. It is not a good enough response. I will not be taking back this defeatist attitude to my electorate of Goyder, because it is never too late. There is an answer and, surprisingly, it has been there all along. It is just that some of us have let the overwhelming and seemingly insurmountable emotion of the whole situation blind our vision on how to fight back. The answer is not rocket science; we just have to look behind the millions of cane toads to see that there was only just one problem – the cane toad. In reality, we just needed to get back to the basics - be disciplined, focused and then concentrate on using all the tools at our disposal to tackle the cane toad problem - singular - from all possible angles.
That is exactly what this government is doing. Because our government has been able to successfully lobby the Commonwealth and state governments to nationally list cane toad spread as a key environmental threatening process, we have been able to focus the whole nation on this significant threat to our unique environment. We have focused the hearts and minds of Australians everywhere on the scourge. As a result of our government’s lobbying, a National Cane Toad Taskforce has been set up and the Queensland and Western Australian governments have joined us in the fight. The federal government is also providing $3m to the Western Australian government for desperately needed research into finding a biological control.
As the minister explained, the Island Ark program is a critical part of our fight to protect our native wildlife from this insidious invader. By ensuring that important species are rescued ahead of the advancing mass of toads, and by establishing breeding colonies on offshore islands, we will have the populations sometime in the future to release back on the mainland. I am very pleased to hear that this effort is also being complemented by captive breeding populations of northern quoll at the Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs in my electorate of Goyder.
There is yet another angle from which we are tackling the cane toad invasion and, believe it or not, it is based on people power. People want to make a difference, and each and every one of us can make a difference. Community sentiment and the desire to fight back has been harnessed into real action through groups like FrogWatch. Their cheap and effective cane toad traps have helped instil in Territorians a belief that we can fight back in our own backyards, in our parks and around our lagoons. Our government is there too providing significant funds to develop and implement sound local cane toad management, research and education programs. Our government is assisting and promoting the FrogWatch cane toad trap program with a $30 subsidy and, by all reports, they are very popular in the rural area. All our various types of homemade traps in my area are very popular also.
The Territory Wildlife Park in my electorate is also tackling the cane toad problem head on. To date, the Territory Wildlife Park has captured 89 toads. Lights around the park are switched off at night near exhibit areas to reduce the chance of toads coming into contact with these areas. The only lights that are left on are at the main station car park. The Territory Wildlife Park has in place a Toad Action Committee that deals with toad exclusions and removal, trap maintenance and monitoring. Tadpoles and metamorphosing toadlets have been removed from water bodies around the park. Water bodies have been treated to kill entire spawning masses. Susceptible animals are contained during the night when toads are most active. However, the Territory Wildlife Park advised that work needs to be done to toad-proof some enclosures. They have one confirmed death of a wild animal in the park due to a toad. Unfortunately, a male carpet python was discovered in the main station with a toad still wrapped in its coil and very much dead. The Army is helping out and sponsoring an enclosure for the yellow spotted monitor, which is really susceptible to toads. They have agreed to purchase and build this enclosure in the Dry Season. Stomach contents have been analysed on captured cane toads and reveal the main dietary items are black beetles and ants.
The Territory Wildlife Park has a policy in place for humane euthanasia. If people happen to bring the toads that they have caught to the park, the Territory Wildlife Park will deal with them accordingly. However, they also encourage the community to deal with their own toads in the appropriate manner. It is not ideal that the Territory Wildlife Park becomes a repository for toads. Staff who live in the village are doing regular spotlight checks around the park. Several keepers use the length of the road for evening walks and actively keep an eye out for toads. With respect to public education, the Territory Wildlife Park have done several school and community gatherings with FrogWatch in relation to toads and their impact prior to and since their arrival.
Our government is also working with Territorians and Territory community organisations. That is why the minister proudly announced Not in my Backyard cane toad rally for 14 March. This will be a day of action for all Territorians wanting to help, as each and every one of us can make a difference. On 2 February, I was pleased to be invited to a launch of the Territory’s first toad detention centre at Freds Pass Reserve at Bees Creek. At the launch, FrogWatch, in conjunction with Freds Pass Reserve Management Board, announced the Top Ends first toad detention centre. It is a large collection bin; large enough to take several hundred toads and located adjacent to the entrance of the Freds Pass Reserve.
The idea of the toad detention centre at Freds Pass came about after an enthusiastic Freds Pass Reserve Management Board asked FrogWatch if they could have a toad super trap. FrogWatch said they were starting to make toad collection bins and they had the first already made. One thing led to another and now the first detention centre is located at Freds Pass.
Captured toads can now be tipped directly into this covered bin. It will be regularly cleared and the toads humanely disposed of before being processed into a useful liquid fertiliser. FrogWatch recently reported in the media that the reason cane toads had not reached Darwin proper in vast numbers was principally because the rural people had taken up the fight and were actively seeking out the large breeding toads and dispatching them. The rural community has taken up the fight and I am proud it is having an effect. It clearly shows that each and every one of us can make a difference.
I am pleased to say that I support community groups like FrogWatch and the Freds Pass Management Board which, I believe, under the leadership of local identity, Andrew Blackadder, is helping to head up the fight. For those who are interested, Andrew was a political adversary of mine at the last election, but on this issue we are strongly united. I commend Andrew and his board for the work they are doing in the fight against cane toads. Early in the Dry Season, they are going to hold a cane toad awareness program and I strongly urge my rural constituents to get behind the Freds Pass Management Board and support this program. Each and every one of us can make a difference.
On that note, I put out a challenge to all my Top End parliamentary colleagues who, like myself, can make a difference. Let us put our political differences aside on this issue and join together to fight this common enemy to our environment and our lifestyle. Let us get behind and promote the Not in my Backyard rally next month. Again, I stress that each and every one of us can make a difference.
I note that the member for Katherine was concerned that nothing seemed to be done when the cane toads moved through Katherine. She is quite right and, sadly, it was at the time just when we were coming into government. I was working with ADrail and down at Katherine working on the precursors for the railway and the cane toads were there in numbers. It was only when this government came into power that things started to happen. The member for Katherine is quite right, nothing was done before this government came into power. Nothing was done before the cane toads reached Katherine.
As the local member for Goyder, I have already been proactive in my own endeavours. Like most members, I send out a regular newsletter to my constituents and, in my latest newsletter, I am including an insert produced jointly by FrogWatch and government entitled Making your garden a toad free zone with a copy of the recent FrogWatch media release entitled ‘First detention centre launched’ on the reverse side which details the new toad collection bin located at Freds Pass. I challenge other Top End members to do something similar and use their newsletters to help further educate and inform Territorians on how each and every one of us can make a difference.
I mentioned before the federal government is providing $3m to the Western Australian government for research into biological control. However, sadly this is quite paltry when compared to the $85m which has been and is continuing to be spent on eradicating the fire ant. I am not saying that the federal government should not be spending its money on eradicating the fire ant because it certainly is a worthy cause. However, it does show the federal government can match its rhetoric with substance when it wants to. That is why this motion calls on the federal government to significantly increase its funding for on-ground cane toad control, in line with the contribution it makes to eradicating other invasive species of national significance. We really need the federal government to get serious. If they do, together, each and every one of us can make a difference.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, I welcome the comments made by the member for Goyder - stirring words, indeed, identifying part of the motion, the issue with regards to the federal contribution; that they need to match rhetoric with action. It equally applies, as the member for Nelson has very correctly identified, the matching of action with the rhetoric. Those recommendations must be responded to.
Also matching action with rhetoric, I totally agree with the member for Goyder that each individual can make a difference. We play a particular role as local members within our community. To that end, I have used, as I have been encouraged to do so by the member for Goyder, my newsletter and also the opportunity to develop a gathering of people in Palmerston to develop a community plan. I understand that that may be in the minds of some of the newer local members. The members for Brennan and Drysdale may have presumed that that was, perhaps, politically best not to be part of that plan. I was disappointed, I must say, that they did not attend that community meeting. Perhaps they thought it was something only contained within parameters of Blain and I was really only interested in looking after Blain. No, it was the need for someone to step in the gap and to try to get people focused on developing a community action plan …
Mr Warren: The member for Brennan was at the toad bin launch and you were not. You should be careful what you say.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Goyder!
Mr MILLS: I am needing some strength to avoid being distracted by that comment; it is rather sensitive and inappropriate. I will move on.
I am echoing the member for Goyder’s call for a response by all the Top End members to develop community action because each individual can make a difference. We are now at the point where it is as though the toads are upon us and we must now work together - put politics and sensitivities aside and get on with the job. The development of community plans is critical, and I applaud the minister’s call to nominate a day when we work together to achieve a common goal. It is the development of plans that is critical in all of this. That will require some leadership, imagination and courage to get people together and then to develop a plan. It is not a plan to get your name in the paper or to be noticed; it is a plan to get rid of cane toads in your area. It requires perhaps a little more grunt than would normally be applied to putting your face in a newsletter or something like that, or managing to get a press release in the paper. It is actually developing community plans so that people can see that they can be part of some action that is going to make some difference.
I am pleased to take this opportunity to report what is the general plan for Palmerston as a result of the community meeting, which was supported very capably by FrogWatch. I take this opportunity to recognise the extraordinary contribution of Graeme Sawyer, who has been extraordinarily patient in attending meetings with students at different schools to help them understand, and supporting any endeavour to help get the community more reactive to an impending invasion.
The first one was, yes, we can do something in our community if we are organised. We can reduce the numbers significantly. In all of our school grounds, the kids are accustomed to seeing, at certain times of the year, frill-necked lizards. In most of our yards, we see little dragons that run around the backyard. We aim to keep cane toad numbers down to a level that the native wildlife of that nature will always be appearing in our yard. The cornerstone of this is that all our schoolyards would always have frill-necked lizards in them. That is something you do not see in Queensland any more. That would be the aim – to see frill-necked lizards in our schoolyards, and the little lizards that run across our backyard would still have the freedom to do so.
How will we do that? By identifying what are the hot spots within our own community. I appreciate the assistance of FrogWatch in this regard, to identify around Palmerston where we have a number of waterways. This is where we will need the assistance of the members for Drysdale and Brennan, because there are abundant waterways all through Palmerston. Delfin will need to be involved in this as well. We also need to ensure that we organise groups of people who are able to respond if a cane toad is spotted because, once they get into our waterways like Marlow Lagoon, it is going to be a very difficult job to remove them. We need to identify our hot spots and find a way of mustering people to be able to deal with cane toad sightings. That requires organisation. In the organisation of those toad busts, we will have the support of FrogWatch, but it is going to be difficult, because they are going to be spread over a large front, and we will need to have the infrastructure in place. That is why it is very good that we have the cane toad detention facility.
For the member for Goyder’s sensitivity, I was unable to be there. There is only one non-Labor member north of Katherine other than my colleague, the member for Nelson, and I cannot be everywhere at the same time. I wanted to be there; however, I had another important meeting to attend. I lower myself to make this explanation to the member for Goyder. I know he is a new member and it might be of assistance to him to help him understand that it is not about personalities, nor politics; it is about actually doing what you can, in the right spirit and the right focus.
It is the organisation of Toad Bust and, critical in all of this is being prepared for the Dry because, in the Dry, the cane toad will concentrate back on the water. At this point, with plenty of water around, they will move widely. When the water ceases and it concentrates in certain places such as Marlow Lagoon, if they are still there, they will retreat to the water. That is when we can really hit them hard.
It is just so good to hear the community sentiment being strongly in favour of this toad juice. I acknowledge the member for Brennan’s helping raise the profile of this approach. That is the sort of thing that is going to really help this campaign; when we have people knowing that they can actually turn these nasty things to some good use. It is a sense of justice to be able to pour toad juice on your plants to make them grow – it is great payback. That is good stuff. Dean Walkley – credit to you. To the others who are involved in turning cane toads into juice that is going to please our plants, is a good thing.
Please, do not draw back from the difficult task here of keeping our eye on Cobourg. I have a number of people reporting to me; we have an interest in Cobourg. We still can do something. I hope that we are not standing here at the beginning of the next Wet Season and still nothing has been done. If no cane toads appear on Cobourg Peninsula during this Wet Season, there is our window of opportunity to close that off. We can do it. I draw the minister’s attention to, if you are really serious about adding greater substance to the rhetoric that has been reported in this really quite good document, the Crocodile Farm. There have been a significant number of reports. I have not had the time to go and check personally, but the reports are flowing in that, in the croc farm area, probably brought in by tourists carrying hitchhikers - uninvited of course - they have now have a sufficient population at the croc farm. I ask that the minister, with her resources, would be able to check whether the croc farm is a host site for a significant population of cane toads. If that is the case, that is going to make our task quite difficult. I ask the minister to check that so that we can close that mass problem down. It will make the job, in Palmerston particularly, a lot easier.
I welcome the motion. It is, of course, supported. Underneath this is real action, just getting out there forgetting the politics, and the sensitivity and doing what ever we can - whether it is running over a cane toad on the way home, or mustering forces and helping organise our community groups to get out there and to remove them. In all of this, we must recognise the great potential we have for our young people to learn more about nature.
I finish my comments by acknowledging Mrs Wade’s class at Woodroofe Primary. They inspired me to action late last year. I was at a function there and the kids had organised a fundraising event. In the last couple of years, they have raised money through doing their own artwork and selling it to their parents and anyone else who would like to come along and look at their beautiful artwork. They have raised good amounts of money, and the class themselves decide what project they would like to direct their raised funds towards. For the last couple of years it has been to a school in East Timor. However, they decided last year that they would like to direct all their funds to buying cane toad traps for the school. I thought that was fantastic, because the kids now are aware that this is a threat not only to the community but to them, their lifestyle, their pets, and the frilled-neck lizards they might not see any more. They responded in that way and I thought that was fantastic. That is why we need to support our kids.
In all of that, another positive benefit of all of this is that the kids are really inquiring. They want to know more about nature, the names of the lizards that are in their yard, how cane toads breed, what the other tadpoles are, and how they can identify baby cane toads over a marble frog. There are so many people coming into the office now and reporting what they have seen and double checking. I have never seen this level of interest in nature in people’s backyards, particularly from the dads. It is fantastic to have the dads come in and say: ‘I got a cane toad last night - well, I think it was one’. You can sense that he is starting to back off because he has actually dealt with a poor marble frog. I really feel sorry for those marble frogs that look similar to cane toads. They are so harmless, and they are so loving it is good to have them in your backyard, but they are copping a hammering. I make an apology on behalf of people in Palmerston who have been so activated that they are actually dealing fairly harshly with marble frogs. However, in the whole process people are starting to identify the difference between and marble frog and a cane toad.
Power to the teachers and all those who are supporting kids in learning more about nature; it is a wonderful thing. Often as adults we forget that kids are fascinated by nature. Therefore, the kids are going to play a very important part in the fight against cane toads. Thank you to Mrs Wade and her class who really inspired the community in Palmerston. I am happy to support you, as I am sure the other local members in the community will be as well.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, I speak in support of this motion. Before I go onto what I have prepared, I just cannot let go the member for Blain’s claims about not being at an event which he then countered by saying he will come down to the level for the member for Goyder to explain why he was not at an event. Other people also have events they have to get to which do not fit with some other events they would like to get to. That applies, member for Blain. You are not a new member but I will come down to that level you were referring to in relation to my friend, the member for Goyder, and explain that I, too, have other engagements and cannot get to everything I would like to; just the same as you. However, I do thank you for your recognition of the role I am trying to play as well, just as you are, in relation to the cane toad menace.
There can be no argument that the introduction of cane toads to Australia was one of the biggest mistakes that we, as a country, made. At the time, those in favour of the introduction argued that all the bases had been covered and nothing but good would come of the introduction. How wrong we were. The whole reason for the cane toad release was control of the beetle pests that attacked our sugar cane. I can recall seeing a documentary a number of years ago in which it was observed that, yes, the cane toad ate these pests but, unfortunately, they were lower down its list of preferred eating than a number of other animals that did not pose a threat to our sugar cane crops. They then began their inexorable hop further afield.
I applaud the NT government’s commitment of $1.2m. The minister stated that more than $300 000 in direct support has been provided to FrogWatch for research and community education. Community education is a key factor, in my opinion, in fighting back the advance of the cane toad. The minister outlined the efforts this government has gone to in education in locales outside the main population centres. Communication is all about exchanging information in a way that all parties understand. For many Aboriginal communities information is best presented in Aboriginal language. I commend the government for the initiative of developing information in Aboriginal languages for Aboriginal communities. Aboriginal communities are extremely well placed and the people of the communities well skilled to be part of the Territory’s cane toad control and eradication strategy. Aboriginal communities know the surrounding areas. Armed with the necessary information about cane toads, the people in those communities will know where the cane toads are likely to go and what they can do without endangering the indigenous flora and fauna.
It is a pity that the federal government will not recognise the huge contribution that the Aboriginal sea rangers make to monitoring our coastline for illegal fisherman and asylum seekers. I congratulate Graeme Sawyer and Paul Cowdy from FrogWatch for the work that they have done over a number of years. I had a chance to catch up with them at Freds Pass Reserve for the launch of the FrogWatch detention centre. The detention centre is a large enclosure which, as the member for Goyder explained, can hold about 400 to 500 toads. The member for Goyder and I were able to inspect the holding cell. Actually, we ended up lifting it on and off the back of a ute with several other people at the launch as part of a media request. Mr Sawyer advised me that the detention centre would be cleared periodically. He advised that there would be enough water for the toads and the light that formed part of the trap would attract enough insects that the toads would not starve between collections.
Many people do not want to kill toads themselves. I can well understand that. The cane toad - Bufo marinus, I believe is the appropriate scientific identification - is not an entirely pleasant creature to which to get up close and personal. Not all of us are greatly keen to bludgeon them to death or coat them with haemorrhoid cream. Some people may not want to dispose of the toad by freezing in their freezer or such other alternative. The detention centre gives people a way out. The detention centre has a gap in the roof of the cage through which the toads are put. I understand that it is not possible for the toads to get out via this gap as they cannot jump high enough. It seems that toads are long jumpers, not high jumpers. If people have a trap at home they do not even have to touch the toad or toads they catch. Someone can simply upend the toad trap over the hole in the roof of the detention centre and then leave once all the toads have been transferred.
The Freds Pass Reserve is open for quite extended hours. I would like to add my voice to that of the member for Goyder in mentioning thanks to Mr Blackadder, the president, and the rest of the Freds Pass committee for agreeing to have the detention centre at the reserve. It is representative of the way the Territory’s communities have got behind the public campaign to defeat the cane toad invasion. The detention centre can be seen from the Stuart Highway and is near the entrance to the reserve. It is placed under a tree to ensure that toads are not heat stressed while awaiting the next stage of their evolution. They have taken great pains to go through the humane qualities of the detention centre, because many people are concerned about this. People want to know that, despite what they may think of the toads, the toads will be treated kindly until euthanised.
I have a book at home called Once a Mandarin. It was written by a man who was sent to Hong Kong from England as a magistrate soon after the war. As well as being a window back into the life of Hong Kong, it is a collection of cases the author heard as a magistrate. The author accounts how he observed a procession of Buddhist monks early each morning going from their temple and taking a boat to one of the small outlying islands. It intrigued him so much he investigated further. Apparently, there is a particularly virulent type of giant snail native to Hong Kong and these were inundating the temple. Members will know that Buddhist monks do not kill other sentient beings; it is against their faith. Yet, their temple would be overrun by the snails in no short order had they done nothing. The snails were taken out to this island where, as is the snail’s nature in overcrowded conditions, they ate each other.
Unfortunately, the toads will not assist us in this same way. The parallel between our situation and that observed by the Hong Kong magistrate in respect of the island, is not lost on me. In both cases, the islands have proved our saviours. In our case, it is as a refuge for species endangered by the advancing toads. The Australian mainland itself was, for many years, a refuge for many species, cutting them off from disease and predators that swept across the rest of the world.
I note the minister’s comments regarding the funding from the federal government’s contribution to assist in securing biosecurity for our island arks – every little bit helps. Let us be clear though: we have one chance, and only one chance, to assist the survival of animals like the northern quoll. Once they are gone we will not be able to resurrect them. Therefore, I add my voice to that of the minister, asking the federal government to put more resources into measures to combat the cane toads’ advance now. I respectfully ask that this be in addition to the resources the federal government is committing to a long-term solution.
The government’s initiative to provide a rebate to those who purchase cane toad traps should encourage people to purchase them and join the community action. There have been a number of campaigns to get people on board with the fight against the cane toad.
I understand that Ms Tyler, a teacher at Palmerston High School, ran a competition last year for Year 9 students, concluding with a cane toad judgment day on 17 May last year. The competition had two categories. One was to design a cane toad trap and the other to design public information materials. The winner of each category received $100. The competition was an initiative of the Palmerston High School middle school and worked to integrate a theme throughout four core subjects: maths, science, English and SOSE. I understand that the competition was a huge success, so much so that it will be run again this year. Ms Tyler was successful in obtaining a grant from the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts for the purposes of running this competition. The grant funds will go towards the cost of materials and prizes. I understand that it is anticipated that the competition will run in May. I congratulate Palmerston High School and Ms Tyler for the initiative and innovation shown by running the competition and obtaining the grant.
I would also like to mention the Special Education Centre students at Palmerston High School, who have a web site devoted to cane toads. The designers of this web site, Chris Brandis, Jerome Forrester, Amanda Hutton and Jamie Whitehurst are to be congratulated for their effort. If members are interested in the web site, I am certainly happy to provide that for them.
Residents of Palmerston have already found cane toads in various spots. The Mitchell Creek and its catchment area is another spot likely to attract toads. We can all see from the greenness of our surroundings how much water there is about at the moment. Obviously, this attracts insects and creates perfect conditions to attract cane toads. In my recent discussion with Mr Sawyer, I asked him about the best times to place traps around the course of Mitchell Creek. He suggested that a good time will be once the water starts to dry up and any cane toads are forced to congregate more densely.
It may be that we are lucky that the amount of development happening in Farrar, Gunn, Bakewell and Rosebery will deter the cane toads. I must say, though, I doubt it. I am reminded of a rather grim and grisly story that I was told by a friend of mine, Mr Peter Hazeal, who was a truck driver for many years. He drove trucks in Queensland, taking sugar cane from the farms and delivering it to a variety of destinations. This intensive work went on around the clock until the harvests were done. He told me he saw a cane toad so big you needed two hands to pick one up. He also told me of how there were so many toads on the road that it looked like the road was alive. He said how the road train’s wheels would eventually lose traction because of the slippery gore. That is a pretty disturbing image: a road train full of sugar cane slipping on roads at night because of the remains of the cane toads preventing tyres from keeping traction. Perhaps we should find out if this carnage improves soil quality. It seems the road train drivers in North Queensland pioneered the production of cane toad juice.
Many people have swimming pools and ponds. They may be worried about the cane toad tadpoles. Cane toad tadpoles look black. They have a tail that is thin and quite short, and their eyes are towards the top of their head rather than the sides. Cane toad tadpoles are also quite small, only about 22 mm to 30 mm long from head to tail once they have started developing legs.
Many native frog tadpoles are much bigger. For example, the marble frog tadpoles of which we have already heard, are also black, but 75 mm in length from head to tail. Also, the tails are comparatively much larger, approximately two-and-a-half times the length of the body. The green tree frog tadpoles are brown rather than black, and about 65 mm in length. Members may be wondering why I seem to know so much about the tadpoles. The answer is simple. I read the FrogWatch cane toad tadpole identification fact sheet. It is available from the Internet via FrogWatch’s web site at www.frogwatch.org.au. I encourage members to visit this site for a wealth of information to assist you and your constituents in battling the cane toads.
Madam Speaker, I wholeheartedly support the motion moved by the minister and commend it to all members of the Assembly.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Madam Speaker, today I contribute to the motion in relation to the cane toads. I would just like to go on the record re-reading the actual motion for those of my constituency and, in particular, the interest groups I have been working with for a period of time to understand what the motion is about. The minister has moved the motion as follows:
My involvement in history with this might have begun with my membership of the Sessional Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. I have in front of me Volume 1, Issues associated with the Progressive Entry into the Northern Territory of Cane Toads. I was privileged, with other members of government and the opposition, to travel around and visit remote areas in the Northern Territory to discuss the effect of cane toads. For anyone who wants to understand the core issues in history of cane toads, I recommend them reading this volume.
What become apparent is that the Northern Territory government had known since the early 1980s that cane toads were coming to the Northern Territory. However, until the sessional committee delivered its recommendations - and I must say with the support of the opposition members and the Independents - work on addressing this invasive species was really seen as a backburner issue. It was a bit of: ‘We cannot do anything, therefore, we will not do anything’. On that committee was the member for Karama, then member for Daly, myself, the then member for Drysdale, the member for Barkly, and the member for Nelson.
The overwhelming evidence was that cane toads were having a dramatic effect on the environments they moved into. I can distinctly remember one of our first visits was to Borroloola, talking to traditional owners there about the effect of cane toads. One of the most powerful stories I heard was different ways of hunting for goannas in the area, and the fact that they had not seen a goanna at Borroloola for nearly 15 to 16 years; that is, the big giant reptilian goanna. I thought to myself, this effect is going to happen right across the Top End in the Northern Territory and, in particular, areas like north-east Arnhem, Kakadu, Litchfield and it will dramatic and we need to do something about it.
I note that the minister proudly reports that nearly all of these recommendations made on page 11 of the report have been delivered; all except No 5, which was that the Northern Territory government take immediate steps to erect a cane toad-proof fence across the neck of the Cobourg Peninsula. That was a recommendation that all members thought would be fantastic if we could do it but, as it turned out, once we had done the scoping exercise, we realised that that money could be more efficiently used for other on-ground activities.
One of the most amazing and powerful thing that we did on this committee was to register this species as a threatened process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. All that needed was a Northern Territory government to nominate cane toads as a threatening process. Cane toads were coming in over the last 26 years and this has not been done. I found that amazing. That was just simple evidence from talking to scientists through hook-up to the NT CSIRO. They spoke about the different types of invasive species and the different levels of priorities that the Commonwealth government placed on it. It was amazing to find that, at no time in the last 26 years until this recommendation was made, that cane toads were registered as a threatening species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 which, of course, allows us to access extra funds, and also gives it a high profile throughout Australia. Of course, this has brought it to a head with Western Australia, as we have heard from many of the members, coming on board with their support.
One of the reasons I contribute is that there is an area where I have been working with large community groups and I would like to put it into Hansard. An area that I dearly love is freshwater Rapid Creek. It runs through a number of electorates and many people in this House and many Territorians have taken the opportunity to swim, fish, travel up and down, and bush walk in freshwater Rapid Creek. Unfortunately for that beautiful scenic area in the suburbs of Darwin, this will be one of the prime areas of cane toad breeding. We will see large numbers of cane toads using freshwater Rapid Creek as a site to reproduce.
A number of things have taken place. This was first raised by me with the committee after my involvement with the Sessional Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. I took this to the Rapid Creek Advisory Committee, member groups of which include, first of all, ministerial appointment of Officer Commanding, Defence Northern Region of the Commonwealth government, whose current representative member is Stan Mitchell. He is the Regional Manager for Corporate Services and Infrastructure, Northern Territory/Kimberley, Department of Defence and his delegate is Robyn Maurer who has been a great contributor to the community.
The General Manager of Darwin International Airport is an industry sector member and the current member is Ian Kew, and either himself or Dan Richards, for technical support, attend this committee. They did a fantastic job which local members helped contribute to less than two weeks ago, of a 3000 tree planting in conjunction with Landcare Australia. This involved members contacting their electorates. I delivered nearly 1600 newsletters, we phoned up to 165 people and we doorknocked in the area up to about 45. We were able to get over 200 people there and a large amount of people signed up with Landcare. People brought their families. We did an e-mail campaign, a radio campaign, and it was really great to see nearly 2500 trees planted. We started at 8 am and finished at 2 pm. It was a really great community event, and people who were able to be there to see Graeme Sawyer from FrogWatch. As people know, he has been a tireless worker. He turned up and he had the cane toad traps with cane toads explaining to the people that this catchment area at the top end of freshwater Rapid Creek all the way down to the mouth will be severely affected by this invasive species.
No doubt the member for Nightcliff, the Speaker of the House, the members for Johnston, Casuarina, Sanderson and, of course, Millner will be taking part in ensuring that we invite people to the 14 March supporting cane toad muster at freshwater Rapid Creek.
Other members on this committee include His Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Darwin, Mr Peter Adamson. His delegate is Gary Lambert and Dave Perry provides technical support. Dave does a fantastic job and Gary has been coming recently to the meetings and also contributes. The Darwin City Council does a wonderful job in supporting the committee.
The President of the Larrakia Association is a rotating chairperson. At the moment, their delegate is Cecil Lewis. We enjoy working with the Larrakia Association. It is a specific dreaming site for the Larrakia people and they place a large importance on the environmental protection of freshwater Rapid Creek, and they are very concerned about cane toads coming to this area.
The Chancellor of the Charles Darwin University is represented by Nerida Noble. One of the issues apart from cane toads, of course, is coffee bush. I know she is a very passionate advocate for work being done behind the university. However, they will be affected by cane toads.
The chairperson of Greening Australia is Jim Mitchell, but Liza Schenkel is the delegate. She is a fabulous member of the committee and is forever pushing environmental issues.
The chairperson of the Rapid Creek Landcare Group is Peter O’Hagan, the public officer, and their delegate is Lesley Alford, who does a fantastic job of representing Landcare and the general public.
There is a member of the Legislative Assembly, of course, which is me, Matthew Bonson. These meetings are conducted in my office and I enjoy all the information that comes out of these sessions. We have been able to get $300 000 for the beautification of an area of land down there that the member for Johnston and I fought long and hard for over a number of years to buy back off residents who, on the whole, were very supportive of the need to protect freshwater Rapid Creek. They deserve the credit. Now, we just need to put in the work there and revegetate the areas that we have bought back.
We have the senior officers from Parks and Wildlife, in the NT government, Dal Hartley. He does a great job.
The representative from the Land Administration, Department of Planning and Infrastructure is Greg Lambert, and Joanne Mason often turns up to represent him.
We have representatives from the Water Monitoring, Department of Natural Resources, the Environment and Arts, Simon Townsend. The good news, members, is that freshwater Rapid Creek’s water source is quite clean at the moment and we would love to continue this.
With this group of people, we will be working with the local community to ensure that cane toad traps, in conjunction with Graeme Sawyer and FrogWatch, will be put into the whole length and breadth of freshwater Rapid Creek. We will be working with the general public and the local schools as we did with the tree planting. We will be down there getting our hands dirty, checking the cane toad traps and doing our best ensuring that people enjoy their use of freshwater Rapid Creek.
I will not continue because I know that this has been a long debate. I thank all members, particularly government members, for their input. We are very passionate about this issue of cane toads. This will be a big issue for all our electorates as the toads invade the northern suburbs. The health and safety issue for young children, pets and animals, and the loss of local wildlife, will no doubt again lift the lid on this cane toad invasion. I hope we can harness this community support to lobby the Commonwealth government to provide extra funds to protect all the wildlife across the Northern Territory and further into Western Australia. I have a dream, which is that one day we will come up with a biological silver bullet, and that biological silver bullet will help us to address this terrible invasive species, the cane toad.
Madam Speaker, without further ado, I commend this motion to the House.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Speaker, I thank all members for their contribution. Everyone has a cane toad experience, and everyone in this Chamber has a commitment from us to do something. Everyone who contributed to the debate was in agreement about the threat of toads and everyone, including myself, commended FrogWatch’s traps. One part of the motion was looking at the traps, which can make a difference in a local area. A lot of us who shared our experiences here talked about how they have made a difference in the local area and can protect your own yards and pets.
The members for Nelson and Karama talked about doing more to make frog-friendly habitats. I do not believe anyone was in disagreement with that, and it is something we can encourage through our environment grants.
The member for Katherine talked about the muster a call to arms. She also shared her experience with her dogs. I have a couple of dogs, there are probably many of us here in this Chamber who have small pets, small dogs. In dealing with this issue, maybe we should obtain the advice of the member for Katherine on how to deal with our dogs’ addiction to some of these toads because, clearly, it is happening.
Working together does make a difference, so everyone should support the rally. We seem to disagree, particularly the member for Nelson, on what we should be doing. I know that there was some agreement with him but, nevertheless, he was disagreeing. One of the issues was fencing Cobourg, a quite pristine and fantastic place in my electorate. Looking at that whole issue of fencing the whole of Cobourg Peninsula, there would have been better use for government to spend that money on a range of programs to get on-ground contact happening.
He asked about reporting back regarding the recommendations of the select committee’s report. I have no problems, at some stage, of giving a detailed response about where the department has reached in the work we have been doing.
The member for Blain called for a community action plan. No problems with that - good idea. Local members should get behind their electorates and work with them and the community groups that are dealing with some of this stuff. I agree it is not about politics; we need to put that aside.
You mentioned the Crocodile Farm as a significant site for cane toads. I really could not understand what you were saying. However, if you want to have a discussion with me at some stage, I will look at it. If you provide further information about what you were saying, I have no problems with looking at it.
I agree, it is fantastic; the whole program needs to start with and involve our school kids. We are certainly doing this. Our kids do need to learn about the environment and the importance of it. I did say that one of the focuses we will use with our next round of EnvironmeNT grants is to look at the whole issue of cane toads and use it as a priority. The response to the uptake of the EnvironmeNT grants has been fantastic, particularly from schools, to do their programs.
The member for Brennan talked about the Palmerston High School Student web site, and that was fantastic to know.
We will be writing to the Commonwealth again in light of this motion. I thank all members; it was great to get bipartisan support on this very important issue because we all care about the environment. It is something that we need to protect.
I particularly thank the member for Karama, who was the chairperson for the select committee that released that report. It created a lot of momentum and provided the blueprint for government to move forward on this. Secondly, I thank my predecessor, the member for Johnston, Chris Burns, who, through a lot of his previous lobbying certainly put it on the national agenda and ensured it would be covered and on the Commonwealth’s radar. Thirdly, I thank and commend FrogWatch and the community. I would like to single out one person, because my department of Parks and Wildlife has done a lot of work. One person in the department, Keith Saalfeld, has slept and breathed cane toads, and everything about cane toads has been Keith’s life over the last 12 months. He has done a lot of work with FrogWatch, schools, and generally getting out there educating and working in the wider community.
Finally, out of every problem comes opportunity. If anyone can make an opportunity out of cane toads, it would be here in the Northern Territory. We will put this to the federal government.
Motion agreed to.
TABLED PAPER
Statehood Steering Committee Report
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I table the Northern Territory Statehood Steering Committee Report to the Legislative Assembly Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, it is with pleasure that I provide the Assembly with a comprehensive status report on the activities of the Northern Territory Statehood Steering Committee over the past year. Members are well aware of what statehood is. It is only with statehood that Northern Territorians are guaranteed their representatives in this Assembly will not be subject to any capricious acts by the Commonwealth parliament. It is only with statehood that Territorians will take their place as equal citizens with the rest of Australia. It is only with statehood that decisions made by Territorians for Territorians will be a reality.
As members are aware, the creation of the Northern Territory Statehood Steering Committee was established by the terms of reference adopted by the Assembly in August 2004. Since then, a lot of work has commenced and, as the 2006 parliamentary year gets under way, I hope members will continue to support and encourage the statehood process. This year we have much more work to do.
In my dual role as Chair of the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs and the Chair of the Statehood Steering Committee, I welcome the opportunity to be part of a dedicated team of committee members and staff to continue on the path together towards statehood. Following the terms of reference for the Statehood Steering Committee being adopted by the Assembly on 17 August 2004, the Statehood Steering Committee was established in January 2005 with the appointment of the committee’s executive officer. I would like to acknowledge Mr Michael Tatham who is present in the Chamber today. In April 2006, the Statehood Steering Committee will have completed its first year of operation.
One of the first duties of the executive officer was to brief the standing committee on the process for engaging the community to nominate for membership of the Statehood Steering Committee. Newspaper advertisements were undertaken and community organisations targeted seeking interested persons. I am advised that a total of 95 committed Territorians nominated for positions on the Statehood Steering Committee. It was the intention of this Assembly and the standing committee that the Statehood Steering Committee was to be community based and I am pleased to report that is precisely what it is.
During February and March last year, the members of the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs considered the candidates in detail and finalised the membership of the Statehood Steering Committee. Obviously, we regret that we had to choose at all as the field of candidates was excellent. All who nominated should be congratulated for taking the time and making the effort to be part of the process. I hope that they will play some role in the statehood process as it continues. I am happy to advise, Madam Speaker, that is precisely what is occurring thus far.
The Statehood Steering Committee currently has 12 community members as well as three members of the Assembly. In a truly bipartisan approach, the Assembly representatives are myself and the members for Braitling and Blain. Membership of the committee was adopted by the Assembly on 4 May 2005.
In this report to the Assembly on activities of the Statehood Steering Committee, I will briefly highlight some of the committee’s milestones and major activities since its first meeting. The minutes of each Statehood Steering Committee provide a record of the outcomes of the meetings and are attached to the report I tabled here today. The minutes reveal a range of important issues under constant consideration by the steering committee.
The committee has been charged with providing Territorians with an inclusive process, and they have gone about achieving this by inviting community representatives from the location where they have met to address their meetings. The Statehood Steering Committee met for the first time over two days in Alice Springs on 20 and 21 April 2005. An initial public forum was conducted in conjunction with that meeting to ensure Territorians have the opportunity to provide input. After all, the committee is truly community-based and it has to be community-driven as well.
The committee has since met twice in Darwin as well as once each in Tennant Creek and Katherine. Similarly, in those locations the committee invited participation by local community groups. We met with the Mayor of Tennant Creek, the Mayor of Katherine, as well as a range of other representatives from these areas. We met to discuss statehood, and seek their views on how we should communicate conceptionally complex issues with everyday Territorians in their own way and on their own terms.
The Statehood Steering Committee has chosen a different location for its meetings to reflect the diversity of the Territory and the committee membership. We have to continue to do this over time as we hold further meetings. As members will appreciate, the focus is on the entire Territory and not just the capital city, during this important education and consultation process.
At the Statehood Steering Committee’s first meeting, the committee discussed a draft work plan, a community strategy and education issues. One of the committee’s first tasks was to raise its profile and, more importantly, the profile of the issue of statehood. A central challenge to statehood is ensuring the issue itself as one that Territorians want to own and become part of. In order to achieve this goal, the Statehood Steering Committee has had a presence on the 2005 show circuit and has already sent some representatives across the Territory to raise the awareness that is so crucial to educating everyone about statehood.
Over these initial months, a range of issues came up that demonstrated what concerned Territorians when it comes to statehood. Make no mistake, there is plenty of concern, suspicion, and misinformation out there on the statehood topic.
Apart from discussions, meetings and forums, the Statehood Steering Committee developed a series of fact sheets about statehood. The topics of the first 25 fact sheets demonstrate the issues Territorians have concerns about when it comes to statehood. The fact sheets are comprehensive and I will not read out each and every title. Needless to say, they are included in the report that I have tabled here today. Some of the issues tackled in these fact sheets include ‘Consideration of Self-government and Statehood - What is the difference?’ and how the Territory is not equal to the states. Further fact sheets are in preparation as issues are raised with the committee. These fact sheets can be obtained in hard copy from the committee, or seen on the web site at www.statehood.nt.gov.au. I urge all Territorians to familiarise themselves with these easy to read and informative fact sheets. In hard copy format, the fact sheets are accompanied by a folder outlining the role of the Statehood Steering Committee and the way we want to do our business.
A story board is also being finalised and was recently road tested at a meeting in January when the co-chair, Sue Bradley and Nora Kempster from the committee, visited the Gagudju Association. The story board provides pictures, images and summaries of the fact sheet information. The story board will soon be available on the web site along with the fact sheets, and will be used as a resource for schools and community visits alike.
When it comes to promoting the benefits of statehood, the committee has used unpaid and paid media advertisement to increase community awareness. Our fact sheets and story boards alone will not be enough. Our surveys show us that television and radio are important mediums of communication and we intend to employ these as much as possible. Since early 2005, the Statehood Steering Committee has issued 16 media releases and realised coverage in all major newspapers in the Northern Territory as well as the national daily newspapers and some other state-based newspapers. National television coverage - as well as local and national radio coverage on the establishment of the committee and its activities - has been achieved.
Getting factual statehood messages out is a key aim of the committee. Over the past few months, the committee received numerous calls for comment on the issues of a radioactive waste facility and the Territory government’s uranium mining policy. The Statehood Steering Committee is of the view that these issues are primarily a matter of government-to-government relationships. However, when it comes to factual material, the Statehood Steering Committee has made information available concerning limitations on the executive authority of the Northern Territory government under the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act and regulations.
Media interest in statehood is ongoing, with some outlets recently publishing excerpts from fact sheets and highlighting the presence of the committee at local venues. Sustaining media interest is a challenge. We constantly compete with other news items on any given day. As statehood milestones are reached in the education and consultation process, the committee will seek to publicise activities and our consultative role. An advertising program to increase awareness is planned for later in 2006. This will include use of Aboriginal language-based media.
As well as the media, the personal touch is very important, and there is no better way to deliver a message than in person. By participating on the 2005 show circuit, the steering committee had direct contact with a cross-section of Territorians and conducted a survey gathering data and information about what people’s understanding of statehood was. More than 1500 people took part in the survey. The survey was a simple means of gathering some baseline data about the issues Territorians need to have more information about before they may support statehood.
The presence of the Statehood Steering Committee at the shows was met with a very positive reaction from many Territorians. Introducing Territorians to statehood themes on neutral territory such as a show or exhibitions, shopping centres, markets and other festivals, is a key to the profile and success of the committee’s work. We have found by experience that people are generally open to discussing and receiving statehood material in such venues and are more likely to be receptive than attempting to have them attend a specific forum.
Getting statehood into people’s everyday lives so we can have a presence where they are is a key aspect of our strategy. ‘We will come to you’ is the central theme of this committee. We plan to continue to go where the people are to get the messages and the information out there to them.
The response by show-goers to our survey was a great indicator of the work that still needs to be undertaken. Of those surveyed, just 46% indicated they were comfortable with their own understanding of what statehood means. The results of the survey are on the statehood web site and make for interesting reading. I urge all members and, of course, members of the public, to avail themselves of that opportunity.
With 54% of surveyed Territorians unsure of what statehood means, the education aspect of the committee’s work is vital. Once again, we will go to schools or community groups and organisations, where we can, to ensure we take the message to Territorians where they live and learn.
Community education is the key aspect of the committee’s terms of reference. Work commenced last year with the creation of a Statehood Teachers Advisory Group and committee representatives providing visits to communities and organisations. This advisory group of teachers assist the Statehood Steering Committee develop appropriate materials that can link into the school curriculum and education of school-aged students on statehood.
The Statehood Teachers Advisory Group project commenced in Darwin and there is a plan to expand it to Alice Springs this coming year. The STAG is vitally important, as it provides an avenue for school teachers, the professionals delivering information to school students, to engage directly with the statehood and parliamentary process. Workshops have been conducted with senior school students both here in the Legislative Assembly Chamber as well as other sites at local schools throughout the Territory. More activities with schools are in the planning stage for the coming year. Three STAG meetings took place in 2005, and we propose one meeting each school term in 2006.
Apart from the show circuit last year, community outreach visits have been undertaken to communities such as Maningrida, Milingimbi, Jabiru, Wadeye, Port Keats, and Daly River area where local residents and organisations have been consulted on what they think about statehood and what statehood may mean to them.
The executive officer of the committee has also provided presentations on statehood to organisations such as the National Trust’s 2005 Patrons Dinner, the University of the Third Age, the Northern Territory Open Education Centre, staff at the Office of the Ombudsman, the Healthcare Complaints Commission, Northern Territory Tourist Commission, Northern Territory Aboriginal Interpreter Service, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority and a range of other public sector and non-government organisations. This year, more presentations will be provided. Presentation on statehood information is available on request to the committee’s executive officer. I urge members of the Assembly and all Territorians to get in touch with the committee secretariat to book a presentation, or to find out more.
Apart from the fact sheets and the statehood information folder, the committee secretariat has produced articles for all electorate offices, for newsletters, and articles have been published in the current editions of Common Ground outlining the community visits for 2006. The committee also holds resources, such as reports and papers produced by the previous Sessional and Standing Committees into Constitution Development for the Northern Territory. Whilst the Statehood Steering Committee does not adopt these as their own, the reports remain available to the public as a resource and a discussion tool in the statehood context.
It is now time to ask: what is next for the Statehood Steering Committee? The committee intends to develop a Statehood Ambassador Program where community members will be appointed to promote statehood in public, including giving speeches and promoting community discussion. A number of community visits are planned for the remainder of this year to ensure the committee’s representatives cover as much of the Territory as possible, raising awareness of what statehood means for the Territory if it is to be achieved.
A partnership has been entered into with Charles Darwin University to undertake a research project into communication with remote communities, and to report back by June 2006. This will assist with strategies in difficult-to-reach places, particularly the outlying communities, obviously.
A number of select working groups are planned to examine specific issues, as well as advise the committee how they may be tackled in the statehood process. This includes how we go forward in constitutional development, and logistical issues, such as the terms and conditions of statehood for the Northern Territory when negotiating with the Commonwealth.
I take this opportunity to congratulate the Statehood Steering Committee and, in particular, the co-chair, Ms Sue Bradley. Sue is actually in the House this afternoon and, on behalf of the Assembly, I extend our very sincere thanks for the hard work that you put in. It is a big task and we do appreciate your efforts, as we do, indeed, of all the Statehood Steering Committee members. Thanks very much, it is to be applauded.
Over a period of nine months, the committee has produced a range of materials that prepare the way for a very busy year ahead. With the survey and meetings I have outlined in this statement, the steering committee has had face-to-face interaction with more than 2000 Territorians so far.
As I mentioned previously, my co-chair, Sue Bradley, has been an active and passionate advocate for statehood, and has been unfailing in her approach to the committee’s work. As I have indicated, the committee has held five full committee meetings, but Sue has attended many more formal and informal meetings with the executive officer, consulted briefs and others to discuss how the Territory approaches statehood. I thank her and the entire committee for their continued dedication.
Education and consultation will continue and, I trust, have the ongoing support of the Legislative Assembly. I hope all members will examine the contents of the report I have tabled, which provides a comprehensive examination of the activities of the Statehood Steering Committee and opportunities for all Territorians to get involved in our future as a state.
Madam Speaker, in conclusion I would also like to thank other members of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee who have played a very important role over the last period. I refer, particularly, to the members for Braitling, Blain, Brennan and Arnhem. To you all, I thank you very much for your own ongoing support. I know that we will very strenuously and assiduously take up the challenge before us with the full support of this Assembly.
Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the report and my tabling statement.
Debate adjourned.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Building Better Schools
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, this afternoon I deliver a ministerial statement regarding progress on the Building Better Schools initiatives in the Northern Territory. In February 2005, this government committed to a major program of reform for our secondary schooling system. We committed an additional $42m over four years to back up these changes. Titled Building Better Schools, this program contained the government’s response to the comprehensive Ramsey report conducted throughout 2003 and the ensuing SOCOM investigation. What the Ramsey report and the SOCOM report showed is that our secondary education system required significant attention. In fact, it became obvious to government that student outcomes had been compromised by a system in need of reform and restructure.
The Martin government is strongly committed to approving student outcomes, and we believe that it is the most important goal to have in education. While we recognise there are other goals, each and every one of them is less important than achieving improved student results. This is an article of faith that the government brought to office in 2001; the driving force behind the reforms already made. The government entered its second term determined to continue and, in fact, increase the pace of reform in employment, education and training. In the August sittings of parliament, I outlined the reforms being implemented in indigenous education. Today, I update the House on progress made in implementing the broader four-year Building Better Schools program.
The actions we are taking are divided into five key areas: students and learning; supporting Territory teachers; indigenous education; distance education; and building stronger school communities. The first initiative is to expand the range of VET, vocational and enterprise learning options in schools. The government is determined to make Vocational Education Training an increasingly important part of school-based education. It is critical for the future of the Territory to build a skilled work force, particularly for our economic development.
VET studies and school-based new apprenticeships are a valid pathway for young people, but we have been concerned that vocational education has not received the attention it should from our schools. We have acted to ensure that it is a priority in the thinking of both the school community and the school administration. In mid-October, a series of six two-hour forums and workshops were held with stakeholders to develop a comprehensive School to Work strategic plan for the next three years. Key stakeholder groups included industry representatives, training advisory councils, schools and colleges, tertiary institutions, union groups, registered training organisations, indigenous education practitioners and other government departments.
The School to Work strategic plan is near completion and is designed to achieve the following outcomes: an increase in the number of students making a successful transition from school to training and employment; an expanded range of school to work pathways; a flexible blend of NTCE options including VET courses, enterprise learning and school-based new apprenticeships; new and stronger links between schools, industries and training providers; and a collaborative approach involving schools, industry and communities leading to improved outcomes for indigenous students.
Improving the delivery of vocational enterprise learning and VET programs is occurring. Project officers have been working with schools to improve access and delivery of VET programs for secondary-aged students. New models for VET in Schools have been developed that target students who are disengaged from schools, especially those living in remote areas. Enterprise establishment grants for these students wanting to include enterprise education in their mix of studies are expected to be available in April.
Qualified counsellors for secondary schools - a major initiative under Building Better Schools - has been the provision of these qualified counsellors in schools. Schools today face a range of complex issues on a daily basis. The need to care for students goes beyond their educational needs, frequently to their personal everyday needs. The Territory system has had a patchy approach to the provision of student counsellors in schools and it has allowed schools to decide for themselves whether they would employ a counsellor or not.
The Martin government believes the provision of a student counsellor in a secondary school is no longer an option. To support schools we have funded these counsellors outside of the staffing formula. As a result, every secondary school in an urban area gets a student counsellor, whilst every bush secondary school will have close access to a counsellor attached to a group area.
We have also required schools to retain their current resources dedicated to school counselling roles, and have provided a new skill set for this job. Previously, a staff member from within a school staffing allocation has taken on the role of counsellor. They have performed brilliantly, but will now have the support of other staff with psychology and/or social work qualifications. Nineteen qualified school counsellor positions are now being created, with 15 counsellors already in place in schools. A supervisory position has been established that will oversee the work and professional development of the new school counsellor positions. That brings to 20 the number of dedicated and qualified school counsellors that previously did not exist in schools. It probably will not be long before schools come to wonder how they managed without them.
National and local advertising for the school counsellor positions resulted in strong interest from well-qualified and experienced applicants. Mid-January saw the induction and orientation of new school counsellors, with the professional supervisor appointee taking up her position on 5 May.
The implementation of this important initiative is part of a new and comprehensive approach to the provision of student services in schools. Late last year, the government announced reform of the Student Services Section of the department. This division is now more focused on addressing individual student needs in the classroom and beyond. As well as maintaining a focus on students with disabilities, the Student Services Division has developed a strategic approach to address the social, emotional and behavioural needs of students in schools. The approach utilises the 20 new counsellors, guidance officers, student wellbeing officers, alternative education provision, special education positions in schools, and inclusion support assistance.
Late last year, after comprehensive consultation, the Territory government adopted Australia’s first system-wide middle years education policy. One of the strongest recommendations to come out of the Ramsey report was the need to better engage students aged 11 to 14. The policy endorses Year 7 to 9 as the middle years in the Territory, and places Year 10 into the senior secondary category. Stage 2 consultations are now under way to ensure that the community has its say on how this policy should be implemented. It will deal with practical issues such as the impact on the stages of schooling, infrastructure and staffing in schools. Stage 2 commenced 23 January 2006. A middle years workshop for principals from across the Territory provided a briefing on middle years policy, as well as advice and strategy for implementing middle years approaches in their schools. The requirement of this second phase will be for each school to work with their community to determine how best to implement middle years. The final report with recommendations will be presented to Cabinet in April 2006.
There has been criticism of our deliberate and very consultative approach to this education reform. I make no apology for that. The government is determined to ensure that people are fully involved in understanding both what can be achieved and what change will mean.
The staffing formula that is currently used supporting the Territory’s teachers is outmoded and out of date. A useful system for its time, it is no longer possible to use a formula that does not sufficiently take into account the significant differences that exist from school to school or from year to year. For example, we now have established sustainable secondary provision in remote communities, but the current staffing formula does not recognise students in these schools as being secondary. A new formula and staffing allocation model will ensure that all students will have equitable entitlements in staffing.
A reference group made up of representatives from the Australian Education Union, the Community and Public Sector Union, the Association of Northern Territory School Educational Leaders and Charles Darwin University has overseen the development of a new needs-based, school resource allocation formula. The prototype is nearing completion and consultation with school administrators is planned for early 2006.
For the establishment of professional learning communities, 10 sites have been selected for support and funding. Professional learning communities provide teachers with the opportunity to develop, trial, evaluate, and share good practice in a collaborative and supportive environment. Teachers then become involved in action research and use high-quality evidence to support their practice to improve student outcomes. Priority areas include: teaching and learning in the middle years; teaching and learning in the senior years including science, maths, flexible learning programs and VET; on-line learning in the middle and senior years; and assessment for learning in the middle and senior years. The schools selected for assistance in forming these learning communities represent a cross-section of Territory education and include all regions as well as urban, rural and remote locations. Participating schools include senior colleges, high schools, primary schools, CECs and, in some instances, also involves non-government schools working with their government counterparts.
Through the Indigenous Students Leadership and Mentorship program, in the past few years, we have seen some outstanding young indigenous men and women move through our schools. Secondary provision in remote communities has also highlighted the qualities of young leaders living in remote communities. Encouragement and support of these future leaders will demonstrate to their younger brothers and sisters that it is possible to achieve great things, and that education is the foundation of this achievement. Twenty-five young indigenous men and women have been selected as inaugural participants in the Indigenous Students Leadership and Mentorship program. Each student’s place on the program was officially recognised at an awards ceremony at Parliament House on Thursday, 23 September 2005. Students come from a range of urban and remote schools and locations across all regions of the Territory. Students have been working closely with their mentors who include teachers, health workers, Australian Defence Force personnel, musicians and traditional elders.
Starting Term 1 2006, students will begin to submit educational funding requests to purchase additional materials or resources that will help them develop their particular skill or interest. In the April school break, these students will take part in a three-day leadership camp. It will be an interesting program to follow over the years.
The collaborative trial sites for remote areas is an initiative that arises from the remote nature of our Territory. It involves the department investing collaboration in providing secondary education. Collaboration will allow us to obtain the critical mass of students needed for effective secondary provision. For the past three years, we have seen students completing their NTCE whilst studying in their home communities. Numbers have risen dramatically from three in the first year, to 25 in 2005. Following on from this success, there has been an overwhelming response from remote schools interested in collaborating with other schools for on-site delivery of secondary education. Responses were received from the following schools: Ramingining; Milingimbi; Gapuwiyak and Gunbalanya; Yuendumu, Papunya, Ntaria (Centralian College); Borroloola (Katherine High School; Centralian Senior College and NTOEC); Ngukurr, Minyerri, Jilkminggan, Urapuntja; Robertson River, Canteen Creek, Alpurrurulam, Epenarra, Ampilatwatja, Alekerenge; Warrawi; Batchelor Area School; Group Schools East; Alice Springs High School; Group Schools West; Numbulwar; and Catholic Education.
Ramingining CEC is the first of these schools to indicate readiness. Fifty-four secondary students, all regular attendees, have been identified to participate in the program from Year 7 to Year 12. Two secondary teachers have been appointed to Ramingining for Semester 1 2006 to support the introduction and development of the program. It is expected that increased enrolments at the school will add three staff positions generated under formula.
Combined with this initiative is the Pools of Specialist Teachers Programs. Specialist teachers will be deployed to support the delivery of secondary education in the collaborative trial sites. The first two of the 20 pool teacher positions have been allocated to Ramingining CEC to support the introduction and development of programs for the on-site delivery of secondary education. There are strong links between this initiative, collaborative school sites and distance education, which will allow for significant expansion of the already successful secondary provision in remote communities.
The fourth key category in Building Better Schools is distance education. Already complete is the establishment of the Interactive Distance Learning Studio at Katherine School of the Air for remote families and remote schools. Last year, the IDL service was put out to tender, with Optus wining the satellite transmission component and M&S Consultants winning the software provision component. This tender process has enabled the department to establish a more flexible and educationally focused tool which can be used for distance education delivery, as well as communication and education to urban and remote schools across the Territory. The studio and satellite component of the service has been provided under Building Better Schools funding as part of the government’s plan to create a leading-edge distance education service.
The IDL software, known as REACT, has been based upon a Microsoft open source product called Conference XP. The award-winning software has been developed by a local Territory company to take advantage of satellite technology to provide services to students, families and teachers across all schools in remote locations. Plans are under way to launch the IDL studio and new software in Katherine on Thursday, 9 March 2006. In broader terms, a more general and comprehensive distance education reform package is now being finalised and this will go to Cabinet in the near future.
The final and fifth category within Building Better Schools is Building Stronger School Communities with improved data collection, analysis and reporting This initiative addresses the need for meaningful and reliable data about the education and progress of the Northern Territory students. The project will improve the capacity of DEET to assemble information from schools and other operational systems in the department. It will result in enhanced business decision support reports available to schools and administrators, and improve the department’s ability to respond to requests for information and analysis. This will be achieved by centralising information, currently held in various stand-alone operational systems, into a data warehouse. The information can then be processed and analysed to create timely and relevant reports to better inform parents, teachers, schools and the community. The initial phase of the project will include the collection and analysis of student level enrolment and attendance information.
The Chief Executive Student Forum. If we consider students as being central to our efforts in education, we must be prepared to include them in the decision making. The first step, in an effort to harness student views and give students an opportunity to express their ideas about education, has been taken with the creation of the Chief Executive Student Forum. Following this consultation, a number of pilot student forums occurred in September and October and are scheduled to coincide with DEET Executive Group meetings. These forums will take place in a range of regional areas across the Territory, with schools nominating students to participate in these pilot sessions. Program structure, application procedures, and selection criteria program guidelines have been developed with considerable input from teachers, students and representatives from a number of DEET divisions. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to discuss topical educational issues directly with the Chief Executive of DEET.
All the above initiatives are works in progress. It is a credit to the Building Better Schools team within DEET that they have progressed so many of the initiatives in such a short time. There is, of course, more to come. 2006 will see the establishment of a teaching and learning framework that will complement the curriculum framework, defining the essential features of good pedagogy and classroom practice. 2006 will also see the development of individual student learning profiles for the first time, which will provide consistent and comparable student reporting across the Northern Territory.
Before the year is out, there will be in place a program known as Pathways Mentorship, which will support student learning and career pathways in the senior years from school to employment or further training in higher education. In the year ahead, an initiative known as Special Pedagogies will see students with special needs supported with specialised resources and a particular focus on ITC and new technology. Also in the pipeline is a project called Leadership and Support Roles in Communities, which will develop programs for young people to prepare them to undertake leadership and support roles in their own communities.
Throughout the course of this year, I intend to update the House from time to time on the government’s continuing reform agenda in Employment, Education and Training. There will be significant changes in our education system throughout this year and next. The Building Better Schools program is one of the more critical reform programs given its broad agenda. No one should be left in doubt about the need for an ongoing focus on education and reform of the system.
The recently-released Productivity Commission report on the services of government highlights just how much work has to be done. We believe this set of reforms will bring about significant improvement of student outcomes, which will benefit the Northern Territory in the years to come.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement to the Assembly and move that it be noted.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, before commencing my comments on this, I note that we got off to a false start with this statement because it was delivered with a message that it was going to be debated tomorrow. With that in mind, there is a lot that I want to say in this regard. I could probably say it a lot better if I had had the time to prepare, as I thought I had. Nonetheless, I, indeed, welcome the statement and look forward to the coming statements on education.
I agree with the minister; this is a most important area in the development of the Northern Territory. We talk a lot about the economy. The economy provides the capacity and the resources to be able to achieve our dreams but, unless we have education properly in place and aligned with our aspirations and the capacity of people, we will not be able to achieve it. It plays a critical role. I sometimes reflect that the combination of portfolios that the Treasurer and the Education minister hold together are so important; both of those are critical portfolios. I acknowledge that it must be an honour to hold that great responsibility of those two key components to unlock the potential of the Territory.
We are talking about the reform of education. They are good words and people instinctively get excited when reform is spoken of. However, reform is to re-shape. There is some re-shaping, but it is more like, let us say, renovations of existing premises. What draws people’s attention to the word reform is that they think it is going to be something completely new; a complete restructure.
There were many recommendations within the Ramsey review that pitched straight at that line. Proposed in the recommendations, were some which were, indeed, significant restructure, re-shaping, re-doing or reassessing of the way education is delivered. I will continue to listen and watch and see that some of those recommendations which seem to have drifted a fair way back from the attention of this government are responded to.
One of them, in particular, is the assessment of school performance and the agency - that was recommended within the Ramsey review - that would be able to help inform us of the performance and progress of a school itself, in growing enrolments, academic outcomes, the in-servicing of teachers, and being able to track students as they proceed through their education journey and beyond once they have left Year 12. These mechanisms, I believe, had great merit and I ask that they be responded to. I watch to see whether some of the references to forthcoming activity and reports of the minister will actually capture some of those elements. They appear to by title, but I am not so sure whether they will in substance.
Regarding review, reform and restructure in eduction, it is important to consider that education is produced by the department, teachers, and the education industry. They are the producers of education. In some respects, as a model to help describe this, education is a product that is produced for the consumer, which is the general population striving to meet its social and educational ambitions and aspirations. It appears that, for many years, education in our nation and here in the Territory has been captured by the producers of education - the department. To my view - and it is a growing debate within the country - education is controlled by the producers of education; being the unions and the Education Department.
Often, the references that come across in this Chamber refer to the minister for Education being, in fact, the minister for the Department of Education when, in fact, it is a product that has been produced for the consumer which is to serve the broader and ongoing deeper needs of the community. That is why the argument about proper, clear reporting so that the consumers - being the mums and the dads and industry - can understand what is actually happening in education. If reporting is being pitched to cover and to protect the producer of education, it is a very unclear message for the consumer; the mums and dads. They do not know how their kids are actually going. Industry is unsure whether literacy standards are actually improving when the kids are ready to take up apprenticeship, without having to re-invest in basic literacy and numeracy. That is what happens when the producer of education, being the Department of Education, controls education.
We need to shift that paradigm so that education serves the need of our society rather than serving its own institutional need. That is why debates such as outcomes-based education are critical. It is so difficult to get a handle on outcomes-based education for the average person, as they do not quite understand how you can measure such things. They are measured in such vague and ambiguous ways that often teachers have difficulty in actually being able to capture any kind of improvement in education.
Consequently, the reports that go home to parents contain vague and ambiguous language. Parents are lulled into a sense that, hopefully, their children are learning something. That is what happens in outcomes-based education; it is very difficult to capture and to measure. As a result, a lot of our kids, particularly boys, become confused. They do not quite know whether they are achieving. They like to know they are learning things - how to spell a word, how to remember the names of rivers and explorers, our past history, the traditional owners and some of the stories. They need to know real, measurable facts. Boys in particular need to know things such as their tables and really basic subjects, so they know they are actually making some progress.
Those types of debate are really important because we are seeing some problems emerging in education in continuing with vague and ambiguous talk that does not really go to the heart of a problem. That is why I like to start with that conceptual approach to the way education is viewed. I believe that the current debate is actually assisting us in getting a better handle on how we can improve in education.
With that as a foundation, we move then to the first section in the report which was VET. We are moving in the right direction, I believe. However, in considering what we are endeavouring to achieve in education and to reinforce those kids who, in former times, would have clearly been identified as being in the trades and technical stream, we need to be far clearer and decisive about that in our education approaches, so that the kids who are already identified by about Year 7 - hopefully, in the middle years of schooling - will be able to achieve this. They will know that they are as equally valued as the kid who is going on the tertiary stream, and that, when they graduate and go into an apprenticeship or a traineeship, there will be a formal celebration and recognition of their achievement. The school will also equally be informed that these kids are successes. Once we have achieved that, then our skill shortage problem will disappear.
However, our education system still perpetrates this myth that the kids who are pitching towards the university side of the education enterprise are the successes - they are the brainy ones who do really well at school; the other kids do not do so well at school. That is false and our society and our community has reinforced that untruth to the great detriment, particularly of our young lads. We see them wandering around our streets unsure of themselves and resorting to destructive means to draw attention to themselves and get some kind of recognition. We must be able to clearly and unambiguously celebrate achievement, particularly in the trades and technical streams, and identify clearly a viable stream that opens up where kids get real skills that are measurable, and they recognise that they have made progress.
I acknowledge the reference to new models and I offer support in the exploration of these. I hope that those new models bring value back into the trade and technical study rooms within our high schools. They still stand largely and, sadly, as testaments to the lack of value for trade and technical skills because they are often the room where all the broken desks and rubbish is stored. They need to be as valuable and as revered as the science laboratory in schools. That is a new model that I would encourage the minister to continue to assist in achieving, along with new models of delivery. It is sad to go out to Borroloola and see a nicely equipped facility that once delivered trade and technical skills - welding, mechanics and so on - closed up and padlocked. I do not know the story behind it; the minister probably does or has access to the story behind it. I understand there are facilities like this around the place. People wandering around the community would probably appreciate being able to be given an opportunity to learn some real skills. Whatever happened there, I do not know, but it is a problem that must be fixed.
Moving on to the middle years of schooling, the debate and discussions in our community has gone on for a long period of time. We only have to look around at what has happened in other states. In fact, in Indonesia, their schooling system is based on this approach where you have the SD, which is the primary schools which finishes around Grade 6. Then there is the middle school SMP, and then SA or SMU, which is in the senior secondary, pretty much identical to what we are referring to here, as in the United States and some places in Europe. Middle years of schooling clearly will recognise those kids in the middle who are going through adolescents change – they are not kids anymore but they are not adults. We do need to change the way that education is delivered to them because, in the formal structure we have adopted, they get lost.
That goes back to the way that we base and structure the curriculum to meet these middle years of schooling. If we are going to address curriculum - and I speak with some experience here because I was directly involved in the establishment of a middle school in Palmerston which is still operating. That was established at the same time as Essington. I will continue to recount what I believe are the lessons that were thrown up by that experience. It is not an easy thing to implement middle years of schooling. It is an easy concept to sell; people get excited about it and it makes a lot of sense, but the implementation of it is very difficult and very challenging for two reasons. One is teachers need to be properly and thoroughly prepared for it, as is the community also. On the face of it, it is going to be rather attractive and fairly simple to implement but, underneath that, there are some complications. Expectations will change but, primarily, the teachers need to be soundly prepared.
As the minister and this government has taken a long time to consult and to get themselves prepared for the implementation stage of this raft of recommendations, I urge proceeding to the next stage with great sensitivity, because this is where the process could become very difficult. At the same time, the minister and this government is going to have some courage of their convictions to drive it through because it is not going to be easy. Once again, back to the teachers - they will find it the most difficult. As in today’s report, the NT News has reflected, from time to time, the number of teachers who leave the profession. If this is not handled properly, there will be additional stress on teachers. Hopefully not, but we will possibly see more teachers leave as the result of the pressures that will be brought to bear on their delivery of the middle years schooling approach.
I say that because of what was reinforced to me when we had the round of community consultation in Palmerston. I came home to hear a report that one of the teachers at the local middle school had decided to call it quits in the middle of the fourth term because of the pressure. As we know, with innovative approaches like the Montessori approach and so on, they are great but they can lead to teachers bearing very heavy loads. That part of it needs to be properly developed first. The teachers carry the burden; they must be prepared properly.
The other problem that often occurs in the middle years of schooling, from experience, is the approach that is taken with the curriculum. If the curriculum is vague and ambiguous, it becomes difficult to manage the behaviour of the kids - particularly the boys, once again - because they want a sense that they are actually achieving something. Kids at that stage are at sea, largely. They are not quite sure what the world means; they are trying to make sense of it. They have flashes of confidence and then they have moments of despair and confusion. The way to anchor them is to make sure that they have a solid curriculum that is quite measurable; where they are learning skills. At the same time, they have the other schematic approaches. However, they really need a strong anchor and a clear, measurable outcome to their achievement so that they actually know things at the end. Hopefully, this will come up, and it will if we listen to the broad range of experience that, largely, has been arrived at through the non-government sector in the Northern Territory and around the country.
Finally, on that point, the recommendation came up quite early, a couple of years ago. If we are going to move to middle schools, my recommendation, based on experience, is that the model is properly established and then it is trialled and is allowed to grow. We cannot afford to fail in this, because we are dealing with a sensitive age group. We are making some fairly deep and fundamental changes to the way education is delivered. We need to allow teachers to move to it - so that the parents see that we are putting something in place that wins and succeeds - and help us to achieve the things that we are concerned about; that is, those kids who get lost from Year 7 to Year 9.
I do not believe we are going to make any real progress in indigenous education until we step up to the plate and link attendance at school with family benefits. We have to make that link. If we do not do that, we are going to be continually well-intentioned but not actually making any progress. Mutual obligation is real and I believe it is understood; it is just waiting for the leadership to be shown. There will be many good folk out there who want someone to stand up and take that approach. It is going to be hard, there will be resistance, but it has to occur; that is, the linking of attendance at school to the benefits that flow to a family.
At the same time, I ask the minister and this government to respond to the call for bilingual education. There are varying views on bilingual education. It is my belief that bilingual education is critical to strengthening our indigenous capacity to be involved in education in a meaningful way, particularly from the early childhood section, so we have the dual language and the establishment of meaning. It also brings in other members of the community who can then have an entry point into education.
I celebrate with the minister the leadership program. It is a great initiative. I was here for the launch of it. I know some of the kids involved and I hope that that follows through with real strength all the way through to the end.
The reference to collaborative models is good stuff, and I hope that that has the right support behind it to allow the objectives to be genuinely achieved.
I note there is no reference to the previous statement about indigenous education, where there was reference about the signing of agreements with communities. I wonder, minister, how many of those agreements have been signed with communities? I have heard no reference to it. It was the central plank of your last statement, but there has been silence since. If we see the approach taken at Irrkerlantye, I can only brace myself for disappointment. I hope I am not, but the approach at Irrkerlantye shows that the rhetoric has not matched the action.
Moving to Irrkerlantye, there are some disturbing issues underlying the approach of this Labor government to the families involved at Irrkerlantye - plenty of strong arguments, and you hold your position well. However I spent enough time to try to make sense of what was driving the minister to make such an announcement, particularly on an inauspicious day for that community, being Melbourne Cup day. The reasons have been offered, and each of them have been subject to a response from the community and found lacking. So it leads me to wonder: what really was the motive?
I fear there is a deeper issue at work, going back to the beginning. The department is in control. The department deemed that school not suitable, it does not fit into their scheme, and said, ‘We do not want it’. I feel there is an even deeper issue and it is an ideological issue. That school has an association with the non-government sector, and the government sector, the Education Department, wants nothing to do with it. I fear those forces are actually driving this decision. If that is the case, it is very disturbing and one of those stories that will be continued.
It is good to see counsellors in high schools but they are needed in primary schools for teacher support. That is where the problem begins to emerge and that is when the opportunity is to address these problems. It will appear good because the problem is most manifest in the high school. However, if you really are serious about addressing the problems, you start in the primary schools. It was very interesting looking at the outcomes of the leadership forum that was held a couple of weeks ago which was referred to this morning. They have identified early childhood as a need of a national focus and that is why counsellors were directed towards the primary schools would be far more effective in actually meeting any of these problems at their cause. You have greater access to the families and are able to make the noticeable changes in a real way.
I am very pleased to hear the media comments of recent times from the member for Braitling. There are too many kids who are wandering when they should be at school. Maybe it is the old principle in me, but I cannot sit in my electorate office and see a bunch of kids go past wheeling BMX bikes in the middle of a school day. Just recently - in fact, I think it was the same day you made your comments - there were about six of them came through our shopping centre. I encourage anyone who observes this; it is important that we, as a community, speak to these kids. When I speak to most people about it they say they are frightened to say anything to them. However, there are ways of speaking to them. I went out and said: ‘Shouldn’t you boys be at school?’ They did not really have an answer, they did not feel they wanted to answer. I managed to drill down a little deeper and got some answers from them. These kids ranged in age from about 16 down to 11 and were wandering through Palmerston. They had their BMX bikes. They looked like they were up to no good. One of them said he belonged to Sanderson High School; another at Palmerston High School; one from Wagaman Primary School; and one from Dripstone. They had all got together and gone for a ride through Palmerston, and they got up to quite a lot of mischief on that day in Palmerston. They informed me that they did not have to go to school because ‘Mum said it was okay’.
I advised them that that was not really satisfactory and I would not mind phoning their mum. They were not able to provide me with phone numbers to make the phone calls on their behalf. What became evident was, with the exception of the primary school boy, all the rest should have been in high school. None of them had been at high school yet. It was the second week of school and they had not fronted at their respective high school. There needs to be great clarity of the role from primary school to high school to track their transition. Those kids are smart. They may not be doing well at school, they may have difficulty reading, but they know a gap in the fence when they see one. They will wander off, not register at the school, and have a great time for two or three weeks until they get reined in. They had coppers chasing them through Palmerston because they got up to mischief. Finally, they will be reined in and sent to a school but that is two or three weeks late. We need to make sure that gap is closed, that they are followed through. It is a very difficult thing but there is a gap; they spot it and they take the opportunity to exploit that gap.
Finally, Building School Communities is good stuff. I would like to have one platform thrust in there - school councils. They are well-intentioned, good folk who step up to the plate and take very important responsibilities in their school communities. I have nothing but admiration for those good folk who step up to the plate and take up those responsibilities. At the AGMs that I go to, most often they say: ‘I am not sure that I can do it but I want to. Will someone help me with it?’ They often feel insufficient in their abilities but they are, nonetheless, prepared to do it. Then they are basically left.
If we are serious about engaging the consumers of education, the ones we are actually serving - the mums and dads and the families - we need to make sure that those who step up to the mark and play that important role on the school councils are given proper in-servicing, training and back-up. The central part of that is being able to understand the money story; that they are shown how to understand the financial statements, so that they can play a meaningful and informed role. Most of them go through the process feeling insecure and unable to understand what is going on. They are empowered once they understand the money story. How many boards or councils have we been on where there is a financial person there and everybody else is taking their word for gospel, because they are not sure how to read a balance sheet or how the money story works.
There has been a consistent call from COGSO that that kind of support be provided. I fully support that. We must support those parents who step up to the mark so that they can play an informed and meaningful role. It is a very valuable investment in our society and our community, because these civic-minded people need to be shown that they are valued, provided with the support, back-up and training because they will go on to other places and serve too, on other committees. It is a great way of capturing them. It will not cost a lot of money, but it is a funding that could go to COGSO to provide this level of training for our school council members. For all those school council people out there who are preparing to either continue or to take up the responsibilities from these AGMs, I wish you all the best because you are so critical to the role of education because, unless the child is provided with education within the context of a family, it does not achieve. It might achieve the institutional requirements of the Department of Education, but that is not education, that is just the requirements of education, ticking all their boxes and achieving their outcomes. The outcomes are actually achieved and unpacked in the context of a family and that is why the families are so important in education.
The way I would like to finish this is remembering that we are serving the families, industry and the ongoing and long-term and unfolding needs of our society, and not the needs of the Department of Education. I would like to see the end of ideological battles and make sure that we are actually achieving real objectives that are not institutional objectives, but societal objectives, and we are putting those resources in place. Then we will start to make real progress.
Hopefully, those words provide some assistance to the minister. Maybe we will enter a political debate and move backwards and forwards; I hope not. They are offered in a well-intentioned way, and we can have a sensible debate on it at some stage I trust.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the motion.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to commend the minister for bringing forward a statement that allows us to range fairly widely around some of the key issues that we are working on in education at the moment. I would like to confine my remarks to particular issues that we are aware of in Central Australia and the challenges that our school education faces in our region within the Territory.
I would like to start with the proposition that we have probably reached the end of a time where we can actually afford to treat our bush education programs and urban programs in Central Australia as two separate systems. My reason for saying this is that even a very quick look at the demography or the change in demography of the region would show that it is almost impossible now to treat the educational interests of a student, in either the urban or the bush school programs, without having to look at the potential for that particular student to require relevance to both those settings.
What we are seeing, in very crude terms, is not a trickle of people leaving the remote communities, but quite a significant flood. In my electorate, communities such as Yuendumu where there used to be 700 or 800 people, you will see 450 or 500. You could go back over the school attendances of any of the Central Australian schools and, historically, they were much higher than they are today. At Yuendumu School, which I am most familiar with, we were used to catering to 230 students in the various programs in that school in the time I was principal there. You would not see anything like that today; they would be well below 150. Where have all the other people gone? They have, largely, gone into town as a result of young adults seeing there is very little on offer for them in the remote communities in the way of employment or chosen lifestyle, and taken their kids with them.
Once in town, appropriate programs to cater for those kids - whether they are of primary or secondary school age - would have more in common with a refugee program overseas than it would have with a normalised government program in Australia. We are dealing with refugees; with families who are no longer seeing a viable lifestyle in their homeland but have precious little skills to deal with the challenges of living in an urban centre. They become refugee consumers who are, basically, only treated as consumers of goods in the town. They have no constructive engagement with employment within town, and there is no engagement with many of those kids with the educational programs which we are trying to offer. There is not even any certainty within the system as to which school they should belong to; whether it is out bush, at the home community or in town.
You only have to go around the town camps of Alice Springs to realise there are hundreds of kids there of school age - either primary or secondary - who are not engaged in our education programs. I know that both the Chief Minister and the minister for Education have adopted a major priority to see those kids engaged in school programs wherever that might be; wherever we can get them participating with their families. That, of itself, raises a whole series of issues. It is all very well to say: ‘Let us get them participating’. However, how do you do that?
Irrkerlantye has raised as many issues as it may have attempted to solve, in that it is one model of getting parental involvement and trying to achieve education outcomes. In my view, the minister made a correct decision regarding the educational outcomes. In an earlier contribution to the debate on that program in this House, I said there were enormous potentials, as well as the problems which need to be addressed in the Irrkerlantye programs and the history through to the present time. We will work through Irrkerlantye, and that is happening as we speak. The aim of that is to achieve what the minister has put forward, which is to transition those kids into educational programs which give them some guarantee of decent educational outcomes. It will be interesting to see the relationship which emerges between the Irrkerlantye students and their families, and whichever host school or schools they opt to relate to.
The questions it raises in my mind are probably wider across the Central Australian education system; that is, what models and examples are available to engage parents and kids who are currently outside the education system to take up an involvement and try to achieve some skills - whether it be the ability to live in the general community or to gain employment later in life, and just generally be more functional citizens?
We have the learning centre at Larapinta Valley and its relationship to Gillen Primary. I believe there is scope for host school arrangements to be introduced more broadly around town with our primary schools so that there can be established on-campus sub-programs at schools to allow kids to transition into a more normalised program alongside the family and cultural settings that they might want to also have around them. There is no reason for those not to co-exist, and school sub-programs have been part of Labor’s policy from the 2001 election as a response to truancy or antisocial behaviour on the part of the students or groups of students within a school community. Those sub-programs can be out-posted, as it is with Larapinta Valley, as it is currently with Irrkerlantye. They can equally be a sub-program on-campus with specialised arrangements surrounding a group of kids who have some common interests and needs.
All of those are means of taking family involvement into a school community with the students. I hope that, with a constructive attitude to it, we can use those existing examples of Irrkerlantye in the aspect that it has achieved quite strong parental buy-in on their programs, and Larapinta Valley, which has also achieved very strong family buy-in on the programs that they are running - far more so than the standard school programs and arrangements with school councils, and contact with families and councillors has been able to achieve in other primary schools around the town.
There are very important lessons to be learned and applied, generally, to the challenge of engaging these students who are currently outside the education system and facing a pretty gloomy future. They are refugee kids; they need to be brought into the normal support arrangements that we have - whether that be health, education, or the social support that Alice Springs is very proud of offering to its citizens in the general sense.
These are very specific challenges that have come out of the demographic changes that are occurring very rapidly now in Central Australia. As I said, you can no longer assume that those kids belong to remote education, and that the town schools simply deal with families that happen to live more permanently in households around the town. We have to be more flexible to follow these kids in, to deal with their induction into the programs by which we bring all of our kids up in Alice Springs.
Equally, we have to follow these needs out to our remote education programs. Again, whether it be primary or secondary in our remote schools, it is no longer enough to relate the school purely to the home community, to the homelands that the school is based in. We have to prepare kids, from an early as possible age right through to the time that they become adults, to have a constructive relationship with the wider region and country that they, overall, belong to - and that is Australia, of course. They have to be citizens of Australia, citizens of Central Australia, as well as citizens living in their home community. The challenge is to get away from the parochial, closed systems that we have often seen out in bush communities, and start working on relevance of all of our population centres, one to the other - whether that be regular contacts and use of town facilities by remote communities, and some exchange out to remote communities from town. We have to find ways of creating a very strong discourse between remote-based students and the town they are going to have to relate to increasingly into the future or even, potentially, live in the town and work there if things work out for them.
I believe that the remote programs that we are setting up at secondary level should absolutely have to relate to town-based school programs and to the town in general. We need to have hosting arrangements - whether it be in Alice Springs or in other regional towns - to not only turn out secondary graduates who have achieved the academic standards needed right through to Year 12. Good on them if we can improve on the increasingly good outcomes that we are getting in the bush; 25 graduates of Year 12 is a great result, when you look back a couple of years at how few were getting through at that stage. Those graduates need to be functional in urban centres, and to have a constructive and mature relationship with other areas that they may choose to live and work in. One of the advantages, I guess, of graduating kids out bush is that they are not only retaining a strong bond to their cultural homelands and to their families at the remote community, but they are developing skills that should make them more functional in urban centres elsewhere in Australia and the Northern Territory.
I believe you have to do more than just assume they are going to go off and immediately make good in an urban centre. There needs to be formal elements of the programs that are conducted in town and where those students learn to use the town facilities more fully to develop their own network of people that they know and can work with in town; therefore, the town is not this other alien environment where they become fringe dwellers in our urban centres. They need to be fully functional, to come in and do whatever they choose to do as Australians coming into a place like Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine or Darwin. That can be very strongly worked as one of the themes in our secondary education. I do not think we are favouring these kids by purely basing their secondary programs in the remote community to which they were born.
The other issue that I have with creating a single approach to the education programs in the region is that it is more stable. We have had great results from some of the remote-based secondary programs. George and Robyn Hewitson and teachers like them have had to have an absolutely fanatical commitment to those kids and to their professional work to achieve those results. Can you reproduce that, teacher by teacher, generation by generation? We have to build stable systems where the contribution of a particular teacher or group of teachers can be backed up by a wider professional input to the programs, so if you lose one or one moves, or a couple move from one place to another or leave altogether, you are not going to lose the enormous energy and commitment from a particular delivery point.
That all argues for a network of educational delivery which includes our urban centres as well as the remote delivery centres if we are going to continue to build up secondary education in remote areas. I have said repeatedly in this House that it is an absolutely key challenge, and I am delighted that our government and this minister has launched us into that great challenge. If there was nothing else that this government produced over its lifetime, if it produced that, it will go down in history as being a very crucial initiative and accomplishment for us.
I hope that I have not overstated the case for a rethink about how we deliver education in Central Australia, but I honestly believe seeing the fate of some of the young kids that are coming into town, with no skills and no constructive relationship with the town, you have to say we have to do things differently. You have to say that there has to be some preparation, some formal relationship established before those families move in, taking their kids with them. We cannot allow a generation of young indigenous kids who come in from the bush to simply consume themselves to death within 30 years. We have to do better than that. The way to do it is to start thinking about our education system as a single system in Central Australia. The bush and urban schools are simply part of the network that we are going to use to support and develop these kids and make them into really functional citizens in our region.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, I can certainly commend the Minister for Central Australia for some of the comments he has just made about education. I guess there is one thing that we all know; that is, that education is a moveable feast. What we had as children many years ago is not what would be suitable or acceptable today. Education has to move with the times, and it is a great demand on schools and teachers to provide what the expectations of community and parents are all about. When we are looking at Building Better Schools, I guess the minister is really focusing on the future. I say to the minister: remember that the Territory is a very big place and what might be suitable for one part of the Territory might not be suitable for another, and I have said that before. What may be suitable for bush schools or remote schools may not suit town schools and vice versa.
I want to comment, first of all, on the recommendation of having the Years 7 to 9 as a middle school. The minister is well aware that this is probably the area that concerns people in Alice Springs most of all. I have had representation over the last couple of days when people knew this statement was coming up.
The Year 7s have been in junior high schools for many years in Alice Springs, quite successfully. Junior high schools have coped extremely well. We have two great schools, ANZAC High and Alice Springs High, and the staff are dedicated and do a great job. It proves that Year 7s can be integrated very well into the middle school, and the primary schools would say to you: ‘Please, do not send them back, they are too big for us now’. However, if you then put Year 10s into a senior secondary college, you are actually creating a problem within our town. I am glad the minister is going back for community consultation about this because, although it may suit the Darwin model, it may cause difficulties for the Alice Springs model.
We have one senior school, Centralian College. It also receives students from two private schools, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and St Philip’s, who do subjects at Centralian. It is a great cooperative model. If you put the Year 10s in, you are then reducing our two junior highs to Years 7, 8 and 9 and you would find that most teachers in those schools would say to you: ‘Our Year 10s are not ready for that model of Years 11 and 12’. Really, it is quite a different model and there is a lot more responsibility put back onto students, and a different teaching style. What has happened is that the teachers in the junior high schools have actually adapted their teaching styles to suit and fit in with the younger children. Therefore, there is more of an approach where the students are comfortable, are stable, and relate well to their teachers. Whereas, when you get into the big secondary school, you tend to be a bit more on your own and a lot more is thrown on the students.
Please be careful when you are looking at this changeover. I understand the concerns that are being echoed to me by people in Central Australia. The Years 7 to 10 model has worked well for us, so is there really any need for us to change? I heard what the Minister for Central Australia was saying: not everything suits the same situation, scenario or each town. I suggest that, if you want to make moves in some part of the Territory, fine. However, do not change something for the sake of change, if what is already happening is working well.
The system across the Territory already has variation; we do not have a common system. We have four-year-olds going into primary school in some schools, whereas other schools do not take them. As I say, we have different combinations of year levels. You have remote schools where students can actually range from preschool right through. Because we can accommodate different models, that is what is important. I know that in March there is going to be more community consultation in Alice Springs and I just hope, you will listen to what parents and teachers in particular are saying, because the experience we have had at the moment is working well, it is doing okay.
I like your push for VET in Schools. It is, obviously, something that is really important. We should see more of it in the big bush communities like Yuendumu, Papunya, and Willowra. Let us get VET back out there and start giving those students opportunities to be occupied. Let us face it; not all kids are academic. We should not want all our children to go to university. We went through this error, I guess, where it seemed to be important that everyone had to have a university education. Perhaps that is why we have this shortage of skilled people within our work force. There are a lot of students who are not academically inclined. I ask the minister if he can push VET down even lower into the middle school? Can you give opportunities to those young people in the middle schools who, perhaps, are not that rapt in school but might be quite happy to do other things? For instance, there were some activities at Orange Creek Station. Some of the things Katherine Rural School did were great. We have facilities in Alice Springs called Hamilton Downs. Let us be a bit flexible in the way we think, and create programs which will keep these young people occupied and give them a bit more direction in life so school does not become a drag and they do not wag and get into mischief in our shopping centres and so on. I would like to see VET go down even further than where it is now.
I like the idea of qualified counsellors in your secondary schools. However, I am a little in tune with what the member for Blain said; early intervention is the greatest way of helping. Obviously, primary schools already identify those students who need counselling. I would like to see a sharing of counsellors, if that is possible, from the high schools to the primary schools so that primary schools know they can access it, the way they already access the school nurse. You have the school nurses in high schools who can also go into primary schools. School-based policemen can also be in high schools and be referred back to primary schools. Why not the counsellors? I know it is a massive task, but if we can grab these young people who have problems at an early age, we may help readjust them so they do not go off the rails when they get into senior school.
You talked about staffing allocation and you are quite right; the staffing allocation is old hat. It was based on formula and that is not the best thing for schools. There has to be a bit of flexibility in the way staff is allocated to schools so they can actually decide how they want to do it. What worries me most of all is that the staffing formula is based on attendance and enrolment, and schools seem to worry too much about whether, if they lose so many more students they are going to lose a teacher. I know of a school at the moment that says: ‘We are on the verge; we might lose our second deputy’. That is something they should not have to concern themselves about. If you have a workload and a job to do in a school, it should not depend on the number of students. That is why it is old hat and it is good that you are going to be looking at the staffing formula. I hope it will help.
The Minister for Central Australia mentioned Irrkerlantye. I think what you did is sad. What has occurred since? Giving them 10 weeks reprieve will not really solve the problem, as I bet when the 10 weeks are up they still will not know where they are going. I know they are looking at different options and that there is a meeting next Tuesday with the parents and the committee members to go over some of the options they are looking at. They are all good. However, when you get a model which actually suits a community, why disrupt it? If there is a model that is different from the norm, it does not mean to say it is bad or it should not be good. If you have a model that is working for that particular community or group of people, then you should be supporting and encouraging it.
One thing they have commented to me about is that they still have not really received anything from you to tell them why you made this decision. You have not really put in writing anything to justify your decision. You might think about doing that. It would not hurt if you went and talked to the parents more and, perhaps, you need to listen to them also. You have created a scenario that was, to my mind, unnecessary. Whether you have got a bit of bad advice, I am not sure. It is probably departmental thinking that puts education and schools in boxes, and if they do not fit that mould, then they will get rid of them.
However, that is not the way education operates these days. I guarantee, if you go into a number of different schools, you will find different models occurring. It does not mean to say they are wrong; that they are not achieving. I ask you to rethink Irrkerlantye.. Help them make the right decisions. If you have real concerns - and I have heard you express some of them - let the parents know fully so they understand exactly because, quite often, some of them just think it has come out of the sky and they really cannot understand why. I know the Catholic Church has put a lot of effort into them there. There are 43 students attending Irrkerlantye at the moment. I believe you will find, because of what you have done, you have strengthened the spirit of that community. It would be good if you could, in fact, strengthen it even further.
I have to give you a pat on the back. The inclusion policy - remember I talked to you about that? We had a number of parents approach us about the children with developmental delays, and you said that you would act upon that. Well, I am very pleased to say that the Ross Park Primary School opened their class with a teacher and two support people. There are approximately 12 children there at the moment. I am glad I am not in the classroom now, because I would find it hard to cope with being part of this inclusion policy, where you have to teach not just 30 kids of all different abilities in all different levels, but have these children with special needs and try to cater for them as well. It is a huge task we are asking of our schools. That is why I believe taking these students and giving them early learning in a different scenario, and integrate them for other activities where they will not place huge demands on teachers and be so disruptive to the class is the way to go. The feedback I got from parents who were part of the lobby group for that, is that they are extremely pleased about having that particular class set up.
Regarding individual student learning profiles, sometimes we expect teachers to have this enormous workload in addition to teaching in their classroom. I was a classroom teacher. I used to spend a huge amount of time just preparing to teach, preparing for my day. However, now we put all these additional demands on our teachers. I hope - and you have mentioned professional development in your paper - that they do get that time, as part of professional development with any new system that you ask teachers to take on, for the right training and time to adapt. I do not believe we should be taking teachers away from the classroom too often. They are valuable in the classroom and that is where they do their best work. Let us not overload them with administrative work.
I have looked at some of the reports that were sent home from students at different schools, and I was just amazed at the amount of content. I believe what parents really want is not a big, verbose report. They just want to know what is the common standard for this class; whether their child is achieving those standards and going to the next class, having reached and fulfilled all the competencies they should have for that class; or are they still behind, and how they can help them pick up so they do not have that problem. Remember, if you are expecting teachers to do more administrative-type work, please make sure they have that time to learn and adapt.
I cannot not make a comment about the airconditioning at Braitling Primary School tonight. I guess that is something that we have been consumed with for some time. Alice Springs’ weather has changed; there is no doubt about it. It is no longer the dry heat of the old days. We had all these days in the high temperatures which were very humid, and the old swampies that we have in our homes and schools to cool the place just do not work - simple as that. It is not just Braitling that had the problem. Because the heat in the classroom is something like 38C at 9 am, they had five busloads of students go to Bradshaw every day, because Bradshaw at least had the space and a chilled airconditioning system. Whatever was there was just not working very well at all.
We need a plan to gradually upgrade the airconditioning systems in our schools, as some of them are extremely old. At Ross Park, for instance, they still rattle and roll on the window. As well as Sadadeen Primary School, there are lot of schools and I would imagine it is just as bad out in the remote schools and their airconditioning systems need looking at. It is a big program, but I ask the minister to think about putting in a plan to upgrade the airconditioning within our schools throughout the Territory. Of course, I would really appreciate it if you started with Braitling Primary School because I am quite sure they need it as well.
Indigenous education probably has to be one of the more difficult areas because, quite often, as parents, our expectations sometimes are not reflected in the expectations of the parents of the schools out there. It is probably because we have had a couple of generations who have not stayed at school. I talked about truancy the other day and I was a little disappointed in your response. I thought you were a bit flippant about it. On talkback radio today there were shopkeepers and parents saying no one seems to be doing anything about it. If we are going to get results that we want to get from our students, we have to get them back to school. It is as simple as that. If you go down into town camps in Alice Springs, you will find there are a lot of students from remote communities who should not be there. There are a lot of students not attending Yipirinya or the other schools in town. We have, again, some good models where places like Gillen have gone into town camps and set up annexes which have worked well.
However, we also need to make sure we give the teachers in the bush great support. It is extremely hard to work in isolation and not to have that contact. There was a system whereby the group schools were able to meet once a term and teachers could talk about some of the issues they had teaching in the bush in their schools. Anything we can do to support teachers and encourage them, we should.
I was pleased to be at the Board of Studies presentation the other day. We do have excellent results. It is perhaps, unfortunate, that our best teachers sometimes end up in the senior secondary schools because we want good results. Overall, we could say that the standard the students are achieving in their Year 12 is to be commended. I was particularly happy to see - and I have forgotten her first name - the young Buzzacott lass who won the award for Indigenous Achievement for the Territory ...
Mr Stirling: Cherisse.
Mrs BRAHAM: That is right. That was great to see and that is a credit to her and her family. She is an amazing young lady because she also was working part-time at McDonald’s and has gone back to McDonald’s to work before she goes off to university. It is a great credit to her that she is actually doing that.
Minister, thank you for your update on where we are. Please, in particular, think about what I have said about the middle school. That is particularly important for us in Alice Springs. All I can say is thanks to the teachers and the principals out there; they do a great job. I know it is hard work, it is tough going. Anything we can do to pat them on the back, we should.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Mr Deputy Speaker, for a relatively short period of time during my first term as member for Arafura, prior to my appointment as a minister, I was parliamentary secretary assisting the minister for Education, a role which involved working closely with the committee established to oversee implementation of the recommendations of the Learning Lessons review into indigenous education in the Territory. I was privileged to observe and participate in the enormous tasks faced by that committee, and commend the efforts of its members, in particular its chair person, Esther Djayhgurrnga, principal of the Gunbalanya School in my own electorate. The policy initiatives flying from the recommendations of the Ramsey report, which are the subject of the ministerial statement by the minister, are clearly designed to complement and enhance rather than to compete with or undermine the policy initiatives that were already in place as a result of the Learning Lessons review.
As outlined in the ministerial statement, the policy initiatives that have been adopted in response to the recommendations of the Ramsey report are extensive, varied and far-reaching and are already beginning to show positive results in some areas. As the elected representative for a bush seat with a predominantly indigenous population, I am heartened by the minister’s and our government’s emphasis on increasing the effectiveness and quality of secondary education for remote community students with the goal, of course, to try to get as many students as possible to successfully complete Year 12, and progress from there into tertiary education or skilled trade apprenticeships.
For some years, it has been asserted by pessimists - and this school of thought is unfortunately growing rather than dwindling in its size and influence - that not just remote area indigenous education, but remote area communities themselves are doomed. The general thrust of their argument is that Aboriginal children should be sent to public schools in mainstream urban centres or, if finances permit, to private boarding schools, and that Aboriginal adults should be forced to seek employment in established regional towns. That political and philosophical position is an anathema to most of my constituents whose challenge in life is to combine the fulfilment of sincerely and devoutly-held cultural and spiritual obligations with achieving some degree of objectively sustainable economic and social independence. It is, unfortunately, true that many communities are dysfunctional in some respects, although we need to be very careful not to exaggerate the negatives to the exclusion of the positives that can usually be found, in even those communities that are in crisis. We also need to remind ourselves that substance abuse, crime, unemployment and learned hopelessness are features in mainstream Territory towns and communities as well, and not just amongst indigenous families.
We also need to be aware of remote Aboriginal community success stories. Maningrida, in the western Arnhem Land portion of my electorate, is one of the largest remote area Aboriginal communities in the Territory. The land area surrounding the town of Maningrida sustains many long-established smaller outstation communities. Those communities are assisted and serviced by a large and successful organisation called Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation. In partnership with the Department of Education, Employment and Training, Bawinanga has, for many years now, maintained a primary education program for outstation children. Bawinanga is also a national role model when it comes to the establishment and successful operation of indigenous owned and controlled community businesses, from arts and craft, native plants horticulture, and the harvesting of crocodile eggs, to the production of mud bricks and their use in local construction. The combined community of Maningrida and its outstations demonstrates to all of us how, in a plural society like the Territory, Aboriginal aspirations and progress towards universal goals of education, employment and economic security and wellbeing for families can be accommodated without doing a Pol Pot in reverse and sending all the bush mob into town.
Given the achievements of Maningrida people in a number of fields, it is, therefore, no surprise to me that the Maningrida CEC has been recognised as a Territory leader in getting indigenous secondary students through Year 12. For the information of all members, Maningrida is the first remote school where students have achieved their NTCE two years in a row. The numbers went up from three in 2004 to eight in 2005.
A lot of this recognition is due to the many dedicated and hardworking staff at Maningrida CEC, the community, and those parents who want to see a better outcome for their children. I wish, in this speech, to single out the now-retired Helen Bond-Sharp, who spent much of her working life as a teacher at Maningrida, and the former principal, Lyn Hollow, who has now taken on the role of Principal at Nightcliff High School. I would like to read a brief story in the December 2005 edition of Maningrida’s community newsletter Manayingkarirra Djurrung headed ‘Maningrida CEC spreads the word’. It reads:
The pride I feel about the achievements of the teachers and students at Maningrida will be obvious to all. However, the reason for my reading that story is not to skite; rather, it is to reveal the sound basis for the psychology underlying the Indigenous Student Leadership and Mentorship program, which is one of the important initiatives which has been outlined in the minister for Education’s statement. Individuals and families in Aboriginal communities, like individuals and families anywhere, are impressed and influenced by educational achievements and success.
That is why the last bit of the story I read to you - the exhortation to send kids to school so that they can share in the Maningrida CEC’s great result - has such a strong kick to it. Who better than the young men and women who have completed Year 12 and, in the case of the spider project, students who have had their names and faces broadcast on national television, to spread the word about the importance of finishing school? I thought I would frame my speech more on the positives, and Maningrida CEC is just one of the positives. We constantly hear about the negatives, and we allow those negatives to overlook the many positives that are being done out there.
I commend the minister for his passion, his commitment for building a better education system for our children. Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the statement.
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the statement on the progress of the Building Better Schools initiative brought to this House by the Minister for Employment, Education and Training. I commend the minister for both the range of initiatives that have been developed to improve student outcomes, and the increase in the pace of educational reform in the second term of government.
Investing in learning, particularly for those in disadvantaged communities, is one of the best investments we can make in improving social equity, and securing the Territory’s future in economic growth. This can only be achieved if we educate our young people so they have the skills that are necessary to face the challenges of living in an extremely competitive and globalised economy. As the minister pointed out, it is critical for the future of the Northern Territory’s economic development to build a skilled work force. The School to Work Strategic Plan is an important tool in achieving this goal. I commend the minister on the collaborative approach that has been adopted in the development of the School to Work Strategic Plan. Out of dialogue with all chief stakeholders has come reform, which training organisations, industry, parents and community members are willing to implement because they helped design it.
The previous funding model and resource arrangements between NT DEET and the registered training organisations were such that the delivery of the curriculum became the primary goal of the RTO rather than education and actual jobs. Changing the resource arrangements has removed a significant disincentive to achieving the objective of the school/training/work transition. Achieving work outcomes on the completion of schooling and training is also an important motivator for students, as the failure to secure employment on the completion of training acts as a disincentive to undertaking further study. In an era when industry widely recognises that governments need to emphasise lifelong education, developing education programs that start from an individual’s early years and continue on even late in life, it was imperative that this government removed these barriers.
Disincentives have heavily impacted on Aboriginal people in Central Australia, where indigenous people comprise half the enrolment numbers in VET programs. In large part, this over-representation in VET courses arose because VET programs became a substitute for secondary education. Secondary schooling was not available in Central Australian remote communities, which meant the young had to leave their home and families and travel to major urban centres in order to access secondary eduction.
In contrast, some VET training providers were willing to deliver training on remote communities. These programs have struggled, finding it difficult to compensate for the lack of schooling. As a result, Aboriginal people in remote communities have not achieved the job outcomes they hoped for. People have commented that they have certificates but they have been of little use beyond being wallpaper.
The lack of education has also severely limited their choice of pathways and, as a result, many are not able to undertake courses that would qualify them for the jobs that are available. This can be seen in the low level of enrolment of Aboriginal people in the business, accounting, or tourism and hospitality curriculum streams which, in turn, has implications for the involvement of indigenous people in the development of commercial enterprises, particularly tourism, on Aboriginal land.
However, I am confident that this situation will improve with the expansion of secondary schooling in remote communities. The establishment of collaborative trial sites for the delivery of secondary education in remote communities is a very welcome initiative. By aggregating student numbers to obtain a critical mass of students for effective service provision means that youth in smaller remote communities will be able to access effective secondary education whilst remaining at their home community. As I mentioned previously, the need to move away from home and the family to access secondary education has acted as a real barrier for students’ participation in secondary education. This could be seen in the low enrolment statistics for secondary education which, for Central Australia, has been estimated as low as 8%.
Through this initiative to expand access to secondary education to remote communities, I am confident that the enrolment rate will rise dramatically. Coordinated by George Hewitson, the principal who achieved such good results at Kalkaringi School, and supported by a pool of specialist teachers who will support the delivery of secondary education, I am confident that this model will be successful and, as a result, will be expanded to include all remote communities.
Improved outcomes for our young people are also contingent on an improved and fairer staffing formula. The current ratio of 22 students per teacher in remote communities, where most students have little or no English, is inequitable; it is not fair on teachers or students. Therefore, I welcome the development of the new formula which will see students have equitable entitlements in staffing through the development of a new needs-based school resource allocation formula.
The resource allocation for capital works has also been problematic, with no independent assessment or any ranking of capital works on the basis of need. The result has clearly been inequitable, with a number of our schools in a badly dilapidated state. A number of teachers have told me that schools in Central Australia have the worst conditions and this is one factor in the limited tenure of teachers. Airconditioners, as the member for Braitling said, are not working inside schools, schools are very old, the windows have been smashed, the doors are eaten away - they are some of the complaints I have had from teachers in remote communities. According to the Learning Lessons report, the average stay of teachers in remote Central Australian communities was seven months compared with 18 months in the north. Measures taken by the government in Building Better Schools will improve the retention of teachers and, as a result, student outcomes. Improving our education system depends largely on the professionalism and dedication of our teachers. They are one of the Territory’s most important assets. We must value them and give them the resources they need to fully develop the potential of our young people in the Northern Territory.
The professional learning community initiative is a good method of supporting our teachers because it will provide them with opportunities for professional development, something that is difficult to achieve in an education system comprised predominantly of small schools. That the participation of schools include the entire cross-section of school types in the Northern Territory, including non-government schools, will improve outcomes across the whole NT education sector. Professional learning communities will assist teachers to further their knowledge and expertise through the development and sharing of good practice in a supportive environment. The methodology is action research and continuous improvement, which has the potential to enhance both the standard of education and the harmonisation of educational practices in the Northern Territory.
This program will provide important professional development for our indigenous teachers like Tarna Andrews of Areyonga; Kapunanyi Nakamarra of Papunya; and Amelda Palmer at Ltyentye Apurte. These teachers are generally the first generation in their families to have had any schooling and they have often found it very difficult mediating the different expectations and perspectives of the communities and the Education Department. As the trail blazers, they deserve the opportunity to improve and develop their schools.
The introduction of qualified counsellors in all secondary schools is an important service to assist students to complete their education and fulfil their potential. It is also recognition that, whilst training and specific skills are necessary for job transitions, of equal importance is the development of cognitive and emotional competence. Their role will complement those of teachers and, as the minister said, it will not be long before schools come to wonder how they managed without them.
I am looking forward to seeing the outcomes of both the indigenous leadership program and the enterprise establishment grants for students wanting to include enterprise education in their mix of studies. Having had the honour of visiting many schools throughout my electorate and meeting many of our school students, I have been impressed by their calibre and abilities. I look forward to following the progress of these programs.
Finally, I welcome the initiative in data collection. This is an important area, particularly in assisting teachers to track the highly mobile population in remote communities. The inter-community mobility rate in Central Australia has been estimated at 30% of any one community. By sharing student information on a database, this will remove the need for students to re-enrol as they move from community to community, thereby encouraging students to attend school wherever they may be residing. I encourage the department to continue working on this initiative so that, in the future, student academic progress is also able to be tracked. This will improve outcomes for students and assist teachers to ensure continuity despite the high mobility of a large percentage of the population.
Mr Deputy Speaker, the initiatives that have been developed are a credit to the Building Better School team in DEET. They have progressed many initiatives in such a short time, and I congratulate them for their work and look forward to seeing the future refinement and development of initiatives that will significantly empower our education system for all Territorians. As the minister said, the Building Better Schools program is one of the government’s most critical reform agendas. We need to maintain our focus on ongoing reforms so that all the Territory students have their educational opportunities to achieve their potential. This continued effort is necessary because even a superficial look at history shows a social progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability; it comes through tireless effort and persistent work and dedication.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to comment on some of the positives the member for Macdonnell has spoken of tonight, but I will come to that a little later. The statement tonight revolves around a major program of education reform for our secondary schooling system.
In the rural area, of course, we have one major secondary school, Taminmin High School, which has a VET program. The government should be congratulated on the support it gives for that VET program. Taminmin is unique in the Northern Territory because it has an agricultural farm attached to the school where students can learn about cattle, goats, vegetables and fruit, as well as learning, through the VET program, mechanics to put cars together, and to do welding - all those things that are so essential if you go back on the land. The VET program is something that needs to be strengthened.
I am grateful that when the minister was notified the VET program funding for Taminmin last year had dropped, he immediately told the department it was to stay as it was. I congratulate the government for doing that because Taminmin is a unique school; it now has 694 students enrolled. It also has a new principal, Tony Considine who has come from Thursday Island in Queensland, I believe, and taken over from Kim Rowe. He is a new broom. I went to the last council meeting, as did the members for Daly and Goyder. You might say he has a different view to previous administrators. That is not putting him down at all, it is just that he has some different points of view.
One of the problems with Taminmin is simply that it has never been able to retain enough students in Years 11 and 12 to attract more courses. One of the problems you always have in the rural area is that many students go to many schools. I would say, traditionally, Chinese students go to Darwin High School; it is just about their home base and has been for many years. Many kids go to O’Loughlin, Kormilda, and St John’s. You just have to be at the bus stop at Palmerston at 3:30 pm to 4 pm and look at the different coloured uniforms from all those schools. Quite a few of those are going back to the rural area, so the rural student population is spread far and wide. Taminmin has to be able to try to attract those people. Quite a few kids in the rural area go to Palmerston High School.
It is like a dog chasing its tail; until we get enough students in Years 11 and 12, we cannot raise the academic standard by having more courses. You have to get those people to stay in Year 11 and 12 so we can provide those courses. However, people say: ‘Oh, you do not have the courses, so we will send our kids elsewhere.’ The government may have to have an exemption, where it allows more teachers, even though those classes are lower in number; to have the courses running to attract young people to stay at Taminmin for Years 11 and 12.
I also see the benefits that urban schools have. Taminmin would require a better public transport system that went more than one way in the morning and one way in the afternoon. If the young people, for instance from Palmerston, would like to go and do some of the VET courses at Taminmin, it really would require a much better public transport system out to Humpty Doo from Palmerston. It is important that kids in the urban areas do have the opportunity to take on some of the courses that they would not be able to do anywhere else. When we talk about Building Better Schools, we need to look at that. I believe that was originally raised in the Ramsey report when they were talking about the clusters. We were a bit fearful that Palmerston would suck out all the kids out of Taminmin. I am glad that has not gone down that path, but there are opportunities there for a relationship between Palmerston High and Taminmin High in sharing courses.
I will just go through a few issues as I go along. I welcome the 20 student counsellors. There is one counsellor per high school, which may vary in more remote areas. I ask how the student counsellors and the wellbeing officers match? They seem to have the same role. I presume someone who is a counsellor is also looking after wellbeing. I would like the minister to explain their roles, and if they clash or complement one another. Do you find a wellbeing officer at every school as you do a counsellor? I like the idea of a counsellor because, unfortunately, the poor old teachers today who are meant to teach the subjects are also counsellors all the time. I am not saying they should not help students, because students come with a great range of problems every day to school. However, sometimes, I am sure the teachers would just like to teach the subject they are meant to teach. The counsellor is a good idea and great initiative by the government.
There does not seem to be anything about attendance officers. The member for Braitling has been talking about truancy. In fact, I think the minister said that in some places they have disappeared. The minister could say in his response what is happening to attendance officers. I met the two attendance officers about two years ago at Palmerston High. The reason I met them was because you may remember that we have a cricket match - this might sound a long-winded way to get there - out on a World War II cricket pitch called Strauss Cricket Ground. The family of Strauss came out to honour their uncle by - I cannot think of the word. Not launch –what do you do with a plaque?
Dr Lim: Unveil.
Mr WOOD: Unveil a plaque. That is the word I was after. They came over to unveil the plaque. Their names were Judi and Payden Green, and they are both teachers. Judi Green actually works with difficult kids at a high school called Marysville High School in Ohio. I am hoping to go there this year to return the trip. They then used their trip to go to Palmerston High. They wanted to see what the Northern Territory did with problems with kids turning up for school. That is how I got to learn about our attendance officers, and I was quite impressed. However, we have to try to expand that. I see kids in my area not at school when I know they should be at school. We have to put in more effort. It is a difficult area. If parents will not force their kids to school, what do you do? However, we have to pay more attention to that.
Middle years was mentioned. One of the things that has come out from the council meetings I have been to - both primary and secondary - since the start of school, was that it was a bit of a hurry. I know these principals have to have this middle school stuff all signed, sealed and delivered in a very short time. It might be at the end of this month. I have not had great reaction against the hurry although, if it is a new principal, all of a sudden, he has to …
A member interjecting.
Mr WOOD: Yes. It is hard for a principal - for instance, at Taminmin where he has just arrived - to all of a sudden be dealing with a fairly complex issue of middle school.
There certainly was debate as to whether Year 10 should be in senior or middle schools. I think Taminmin was looking at even the possibility of Year 10 being like a transition, where you gradually brought people into senior, but they might do half a year in middle school and then you move them into senior school. So, that Year 10 becomes a transition year. I thought that was interesting; it obviously means people are thinking about it. I know that when this was debated last year, I had people say they were worried about how this would apply to Casuarina Secondary College. Casuarina Secondary College is an open college where kids can come and go as they like. The reason they can do that is because those kids are a certain age where not being at school is a problem; it is up to them whether they come to school or not. It is not an offence, if that is the right word.
Once you put Year 10 into Casuarina Open College, who is going to compel those kids in Year 10? They are going to feel like: ‘Year 11 and 12 are going up to Casuarina Square for lunch today, I might as well go too’. That is an issue that really has to be sorted out. It may not apply to all schools because they are not all open colleges, but it is certainly an issue that we have to deal with at Casuarina Open College. I do not know whether there are any open colleges in Central Australia that it would possibly apply ...
Dr Lim: Centralian.
Mr WOOD: Centralian.
Indigenous education is always a subject that has been debated a lot in this parliament. I have stood here before and said literacy and numeracy in primary schools is just terrible. Even though we are talking about secondary schools, if we cannot raise the level of literacy and numeracy in primary schools, then we are not going to win in secondary schools - the kids are going to be so far behind they are never really going to achieve. We had some positive movements. I notice the member for Macdonnell was talking about, if we can have more secondary education in the bush the less trauma there is with people having to leave their homelands. The reality is, there is no way we are going to have high schools in every community. That is simply not on; it is too expensive. Whether we can have high schools that are in the regions, such as the high school at Yulara, which has that long name which I always forget.
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr WOOD: It is longer than that. There is a high school there which we went to during the substance abuse committee trips, which is more like a regional high school. There are possibilities with having that type of development where they might have to leave for certain periods of time, but at least they are not leaving the whole region; they are within a region they can at least relate to. If we are to get young indigenous students who can do physics and chemistry, and those subjects require highly-qualified teachers and plenty of equipment, you cannot have that here, here and here, it is just not feasible. The subjects we are teaching at the moment which most people in Year 12 do, generally are not the type of subjects that require a lot of that type of equipment. However, if we are to advance the Year 11 and 12 subjects, then we have to look at regional high schools of some sort, which may have a boarding attachment.
The minister did not talk too much about the NT Open College. The NT Open College, naturally, was a fairly topical area of debate during the proposals that were put forward last year. A lot of people certainly did not want to see major changes to the NT Open College. It would be interesting for the minister to give us a rundown on where NT Open College fits within the Building Better Schools program. I notice there was discussion about Katherine School of the Air Interactive Distance Learning Studio and those sorts of things. How does that relate to the NT Open College? How do the two fit in together? I am interested if the minister could expand on the role of NTOC.
There is another area which worries me; that is, education on Catholic communities. I have heard rumblings and had people talk to me, and I am getting the feeling that somewhere in the department there is a move to try to get rid of the Catholic Education system from indigenous schools. Could the minister clearly state if there is a policy to take over some of these schools? The two schools I am concerned about are Wadeye and Bathurst Island. I know there has been talk in the public arena about Bathurst Island. I heard the member for Macdonnell talk about schools in a dilapidated state in her electorate. If there is anyone considering taking over the Catholic schools, why would you even bother when there is plenty of work to look at out there in the government schools?
The Catholic schools are part of the Northern Territory. They were mission schools in the Commonwealth days. I think there were independent schools, government schools and mission schools. Many of those schools, such as Bathurst Island, have been there for close on 100 years, and the Wadeye School has been there since about 1935. We live in a society where there are different types of schools - that is the way we are in Darwin; you can pick and choose. I would have no problem if the government decided a wise thing to do was to put a government school - if that is what the community wanted - in those communities as well if people wanted a choice. However, I am getting feedback from various sources …
Mr Henderson: One source.
Mr WOOD: No. It is a valid question - and I know the minister will take it on - as to whether there is a move from within the department to try to replace the Catholic Education system in those communities.
The other question I have - and I do not know enough about this, minister, you might be able to help us – is that I had heard there is to be a boarding school on Melville Island, and I would like to know what type of school it is. Is it a secondary school or primary school? Who runs it? Who funds it? I had been told that some of the royalties from the timber were part of the means of funding it. Where exactly is it situated? Which of the communities is it situated near? I know no more than that, so I thought I would ask the question tonight. It is an appropriate question, and at least if I hear people say something, I can say this is what the minister has said. If those people have it wrong, I will say: ‘Here is what the minister has to say about it’. I thought I would take the opportunity tonight just to ask those questions.
Getting back to the general thrust, minister, education, like health and law and order, must be one of these things that, no matter who you are, there are always difficult areas. We know that education in the Northern Territory is not one of the easiest things because we have so many remote areas where there are small populations.
What I read here makes a lot of good sense. It would be an unwise person to bag the government for what it is trying to do. It is a difficult area. It is trying to do things; it has put the Ramsey report together. It has listened to people on various issues that they were concerned with last year. You were not here – oh, sorry, I should not say that.
I did say at the beginning that I hope you can keep supporting VET, especially at places like Taminmin. I would also love to see a technical school. I still think Palmerston, for instance, is an ideal place for the old-fashioned technical school - not in the university, but out there where young kids are. I know we have some technical school ability at Palmerston High, but I was told one of the rooms which was the carpentry room or the metal works is now a library. I really think that is what technical schools were about. They were out in those suburbs, close to where the kids were. I still think there is room for a technical school.
I know the Commonwealth government said it is going to put up millions of dollars for a technical school. Then it told us it was going to be private, or funded by industry; it was not going to be a physical structure. It was going to be a technical school but it was going to be run from - I do not know where.
When you think of the numbers of young people who live in Palmerston, and of some of the issues, if you are trying to help the social fabric of a place like Palmerston, you have good sporting facilities. There is a new sporting facility going up in Palmerston at the moment, which is great. I noticed recently, for instance, that the old Palmerston Magpies - I umpire the Under 18s, and I had three matches they all forfeited – team, unfortunately, has been dropped off the list. I know there is a new presidency in that area. I am hoping that organisations such as the Palmerston Magpies will, somehow, attract more young people. That is all part of a total package: have good education, good sporting facilities, places for kids to go and, hopefully, you get less problems around the community.
I ask the minister whether any thought has ever been given to building a technical school in Palmerston, even if it started in a small way but was capable of building up? It might be attached to Palmerston High,- do not know, that would be up to other people to decide.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I welcome the statement tonight; it certainly has some important initiatives. I presume you will come back in a few months’ time and report on how these things are going.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the minister’s statement. I thank the minister for his statement, putting on public record the progress that has been made in respect of the Building Better Schools initiatives. As the minister said, in 2005 this Labor government committed an extra $42m over four years to improve secondary education in the Territory. This is on top of the other expenditure advancing an education system that previous CLP governments were happy to ignore.
I commend the minister for his statement that the most important goal to have in education is an improvement in student outcomes. The members of the opposition would do well to note this statement. Our goal is not to improve some student outcomes and leave others out because it is too hard. The goal is not improvement in urban schools outcomes because we have no political interest in remote area schools. Our commitment is to all Territorians and to do what we can to improve outcomes across the board.
The minister made reference to the reforms made in indigenous education during Labor’s first term. Let me ask this question: in 1980, how many remote areas indigenous students completed the Northern Territory Certificate of Education. I stand to be corrected, but I think it was none. How many remote area indigenous students completed the NTCE in 1985? Again, I think the answer is still none. Let us go the whole hog: how many indigenous students studying in remote areas completed an NTCE between the years 1979 to 2001 when Labor came to power? A grand total of none. Let us compare the record. In 2001, the number remains zero. It remains zero in 2002. In 2003, the Northern Territory had three indigenous students in remote areas complete the NTCE, within 18 months of the change of government. What happened in 2004? There were five graduate indigenous students who studied in remote areas; a small but welcomed increase from the previous year. How many indigenous students studying in remote areas graduated with NTCE last year? The minister has already advised the Assembly in his speech, so this is a bit of a test to see who was listening. The answer is, of course, 25 graduates.
In less than five years in regard to remote education in indigenous communities, Labor has well and truly outstripped the achievement of previous regimes. It is even impossible to say that under Labor there is a thousand-fold increase than those managed by the CLP because a thousand-fold of zero is still zero. It is worse than that though, the CLP government had a policy of no secondary education in remote schools. Secondary provider status was only accorded to high schools and the Northern Territory Open Education Centre. Large remote schools were classified as community education centres and, despite having large numbers of secondary-age students, were not able to offer secondary programs. They were restricted to special courses called foundation studies and general studies, which were classified as bridging courses. If kids got to cross the bridge, then they could access NTOEC Year 8. However, the courses took 18 months each; a total of three years. The kids could not access Year 8 until they were at least 15. They were locked into these special courses for indigenous kids only - locked into second-rate education, a policy of the CLP. No wonder the kids voted with their feet.
A lot of people pushed hard to change this because they believed the Aboriginal students were capable of everything non-indigenous students were, albeit in a different language. The government of the day was not interested. Why? Maybe thinking was, too hard, too expensive - no jobs, they do not vote for us. Whatever it was, it was going nowhere until 2001. The minister authorised the secondary provision in remote schools project and - lo and behold! - we had three kids at Kalkarindji passing their NTCE. Robyn and George Hewitson cracked it open, and credit must be given to them.
Maningrida extended it in the next year with five. As I said, last year, we had 25 kids in five different communities. Fittingly, Quitaysha Frith from Kalkarindji won the Inaugural Telstra Robyn and George Hewitson Award for best remote student in 2005, presented at Parliament House last Friday night.
The Secondary Provision in Remote Schools project will continue. More and more communities are putting their hands up. It is a natural and proper reaction on the part of communities to want to be part of it. Many smaller communities are also demanding secondary education, and this government will work to find ways to deliver that for them. The Martin Labor government has done what everybody said was impossible, and we can finally hold our heads high in national and international circles. We may have a long way to go, but we proved it can be done; that we have the willingness to get it done. We will continue to do it.
In the past four years, this government has built new secondary school facilities at Kalkarindji, Maningrida, Minyerri, Papunya, and Shepherdson College on Elcho Island. The CLP asked what we have done with the money. As far as I am concerned, the opposition is right to run away from this historical fact. I am utterly appalled by the lack of action by CLP successive governments to address remote area education. Those facts and figures clearly show that the CLP was happy to govern for the benefit of some but, by no means, for the benefit of all.
I know all members on the Labor side of the House want to see that number of 25 grow even larger. That is why I applaud the government and the minister for Education for the further reforms the minister spoke of to assist even more indigenous students to graduate with the NTCE, not just in remote areas but right across the Territory.
I thank all the teachers who devoted a part of their lives to taking education to remote parts of the Territory. We, as a government, will continue to look at ways we can support you in your endeavours. The Northern Territory government, as stated by the minister, is committed to expanding VET in Schools. The minister spoke of making Vocational Education and Training an increasingly important part of school-based education. He mentioned the concern that vocational education has not received the attention it should and how this government has acted to ensure that it is a priority.
The minister spoke of consulting key stakeholder groups. Here is another stark contrast with the previous CLP governments. This government included union representatives in its consultation process rather than exclude them. I restate to the Assembly what I have said on many occasions outside this House: if you want to know what is happening on the ground in an industry, ask the unions. The union movement is the first to pick up the problems. When Howard’s federal government started ripping money out of the apprenticeship schemes and re-skilling programs, who raised the alarm? Who was it who said we would have a shortage of tradespeople if this continued? The union movement. Perhaps, however, this was part of Howard’s grand plan. We now have a need for importing workers that did not previously exist - workers who are not paid the same as Australian tradespeople. Perhaps I am just a conspiracy theorist at heart, but it seems to fit hand in glove with the current industrial relations climate.
I am glad to be part of a government that involves all parties, and not follow the path of previous governments of excluding a section of industry because it sees no value in its contribution. I know the union movement, through organisations such as Unions NT, is making welcome and meaningful contributions to the VET in Schools program. Members opposite may be surprised to learn that the unions and employer groups have the same interests in ensuring that young people are given the skills they need to make the transition to the work place.
The pathways program aims to provide students, many of whom enjoyed limited success within mainstream schooling, with an alternative which keeps them in full-time education and training. The program enables students to engage in school-based apprenticeships and the NTCE. For a successful participation in the program, students should be able to complete both the NTCE and a nationally-recognised Vocational Certificate at level 2. The program commenced in Central Australia and, in 2005, was expanded to Palmerston and Sanderson High Schools.
Palmerston High School continues to have a large and increasing number of students involved in VET in Schools programs, mainly in Year 11. Students have been going to other locations to access VET as Palmerston High is not a registered training organisation. I understand that Palmerston High School is in the process of introducing its own VET courses through auspicing arrangements with other registered training organisations. Palmerston High had 30 students start the program, and 18 still undertaking it by the end of 2005. These students are leading the charge and are now in the second phase of the program. I wish them every success. They have the example of the national apprentice of the year, a former student of Palmerston High School, to follow.
The introduction of a middle school years approach is a watershed in education in the Northern Territory. A system-wide introduction is no small endeavour. Many teachers within and outside the public education system have told me what an exciting and timely move it is. The consultative nature of the process has seen people in the community and profession give us unprecedented support. I was surprised by the voices of the opposition suggesting that there was too much consultation. Maybe it is because they consider consultation so unimportant. I remember in 1985 when the decision to implement junior and senior high schools was made, there was not any consultation with students and parents, and I do not think there was very much consultation with teachers. Sure, there were information sessions about, ‘This is what we are going to do’, but the other side to that was, ‘No matter what you say, we are still going to do it’.
The minister mentioned training of teachers as an important part of the implementation of the middle years program. This is, indeed, important. We cannot leave our teachers high and dry when it comes to giving them professional development opportunities. There are certainly differences in teaching within the middle years approach to what they are currently involved in, although many teachers are already implementing middle school approaches to their curriculum. I am confident that professional development is occurring and will continue as the Northern Territory moves to implement a Territory-wide middle schools approach in the public education system.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, when the minister made his report in August last year, I thought the member for Blain, who was the shadow minister for Education, and myself responded very positively and encouraged the minister to deliver on his aspirations for education in the Northern Territory. In fact, I said, now that you have talked the talk, you must now walk the walk. Then, I listened to a young member for Brennan telling us how well the Labor government has done to produce 25 high school graduates ...
Mr Burke: Twenty-five more than you lot managed.
Dr LIM: Never you mind that. These students would have to have at least pretty good primary education to be successful in secondary education. They did not go to primary school during the time of the Labor government. As they say, in the words of somebody better than I am: better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and confirm it.
The minister for Education endeavours enormously to do the right thing by our students, white or indigenous. It does not really matter who or what they are, they are all Territorians who deserve the best that education can offer. That is through great education, and we can do that. Through good education, they can achieve whatever they aspire to achieve.
Six months ago, we spoke of very many issues that this government has attempted to do but has not quite got there. We spoke of class sizes and how it has impacted significantly on the way education can be delivered. To this day, while the unions might have agreed to the EBA and agreed to a class size of one teacher to 27 students, the teachers are complaining that that class size is causing a lot of problems; that to deliver effective education to children in primary school it is not satisfactory. Far be it that the Labor government claims that they have delivered many high school graduates from among Indigenous students. Never mind that our primary school kids are not being taught as well as they can be.
We have always talked about school attendance as being an issue, first in urban schools and then in remote schools. The fact that this government has allowed the attendance officers to disappear into nothing is an indictment on the commitment of this government to ensure that primary school kids do go to school. It is a problem because, if the kids are no longer attending school, they are not going to achieve basic primary education which will enable them to then reach for the secondary education that this Labor Party - itself alone, obviously, and no other party would - aspires to for indigenous kids.
We know that culture, or so-called culture, comes into why people do not attend school. While cultural issues may be complicating school attendance, it is about trying to inculcate in people that mainstream education is the most important tool they can reach for. Our unique cultural and racial mix obviously causes problems for the delivery of education.
I will use the same words that I used in my August response to the minister because I did very well then, too. I will say it again because I believe it is worthwhile saying and for members to pay some attention to. I said this:
It has to be. If we were not speaking English in this Chamber, or if we do not understand English to an adequate level in this Chamber, we could not participate fully in this Chamber. Ask the members for Macdonnell and Arnhem. We have to participate in English because that is the only way that our colleagues can understand us. I can speak in my language and the member for Macdonnell can speak in her language. That is fine, but none of us would understand what it means. What is the value in that?
I am not saying that you cannot be educated in any other language, but in any country you will need to be able to work within the mainstream. English is the language of this country and of participation in public life and inter-group relations in what we call a linguistically and culturally diverse society. Regardless of whether English is our first language or not, we should have the right to attain a level of communication and competence in the paternal language, which is English. It will enable us to take our rightful place in the Northern Territory. To learn more one than one language is to increase ones own capacity to comprehend and to communicate. The greater one has that capacity, the greater is one’s power to grasp ideas and to act upon the world. Therefore, English should be encouraged; do not say it must not be done.
The minister spoke about endorsing the policy of middle school being for Years 7 to 9. Obviously, he has not quite decided what he is going to do about Year 10 because he does not say anything about it. If, by default, Year 10 goes into the secondary college, then he needs to state that. I am sure the Casuarina Secondary College is greatly concerned. They have said for over a year-and-a-half that they had been engaged in this debate, that this government has been trying to push through the Ramsey report, and that Casuarina is not designed for Year 10 students. Year 10 students could be as young as 14 years old and they are going to a college system where there are students easily 18 years of age as well. It is a huge range of age and maturity and this government says nothing about what process it is going to put in place to ensure that these 14-year-olds are going to be catered for; mentored or provided with pastoral care - nothing at all. If the minister wants to do it, it is the government’s prerogative to do that – that is fine. However, the minister needs to at least explain to us in this Chamber, if not to every parent who has a 14-year-old going to a senior secondary college, what it means.
Indigenous education starts from the very basic preschool years. What the minister did with Irrkerlantye Learning Centre in Alice Springs is beyond comprehension. After a lot of community complaints and demonstrations, the government has agreed to an extension of its life until the end of this first term. We are already into the second or third week of the school term, so the Irrkerlantye has about two months of life left. However, what is going to happen after that? Within the next three or four weeks, the whole school community is again going to be in turmoil. We need to ensure that this school has some answers and that the children have somewhere to go. If we want to teach, provide education in an appropriate cultural context, then Irrkerlantye has the right cultural context. It has the community support. Not only indigenous communities but mainstream community in Alice Springs supported their school. The ads that appeared last year before the last week of our sittings were supported by mainstream Alice Springs. The learning centre deserves an early response so that they can get on with their lives. I implore the minister to respond as soon as he can.
Like the member for Nelson, I was concerned about the lack of any comment by the minister about the Northern Territory Open Education Centre. Over the last 18 months, the NTOEC also made a lot of their views known to government and parliament; that they provided very high quality distance education for the Territory. The fact that the minister spoke in his statement in detail about the Katherine School of the Air and the IDL service that has been provided and enhanced, worries me somewhat. It worries me that the minister chose to ignore the premier distance education facility the Northern Territory has. Is it a hidden or veiled manner of saying to the NTOEC that their days are numbered? The Ramsey report wanted the NTOEC to close down altogether. It was through a lot of community support that the government was convinced not to make that decision. However, 18 months down the track, maybe the government thought: ‘The noise has died down and we will now proceed with closing down the NTOEC’. The staff of the NTOEC are watching closely. I believe it is important for you to reaffirm that the NTOEC will continue and, in fact, be enhanced so that it remains the premier distance education facility that we have in the Northern Territory.
The education community needs some certainty. The way the minister is going in this direction has many positives. I support him in the positive way that he has gone. I am pleased to see that he has qualified school counsellors. I assume by that, he has at least a psychologist who is a head of the unit and trained, qualified counsellors who will maintain the services for all secondary schools in the Northern Territory, with the secondary schools’ counsellor providing services to the primary schools that feed into it. If that is the case, then it will be very useful.
However, let us not walk away from the DARE program, which I know the Department of Education would love to get rid of quickly. The Police department would love to get the constable back on to its general duties force rather than being out there servicing school kids. The DARE program is a very good program. It has provided a very positive way to ensure that school children received a hardening of their attitudes against illicit drugs and other behaviours. Having a police constable in uniform based at the school has had a very positive impact on these children, and it should continue. I know that in Alice Springs the program has been watered down so significantly now that it is almost non-existent. I know the constables who are involved are most disappointed but, unfortunately, this is again a policy of government. I do not know what benefits there are in government removing these constables from the schools, but they are doing that. If the minister thinks that it has not been noticed well, it has been.
I come back to the issue of the Labor government claiming they are the ones who are responsible for the improved secondary education for indigenous students. Education, the best form of education, is done in a form of scaffolding, where you instruct, teach, and provide more and more skills based on a previously learnt skill. The fact that we have indigenous students now graduating from high school and choosing to go to university and into trades and other TAFE courses is a fantastic outcome. I could not praise these students more than anybody. This is terrific for the future of the Northern Territory. Every government contributes towards that.
Let us look back to 1950. How many of our forebears went to university? Was that a failure of the government of the 1950s that our forebears did not go to university? In the 1960s, some of us did because we were old enough to be there. Now, most of us would have gone to university, or at least got a diploma or an associate diploma. That is the way things move through history. With time, things get better. It is good that you provide resources and a bit of impetus to push it along a bit faster - that is a good thing. However, to say that a government, of whatever persuasion, maliciously denied education to indigenous people in the Northern Territory is nothing more than blatant racism in the extreme. I refute that. I resent such a comment. The Country Liberal Party did its best, within the conditions and resources that it had. The fact that they produced children who were capable of going into secondary school has to be seen in its positive light; that it contributed to the success that indigenous students have today. I wish these children the best, and look forward to them providing good role models for other indigenous students to follow.
In closing, Madam Speaker, the minister is starting to walk the walk, and that is good. Let us see that, over the next three to six months, he comes back with another report to see how far he has progressed. I do not expect him to change the world overnight, however, I hope he will progress and that we will see better outcomes for our students - whether they be black, white, Chinese, Greek or whatever, it does not matter. What we want is good education for all our children in the Northern Territory.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I will start with the last first, because the comments from the member for Greatorex in relation to what the member for Brennan was speaking about in relation to secondary results came across my attention. The member for Greatorex, obviously, was not listening too closely. The member for Brennan was, in fact, talking about the tremendous success in indigenous students getting their NTC in their own communities …
Dr Lim: No, he slagged into the CLP, he did. Do not try to change the words now.
Mr STIRLING: This idiot over here says it is all a result of quality primary under the CLP. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason we went into this review was because our results across the secondary across the whole of the Northern Territory are abysmal! The best performing high schools in the Northern Territory do not make the South Australian average at Year 12. So do not have any notion that quality primary schools under you led to …
Dr Lim: You have been in government for five years. It is your fault that our high schools do not match …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STIRLING: … quality secondary outcomes. If we had quality secondary outcomes we would not have commissioned …
Members interjecting.
Mr STIRLING: We would not have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars on studies …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STIRLING: You idiot.
Dr Lim: Idiot - withdraw that word. Withdraw!
Mrs MILLER: A point or order!
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, I would like you to withdraw ‘idiot’ twice in that conversation.
Mr STIRLING: I withdraw ‘idiot’, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. I want no further interjections from the member for Greatorex.
Dr Lim: Well, he slagged in to me.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex! Deputy Chief Minister, please continue.
Mr STIRLING: Madam Speaker, I just wanted to correct a misunderstanding that the member for Greatorex had in relation to a most absurd claim that we had good secondary results because of quality primary education established under the CLP. The fact is we have lousy secondary results and that is why we are doing so much work on reforming secondary education. You guys left it a basket case, after 30 years of neglect under the CLP government, that is why we have had to do so much work. The member for Brennan was specifically referring to the fact that there had been no indigenous students achieve the NTCE in their own community for all of the years that there has been self-government in the Northern Territory until 2003 under this government.
That out of the way, Madam Speaker - and I can get my breath back now. Hypocrisy and deceit always stir me up and I make no apology for that.
Generally, the debate was conducted in a very positive fashion. I thank all members for their views and for contributing, particularly the first speaker, the opposition spokesperson for education, the member for Blain, who is very positive. He has very strong views about middle schools, some of it in part from his background in non-government education where he actually dealt with middle schools. We welcome that support and him putting it on the record tonight.
Whilst he supports it, he has in the past and again this evening talked about the process having taken too long. I guess it has taken time, but we make no apology for the in-depth consultation in working through the community. We want the community to understand at the community level why change is necessary and what change should be implemented. While on the one hand the member for Blain says that process has taken too long, on the other he says it is so important to get it right that the implementation should, perhaps, be staged or trialled. There is a little of each side of the coin there: on the one hand the process has taken too long, but we should take even longer to implement it. That is not our view at the moment. We would want to implement the system across the board, notwithstanding that it may take time to establish logistical infrastructure changes required in schools in some areas. That does not mean that you could not still run off with your middle school process and program and bring your infrastructure changes in later. In that sense, there might be staging. However, we are not talking about trialling; we are talking about the real thing once we get the community consultation back in and before Cabinet around April.
In relation to teachers and how they will work through what will and is expected to be – certainly over time – a quite different pedagogy in middle schools to what teachers have been used to, the answer – and it was put forward by the member for Braitling – is professional involvement. The answer to working teachers through change, stress, anxiety and different teaching methods is professional development. We stand ready to deliver that professional development full on in relation to middle school teaching and learning styles once we know exactly how the system will look. However, we do welcome those comments and we thank the opposition for their support.
In relation to community engagement not mentioned in this contribution which the member for Blain picked up. He is quite right; it is not actually part of Building Better Schools, it sits quite rightly under the indigenous education strategy. There is more to come on that; we will have plenty to say about it as that strategy is fully developed and we put that community engagement process into effect.
In relation to the 19 school counsellors that we have now brought on board, I think we have 15 in place. Should it extend to primary They will. Whilst they will be based with their high school they will attend and service those feeder primary schools to those particular high schools. We have strengthened the system considerably, particularly with current counsellors remaining in position. We are virtually doubling the effort there. There is every opportunity, and we would expect, that these school counsellors will work with their primary school feeders.
Regarding COGSO and support for school councils, COGSO has been closely involved in all the consultation. They have been on the boards or the committees as sounding boards behind this process all the way through, both around Building Better Schools and middle schools. We welcome COGSO’s involvement and we appreciate their views on all of these matters. We will continue to have COGSO engaged as we do with the AEU and school councils, right through.
The member for Braitling is generally supportive of the approach, but does not want things to change in Alice Springs. She said it works fine, Year 10s are too young to go into a senior school situation, they are not ready but, at the same time, wants the minister to listen to what Alice parents and teachers want. Well, this is exactly what the consultative process is about. This is why we have taken so long to this stage and why we will continue to go out and consult over these remaining months in relation to the models, and exactly what we go about implementing …
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, would you mind pausing for a minute? Whoever has that mobile phone, would you please take it out of the Chamber? It may be the member for Macdonnell. Minister, please continue.
Mr STIRLING: There is an element of double-talk here, because the member for Braitling says I should listen to what the teachers and parents in Alice Springs want, but she has the right to stand up here and say, no, Year 10s into senior school will not work. While she can have a very fixed view, I am bound to listen to the parents and teachers. That is fine. It is an interesting view as a whole, that you do not have to be consultative, but others do. However, we will be consultative all the way through.
Regarding pushing VET out to communities and pushing VET down to middle schools, we actually have had as a policy a strategy to push Vocational Education and Training down as far as Year 9. We have not really pushed to implement it, but it is a policy of government. Now, around all of this restructuring schools, there is still the opportunity to do that and we will. I support your views on that.
I picked up your points about counsellors and primary schools. They will work with feeder schools, similar to the point made by the member for Blain.
I thank you for your views around the staffing formula. We agree, you cannot have a ‘one fits all’ approach in relation to staffing. Schools and individuals, by their nature, are different and represent so many vastly differing needs that we do need to get innovative. An enormous amount of work has gone into this and, from the few briefings I have had on it, it is an enormously challenging intellectual exercise in coming to a view that one size will not fit all, or what you can have that is fair and equitable at the same time. There is quite an intellectually rigorous challenge in all of that. However, there are some terrific brains at DEET who are working on this. When they came to speak to me about it, I had no idea - absolutely no idea - what they were talking about until I realised they were talking about how many parts of a teacher there were to a student. Where we talk 1:22, or 1:17 - one teacher to seventeen students - they were talking in decimal points about how much of a teacher an individual student got. I said: ‘No one will ever understand that, please do not bring it to Cabinet in that form of 0.3689 of a student to a teacher. It just does not make sense. Put it just in simple terms. How many teachers, how many students, and we will do our best to understand that’.
I appreciate the views of the member for Braitling on Irrkerlantye. She is a member with an electorate close to it. She quoted a figure tonight of 43. Our figure is 31. I am greatly encouraged if it is 43, and will certainly be checking that. We have acted in good faith to extend that time because, while there was good progress pre-Christmas, you were never going to get much done over the Christmas break and I accept that. There has been good movement and, hopefully, there will be solid movement over these next few weeks. However, we have acted in good faith and we hope that a decision is made at the end of that time.
I picked up again your point about professional development in my response to the member for Blain. It is absolutely the key to successful implementation and settling down of middle schools.
Complaints around evaporative airconditioning replacement is an interesting one. Whether the climate is, in fact, changing or there are now extended spells of high humidity in Alice Springs than was ever experienced before, these evaporative airconditioners have been in place for many years and, okay, maybe they have reached the end of their useful life. However, it suggests that there is something more in terms of climate change. We do have a program of replacement over time, but there are many millions of dollars involved, school by school, and we simply cannot get to them all at one point. I will put on the record my appreciation and commendation of the principals involved who, very innovatively pick them up, bus them across. It seemed to work. The kids certainly loved it; it was novel, it was different, and did not affect learning outcomes. However, it is not something we want to do all of the time. We will be looking at that whole program of replacement and what can be done as far as is possible within the resources of this government to keep pushing that replacement through.
Member for Nelson, thank you for your supportive comments in relation to VET programs. As a minister, it is nice to get a pat in the back from time to time. I always appreciate it when you say good things about our programs there. I always enjoy visiting Taminmin because it is a bit different. You can go to Dripstone and Sanderson and they are fine schools, but Taminmin is different …
Mr Wood: They are getting uniforms this year.
Mr STIRLING: Good, good. Their VET programs are so successful that they do, in fact, draw students from the northern suburbs to those programs when they are run. Thank you for your words of support.
It was interesting to hear you mention that you are pleased with the decision made about not proceeding with the senior high school at Palmerston because of the effect that might have had on Taminmin. There is no doubt that there probably would have been an effect. I did not hear you say anything at the time we made that decision in the latter part of last year, in support that it was the right thing to do. We know, of course, that the $10m that had been on the capital works for Palmerston will all be spent in those Palmerston schools around the introduction of middle schools.
What does it mean to Taminmin? The same as it will mean to Tennant Creek, Nhulunbuy, Palmerston - wherever we have a stand-alone high school in that situation - they will become sub-schools. You will have Years 7, 8, 9, junior school and Years 10, 11, and 12 senior schools, with a principal, two assistant principals to run each school. It is probably as general a description as I can give. I guess, from the external no change, but quite strong structural change within the school in how they operate and deliver their programs to Years 7, 8, 9 and 10, 11, and 12.
The question about attendance officers I did answer during the week - not to the satisfaction of the member for Braitling. It is undergoing re-design. A couple are still in place where they were having a tremendously positive impact. What we found was that those who were continuing to have a positive effect were very closely tied to the alternative provision officers. We believe that there is a clue here for making these positions work. There is also, of course, a multitude of different title positions in our schools, from Aboriginal retention officers to home liaison officers to attendance officers still in some places, to Aboriginal Islander and education workers. I do not think the roles have ever been properly clarified and set down. There is potential duplication, if you like, and there needs to be a much clearer role definition in those positions. However, we expect it to probably be about mid-year that we will have that worked out and we will have attendance officers under a much more structured role coming back in.
I went through what it means for Taminmin. How will the Northern Territory Open Education College and Schools of the Air in Alice and Katherine work? They will come together as a distance education or school of distance education - I do not know what the title will be. However, there will be a close working relationship because they are all delivering distance education, but in different modes. We will expect very close cooperation between those as one school and, hopefully, transfer and exchange of teachers through the different schools over time. That model is being worked on and I will have more to say on that in the future. There will still be an NTOEC, and School of the Air Katherine and School of the Air Alice Springs, but we will be pulling them in together.
The question was asked about whether we are trying to take over or get rid of the Catholic Education schools- two on the Tiwi Islands, Daly, Santa Teresa, and Wadeye. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Prime Minister, no less, has asked that the original 1978-79 agreement, signed by Senator Carrick for the Commonwealth and Tom Harris for the Northern Territory - I am not sure of the NT minister; back then, if it was not Tom, it would have been his predecessor - set it up. The agreement is no more than a letter from the Commonwealth minister received by the Northern Territory government. It is just a couple of paragraphs saying that those schools will be Catholic Education schools run by the Catholic Education Office, but paid for lock, stock and barrel, by the Northern Territory government. Therefore, in that sense, they are neither government nor non-government. They are run by non-government but they are paid for by the government. All other non-government schools are funded to 22% to 23% of the per capita cost of delivering education to a government school. It has come from pretty high, in terms of getting this right, and we respect the Prime Minister and the then Minister for Education, Brendan Nelson, who relayed this down the line to us.
It is a mixed question on the Tiwis. There is a very highly protective and defensive group within the community who say we ought be getting support to make the current Catholic schools work rather than just abandoning them. There are other parts of the community that say: ‘Catholic Education has had its day, mate - it is not performing, it is not delivering and it ought be changed’. Within the government, we are of neither camp, and for good reasons. However, we are working with the Commonwealth government. We have a joint process of consultation between DEST, the Commonwealth department of Education, and ourselves to go out there and try to make sense of this question.
In relation to the boarding school, the Tiwi Land Council commissioned a study, perhaps 18 months ago now, into this question of a non-government secondary boarding school to be built at Pickertaramoor. They would pick the secondary students up from wherever around the Tiwis, drop them there which, as they say, will be a captive audience, and they will get better results. That was their view. The consultant, on the other hand, very clearly warned that, if the social dysfunction that was affecting the operation of the Catholic schools on the islands now did not change, those same problems would haunt the possibility of success at Pickertaramoor.
There are just a couple of points I want to make.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I move an extension of time for the minister.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STIRLING: Madam Speaker, I thank the House for their indulgence but it is an important point that I wanted to explain. When I challenged the Tiwi Land Council members on this, they just chose to read the report and see points that suit their argument for a new non-government boarding school. They do not go to those paragraphs that warn of the real risk of failure unless all of those attendant problems that are there now, are at least sought to be resolved and addressed. They just want to turn their backs on those existing problems and put millions of dollars into the secondary boarding school in the sure expectation that it will work. I am not absolutely convinced, I have to tell you. At that meeting I had, their request was for $1m from this government to go towards that school - a request that we have not advanced at this stage pending, of course, the consultative process with DEST and DEET. My other view to them was: ‘If you want to go this way with the secondary boarding school, ought not your first priority be to make sure the schools you have that are not working very well, are working first, en route to a quality secondary school?’ No, that is not the answer. The answer is a brand new flash multimillion dollar secondary boarding school. We will work through that with them and the Commonwealth.
We are certainly not trying to push Catholic Education out. They have done the hard yards for many years in these communities, often with not much thanks for the efforts that their people put in. The dedication and commitment of Sisters in those schools and Brothers in other schools, exceeds the normal grind of a teacher, because they carry a lot from in and around the community on their shoulders as well. I have enormous respect for Catholic Education and the job they have done over all of these years. I am not going to stand here and criticise them because we have plenty of remote area indigenous schools in just as much strife. Part of the reason we are going to this community engagement process is to try to get that commitment back to the process of education. That is something, at some stage, that the Tiwis, the Catholics, and us are probably going to have to engage in over there as well. There is no wish on behalf of this government to turf them out.
A similar question exists at Wadeye in relation to secondary schooling: whether the new secondary school will be built and whether that ought to be Catholic Education or government or some other non-government provider. No answer as yet, but we stay close to our Catholic brothers and Catholic Education Office in trying to understand this cauldron of conflict and differing views, and we will continue to stay close to them and work through it with them. I hope that answers your question.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Speaker, this evening I welcome in the new parliamentary year in terms of my electorate and, particularly, welcome new principals to the electorate. At Manunda Terrace Primary School, we have a new principle, Bill Armstrong. I went out to the school and had a long, positive chat with Bill Armstrong who seems to be a man very much of the ilk of the principal who retired, Ron Abbott. He has a great sense of pastoral care and extends with his skills - his very highly spoken of skills as a principal and a person who works well with his staff – a very deep concern and care for the children of the school. The Education Department has held the school in good stead by selecting Bill Armstrong to step in as the principal at Manunda Terrace Primary. I wish him all the very best for the school year. I look forward to working with him as I have done with previous principals at Manunda Terrace.
Another new principal to the electorate is the new principal at O’Loughlin College, Mr Lester Lemke who comes with very high regard from the people I am chatting to in the community; they say he is a very good principal. He takes on the helm of a very highly thought of and well-functioning secondary education delivery in our area of Karama. O’Loughlin College is, as people would know, a Catholic Education college and they do a fantastic job. I welcome Mr Lester Lemke to his position as principal and look forward to working with him. We have an exciting project under way out there at the moment of a new block of classrooms and I look forward to seeing that project completed.
I am working again this year with Marg Fenbury out at Karama Primary School. Marg has done a great job at Karama Primary School. I have caught up with quite a lot of the parents and staff at the school over the last few weeks since school came back and managed to have a good chat to Marg as well just before school was starting. It is really heartening to hear the very fine words that have been spoken about the job Marg Fenbury is doing at Karama Primary School. She has a great, strong team of senior teachers around her and has a very settled teaching staff. I am looking forward to very good results from Karama Primary School. They have taken on the accelerated literacy program which is extremely exciting for the school.
At Malak Primary School, we have Russell Legg back as principal again this year, a highly-regarded and well-liked principal. I have been to Malak and had a meeting, and we have had some very interesting discussions about middle years of school. He is certainly a very learned deliverer of education in the Territory, and I take on board many of the suggestions and ideas that he has. Malak community is very well served with the principal they have. It is good to see so many of the teachers at Malak Primary School back there again this year. There is a very dedicated and loyal teaching staff and it certainly serves the broader school community in good stead to have the consistency that we see at Malak Primary School.
Finally, I welcome back to the helm at Sanderson High School, Denise Wilkowski. She will have a challenging year ahead steering the debate around middle years at school, but I know she is well versed in the needs of secondary schooling in that particular section of the northern suburbs. She knows the constituency well, she knows the students needs and she is a very good person to steer that debate and encourage parents to understand what is being proposed in policy direction to strengthen middle years of school education.
We started off the year fairly successfully in Karama. We had some great news from the Attorney-General that Karama and Malak Neighbourhood Watch were successful in their crime prevention grant application, so we have $2000 to improve security at the Philadelphia Uniting Church which is, indeed, an Indonesian congregation, with the church based in Koolinda Crescent. We have had our first Neighbourhood Watch meeting of the year. We alternate our meetings between Karama Library and Malak Primary School. At Malak Primary School last week we discussed how best to use the $2000 crime prevention grant. We will be talking to the Indonesian congregation, particularly to Reverend Salomo Bangun who is the priest there, to find out whether they prefer a fence or the modern method of crim mesh on the windows. Very generously - and huge congratulations to the Neighbourhood Watch team – they have decided to donate new sensor lights to the church. Congratulations to the Neighbourhood Watch team showing great generosity to a very worthy local church community.
The Neighbourhood Watch team is led by two area coordinators, Kerrie Behm from Karama and Leigh Kariko from Malak. They do a fantastic job; they work well together, they are very active, they put in a lot of hours as volunteers, and a lot of commitment is shown by them to improving the safety and security of our neighbourhood. They are well supported by a consistent team of residents who turn up all the time. There is Helen and Joe Clarke, Sue Pattiselanno, Meg Angus, Andy Burnett, and Marion Hancock. They are there pretty well without fail every month at Neighbourhood Watch meetings and I congratulate them for the effort they show in working as volunteers to improve the security of our neighbourhood. I believe that, over the years I have been living in Karama and Malak, I have seen the strength of a local residents group such as Neighbourhood Watch bear fruit. There are some good strong community projects happening around the area which they have very much had a hand in delivering and identifying.
Jeff Mosel and Geoff Pickering are the two police officers who support the Neighbourhood Watch activities. They are doing a very fine job and I look forward to working with them throughout the year. We met for the first time the new Officer-in-Charge of Casuarina Police Station, Acting Senior Sergeant Tim Moseley at our Neighbourhood Watch meeting. Everyone was very impressed by the calibre of the officer and the ideas he had, and the suggestions he made of how he would use the police force in the area to improve safety. We are looking forward to a very good year of community working together to ensure we are looking out and improving the safety and security of the area.
Most members found somewhere or another to celebrate Australia Day; I chose to celebrate it with the Australia Day Ute Run. I loaded up my ute with the kids and the dogs and we headed off to a service station on the Stuart Highway and joined what seemed like hundreds of other utes. I do not know what the official number was, but it was an incredible number of utes. I was gob-smacked that utes came in so many different shapes and sizes. It was a great show of patriotism. One ute was covered in native flora and was decked out with tree branches. So many utes had Aussie flags; it was a spectacular sight. My kids were very impressed and my dog seemed suitably impressed as well. We had a really good Australia Day Ute Run enjoying ourselves in a very Aussie fashion on Australia Day.
We have also enjoyed the Chinese community. The Chung Wah Society came out to bless my Karama electorate office. I thank them for coming out last Saturday and having the lion dance through the office. There was a large gathering of residents having a look at the spectacle. The Chinese community members commented to me afterwards that they were amazed that my baby son showed no fear whatsoever. In fact, at one stage, I think he head-butted the lion. It was a very enjoyable morning at Karama Shopping Centre; a lot of colour, action, and noise, with a lot of donations to the Chung Wah Society - a very worthy cause.
Good news seems to be the flavour of this speech as, in a rare coup, our community has gained a doctor; a GP. We all know there is a huge shortage of GPs right across Australia; however, Karama is bucking the trend and we have had a GP surgery open at the Karama Shopping Centre to fill the space that was left when a very good GP departed about four years ago now. I very much welcome Dr Gervin Samarawickrama who has worked as a doctor previously in the Territory. He and his wife were missing the Territory and decided to come back. His commitment is as a GP running his own practice, so his return to our community is very welcome. Even more rare, he bulk bills. His GP practice is right opposite my electorate office. It is busy, day in and day out. He has only been open for a couple of weeks, and it is phenomenal to see how quickly he has already picked up clients and how the community is able to make the most of the fact that they have a bulk-billing GP at their local shopping centre. It is making a huge difference to the community. I really thank Dr Gervin Samarawickrama for coming back to town and setting up at Karama.
The start of the year, obviously, is dominated for many families by the start of school year and a return to school. As I was heading around the electorate and talking to parents, I was overwhelmed by the number of parents who came up to me and said: ‘We love the $50 voucher that helps us cover our uniforms and stationery’. So many parents said: ‘For the first time, I have actually been able to buy new uniforms for my kids’. Or they said: ‘For the first time, I have not been stressed out about trying to meet the stationery costs’. A huge congratulations to the government for identifying the need of the $50 vouchers and implementing it in a fair and equitable system through our local schools. It has been a real bonus to families; taking the pressure off. As we all know, people do it pretty tough in January; they are still trying to recover from the Christmas spend. To give them that extra help when they are taking their kids off to school - when you have families of three and four kids, it is not an insignificant amount of money that you are shelling out at the start of the school year to try to equip them with the basic needs. That $50 voucher hit the spot; it was right on the mark. It has meant that families can afford to start the school year without the huge financial stresses that they have had to meet in the past. A huge congratulations to the government on that one; it is a great initiative. It is practical assistance that is helping families. It has taken a fair bit of angst out of the front office of many schools, because they have all had smiles on their faces when, usually in that first week of school, they look a bit stressed. The front office staff I saw were pretty happy with the system.
I look forward to working with the community this year. There are a few exciting projects that we have on the boil already, particularly through Neighbourhood Watch. There are other projects as well, in election commitments. Judging by the amount of constituents coming into my office, we will have an extremely busy year. However, I am looking forward to it.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Mr Deputy Speaker, I take this opportunity tonight to put on the Parliamentary Record the opposition’s objections to the appointment of Mr Richard Coates as the Director of Public Prosecutions. The opposition does not support the appointment of Richard Coates as the DPP. It is with a great deal of regret that we cannot support his appointment, but the reasons for our not doing so will be stated at length during this speech. It is important that I outline all of the reasons for our inability to support the appointment for a number of reasons. One of them is to record them for historical purposes, given that this is the first time an opposition in the Territory has opposed an appointment of a DPP.
Members will know that I am ordinarily circumspect about appointments of this nature. It is important that the public have confidence in our legal system and appointments thereto. I was supportive of the appointment of the Chief Justice. It is important that the public have confidence in the Ombudsman which was, obviously, why we were supportive of the appointment of Carolyn Richards. The same can be said of the Auditor-General – the list goes on.
However, given that it is so important that the public have confidence in the legal system, it is equally important that appropriate appointments be made. In the case of the DPP, one cannot overstate the importance of maintaining the integrity and independence of the DPP. There are many reasons for this and I will refer to them later.
We oppose this appointment because Mr Richard Coates has been the right hand man of the Attorney-General and this Labor government since his appointment to the position as CEO of the Department of Justice in November 2001. He has, therefore, been an instrument of government and has implemented its agenda. He was seen as a Labor appointment when he got the job of CEO. Now, having implemented Labor’s agenda, he can rightly be seen as an instrument of this government. Whether he likes it or not, Richard Coates is seen publicly to be a part of the government. The public has a right to expect a high level of independence from the DPP and his or her office. They simply do not have it with this appointment. Territorians have been sold short. This is jobs for the boys at it worst; it is cronyism. It is an act of bastardry that has, for the first time since the establishment of the DPP, seen the role politicised. The job of the DPP is too important to give to your friends. It is not a reward for being a Labor supporter or for having a go at implementing government’s policies; it is a job that, rightly, requires the appointment of not only someone who is independent but, importantly, someone who is seen to be independent. Sadly, this is not the case.
The qualifications for a DPP are not specified by legislation, but there are certain conventions and traditional requirements. It is a combination of a number of important factors that go to support an appointment. It is usually someone of high standing in the legal profession, someone who is currently practising at law, and who is and is seen to be independent. Usually they are silks and have prosecutorial experience. The absence of one factor is not critical, but Mr Coates has none of these attributes. Indeed, he is the only DPP appointed in this country’s history who does not hold any of these attributes. This is the basis for our concern, and mine in particular, in addition to the fact that he is seen to be too close to government.
The government is focused on only one of the many reasons I have as to why this appointment cannot be supported; that is, that Mr Coates has not had prosecutorial experience. I wish to deal with that now. I say again that this is only one of the many reasons why this appointment is political in nature, and it is not even very high on the list. Obviously, there have been DPPs appointed who have not been prosecutors. However, to my knowledge, it has only happened twice in Australia. Even if it had happened one or two times, it does not matter. What does matter is that this is one of a long list of reasons why the appointment deserves to be condemned. I note in passing that one DPP, who had very little in the way of prosecutorial experience, was John Harber Phillips, who subsequently became Chief Justice of Victoria. Any implied comparison between John Phillips and Richard Coates is as laughable as it is unwise. Chief Justice Phillips, now retired, was a pre-eminent lawyer who practised for years, and he was practising law at the time of his appointment - unlike Mr Coates - and who had regularly appealed in superior courts.
This government is concentrated on this objection; namely the lack of prosecutorial experience. I raise that is only one objection, but my objections are multiple in relation to this appointment. I have sought to address it here because the way the government sought to spin itself away from the objections I raised were dishonest and disingenuous.
Mr KIELY: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I do not believe the member can make such charges about the government being dishonest and disingenuous. That would have to be a substantive motion, so I would ask her to withdraw those remarks.
Ms CARNEY: Speaking to the point of order, it is certainly the case that I cannot refer to an individual as being dishonest, but I make no such assertion, just government as a whole, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: I will seek clarification.
Ms CARNEY: Have we stopped the clock, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker?
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, I will let you go but …
Ms CARNEY: Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
Mr BONSON: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I recognise that it is late in the day. I just wonder if the member for Araluen, the Opposition Leader, would speak up a bit, I cannot hear.
Ms CARNEY: No problem, thank you.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Are you sure you will oblige, member for Araluen?
Ms CARNEY: Indeed I will. My apologies. I am not doing this to be provocative but, in order to find out where I was, I will repeat the last sentence. It was dishonest and disingenuous of the government to try to spin itself away from the numerous objections I made in relation to the appointment.
Another objection was that Mr Coates is not a silk, not one of Her Majesty’s Counsel, not a QC, and not an SC. In other jurisdictions, most DPPs were prior to their appointments; in other words they had a track record, and were of high standing.
Another major objection is that Mr Coates has not practiced for years. Indeed, since November 2001 he was the CEO of Justice, hence he has not practiced law for many years. Prior to that he was the Director of the Legal Aid Commission, not a job requiring regular court appearances. Mr Coates cannot be said to have been a director who regularly appeared in the courts of the Northern Territory, let alone superior ones. He was the Director of the Legal Aid Commission from about 1990. His job was: ‘To lead the planning and establishment’ of the legal commission, an administrative job in nature and not one requiring regular court appearances. That quote was from the Legal Aid Commission’s report the year of his departure.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, Territorians will question whether Mr Coates will spend much time at court; a good question given that he has spent so little time in one over the last decade. His predecessors did not get the job because they were administrators. One is also compelled to ask whether Mr Coates would be able to run a case such as the Murdoch trial, given his absence from the law for many years. Mr Coates, as I said, is not a lawyer who has a history of regular court appearances. It is this factor, amongst so many others, in addition to his appointment being blatantly political, that even a casual observer calls into question the appointment.
Government will say there was an independent committee. It is amazing the results you can come up with when you establish committees. It is inconceivable, in my view, that Mr Coates would have applied for the job, not got it, and then returned to his job as CEO of Justice. The Attorney-General may wish to provide details of the individuals on the committee and whether they were the same individuals who were originally on the committee on which Mr Coates was also going to be a member from the outset. In other words, we know that Mr Coates was part of a committee. The Attorney-General, presumably, received advice from his CEO of Justice about the membership of this so-called panel. We would like to know whether the membership changed in its entirety after Mr Coates indicated that he wanted the job. We note with a sense of irony that it clearly did not occur to the Attorney-General that Mr Coates would have wanted the job, or perhaps he just did not think he was a worthy appointment. Had he thought so, presumably he would have asked Mr Coates. The Attorney-General certainly has the power to appoint him.
The bottom line is that as soon as Mr Coates indicated he wanted the job he got it, and the process was either half in place, partly in place, or fully in place that ensured that he did. The government and the Attorney-General have been at pains to regularly state the principle of an independent judiciary and how the justice system, generally, should be at arms length from government. In other words, it should be independent - quite so. Indeed, members of Labor have been at pains to declare their unwavering commitment to uphold such principles, yet their actions show they have simply paid lip service to these important principles. It is not just me who says this. The former Director, Mr Wild QC, who received high praise from the Attorney-General in his annual report last year wrote:
Of his office:
He went on to say:
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I should also refer to Mr Wild’s annual report of 2004-05. The Director was scathing of a review undertaken by the Department of Justice and he said:
So there you have it; Mr Wild’s words, not mine.
The public has a right to expect the ODDP to be independent and this appointment does much to unsettle them and gives them cause to question its independence. Independence is a crucial attribute of a prosecutor. Underlying it – and there are plenty of textbooks on this in the event that anyone is interested – the International Association of Prosecutors has stated:
Whether he or the government accepts it, Mr Coates cannot and will not be seen to be independent. There have been times over the years when DPPs have had to prosecute politicians and former politicians. It is a good example of the need for the DPP to be independent and to be seen to be independent. It is in the public interest that the DPP operate independently and that there be no attempt to interfere with his or her prosecutorial independence.
In this regard, it is noteworthy that much has been written about the need for the DPP to be independent. Although I could quote from hundreds of authoritative sources, I quote from an article written by the former DPP in Western Australia, published in the Western Australian Law Reports. The Director, John McKechnie QC wrote that two days after the DPP act was proclaimed in 1991, he instituted contempt proceedings against a serving minister in the Labor Lawrence government. He went on to say:
These comments have equal application, of course, in the 21st century. These comments illustrate an importance of having an independent DPP in whom the public can have absolute confidence. Our jurisdiction is no different from any other. It may be the case that former politicians - Labor politicians for instance - might need to be prosecuted. One wonders how Mr Coates might act in the event that he is called upon to exercise his prosecutorial discretion when considering whether to prosecute politicians and former politicians in much the same way that other directors have been called upon to do so in the past.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ web site says of its role:
It goes on to say:
The integrity and the independence of the DPP is essential and it is not achieved with this appointment. In the short time I have left, I stress that the public has been sold short and the integrity and the independence of the DPP has suffered a fatal blow.
Finally, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, if Labor members thought that alleging that I have a conflict of interest in this matter, and that by using the disgusting and disgraceful tactics they would silence me, they were mistaken. I will not be silenced when I see the appalling way this government conducts itself and, if it does something wrong, I will never hold back from saying so.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I have an issue to raise tonight. At about 3.50 pm this afternoon I finished my contribution to the cane toad motion that the minister moved today. I had to go out to an albino python briefing, just to keep it …
Members interjecting.
Mr WOOD: On the way back …
Members interjecting.
Mr WOOD: I do not want to put forward conspiracy theories or make it sound as though devious things are happening, but on the way back I stopped to get, of all things, an iced coffee. I came across the today’s copy of the Darwin Sun and - lo and behold! - it had this headline. Well blow me down! ‘Government slammed over cane toad inaction’. I thought: ‘Blow me down! Did someone know that this was going to come out?’ After all, we only had the motion presented yesterday, today we are debating it and, at 3.50 pm - bingo! - out comes the Darwin Sun with this great headline. I should note recommendation 6 of the motion before the Assembly said:
What does the paper say?
Very good; we all applauded that:
It was just …
Mr Kiely: What is the date of that paper?
Mr WOOD: Today, 15 February. Amazing! I just think it is a very interesting coincidence that, after praising FrogWatch and putting a motion forward that we should be doing more on-ground toad control, we have a headline quoting the man who runs FrogWatch saying we are not doing enough ...
Mr Kiely: It is a scoop, Gerry – a scoop!
Mr WOOD: Yes, it is a scoop. It is amazing what a drop of iced coffee can do when you need to get a scoop.
I am interested to at least put that on the Parliamentary Record. Although the government has put a great spin on its efforts in trying to control cane toads, and said it is a great supporter of FrogWatch …
Members interjecting.
Mr WOOD: … it has its very own person who it is supporting saying you are not doing enough. I did not write this, but here it is. I say to the government: would you please respond to Graeme Sawyer’s criticism of not enough on-ground cane toad control. Today you said there is, but your favourite man in the business, Graeme Sawyer of FrogWatch, says there is not. I am interested in the government’s response. Are they going to put cane toad traps at Holmes Jungle, Howard Springs and Charles Darwin National Park? Do they intend to put them in other places? Graeme Sawyer says they have traps in Rapid Creek and he is very appreciative of that.
However, it seems strange to me that, after all the lovely words said today, in actual fact the expert is saying the government has not been doing enough work. I say to the government: listen to what your expert says and go out there and get the trapping program started. Holmes Jungle, Howard Springs, Charles Darwin National Park, all have water bodies ...
Mr Bonson: They cannot make enough, Gerry. Graeme told me that last week. They cannot make them fast enough.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Millner!
Mr WOOD: It will only help the manufacturing industry if we can speed up those things, member for Millner. I would like to put on record …
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Nelson, if you can address your comments to me it might be helpful.
Mr WOOD: Okay, hang on a sec. I am just raising the point that, after all the debate today, all the grand words that have been said, perhaps we have fogged over the reality. The reality is the government is not doing enough. That is not coming from me; it is coming from FrogWatch. That is a fairly independent statement. The government should respond to that, and the best way to respond to it and say: ‘Okay, FrogWatch is saying this, let us go and get more traps around those areas’. It is as simple as that.
Mr Kiely: Did he mention anything about an extra person?
Mr WOOD: Excuse me. Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, the member for Sanderson is addressing me and he should not be doing that.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Just continue.
Mr WOOD: Okay. That is all I need to say. I hope the government will take note of what Graeme Sawyer said.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Would you like to table that newspaper at all.
Mr WOOD: It is free, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, so I will certainly table it and get myself another one.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I have the pleasure of placing on the Parliamentary Record a bit of history about a wonderful lady who I have had the pleasure of knowing for 16 years.
This lady, Merle Wright, who is 80 years young, was named the Katherine Citizen of the Year at the Australia Day Ceremony in Katherine, which was held at the Katherine Civic Centre. Merle will actually be 81 years young on 15 March. The reason I keep saying young is that this lady has the energy, attitude and enthusiasm of a person generally much younger.
Merle was born at Alberton, South Australia, the eldest of four children. She went to school at Largs Bay and Port Adelaide Primary Schools, and Port Adelaide Girls Technical School. Merle left school at 13 years of age during the Depression and worked at the Lions food factory on North Terrace in Adelaide in the test kitchen, where her pay was 7/6 per week. At that time, it cost 5d per week on the bus, so Merle rode her bike to work for five years to save her money. I do not know the exact distance she rode her bike, but it is a long way from Alberton into the city - many miles.
Merle met her husband, Campbell Wright, at a cheer-up hut behind the Adelaide Railway Station. After they married, Merle and Campbell moved to Bridgewater in the Adelaide Hills, before returning to Alberton where their first son, John, was born. Campbell went off and served in World War II and, when he returned home, he applied for what was then known as soldiers settlement land in South Australia. There were three locations around South Australia, and Merle, Campbell and John were allocated to Kangaroo Island, along with 300 other soldier settlers. Merle and her sister-in-law’s families were the seventh and eighth families to be located to the island.
Along with other families, they lived in second-hand huts in long rows for three years waiting for their land allocation, which was 1306 acres, when they were finally able to move into their cottage. The land had to be cleared first. Campbell had suffered injuries during the war and was continually in and out of the Repatriation Hospital in Daw Park, Adelaide. Merle and Campbell’s other three sons, Colin, Greg and Mitchell, were born on Kangaroo Island. Merle said they were poor, but they had a great life - fishing, camping and sporting, with lots of outdoor activities - and they were never, ever hungry.
Campbell died of his war injuries when he was only 52 years of age. It took three years to get the war widow’s pension and, during that time, Merle and the boys moved into Kingscote where Merle worked in the hardware store, eventually moving back to Adelaide.
Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin in 1974, and that changed the Wright family’s movements. John, the eldest son, had already moved to Katherine to work prior to the cyclone. Colin was in Western Australia and Mitchell, the youngest, in Adelaide. Greg was offered work rebuilding Darwin and, when he had completed the months of rebuilding in Darwin, he visited his brother, John, in Katherine before returning to Adelaide. It was not long before mum, Merle, and Greg were on the dirt road heading to Katherine, joining brother John and his family. Greg was involved in building around Katherine, where he met Peter Semrau and they formed a partnership called Semrite Constructions.
In 1990, I became their office manager and worked for these great guys for several years until I moved into the tourism industry. During that time, they had a lot of government contracts in the outlying areas of Kalkarindji and all of the outlying indigenous areas for several hundred kilometres around. They were very busy and had a large team of workers – 13 to 14 on the staff.
This is also where I first met Merle, who is affectionately known as Nana Merle. Merle now lives on Gorge Road in a lovely cottage on her son Greg’s property. She is deeply involved in the community with seniors, Red Cross trolley at the hospital, St Vincent’s op shop, Rotary, hospital visits and Rocky Ridge Care, and was the first President of the Lioness Club in Katherine, not to mention being highly in demand around Katherine as a house-sitter.
Her wonderful sense of fun and adventure keeps her on the go. For example, if somebody has to wear the brightest clothes and be the gaudiest in colours, Merle will be right in it. She wears the colours of her grandchildren’s house teams when she visits them at their sports days. Whatever colour team her grandchildren’s team is, that is what Merle will be totally dressed in. She has a two-door Suzuki and she decorated it as a Christmas tree for a car rally just recently. She wore a tattoo of the Australian flag on her cheek for the Australia Day ceremony - and the list goes on and on. Merle has a wonderful value and attitude to life. She now has 11 grandchildren and two great-granddaughters, and her highest priority is her family.
It was wonderful to see Merle acknowledged as the Senior Citizen of the Year for Katherine. It is thoroughly deserved for all the voluntary work she does so willingly and with so much enthusiasm. Nothing is ever too much trouble to be involved in for Nana Merle, especially if it is helping someone disadvantaged. I will give another example of that. When the tsunami happened early last year Merle was one of the volunteers who worked tirelessly day after day sorting and packing clothes and goods and getting them sent off for the Tsunami victims. That is the sort of person Merle is.
Well done, Merle. Keep up the energy, drive and enthusiasm. You put a lot of young people to shame and, sometimes, you even put me to shame when I look at the amount of energy that she put through. She is thoroughly deserving of that award and it gives me the greatest of pleasure to be able to place that on the Parliamentary Record tonight for somebody who has achieved a lot in her life and expects nothing in return.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I speak about health, one of my favourite topics …
Members interjecting.
Dr LIM: I have my stethoscope in my office if you guys who are coughing need a hand; just let me know.
This morning, I asked a question of the Treasurer regarding what has happened to all the money he has received from the federal government in GST and every other dollar he has received. I also raised the issue of long and growing waiting lists at the Royal Darwin Hospital. In previous speeches, I have mentioned the growing waiting list at the Alice Springs Hospital. While we can say that the Darwin population has increased significantly, the Alice Springs population has remained somewhat stagnant over the last four or five years.
I was going through some annual reports of the Royal Darwin Hospital and got some very interesting figures. In the year 2002-03, the total number on elective surgery waiting lists was 1394. By next year, 2003-04, it had gone up to 1605, and at the close of the last financial year, 2004-05, it had gone further up to 1705. Gradually, it has been creeping up. In the three years, there is something like 300 to 310 cases extra waiting for surgery. You have heard me say that, at the change of government in 2000-01 there were 450 cases waiting for elective surgery in Alice Springs, and around Christmas of last year it had gone up to 1600.
While we can say the surgery cases are getting more complex or complicated and people, therefore, have to wait, the Territory health budget has gone from $450m at the change of government in 2000-01 to over $677m-plus actually spent in 2004-05; an increase of over $200m, yet waiting lists have grown.
In this morning’s question, I advised that as far as dental surgery is concerned it is now 34 months before you can get dental treatment. Something is radically wrong in the Health Department. It has to be when your health budget goes up by over $200m in the last four years, which means that each year you have an increasing health budget. What is the matter? Nobody seems to be able to tell me. When I asked the minister, he said: ‘We are doing better, we have employed 100 new nurses in the last term of our government’. Funny that! He does not tell us, though, that in the last four years of government they have also lost more nurses than they have actually recruited. That is why nurses are now working double shifts, working at least an extra shift each week. In Alice Springs, I know that nurses are working up to 36 hours without a break, and it is an issue.
Coming back to the elective surgery, let me show you the annual report for the Department of Health and Community Services, 2004-05 on page 38, for those who are listening. Elective surgery waiting times 2001-02 to 2004-05 - look at the graph. The graph shows an upper trend. In percentages, in 2001-02, it was around 60% to 65%. In 2005-06, the target – sorry, this is a target this is not the actual numbers. The target is the anticipated of how they are going to deal with the patients.
When you look at the number of patients who are presenting for treatment and admissions at the hospitals around the Territory, you see another increasing problem. It is calculated in a way that the department has weighted the figures so that the figures then become comparative and relevant to each other. In 2003-04, the actual numbers for hospital admissions were 45 883. In 2004-05, it had gone up to 47 396. It is interesting that when you look at the annual report, while the actual for 2003-04 was 45 883, for some reason I cannot understand, the department estimated the 2004-05 to be some 2000 patients less, but the actual was in fact nearly 2000 more patients than the actual of 2003-04. You would expect the department to say, if that is the case, then 2005-06 would be higher again, and the trends are that it would be higher.
Why am I labouring on this issue of patient numbers going up? The trends are there. If you are a departmental CEO or even a minister, you would say: ‘If that is the case then I cannot gear my hospitals across the Territory to shut down or to slow down or to decrease services over the Christmas period, because each year I am increasing’. Unfortunately, over the last two Christmases in particular, we had such a small number of staff looking after our hospitals that patient could not access treatment satisfactorily. There were long waiting queues, patients were lying on trolleys in corridors for days on end, and the excuse given by government was: ‘Oh, we had another outbreak’, or whatever other excuse.
The figures are there in the department’s report; it says that the numbers are going up. Therefore, the government must prepare itself to deal with the increasing load throughout the year. More and more Territorians are staying home for the Wet, or for the summer in Alice Springs. They are not going away as they used to in the late 1970s or the early 1980s; they are now staying here. The population base is increasing and, therefore, your patient loads at the hospital are not going to be there and demanding to be cared for. Emergency attendances in all NT hospitals from 2000-01 through 2004-05 - Figure 15 on page 84 of the report - shows another trend; it is going up. Because these facts are there – it is visual – the minister should be looking at this and saying: ‘Hey, we have to now start looking at how we can maintain services in the hospitals to ensure that Territorians are treated’. It is no good making all sorts of excuses saying that there are outbreaks of rotoviruses or increased pneumonia, or whatever, that is taking up the beds. Obviously, there is more and more demand being put on our hospital system and somehow, we need to deal with it.
The Country Liberal Party has made some suggestions as to how you can deal with your staff shortages. You are competing with a finite pool of nurses in Australia. Sure, yesterday you increased your salaries by about some 5% or 5.3% to make the salary scale competitive with the rest of the country. You are better than Tasmania and Queensland, but not against the other states. While you might be competitive, you are still trying to compete against other more attractive working environments. You have to ask yourself: why would somebody want to come to the Northern Territory to work if they can get the same salary or more in five of the seven states? Why would they? You need to create a different set of circumstances. You cannot just say: ‘Okay, we are going to give you extra wages; now come and work in the Territory’.
It costs you something in the order of $10 000 to $20 000 to recruit, whether they come from a close locality or from overseas. The department sent staff overseas to recruit nurses from all sorts of countries to come and work on short-term contracts. That is going to cost you a lot of money. It is going to cost you to relocate them to the Territory, they might stay a year or two, and then you have to fly them back home. That is going to cost you again - anything from $10 000 to $20 000.
The CLP has offered a suggestion that the government reimburses HECS fees. It is very simple. First of all, the Charles Darwin University currently has the Batchelor of Nursing Degree, and its course is under-subscribed by some 50%. Therefore, it has a lot of capacity to take on more students. Create incentives for students around the country to come and study in the Northern Territory. Give them an incentive to come. If you did create incentive and they come, they come at their own volition, so it does not cost the government anything to bring these people into the Territory. What are the benefits? One is they come of their own volition, therefore, no cost to recruitment. They increase the population numbers, therefore, our share of GST would go up correspondingly. If they choose to study and enrol at Charles Darwin University, the university gets increased funding from the federal government for having more students. It is a win in not having to recruit, for having more population in the Territory, and to have more have students in the Charles Darwin University. When they graduate and you offer them work, it is a win because they have been recruited in the Territory and it has cost you nothing and you have a locally trained nurse.
Say to the nurse: ‘Work 12 months and we will reimburse your first year’s HECS fees’. A nurse who graduates from university starts working, say in January or February. By the end of that first June, that nurse has to pay the first year’s HECS fees. If that nurse works the remainder of the year until December, you would have taxed the nurse for 12 months. You then reimburse the HECS fees. Because the nurse has come of his or her own volition and it costs you nothing in recruitment, you save $10 000 to $20 000, giving the nurse $4500 to $5000 HECS reimbursement, only a quarter of the recruitment costs that you would have to expend getting that nurse on board. All in all, you would have a saving in recruitment, an increase in GST sharing from the feds because of increase in population, an increase in university funding because you have increased student population, and you have a home-grown nurse who will work in the Territory. It is a win-win.
This government needs to do something like that to ensure that we create our own pool of nurses. We cannot compete in a finite pool that is in Australia. We just do not have the means to compete. We do not have enough attraction to bring the people in. If we do bring them in, it is at a very high cost. If you do it this way, we will ensure that we have more staff, therefore, we can afford to open up more beds in the hospitals and our patient population can be catered for without having long waiting lists such as has occurred in the last three years at least in Darwin, and the last five years in Alice Springs. Territorians deserve better. This government has a lot of money; it should be able to do it better and it must do better.
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I talk about the great work that Ian Kew and his staff at Darwin International Airport are doing in the rehabilitation of what I consider to be a great jewel in the northern suburbs; that is, the Rapid Creek corridor.
Darwin International Airport is located just on the fringes of the Sanderson electorate and is quite a significant entry and exit point to Darwin. Those of us who go in and out of there, either picking up friends and relatives or travelling ourselves, can see the amount of activity that is going on around that precinct.
The Darwin International Airport incorporates something like 87 ha of undeveloped airport property, so it is quite a substantial block of land in the suburbs. It is zoned into four areas for land use. These are for business park, service industries, airport business and for tourism facilities. If you go along McMillans Road, Bagot Road or Trower Road, you will notice they are clearing the land in there. That is going to have a superstore put up on it, which might be a Bunnings or something of that nature - a big hardware store complex and all manner of small stores attached. If you go along the airport road you will see AQIS, and all manner of government and private buildings. Airnorth have their headquarters there, which is quite a substantial development.
Of course, there is John Robinson’s Darwin Airport Resort, which is going great guns. It is in the suburbs and is probably the best resort in Darwin at the moment. My family and I, with friends, go there for a meal of a Friday or Saturday night - great service in the restaurant, great place, different cuisine. If you go out the back of the restaurant they have nice pools. It is a fantastic place, and he is still building on it. He has these small cabanas all around the place and, further out, you can see they are building more units. They even have a platform where you can have a look over the creek and into the wetlands, and at the great birdlife that comes down around that place.
In 1998, following privatisation of the Darwin International Airport from the Federal Airport Corporation, land management of airport sections of Rapid Creek were to be transferred to Darwin City Council. However, at that time, the DCC was under-resourced and could not achieve truly effective management of the area. In 2001, Ian Kew took over the role of the airport chief executive, and he noted that a few other landholders had the financial resources or interest to effect rehabilitation of the creek area.
Mr Kew recognised the special nature of the area of Rapid Creek, known as Yankee Pools. Yankee Pools got its name due to the US military camp stationed at the creek during World War II. It had been subject to years of inappropriate use and abuse, was weed infested and the sensitive creek vegetation was damaged by repeated hot fires. Mr Kew had a vision of creating a place that the Darwin community could be proud of. Darwin’s International Airport’s environment team, led by Dan Richards, set about the process of rehabilitating the area. Since that time, Darwin International Airport has aimed to take a leading role in the rehabilitation of its section of the Rapid Creek corridor, in consultation with other members of the Rapid Creek Catchment Advisory Committee. The airport has worked hard to remove dumped rubble, to eradicate weed species and replant native trees with the aim of rehabilitating the creek corridor for the benefit of the environment and the Darwin community alike.
On Saturday, 4 February 2006, I attended the community tree planting event there to celebrate World Wetland Day which was organised by the Darwin International Airport in conjunction with the Rapid Creek Landcare Group. I received an e-mail flier in regards to what was going to happen on 4 February. However, about a week later, I received another e-mail from my colleague, Mr Matthew Bonson, the member for Millner, saying: ‘Get behind this’. He is a member of the Rapid Creek Landcare Group and he said: ‘Get behind this and see what you can do to promote it throughout your electorate’. He sent this out to a number of electorates; to Chris Burns’ electorate of Johnston, and all our electorates which have an interest in the Rapid Creek corridor, and said: ‘See what you can do to involve the community’.
I thought this was a great idea and did up a flier. However, as I said, it was late notice and we only had three days to get the notice out. We photocopied 1000-odd fliers in my office and I, my electorate officer, Therla Fowlestone, and even my wife, walked and placed those fliers into 1000 letterboxes throughout the electorate, which was predominantly the suburbs of Northlakes, Marrara east and west, and Anula. I want to put on record the great work that Therla Fowlestone did in getting those out, and also the great work that my wife did to help me as, by the end of the day, I had pretty well had it; I was sunburnt and walked out. However, she took up the cudgels and got the rest in.
I am pleased to say that on the day of the tree planting - and there were 3000 trees we hoped to go in - about 150, perhaps 200, members of the community along. There was Matty Bonson who was working hard, and Chris Burns. They were on shovels; there were no little dingos or anything with augers to poke the holes in; we all had to dig by hand. They were working in one section. There were members of our own community, the Harold family - Tom and Marcy and their kids; they rode down and put in trees. There was Jenny Paul, a teacher at Anula School; and Leanne Wilson and her kids. I am pleased to say that Leanne’s boy, Danny won a raffle for everyone who went down there and helped out, with gifts donated by John Robinson at the Darwin Airport Resort - I think it was a meal and perhaps overnight accommodation at his great place. That was a pretty good effort. There was Margaret Stehouwer; a stalwart of the community, who is very green in her thinking and wants to see a lot of work done down there, and I am with her all the way on that. There was Kathie Snowball from the Toy Library and her family; who got down and got into it.
There was also Jim and Shirley Downing, an old Darwin family who live in Shackles Street. Shirley is the person who featured in the story in the NT News only last week. She painted seven canvases of the Rapid Creek corridor and called it Gurambai. They are great and hanging at Charles Darwin University. They are looking for a home and I know that Shirley would love to see them hanging somewhere in the airport precinct, perhaps at one of the main buildings of the Darwin International Airport or one of the Commonwealth offices. It is a fantastic tribute which she has done to help us all remember what Rapid Creek corridor looks like.
The team, as I said, was led by Dan Richards who did a great job. Peter O’Hagan was there. It was just a wonderful effort that they did. I took my daughter, Claire, and her friend, Jasmine, from across the road, who helped out. This is a fantastic story about the fliers that we put out. There was a couple from Anula who were actually visitors from England, who were staying with relatives on Yanyula Drive. They saw the flier and they were there, so we actually had international guests to Darwin who were digging holes and putting trees in who recognised the value of it. There was a great cross-section of the community and everyone worked up and down that corridor with a great sense or community spirit, and I was very pleased to be part of it.
It was the first time I have been to Yankee Pools. I said in this House a couple of years ago that one of my ambition was to jump in a rubber tyre - because I had heard about this trip - and float down Rapid Creek. I took a little heat from some of the members who are no longer in the House. They derided that and said that was not much of a wish. Let me say that the yearning to do that is still very strong in my family.
The next day, on Sunday, I went again to Yankee Pools and this time I had my daughter and my son with me. I took neighbours - two kids from across the road, and I think three kids from the other side. We went there and we had a great time. I took a picnic lunch and we sat there. Yankee Pools is just a great area. A place like that in the middle of the suburbs is just fantastic. There was beautiful clear water and the kids were having a great timed. It is a very historical site. I would really like to see the Darwin City Council work with Darwin International Airport and other land-holders to make this a truly great corridor. We just have to look across into the wetlands. I know there was consideration by the Darwin Golf Course and the Darwin Airport Resort to maybe push a little pathway through and then you could get the golfers across to the golf course. That would be fantastic, and would not encroach too heavily on environment and could be accommodated. There are all these things that could be done in this corridor to attract the people of the suburbs into it. It is something that we should be working hard at. All the work goes on over the other side over Kimmorley Bridge and down through to Rapid Creek at the Water Gardens area. I would like to see a bit of focus on what Darwin International Airport is doing around Yankee Pools and on that whole pathway down on the airport side to Kimmorley bridge.
The next challenge in the ongoing management and rehabilitation of the Yankee Pools area is the formation of the management agreement with four land-holders, including the airport, Defence, crown land and the council. Work has commenced on this and agreement reached which aims to continue the airport’s good works to create a 150 m wide environment corridor around the headwaters of Rapid Creek. The successful delivery of this agreement will set the foundation for the continued program of environmental protection of the area, increasing public awareness and instilling pride and commitment to the Rapid Creek area.
Ian Kew, may I also add, was there with his family working away digging holes. Everyone was there. Ian Kew is pretty dinkum about the work he wants to do there. He has a good offsider in Dan working away on it. I wish them all the luck with their plans. I give them my commitment to work with them. I believe John Robinson knows the value of that corridor and he will be getting stuck into it in making sure that it is a pleasure for tourists to walk along. There is a great little path there. It is up to us to get there and use it, making sure that there are proper facilities for looking after the litter, and that people are aware that what they take down there, they take out again.
All through the Wet, I suggest that people from the northern suburbs, and even further away, get down there, have a look at Yankee Pools and the corridor, walk along and have a look at the wildlife that is there, get into the beautiful water, have a good time, but take your rubbish out with you.
I would just like to finish by saying that Marcia Harold came to see me. She was one of the people there on the clean-up day and she turned up and said: ‘Can we get involved in Clean-up Australia Day, perhaps along that area?’ I have been talking to them and Dan at the Darwin International Airport and to Peter O’Hagan. Peter O’Hagan and his group will be working on the creek corridor between McMillans Road and Trower Road from 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm. I have to talk to Marcia and see whether she is putting up a sign at the top end of it. Dan and his crew are in with Qantas because Qantas is a major sponsor of CUAD. They are actually looking at somewhere over in the Fannie Bay area, probably around the Charles Hinkler memorial. I know that Dan is keen to get stuck into the Charles Eaton areas. I hope he does get in there.
Let us make it a great spot for all the community. I would like to extend an invitation to all members, particularly those members who fly in and out of the airport. Instead of going straight to your car when you get off the plane, have a short five-minute walk at the back of the resort, look at the birds and the walk, and you will see Yankee Pools. Come back, have a sit down around the pool, have a beer at Foxie’s place and really enjoy life in the northern suburbs.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I am just going to make a few comments tonight in relation to my electorate and what has been happening over the last few weeks, especially after Christmas. It was good to see that Christmas went well for many people in my electorate and there was not too much flooding when I got back from my leave.
The first event that happened was, obviously, Australia Day that everybody gears up for. I attended two ceremonies, one at Batchelor and one at Pine Creek. For the Batchelor ceremony, I actually got there nice and early and helped members of the community and the Coomalie Community Government Council cook the breakfast. The council put on a fabulous breakfast for the locals and there would have been 200 or 300 people turn up for the event, which is absolutely fabulous for the community. I cannot go past the work that the councillors do. I acknowledge the organisation Kyra from the council puts into this event. The councillors and the president, Bruce Jones, is totally committed. He dressed up for the day in his Australia Day boxer shorts. There were many children. Families came along, which is absolutely fabulous and, after the breakfast, we moved into the ceremonies. It was terrific to acknowledge so many different groups and individuals who have contributed to that community.
One of the events was the open garden festival, which is something that was tried last year. It is one of those events which is bringing Batchelor together. It is putting the town on the map and will, obviously, work well in the future.
After I left Batchelor, I went down to Pine Creek. Pine Creek put on a fabulous show, and it was well under way by the time I got there. Again, another Aussie barbecue. I did not actually get to cook this one, but I was pretty barbecued out with sausages and fried meat by the end of the day. Again, this was a very well attended event, with a lot of families there and people just coming together. At that event, I made a few comments which were particularly related to what Australia Day means to me. The emphasis was that Australia Day is a time when we reflect on what we have done over the years, and what makes the community great. It really was everything that goes on day-to-day in each one of those communities. It is all the volunteers, the community spirit, the comradeship and the development of those communities which make it great and which makes the celebration of Australian Day a reflection of what happens.
Several weeks ago, I made a trip out to other parts of my constituency. I took a charter out to the Port Keats/Wadeye community, to be there in time for the school opening. Last year, they had a drive on to get students to school and that resulted in two-and-a-half times the number of students who typically come during the year, which was quite a stressful time for all concerned - the students, the teachers, and obviously the government, which had to respond as best it could. This year and throughout last year, the government and community worked closely together and, by this year, new teachers had been recruited, there were more classrooms and tables and chairs and a lot more organisation.
I arrived there from the show of light in the morning and things were well under way. There was a troop carriers racing around the community picking up people. Several people need to be given recognition in relation to that event. Special thanks to Mandy Leggett, who is absolutely fabulous for that community. Mandy has a long history with that community and she really puts a lot of energy in.
Also, to the co-principals of the Thamarrurr Regional School, Tobias Nganbe and the new co-principal, Anne Rebgetz, who has come from Queensland. Anne will be a fabulous asset to the community. She and Tobias will really do some fabulous things this year and, hopefully, they will stay for a long time. I do not know how it happened, but Anne’s husband is actually a GP, and he has moved to the community, which is good to see, so the community now has a resident doctor. Whether she came with him or he came with her, is irrelevant; it is good to see that we have two great people in the community.
The day was one of acknowledging the work that has been done in the community. There were a lot of returned students, a lot of new students, and the total student body was broken into three ceremony groups. Each ceremony group was put through a smoking ceremony to welcome the children, to get rid of the evil spirits. It was something that I am sure the kids remember and, hopefully, will stick to. Approximately 430 kids turned up the first day and, over that week, the numbers built up to, I believe, 500 or 600, which is absolutely fabulous. However, there is still a lot more work to be done. I will be constantly reminding our government of our responsibility there, and also the other players such as Catholic Education and the Commonwealth government, that we still have 1000 school-aged children in that community and we have to do a lot more.
I moved on to the Nganmarriyanga community, or Palumpa, to meet the new Town Clerk. Ken and his wife have come from Queensland, another great asset for that community. His wife works at the school. It is really good to see good quality people coming into these communities. Between him and the president, Jack Woditj, who is a good friend of mine, I believe things will move ahead with that community.
The school has always been fairly good, and Otto, the new principal there, certainly has a lot of ideas. I acknowledge the hard work they are trying to do for some of their satellite schools at Merrepen, and I will be working hard to help them have better services and look after those kids in those outlying areas.
The road is, obviously, a big issue. I drove on it to Nganmarriyanga, which is only 50 km of a 190 km journey back to the Daly River. It was in very poor condition. I look forward to working to have that road upgraded over the years to come so that we can have an all-weather road back to the Daly River and a bridge over the Daly River, and see that region’s economic development really kick on. That was one of the aspects I talked to several land-holders there about. William Parmbuk is someone I have known for a long time. He has a place at Kubiyirr which is an amazing place, at the top of a plateau looking over a huge floodplain and valleys. He wants to get things going there. I am encouraged that our departments are working very closely with them and with the work of the Northern Land Council there. I look forward to working with those parties in the future to get not only William’s place going, but other places as well.
Unfortunately, this year another part of my electorate suffered isolation through flooding. That was the Timber Creek area, where I have a long history. The low pressure trough tended to sit over the headwaters of the Victoria River. Obviously, the river came up to about 9 m over the Victoria River bridge which is a fair height. Also the Baines came up to the west of Timber Creek and it blocked it off. That community knows what it is like to be isolated. It was good to see the road open up in the last week and for those people to be able to get out and have a bit of time away from the town after being trapped there for several weeks.
I would just like to acknowledge another friend of mine, Basil Jimarin who, unfortunately, had a son who passed away over this last weekend. My sympathies go out to Basil and his family. The circumstances were not that nice. I hope to catch up with Basil in the future and I will definitely try to get to the funeral of his son.
Other significant events which are happening in my electorate have been the developments of the mine. I have mining happening all over the electorate from Batchelor, around the northern area of Pine Creek out to the east of Pine Creek as well, and out in the eastern area of Katherine, which is just in my electorate, I think - I will claim it. The really exciting thing about this has been the engagement we have had from the mine companies. Previously, mining companies did not want to know you. They would not give you any information, they just bungled along, did their thing, got in and got out and did the fly-in, fly-out so, basically, they did not do much for these small towns. We have two companies. I also acknowledge the work that has been done at Batchelor by Compass Resources. I have been fairly heavily involved with GBS Gold, and also Territory Iron, who have been very helpful. We have tried to work together: the community members at Pine Creek through their council, the Aboriginal Council at Kybrook Farm, the Northern Land Council and DEET, and we also had some Commonwealth agencies involved in the beginning as well.
It has been a great experience. We are looking at getting ahead of the game and getting some training programs in place for local people who we know are not going to leave the community, will spend their money in the community and continue to keep their kids in the school. These are the people who we want to put through training programs to give them the opportunity to work at these mines. From Batchelor all the way to Katherine there will be significant employment. Next week, I will talk more about the mining industry. Something like 200-odd jobs between the three mines over a period of 10 years is absolutely fabulous for those towns. I believe we have gone past the point of it stopping; both companies have committed themselves to opening up. Certainly, with the prices of gold and other precious metals, this is the time to do it. I thank them for their cooperation. I look forward to it continuing and getting these training programs happening.
We will also try to get an emphasis on getting government agencies like DBERD there to assist local business operators or individuals who want to start businesses, change their business, or to expand their businesses. As I said, we are starting to capture some of these smaller contracts that will be offered through the mining companies, and really build that town.
In parallel to all the mining developments in these communities, we want to make sure that we achieve some sustainable industries such as tourism, and build the infrastructure so that when the mines do close down, that infrastructure and those other annual industries are there to keep the economy at a higher level than it was previous to the mining happening, to continue to keep the people in the town.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I look forward to getting back the teacher we lost in Pine Creek late last year. I look forward to that position being reinstated. I thank everybody at Pine Creek for all their work.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise you of the presence in the Speaker’s gallery of friends and colleagues of the late Mr Andy McNeill, APM. On behalf of all honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
CONDOLENCE MOTION
Mr Andy McNeill APM
Mr Andy McNeill APM
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is with deep regret that I advise of the death on 25 December 2005 of Mr Andy McNeill APM, a long-serving and high-ranking member of the Northern Territory Police, and Mayor of Alice Springs from 1992 to 2000. I ask honourable members, on completion of debate, to stand for one minute as a mark of respect.
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly:
(a) express its deep regret at the death of Mr Andy McNeill APM, a long-serving and high-ranking member of the Northern Territory Police Force and the Mayor of Alice Springs from 1992 to 2000; and
(b) place on record the Assembly’s appreciation of his long record of public service to the people of the Northern Territory and tender its profound sympathy to his family.
Andy McNeill died peacefully in Adelaide on Christmas Day, with his wife, Marlene, and family at his bedside. Even though he was born and raised in Sydney and country New South Wales and did not arrive in the Territory until his early 20s, it is very true to say that Andy McNeill was a Territorian through and through, and a very proud one. He arrived here in 1959 to join our police force and, over the next 45 years, made a major contribution to Alice Springs and to the wider Territory community. Along the way he got to know this part of the world pretty well, working in Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek as well as his beloved home of Alice Springs. He worked in a wide range of roles during his time in the police force - counter disaster operations, air crashes, major crimes and planning for royal and VIP visits.
I know that many will never forget the role he played in the overland evacuations from Darwin in the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy 1974-75. He was Inspector of Police in Katherine at the time and experienced up close the severe trauma of many fleeing and frightened Darwinians. His tireless work and compassion, and that of the Katherine community, will never be forgotten by the many people he helped.
Of course, Andy is also remembered by many Territorians for the shoot-out he was involved in with a highjacker at Alice Springs Airport in 1972, an incident that gained worldwide coverage and one that has become part of Territory folklore. The highjacker, who held six passengers and four crew hostage, shot Constable Paul Sandeman before opening fire on Andy and his colleagues. The siege ended soon after when the highjacker shot and killed himself. Andy displayed bravery and coolness under pressure during this harrowing time, yet even in recounting these events his well-known sense of humour was never far away. Andy maintained that it was only having to run up and down the control tower stairs four times during the height of the crisis that he discovered he was an asthmatic.
Andy’s 33 years in the Northern Territory Police Force saw him rise through the ranks to finish his career as the Assistant Commissioner in Alice Springs in 1992. However, Andy’s contribution to his community did not end with his retirement from the police force. He served two terms as Mayor of Alice Springs, retiring in 2000. His passion and commitment to making his home town of Alice an even better place to live was well known and widely respected by those who knew him and worked with him. Perhaps his greatest legacy from this time was his work in developing the town’s tourism industry – a particular passion. I am sure he would be immensely proud of the progress the town is making as an increasingly popular tourist destination for many Australians.
Andy was a proud Territorian who made a big impact on those who had the pleasure of meeting him. He will be sorely missed by many throughout the Territory. Our sympathy goes to Andy’s wife, Marlene, and their three children Adam, Michelle and Lee. I wish them all the very best for the future.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, today I talk about the passing of a Territory policeman who served with distinction and honour during his years in the police force. Andy McNeill served the people of Katherine in 1974 and 1975, and he dealt with the refugee crisis that Katherine was confronted with after the devastation of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy. This was a natural disaster that shocked the world.
However, before I talk about the public figure, I would like to say a few words about the impression that Andy McNeill left on those who worked with him on a day-to-day basis. I have taken the time to speak to a former Northern Territory police officer who knew Andy McNeill well, and who Andy commanded. This young and slightly overeager constable wanted to do so many things, and he often needed permission from the bosses to pursue some of the aspects of police work that needed careful planning - and often permission from more senior police to do so.
If a search warrant was to be applied for, there was a protocol in place and steps to be taken before a constable could approach a JP or a magistrate for judicial authority. As the story was related to me, this young police officer could not find his station sergeant, or the Divisional Inspector as it was at that time, so he crossed Parsons Street in Alice Springs to totally side-step the chain of command to get an officer’s signature. At that time, the senior management in Alice Springs occupied an office in the Greatorex building on the other side of the street from the police station. This eager young constable waltzed straight past the Chief Superintendent’s secretary and went in to see the Chief Superintendent who, of course, was Andy McNeill. Bold as brass, he approached his boss and began to explain what he wanted to do to the impassive face of Chief Superintendent McNeill. After about two minutes, the Chief Superintendent put his hand up quietly and the young constable became silent. A long pause followed and quietly Andy McNeill asked why the young constable had come to him. After being told that he could not find any of his immediate bosses, Andy McNeill followed standard police management practices of the day and told him to ‘mmm, mmm, mmm’ - well, let us just say the second word was something like ‘off’ - and for that young constable to wait outside.
This eager young police officer did what he was told and, 10 minutes later, he was pulled back into the office and dressed down soundly for his breach of rules of command. His ears burnt from the dressing down, and his cheeks burnt from embarrassment as the law was laid down. Nevertheless, at the end of the dressing down, Andy McNeill demanded to see the paperwork. He read the information, asked a few questions and signed off on the information to be presented to the magistrate. This young officer left Superintendent McNeill’s office very embarrassed and resentful of his distant superior.
Over the course of the next couple of days, the investigation proceeded, and three times Chief Superintendent McNeill contacted this young police officer to see how things were going. It was not a major investigation and it turned out to be a simple prosecution, but Chief Superintendent McNeill remained abrupt, gruff and short with this young constable. However, it soon dawned on him that the Chief Superintendent was taking a personal and active interest in his development as a policeman. From that, he then wanted to do well to impress the commander of the whole of the Southern Region of the Northern Territory Police Force.
Before the investigation was completed, this young police officer was producing the best work he had ever produced, simply to gain the approval of Andy McNeill. When a grudging ‘well done’ was finally forthcoming from his boss, it meant the world to this young police officer. This occurred over 20 years or so ago, but it is clear from the story that this former police officer relates, that, in spite of the abrasive style Andy McNeill put forth, he cared about his troops and about them becoming professional police officers. This young police officer is now in his 40s. When he reflected on his relationship with his former boss, he remembered him with fondness and respect, and remembered him as a leader of men.
Gruff as he may have been, the measure of a leader is not how he leads in times of easy command, but how he leads in times of peril and challenge. We have all heard of Andy’s role in the hijacking in Alice Springs many years ago in 1972.
To be called to a time and a place where a commander, albeit a junior one at the time, had to lead men into peril, is a measure of his capacity. It would have been too easy to make it someone else’s problem or to defer to instructions of bosses of remote Alice Springs. He did not. He saw his duty and he took a decision.
It may seem odd to talk of a hijacking in Alice Springs, but it was a serious situation and people were injured and killed. A police officer was shot twice in the hand and in the abdomen, and the hijacker himself was shot and killed. When he reported to his commissioner of the events that had occurred, his final words in that phone call were: ‘I take full responsibility’. If there are any words that capture the integrity of the man that was Andy McNeill, those are it: ‘I take full responsibility’.
I wish that such a forthright and honest approach existed as a general rule in the community as a whole. There are, doubtlessly, people in the community who exemplify that sort of ethical fibre, but they are all too far between. In this age of passing the buck and finding excuses for shortcomings, it is refreshing to know that there are people who have the courage to say ‘I take full responsibility’. That means upsetting people from time to time, and worse, also on occasion, people who take such positions do so to their detriment. I am certain Marlene, his widow, can point to occasions where Andy’s sense of duty meant some sort of personal cost. Of course, it was never a personal cost in Andy’s eyes. When he stood up and was counted, any other option was simply not on the table. For people who believe in moral and ethical courage, compromise is not an option. The personal shame of having dodged a duty would be a much greater burden than having lived up to the creed, ‘I am responsible’.
The Territory has lost one of its finest sons; a dedicated man who served the people of the Northern Territory as a police officer, and the people of Alice Springs as their Mayor, with determination and, affectionately, gruffness and humour. People respected this man as a natural leader; even those who did not particularly like him had to acknowledge his capacity and his integrity. The fact is they did respect him and they showed it in the support of him as the Mayor of Alice Springs. True to his creed, he fought tenaciously and passionately for his town and he was quite happy to pick a fight on behalf of his town.
Madam Speaker, the Territory will miss this man. On behalf of my colleagues, I extend my sincerest, deepest sympathy to Marlene and the members of his family. He has left a wonderful legacy for them; a legacy in which courage, ethics, firmness and resolve reign. This man who was known as Big Deal McNeill, made a big deal of things that were worth making a big deal about. I want to close by saying I hope that, in each of our lives, we can live up to the moral code that Andy lived by. I hope that at the end of my life I can say that I am and was responsible.
Dr TOYNE (Central Australia): Madam Speaker, I had, I suppose, the sadness and pleasure to attend the commemoration for Andy a couple of weeks ago in Alice Springs at the Alice Springs Golf Club. Andy would have been very pleased at the roll-up. There were many hundreds of people there including the Administrator, Ted Egan, members of the police force who served with Andy, members of the Alice Springs Town Council, several other of my parliamentary colleagues, and numerous people for whom he had done things for in Central Australia. He would have been equally pleased with the fact that people did not hang their heads during the affair. There was humour that really reflected what Andy was all about, and people were quite happy to tell stories about Andy’s quirky ways at times. It really brought him back for us all to remember.
My main memory of working with him was as a newly elected, humble member of the opposition finding my way through politics and, particularly, the issues that I began to work on in Alice Springs as well as in my electorate of Stuart.
It was Andy who first showed me an open door to come and discuss in a constructive way things that we all wanted to see for the town and the region. I have always appreciated that because, too often in politics, we tend to wall ourselves off on ideological or party lines. Andy only had one party, it was the Central Australian party and he was the only member. As far as I remember, he did not ever register it. It was good for the town, it was good for Central Australia; he was more than happy to talk it over.
The first thing I went to him with, and I suppose it is topical at the moment, was a survey that I had done around the households of Alice Springs regarding antisocial behaviour. Andy’s reaction to that was it is great that someone had gone to households, directly to the people in the town, to ask: ‘What do you think is the problem? What do you think we can do about it?’ That was the hallmark of his way of operating too. It was very grassroots, very connected to the people and very true to the people. He never played games with people’s issues; he always did his best to give them an outcome. That is a role model all of us can continue to take into public life.
He worked across all sectors of the Central Australian community, whether it was in business or his involvement with the promotion of the Masters Games. All of that was grist to his mill; anything that was good for Alice Springs and Central Australia, there he was. As a member of parliament representing that region, and in common with other members, we Central Australians have to be very assertive at times to make sure that Central Australia is firmly in the minds of all decision makers, whether they be in this House or in our government agencies or in non-governmental organisations. It is a never-ending task to remind everyone that we have big mountains down there, it looks different and it is still really important because it also has some very great people in it.
I will probably also remember the final phase of the commemoration in that we all adjourned from the golf club to the first tee and planted a very large ghost gum right next door to the tee-off area that will, no doubt, provide shade and tower over everything around it. I hope on the tree there might be a little statement directly from Andy to remind golfers not to indulge in slow play; get around the course and give other people a chance to get to the hole and putt out. He was quite famous for that. People were quite terrified when he was following them around the course.
To Marlene and the family, it is a great loss to the family I am sure but, gee, they must have some terrific memories of the man. They saw very clearly two weeks ago that those memories are shared with equal fondness by many people in Central Australia.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I also support the condolence motion on Andy McNeill. I worked on the town council as an alderman when Andy was the Mayor and have known Andy and Marlene for some time. In the gallery are retired Assistant Commissioner Arthur Grant and his wife Norma - Saus as he is commonly known to everyone. They have allowed me to read the eulogy that Saus wrote and spoke to at the funeral of Andy in Adelaide. It is very personal and it talks about the man Andy McNeill. I appreciate, Saus, you allowing me to put this on the public record for Andy.
- The description that springs to mind when we think of Andy is that he was larger than life. He was not only big in stature but he was also big hearted and passionate about all aspects of his life.
Andy was passionately loyal. He was the true son of the City of Parramatta where he grew up. He never tired of reminding people of the historic importance of Parramatta as the first proclaimed city of Australia. He remained a staunch and one-eyed supporter of the Parramatta Eels Rugby team all his life. That loyalty extended most of all to his family and his friends.
I first met Andy shortly after he joined the Northern Territory Police Force in June 1959 …
I am going to speak as though it was Saus delivering it:
- I apologise for any personal reminiscences that may follow, but Andy and Marlene have been part of my life for more than 45 years. It is hard for me to think back for a time when I did not know Andy. I was at the function where Andy and Marlene first met. I attended Marlene’s 21st birthday party. I remember that engagement party and that wonderful occasion of their wedding on 3 June 1961. Later, we were to become godparents to each other’s children.
In those earlier days we have made our own fun. Since Norma and I had a baby and had to stay in, Andy and Marlene would often buy the fish and chips on the way home from work on Friday nights, and we would settle in for a long night of competitive buying and selling of property on the Monopoly board. They were fun times and on reflection I realised just how entertaining their company was.
After we were transferred to Pine Creek, Andy and Marlene would drive down from Darwin in their Valiant in time for tea on many a Friday night and stay for the weekend. We would go on hunting trips or swim at the local waterholes. Those occasions were always hilarious. Again, on reflection that was because Andy’s presence and zest made them so. Norma’s cooking skills were a subject of mirth. Immediately after eating any meal Norma had prepared, Andy would produce a packet of Quik-Eze from his top pocket and pop one into his mouth. Despite this teasing, she loved him dearly and he always addressed her as either ‘Aunty Normie’ or ‘Lovely Legs’. This exemplified his gentle humour and his ability to make people feel special.
Andy was a great sports enthusiast. He was a skilled motorcycle racer in his youth. He played good squash. He was an avid Rugby League follower. When he first came to Darwin, he shared a room with Peter Young, who became a great mate and best man at Andy’s wedding. Peter was a mad Collingwood supporter. Despite never having seen a game of Australian Rules, Andy was more than willing to engage Peter in endless debates as to the relative merits of the codes. Andy became the inaugural president of the Police Rugby League Club when they joined the competition in 1964, a position he held for some years. Inevitably, he found golf. Archival footage of Andy playing golf was recently aired on ABC television. You can see from that vision just how happy he was on the golf course. Andy was renowned for his huge drives. Later in life, he and his mates, John Ryan and Terry Leigh, didn’t mind engaging in a bit of sledging on the course.
Andy always had other interests that seemed almost exotic back in those simpler times. In his 20s, he developed an interest in photography. This was in the days when few of us even owned a camera. I fondly remember sleeping through Andy’s slide shows of 101 sunsets. But how fortunate it was that Andy kept a photographic record through those years. When introduced to computers, Andy mastered the technology and transferred his carefully ordered photographs to discs, to the great delight of those who received them. The Police Museum and Historical Society has also benefited greatly from Andy’s photographic coverage of aspects of the police force between 1959 and 1992. His unpublished memoirs are a valuable, humorous and sometimes defamatory account of Territory history in the making.
As yet, I have not touched on Andy’s career - or, more correctly, two careers. Andy was a conscientious and dedicated police officer who served with distinction. He brought his own particular brand of humour and compassion to the job. During his career, he served in a number of areas including General Duties, Traffic Branch and the Criminal Investigation Branch. He was a leader of men who inspired blind faith in his subordinates. When Andy was Officer-in-Charge of the Prosecution Section, a young Mick Palmer was assisting. During one case, Mick objected to a line of cross-examination by the defence. The magistrate asked him on what grounds he objected. Mick replied: ‘Because Sergeant McNeill said I could’.
Andy served in Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine. During these postings, he made his way up through the ranks. He was promoted to Sergeant 1/C in 1969. He entered the officers’ ranks as Inspector in 1973, Superintendent in 1978, Chief Superintendent in 1980 and Assistant Commissioner in 1986.
It was the role of police wives in those days to re-establish the family in their new surroundings with each move. This Marlene did with her usual competence, commonsense and lack of fuss. Their first child, Adam, was born in Alice Springs in 1967. Two years later, Michelle was born at Penrith where the family had relocated while Andy was back home studying for his exams. Baby Lee arrived in 1972 also in Alice Springs. Dr Ross Peterkin delivered both Adam and Lee and, in one of life’s coincidences, many years later became Andy and Marlene’s next door neighbours and close friends.
One of the many highlights of Andy’s police career was as Officer-in-Charge of the successful police response to the 1972 hijacking of an aircraft in Alice Springs. In 1976, he received the National Medal for Service and in 1988 was awarded the Australian Police Medal. After 33 years of dedicated service to the police force and Northern Territory community, Andy retired at 55 years of age.
It was only a matter of weeks later that Andy was elected Mayor of Alice Springs, a position he filled for the next eight years. In this position he was fearless, as he had always been, and challenged anyone who did not support him in his bid to promote Central Australia. Tourism was his focus. He was a board member of the Central Australian Tourist Industry Association. From 1993 to 2000, he was a member of the judging panel for the Brolga Awards which recognise excellence in tourism. He was on the Masters Games committee for five years, and undertook extensive promotional tours to Australian capital cities with the Northern Territory Tourism road shows and for the Honda Masters Games. He also represented the Northern Territory on the Australian Local Government Association. Locally, Andy was an active member of Rotary from 1993 to 2004, when he and Marlene left Alice Springs to be near to their grandchildren in Adelaide.
Andy was an extrovert and a great communicator. He was comfortable in all manner of company and they in his, from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth to the man next door.
I recall that when the Queen came to Alice Springs, Andy was in his robes and, as he walked along the Todd Mall, all the young children thought Andy was the king:
Wherever he went, people wanted him to stay longer. They instinctively trusted him. Children were drawn to him. Our own three sons, (who we willed to Andy when they were little in case anything happened to us) are now grown men, and still fondly call him ‘Uncle Andy’. You, who have travelled so far to be at this celebration of Andy’s life, each of you have your own personal stories of Andy to share. If Andy was a friend or mentor of yours, you could never have had a better one.
To his dearly loved children, Adam, Michelle and Lee; their partners, Wanita, Tony and Jason; and adored grandchildren, Kelly, Christopher, Laura Kate, Alex, Matthew and little Natalia, your loss is devastating. But each of you will carry in your hearts your own special memories of a loving and cherished father, father-in-law, and Poppy. Let the love your dad had for his family sustain you through your lives.
To his beloved Marlene, his mate, best friend and staunchest supporter, our hearts go out to you. May you find solace in a lifetime of wonderful memories, and seek comfort from the friends who love you dearly.
They say that ‘For a man who has done his natural duty, death is natural as sleep’. Andy was a dutiful husband. He had the love of his children and the respect of those who knew him. He was a tireless worker for his community for over 40 years. Andy lived well, laughed often, and loved much. He looked for the best in others and gave the best he had. He leaves the world a better place for having been in it. After such great accomplishment, his passing is truly ‘as natural as sleep’.
To Marlene and the family, I too extend my sympathy. I thank you very much for allowing us to have this, Saus.
I must also pass on the condolences of our Clerk, Ian McNeill. Ian and Andy shared common relationships or ancestors back in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and Northern Ireland. They both established the fact that their relatives probably came to Australia for their high crimes and misdemeanours many years ago, and it was probably a little ironic that Andy ended up on the other side of the law. On behalf of Kit and Ian and family, I pass on their condolences also.
Madam Speaker, Andy McNeill is someone we will always remember as he has made an impact upon the town and on the Northern Territory. May he rest in peace.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr HENDERSON (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Madam Speaker, today I join with the Chief Minister and other members of this House in extending my condolences to the family and friends of Edward Andy McNeill. I would like to use the occasion to talk about Andy’s long and distinguished career with the Northern Territory Police Force. I thank the Northern Territory Retired Police Association for their permission to read directly from Mr McNeill’s personal memoirs. They really are a great read. I am just starting to get through it. It is titled Big Deal - 33 years in the Northern Territory Police Force.
Andy McNeill’s move to the Northern Territory started with an ad in the Daily Telegraph in Sydney in early 1959. As a 22-year-old, Andy was enjoying life, like most young men but, in his own words, ‘had no real prospects’. Quoting from Andy:
- Then one morning I saw advertised in the Daily Telegraph a job ad, which read something like this: ‘Young men wanted, 21 to 30 years of age, up to 35 years of age with previous police experience, must have a spirit of adventure and like outdoor life, good health and physical fitness necessary, accommodation provided, leave air fares to anywhere in the Commonwealth provided every two years.
So, on the promise of a good job and a new adventure, Andy moved to the Territory, travelling to Darwin on his first commercial flight to join the Northern Territory Police Force which, at that time, had a strength of 97 officers. How it has grown today, Madam Speaker.
- You also learnt the art of talking offenders into the police vehicles instead of wrestling them every time. This was necessary, particularly in late 1959 and early 1960, when our patrol vehicles were old model Ford utilities. Getting someone into the back of a utility who does not want to go, and ensuring he is still there when you get back to the police station is an art.
Andy McNeill witnessed many firsts in his career with the Northern Territory Police, a career littered with great yarns of his experiences right across the Territory. In his first month on the job, Andy served in the information subsection at Darwin Police Station which, he admitted, was not for him. It gave him an appreciation of the value of forensic investigation in policing. He was serving in this section when fingerprints evidence was given in a Territory court case for the first time which resulted in Gordon Morris being convicted for home break-in. He was there when the first women were recruited to the Territory police force in 1961 - there are some interesting reads in the memoirs about that - no doubt an event which created quite a stir at the station and back at the single men’s quarters.
He witnessed the arrival of radio communications in patrol vehicles on 25 September 1959. Prior to that, police invariably arrived at the scene of a fight or a disturbance after the events had quietened down. Andy remembers that on the first night of radios, being in the patrol cars:
- Allan Barnes and Ivor Waywood were driving past the Buff Club when they were told by radio to attend a fight that was supposed to be on at that establishment. They promptly pulled up at the club and went inside. The fight stopped immediately and the whole club became silent. Nobody could understand how the police had managed to get to the action so fast. A new era of policing the Territory had arrived.
Andy served in a number of locations in his early career including, in 1959, he was able to combine his love of motorcycle riding with his job as a traffic officer in Darwin. He arrived in CIB in June 1961 and by the next month was Assistant Prosecutor. In 1963, he was promoted to Senior Constable, the same year that the Queen came to Darwin in March - right at the end of the Wet Season. Andy had the job of driving the pilot car, the vehicle right behind the motorcycle escort at the head of the motorcade, and received a commendation for his role. Andy recalled:
There is no doubt royalty were much more popular in those days …. There would only have been about 20 000 people in Darwin then, and I am sure they all turned out to see the Queen.
Andy was appointed as a detective in CIB in 1964 and, of his time in the section, said:
- One of the things my father had always warned me about was being a volunteer. I did not take a lot of notice of this particular piece of advice … particularly when I was in CIB. I volunteered for every job out of Darwin that came along. This enabled me over a period of time to visit all the outlying Aboriginal settlements and the smaller towns and communities in the Top End.
A great experience.
On Christmas Eve 1964, Andy was appointed the Officer-in-Charge at Nightcliff Police Station, the four-man station in Bougainvillea Street that was ‘just a small office building in the yard of the residence of the Officer-in-Charge’.
- In the 1960s, I am sure that other police forces around Australia thought we were just the ‘Boys from the bush’. The truth was that a young man joining the NT Police Force learnt more about police work in 12 months than his contemporary joining a state force would learn in five years.
Over the next few years, Andy would serve again at Darwin station and CIB in Alice Springs before arriving in Tennant Creek as the Officer-in-Charge in 1970 as a Sergeant 3rd Class. Quoting from Andy again:
- Tennant Creek was an eye opener for me. The town had a small population of about 2500 to 3000 people and everything was dependent on the viability of the mines ... It was a great place to work with friendly hardworking community and a good place to live despite the dust, flies and heat.
Perhaps one of the most memorable moments of Andy’s career occurred during his second posting in Alice Springs: Australia’s first and only plane hijacking:
- On 15 November, I was station sergeant, Officer-in-Charge at the Alice Springs Police Station. … In the communications centre at the station was the ‘Red’ phone which carried a direct line to the control tower at the Alice Springs Airport. This phone rarely rang but when it did it usually meant trouble. At 1.45 pm that day a message was received that an inbound Ansett Fokker Friendship …
had been hijacked.
Andy rang Darwin HQ to relay the news and waited for some helpful advice as to the next step. His Chief Inspector replied: ‘All right Andy, let us know how you go’. Over the next few hours, the incident evolved. Andy McNeill and seven fellow officers acting as negotiators and tactical response members supported by a very brave civilian pilot, Ossie Watts. The incident played out over about three hours during which time Constable Paul Sandeman was shot by the hijacker whilst attempting to negotiate with him on the tarmac. Ossie Watts, seeing what had happened, bravely shot at the hijacker, drawing him away from the terminal and the plane. The hijacker began firing at approaching police vehicles including the one being driven by Andy McNeill, before eventually turning the gun on himself. Andy recalled that in the middle of the incident they got a call from New South Wales saying they were going to send up a group to take over the situation. He thought that was very nice of them but did not know what they were supposed to do for three or four hours.
Whilst working in Alice Springs, Andy McNeill was promoted to Inspector, hearing about it for the first time on 22 November 1973 whilst listening to the ABC news that morning. I do not think it works like that these days. Soon after, he was posted to Katherine:
- At Katherine I held the position of Officer-in-Charge of No 3 Division, Northern Command. This required me to travel by motor vehicle from Woollogorang near the Queensland border to Elliott just north of Tennant Creek, Timber Creek, Wave Hill near the West Australia border, and all the stations in between every six weeks. This was a fair slice of the Northern Territory.
A rather understated comment.
By 1976, Andy had returned to Darwin as the Officer-in-Charge of the region. In 1978, he was promoted to Superintendent, and then Chief Superintendent in 1981 of management and planning, and was engaged in equipping the police force and administering training programs to better meet the needs of the Territory’s multicultural community. On 30 June 1986, Andy McNeil was promoted to Assistant Commissioner, Alice Springs, Southern Region. He was awarded an Australian Police Medal in June 1987 for distinguished service, and retired from the Northern Territory Police Force on 30 April 1992.
Madam Speaker, I cannot help but read a couple more anecdotes out of these diaries from the speech that has been prepared for me upstairs. I am sure people would love to hear a couple of anecdotes. Going through the index, there are 92 different chapters in here, different stories. Running through the index, one caught my eye which was ‘Wharfies v Coppers’. As somebody who spent a few years working in the shipyards, I was keen to read this. I will just read this piece from Andy’s memoirs:
- The power of arrest was a powerful tool. Many of the wharfies drank at the Workers’ Club and they definitely were not members of the coppers’ fan club. I have to say the feelings were mutual. On a regular basis, we would stop the wharfies buses coming up from the wharf after they had worked a shift, and we would carry out a search for stolen property. We would never be quick enough to pinch anyone, but it was always good to see the stolen property getting thrown out of the windows of the bus as the police car pulled in behind. Invariably, there would be a pile of stolen gear under the back seat of the bus with no one sitting near it and, of course, no one claiming ownership. It was also nice to go down to the wharf if you were feeling a bit bored and walk onto the gangplank of the ship on which the wharfies were working. They would immediately stop work until we left again. A very touchy lot, the wharfies.
- The wharfies had their way of showing affection for the police too. On one occasion, Neil Plumb and I had to investigate the bashing of a seaman aboard a British oil tanker moored in the harbour. This necessitated leaving the police car parked on the wharf for about four hours. When we returned to the car, someone had corrugated the roof right along the top with a star picket, which they had left leaning on the side of the vehicle. Could have been anyone I suppose that carried out this un-requested panel beating, but we had our suspicions and, naturally, none of the wharfies working that day saw anything untoward happening.
There is also a yarn here about gambling. I will read this, given that Saus is in the gallery today:
- Gambling has always been part of living in the Territory, I am, fortunately, not a gambler apart from a weekly flutter on Tattslotto. In Darwin in the 1950s and 1960s illegal gambling was a way of life for much of the population and gambling raids were a lot of fun. You met the nicest people at the raids. Most of the participants you knew and they were always a bit of a laugh. A Darwin taxi driver known as ‘Immaculate’ Chris because he was always dressed in spotless whites, I caught leaving by the back entrance of premises in three different gambling raids. On the first occasion at Darcy’s place near the Daly Street Bridge, Chris was bolting out the back door as I was coming in and he offered ‘I am just delivering a fare, Andy’. On the second occasion at the same place in similar circumstances he said, ‘What about I am just picking up a fare, Andy?’. On the third occasion at Richard Jan’s place near the old Rapid Laundry at Stuart Park, when caught again he said: ‘You didn’t call a taxi did you, Andy?” The games were well conducted and no grog was allowed. Food such as roast chicken and nibbles and soft drinks were supplied, but no grog. The raids did have interesting moments. I recall Saus Grant and I following Frank Lacey through the scrub near the railway line behind Darcy’s house on one occasion, when Frank suddenly vanished down a bloody big hole. It was hard not to make a noise as Saus and I were laughing so much.’
And for Kon and Richard Lim, just a lucky last.
- Darwin had a large Chinese and Greek population, and both nationalities are known to like gambling. Illegal gambling was going on at various venues around the city and, no doubt, still is. The Greeks liked to gamble in the many Greek clubs in the central business district. They used coloured chips and claimed the chips had no monetary value. However, to really get their ‘worry beads’ working, if when walking through the club, you ‘accidentally’ bumped the table and mixed one person’s coloured chips with another’s, you could hear them arguing over the mess when you went outside. Lots of money changed hands at the Greek clubs and at the mah-jong games played at the many Chinese houses around the town.
These are just some of Andy McNeill’s memoirs of his time with the Northern Territory Police Force. To sum up his career, I turn again to his memoirs.
- People often ask what motivates someone to join the police force. I suppose some would say they had a burning desire to service the community or felt that this was their calling in life and similar nice sounding clichs. In my case, I was just looking for something different. I had no real desire to serve the community; I wanted a job that paid well and got me out of the normal suburban Sydney life. Thank God I was lucky enough to get the job ... I have not regretted one minute and, as I have stated, being a member of the police force means being in a job where every day is different and jobs like that are hard to come by.
- Andy McNeill APM, retired and happy.
Andy is one of those Territorians, as many speakers have said, who really did make a difference to this great Territory of ours. My condolences to Marlene, the family and friends and colleagues of Andy McNeill. He did make a difference. Vale, Andy McNeill!
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I join in the motion. Andy McNeill - copper, assistant commissioner, mayor, Territorian, Central Australian - those are the words that come to my mind when I think of this man.
I did not serve any time with him on the town council. In fact, I retired in 1992 before he was elected as the Mayor of the Alice Springs Town Council. In the dealings that I had with him by the time he was the mayor; in 1994 I was elected to the Legislative Assembly. I suppose, as local members of parliament, we sometimes used local government as a bit of a foil for our local constituency issues. I would often criticise the Alice Springs Town Council for some of the things that it did not do. Likewise, Andy in his professional way with his sharp tongue, caustic remarks, and brusque attitude, would address me in the Alice Springs Town Council as the alderman for Greatorex. It was done tongue-in-cheek and I understood that.
Without a doubt, his performance as the Mayor of Alice Springs was probably what endeared him very much to the people of the town. In his time as a police officer, Assistant Commissioner, he was a very prominent figure and there was a no-nonsense attitude, back in those days when Alice Springs was a better law-abiding town than it is now.
I got to know him personally in the sense that we used to play golf on occasions - not that I played golf as much as Andy did. That was his passion. The few times that I played golf with him, we were regaled with ribald jokes and his impatience with slow golfers and always wanting to get on with the round. He was over six feet – or he looked to me as though he was over six feet - and when he walked around a golf course I had to run just to keep up.
Many times I had dealings with him in the town council when the argy-bargy was going on. Once he retired from council, he was a very helpful citizen. He would send me e-mails on a very regular basis on the issues that we were dealing with, in particular about the law and order issues in Alice Springs, the alcohol abuse that we encountered, and the many attempts or processes that he commenced at the town council to address those issues.
At the memorial service we attended, which the member for Stuart mentioned, there were, indeed, a lot of people who attended. I was very moved by the personal thoughts expressed by Lynn Peterkin, who was Andy and Marlene’s neighbour at McMinn Street, which is in my electorate. Lynn spoke very warmly about Andy and the relationship they had between the Peterkin and the McNeill families, and the children who moved between those two homes
I wonder how tall the tree they planted in Andy’s memory at the first tee will grow? As the member for Stuart also said, hopefully it will cast a long, tall shadow, to the comfort of many people who will be playing golf in Alice Springs. His passion, his family, his career, his golf – those are the things that he will be readily remembered for in Alice Springs.
He was a great Territorian. The Alice Springs Town Council has chosen to honour Andy’s memory by naming what was formerly called the Garden Room, the Andy McNeill Room. It will be a significant meeting place for the community and his name will live forever in Alice Springs. Vale, Andy McNeill! My condolences to Marlene and the family. He will be remembered for a long time.
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I join with my colleagues in extending my condolences to the family and friends of Andy McNeill and, also more importantly, in celebrating his contribution to the Northern Territory. Others here this morning have spoken about Mr McNeill’s capacity in his role as a policeman and other roles. However, I would like place on the Parliamentary Record his contribution in the area of local government.
After a lifetime of work, especially in the area such as policing, the response of most people would be to put your feet up and to take a well-earned rest, but this was not for Andy McNeill. He decided to take up a role in local government and stood as Mayor of Alice Springs in 1992, an office he successfully recontested in 1996 until his final retirement in 2000. Everyone who knew him in that role over that time speaks with enormous respect and high regard for his total commitment to Central Australia and Alice Springs in particular.
He was a member of the Central Australian Tourism Industry Association and participated in many tourism promotions and expos on behalf of that town – the town he loved. At a Territory level, he was also a member of the Brolga Awards selection committee. His commitment to promoting Central Australia was total.
Allan McGill, now the Chief Executive Officer of the Darwin City Council, acted as the CEO for Andy when he was Mayor of Alice Springs. During this period, Allan remembers him as being a man who was very forthright, very honest, a man of integrity, with a strong commitment to his family life. He was a man with a wicked sense of humour and very quick comeback lines.
Former Alice Springs resident, Sue Shearer, was at the sharp end of his humour on at least one occasion. Andy McNeill, as she tells it, was the first person in Alice Springs to sign up to the National Heart Foundation’s cardiac arrest fundraising campaign, which involved raising $5000 as bail money. Using his ex-copper’s influence, he managed to roll up a paddy wagon and uniforms to arrest Sue and Marie Kilgariff and he threw them in the back, regardless of their attire - they were dressed in very formal evening gowns. That is just indicative of the man and his sense of humour.
I would like to reflect upon some of the words that were written by Martin Plumb. Martin worked for my department and had a long history in local government. I would like to read these into the Parliamentary Record, and I thank Martin for the opportunity of doing so.
- Andy, or ‘Big Deal’, as he was known within the police force and later in local government, was larger than life. He had fire in his belly. He was a deeply passionate man and one of his passions was local government. He had a sharp tongue and a wicked sense of humour that could cut you to the quick if he felt you needed it. He suffered fools badly.
Andy loved telling stories of his early days in the Northern Territory, and every one was guaranteed to be true. At most local government functions, you would find Andy surrounded by a captive audience hanging off his every word, as he told stories of tracking thieves and murderers by camel through the desert, or other equally exciting stories,
Andy often rose to his full impressive size at LGANT conferences to wade into a debate when he felt it was necessary, particularly if it involved his pet hate - and they were council clerks. He could not abide council clerks speaking at LGANT meetings on behalf of the elected members, and believed that they should be seen and not heard. Pity any new council clerk who decided to offer his two bob’s worth. Mayor McNeill would generally interject, pointing out that the meetings were for the benefit of the elected members and, in a very quiet way, suggest that they perhaps should sit down and shut up.
- While Andy portrayed a big rugged exterior, he was a warm and loyal friend to those who knew him well. While he never seemed out of the public eye for too long, I do not believe he courted the publicity or the limelight. I think Andy decided long ago that his was a life best served working for the interests of the community, and he performed that service.
I thank Martin Plumb for those words. We should remember today that Mr McNeill’s life was best served working for the interests of the community. Local government is an integral part of the Northern Territory and, while Alice Springs was obviously well-served by Andy McNeill, the cause of local government throughout the Territory was well-served by this man as well. It was something he served with commitment, integrity and passion, an example to the entire local government sector.
Madam Speaker, on behalf of the many interests in local government, I extend my sincere sympathies to Marlene, Adam, Michelle, Lee and, of course, to his many friends and colleagues. Rest in peace, Andy.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I will be brief because, if Andy McNeill was here today, he would say ‘Stop the waffling and get on with it’. I would just like to say a few things. Andy McNeill was a good bloke. I knew him through local government when he was Mayor of Alice Springs, and when he was a member of the Local Government Association. He was a very funny man. I know the minister over there is still reading some of the memoirs and having trouble controlling himself. That just tells you what a funny bloke he was. When he and George Brown got together with a few reds, the jokes, the yarns and the stories got funnier and worse as the night went on.
He impressed me with his dedication to local government, and this was seen by the effort that he put into it. He was the instigator of the community councils and the municipal councils getting together under the one banner of the Local Government Association. The Minister for Local Government has just mentioned the time when he, basically, told the council clerks to butt out and sit down the back. Also, he should remember he told the government members of the department to ask for an invitation before they came into a local government meeting. That pleased many local government representatives.
Although I only knew him for a relatively short time, I was left with an impression of a man for all seasons. He spent most of his life in the Territory. He knew the Territory through his life as a copper and as Mayor of Alice Springs. He always promoted the Territory. He raised his family in the Territory. Add that to a man who was a leader, someone people would listen to, a storyteller, someone who could make you laugh, someone who loved people and his family and, perhaps, you have the essence of a real Territorian.
He will be missed by all those who knew him. My deepest sympathy to his wife, Marlene, and their family. Next time I am in Alice, I will check out the first tee at the golf course and see if Andy’s been looking after that ghost gum.
Madam SPEAKER: I thank all honourable members for their contribution. I, also, extend my condolences to the family and friends of Mr McNeill. I ask honourable members to stand for one minute as a sign of respect.
Motion agreed to.
Members stood and observed one minute’s silence as a mark of respect.
MINISTERIAL REPORTS
Sporting Events in the Northern Territory
Sporting Events in the Northern Territory
Ms LAWRIE (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, in the Northern Territory we normally associate the big sporting events with the Dry Season, and rightly so. With events like the V8s, the Darwin Cup, AFL games, the Finke Desert Race, international cricket and Arafura Games, it can be a hectic time of the year for sports fans.
However, if you look at the events that are on at the moment, this time of the year is not too far behind. It has been a very busy start to the 2006 sporting calendar. In January, the government was pleased to announce the renewed agreement with the Perth Wildcats which will ensure an annual Wildcats game in Darwin until 2009. I am sure all members would agree what a fantastic game we witnessed when the Wildcats defeated the Townsville Crocs a couple of weeks ago at the Marrara Indoor Stadium. The kids who were able to attend the basketball clinics with the Wildcats will remember the direct benefit of their visit to the Top End. The Wildcats are in this year’s NBL finals and are currently involved in the semi-final playoffs against Melbourne, and we wish them all the best.
Another great recent event was the Rugby Union Hottest 7s tournament that was hosted in Darwin. I would like to congratulate the NTRU for the fabulous job they do in putting on this world-class event and attracting such a strong field of international competitors. It is a credit to them and the Northern Territory government is very proud to support them in their efforts. It was a great event with international sides playing alongside regional teams from the Territory, such as the Groote Eylandt Mud Chooks who where a crowd favourite. I was pleased to purchase them in the Calcutta.
There are also some big AFL games on in the Territory at this time of year. We recently saw the North Adelaide Football Club travel to the Territory to take on the NT Buffalos. It was a great match with the Buffalos in it right up until the last quarter. I know the players loved the opportunity to wear the Territory jumper, and they did the Territory proud.
I am sure many Territorians are now eagerly awaiting the upcoming National Australia Bank Cup match between the Western Bulldogs and the Melbourne Demons at Marrara Oval on Friday week, as well as the NAB challenge match at Traeger Park in Alice Springs on 10 March. As part of their trip to the Territory, the Western Bulldogs will again host a variety of coaching clinics to develop junior sport.
In addition, the weekend of 25 and 26 March will be a huge weekend for Territory AFL with the NTFL TIO Premiership on the Saturday, and the wizardry of the Tiwi Island Football League grand final on the Sunday.
On Friday, for the first time in 10 years, Central Australia will see NRL action at Anzac Oval as the Newcastle Knights play the Penrith Panthers in the NRL trial match. Not only will the Alice Springs community see top level NRL action, they will also benefit from various coaching clinics and visits to schools, hospitals and communities. The government is very glad to have been able to deliver this exciting return of NRL to the Territory.
Next week, Alice Springs will again play host to the Imparja Cup, Australia’s leading indigenous cricket carnival. About 25 teams will compete including representative teams from every state and territory, plus 11 men’s Territory teams and seven women’s teams from urban and remote communities.
We have big events in such a variety of sports, with a great mix of sporting events for the elite and the grassroots in both Darwin and Alice Springs. It is very important that we do have these events this time of year rather than cram everything into the Dry Season. It helps the economy and tourism at a time of the year that is not always the busiest. It was amazing to see how many North Adelaide supporters made the trip up. Also at the Hottest 7s, we had competitors from all over Australia and, indeed, internationally. It is great for our lifestyle because Territorians love getting out to play and watch quality sport at all times of the year.
Madam Speaker, we recently witnessed the excitement of the Territory leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, which will be held from 15 to 26 March. The Territory will proudly have several athletes competing: Alexis Rhodes, road cycling; Danni Miatke, swimming; Maria Tsoukalis, a reserve for the weightlifting team; Chris Jongewaard, mountain bike riding; and Crystal Attenborough, athletics. Both Maria and Crystal are current Northern Territory Institute of Sport athletes and Danni is a former scholarship holder. I am sure all Territorians will be watching them closely and will be right behind supporting them in their fantastic endeavours, and wish them all the best.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, the opposition welcomes the statement. It is good to have this level of activity right across the sporting spectrum. However, I ask the minister to consider the preparation and presentation of a cost-benefit analysis of all these endeavours, particularly the ones where a significant amount of money has been invested in bringing high-level sports to the Territory. If we are seen as being critical in our response, it is not, because we balance the benefits that are obvious and, in some degree perhaps superficial, with the other grassroots organisations. There are a number of them that are struggling. We need to balance these things to ensure that we are getting a genuine and deeper level benefit.
I have been a supporter, obviously, of the Perth Wildcats, having been raised in Western Australia. They had a tremendous profile in Western Australia. To bring them up here is a good thing and pretty exciting, and I am sure the minister was very pleased to be involved in those discussions. However, I note that there was no broadcast of the match; it was not televised. I wonder if there is a report that you can give on that event and whether you can inform the House whether the cost of that will result in deeper and long-term benefits?
There is also another issue I will take this opportunity to mention. Minister, you probably did not have time to mention, and members of the House may not be aware of this – but one of your senior staff members, Philip Leslie, was selected out of 100 young leaders across the nation to be involved in the Australian Futures Direction Forum. He would be loathe for me to mention this. There were two other Territorians who were selected out of 100 right across the nation, who were involved in a very important forum to establish future directions for our nation. That is something that I am sure the minister is very proud of.
Ms LAWRIE (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, I recommend that the shadow spokesperson go out to speak to the sporting codes. Rugby Union love the Hottest 7s and the support that the Territory government is bringing to the Hottest 7s event. I really urge you, before you go and run down these fantastic sporting events, to go out and talk to the codes. AFLNT is fully behind the government support for the Bulldogs playing games here. In fact, they are on a task force with us to try to get more games.
The Wildcats’ Andrew Vlahoff is a great operator and has shown true passion to the Territory - great, enormous response. Representatives of local basketball came up to me during that period and said it is fantastic for basketball to have the Wildcats here; we are seeing a resurgence in the passion for basketball. Before you go out and start talking it down and wanting to cut down these fantastic events, go and talk to the codes. Absolutely, it is very important that we reflect the needs, desires and wants of the sporting community, not just our own imagination.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Residential Builders’ Registration and Home Warranty Insurance
Dr BURNS (Infrastructure and Transport): Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to provide this update to the Assembly on progress with builders’ registration and home warranty insurance. The Building Amendment Act 2004 incorporating builders’ registration and home warranty insurance, was assented to on 21 December 2004. The related Building Amendment Act 2005, incorporating the strengthening of accountabilities of building practitioners, was assented to on 17 March 2005.
The Construction Industry Reference Group, established in early 2004 to advise government on the implementation of a range of construction industry reforms, has been, and continues to be, a valuable player in the process. I would like to particularly thank the members of the group who generously gave their time and expertise in the interest of developing a better construction industry in the Northern Territory.
Since the amended acts were assented to, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure has been working in consultation with the Construction Industry Reference Group and industry on the preparation of the necessary regulations, determinations, and administrative procedures, as well as education programs which are needed to effect the amendments.
Grants of $30 000 each have been given to the Territory Construction Association and the Housing Industry Association to assist in the training and the education program. The Territory Construction Association and the Housing Industry Association, with the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, held information and pre-registration sessions for residential builders, other building practitioners and the general public in Darwin, Palmerston, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs during October and November 2005. More than 400 people attended these sessions.
On 14 December 2005, I made appointments to the new Building Practitioners Board. The chairman is Mr Barry Chambers who, members would be aware, has extensive experience in the building industry, management and public administration. The deputy chair is Ms Penny Whinney-Houghton, who is a building certifier. The builders on the board are Mr Paul Nowland and Mr Robert Cox. Mr Garry Neilsen represents the plumbers, Mr John Scott the engineers, and Mr Brendan Meney from Alice Springs, the architects. Mr Greg Macdonald is the legal officer on the board. He is from the Department of Justice and has extensive experience in the building industry.
The Building Practitioners Board held its first meeting on 1 February 2006 and will meet regularly to process applications received. At the request of the Construction Industry Reference Group, more time has been allowed for the lodgement and processing of applications for registration. The new date for the commencement is now 27 March 2006. All new prescribed residential building work after that date will require a registered builder or a person with an owner/builder certificate. More than 400 applications have now been received from individuals and companies who wish to be registered under the transitional provisions.
The remaining component of the reform is the home warranty insurance provisions. Unlike the current Home Builders Certification Fund that protects consumers against non-compliance of residential building work only, home warranty insurance also protects against non-completion if a builder dies, disappears or becomes insolvent. It is anticipated that the home warranty insurance provisions of the amending acts will be commenced in July 2006. Regulations are currently being prepared in consultation with industry, including the insurance industry.
The Northern Territory is the last jurisdiction to regulate residential builders. Taking an unregulated building industry to regulation has been a challenge in other jurisdictions, and the Northern Territory has been no different. The government is keeping abreast of the issues as the industry reforms are being rolled out, and making minor adjustments along the way has been necessary. After the registration has been operational for some time, the government is committed to undertaking a full review with industry.
In conclusion, the Northern Territory residential building industry will benefit from the reforms, as it will now be a professional industry underpinned by registration - an equal with peers interstate. There will be reciprocity and consumers will benefit in having such an industry with which to do business. Also, consumers will have the protection of home warranty insurance.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his report. I would like to ask the minister what he is doing about a situation that we have in Katherine - and I have no doubt that it is happening in other areas also - where builders are unable to get engineers and certifiers in Katherine without a long and lengthy delay. This has been causing a problem for them for some time, creating unnecessary delays in getting their certificate of occupancy issued. Could the minister please tell me what is being done in that area?
Dr BURNS (Planning and Lands): Madam Speaker, the member for Katherine has raised a very valid issue. It is difficult to get engineers and certifiers beyond Palmerston. That is because, some years ago, even before this government came to power, it was decided that government would not be doing certification and engineering work; that it would be through private industry. It is an issue. I am working with industry to try to resolve those issues and, through the legislation that has been brought in and the building controlled areas that are named in there, we have tried to take account of that and decrease expense to home builders in those particular areas. I am more than willing to take the concerns of the member for Katherine on board and try to get solutions to these problems.
Training Numbers in the Northern Territory
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, this morning I report to the Assembly on the progress the government is making in skilling and training the Territory work force. Government has a strong record focusing on training. We produced the first ever Territory Jobs Plan, we put in place new training structures, and we have refocused the Territory’s training effort after years of neglect. In Budget 2005 and again in the election of June last year, the Chief Minister and I promised the Labor government would commence the training of 10 000 Territorians over four years.
Today, I advise the House that in 2005 the number of Territorians commencing training was 2624. We achieved our first-year goal with some to spare. In fact, we expect this level to go higher because some commencements in December have not yet been recorded. I will update the House as those figures come to hand. Four hundred and ninety-eight of these Territorians are in Alice Springs; 48 in the Barkly; 1657 in Darwin; 111 in East Arnhem; 93 in West Arnhem; and 97 in Katherine. In total, 3152 Territorians are in training at the end of 2005 – a record high for this time of year. It compares to the December 2001 figure of 2039 Territorians in training, and shows the government has lifted the training effort by more than 50% - an outcome of which we are proud.
Of the 3152 in training, almost 40% or 1224 are apprentices in traditional trades; 17.5% are in mechanical and fabrication engineering; 30% in automotive; 16% in construction; 25.6% in electrical; 11.6% in food; 32.5% of all trainees and apprentices are women, 67.5% are, obviously, men; and indigenous people make up 22% of the total, slightly under the level of indigenous people in the community as a whole, and an area to focus greater effort on into the future.
I am pleased with these results. Each and every statistic quoted, of course, is an individual; a person who is learning skills and will make, or is making a valuable contribution to our community once they are through their training. I am pleased of the role that government has played in giving those individuals that chance.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, I also recognise, as the minister stated, that each of those statistics represent people who have aspirations and dreams for a future and a growth in the economy for them to be able to engage actively in utilising the skills that they have gained. I also note that the language has changed to 10 000 in training, away from the implication initially that it was apprenticeships. There is quite a large difference between apprenticeships and traineeships. We will constantly maintain a watch on that.
Minister, I ask if you are able to give a report on the status of trades and technical teaching within the secondary school sector in terms of the tech studies rooms? I have always viewed - and you would be aware too - that often the tech studies rooms in our schools, particularly from the middle school upwards, are not utilised to the degree that they should be. Nor are those who are identified as being in an alternative stream - that is, not going to the academic stream - clearly earmarked and identified earlier on as preferring to go to a technical stream. We need to start a little earlier. I ask if you would be able to report on that? Also, that triggers a question: where are we with the technical college that was discussed in the last year or two as an initiative, initially, of the federal government? Do you have anything to report on that matter?
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, just to touch on those points very briefly, nationally for some years now apprentices/trainees are all called apprentices along with a new apprentice. We still differentiate. We think there is good cause to differentiate between apprentices on one hand and trainees on the other.
I will get information to the member regarding the proposed Commonwealth technical colleges. In relation to VET in Schools, in the statement later today, I have a bit to say on that and the work that we are doing in there. If you want any further information following that I will be happy to provide it. I will get back to you about technical colleges.
Feud Mediation Process in Central Australia
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, I wish to report to parliament on a couple of successful mediation processes we have worked on in Central Australia recently. The purpose of the report is to illustrate that our approach to crime and justice issues is a multi-pronged approach. I am confident that those members who reside in Central Australia will be keen to hear about successful strategies to resolve disputes.
Some members will be aware of a longstanding family feud in Central Australia. A significant number of people have been affected by this feud between several large and well-known Warlpiri families. Many serious crimes, as well as ongoing unsettled activity in Central Australian communities and Alice Springs, are attributable to this feud. This was seen as a serious matter and the government took the initiative and applied a whole-of-government approach to help resolve the feud. We involved officers from the Office of Crime Prevention, Department of Chief Minister, and the Northern Territory Police in the process.
The outcome was that the representatives of the families reached an agreement to settle the feud, and that agreement has been honoured. The success of this meeting can be attributed to the format of the mediation process and the willingness of all parties to explore a resolution. The key features were: the meeting took place in a controlled court-like space, the Hearing Room of the Licensing Commission; there were explicit rules of engagement designed by government officers involved, and these were agreed to by all participants; while traditional law was respected and acknowledged, the matter was dealt with according to Australian law; and the meeting was conducted utilising mainstream rather than traditional conventions.
All participants came of their own accord and with goodwill. The meeting was the idea of the families; the families controlled the process and determined who should attend. The family members designed the agreement following discussions between all the parties. All participants stressed the need for honourable leadership on the issue for the sake of the future of young Warlpiri in particular. The agreement was witnessed by government officers and police. Family members in the mediation room used mobile phones to relate aspects of the agreement to a large number of family members who were assembled outside the building. A written version of the agreement was signed by every one of the people present at the meeting, including public officials who witnessed the event.
This was a very powerful event. The Warlpiri families involved have said that strength of the process for them was that government took their issues seriously and devoted time, energy and effort to facilitate a resolution on their terms. The families involved - in fact, all Warlpiri - were relieved and pleased with the outcome. I recently attended a meeting of some 500 people at the community barbecue at Yuendumu to formally acknowledge the achievement.
The wording of the agreement has been made into a poster, which marks the end of the feud in a way that is both visible and spreads the word to all the Warlpiri people. The results of the mediation continue to be felt, and no further reprisals or violence have been observed by police or other authorities.
The other example I want to draw attention to is the one involving young people in Alice Springs. The feud, in this case, was between two groups of young people. The feud was manifested in violence, typically whenever the two groups met at parties or other events around the town. In November 2005, a meeting was held between parents of the kids in one group with Commander Mark Coffey of the NT Police, me, staff of the Office of Central Australia, and the Leader of the Opposition, Jodeen Carney. A range of strategies were discussed, including exercising of more parental responsibility and supervision, and closer liaison with the police when parties were being held. Police can help parents and kids with party planning. Parents also agreed to talk more to their children about the feud.
Following this, another meeting was held on the 25 November 2005 at the Licensing Commission Conference Room in Alice Springs. In attendance were the parents of the other group of kids who were involved in the incidents, which were four families in total. Also in attendance was a representative from Lhere Artepe, the Alice Springs High School AIEW, Charlie Larkin who knew both groups of kids, and Commander Mark Coffey. Basically, parents were aware of some of the incidents, but did not realise that they were of such serious nature. Parents agreed to go away and discuss the issue with their children and to have Charlie work with both groups. As a result of this, the two groups have made peace with one another. My understanding from the police is that there have been no further incidents at public parties or elsewhere around the town.
I would like to place on record my thanks to those parents and particularly, the Alice Springs Police and Commander Mark Coffey. I would also mention Superintendent Michael White, who also played a major part in settling the feud. We will continue to explore these approaches to feud mediation; there are still disputes and conflicts out there. If we can reduce violent behaviour through this mechanism, alongside what the police are doing, all the better for the community.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired.
Ms CARNEY (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, I thank the Attorney-General for his statement. It was a good, very interesting statement and establishes your bona fides as a minister - the only one, in my view, who is actually receptive to looking at new, different approaches. As I said last night in the adjournment debate, all of us do or should have a common interest in ensuring our communities are better places for our friends, families and, indeed, strangers to live in.
In relation to the mediation between the Warlpiri families, I commend you for pursuing that course. We know that, ultimately, it may not work. However, it seems to me that you have to give these things a bit of a spin. To the extent that it has been successful so far, congratulations, because that will achieve a better outcome for those people and their families. In relation to the families we met with in November, I am pleased to hear your view that it has finished or that peace has been made. I am hearing a couple of rumblings around the place, but I certainly do not want to sell short the efforts made by the people involved. On that basis, I will leave it at that. You and I both know that we will be keeping our fingers crossed and we will hope that the parties maintain good relations.
In fact, in conclusion I should say we should be able to complement each other in the solutions that we come up with, as these approaches are exactly what I would have established. I do not, for a moment, suggest that I have all of the solutions, but I live in a town that has about 28 000 or so people in it; I am sure there are plenty who do have some solutions and ideas. The situation is such where we should give everyone’s opinion equal value and weight. Thank you, minister, for your statement.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, yes, I am pleased that the minister has had some resolution of some of those difficult family disputes. As you are probably aware also, there are others that have been referred to you. It is important that, if we can be proactive rather than reactive in situations like this, we may stop some of the distress that is caused by family feuding within the town.
I was disappointed when I wrote to you, or notified your office about it, that you basically said to me ‘Butt out and let the police handle it’. If I do not make representation to you on families that are maybe having problems, what am I here for? This is my job: to actually put forward the problems we anticipate in our communities. I was a bit disappointed with that response because I am well aware that I do make representation on a number of occasions and it is only for the benefit of the neighbourhood and the people concerned. You are well aware of other cases I have put forward to you about which I have asked the police to be diligent.
It is a difficult situation. I understand how hard it is in Alice Springs, in particular, when people bring their family disputes into town; it reflects very much on the whole town and that is a bit sad. I really think we need to work together to make sure we can stop or prevent these things occurring before they happen. I guess we have to be proactive and, perhaps, look at the root cause and make sure that a lifestyle on communities is fulfilling rather than have people bring their anger into town and, then, eventually causing distress to not just the families involved, but to everyone.
Madam Speaker, it is a hard task; I do not envy the people concerned. If they can put water on the fire and keep everything at bay – fine. However, let us even go back further and start being proactive and making sure it does not happen again.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, the main reason I presented this report is to indicate that we do have a process, or a method of dealing with some of these issues. I agree that members of parliament are bound to pick up concerns from the community and to bring them to a proper process. In writing to you - and I say this to everyone - we have set up a process that gets the full facts around incidents or disputes between citizens who have come into dispute, either out bush or in town. I want that process to be the chosen method of dealing with these problems.
The downside of stepping into these disputes is always that you can inflame them and, if both parties are not feeling that they are getting a fair and complete process, it could have the opposite effect to the one that we all want. That is the point I was making and I am more than happy to hear from members of parliament in the Territory about issues of this type. We will continue to expand these approaches to dispute resolution, alongside the enforcement that the police will, as a matter of course, carry out in our communities.
Reports noted.
ASSEMBLY MEMBERS AND STATUTORY OFFICERS (REMUNERATION AND OTHER ENTITLEMENTS) BILL
(Serial 35)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr HENDERSON (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, at the request of and on behalf of the Chief Minister, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of the Assembly Members and Statutory Officers (Remuneration and Other Entitlements) Bill 2006 is to repeal the Remuneration Tribunal Act and the Remuneration (Statutory Bodies) Act and replace these acts with a single act and, at the same time, put in place a new framework for setting out the entitlements of members of statutory bodies.
In October 2003, the Administrator requested the Remuneration Tribunal inquire into and report on the remuneration paid to members of statutory bodies, and to make further recommendations in relation to the manner in which reviews of remuneration and allowances and other entitlements may be undertaken. The tribunal’s report was tabled in this Assembly in August 2004. It recommended, among other measures, amalgamation of the Remuneration Tribunal Act and the Remuneration (Statutory) Bodies Act to create a single piece of legislation dealing with the operation of the tribunal and the setting of entitlements of various categories of people, including members of statutory bodies.
The tribunal also recommended a new framework for setting entitlements of members of government statutory bodies. In broad terms, the new framework will give the Administrator the power to determine the classification structure for statutory bodies and the remuneration levels of entitlements to apply in each category, and enable ministers to determine the allocation of statutory bodies to classification categories, having regard to administrative guidelines and any recommendations by the minister administering the acts.
Other key features of the bill are as follows:
separate divisions in the bill for members of the Legislative Assembly and ministers, magistrates, members of statutory bodies and other statutory officers, including judges;
providing ministers with the power to determine the remuneration increments up to the maximum amount set by the Administrator within a classification category where appropriate;
a requirement that determinations made by the minister under section 5 in respect of Assembly members’ entitlements not covered by the Remuneration Tribunal’s determination be tabled in the Assembly. This is a new requirement in the interests of consistency and transparency.
The bill also incorporates two new features in respect of tribunal determinations to address issues which have arisen in recent months. Firstly, the bill includes a requirement for the minister to release a Remuneration Tribunal determination to persons whose entitlements are affected by the determination within 14 days of the minister receiving it but prior to tabling it in the Assembly. This is a new mechanism which will give such persons notice of proposed changes to their entitlements prior to the determination becoming a public document. It addresses a previous uncertainty about whether such determinations could be released prior to tabling by making it clear that the tribunal’s only obligation is to provide its determinations and any accompanying reports to the government of the day. At that point, the responsible minister is then required to provide a copy of the determination to those persons directly affected by it prior to tabling of the report in the Assembly.
Secondly, the bill provides that Remuneration Tribunal determinations do not come into effect until after the parliamentary disallowance period. In relation to magistrates in particular, this will ensure that parliament is not prevented from disallowing an increased entitlement in a newly commenced determination because of the operation of section 6(2) of the Magistrates Act. That section provides that the salary, allowances and other benefits to which a magistrate is entitled must not be altered to the magistrate’s detriment during his or her term of office. If a tribunal determination was to commence immediately it was handed down by the tribunal, as has often been the case in the past, then the Assembly would have no discretion to disallow any increased entitlements in that determination, as this would constitute a detriment under the Magistrates Act.
Such a provision will also improve the administration of the Remuneration Tribunal determinations for Assembly members and ministers, in that no entitlements will come into effect until they are effectively endorsed by the parliament. This will eliminate the need for administrative adjustments to new entitlements which are subsequently disallowed.
In summary, the principal aim of this bill is to put in place a more efficient and transparent framework for setting entitlement remuneration for members of statutory bodies. It also revises the conditions of appointment for members of the tribunal to make this more consistent with modern approaches and to reflect the independence of the tribunal. Finally, it clarifies certain operational matters in respect of tribunal determinations.
Madam Speaker, I commend this bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement which accompanies the bill.
Debate adjourned.
MOTION
Cane Toads in the Territory
Cane Toads in the Territory
Ms SCRYMGOUR: (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly:
- 1. agrees that cane toads represent a significant threat to our unique Territory environment and lifestyle;
2. congratulates the Territory community and FrogWatch, in particular, on their efforts at ‘on the ground’ cane toad control;
3, encourages all Top End residents to take up the government’s $30 subsidy and buy a trap to protect their own property;
4. encourages all Top End residents to get out into their backyards on 14 March 2006 to collect and dispose of cane toads they find as part of a Territory day of action;
5. notes that the federal, Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australian governments are coordinating efforts aimed at managing cane toads;
6. agrees that while research into biological control is necessary, increased on-ground cane toad control is essential to reduce the impacts of cane toads across northern Australia; and
7. calls upon the federal government to significantly increase its funding for on-ground cane toad control in line with the contribution it makes to eradicating other invasive species of national significance.
August last year marked the 70th anniversary of the deliberate release of cane toads into Australia. In the course of those 70 years, cane toads have spread over vast distances, entering into the Territory in the 1980s. In their wake, they have decimated native quolls, goannas, snakes and many other species. Now in 2006, the invasion front extends into Darwin and westward to the Western Australia border. Cane toads have been nominated by the World Conservation Union as one of the world’s 100 worst invaders. If we do nothing this blight on our environment could permanently occupy coastal areas as far south as Port Macquarie on the east coast of Australia and Broome on the west coast - a staggering 2 million square kilometres of tropical coastal Australia. In warm years, modelling predicts cane toads could, over winter, go as far south as Bega near the Victorian border. In the Territory, they have been recorded well inland - as far south as Dunmarra.
It is truly an environmental catastrophe. Territorians do not want cane toads to spoil our unique environment and lifestyle. They want to do something about it, and government is equally determined to help stop this toxic pest. With cane toads now on our doorstep we need to redouble our efforts to get rid of them.
I was travelling recently at night through Litchfield National Park and the road was covered with hopping cane toads. In my own electorate I have seen the ground literally moving with the masses of cane toads. Like most Territorians, I am disgusted by them and really distressed to see our environment suffering in this way.
However, all is not lost. Over the last few months of the Wet, I have been really impressed with the enthusiasm in Darwin, Palmerston and rural residents have shown in taking action. They want to make a difference; they want to help our wildlife and the environment that makes the Territory so special. As Environment minister, I have found this groundswell of enthusiasm very inspiring.
Of course, community sentiment is one thing; harnessing that into real action on the ground is another. Here I want to pay tribute to FrogWatch and the incredible contribution they have made to thinking creatively about this problem and, more importantly, putting their ideas into action. By researching and developing cheap and effective traps, FrogWatch has helped people overcome decades of helplessness and a sense of inevitability over the cane toad invasion. It is this single idea and innovation of trapping that has changed community attitudes from being overwhelmed and dispirited to a determination to fight back.
Traps offer everyone the means by which they can do their bit in their own backyard or by banding together to help protect a special place such as a local lagoon or park. While traps will not eradicate cane toads, they will help reduce numbers locally to the point where we can help sustain our native wildlife, and our pets may be less likely poisoned. I understand that this leadership is not inspiring others further afield. FrogWatch tells me that they are selling their traps into Western Australia, Queensland and even Hawaii. It is the true Territory spirit of having a go, not listening to those who say it cannot be done and daring to be a bit different - because we have had to be different. Queensland did not bother to do anything for decades, and the CLP put their heads in the sand and pretended they simply were not coming.
Government has listened to Territorians and taken strong action. That is why we have provided almost $0.5m for the development and implementation of a local cane toad management program. The community is at the forefront of this campaign and, in particular, government is backing FrogWatch’s efforts both with direct support of more than $300 000 to the organisation and through research and community education. Already, we are seeing local community cane toad groups being formed, often in conjunction with Landcare groups. To date, nine community groups from the Darwin rural and suburban areas have been created, and are in the process of setting up traps in special areas such a wetlands, reserves and recreation areas.
Government has provided $80 000 to assist in the development of cane toad traps and, to make them more affordable, we promised a $30 rebate at the last election. Only certain types of traps have been approved for the rebate to ensure that the traps used will only catch the toads and not endanger any native wildlife in the area. These traps can be purchased at various locations across the Top End, such as pet shops and hardware stores. FrogWatch also sells their traps on-line. All up, $100 000 has been made available to subsidise traps over the next two years. The rebate is now in place and approximately 150 Territorians have taken up the offer. FrogWatch is reporting good sales of their traps. I encourage more people to buy a trap and get their $30 back. I am advised that if each trap that government subsidises only catches 100 toads each year then, together, we can remove around 200 tonnes of cane toads from our environment. That is about 10 semitrailer loads every year.
To encourage everyone to get out and trap cane toads, I have nominated 14 March as the Territory day of action called Not in My Backyard. I hope all Top End members get behind this initiative and help organise community efforts in their electorates. Toad packs are freely available from Parks and Wildlife for distribution to constituents through electorate offices and other venues. I will be out there and I am sure many other Territorians will join me.
Of course, something has to be done with the toads we collect and not everyone has room in the freezer, or a spare jar of haemorrhoid cream. For their part, FrogWatch has established the first drop-off point for live cane toads at Freds Pass Reserve with, I understand, more sites to follow. If you do not want to humanely - I am sorry, Madam Speaker, I will start that again. I was a bit distracted by the cream.
If you do not want to humanely despatch these creatures yourself, drop them off and let FrogWatch turn them into fertiliser or toad juice. This is another innovative approach to the whole problem of cane toads. A Darwin fertiliser manufacturer is running trials coordinated by FrogWatch to turn frozen toads into garden fertiliser similar to fish emulsion. It will be quite an achievement if we can turn this pest into something very useful.
Community action also requires education. In conjunction with FrogWatch, government has taken the lead in communicating the impact of cane toads and what the community can do to limit their spread. For example, information is being developed in Aboriginal languages for mainland and island communities. Government has undertaken a major community education campaign through radio advertisements and a mail-out to all Darwin and rural residents. Displays at shopping centres and public events and the distribution of fact sheets, stickers, and brochures to veterinary clinics and schools has ensured that Territorians are informed about how to identify cane toads and the risks they pose and how to manage them.
More needs to be done, and that is why I am pleased to announce that government will establish a scientific extension officer for cane toads, full-time for the next six months. This officer will help FrogWatch and local toad management groups in their efforts to monitor the effectiveness of control methods. In addition, applications will shortly be sought for the next round of environment grants, another initiative put in place by this government. I will particularly welcome cane toad projects coming forward from FrogWatch, local cane toad groups and other organisations. In fact, it would make a worthwhile theme for this next grant round. We have already funded a number of great local initiatives on cane toads under the environment grants at Knuckey Lagoon, Palmerston High School, Howard Springs, Berry Springs, Wanguri and Durack Primary Schools. There is much more we need to do, so get those applications in when the call goes out.
The Island Ark program is a further example of how we are creatively approaching this problem. Cane toads are having a devastating effect on some species such as the northern quoll to the point of local extinction. Island Ark aims to establish breeding colonies of these species on cane toad-free islands to secure their future in the wild until a solution can be found for eradicating cane toads and the quoll can then be reintroduced to its former range. I advise that, with the help of traditional owners who have been very supportive and will be undertaking much of the monitoring, the breeding colonies of quolls on the islands are thriving. On other islands, consideration is now being given to translocating the golden bandicoot. The Territory Wildlife Park is now complementing this work with a captive breeding program for northern quolls, and is currently looking for reports of quolls around Darwin so that they can breed a genetically diverse and healthy population. Our Island Ark’s effort will, of course, be in vain if cane toads manage to find their way on to the islands. That is why biosecurity is so important. Movement of people or freight to islands free of toads needs to be strictly controlled so that we can protect them as refuges for vulnerable wildlife.
As a responsible land manager, government has also been actively managing toads on our urban parks and reserves. In the Botanic Gardens, for example, two night-spotting activities have been organised with the assistance of FrogWatch, the garden staff and the community. Six traps have been purchased and have been deployed and checked for the last seven months. Likewise, the Territory Wildlife Park has eight super traps that are checked regularly. Lights around the park near exhibits are switched off at night to reduce the chances of toads coming into these areas. A Toad Action Committee has been formed for the park, and tadpoles and toadlets are removed from water bodies. Where necessary, water bodies have been treated to kill entire spawning masses.
Unfortunately, cane toad management in our larger parks is much more problematic, given the size of the area involved. However, the super traps developed by FrogWatch do offer some hope of reducing their population numbers in sensitive, environmentally important areas, and parks will be deploying them around camp grounds to ensure visitors can still enjoy camping. I know FrogWatch has been very keen to see other landholders such as councils and industrial premises take up the fight and install traps, and I, too, encourage them to do their bit.
In all, this government is spending more than $1.2m in tackling cane toads. We have moved the whole nation ahead on this very serious threat to our unique environment. We have successfully lobbied the Commonwealth and states to have the spread of the cane toad listed nationally as a key environmental threatening process. The National Cane Toad Taskforce is now in place, and we have the Queensland and Western Australian governments joining us in the fight.
None of this happened by accident; it happened because this government took the initiative after decades of inaction. However, as my motion proposes, we need greater national leadership and effort if we are to take the next step and really make a serious impact on the toad population. If we can make this step, it will not be just the eyes of Australia upon us; other countries will be watching very closely because cane toads are a serious pest across the world – in Hawaii, Florida and the Philippines to name a few – so the benefits of an Australian solution will be felt worldwide.
This motion is not about criticising the federal government, because it is providing some very worthwhile assistance. It has agreed that the Northern Territory can use $422 000 from the National Heritage Trust Strategic Reserve for work on cane toads. This will allow further islands to be surveyed to determine quarantine priorities, investigations into how quolls survived in pockets in Queensland, and provide further assistance to community efforts in the Victoria River district. However, this is not new money and it means other worthy projects have not been funded. The federal government has provided $40 000 to FrogWatch for trapping in sensitive wetlands, and more than $90 000 to ensure that barges to the Tiwi Islands do not offload cane toads. They are also assisting the Western Australian government and investing in research into biological control.
All this should be applauded, but it really is a drop in the ocean compared, for example, to the federal dollars being spent on controlling red fire ants in Queensland. It is worth noting that more than $24m will be spent on fire ants over the next three years by the Commonwealth, coming on top of more than $61m that they have poured into the eradication efforts between 2001 and 2005. I stress that I believe that has been money very well spent and, indeed, matched by contributions from state and territory governments, because fire ants are a serious threat. However, it does show the level of commitment that the federal government can make, and it should be doing the same on cane toads. Simply, the Commonwealth needs to do much more on the ground, and that is why I support this motion.
More funding is desperately needed for short-term action - harm minimisation, if you like. The Territory community has shown its willingness to provide its labour for free. It is an enormous resource; you simply cannot put a price on the work being carried out by the community. The federal government needs to dig deep and invest in this community effort.
Yes, biological control is the long-term solution to cost effectively control cane toads across our vast landscape, but we can and must do something now because, otherwise, the damage to the North Australian environment will be devastating.
In August 2004, the federal minister for the Environment said that the federal government would match the Western Australian government’s efforts to thwart the cane toad’s advance into the Kimberleys. The Western Australian government has put in $2.5m to fight cane toads. Unfortunately, the federal government has not put its money where its mouth is. It has provided $600 000 to the Western Australian government - hardly dollar-for-dollar as promised, although I am sure the Western Australian government is grateful. In the Northern Territory, we have spent more than $1.2m but, likewise, we have not seen a matching commitment from the federal government for on-ground cane toad action.
My message to Canberra is clear: yes, research on biological control is necessary and we support you on this, but we need action on the ground in the short term. Cane toads are recognised as a threatening process under federal legislation. I call on the federal Environment minister to acknowledge the responsibility that comes with this and match the Northern Territory and Western Australian governments’ commitment to on-ground control dollar-for-dollar - more would be even better - and with new money, not substitution.
This government will continue the fight against cane toads. We see it as a major investment in our environment and lifestyle.
Debate suspended until after Question Time.
MOTION
Cane Toads in the Territory
Cane Toads in the Territory
Continued from earlier this day.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Madam Speaker, today I talk to the motion on cane toads that the minister has introduced into this Assembly. There is no doubt about it; the cane toad can only be described as being one of the ugliest creatures I have ever seen. I am a great lover of the tropical green tree frogs and other species of frogs, but you would have to agree that there is nothing appealing about the cane toad - even that one that you had there, minister.
The first time I saw a live cane toad was when one was brought into Katherine from the Roper River area in about the year 2000. It was brought in to show me by a contract worker who had been working in that area. At that time, this worker reported that toads were in really large numbers in the Roper River area. It was pretty frightening to think that there could be thousands of these obnoxious creatures heading towards Katherine and beyond. Arrive they did, and in their thousands, and they invaded every ground-level waterhole and were found in garden areas, under street lights and near any light post at night - quite revolting.
At this time, there was nothing in place to deal with the invasion of this revolting creature, and I have no qualms in saying that the people in Katherine did whatever they could to get rid of as many cane toads as they could as quickly as possible. All of the tactics that have been talked about over the years were used, and most of them not terribly humane, I must say. However, there was no alternative offered at the time. I can assure you that the thought of cane toads slowly dying in a plastic bag in my freezer next to my meat and frozen food was not an option for me. I would suggest that most of you in here would feel the same way, especially when you try to imagine the hundreds and hundreds of them that there were. It just was not an option.
It is on public record that, at that time when they first became such a huge problem in Katherine, I was an Alderman on the Katherine Town Council, along with Alderman Anne Shepherd who is now the Mayor. Anne and I were quite a team of cane toad avengers following Katherine Town Council meetings. Anne and I would take a bucket with a sprayer containing disinfectant of some sort - or Domestos; whatever we could get - a torch each and, after meetings, we would patrol the grounds of the Civic Centre doing our bit to eliminate this pest. If anybody thinks that is inhumane, when you are looking at literally hundreds and hundreds of them at a time, there was no other way to eliminate this pest. You can imagine how much amusement it caused in Katherine when the suggestion was made that maybe we could put some haemorrhoid cream on each one of these cane toads. That was really one of the most ridiculous options that I have ever heard. There was and is nothing pleasant about cane toads and, at one stage, there was certainly no other option available.
The disappointing thing was that, at the time the cane toads arrived in Katherine, we very quickly saw the disappearance of the larger reptiles from around the area, especially from the picnic areas in Nitmiluk Gorge. We had been very fortunate for many years previously of having the experience of some very large reptiles which were of great interest, and an attraction and entertainment for visitors and the locals alike.
I can remember distinctly, a few years ago now, attending a wedding as a guest at Nitmiluk Gorge at the park, and the horror on a lot of the guests’ faces when a resident goanna decided to finish his stroll straight through the middle of the wedding guests. As you can imagine, the wedding ceremony had to be halted for a little while, while this beautiful goanna made his way through the park and proceeded to find himself a barbecue plate where somebody was cooking some chops. He proceeded to climb up. It was very clever the way he did it; he just put his front claws so that they were pointed onto the hot barbecue and just lifted the chops off and slowly marched off with this person’s food. Quite an entertaining scene for the guests at the wedding because most of these guests were from interstate.
Unfortunately, I have not seen any of those larger reptiles in the park since the cane toads arrived, which is one of the very sad side effects of having cane toads in our environment. I hope it is not too long before we see them back again. However, I am pleased to say we have seen the smaller species of lizards in greater numbers in recent times, which is really good news.
On the domestic animal scene, I know that there were losses of smaller dogs which were poisoned by cane toads in the Katherine region. However, I was always under the impression - and this advice was given to me by a vet - that if an animal was over 5 kg in weight, there was a lesser chance of them dying or being poisoned by a cane toad. I am fortunate that I have two dogs, both Labradors who weigh well over 30 kg each. Initially, when they started frothing at the mouth from being poisoned, I used to be quite beside myself running around with the hose, catching the dog and trying to wash their mouth out from the side. The cane toad leaves a deposit of quite a sticky poison on the tongue or on the roof of the dog’s mouth, so you have to actually wipe it off with a damp cloth. You try catching a 30 kg dog who does not want to be caught. It ended up that I had to just stand by and watch these dogs frothing at the mouth.
However, I discovered that both of these dogs know very well that, if they put the cane toad in their mouth, which they do, and have a little game with it, within a very short time they are going to have a reaction, and it is usually frothing at the mouth or staggering around like a doped dog. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I think my dogs like it. That is quite a different aspect of what can happen with cane toads. I do not encourage you to leave a dog out in the yard where you know you have cane toads, because if they are a very small dog under 5 kg, you might not have your dog next day. I am sorry, my two dogs think that they do not taste too bad, just that poison – a little addicted. That is a different aspect of cane toads. Of course, I do not allow them to be in my yard if I can help it. I have an inspection around the yard before I go to bed. That is a point that I wanted to talk about.
There has been a lot said about cane toads. I did not think that it was recognised as being a major concern in the Northern Territory until it was thought to have an affect on Kakadu and - heaven forbid! - the outer suburbs of Darwin. When they came through Katherine, nothing happened at all. It has been interesting to see how much work has been done in addressing the cane toad issues since they have become a threat to the suburbs of Darwin.
I am impressed with the amount of work that has been put into dealing with cane toads. I have been impressed by the number of people who have come forward with their ideas. The cane toad trap is a great idea for people who live in suburbia, and have somewhere to take these cane toads. I still think asking people to put cane toads in a plastic bag in their freezer is a difficult situation to put people in. There are too many of them - there are far too many of them to deal with to be able to make a dent in their numbers. I believe these nominated sites with containers are a good idea if people are committed to taking the cane toads to them. If you have the time to do that, it is great.
Another thing I am pleased to hear about - and I am surprised that it has not been done before - is the development of a liquid can toad fertiliser. That is a great idea. Hopefully, it helps your gardens grow and does not kill them.
Mr Wood: Managed by Howard Springs.
Mrs MILLER: Absolutely. Probably why it will be very successful, member for Nelson. I am sure it will be very successful.
I just wanted to mention a couple of things that I have in front of me. One is the comments of the member for Wanguri, as he was then and still is. However, at that time I am not sure what his position was. In 1999, the member for Wanguri was speaking about cane toads in this Assembly, and he made some statements that I thought were a little amusing. I want to talk about one of the things he said at the time, which was that cane toads would have an impact on tourism. He said, and I quote: ‘Tourism is currently the second largest contributor to the Territory’s economy’. I am very pleased to say that it still is. I can assure the member for Wanguri that if it was going to cut visitor numbers to Kakadu by 50%, I wonder what happened to Queensland? Queensland has had cane toads since 1935 and I would not mind their tourism revenue. I do not think it made the slightest bit of difference to the revenue. Therefore, it is not the tourism industry that we have to be concerned about at all, it is the environment.
The Not in My Backyard campaign, minister, is a great idea to raise people’s awareness about cane toads. Make it a bit of a fun day and, perhaps, they will work out how to pick up the cane toad, etcetera, and how to deposit them and it may get them into the habit of doing so. Hopefully, from that, it needs to be done daily. It is a habit that people need to get into, if they have not already got into the habit of disposing of cane toads daily.
We do not have a nominated site in Katherine. I know a lot of people who live in the rural areas are going to continue to dispose of them in the way that they have been for the last few years, and I do not blame them. Just get rid of them, as far as I am concerned. When you see how many eggs they lay in a night, it is absolutely terrifying. I have only had them in my spa once, and that is because it is a chlorine spa, so they do not tend to go in there, or if they do they do not come out alive. They do not mind saltwater ones. Anybody up here should be very careful of any water repository you have on your land that is at ground level. They do not jump so, if it is a foot high you should be reasonably safe; they do not tend to get in those.
Overall, minister, I agree with all of the points of this motion that you have put forward. I agree that they represent a significant threat to our Territory environment and lifestyle. I do believe the efforts that are being put into addressing cane toads are the best that we have had for a very long time and it is better than what Queensland has done. It is commendable and I support the motion.
Ms LAWRIE (Family and Community Services): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the minister’s motion. Members may recall last term I chaired a parliamentary inquiry into the incursion of cane toads into the Territory, and it is a matter very dear to my heart, being born and raised in the Territory. For many years, I have been very concerned about the inaction to combat cane toads as they started to invade the Territory a few decades ago. It was interesting; we heard a lot of expert advice over the months that the parliamentary Sessional Committee into the Environment and Sustainable Development undertook its inquiry.
A recurring theme amongst some of the experts that really struck home to me was that the battle that is occurring now to combat the cane toads should have occurred decades ago. It should have occurred in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Then we would not have seen them marching through Kakadu, up the track to Katherine and now on our doorstep in the rural area of Darwin and Palmerston if the battle that we are having now had occurred decades ago in the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is a shame of previous governments that they took the attitude that the march of the toad was inevitable; that it had really not adversely affected Queensland that much - so just let it go through and let it happen.
Subsequently, as we found out through the inquiry process listening to expert advice, they have a devastating impact on our environment. They have an absolutely devastating impact on a whole range of our native species. We should never have taken the attitude to allow that devastation to be inevitable. The devastation that is occurring through Kakadu, a pre-eminent national park in our nation, is an enormous shame. It is just horrifying.
I pick up on what the member for Katherine said about the questionable aspects of impact upon tourism. However, I want to support the member for Wanguri’s maiden MPI speech in that, in talking to a lot of people, it really starts to turn them off. If they are looking at where they are going to go for a holiday and they hear that the once pristine billabongs are no longer pristine but, in fact, awash with toads, they take a choice and holiday elsewhere. There is no data, there is no numbers but, anecdotally, there is certainly a lot of discussion in the community. When Territorians are holidaying within the Territory, it is something that Territorians are considering.
The call to arms occurred because the Territory Labor government decided it was not going to take the view that cane toads are inevitable. We knew it was somewhat too late but, upon listening to the expert advice, the parliamentary committee came up with a range of recommendations, 90% of which have been implemented by the Territory government to combat the cane toads.
An important theoretical recommendation, that many people do not understand the importance of, was to make it a threatening species under Commonwealth legislation. That, by nature, normally attracts significant funding. You heard in the minister’s comments on the motion that fire ants have attracted some $24m of funding to combat them in Queensland. Threatening processes attract funding of that nature in the history of Australia, and I find it extraordinary that the Commonwealth has not put the dollars in to that extent when it comes to combating cane toads.
This motion is a call to arms for the community to combat cane toads, but also for the Commonwealth tier of government to come in and weigh into combating cane toads and say: ‘Yes, we are going to use some of our $13bn surplus and try to protect significant areas of our beautiful environment, the Territory and, as we know the front will move westwards, to Western Australia’. The opportunity is now. I urge the federal government, in its considerations for its forthcoming 2006-07 budget, to make a bold statement to say that they will help a small jurisdiction that the Territory is to combat the cane toad, and weigh in and help protect Western Australia. Its magnificent Kimberley region will be hit after we have been hit with the can toad incursion.
The practical aspects of what the Territory government has been doing with its expenditure of $1.2m is really to be congratulated. The funding going to FrogWatch is significant. FrogWatch is doing a fantastic job. Graeme Sawyer and others are absolutely committed to the war against cane toads. I remember in the very early days, before the parliamentary inquiry even got under way, Graeme Sawyer coming to see me in my Karama office and talking to me about how, through community action, cane toads could be tackled. We could see successes because there were examples of such local action having success elsewhere. Interestingly enough, what he had to say was backed up by experts during the inquiry into cane toads. We heard about areas in Queensland where, single-handedly, a ranger had taken it upon himself to protect a particular billabong, and how he had succeeded because he literally, every day several times a day, went around and scooped up eggs. He did not allow the thousands of eggs that the female cane toad lays to hatch or the tadpoles to really take hold in the area.
I commend the government for supporting community action. I commend the minister for calling for a day of action on 14 March 2006, and I look forward to participating in that with my local community. A lot of the residents of Karama and Malak stop me, knowing that I have been heavily involved in looking at how to combat cane toads, and have an enormous number of questions about what they can do individually to tackle the cane toads.
One of the areas I get a lot of questions from is schools. Talking to local children, they are very interested in what they can do. It does raise some concerns for me that a member of federal parliament seems to think that there is some macabre sporting link to combating cane toads, and talked about getting the golf clubs out and clubbing toads to death. I have to say that, as a parent, I find his comments absolutely appalling. I will never teach my children that brutality is an acceptable method of eradicating a pest. Children need to be taught that we behave in humane ways; that we are, indeed, living in a civilised society, and there are civilised responses to what are pest issues. I pick up on what the member for Katherine said; that there are significant numbers of toads. However, I will be following the humane path in my backyard. I have already cleared the beer fridge, it has no beer left in it …
Mr Henderson: Haemorrhoid cream?
Ms LAWRIE: I will not be using haemorrhoid cream. I will be using plastic bags. The kids and I are prepared; we have stockpiled our plastic bags and cleared the beer fridge out. We are going to be moving them into the fridge first before they go into the freezer, and then we will be using the toad dumping sites, kindly provided by FrogWatch, because I do not look forward to disposing of them myself. I have a ute, so we can load the dead toads into an esky into the back of the ute and off to the toad dumping site …
Mr Wood: No, it is only for rural people. No, you are not coming out our way!
Ms LAWRIE: I do not have to go all the way out to Freds Pass, member for Nelson.
Mr Wood: We have to take our rubbish into Shoal Bay now.
Ms Scrymgour: Maybe we should go out to his electorate and dump them.
Ms LAWRIE: I dare say there will be a toad dumping facility at Shoal Bay which is very close. Wherever is the closest, we will be heading to.
I pose the question of what will happen at our schools because toads will be jumping through our school grounds. There is no DEET policy about how to handle cane toads, so I challenge local members to start the debate with their school councils. I have already started to talk to my local school principals about having a school policy for the handling of toads, because toads are highly toxic; they pose a great danger to our children. It is an opportunity for local members to work proactively with their schools to identify humane and safe non-handling policies regarding children and cane toads, because there is a huge awareness at the school level by schoolchildren of cane toads and what they want to do to combat them. I encourage local members to take this opportunity to talk to their local schools and put in place a cane toad handling policy in consultation with schools. I also urge the schools to have that school debate at school council level and with the principals and staff as to how best, at that school environment, they can manage the issue of cane toads.
It is a fantastic initiative to have a $30 rebate on traps. It is a very practical way of being able to combat cane toads. I am looking at a trap designed around my driveway because it is the only point of entry that cane toads can make into my yard because I am up on a hill and there is high bricks all around me. The only way cane toads can enter my yard is through my driveway. I have been doing some schematic diagrams around a cane toad trap that runs across the driveway. The kids are fully involved in this exercise with me and, if it is any good, I might even see if it has worldwide potential, the same as the trap that FrogWatch has come up with.
It is a great government initiative to have a scientific extension officer for six months to coordinate all of these efforts and to work with FrogWatch and other community-based groups, and to really focus the effort that needs to happen. I agree with the member for Katherine; it is a shame that the action is occurring now. I believe, wholeheartedly, action should have occurred decades ago when an opportunity presented itself to have the battle in the Gulf, as I said. However, it is to this government’s credit that it has found $1.2m to really get stuck in and support the community in combating cane toads, to support FrogWatch, a community-based organisation, to lead the charge, and through the EnvironmeNT grants to provide opportunities for any groups throughout the community to come up with innovative ideas for the removal of cane toads.
I urge people to go to as much effort as they can to provide frog habitats. One of the things that started FrogWatch’s enormous interest in cane toads is the devastation that cane toads have on our native frog species. Quite aside from the efforts to combat cane toads, can we also make that extra effort to provide frog habitats for our native frogs so that their numbers, as they will be decimated by the incursion of cane toads, can survive through; that we do have breeding areas for our native frogs in our backyards, to enable the variety of native frog species that we have and that really are quite splendid up here, to survive through what will be a horrible and horrendous front moving as a wave through Darwin and on to Western Australia.
We can learn from the experiences of people in the community of Katherine, and I thank the member for Katherine for that contribution. I found it interesting. I thank the minister for her vision, drive and focus in ensuring that we did not just rest on our laurels of a parliamentary inquiry. We got the agenda at the Commonwealth level, we have a national task force on cane toads, we started to attract funding, we got the Island Ark program up and operating to save the northern quoll species, and quarantine happening for the Tiwi Islands, which is incredibly important. We did not just rest on those laurels, we went on and we continually, incrementally, improve our efforts to combat cane toads.
This is an issue that will be in our face, and in our face, unfortunately, for far too many years. I wish it were not so. I wish the actions had been taken decades ago. They were not. They are here and we should do everything we can to protect our native species and the diversity of our beautiful wildlife that we enjoy in our quite pristine and gorgeous Northern Territory.
Each of us, if we do something, makes all the difference. That was clearly the message that the parliamentary inquiry heard from the scientific experts. Each of us, if we do something, will make a difference. So get your neighbours, the kids, the schools, and your community, and use 14 March as a rallying point and put in sustainable action to help combat cane toads in our community. Do not forget – find those breeding spots for your frogs. Find how you can help to protect the lizards and the snakes and the goannas. I have a beautiful family of frilled neck lizards that live in a park in front of my home. I will not just be taking action to protect my yard, the kids and I are going to be creating a regular assault on a park to combat the cane toads in that community park outside the front of our house. We already have some really good neighbours who keep their eye on the lizard species out the front as well, so I am sure we will be joined in our actions to do what we can.
This is a call to arms. The motion is clearly saying the Commonwealth has a larger role to play in combating cane toads. I urge the Commonwealth to really take the opportunity of an entire community galvanised to action to fund significant programs to combat cane toads.
Yes, ultimately, we hope there will be a biological solution. The great work being done by CSIRO is an opportunity that I hope will bear fruit before the 10 years that it is envisaged for that biological solution to be found. However, it can only be sped up by additional Commonwealth funding, and our actions can only be enhanced and improved and increased by additional Commonwealth funding. I really urge the Commonwealth to use the opportunity of the upcoming federal budget to announce significant increases in funding to combat cane toads which are a threatening process under their own legislation.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I noticed the minister brought out a Bufo marinus during Question Time and thought it looked like some of the people on this side of the parliament. I actually thought the government now had 20 members. Obviously, my mistake.
Ms Scrymgour: Not you, Gerry. I did not say you.
Mr WOOD: That was just an aside.
Ms Scrymgour: You are feeling a little precious.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WOOD: No, no, no. Purely just a little humour; nothing more, nothing less. I would not want to make the government laugh too much; it could be bad for their health.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson, please address the motion.
Mr WOOD: I was. I was talking about Bufos marinus, the cane toad, Madam Speaker. A signed-up member of the Labor Party.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson!
Mr WOOD: Sorry, Madam Speaker. I would like to address the statement the minister has presented. I say at the outset that I think this is the wrong statement. The reason I say that is because …
Ms Scrymgour: It is not a statement; it is a motion.
Mr WOOD: Well, it could have been a statement. However, I believe that you should have been using this document, Issues associated with the Progressive Entry Into The Northern Territory of Cane Toads. Recommendation 17 was that the Northern Territory government report to parliament on the progress of implementing the inquiry’s recommendations. There are 16 other recommendations in here and I believe this would have been the time to go through these recommendations one by one and report what the Northern Territory government has done about them. Some of the matters that the minister has brought forward are nice and some are relevant but, really, we should have been tackling the recommendations of the cane toad inquiry report. We have missed an opportunity there.
I would like to go through what the minister has asked us to support. The first statement really is a nice statement. Who is going to disagree with that? It is a very sad thing that cane toads have come to the Northern Territory, but I make the point that you have to live in the real world. Much as the member for Karama spoke about how we could have stopped them in years gone by perhaps, I do not think you could have stopped them any more than we are trying to do today. We could have stopped them in isolated areas for sure but, on a map of Australia and a map of the Northern Territory, there are a lot of people who do not live anywhere near places we could control them. The reality is, much as it is unpalatable, we will not stop cane toads. We can reduce the numbers in areas where we live and that is the way, hopefully, we will help protect some of our localised wildlife. However, to say that we could have stopped the movement from Queensland to the Northern Territory it is a bit like saying we are going to stop them from getting to Western Australia. We hope they would not get to Western Australia, but the reality is Western Australia is an almighty big place. In a Wet Season, most of the Kimberleys is under water and that reality, unfortunately, is going to happen in Western Australia. I wish you could run a big trench down the Western Australia/Northern Territory border and hope they all fall in it, but I doubt that is a very practical solution.
I take my hat off to people in FrogWatch. I know Graeme Sawyer and Dave Wilson have done a tremendous amount of work. I believe what they are trying to say is that you can do something in your area; you can protect the frogs and some of the wildlife in your area. That is a great thing. I congratulate the government for funding them to promote their actions. I know the member for Goyder was at Freds Pass the other day where they launched the detention centre for cane toads which is now set up just inside the front gate. It may have to be closer to the front gate because the front gate closes at 7 pm and because a lot of rural people come home fairly late at night, there may have to be some changes so people can put their cane toads into that box. However, what they are doing is terrific. I encourage the government to make sure we have more of those particular sites around Darwin, Palmerston and the rural area.
It is also good to see that the government is subsidising the cane toad traps. I must admit I do not have one. At the moment, I do not have any cane toads. It is all right. Howard Springs is partly cane toad-free at the moment. One reason I may not have cane toads is because my grass was fairly high, because I have not cut it until recently. If you were at the cane toad inquiry, you would have noticed that one of the recommendations was that, if you could keep your grass a little higher, cane toads have a lot of trouble walking where grass is fairly high. Nice manicured lawns are ideal for cane toads. Perhaps roughly slashed rural blocks are not quite such ideal for them walking. There are cane toads in the rural area; there are some around Howard Springs, but we definitely have not had the wave yet. You never know, they cannot be too far away. I will be getting a trap once I know they are around. At the present time, I do not really want to put a light outside in the middle of my paddock just to make sure they are there. I will wait until I see one and then I will try to trap him, not attract them all from around the districts. It is a great idea and I encourage people to take up the government’s subsidy.
The other area where we could have done more is trying some things that could help preserve some of our wildlife. I am referring to No 6 of the minister’s motion here, where she says:
… agrees that while research into biological trial is necessary, increased on-ground cane toad control is essential to reduce the impacts of cane toads across northern Australia.
One of the recommendations, of course, in this book - the famous one - is No 5:
- … that the Northern Territory government take immediate step to erect a cane toad-proof fence across the neck of the Cobourg Peninsula.
It did not happen. We can talk about the cages and other things, but there was a chance to try something and not wait for the biological control, which could be 10 years away and might never work. We have been slow to act on some things that we could have, at least, tried.
Another area where we could have tried was to look at pastoral country or Aboriginal country and see whether we could have fenced off areas to protect things like the sand goannas. They are not on our islands. To my knowledge, a big goanna at Bathurst Island is about this big - a couple of feet. If you go to Daly River, well, a real goanna is six foot and stands up and looks at you. It is a real mean looking creature. Those sand goannas, we know, are all going to go. Yet, why could we not have leased some land, fenced it off - and that might entail some difficulty – and ask the owners of the land whether it is pastoral or Aboriginal, that they maintain the fences - make sure, of course, there is water available in those areas - and pay them rent? There is a possibility we could ensure some of these creatures are protected from cane toads. We know we can fence them out, and we know there are issues there with holes in fences, but that would be part of the maintenance program that you pay the rent for. There are little down-to-earth practical things that we could do now. Graeme Sawyer’s FrogWatch is great. We should have at least tried a fence across the Cobourg Peninsula and, if they have not got to Cobourg Peninsula, I say try it and use the rangers on Cobourg Peninsula to run traps on the other side of the fence like Graeme Sawyer’s trap, and have an ongoing maintenance to keep Cobourg Peninsula free. There other ways of doing things.
The other one is to make it easier for people who would like to breed some of these endangered species. I have some people in the rural area who breed quolls. It took them quite a while to get approval because they had to show that they could do this. While such important wild species are not endangered necessarily, we have, you might say, a period of emergency where we are going to lose species. If some people are willing to try to breed those species, and they may not come up to the scientific standard required, is it not better to at least try to keep breeding these species that are going to disappear when the cane toads come, or are we just going to let the cane toads take them all out? The certain species we know we are going to lose like quolls and king browns - not that I want to go and breed king browns necessarily. However, believe it or not king browns were one of the skin groups in the Borroloola area, and people do not dance any more because there are no king browns. We have herpetologists, the snake breeding people. Maybe we should encourage people to try to breed them, because they will disappear.
I am just putting those practical applications for doing something now instead of waiting for biological control. To me, biological control is not only a long way off, when we get there, somewhere along the line we have to prove that it is not going to wipe out all the species of frogs we already have. It is a bit ‘iffy’ even though we should encourage the government to do it ...
Mr Warren: They are doing it now.
Ms Scrymgour: We are doing it.
Mr WOOD: I am saying do some things now: fence off Cobourg Peninsula, put some traps there with the rangers …
Ms Scrymgour: I will talk about that.
Mr WOOD: It is one of the recommendations in here. Fence off some land on Aboriginal land and pastoral land - a fair area to protect things like the sand goannas - and allow people to have easier access to breeding some of our native species.
I am quite happy with all the other recommendations that the minister has here about encouraging people to get out and into their backyards. I just see that as a way of advertising the issue. This is going to be ongoing until many of us get old and grey unless the biological …
Ms Scrymgour: I hope you are going to get out in your backyard.
Mr WOOD: I do not have any cane toad yet. You might not have heard, minister, but I keep the grass long at the moment - which is more a case of the tractor broke down. There are no cane toads on my block at the moment, thank heavens. However, I will be keeping an eye out for them.
Getting back to the cane toad report, minister, I certainly think this is what you should be coming back to parliament and giving us some answers on. You talked about the Northern Territory Power and Water Corporation continuing to develop and implement monitoring and management regimes for risks that may be associated with the impact of cane toads on the management and control of water. Has that happened? I mentioned the cane toad fence. That certainly has not been done. Could you report whether the Northern Territory government has developed a comprehensive multimedia public awareness campaign to educate the community on dealing with cane toads? If you have, perhaps you should come back to us and say: ‘This is what we have done; we have done television ads, we have stickers, we have noise tapes so that people can recognise them …
Ms Scrymgour: Of course we have; we are doing all that.
Mr WOOD: No, hang on. Recommendation 17 said the Northern Territory government report to parliament on the progress of implementing the inquiry’s recommendations. It has not so far. What I am saying here is please do that; it is a good opportunity to do that. It would be good for people to find out what the government has done in relation to these issues. You have covered some of them in today’s motion, but you certainly have not covered them all. Whilst I appreciate what you are doing, I just think there are some gaps. For instance, recommendation 11 was that Northern Territory community and volunteer organisations be encouraged to adopt a waterway as one of the ways in managing and controlling the impact of cane toads. I know various Landcare groups have taken it on, but it would be interesting to see how many ‘adopt a waterway’ groups are in action and report back to parliament on it.
Madam Speaker, I am not knocking what the minister is doing, and I am not saying the things that government is doing are bad; I am just recommending it could do more and it should be reporting back to parliament on the recommendations of its own cane toad inquiry report.
Mr WARREN (Goyder): Madam Speaker, we are all very familiar with the advancing cane toad plague that is enveloping the Top End. As many of you know, I live on the Cox Peninsula at Mandorah, and two or three days a week I drive home rather than catch the ferry.
Since the start of the Wet Season, I have sadly watched the progress of these insidious creatures move from the Blackmore River near Berry Springs to about 6 km past the Charlotte River, which is only about 40 km from Mandorah. Last Wednesday, sitting brazenly on the road was this humongous cane toad. It was on my side of the road and he was clearly part of the vanguard. As I came closer, I lined him up and - whack! In a flash it was one piece of road kill. I slowed down, turned around and went back to check. Sure enough, it was one flat cane toad.
Even though I had just killed a living creature, which I honestly can say I am very loathe to do, on this particularly occasion I felt that I had done something positive. I state that I felt I had, single-handedly, stopped progress of those toads. Truly! Because this is a vanguard creature, I truly stopped them progressing along the Cox Peninsula Road towards Mandorah. For maybe a day or two, or maybe even a week, I truly felt like I had made a difference - an individual difference. Sadly, though, my efforts will not really stop the cane toad. They will be completely invading the Cox Peninsula in three or four months. They will be everywhere on the peninsula, and we seem powerless to stop them.
My electorate of Goyder is now at the forefront of the main wave of these insidious invaders. The roadways of Litchfield Shire have become littered with the leathery carcasses of dead cane toads. I am now receiving reports from concerned constituents about hawks, eagles and other carrion eaters that are dying. Our snakes, goannas and those iconic frill-necked lizards cannot cope and they die in excruciating agony after eating young toads. What will happen to our myriad of frogs? I have seen first-hand how the tadpoles choke small waterholes. They bond together to form a writhing black mass, swarming back and forth, using up all the oxygen in the water and suffocating everything else. Native tadpoles cannot compete. Even if they do make it to frog size, they are likely to be eaten alive by those insidious toads. Even small native rodents are just as easily devoured alive by these insidious invaders. The populations of small predatory marsupials, such as the northern quoll, are being devastated by the advancing toads. Even our native insects, which are a food source for the whole ecosystem, are suffering. I can assure you all here, some of our native wildlife will be brought to the brink of extinction.
Many of our domestic pets, particularly dogs and poultry, will die as a consequence of coming into contact with these insidious invaders. They are dying now. The can toad toxin is so potent it acts almost immediately. Typical symptoms in dogs include excessive salivation, shaking the head whilst pawing at their mouth - and that is in less severe cases. In the severest cases, rapid breathing, vomiting, weakness, and staggering and fits may be a precursor to an agonising death in five to 10, maybe 20 minutes, unless veterinary help is promptly sought. Only last weekend, I was saddened to read in the newspaper of the death of a much-loved dog at Redcliffe Road within my electorate. The dog ate a cane toad, of course. I know the family and it was very distressing to read of their plight.
The cane toad is one of the most determined and robust pests in the world. There are clear signs that it is adapting to the different environments and climatic conditions around our continent. It has now also been found further south than every before. No natural method of combating these insidious invaders has yet been found. The odds against us ridding ourselves and our unique Territory of these insidious invaders seems insurmountable. Yes, sure, we could have done something years ago when they first came to the Northern Territory, but we did not.
To reconcile ourselves, as the member for Nelson said, by saying that ‘it is now too late, we will just have to get used to them’, seems to ring hollow to me. It is not a good enough response. I will not be taking back this defeatist attitude to my electorate of Goyder, because it is never too late. There is an answer and, surprisingly, it has been there all along. It is just that some of us have let the overwhelming and seemingly insurmountable emotion of the whole situation blind our vision on how to fight back. The answer is not rocket science; we just have to look behind the millions of cane toads to see that there was only just one problem – the cane toad. In reality, we just needed to get back to the basics - be disciplined, focused and then concentrate on using all the tools at our disposal to tackle the cane toad problem - singular - from all possible angles.
That is exactly what this government is doing. Because our government has been able to successfully lobby the Commonwealth and state governments to nationally list cane toad spread as a key environmental threatening process, we have been able to focus the whole nation on this significant threat to our unique environment. We have focused the hearts and minds of Australians everywhere on the scourge. As a result of our government’s lobbying, a National Cane Toad Taskforce has been set up and the Queensland and Western Australian governments have joined us in the fight. The federal government is also providing $3m to the Western Australian government for desperately needed research into finding a biological control.
As the minister explained, the Island Ark program is a critical part of our fight to protect our native wildlife from this insidious invader. By ensuring that important species are rescued ahead of the advancing mass of toads, and by establishing breeding colonies on offshore islands, we will have the populations sometime in the future to release back on the mainland. I am very pleased to hear that this effort is also being complemented by captive breeding populations of northern quoll at the Territory Wildlife Park at Berry Springs in my electorate of Goyder.
There is yet another angle from which we are tackling the cane toad invasion and, believe it or not, it is based on people power. People want to make a difference, and each and every one of us can make a difference. Community sentiment and the desire to fight back has been harnessed into real action through groups like FrogWatch. Their cheap and effective cane toad traps have helped instil in Territorians a belief that we can fight back in our own backyards, in our parks and around our lagoons. Our government is there too providing significant funds to develop and implement sound local cane toad management, research and education programs. Our government is assisting and promoting the FrogWatch cane toad trap program with a $30 subsidy and, by all reports, they are very popular in the rural area. All our various types of homemade traps in my area are very popular also.
The Territory Wildlife Park in my electorate is also tackling the cane toad problem head on. To date, the Territory Wildlife Park has captured 89 toads. Lights around the park are switched off at night near exhibit areas to reduce the chance of toads coming into contact with these areas. The only lights that are left on are at the main station car park. The Territory Wildlife Park has in place a Toad Action Committee that deals with toad exclusions and removal, trap maintenance and monitoring. Tadpoles and metamorphosing toadlets have been removed from water bodies around the park. Water bodies have been treated to kill entire spawning masses. Susceptible animals are contained during the night when toads are most active. However, the Territory Wildlife Park advised that work needs to be done to toad-proof some enclosures. They have one confirmed death of a wild animal in the park due to a toad. Unfortunately, a male carpet python was discovered in the main station with a toad still wrapped in its coil and very much dead. The Army is helping out and sponsoring an enclosure for the yellow spotted monitor, which is really susceptible to toads. They have agreed to purchase and build this enclosure in the Dry Season. Stomach contents have been analysed on captured cane toads and reveal the main dietary items are black beetles and ants.
The Territory Wildlife Park has a policy in place for humane euthanasia. If people happen to bring the toads that they have caught to the park, the Territory Wildlife Park will deal with them accordingly. However, they also encourage the community to deal with their own toads in the appropriate manner. It is not ideal that the Territory Wildlife Park becomes a repository for toads. Staff who live in the village are doing regular spotlight checks around the park. Several keepers use the length of the road for evening walks and actively keep an eye out for toads. With respect to public education, the Territory Wildlife Park have done several school and community gatherings with FrogWatch in relation to toads and their impact prior to and since their arrival.
Our government is also working with Territorians and Territory community organisations. That is why the minister proudly announced Not in my Backyard cane toad rally for 14 March. This will be a day of action for all Territorians wanting to help, as each and every one of us can make a difference. On 2 February, I was pleased to be invited to a launch of the Territory’s first toad detention centre at Freds Pass Reserve at Bees Creek. At the launch, FrogWatch, in conjunction with Freds Pass Reserve Management Board, announced the Top Ends first toad detention centre. It is a large collection bin; large enough to take several hundred toads and located adjacent to the entrance of the Freds Pass Reserve.
The idea of the toad detention centre at Freds Pass came about after an enthusiastic Freds Pass Reserve Management Board asked FrogWatch if they could have a toad super trap. FrogWatch said they were starting to make toad collection bins and they had the first already made. One thing led to another and now the first detention centre is located at Freds Pass.
Captured toads can now be tipped directly into this covered bin. It will be regularly cleared and the toads humanely disposed of before being processed into a useful liquid fertiliser. FrogWatch recently reported in the media that the reason cane toads had not reached Darwin proper in vast numbers was principally because the rural people had taken up the fight and were actively seeking out the large breeding toads and dispatching them. The rural community has taken up the fight and I am proud it is having an effect. It clearly shows that each and every one of us can make a difference.
I am pleased to say that I support community groups like FrogWatch and the Freds Pass Management Board which, I believe, under the leadership of local identity, Andrew Blackadder, is helping to head up the fight. For those who are interested, Andrew was a political adversary of mine at the last election, but on this issue we are strongly united. I commend Andrew and his board for the work they are doing in the fight against cane toads. Early in the Dry Season, they are going to hold a cane toad awareness program and I strongly urge my rural constituents to get behind the Freds Pass Management Board and support this program. Each and every one of us can make a difference.
On that note, I put out a challenge to all my Top End parliamentary colleagues who, like myself, can make a difference. Let us put our political differences aside on this issue and join together to fight this common enemy to our environment and our lifestyle. Let us get behind and promote the Not in my Backyard rally next month. Again, I stress that each and every one of us can make a difference.
I note that the member for Katherine was concerned that nothing seemed to be done when the cane toads moved through Katherine. She is quite right and, sadly, it was at the time just when we were coming into government. I was working with ADrail and down at Katherine working on the precursors for the railway and the cane toads were there in numbers. It was only when this government came into power that things started to happen. The member for Katherine is quite right, nothing was done before this government came into power. Nothing was done before the cane toads reached Katherine.
As the local member for Goyder, I have already been proactive in my own endeavours. Like most members, I send out a regular newsletter to my constituents and, in my latest newsletter, I am including an insert produced jointly by FrogWatch and government entitled Making your garden a toad free zone with a copy of the recent FrogWatch media release entitled ‘First detention centre launched’ on the reverse side which details the new toad collection bin located at Freds Pass. I challenge other Top End members to do something similar and use their newsletters to help further educate and inform Territorians on how each and every one of us can make a difference.
I mentioned before the federal government is providing $3m to the Western Australian government for research into biological control. However, sadly this is quite paltry when compared to the $85m which has been and is continuing to be spent on eradicating the fire ant. I am not saying that the federal government should not be spending its money on eradicating the fire ant because it certainly is a worthy cause. However, it does show the federal government can match its rhetoric with substance when it wants to. That is why this motion calls on the federal government to significantly increase its funding for on-ground cane toad control, in line with the contribution it makes to eradicating other invasive species of national significance. We really need the federal government to get serious. If they do, together, each and every one of us can make a difference.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, I welcome the comments made by the member for Goyder - stirring words, indeed, identifying part of the motion, the issue with regards to the federal contribution; that they need to match rhetoric with action. It equally applies, as the member for Nelson has very correctly identified, the matching of action with the rhetoric. Those recommendations must be responded to.
Also matching action with rhetoric, I totally agree with the member for Goyder that each individual can make a difference. We play a particular role as local members within our community. To that end, I have used, as I have been encouraged to do so by the member for Goyder, my newsletter and also the opportunity to develop a gathering of people in Palmerston to develop a community plan. I understand that that may be in the minds of some of the newer local members. The members for Brennan and Drysdale may have presumed that that was, perhaps, politically best not to be part of that plan. I was disappointed, I must say, that they did not attend that community meeting. Perhaps they thought it was something only contained within parameters of Blain and I was really only interested in looking after Blain. No, it was the need for someone to step in the gap and to try to get people focused on developing a community action plan …
Mr Warren: The member for Brennan was at the toad bin launch and you were not. You should be careful what you say.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, member for Goyder!
Mr MILLS: I am needing some strength to avoid being distracted by that comment; it is rather sensitive and inappropriate. I will move on.
I am echoing the member for Goyder’s call for a response by all the Top End members to develop community action because each individual can make a difference. We are now at the point where it is as though the toads are upon us and we must now work together - put politics and sensitivities aside and get on with the job. The development of community plans is critical, and I applaud the minister’s call to nominate a day when we work together to achieve a common goal. It is the development of plans that is critical in all of this. That will require some leadership, imagination and courage to get people together and then to develop a plan. It is not a plan to get your name in the paper or to be noticed; it is a plan to get rid of cane toads in your area. It requires perhaps a little more grunt than would normally be applied to putting your face in a newsletter or something like that, or managing to get a press release in the paper. It is actually developing community plans so that people can see that they can be part of some action that is going to make some difference.
I am pleased to take this opportunity to report what is the general plan for Palmerston as a result of the community meeting, which was supported very capably by FrogWatch. I take this opportunity to recognise the extraordinary contribution of Graeme Sawyer, who has been extraordinarily patient in attending meetings with students at different schools to help them understand, and supporting any endeavour to help get the community more reactive to an impending invasion.
The first one was, yes, we can do something in our community if we are organised. We can reduce the numbers significantly. In all of our school grounds, the kids are accustomed to seeing, at certain times of the year, frill-necked lizards. In most of our yards, we see little dragons that run around the backyard. We aim to keep cane toad numbers down to a level that the native wildlife of that nature will always be appearing in our yard. The cornerstone of this is that all our schoolyards would always have frill-necked lizards in them. That is something you do not see in Queensland any more. That would be the aim – to see frill-necked lizards in our schoolyards, and the little lizards that run across our backyard would still have the freedom to do so.
How will we do that? By identifying what are the hot spots within our own community. I appreciate the assistance of FrogWatch in this regard, to identify around Palmerston where we have a number of waterways. This is where we will need the assistance of the members for Drysdale and Brennan, because there are abundant waterways all through Palmerston. Delfin will need to be involved in this as well. We also need to ensure that we organise groups of people who are able to respond if a cane toad is spotted because, once they get into our waterways like Marlow Lagoon, it is going to be a very difficult job to remove them. We need to identify our hot spots and find a way of mustering people to be able to deal with cane toad sightings. That requires organisation. In the organisation of those toad busts, we will have the support of FrogWatch, but it is going to be difficult, because they are going to be spread over a large front, and we will need to have the infrastructure in place. That is why it is very good that we have the cane toad detention facility.
For the member for Goyder’s sensitivity, I was unable to be there. There is only one non-Labor member north of Katherine other than my colleague, the member for Nelson, and I cannot be everywhere at the same time. I wanted to be there; however, I had another important meeting to attend. I lower myself to make this explanation to the member for Goyder. I know he is a new member and it might be of assistance to him to help him understand that it is not about personalities, nor politics; it is about actually doing what you can, in the right spirit and the right focus.
It is the organisation of Toad Bust and, critical in all of this is being prepared for the Dry because, in the Dry, the cane toad will concentrate back on the water. At this point, with plenty of water around, they will move widely. When the water ceases and it concentrates in certain places such as Marlow Lagoon, if they are still there, they will retreat to the water. That is when we can really hit them hard.
It is just so good to hear the community sentiment being strongly in favour of this toad juice. I acknowledge the member for Brennan’s helping raise the profile of this approach. That is the sort of thing that is going to really help this campaign; when we have people knowing that they can actually turn these nasty things to some good use. It is a sense of justice to be able to pour toad juice on your plants to make them grow – it is great payback. That is good stuff. Dean Walkley – credit to you. To the others who are involved in turning cane toads into juice that is going to please our plants, is a good thing.
Please, do not draw back from the difficult task here of keeping our eye on Cobourg. I have a number of people reporting to me; we have an interest in Cobourg. We still can do something. I hope that we are not standing here at the beginning of the next Wet Season and still nothing has been done. If no cane toads appear on Cobourg Peninsula during this Wet Season, there is our window of opportunity to close that off. We can do it. I draw the minister’s attention to, if you are really serious about adding greater substance to the rhetoric that has been reported in this really quite good document, the Crocodile Farm. There have been a significant number of reports. I have not had the time to go and check personally, but the reports are flowing in that, in the croc farm area, probably brought in by tourists carrying hitchhikers - uninvited of course - they have now have a sufficient population at the croc farm. I ask that the minister, with her resources, would be able to check whether the croc farm is a host site for a significant population of cane toads. If that is the case, that is going to make our task quite difficult. I ask the minister to check that so that we can close that mass problem down. It will make the job, in Palmerston particularly, a lot easier.
I welcome the motion. It is, of course, supported. Underneath this is real action, just getting out there forgetting the politics, and the sensitivity and doing what ever we can - whether it is running over a cane toad on the way home, or mustering forces and helping organise our community groups to get out there and to remove them. In all of this, we must recognise the great potential we have for our young people to learn more about nature.
I finish my comments by acknowledging Mrs Wade’s class at Woodroofe Primary. They inspired me to action late last year. I was at a function there and the kids had organised a fundraising event. In the last couple of years, they have raised money through doing their own artwork and selling it to their parents and anyone else who would like to come along and look at their beautiful artwork. They have raised good amounts of money, and the class themselves decide what project they would like to direct their raised funds towards. For the last couple of years it has been to a school in East Timor. However, they decided last year that they would like to direct all their funds to buying cane toad traps for the school. I thought that was fantastic, because the kids now are aware that this is a threat not only to the community but to them, their lifestyle, their pets, and the frilled-neck lizards they might not see any more. They responded in that way and I thought that was fantastic. That is why we need to support our kids.
In all of that, another positive benefit of all of this is that the kids are really inquiring. They want to know more about nature, the names of the lizards that are in their yard, how cane toads breed, what the other tadpoles are, and how they can identify baby cane toads over a marble frog. There are so many people coming into the office now and reporting what they have seen and double checking. I have never seen this level of interest in nature in people’s backyards, particularly from the dads. It is fantastic to have the dads come in and say: ‘I got a cane toad last night - well, I think it was one’. You can sense that he is starting to back off because he has actually dealt with a poor marble frog. I really feel sorry for those marble frogs that look similar to cane toads. They are so harmless, and they are so loving it is good to have them in your backyard, but they are copping a hammering. I make an apology on behalf of people in Palmerston who have been so activated that they are actually dealing fairly harshly with marble frogs. However, in the whole process people are starting to identify the difference between and marble frog and a cane toad.
Power to the teachers and all those who are supporting kids in learning more about nature; it is a wonderful thing. Often as adults we forget that kids are fascinated by nature. Therefore, the kids are going to play a very important part in the fight against cane toads. Thank you to Mrs Wade and her class who really inspired the community in Palmerston. I am happy to support you, as I am sure the other local members in the community will be as well.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Madam Speaker, I speak in support of this motion. Before I go onto what I have prepared, I just cannot let go the member for Blain’s claims about not being at an event which he then countered by saying he will come down to the level for the member for Goyder to explain why he was not at an event. Other people also have events they have to get to which do not fit with some other events they would like to get to. That applies, member for Blain. You are not a new member but I will come down to that level you were referring to in relation to my friend, the member for Goyder, and explain that I, too, have other engagements and cannot get to everything I would like to; just the same as you. However, I do thank you for your recognition of the role I am trying to play as well, just as you are, in relation to the cane toad menace.
There can be no argument that the introduction of cane toads to Australia was one of the biggest mistakes that we, as a country, made. At the time, those in favour of the introduction argued that all the bases had been covered and nothing but good would come of the introduction. How wrong we were. The whole reason for the cane toad release was control of the beetle pests that attacked our sugar cane. I can recall seeing a documentary a number of years ago in which it was observed that, yes, the cane toad ate these pests but, unfortunately, they were lower down its list of preferred eating than a number of other animals that did not pose a threat to our sugar cane crops. They then began their inexorable hop further afield.
I applaud the NT government’s commitment of $1.2m. The minister stated that more than $300 000 in direct support has been provided to FrogWatch for research and community education. Community education is a key factor, in my opinion, in fighting back the advance of the cane toad. The minister outlined the efforts this government has gone to in education in locales outside the main population centres. Communication is all about exchanging information in a way that all parties understand. For many Aboriginal communities information is best presented in Aboriginal language. I commend the government for the initiative of developing information in Aboriginal languages for Aboriginal communities. Aboriginal communities are extremely well placed and the people of the communities well skilled to be part of the Territory’s cane toad control and eradication strategy. Aboriginal communities know the surrounding areas. Armed with the necessary information about cane toads, the people in those communities will know where the cane toads are likely to go and what they can do without endangering the indigenous flora and fauna.
It is a pity that the federal government will not recognise the huge contribution that the Aboriginal sea rangers make to monitoring our coastline for illegal fisherman and asylum seekers. I congratulate Graeme Sawyer and Paul Cowdy from FrogWatch for the work that they have done over a number of years. I had a chance to catch up with them at Freds Pass Reserve for the launch of the FrogWatch detention centre. The detention centre is a large enclosure which, as the member for Goyder explained, can hold about 400 to 500 toads. The member for Goyder and I were able to inspect the holding cell. Actually, we ended up lifting it on and off the back of a ute with several other people at the launch as part of a media request. Mr Sawyer advised me that the detention centre would be cleared periodically. He advised that there would be enough water for the toads and the light that formed part of the trap would attract enough insects that the toads would not starve between collections.
Many people do not want to kill toads themselves. I can well understand that. The cane toad - Bufo marinus, I believe is the appropriate scientific identification - is not an entirely pleasant creature to which to get up close and personal. Not all of us are greatly keen to bludgeon them to death or coat them with haemorrhoid cream. Some people may not want to dispose of the toad by freezing in their freezer or such other alternative. The detention centre gives people a way out. The detention centre has a gap in the roof of the cage through which the toads are put. I understand that it is not possible for the toads to get out via this gap as they cannot jump high enough. It seems that toads are long jumpers, not high jumpers. If people have a trap at home they do not even have to touch the toad or toads they catch. Someone can simply upend the toad trap over the hole in the roof of the detention centre and then leave once all the toads have been transferred.
The Freds Pass Reserve is open for quite extended hours. I would like to add my voice to that of the member for Goyder in mentioning thanks to Mr Blackadder, the president, and the rest of the Freds Pass committee for agreeing to have the detention centre at the reserve. It is representative of the way the Territory’s communities have got behind the public campaign to defeat the cane toad invasion. The detention centre can be seen from the Stuart Highway and is near the entrance to the reserve. It is placed under a tree to ensure that toads are not heat stressed while awaiting the next stage of their evolution. They have taken great pains to go through the humane qualities of the detention centre, because many people are concerned about this. People want to know that, despite what they may think of the toads, the toads will be treated kindly until euthanised.
I have a book at home called Once a Mandarin. It was written by a man who was sent to Hong Kong from England as a magistrate soon after the war. As well as being a window back into the life of Hong Kong, it is a collection of cases the author heard as a magistrate. The author accounts how he observed a procession of Buddhist monks early each morning going from their temple and taking a boat to one of the small outlying islands. It intrigued him so much he investigated further. Apparently, there is a particularly virulent type of giant snail native to Hong Kong and these were inundating the temple. Members will know that Buddhist monks do not kill other sentient beings; it is against their faith. Yet, their temple would be overrun by the snails in no short order had they done nothing. The snails were taken out to this island where, as is the snail’s nature in overcrowded conditions, they ate each other.
Unfortunately, the toads will not assist us in this same way. The parallel between our situation and that observed by the Hong Kong magistrate in respect of the island, is not lost on me. In both cases, the islands have proved our saviours. In our case, it is as a refuge for species endangered by the advancing toads. The Australian mainland itself was, for many years, a refuge for many species, cutting them off from disease and predators that swept across the rest of the world.
I note the minister’s comments regarding the funding from the federal government’s contribution to assist in securing biosecurity for our island arks – every little bit helps. Let us be clear though: we have one chance, and only one chance, to assist the survival of animals like the northern quoll. Once they are gone we will not be able to resurrect them. Therefore, I add my voice to that of the minister, asking the federal government to put more resources into measures to combat the cane toads’ advance now. I respectfully ask that this be in addition to the resources the federal government is committing to a long-term solution.
The government’s initiative to provide a rebate to those who purchase cane toad traps should encourage people to purchase them and join the community action. There have been a number of campaigns to get people on board with the fight against the cane toad.
I understand that Ms Tyler, a teacher at Palmerston High School, ran a competition last year for Year 9 students, concluding with a cane toad judgment day on 17 May last year. The competition had two categories. One was to design a cane toad trap and the other to design public information materials. The winner of each category received $100. The competition was an initiative of the Palmerston High School middle school and worked to integrate a theme throughout four core subjects: maths, science, English and SOSE. I understand that the competition was a huge success, so much so that it will be run again this year. Ms Tyler was successful in obtaining a grant from the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts for the purposes of running this competition. The grant funds will go towards the cost of materials and prizes. I understand that it is anticipated that the competition will run in May. I congratulate Palmerston High School and Ms Tyler for the initiative and innovation shown by running the competition and obtaining the grant.
I would also like to mention the Special Education Centre students at Palmerston High School, who have a web site devoted to cane toads. The designers of this web site, Chris Brandis, Jerome Forrester, Amanda Hutton and Jamie Whitehurst are to be congratulated for their effort. If members are interested in the web site, I am certainly happy to provide that for them.
Residents of Palmerston have already found cane toads in various spots. The Mitchell Creek and its catchment area is another spot likely to attract toads. We can all see from the greenness of our surroundings how much water there is about at the moment. Obviously, this attracts insects and creates perfect conditions to attract cane toads. In my recent discussion with Mr Sawyer, I asked him about the best times to place traps around the course of Mitchell Creek. He suggested that a good time will be once the water starts to dry up and any cane toads are forced to congregate more densely.
It may be that we are lucky that the amount of development happening in Farrar, Gunn, Bakewell and Rosebery will deter the cane toads. I must say, though, I doubt it. I am reminded of a rather grim and grisly story that I was told by a friend of mine, Mr Peter Hazeal, who was a truck driver for many years. He drove trucks in Queensland, taking sugar cane from the farms and delivering it to a variety of destinations. This intensive work went on around the clock until the harvests were done. He told me he saw a cane toad so big you needed two hands to pick one up. He also told me of how there were so many toads on the road that it looked like the road was alive. He said how the road train’s wheels would eventually lose traction because of the slippery gore. That is a pretty disturbing image: a road train full of sugar cane slipping on roads at night because of the remains of the cane toads preventing tyres from keeping traction. Perhaps we should find out if this carnage improves soil quality. It seems the road train drivers in North Queensland pioneered the production of cane toad juice.
Many people have swimming pools and ponds. They may be worried about the cane toad tadpoles. Cane toad tadpoles look black. They have a tail that is thin and quite short, and their eyes are towards the top of their head rather than the sides. Cane toad tadpoles are also quite small, only about 22 mm to 30 mm long from head to tail once they have started developing legs.
Many native frog tadpoles are much bigger. For example, the marble frog tadpoles of which we have already heard, are also black, but 75 mm in length from head to tail. Also, the tails are comparatively much larger, approximately two-and-a-half times the length of the body. The green tree frog tadpoles are brown rather than black, and about 65 mm in length. Members may be wondering why I seem to know so much about the tadpoles. The answer is simple. I read the FrogWatch cane toad tadpole identification fact sheet. It is available from the Internet via FrogWatch’s web site at www.frogwatch.org.au. I encourage members to visit this site for a wealth of information to assist you and your constituents in battling the cane toads.
Madam Speaker, I wholeheartedly support the motion moved by the minister and commend it to all members of the Assembly.
Mr BONSON (Millner): Madam Speaker, today I contribute to the motion in relation to the cane toads. I would just like to go on the record re-reading the actual motion for those of my constituency and, in particular, the interest groups I have been working with for a period of time to understand what the motion is about. The minister has moved the motion as follows:
- I move that this Assembly:
1. agrees that cane toads represent a significant threat to our unique Territory environment and lifestyle;
2. congratulates the Territory community and FrogWatch, in particular, on their efforts at ‘on the ground’ cane toad control;
3, encourages all Top End residents to take up the government’s $30 subsidy and buy a trap to protect their own property;
4. encourages all Top End residents to get out into their backyards on 14 March 2006 to collect and dispose of cane toads they find as part of a Territory day of action;
5. notes that the federal, Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australian governments are coordinating efforts aimed at managing cane toads;
6. agrees that while research into biological control is necessary, increased on-ground cane toad control is essential to reduce the impacts of cane toads across northern Australia; and
7. calls upon the federal government to significantly increase its funding for on-ground cane toad control in line with the contribution it makes to eradicating other invasive species of national significance.
My involvement in history with this might have begun with my membership of the Sessional Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. I have in front of me Volume 1, Issues associated with the Progressive Entry into the Northern Territory of Cane Toads. I was privileged, with other members of government and the opposition, to travel around and visit remote areas in the Northern Territory to discuss the effect of cane toads. For anyone who wants to understand the core issues in history of cane toads, I recommend them reading this volume.
What become apparent is that the Northern Territory government had known since the early 1980s that cane toads were coming to the Northern Territory. However, until the sessional committee delivered its recommendations - and I must say with the support of the opposition members and the Independents - work on addressing this invasive species was really seen as a backburner issue. It was a bit of: ‘We cannot do anything, therefore, we will not do anything’. On that committee was the member for Karama, then member for Daly, myself, the then member for Drysdale, the member for Barkly, and the member for Nelson.
The overwhelming evidence was that cane toads were having a dramatic effect on the environments they moved into. I can distinctly remember one of our first visits was to Borroloola, talking to traditional owners there about the effect of cane toads. One of the most powerful stories I heard was different ways of hunting for goannas in the area, and the fact that they had not seen a goanna at Borroloola for nearly 15 to 16 years; that is, the big giant reptilian goanna. I thought to myself, this effect is going to happen right across the Top End in the Northern Territory and, in particular, areas like north-east Arnhem, Kakadu, Litchfield and it will dramatic and we need to do something about it.
I note that the minister proudly reports that nearly all of these recommendations made on page 11 of the report have been delivered; all except No 5, which was that the Northern Territory government take immediate steps to erect a cane toad-proof fence across the neck of the Cobourg Peninsula. That was a recommendation that all members thought would be fantastic if we could do it but, as it turned out, once we had done the scoping exercise, we realised that that money could be more efficiently used for other on-ground activities.
One of the most amazing and powerful thing that we did on this committee was to register this species as a threatened process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. All that needed was a Northern Territory government to nominate cane toads as a threatening process. Cane toads were coming in over the last 26 years and this has not been done. I found that amazing. That was just simple evidence from talking to scientists through hook-up to the NT CSIRO. They spoke about the different types of invasive species and the different levels of priorities that the Commonwealth government placed on it. It was amazing to find that, at no time in the last 26 years until this recommendation was made, that cane toads were registered as a threatening species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 which, of course, allows us to access extra funds, and also gives it a high profile throughout Australia. Of course, this has brought it to a head with Western Australia, as we have heard from many of the members, coming on board with their support.
One of the reasons I contribute is that there is an area where I have been working with large community groups and I would like to put it into Hansard. An area that I dearly love is freshwater Rapid Creek. It runs through a number of electorates and many people in this House and many Territorians have taken the opportunity to swim, fish, travel up and down, and bush walk in freshwater Rapid Creek. Unfortunately for that beautiful scenic area in the suburbs of Darwin, this will be one of the prime areas of cane toad breeding. We will see large numbers of cane toads using freshwater Rapid Creek as a site to reproduce.
A number of things have taken place. This was first raised by me with the committee after my involvement with the Sessional Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. I took this to the Rapid Creek Advisory Committee, member groups of which include, first of all, ministerial appointment of Officer Commanding, Defence Northern Region of the Commonwealth government, whose current representative member is Stan Mitchell. He is the Regional Manager for Corporate Services and Infrastructure, Northern Territory/Kimberley, Department of Defence and his delegate is Robyn Maurer who has been a great contributor to the community.
The General Manager of Darwin International Airport is an industry sector member and the current member is Ian Kew, and either himself or Dan Richards, for technical support, attend this committee. They did a fantastic job which local members helped contribute to less than two weeks ago, of a 3000 tree planting in conjunction with Landcare Australia. This involved members contacting their electorates. I delivered nearly 1600 newsletters, we phoned up to 165 people and we doorknocked in the area up to about 45. We were able to get over 200 people there and a large amount of people signed up with Landcare. People brought their families. We did an e-mail campaign, a radio campaign, and it was really great to see nearly 2500 trees planted. We started at 8 am and finished at 2 pm. It was a really great community event, and people who were able to be there to see Graeme Sawyer from FrogWatch. As people know, he has been a tireless worker. He turned up and he had the cane toad traps with cane toads explaining to the people that this catchment area at the top end of freshwater Rapid Creek all the way down to the mouth will be severely affected by this invasive species.
No doubt the member for Nightcliff, the Speaker of the House, the members for Johnston, Casuarina, Sanderson and, of course, Millner will be taking part in ensuring that we invite people to the 14 March supporting cane toad muster at freshwater Rapid Creek.
Other members on this committee include His Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Darwin, Mr Peter Adamson. His delegate is Gary Lambert and Dave Perry provides technical support. Dave does a fantastic job and Gary has been coming recently to the meetings and also contributes. The Darwin City Council does a wonderful job in supporting the committee.
The President of the Larrakia Association is a rotating chairperson. At the moment, their delegate is Cecil Lewis. We enjoy working with the Larrakia Association. It is a specific dreaming site for the Larrakia people and they place a large importance on the environmental protection of freshwater Rapid Creek, and they are very concerned about cane toads coming to this area.
The Chancellor of the Charles Darwin University is represented by Nerida Noble. One of the issues apart from cane toads, of course, is coffee bush. I know she is a very passionate advocate for work being done behind the university. However, they will be affected by cane toads.
The chairperson of Greening Australia is Jim Mitchell, but Liza Schenkel is the delegate. She is a fabulous member of the committee and is forever pushing environmental issues.
The chairperson of the Rapid Creek Landcare Group is Peter O’Hagan, the public officer, and their delegate is Lesley Alford, who does a fantastic job of representing Landcare and the general public.
There is a member of the Legislative Assembly, of course, which is me, Matthew Bonson. These meetings are conducted in my office and I enjoy all the information that comes out of these sessions. We have been able to get $300 000 for the beautification of an area of land down there that the member for Johnston and I fought long and hard for over a number of years to buy back off residents who, on the whole, were very supportive of the need to protect freshwater Rapid Creek. They deserve the credit. Now, we just need to put in the work there and revegetate the areas that we have bought back.
We have the senior officers from Parks and Wildlife, in the NT government, Dal Hartley. He does a great job.
The representative from the Land Administration, Department of Planning and Infrastructure is Greg Lambert, and Joanne Mason often turns up to represent him.
We have representatives from the Water Monitoring, Department of Natural Resources, the Environment and Arts, Simon Townsend. The good news, members, is that freshwater Rapid Creek’s water source is quite clean at the moment and we would love to continue this.
With this group of people, we will be working with the local community to ensure that cane toad traps, in conjunction with Graeme Sawyer and FrogWatch, will be put into the whole length and breadth of freshwater Rapid Creek. We will be working with the general public and the local schools as we did with the tree planting. We will be down there getting our hands dirty, checking the cane toad traps and doing our best ensuring that people enjoy their use of freshwater Rapid Creek.
I will not continue because I know that this has been a long debate. I thank all members, particularly government members, for their input. We are very passionate about this issue of cane toads. This will be a big issue for all our electorates as the toads invade the northern suburbs. The health and safety issue for young children, pets and animals, and the loss of local wildlife, will no doubt again lift the lid on this cane toad invasion. I hope we can harness this community support to lobby the Commonwealth government to provide extra funds to protect all the wildlife across the Northern Territory and further into Western Australia. I have a dream, which is that one day we will come up with a biological silver bullet, and that biological silver bullet will help us to address this terrible invasive species, the cane toad.
Madam Speaker, without further ado, I commend this motion to the House.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Madam Speaker, I thank all members for their contribution. Everyone has a cane toad experience, and everyone in this Chamber has a commitment from us to do something. Everyone who contributed to the debate was in agreement about the threat of toads and everyone, including myself, commended FrogWatch’s traps. One part of the motion was looking at the traps, which can make a difference in a local area. A lot of us who shared our experiences here talked about how they have made a difference in the local area and can protect your own yards and pets.
The members for Nelson and Karama talked about doing more to make frog-friendly habitats. I do not believe anyone was in disagreement with that, and it is something we can encourage through our environment grants.
The member for Katherine talked about the muster a call to arms. She also shared her experience with her dogs. I have a couple of dogs, there are probably many of us here in this Chamber who have small pets, small dogs. In dealing with this issue, maybe we should obtain the advice of the member for Katherine on how to deal with our dogs’ addiction to some of these toads because, clearly, it is happening.
Working together does make a difference, so everyone should support the rally. We seem to disagree, particularly the member for Nelson, on what we should be doing. I know that there was some agreement with him but, nevertheless, he was disagreeing. One of the issues was fencing Cobourg, a quite pristine and fantastic place in my electorate. Looking at that whole issue of fencing the whole of Cobourg Peninsula, there would have been better use for government to spend that money on a range of programs to get on-ground contact happening.
He asked about reporting back regarding the recommendations of the select committee’s report. I have no problems, at some stage, of giving a detailed response about where the department has reached in the work we have been doing.
The member for Blain called for a community action plan. No problems with that - good idea. Local members should get behind their electorates and work with them and the community groups that are dealing with some of this stuff. I agree it is not about politics; we need to put that aside.
You mentioned the Crocodile Farm as a significant site for cane toads. I really could not understand what you were saying. However, if you want to have a discussion with me at some stage, I will look at it. If you provide further information about what you were saying, I have no problems with looking at it.
I agree, it is fantastic; the whole program needs to start with and involve our school kids. We are certainly doing this. Our kids do need to learn about the environment and the importance of it. I did say that one of the focuses we will use with our next round of EnvironmeNT grants is to look at the whole issue of cane toads and use it as a priority. The response to the uptake of the EnvironmeNT grants has been fantastic, particularly from schools, to do their programs.
The member for Brennan talked about the Palmerston High School Student web site, and that was fantastic to know.
We will be writing to the Commonwealth again in light of this motion. I thank all members; it was great to get bipartisan support on this very important issue because we all care about the environment. It is something that we need to protect.
I particularly thank the member for Karama, who was the chairperson for the select committee that released that report. It created a lot of momentum and provided the blueprint for government to move forward on this. Secondly, I thank my predecessor, the member for Johnston, Chris Burns, who, through a lot of his previous lobbying certainly put it on the national agenda and ensured it would be covered and on the Commonwealth’s radar. Thirdly, I thank and commend FrogWatch and the community. I would like to single out one person, because my department of Parks and Wildlife has done a lot of work. One person in the department, Keith Saalfeld, has slept and breathed cane toads, and everything about cane toads has been Keith’s life over the last 12 months. He has done a lot of work with FrogWatch, schools, and generally getting out there educating and working in the wider community.
Finally, out of every problem comes opportunity. If anyone can make an opportunity out of cane toads, it would be here in the Northern Territory. We will put this to the federal government.
Motion agreed to.
TABLED PAPER
Statehood Steering Committee Report
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I table the Northern Territory Statehood Steering Committee Report to the Legislative Assembly Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs.
MOTION
Print Paper – Statehood Steering Committee Report
Print Paper – Statehood Steering Committee Report
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note Paper – Statehood Steering Committee Report
Note Paper – Statehood Steering Committee Report
Mr McADAM (Local Government): Madam Speaker, it is with pleasure that I provide the Assembly with a comprehensive status report on the activities of the Northern Territory Statehood Steering Committee over the past year. Members are well aware of what statehood is. It is only with statehood that Northern Territorians are guaranteed their representatives in this Assembly will not be subject to any capricious acts by the Commonwealth parliament. It is only with statehood that Territorians will take their place as equal citizens with the rest of Australia. It is only with statehood that decisions made by Territorians for Territorians will be a reality.
As members are aware, the creation of the Northern Territory Statehood Steering Committee was established by the terms of reference adopted by the Assembly in August 2004. Since then, a lot of work has commenced and, as the 2006 parliamentary year gets under way, I hope members will continue to support and encourage the statehood process. This year we have much more work to do.
In my dual role as Chair of the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs and the Chair of the Statehood Steering Committee, I welcome the opportunity to be part of a dedicated team of committee members and staff to continue on the path together towards statehood. Following the terms of reference for the Statehood Steering Committee being adopted by the Assembly on 17 August 2004, the Statehood Steering Committee was established in January 2005 with the appointment of the committee’s executive officer. I would like to acknowledge Mr Michael Tatham who is present in the Chamber today. In April 2006, the Statehood Steering Committee will have completed its first year of operation.
One of the first duties of the executive officer was to brief the standing committee on the process for engaging the community to nominate for membership of the Statehood Steering Committee. Newspaper advertisements were undertaken and community organisations targeted seeking interested persons. I am advised that a total of 95 committed Territorians nominated for positions on the Statehood Steering Committee. It was the intention of this Assembly and the standing committee that the Statehood Steering Committee was to be community based and I am pleased to report that is precisely what it is.
During February and March last year, the members of the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs considered the candidates in detail and finalised the membership of the Statehood Steering Committee. Obviously, we regret that we had to choose at all as the field of candidates was excellent. All who nominated should be congratulated for taking the time and making the effort to be part of the process. I hope that they will play some role in the statehood process as it continues. I am happy to advise, Madam Speaker, that is precisely what is occurring thus far.
The Statehood Steering Committee currently has 12 community members as well as three members of the Assembly. In a truly bipartisan approach, the Assembly representatives are myself and the members for Braitling and Blain. Membership of the committee was adopted by the Assembly on 4 May 2005.
In this report to the Assembly on activities of the Statehood Steering Committee, I will briefly highlight some of the committee’s milestones and major activities since its first meeting. The minutes of each Statehood Steering Committee provide a record of the outcomes of the meetings and are attached to the report I tabled here today. The minutes reveal a range of important issues under constant consideration by the steering committee.
The committee has been charged with providing Territorians with an inclusive process, and they have gone about achieving this by inviting community representatives from the location where they have met to address their meetings. The Statehood Steering Committee met for the first time over two days in Alice Springs on 20 and 21 April 2005. An initial public forum was conducted in conjunction with that meeting to ensure Territorians have the opportunity to provide input. After all, the committee is truly community-based and it has to be community-driven as well.
The committee has since met twice in Darwin as well as once each in Tennant Creek and Katherine. Similarly, in those locations the committee invited participation by local community groups. We met with the Mayor of Tennant Creek, the Mayor of Katherine, as well as a range of other representatives from these areas. We met to discuss statehood, and seek their views on how we should communicate conceptionally complex issues with everyday Territorians in their own way and on their own terms.
The Statehood Steering Committee has chosen a different location for its meetings to reflect the diversity of the Territory and the committee membership. We have to continue to do this over time as we hold further meetings. As members will appreciate, the focus is on the entire Territory and not just the capital city, during this important education and consultation process.
At the Statehood Steering Committee’s first meeting, the committee discussed a draft work plan, a community strategy and education issues. One of the committee’s first tasks was to raise its profile and, more importantly, the profile of the issue of statehood. A central challenge to statehood is ensuring the issue itself as one that Territorians want to own and become part of. In order to achieve this goal, the Statehood Steering Committee has had a presence on the 2005 show circuit and has already sent some representatives across the Territory to raise the awareness that is so crucial to educating everyone about statehood.
Over these initial months, a range of issues came up that demonstrated what concerned Territorians when it comes to statehood. Make no mistake, there is plenty of concern, suspicion, and misinformation out there on the statehood topic.
Apart from discussions, meetings and forums, the Statehood Steering Committee developed a series of fact sheets about statehood. The topics of the first 25 fact sheets demonstrate the issues Territorians have concerns about when it comes to statehood. The fact sheets are comprehensive and I will not read out each and every title. Needless to say, they are included in the report that I have tabled here today. Some of the issues tackled in these fact sheets include ‘Consideration of Self-government and Statehood - What is the difference?’ and how the Territory is not equal to the states. Further fact sheets are in preparation as issues are raised with the committee. These fact sheets can be obtained in hard copy from the committee, or seen on the web site at www.statehood.nt.gov.au. I urge all Territorians to familiarise themselves with these easy to read and informative fact sheets. In hard copy format, the fact sheets are accompanied by a folder outlining the role of the Statehood Steering Committee and the way we want to do our business.
A story board is also being finalised and was recently road tested at a meeting in January when the co-chair, Sue Bradley and Nora Kempster from the committee, visited the Gagudju Association. The story board provides pictures, images and summaries of the fact sheet information. The story board will soon be available on the web site along with the fact sheets, and will be used as a resource for schools and community visits alike.
When it comes to promoting the benefits of statehood, the committee has used unpaid and paid media advertisement to increase community awareness. Our fact sheets and story boards alone will not be enough. Our surveys show us that television and radio are important mediums of communication and we intend to employ these as much as possible. Since early 2005, the Statehood Steering Committee has issued 16 media releases and realised coverage in all major newspapers in the Northern Territory as well as the national daily newspapers and some other state-based newspapers. National television coverage - as well as local and national radio coverage on the establishment of the committee and its activities - has been achieved.
Getting factual statehood messages out is a key aim of the committee. Over the past few months, the committee received numerous calls for comment on the issues of a radioactive waste facility and the Territory government’s uranium mining policy. The Statehood Steering Committee is of the view that these issues are primarily a matter of government-to-government relationships. However, when it comes to factual material, the Statehood Steering Committee has made information available concerning limitations on the executive authority of the Northern Territory government under the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act and regulations.
Media interest in statehood is ongoing, with some outlets recently publishing excerpts from fact sheets and highlighting the presence of the committee at local venues. Sustaining media interest is a challenge. We constantly compete with other news items on any given day. As statehood milestones are reached in the education and consultation process, the committee will seek to publicise activities and our consultative role. An advertising program to increase awareness is planned for later in 2006. This will include use of Aboriginal language-based media.
As well as the media, the personal touch is very important, and there is no better way to deliver a message than in person. By participating on the 2005 show circuit, the steering committee had direct contact with a cross-section of Territorians and conducted a survey gathering data and information about what people’s understanding of statehood was. More than 1500 people took part in the survey. The survey was a simple means of gathering some baseline data about the issues Territorians need to have more information about before they may support statehood.
The presence of the Statehood Steering Committee at the shows was met with a very positive reaction from many Territorians. Introducing Territorians to statehood themes on neutral territory such as a show or exhibitions, shopping centres, markets and other festivals, is a key to the profile and success of the committee’s work. We have found by experience that people are generally open to discussing and receiving statehood material in such venues and are more likely to be receptive than attempting to have them attend a specific forum.
Getting statehood into people’s everyday lives so we can have a presence where they are is a key aspect of our strategy. ‘We will come to you’ is the central theme of this committee. We plan to continue to go where the people are to get the messages and the information out there to them.
The response by show-goers to our survey was a great indicator of the work that still needs to be undertaken. Of those surveyed, just 46% indicated they were comfortable with their own understanding of what statehood means. The results of the survey are on the statehood web site and make for interesting reading. I urge all members and, of course, members of the public, to avail themselves of that opportunity.
With 54% of surveyed Territorians unsure of what statehood means, the education aspect of the committee’s work is vital. Once again, we will go to schools or community groups and organisations, where we can, to ensure we take the message to Territorians where they live and learn.
Community education is the key aspect of the committee’s terms of reference. Work commenced last year with the creation of a Statehood Teachers Advisory Group and committee representatives providing visits to communities and organisations. This advisory group of teachers assist the Statehood Steering Committee develop appropriate materials that can link into the school curriculum and education of school-aged students on statehood.
The Statehood Teachers Advisory Group project commenced in Darwin and there is a plan to expand it to Alice Springs this coming year. The STAG is vitally important, as it provides an avenue for school teachers, the professionals delivering information to school students, to engage directly with the statehood and parliamentary process. Workshops have been conducted with senior school students both here in the Legislative Assembly Chamber as well as other sites at local schools throughout the Territory. More activities with schools are in the planning stage for the coming year. Three STAG meetings took place in 2005, and we propose one meeting each school term in 2006.
Apart from the show circuit last year, community outreach visits have been undertaken to communities such as Maningrida, Milingimbi, Jabiru, Wadeye, Port Keats, and Daly River area where local residents and organisations have been consulted on what they think about statehood and what statehood may mean to them.
The executive officer of the committee has also provided presentations on statehood to organisations such as the National Trust’s 2005 Patrons Dinner, the University of the Third Age, the Northern Territory Open Education Centre, staff at the Office of the Ombudsman, the Healthcare Complaints Commission, Northern Territory Tourist Commission, Northern Territory Aboriginal Interpreter Service, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority and a range of other public sector and non-government organisations. This year, more presentations will be provided. Presentation on statehood information is available on request to the committee’s executive officer. I urge members of the Assembly and all Territorians to get in touch with the committee secretariat to book a presentation, or to find out more.
Apart from the fact sheets and the statehood information folder, the committee secretariat has produced articles for all electorate offices, for newsletters, and articles have been published in the current editions of Common Ground outlining the community visits for 2006. The committee also holds resources, such as reports and papers produced by the previous Sessional and Standing Committees into Constitution Development for the Northern Territory. Whilst the Statehood Steering Committee does not adopt these as their own, the reports remain available to the public as a resource and a discussion tool in the statehood context.
It is now time to ask: what is next for the Statehood Steering Committee? The committee intends to develop a Statehood Ambassador Program where community members will be appointed to promote statehood in public, including giving speeches and promoting community discussion. A number of community visits are planned for the remainder of this year to ensure the committee’s representatives cover as much of the Territory as possible, raising awareness of what statehood means for the Territory if it is to be achieved.
A partnership has been entered into with Charles Darwin University to undertake a research project into communication with remote communities, and to report back by June 2006. This will assist with strategies in difficult-to-reach places, particularly the outlying communities, obviously.
A number of select working groups are planned to examine specific issues, as well as advise the committee how they may be tackled in the statehood process. This includes how we go forward in constitutional development, and logistical issues, such as the terms and conditions of statehood for the Northern Territory when negotiating with the Commonwealth.
I take this opportunity to congratulate the Statehood Steering Committee and, in particular, the co-chair, Ms Sue Bradley. Sue is actually in the House this afternoon and, on behalf of the Assembly, I extend our very sincere thanks for the hard work that you put in. It is a big task and we do appreciate your efforts, as we do, indeed, of all the Statehood Steering Committee members. Thanks very much, it is to be applauded.
Over a period of nine months, the committee has produced a range of materials that prepare the way for a very busy year ahead. With the survey and meetings I have outlined in this statement, the steering committee has had face-to-face interaction with more than 2000 Territorians so far.
As I mentioned previously, my co-chair, Sue Bradley, has been an active and passionate advocate for statehood, and has been unfailing in her approach to the committee’s work. As I have indicated, the committee has held five full committee meetings, but Sue has attended many more formal and informal meetings with the executive officer, consulted briefs and others to discuss how the Territory approaches statehood. I thank her and the entire committee for their continued dedication.
Education and consultation will continue and, I trust, have the ongoing support of the Legislative Assembly. I hope all members will examine the contents of the report I have tabled, which provides a comprehensive examination of the activities of the Statehood Steering Committee and opportunities for all Territorians to get involved in our future as a state.
Madam Speaker, in conclusion I would also like to thank other members of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee who have played a very important role over the last period. I refer, particularly, to the members for Braitling, Blain, Brennan and Arnhem. To you all, I thank you very much for your own ongoing support. I know that we will very strenuously and assiduously take up the challenge before us with the full support of this Assembly.
Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the report and my tabling statement.
Debate adjourned.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Building Better Schools
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, this afternoon I deliver a ministerial statement regarding progress on the Building Better Schools initiatives in the Northern Territory. In February 2005, this government committed to a major program of reform for our secondary schooling system. We committed an additional $42m over four years to back up these changes. Titled Building Better Schools, this program contained the government’s response to the comprehensive Ramsey report conducted throughout 2003 and the ensuing SOCOM investigation. What the Ramsey report and the SOCOM report showed is that our secondary education system required significant attention. In fact, it became obvious to government that student outcomes had been compromised by a system in need of reform and restructure.
The Martin government is strongly committed to approving student outcomes, and we believe that it is the most important goal to have in education. While we recognise there are other goals, each and every one of them is less important than achieving improved student results. This is an article of faith that the government brought to office in 2001; the driving force behind the reforms already made. The government entered its second term determined to continue and, in fact, increase the pace of reform in employment, education and training. In the August sittings of parliament, I outlined the reforms being implemented in indigenous education. Today, I update the House on progress made in implementing the broader four-year Building Better Schools program.
The actions we are taking are divided into five key areas: students and learning; supporting Territory teachers; indigenous education; distance education; and building stronger school communities. The first initiative is to expand the range of VET, vocational and enterprise learning options in schools. The government is determined to make Vocational Education Training an increasingly important part of school-based education. It is critical for the future of the Territory to build a skilled work force, particularly for our economic development.
VET studies and school-based new apprenticeships are a valid pathway for young people, but we have been concerned that vocational education has not received the attention it should from our schools. We have acted to ensure that it is a priority in the thinking of both the school community and the school administration. In mid-October, a series of six two-hour forums and workshops were held with stakeholders to develop a comprehensive School to Work strategic plan for the next three years. Key stakeholder groups included industry representatives, training advisory councils, schools and colleges, tertiary institutions, union groups, registered training organisations, indigenous education practitioners and other government departments.
The School to Work strategic plan is near completion and is designed to achieve the following outcomes: an increase in the number of students making a successful transition from school to training and employment; an expanded range of school to work pathways; a flexible blend of NTCE options including VET courses, enterprise learning and school-based new apprenticeships; new and stronger links between schools, industries and training providers; and a collaborative approach involving schools, industry and communities leading to improved outcomes for indigenous students.
Improving the delivery of vocational enterprise learning and VET programs is occurring. Project officers have been working with schools to improve access and delivery of VET programs for secondary-aged students. New models for VET in Schools have been developed that target students who are disengaged from schools, especially those living in remote areas. Enterprise establishment grants for these students wanting to include enterprise education in their mix of studies are expected to be available in April.
Qualified counsellors for secondary schools - a major initiative under Building Better Schools - has been the provision of these qualified counsellors in schools. Schools today face a range of complex issues on a daily basis. The need to care for students goes beyond their educational needs, frequently to their personal everyday needs. The Territory system has had a patchy approach to the provision of student counsellors in schools and it has allowed schools to decide for themselves whether they would employ a counsellor or not.
The Martin government believes the provision of a student counsellor in a secondary school is no longer an option. To support schools we have funded these counsellors outside of the staffing formula. As a result, every secondary school in an urban area gets a student counsellor, whilst every bush secondary school will have close access to a counsellor attached to a group area.
We have also required schools to retain their current resources dedicated to school counselling roles, and have provided a new skill set for this job. Previously, a staff member from within a school staffing allocation has taken on the role of counsellor. They have performed brilliantly, but will now have the support of other staff with psychology and/or social work qualifications. Nineteen qualified school counsellor positions are now being created, with 15 counsellors already in place in schools. A supervisory position has been established that will oversee the work and professional development of the new school counsellor positions. That brings to 20 the number of dedicated and qualified school counsellors that previously did not exist in schools. It probably will not be long before schools come to wonder how they managed without them.
National and local advertising for the school counsellor positions resulted in strong interest from well-qualified and experienced applicants. Mid-January saw the induction and orientation of new school counsellors, with the professional supervisor appointee taking up her position on 5 May.
The implementation of this important initiative is part of a new and comprehensive approach to the provision of student services in schools. Late last year, the government announced reform of the Student Services Section of the department. This division is now more focused on addressing individual student needs in the classroom and beyond. As well as maintaining a focus on students with disabilities, the Student Services Division has developed a strategic approach to address the social, emotional and behavioural needs of students in schools. The approach utilises the 20 new counsellors, guidance officers, student wellbeing officers, alternative education provision, special education positions in schools, and inclusion support assistance.
Late last year, after comprehensive consultation, the Territory government adopted Australia’s first system-wide middle years education policy. One of the strongest recommendations to come out of the Ramsey report was the need to better engage students aged 11 to 14. The policy endorses Year 7 to 9 as the middle years in the Territory, and places Year 10 into the senior secondary category. Stage 2 consultations are now under way to ensure that the community has its say on how this policy should be implemented. It will deal with practical issues such as the impact on the stages of schooling, infrastructure and staffing in schools. Stage 2 commenced 23 January 2006. A middle years workshop for principals from across the Territory provided a briefing on middle years policy, as well as advice and strategy for implementing middle years approaches in their schools. The requirement of this second phase will be for each school to work with their community to determine how best to implement middle years. The final report with recommendations will be presented to Cabinet in April 2006.
There has been criticism of our deliberate and very consultative approach to this education reform. I make no apology for that. The government is determined to ensure that people are fully involved in understanding both what can be achieved and what change will mean.
The staffing formula that is currently used supporting the Territory’s teachers is outmoded and out of date. A useful system for its time, it is no longer possible to use a formula that does not sufficiently take into account the significant differences that exist from school to school or from year to year. For example, we now have established sustainable secondary provision in remote communities, but the current staffing formula does not recognise students in these schools as being secondary. A new formula and staffing allocation model will ensure that all students will have equitable entitlements in staffing.
A reference group made up of representatives from the Australian Education Union, the Community and Public Sector Union, the Association of Northern Territory School Educational Leaders and Charles Darwin University has overseen the development of a new needs-based, school resource allocation formula. The prototype is nearing completion and consultation with school administrators is planned for early 2006.
For the establishment of professional learning communities, 10 sites have been selected for support and funding. Professional learning communities provide teachers with the opportunity to develop, trial, evaluate, and share good practice in a collaborative and supportive environment. Teachers then become involved in action research and use high-quality evidence to support their practice to improve student outcomes. Priority areas include: teaching and learning in the middle years; teaching and learning in the senior years including science, maths, flexible learning programs and VET; on-line learning in the middle and senior years; and assessment for learning in the middle and senior years. The schools selected for assistance in forming these learning communities represent a cross-section of Territory education and include all regions as well as urban, rural and remote locations. Participating schools include senior colleges, high schools, primary schools, CECs and, in some instances, also involves non-government schools working with their government counterparts.
Through the Indigenous Students Leadership and Mentorship program, in the past few years, we have seen some outstanding young indigenous men and women move through our schools. Secondary provision in remote communities has also highlighted the qualities of young leaders living in remote communities. Encouragement and support of these future leaders will demonstrate to their younger brothers and sisters that it is possible to achieve great things, and that education is the foundation of this achievement. Twenty-five young indigenous men and women have been selected as inaugural participants in the Indigenous Students Leadership and Mentorship program. Each student’s place on the program was officially recognised at an awards ceremony at Parliament House on Thursday, 23 September 2005. Students come from a range of urban and remote schools and locations across all regions of the Territory. Students have been working closely with their mentors who include teachers, health workers, Australian Defence Force personnel, musicians and traditional elders.
Starting Term 1 2006, students will begin to submit educational funding requests to purchase additional materials or resources that will help them develop their particular skill or interest. In the April school break, these students will take part in a three-day leadership camp. It will be an interesting program to follow over the years.
The collaborative trial sites for remote areas is an initiative that arises from the remote nature of our Territory. It involves the department investing collaboration in providing secondary education. Collaboration will allow us to obtain the critical mass of students needed for effective secondary provision. For the past three years, we have seen students completing their NTCE whilst studying in their home communities. Numbers have risen dramatically from three in the first year, to 25 in 2005. Following on from this success, there has been an overwhelming response from remote schools interested in collaborating with other schools for on-site delivery of secondary education. Responses were received from the following schools: Ramingining; Milingimbi; Gapuwiyak and Gunbalanya; Yuendumu, Papunya, Ntaria (Centralian College); Borroloola (Katherine High School; Centralian Senior College and NTOEC); Ngukurr, Minyerri, Jilkminggan, Urapuntja; Robertson River, Canteen Creek, Alpurrurulam, Epenarra, Ampilatwatja, Alekerenge; Warrawi; Batchelor Area School; Group Schools East; Alice Springs High School; Group Schools West; Numbulwar; and Catholic Education.
Ramingining CEC is the first of these schools to indicate readiness. Fifty-four secondary students, all regular attendees, have been identified to participate in the program from Year 7 to Year 12. Two secondary teachers have been appointed to Ramingining for Semester 1 2006 to support the introduction and development of the program. It is expected that increased enrolments at the school will add three staff positions generated under formula.
Combined with this initiative is the Pools of Specialist Teachers Programs. Specialist teachers will be deployed to support the delivery of secondary education in the collaborative trial sites. The first two of the 20 pool teacher positions have been allocated to Ramingining CEC to support the introduction and development of programs for the on-site delivery of secondary education. There are strong links between this initiative, collaborative school sites and distance education, which will allow for significant expansion of the already successful secondary provision in remote communities.
The fourth key category in Building Better Schools is distance education. Already complete is the establishment of the Interactive Distance Learning Studio at Katherine School of the Air for remote families and remote schools. Last year, the IDL service was put out to tender, with Optus wining the satellite transmission component and M&S Consultants winning the software provision component. This tender process has enabled the department to establish a more flexible and educationally focused tool which can be used for distance education delivery, as well as communication and education to urban and remote schools across the Territory. The studio and satellite component of the service has been provided under Building Better Schools funding as part of the government’s plan to create a leading-edge distance education service.
The IDL software, known as REACT, has been based upon a Microsoft open source product called Conference XP. The award-winning software has been developed by a local Territory company to take advantage of satellite technology to provide services to students, families and teachers across all schools in remote locations. Plans are under way to launch the IDL studio and new software in Katherine on Thursday, 9 March 2006. In broader terms, a more general and comprehensive distance education reform package is now being finalised and this will go to Cabinet in the near future.
The final and fifth category within Building Better Schools is Building Stronger School Communities with improved data collection, analysis and reporting This initiative addresses the need for meaningful and reliable data about the education and progress of the Northern Territory students. The project will improve the capacity of DEET to assemble information from schools and other operational systems in the department. It will result in enhanced business decision support reports available to schools and administrators, and improve the department’s ability to respond to requests for information and analysis. This will be achieved by centralising information, currently held in various stand-alone operational systems, into a data warehouse. The information can then be processed and analysed to create timely and relevant reports to better inform parents, teachers, schools and the community. The initial phase of the project will include the collection and analysis of student level enrolment and attendance information.
The Chief Executive Student Forum. If we consider students as being central to our efforts in education, we must be prepared to include them in the decision making. The first step, in an effort to harness student views and give students an opportunity to express their ideas about education, has been taken with the creation of the Chief Executive Student Forum. Following this consultation, a number of pilot student forums occurred in September and October and are scheduled to coincide with DEET Executive Group meetings. These forums will take place in a range of regional areas across the Territory, with schools nominating students to participate in these pilot sessions. Program structure, application procedures, and selection criteria program guidelines have been developed with considerable input from teachers, students and representatives from a number of DEET divisions. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to discuss topical educational issues directly with the Chief Executive of DEET.
All the above initiatives are works in progress. It is a credit to the Building Better Schools team within DEET that they have progressed so many of the initiatives in such a short time. There is, of course, more to come. 2006 will see the establishment of a teaching and learning framework that will complement the curriculum framework, defining the essential features of good pedagogy and classroom practice. 2006 will also see the development of individual student learning profiles for the first time, which will provide consistent and comparable student reporting across the Northern Territory.
Before the year is out, there will be in place a program known as Pathways Mentorship, which will support student learning and career pathways in the senior years from school to employment or further training in higher education. In the year ahead, an initiative known as Special Pedagogies will see students with special needs supported with specialised resources and a particular focus on ITC and new technology. Also in the pipeline is a project called Leadership and Support Roles in Communities, which will develop programs for young people to prepare them to undertake leadership and support roles in their own communities.
Throughout the course of this year, I intend to update the House from time to time on the government’s continuing reform agenda in Employment, Education and Training. There will be significant changes in our education system throughout this year and next. The Building Better Schools program is one of the more critical reform programs given its broad agenda. No one should be left in doubt about the need for an ongoing focus on education and reform of the system.
The recently-released Productivity Commission report on the services of government highlights just how much work has to be done. We believe this set of reforms will bring about significant improvement of student outcomes, which will benefit the Northern Territory in the years to come.
Madam Speaker, I commend the statement to the Assembly and move that it be noted.
Mr MILLS (Blain): Madam Speaker, before commencing my comments on this, I note that we got off to a false start with this statement because it was delivered with a message that it was going to be debated tomorrow. With that in mind, there is a lot that I want to say in this regard. I could probably say it a lot better if I had had the time to prepare, as I thought I had. Nonetheless, I, indeed, welcome the statement and look forward to the coming statements on education.
I agree with the minister; this is a most important area in the development of the Northern Territory. We talk a lot about the economy. The economy provides the capacity and the resources to be able to achieve our dreams but, unless we have education properly in place and aligned with our aspirations and the capacity of people, we will not be able to achieve it. It plays a critical role. I sometimes reflect that the combination of portfolios that the Treasurer and the Education minister hold together are so important; both of those are critical portfolios. I acknowledge that it must be an honour to hold that great responsibility of those two key components to unlock the potential of the Territory.
We are talking about the reform of education. They are good words and people instinctively get excited when reform is spoken of. However, reform is to re-shape. There is some re-shaping, but it is more like, let us say, renovations of existing premises. What draws people’s attention to the word reform is that they think it is going to be something completely new; a complete restructure.
There were many recommendations within the Ramsey review that pitched straight at that line. Proposed in the recommendations, were some which were, indeed, significant restructure, re-shaping, re-doing or reassessing of the way education is delivered. I will continue to listen and watch and see that some of those recommendations which seem to have drifted a fair way back from the attention of this government are responded to.
One of them, in particular, is the assessment of school performance and the agency - that was recommended within the Ramsey review - that would be able to help inform us of the performance and progress of a school itself, in growing enrolments, academic outcomes, the in-servicing of teachers, and being able to track students as they proceed through their education journey and beyond once they have left Year 12. These mechanisms, I believe, had great merit and I ask that they be responded to. I watch to see whether some of the references to forthcoming activity and reports of the minister will actually capture some of those elements. They appear to by title, but I am not so sure whether they will in substance.
Regarding review, reform and restructure in eduction, it is important to consider that education is produced by the department, teachers, and the education industry. They are the producers of education. In some respects, as a model to help describe this, education is a product that is produced for the consumer, which is the general population striving to meet its social and educational ambitions and aspirations. It appears that, for many years, education in our nation and here in the Territory has been captured by the producers of education - the department. To my view - and it is a growing debate within the country - education is controlled by the producers of education; being the unions and the Education Department.
Often, the references that come across in this Chamber refer to the minister for Education being, in fact, the minister for the Department of Education when, in fact, it is a product that has been produced for the consumer which is to serve the broader and ongoing deeper needs of the community. That is why the argument about proper, clear reporting so that the consumers - being the mums and the dads and industry - can understand what is actually happening in education. If reporting is being pitched to cover and to protect the producer of education, it is a very unclear message for the consumer; the mums and dads. They do not know how their kids are actually going. Industry is unsure whether literacy standards are actually improving when the kids are ready to take up apprenticeship, without having to re-invest in basic literacy and numeracy. That is what happens when the producer of education, being the Department of Education, controls education.
We need to shift that paradigm so that education serves the need of our society rather than serving its own institutional need. That is why debates such as outcomes-based education are critical. It is so difficult to get a handle on outcomes-based education for the average person, as they do not quite understand how you can measure such things. They are measured in such vague and ambiguous ways that often teachers have difficulty in actually being able to capture any kind of improvement in education.
Consequently, the reports that go home to parents contain vague and ambiguous language. Parents are lulled into a sense that, hopefully, their children are learning something. That is what happens in outcomes-based education; it is very difficult to capture and to measure. As a result, a lot of our kids, particularly boys, become confused. They do not quite know whether they are achieving. They like to know they are learning things - how to spell a word, how to remember the names of rivers and explorers, our past history, the traditional owners and some of the stories. They need to know real, measurable facts. Boys in particular need to know things such as their tables and really basic subjects, so they know they are actually making some progress.
Those types of debate are really important because we are seeing some problems emerging in education in continuing with vague and ambiguous talk that does not really go to the heart of a problem. That is why I like to start with that conceptual approach to the way education is viewed. I believe that the current debate is actually assisting us in getting a better handle on how we can improve in education.
With that as a foundation, we move then to the first section in the report which was VET. We are moving in the right direction, I believe. However, in considering what we are endeavouring to achieve in education and to reinforce those kids who, in former times, would have clearly been identified as being in the trades and technical stream, we need to be far clearer and decisive about that in our education approaches, so that the kids who are already identified by about Year 7 - hopefully, in the middle years of schooling - will be able to achieve this. They will know that they are as equally valued as the kid who is going on the tertiary stream, and that, when they graduate and go into an apprenticeship or a traineeship, there will be a formal celebration and recognition of their achievement. The school will also equally be informed that these kids are successes. Once we have achieved that, then our skill shortage problem will disappear.
However, our education system still perpetrates this myth that the kids who are pitching towards the university side of the education enterprise are the successes - they are the brainy ones who do really well at school; the other kids do not do so well at school. That is false and our society and our community has reinforced that untruth to the great detriment, particularly of our young lads. We see them wandering around our streets unsure of themselves and resorting to destructive means to draw attention to themselves and get some kind of recognition. We must be able to clearly and unambiguously celebrate achievement, particularly in the trades and technical streams, and identify clearly a viable stream that opens up where kids get real skills that are measurable, and they recognise that they have made progress.
I acknowledge the reference to new models and I offer support in the exploration of these. I hope that those new models bring value back into the trade and technical study rooms within our high schools. They still stand largely and, sadly, as testaments to the lack of value for trade and technical skills because they are often the room where all the broken desks and rubbish is stored. They need to be as valuable and as revered as the science laboratory in schools. That is a new model that I would encourage the minister to continue to assist in achieving, along with new models of delivery. It is sad to go out to Borroloola and see a nicely equipped facility that once delivered trade and technical skills - welding, mechanics and so on - closed up and padlocked. I do not know the story behind it; the minister probably does or has access to the story behind it. I understand there are facilities like this around the place. People wandering around the community would probably appreciate being able to be given an opportunity to learn some real skills. Whatever happened there, I do not know, but it is a problem that must be fixed.
Moving on to the middle years of schooling, the debate and discussions in our community has gone on for a long period of time. We only have to look around at what has happened in other states. In fact, in Indonesia, their schooling system is based on this approach where you have the SD, which is the primary schools which finishes around Grade 6. Then there is the middle school SMP, and then SA or SMU, which is in the senior secondary, pretty much identical to what we are referring to here, as in the United States and some places in Europe. Middle years of schooling clearly will recognise those kids in the middle who are going through adolescents change – they are not kids anymore but they are not adults. We do need to change the way that education is delivered to them because, in the formal structure we have adopted, they get lost.
That goes back to the way that we base and structure the curriculum to meet these middle years of schooling. If we are going to address curriculum - and I speak with some experience here because I was directly involved in the establishment of a middle school in Palmerston which is still operating. That was established at the same time as Essington. I will continue to recount what I believe are the lessons that were thrown up by that experience. It is not an easy thing to implement middle years of schooling. It is an easy concept to sell; people get excited about it and it makes a lot of sense, but the implementation of it is very difficult and very challenging for two reasons. One is teachers need to be properly and thoroughly prepared for it, as is the community also. On the face of it, it is going to be rather attractive and fairly simple to implement but, underneath that, there are some complications. Expectations will change but, primarily, the teachers need to be soundly prepared.
As the minister and this government has taken a long time to consult and to get themselves prepared for the implementation stage of this raft of recommendations, I urge proceeding to the next stage with great sensitivity, because this is where the process could become very difficult. At the same time, the minister and this government is going to have some courage of their convictions to drive it through because it is not going to be easy. Once again, back to the teachers - they will find it the most difficult. As in today’s report, the NT News has reflected, from time to time, the number of teachers who leave the profession. If this is not handled properly, there will be additional stress on teachers. Hopefully not, but we will possibly see more teachers leave as the result of the pressures that will be brought to bear on their delivery of the middle years schooling approach.
I say that because of what was reinforced to me when we had the round of community consultation in Palmerston. I came home to hear a report that one of the teachers at the local middle school had decided to call it quits in the middle of the fourth term because of the pressure. As we know, with innovative approaches like the Montessori approach and so on, they are great but they can lead to teachers bearing very heavy loads. That part of it needs to be properly developed first. The teachers carry the burden; they must be prepared properly.
The other problem that often occurs in the middle years of schooling, from experience, is the approach that is taken with the curriculum. If the curriculum is vague and ambiguous, it becomes difficult to manage the behaviour of the kids - particularly the boys, once again - because they want a sense that they are actually achieving something. Kids at that stage are at sea, largely. They are not quite sure what the world means; they are trying to make sense of it. They have flashes of confidence and then they have moments of despair and confusion. The way to anchor them is to make sure that they have a solid curriculum that is quite measurable; where they are learning skills. At the same time, they have the other schematic approaches. However, they really need a strong anchor and a clear, measurable outcome to their achievement so that they actually know things at the end. Hopefully, this will come up, and it will if we listen to the broad range of experience that, largely, has been arrived at through the non-government sector in the Northern Territory and around the country.
Finally, on that point, the recommendation came up quite early, a couple of years ago. If we are going to move to middle schools, my recommendation, based on experience, is that the model is properly established and then it is trialled and is allowed to grow. We cannot afford to fail in this, because we are dealing with a sensitive age group. We are making some fairly deep and fundamental changes to the way education is delivered. We need to allow teachers to move to it - so that the parents see that we are putting something in place that wins and succeeds - and help us to achieve the things that we are concerned about; that is, those kids who get lost from Year 7 to Year 9.
I do not believe we are going to make any real progress in indigenous education until we step up to the plate and link attendance at school with family benefits. We have to make that link. If we do not do that, we are going to be continually well-intentioned but not actually making any progress. Mutual obligation is real and I believe it is understood; it is just waiting for the leadership to be shown. There will be many good folk out there who want someone to stand up and take that approach. It is going to be hard, there will be resistance, but it has to occur; that is, the linking of attendance at school to the benefits that flow to a family.
At the same time, I ask the minister and this government to respond to the call for bilingual education. There are varying views on bilingual education. It is my belief that bilingual education is critical to strengthening our indigenous capacity to be involved in education in a meaningful way, particularly from the early childhood section, so we have the dual language and the establishment of meaning. It also brings in other members of the community who can then have an entry point into education.
I celebrate with the minister the leadership program. It is a great initiative. I was here for the launch of it. I know some of the kids involved and I hope that that follows through with real strength all the way through to the end.
The reference to collaborative models is good stuff, and I hope that that has the right support behind it to allow the objectives to be genuinely achieved.
I note there is no reference to the previous statement about indigenous education, where there was reference about the signing of agreements with communities. I wonder, minister, how many of those agreements have been signed with communities? I have heard no reference to it. It was the central plank of your last statement, but there has been silence since. If we see the approach taken at Irrkerlantye, I can only brace myself for disappointment. I hope I am not, but the approach at Irrkerlantye shows that the rhetoric has not matched the action.
Moving to Irrkerlantye, there are some disturbing issues underlying the approach of this Labor government to the families involved at Irrkerlantye - plenty of strong arguments, and you hold your position well. However I spent enough time to try to make sense of what was driving the minister to make such an announcement, particularly on an inauspicious day for that community, being Melbourne Cup day. The reasons have been offered, and each of them have been subject to a response from the community and found lacking. So it leads me to wonder: what really was the motive?
I fear there is a deeper issue at work, going back to the beginning. The department is in control. The department deemed that school not suitable, it does not fit into their scheme, and said, ‘We do not want it’. I feel there is an even deeper issue and it is an ideological issue. That school has an association with the non-government sector, and the government sector, the Education Department, wants nothing to do with it. I fear those forces are actually driving this decision. If that is the case, it is very disturbing and one of those stories that will be continued.
It is good to see counsellors in high schools but they are needed in primary schools for teacher support. That is where the problem begins to emerge and that is when the opportunity is to address these problems. It will appear good because the problem is most manifest in the high school. However, if you really are serious about addressing the problems, you start in the primary schools. It was very interesting looking at the outcomes of the leadership forum that was held a couple of weeks ago which was referred to this morning. They have identified early childhood as a need of a national focus and that is why counsellors were directed towards the primary schools would be far more effective in actually meeting any of these problems at their cause. You have greater access to the families and are able to make the noticeable changes in a real way.
I am very pleased to hear the media comments of recent times from the member for Braitling. There are too many kids who are wandering when they should be at school. Maybe it is the old principle in me, but I cannot sit in my electorate office and see a bunch of kids go past wheeling BMX bikes in the middle of a school day. Just recently - in fact, I think it was the same day you made your comments - there were about six of them came through our shopping centre. I encourage anyone who observes this; it is important that we, as a community, speak to these kids. When I speak to most people about it they say they are frightened to say anything to them. However, there are ways of speaking to them. I went out and said: ‘Shouldn’t you boys be at school?’ They did not really have an answer, they did not feel they wanted to answer. I managed to drill down a little deeper and got some answers from them. These kids ranged in age from about 16 down to 11 and were wandering through Palmerston. They had their BMX bikes. They looked like they were up to no good. One of them said he belonged to Sanderson High School; another at Palmerston High School; one from Wagaman Primary School; and one from Dripstone. They had all got together and gone for a ride through Palmerston, and they got up to quite a lot of mischief on that day in Palmerston. They informed me that they did not have to go to school because ‘Mum said it was okay’.
I advised them that that was not really satisfactory and I would not mind phoning their mum. They were not able to provide me with phone numbers to make the phone calls on their behalf. What became evident was, with the exception of the primary school boy, all the rest should have been in high school. None of them had been at high school yet. It was the second week of school and they had not fronted at their respective high school. There needs to be great clarity of the role from primary school to high school to track their transition. Those kids are smart. They may not be doing well at school, they may have difficulty reading, but they know a gap in the fence when they see one. They will wander off, not register at the school, and have a great time for two or three weeks until they get reined in. They had coppers chasing them through Palmerston because they got up to mischief. Finally, they will be reined in and sent to a school but that is two or three weeks late. We need to make sure that gap is closed, that they are followed through. It is a very difficult thing but there is a gap; they spot it and they take the opportunity to exploit that gap.
Finally, Building School Communities is good stuff. I would like to have one platform thrust in there - school councils. They are well-intentioned, good folk who step up to the plate and take very important responsibilities in their school communities. I have nothing but admiration for those good folk who step up to the plate and take up those responsibilities. At the AGMs that I go to, most often they say: ‘I am not sure that I can do it but I want to. Will someone help me with it?’ They often feel insufficient in their abilities but they are, nonetheless, prepared to do it. Then they are basically left.
If we are serious about engaging the consumers of education, the ones we are actually serving - the mums and dads and the families - we need to make sure that those who step up to the mark and play that important role on the school councils are given proper in-servicing, training and back-up. The central part of that is being able to understand the money story; that they are shown how to understand the financial statements, so that they can play a meaningful and informed role. Most of them go through the process feeling insecure and unable to understand what is going on. They are empowered once they understand the money story. How many boards or councils have we been on where there is a financial person there and everybody else is taking their word for gospel, because they are not sure how to read a balance sheet or how the money story works.
There has been a consistent call from COGSO that that kind of support be provided. I fully support that. We must support those parents who step up to the mark so that they can play an informed and meaningful role. It is a very valuable investment in our society and our community, because these civic-minded people need to be shown that they are valued, provided with the support, back-up and training because they will go on to other places and serve too, on other committees. It is a great way of capturing them. It will not cost a lot of money, but it is a funding that could go to COGSO to provide this level of training for our school council members. For all those school council people out there who are preparing to either continue or to take up the responsibilities from these AGMs, I wish you all the best because you are so critical to the role of education because, unless the child is provided with education within the context of a family, it does not achieve. It might achieve the institutional requirements of the Department of Education, but that is not education, that is just the requirements of education, ticking all their boxes and achieving their outcomes. The outcomes are actually achieved and unpacked in the context of a family and that is why the families are so important in education.
The way I would like to finish this is remembering that we are serving the families, industry and the ongoing and long-term and unfolding needs of our society, and not the needs of the Department of Education. I would like to see the end of ideological battles and make sure that we are actually achieving real objectives that are not institutional objectives, but societal objectives, and we are putting those resources in place. Then we will start to make real progress.
Hopefully, those words provide some assistance to the minister. Maybe we will enter a political debate and move backwards and forwards; I hope not. They are offered in a well-intentioned way, and we can have a sensible debate on it at some stage I trust.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the motion.
Dr TOYNE (Justice and Attorney-General): Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to commend the minister for bringing forward a statement that allows us to range fairly widely around some of the key issues that we are working on in education at the moment. I would like to confine my remarks to particular issues that we are aware of in Central Australia and the challenges that our school education faces in our region within the Territory.
I would like to start with the proposition that we have probably reached the end of a time where we can actually afford to treat our bush education programs and urban programs in Central Australia as two separate systems. My reason for saying this is that even a very quick look at the demography or the change in demography of the region would show that it is almost impossible now to treat the educational interests of a student, in either the urban or the bush school programs, without having to look at the potential for that particular student to require relevance to both those settings.
What we are seeing, in very crude terms, is not a trickle of people leaving the remote communities, but quite a significant flood. In my electorate, communities such as Yuendumu where there used to be 700 or 800 people, you will see 450 or 500. You could go back over the school attendances of any of the Central Australian schools and, historically, they were much higher than they are today. At Yuendumu School, which I am most familiar with, we were used to catering to 230 students in the various programs in that school in the time I was principal there. You would not see anything like that today; they would be well below 150. Where have all the other people gone? They have, largely, gone into town as a result of young adults seeing there is very little on offer for them in the remote communities in the way of employment or chosen lifestyle, and taken their kids with them.
Once in town, appropriate programs to cater for those kids - whether they are of primary or secondary school age - would have more in common with a refugee program overseas than it would have with a normalised government program in Australia. We are dealing with refugees; with families who are no longer seeing a viable lifestyle in their homeland but have precious little skills to deal with the challenges of living in an urban centre. They become refugee consumers who are, basically, only treated as consumers of goods in the town. They have no constructive engagement with employment within town, and there is no engagement with many of those kids with the educational programs which we are trying to offer. There is not even any certainty within the system as to which school they should belong to; whether it is out bush, at the home community or in town.
You only have to go around the town camps of Alice Springs to realise there are hundreds of kids there of school age - either primary or secondary - who are not engaged in our education programs. I know that both the Chief Minister and the minister for Education have adopted a major priority to see those kids engaged in school programs wherever that might be; wherever we can get them participating with their families. That, of itself, raises a whole series of issues. It is all very well to say: ‘Let us get them participating’. However, how do you do that?
Irrkerlantye has raised as many issues as it may have attempted to solve, in that it is one model of getting parental involvement and trying to achieve education outcomes. In my view, the minister made a correct decision regarding the educational outcomes. In an earlier contribution to the debate on that program in this House, I said there were enormous potentials, as well as the problems which need to be addressed in the Irrkerlantye programs and the history through to the present time. We will work through Irrkerlantye, and that is happening as we speak. The aim of that is to achieve what the minister has put forward, which is to transition those kids into educational programs which give them some guarantee of decent educational outcomes. It will be interesting to see the relationship which emerges between the Irrkerlantye students and their families, and whichever host school or schools they opt to relate to.
The questions it raises in my mind are probably wider across the Central Australian education system; that is, what models and examples are available to engage parents and kids who are currently outside the education system to take up an involvement and try to achieve some skills - whether it be the ability to live in the general community or to gain employment later in life, and just generally be more functional citizens?
We have the learning centre at Larapinta Valley and its relationship to Gillen Primary. I believe there is scope for host school arrangements to be introduced more broadly around town with our primary schools so that there can be established on-campus sub-programs at schools to allow kids to transition into a more normalised program alongside the family and cultural settings that they might want to also have around them. There is no reason for those not to co-exist, and school sub-programs have been part of Labor’s policy from the 2001 election as a response to truancy or antisocial behaviour on the part of the students or groups of students within a school community. Those sub-programs can be out-posted, as it is with Larapinta Valley, as it is currently with Irrkerlantye. They can equally be a sub-program on-campus with specialised arrangements surrounding a group of kids who have some common interests and needs.
All of those are means of taking family involvement into a school community with the students. I hope that, with a constructive attitude to it, we can use those existing examples of Irrkerlantye in the aspect that it has achieved quite strong parental buy-in on their programs, and Larapinta Valley, which has also achieved very strong family buy-in on the programs that they are running - far more so than the standard school programs and arrangements with school councils, and contact with families and councillors has been able to achieve in other primary schools around the town.
There are very important lessons to be learned and applied, generally, to the challenge of engaging these students who are currently outside the education system and facing a pretty gloomy future. They are refugee kids; they need to be brought into the normal support arrangements that we have - whether that be health, education, or the social support that Alice Springs is very proud of offering to its citizens in the general sense.
These are very specific challenges that have come out of the demographic changes that are occurring very rapidly now in Central Australia. As I said, you can no longer assume that those kids belong to remote education, and that the town schools simply deal with families that happen to live more permanently in households around the town. We have to be more flexible to follow these kids in, to deal with their induction into the programs by which we bring all of our kids up in Alice Springs.
Equally, we have to follow these needs out to our remote education programs. Again, whether it be primary or secondary in our remote schools, it is no longer enough to relate the school purely to the home community, to the homelands that the school is based in. We have to prepare kids, from an early as possible age right through to the time that they become adults, to have a constructive relationship with the wider region and country that they, overall, belong to - and that is Australia, of course. They have to be citizens of Australia, citizens of Central Australia, as well as citizens living in their home community. The challenge is to get away from the parochial, closed systems that we have often seen out in bush communities, and start working on relevance of all of our population centres, one to the other - whether that be regular contacts and use of town facilities by remote communities, and some exchange out to remote communities from town. We have to find ways of creating a very strong discourse between remote-based students and the town they are going to have to relate to increasingly into the future or even, potentially, live in the town and work there if things work out for them.
I believe that the remote programs that we are setting up at secondary level should absolutely have to relate to town-based school programs and to the town in general. We need to have hosting arrangements - whether it be in Alice Springs or in other regional towns - to not only turn out secondary graduates who have achieved the academic standards needed right through to Year 12. Good on them if we can improve on the increasingly good outcomes that we are getting in the bush; 25 graduates of Year 12 is a great result, when you look back a couple of years at how few were getting through at that stage. Those graduates need to be functional in urban centres, and to have a constructive and mature relationship with other areas that they may choose to live and work in. One of the advantages, I guess, of graduating kids out bush is that they are not only retaining a strong bond to their cultural homelands and to their families at the remote community, but they are developing skills that should make them more functional in urban centres elsewhere in Australia and the Northern Territory.
I believe you have to do more than just assume they are going to go off and immediately make good in an urban centre. There needs to be formal elements of the programs that are conducted in town and where those students learn to use the town facilities more fully to develop their own network of people that they know and can work with in town; therefore, the town is not this other alien environment where they become fringe dwellers in our urban centres. They need to be fully functional, to come in and do whatever they choose to do as Australians coming into a place like Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine or Darwin. That can be very strongly worked as one of the themes in our secondary education. I do not think we are favouring these kids by purely basing their secondary programs in the remote community to which they were born.
The other issue that I have with creating a single approach to the education programs in the region is that it is more stable. We have had great results from some of the remote-based secondary programs. George and Robyn Hewitson and teachers like them have had to have an absolutely fanatical commitment to those kids and to their professional work to achieve those results. Can you reproduce that, teacher by teacher, generation by generation? We have to build stable systems where the contribution of a particular teacher or group of teachers can be backed up by a wider professional input to the programs, so if you lose one or one moves, or a couple move from one place to another or leave altogether, you are not going to lose the enormous energy and commitment from a particular delivery point.
That all argues for a network of educational delivery which includes our urban centres as well as the remote delivery centres if we are going to continue to build up secondary education in remote areas. I have said repeatedly in this House that it is an absolutely key challenge, and I am delighted that our government and this minister has launched us into that great challenge. If there was nothing else that this government produced over its lifetime, if it produced that, it will go down in history as being a very crucial initiative and accomplishment for us.
I hope that I have not overstated the case for a rethink about how we deliver education in Central Australia, but I honestly believe seeing the fate of some of the young kids that are coming into town, with no skills and no constructive relationship with the town, you have to say we have to do things differently. You have to say that there has to be some preparation, some formal relationship established before those families move in, taking their kids with them. We cannot allow a generation of young indigenous kids who come in from the bush to simply consume themselves to death within 30 years. We have to do better than that. The way to do it is to start thinking about our education system as a single system in Central Australia. The bush and urban schools are simply part of the network that we are going to use to support and develop these kids and make them into really functional citizens in our region.
Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Mr Deputy Speaker, I can certainly commend the Minister for Central Australia for some of the comments he has just made about education. I guess there is one thing that we all know; that is, that education is a moveable feast. What we had as children many years ago is not what would be suitable or acceptable today. Education has to move with the times, and it is a great demand on schools and teachers to provide what the expectations of community and parents are all about. When we are looking at Building Better Schools, I guess the minister is really focusing on the future. I say to the minister: remember that the Territory is a very big place and what might be suitable for one part of the Territory might not be suitable for another, and I have said that before. What may be suitable for bush schools or remote schools may not suit town schools and vice versa.
I want to comment, first of all, on the recommendation of having the Years 7 to 9 as a middle school. The minister is well aware that this is probably the area that concerns people in Alice Springs most of all. I have had representation over the last couple of days when people knew this statement was coming up.
The Year 7s have been in junior high schools for many years in Alice Springs, quite successfully. Junior high schools have coped extremely well. We have two great schools, ANZAC High and Alice Springs High, and the staff are dedicated and do a great job. It proves that Year 7s can be integrated very well into the middle school, and the primary schools would say to you: ‘Please, do not send them back, they are too big for us now’. However, if you then put Year 10s into a senior secondary college, you are actually creating a problem within our town. I am glad the minister is going back for community consultation about this because, although it may suit the Darwin model, it may cause difficulties for the Alice Springs model.
We have one senior school, Centralian College. It also receives students from two private schools, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and St Philip’s, who do subjects at Centralian. It is a great cooperative model. If you put the Year 10s in, you are then reducing our two junior highs to Years 7, 8 and 9 and you would find that most teachers in those schools would say to you: ‘Our Year 10s are not ready for that model of Years 11 and 12’. Really, it is quite a different model and there is a lot more responsibility put back onto students, and a different teaching style. What has happened is that the teachers in the junior high schools have actually adapted their teaching styles to suit and fit in with the younger children. Therefore, there is more of an approach where the students are comfortable, are stable, and relate well to their teachers. Whereas, when you get into the big secondary school, you tend to be a bit more on your own and a lot more is thrown on the students.
Please be careful when you are looking at this changeover. I understand the concerns that are being echoed to me by people in Central Australia. The Years 7 to 10 model has worked well for us, so is there really any need for us to change? I heard what the Minister for Central Australia was saying: not everything suits the same situation, scenario or each town. I suggest that, if you want to make moves in some part of the Territory, fine. However, do not change something for the sake of change, if what is already happening is working well.
The system across the Territory already has variation; we do not have a common system. We have four-year-olds going into primary school in some schools, whereas other schools do not take them. As I say, we have different combinations of year levels. You have remote schools where students can actually range from preschool right through. Because we can accommodate different models, that is what is important. I know that in March there is going to be more community consultation in Alice Springs and I just hope, you will listen to what parents and teachers in particular are saying, because the experience we have had at the moment is working well, it is doing okay.
I like your push for VET in Schools. It is, obviously, something that is really important. We should see more of it in the big bush communities like Yuendumu, Papunya, and Willowra. Let us get VET back out there and start giving those students opportunities to be occupied. Let us face it; not all kids are academic. We should not want all our children to go to university. We went through this error, I guess, where it seemed to be important that everyone had to have a university education. Perhaps that is why we have this shortage of skilled people within our work force. There are a lot of students who are not academically inclined. I ask the minister if he can push VET down even lower into the middle school? Can you give opportunities to those young people in the middle schools who, perhaps, are not that rapt in school but might be quite happy to do other things? For instance, there were some activities at Orange Creek Station. Some of the things Katherine Rural School did were great. We have facilities in Alice Springs called Hamilton Downs. Let us be a bit flexible in the way we think, and create programs which will keep these young people occupied and give them a bit more direction in life so school does not become a drag and they do not wag and get into mischief in our shopping centres and so on. I would like to see VET go down even further than where it is now.
I like the idea of qualified counsellors in your secondary schools. However, I am a little in tune with what the member for Blain said; early intervention is the greatest way of helping. Obviously, primary schools already identify those students who need counselling. I would like to see a sharing of counsellors, if that is possible, from the high schools to the primary schools so that primary schools know they can access it, the way they already access the school nurse. You have the school nurses in high schools who can also go into primary schools. School-based policemen can also be in high schools and be referred back to primary schools. Why not the counsellors? I know it is a massive task, but if we can grab these young people who have problems at an early age, we may help readjust them so they do not go off the rails when they get into senior school.
You talked about staffing allocation and you are quite right; the staffing allocation is old hat. It was based on formula and that is not the best thing for schools. There has to be a bit of flexibility in the way staff is allocated to schools so they can actually decide how they want to do it. What worries me most of all is that the staffing formula is based on attendance and enrolment, and schools seem to worry too much about whether, if they lose so many more students they are going to lose a teacher. I know of a school at the moment that says: ‘We are on the verge; we might lose our second deputy’. That is something they should not have to concern themselves about. If you have a workload and a job to do in a school, it should not depend on the number of students. That is why it is old hat and it is good that you are going to be looking at the staffing formula. I hope it will help.
The Minister for Central Australia mentioned Irrkerlantye. I think what you did is sad. What has occurred since? Giving them 10 weeks reprieve will not really solve the problem, as I bet when the 10 weeks are up they still will not know where they are going. I know they are looking at different options and that there is a meeting next Tuesday with the parents and the committee members to go over some of the options they are looking at. They are all good. However, when you get a model which actually suits a community, why disrupt it? If there is a model that is different from the norm, it does not mean to say it is bad or it should not be good. If you have a model that is working for that particular community or group of people, then you should be supporting and encouraging it.
One thing they have commented to me about is that they still have not really received anything from you to tell them why you made this decision. You have not really put in writing anything to justify your decision. You might think about doing that. It would not hurt if you went and talked to the parents more and, perhaps, you need to listen to them also. You have created a scenario that was, to my mind, unnecessary. Whether you have got a bit of bad advice, I am not sure. It is probably departmental thinking that puts education and schools in boxes, and if they do not fit that mould, then they will get rid of them.
However, that is not the way education operates these days. I guarantee, if you go into a number of different schools, you will find different models occurring. It does not mean to say they are wrong; that they are not achieving. I ask you to rethink Irrkerlantye.. Help them make the right decisions. If you have real concerns - and I have heard you express some of them - let the parents know fully so they understand exactly because, quite often, some of them just think it has come out of the sky and they really cannot understand why. I know the Catholic Church has put a lot of effort into them there. There are 43 students attending Irrkerlantye at the moment. I believe you will find, because of what you have done, you have strengthened the spirit of that community. It would be good if you could, in fact, strengthen it even further.
I have to give you a pat on the back. The inclusion policy - remember I talked to you about that? We had a number of parents approach us about the children with developmental delays, and you said that you would act upon that. Well, I am very pleased to say that the Ross Park Primary School opened their class with a teacher and two support people. There are approximately 12 children there at the moment. I am glad I am not in the classroom now, because I would find it hard to cope with being part of this inclusion policy, where you have to teach not just 30 kids of all different abilities in all different levels, but have these children with special needs and try to cater for them as well. It is a huge task we are asking of our schools. That is why I believe taking these students and giving them early learning in a different scenario, and integrate them for other activities where they will not place huge demands on teachers and be so disruptive to the class is the way to go. The feedback I got from parents who were part of the lobby group for that, is that they are extremely pleased about having that particular class set up.
Regarding individual student learning profiles, sometimes we expect teachers to have this enormous workload in addition to teaching in their classroom. I was a classroom teacher. I used to spend a huge amount of time just preparing to teach, preparing for my day. However, now we put all these additional demands on our teachers. I hope - and you have mentioned professional development in your paper - that they do get that time, as part of professional development with any new system that you ask teachers to take on, for the right training and time to adapt. I do not believe we should be taking teachers away from the classroom too often. They are valuable in the classroom and that is where they do their best work. Let us not overload them with administrative work.
I have looked at some of the reports that were sent home from students at different schools, and I was just amazed at the amount of content. I believe what parents really want is not a big, verbose report. They just want to know what is the common standard for this class; whether their child is achieving those standards and going to the next class, having reached and fulfilled all the competencies they should have for that class; or are they still behind, and how they can help them pick up so they do not have that problem. Remember, if you are expecting teachers to do more administrative-type work, please make sure they have that time to learn and adapt.
I cannot not make a comment about the airconditioning at Braitling Primary School tonight. I guess that is something that we have been consumed with for some time. Alice Springs’ weather has changed; there is no doubt about it. It is no longer the dry heat of the old days. We had all these days in the high temperatures which were very humid, and the old swampies that we have in our homes and schools to cool the place just do not work - simple as that. It is not just Braitling that had the problem. Because the heat in the classroom is something like 38C at 9 am, they had five busloads of students go to Bradshaw every day, because Bradshaw at least had the space and a chilled airconditioning system. Whatever was there was just not working very well at all.
We need a plan to gradually upgrade the airconditioning systems in our schools, as some of them are extremely old. At Ross Park, for instance, they still rattle and roll on the window. As well as Sadadeen Primary School, there are lot of schools and I would imagine it is just as bad out in the remote schools and their airconditioning systems need looking at. It is a big program, but I ask the minister to think about putting in a plan to upgrade the airconditioning within our schools throughout the Territory. Of course, I would really appreciate it if you started with Braitling Primary School because I am quite sure they need it as well.
Indigenous education probably has to be one of the more difficult areas because, quite often, as parents, our expectations sometimes are not reflected in the expectations of the parents of the schools out there. It is probably because we have had a couple of generations who have not stayed at school. I talked about truancy the other day and I was a little disappointed in your response. I thought you were a bit flippant about it. On talkback radio today there were shopkeepers and parents saying no one seems to be doing anything about it. If we are going to get results that we want to get from our students, we have to get them back to school. It is as simple as that. If you go down into town camps in Alice Springs, you will find there are a lot of students from remote communities who should not be there. There are a lot of students not attending Yipirinya or the other schools in town. We have, again, some good models where places like Gillen have gone into town camps and set up annexes which have worked well.
However, we also need to make sure we give the teachers in the bush great support. It is extremely hard to work in isolation and not to have that contact. There was a system whereby the group schools were able to meet once a term and teachers could talk about some of the issues they had teaching in the bush in their schools. Anything we can do to support teachers and encourage them, we should.
I was pleased to be at the Board of Studies presentation the other day. We do have excellent results. It is perhaps, unfortunate, that our best teachers sometimes end up in the senior secondary schools because we want good results. Overall, we could say that the standard the students are achieving in their Year 12 is to be commended. I was particularly happy to see - and I have forgotten her first name - the young Buzzacott lass who won the award for Indigenous Achievement for the Territory ...
Mr Stirling: Cherisse.
Mrs BRAHAM: That is right. That was great to see and that is a credit to her and her family. She is an amazing young lady because she also was working part-time at McDonald’s and has gone back to McDonald’s to work before she goes off to university. It is a great credit to her that she is actually doing that.
Minister, thank you for your update on where we are. Please, in particular, think about what I have said about the middle school. That is particularly important for us in Alice Springs. All I can say is thanks to the teachers and the principals out there; they do a great job. I know it is hard work, it is tough going. Anything we can do to pat them on the back, we should.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage): Mr Deputy Speaker, for a relatively short period of time during my first term as member for Arafura, prior to my appointment as a minister, I was parliamentary secretary assisting the minister for Education, a role which involved working closely with the committee established to oversee implementation of the recommendations of the Learning Lessons review into indigenous education in the Territory. I was privileged to observe and participate in the enormous tasks faced by that committee, and commend the efforts of its members, in particular its chair person, Esther Djayhgurrnga, principal of the Gunbalanya School in my own electorate. The policy initiatives flying from the recommendations of the Ramsey report, which are the subject of the ministerial statement by the minister, are clearly designed to complement and enhance rather than to compete with or undermine the policy initiatives that were already in place as a result of the Learning Lessons review.
As outlined in the ministerial statement, the policy initiatives that have been adopted in response to the recommendations of the Ramsey report are extensive, varied and far-reaching and are already beginning to show positive results in some areas. As the elected representative for a bush seat with a predominantly indigenous population, I am heartened by the minister’s and our government’s emphasis on increasing the effectiveness and quality of secondary education for remote community students with the goal, of course, to try to get as many students as possible to successfully complete Year 12, and progress from there into tertiary education or skilled trade apprenticeships.
For some years, it has been asserted by pessimists - and this school of thought is unfortunately growing rather than dwindling in its size and influence - that not just remote area indigenous education, but remote area communities themselves are doomed. The general thrust of their argument is that Aboriginal children should be sent to public schools in mainstream urban centres or, if finances permit, to private boarding schools, and that Aboriginal adults should be forced to seek employment in established regional towns. That political and philosophical position is an anathema to most of my constituents whose challenge in life is to combine the fulfilment of sincerely and devoutly-held cultural and spiritual obligations with achieving some degree of objectively sustainable economic and social independence. It is, unfortunately, true that many communities are dysfunctional in some respects, although we need to be very careful not to exaggerate the negatives to the exclusion of the positives that can usually be found, in even those communities that are in crisis. We also need to remind ourselves that substance abuse, crime, unemployment and learned hopelessness are features in mainstream Territory towns and communities as well, and not just amongst indigenous families.
We also need to be aware of remote Aboriginal community success stories. Maningrida, in the western Arnhem Land portion of my electorate, is one of the largest remote area Aboriginal communities in the Territory. The land area surrounding the town of Maningrida sustains many long-established smaller outstation communities. Those communities are assisted and serviced by a large and successful organisation called Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation. In partnership with the Department of Education, Employment and Training, Bawinanga has, for many years now, maintained a primary education program for outstation children. Bawinanga is also a national role model when it comes to the establishment and successful operation of indigenous owned and controlled community businesses, from arts and craft, native plants horticulture, and the harvesting of crocodile eggs, to the production of mud bricks and their use in local construction. The combined community of Maningrida and its outstations demonstrates to all of us how, in a plural society like the Territory, Aboriginal aspirations and progress towards universal goals of education, employment and economic security and wellbeing for families can be accommodated without doing a Pol Pot in reverse and sending all the bush mob into town.
Given the achievements of Maningrida people in a number of fields, it is, therefore, no surprise to me that the Maningrida CEC has been recognised as a Territory leader in getting indigenous secondary students through Year 12. For the information of all members, Maningrida is the first remote school where students have achieved their NTCE two years in a row. The numbers went up from three in 2004 to eight in 2005.
A lot of this recognition is due to the many dedicated and hardworking staff at Maningrida CEC, the community, and those parents who want to see a better outcome for their children. I wish, in this speech, to single out the now-retired Helen Bond-Sharp, who spent much of her working life as a teacher at Maningrida, and the former principal, Lyn Hollow, who has now taken on the role of Principal at Nightcliff High School. I would like to read a brief story in the December 2005 edition of Maningrida’s community newsletter Manayingkarirra Djurrung headed ‘Maningrida CEC spreads the word’. It reads:
- Over the past few weeks, it seems that Maningrida School is on the television every time you turn it on. The ABC heard about the young men in Year 12 science class finding new species of spiders and sent their main reporter, Murray McLaughlin, and a cameraman out to Maningrida to develop the story about the students and their spider. They stayed two days and had a good look around the school and everything that happens here. Murray found that the spider story was very interesting, and last week this story was aired on national TV through the 7.30 Report. But Murray was also impressed with the work of the whole school, and worked on a story that talked about the successes of the secondary area, and the importance of this area to the future education of all Maningrida students. We saw this story on Stateline a couple of weeks ago. Everyone at the school is very proud of what our students have achieved. It is great to be able to tell the whole of the Northern Territory through Stateline, and the whole of Australia through the 7.30 Report, all about Maningrida CEC.
- More recognition occurred recently with the school winning a major prize in the Northern Territory government’s annual Equity and Diversity Awards in Darwin. The school’s entry, Maningrida CEC Uses Technology to Promote Equity and Diversity, featured a mix of technologies being used to engage the community and share information in interesting ways. This school is really getting some great results. Make sure your kids don’t miss out; send your kids to school.
The pride I feel about the achievements of the teachers and students at Maningrida will be obvious to all. However, the reason for my reading that story is not to skite; rather, it is to reveal the sound basis for the psychology underlying the Indigenous Student Leadership and Mentorship program, which is one of the important initiatives which has been outlined in the minister for Education’s statement. Individuals and families in Aboriginal communities, like individuals and families anywhere, are impressed and influenced by educational achievements and success.
That is why the last bit of the story I read to you - the exhortation to send kids to school so that they can share in the Maningrida CEC’s great result - has such a strong kick to it. Who better than the young men and women who have completed Year 12 and, in the case of the spider project, students who have had their names and faces broadcast on national television, to spread the word about the importance of finishing school? I thought I would frame my speech more on the positives, and Maningrida CEC is just one of the positives. We constantly hear about the negatives, and we allow those negatives to overlook the many positives that are being done out there.
I commend the minister for his passion, his commitment for building a better education system for our children. Mr Deputy Speaker, I commend the statement.
Ms ANDERSON (Macdonnell): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the statement on the progress of the Building Better Schools initiative brought to this House by the Minister for Employment, Education and Training. I commend the minister for both the range of initiatives that have been developed to improve student outcomes, and the increase in the pace of educational reform in the second term of government.
Investing in learning, particularly for those in disadvantaged communities, is one of the best investments we can make in improving social equity, and securing the Territory’s future in economic growth. This can only be achieved if we educate our young people so they have the skills that are necessary to face the challenges of living in an extremely competitive and globalised economy. As the minister pointed out, it is critical for the future of the Northern Territory’s economic development to build a skilled work force. The School to Work Strategic Plan is an important tool in achieving this goal. I commend the minister on the collaborative approach that has been adopted in the development of the School to Work Strategic Plan. Out of dialogue with all chief stakeholders has come reform, which training organisations, industry, parents and community members are willing to implement because they helped design it.
The previous funding model and resource arrangements between NT DEET and the registered training organisations were such that the delivery of the curriculum became the primary goal of the RTO rather than education and actual jobs. Changing the resource arrangements has removed a significant disincentive to achieving the objective of the school/training/work transition. Achieving work outcomes on the completion of schooling and training is also an important motivator for students, as the failure to secure employment on the completion of training acts as a disincentive to undertaking further study. In an era when industry widely recognises that governments need to emphasise lifelong education, developing education programs that start from an individual’s early years and continue on even late in life, it was imperative that this government removed these barriers.
Disincentives have heavily impacted on Aboriginal people in Central Australia, where indigenous people comprise half the enrolment numbers in VET programs. In large part, this over-representation in VET courses arose because VET programs became a substitute for secondary education. Secondary schooling was not available in Central Australian remote communities, which meant the young had to leave their home and families and travel to major urban centres in order to access secondary eduction.
In contrast, some VET training providers were willing to deliver training on remote communities. These programs have struggled, finding it difficult to compensate for the lack of schooling. As a result, Aboriginal people in remote communities have not achieved the job outcomes they hoped for. People have commented that they have certificates but they have been of little use beyond being wallpaper.
The lack of education has also severely limited their choice of pathways and, as a result, many are not able to undertake courses that would qualify them for the jobs that are available. This can be seen in the low level of enrolment of Aboriginal people in the business, accounting, or tourism and hospitality curriculum streams which, in turn, has implications for the involvement of indigenous people in the development of commercial enterprises, particularly tourism, on Aboriginal land.
However, I am confident that this situation will improve with the expansion of secondary schooling in remote communities. The establishment of collaborative trial sites for the delivery of secondary education in remote communities is a very welcome initiative. By aggregating student numbers to obtain a critical mass of students for effective service provision means that youth in smaller remote communities will be able to access effective secondary education whilst remaining at their home community. As I mentioned previously, the need to move away from home and the family to access secondary education has acted as a real barrier for students’ participation in secondary education. This could be seen in the low enrolment statistics for secondary education which, for Central Australia, has been estimated as low as 8%.
Through this initiative to expand access to secondary education to remote communities, I am confident that the enrolment rate will rise dramatically. Coordinated by George Hewitson, the principal who achieved such good results at Kalkaringi School, and supported by a pool of specialist teachers who will support the delivery of secondary education, I am confident that this model will be successful and, as a result, will be expanded to include all remote communities.
Improved outcomes for our young people are also contingent on an improved and fairer staffing formula. The current ratio of 22 students per teacher in remote communities, where most students have little or no English, is inequitable; it is not fair on teachers or students. Therefore, I welcome the development of the new formula which will see students have equitable entitlements in staffing through the development of a new needs-based school resource allocation formula.
The resource allocation for capital works has also been problematic, with no independent assessment or any ranking of capital works on the basis of need. The result has clearly been inequitable, with a number of our schools in a badly dilapidated state. A number of teachers have told me that schools in Central Australia have the worst conditions and this is one factor in the limited tenure of teachers. Airconditioners, as the member for Braitling said, are not working inside schools, schools are very old, the windows have been smashed, the doors are eaten away - they are some of the complaints I have had from teachers in remote communities. According to the Learning Lessons report, the average stay of teachers in remote Central Australian communities was seven months compared with 18 months in the north. Measures taken by the government in Building Better Schools will improve the retention of teachers and, as a result, student outcomes. Improving our education system depends largely on the professionalism and dedication of our teachers. They are one of the Territory’s most important assets. We must value them and give them the resources they need to fully develop the potential of our young people in the Northern Territory.
The professional learning community initiative is a good method of supporting our teachers because it will provide them with opportunities for professional development, something that is difficult to achieve in an education system comprised predominantly of small schools. That the participation of schools include the entire cross-section of school types in the Northern Territory, including non-government schools, will improve outcomes across the whole NT education sector. Professional learning communities will assist teachers to further their knowledge and expertise through the development and sharing of good practice in a supportive environment. The methodology is action research and continuous improvement, which has the potential to enhance both the standard of education and the harmonisation of educational practices in the Northern Territory.
This program will provide important professional development for our indigenous teachers like Tarna Andrews of Areyonga; Kapunanyi Nakamarra of Papunya; and Amelda Palmer at Ltyentye Apurte. These teachers are generally the first generation in their families to have had any schooling and they have often found it very difficult mediating the different expectations and perspectives of the communities and the Education Department. As the trail blazers, they deserve the opportunity to improve and develop their schools.
The introduction of qualified counsellors in all secondary schools is an important service to assist students to complete their education and fulfil their potential. It is also recognition that, whilst training and specific skills are necessary for job transitions, of equal importance is the development of cognitive and emotional competence. Their role will complement those of teachers and, as the minister said, it will not be long before schools come to wonder how they managed without them.
I am looking forward to seeing the outcomes of both the indigenous leadership program and the enterprise establishment grants for students wanting to include enterprise education in their mix of studies. Having had the honour of visiting many schools throughout my electorate and meeting many of our school students, I have been impressed by their calibre and abilities. I look forward to following the progress of these programs.
Finally, I welcome the initiative in data collection. This is an important area, particularly in assisting teachers to track the highly mobile population in remote communities. The inter-community mobility rate in Central Australia has been estimated at 30% of any one community. By sharing student information on a database, this will remove the need for students to re-enrol as they move from community to community, thereby encouraging students to attend school wherever they may be residing. I encourage the department to continue working on this initiative so that, in the future, student academic progress is also able to be tracked. This will improve outcomes for students and assist teachers to ensure continuity despite the high mobility of a large percentage of the population.
Mr Deputy Speaker, the initiatives that have been developed are a credit to the Building Better School team in DEET. They have progressed many initiatives in such a short time, and I congratulate them for their work and look forward to seeing the future refinement and development of initiatives that will significantly empower our education system for all Territorians. As the minister said, the Building Better Schools program is one of the government’s most critical reform agendas. We need to maintain our focus on ongoing reforms so that all the Territory students have their educational opportunities to achieve their potential. This continued effort is necessary because even a superficial look at history shows a social progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability; it comes through tireless effort and persistent work and dedication.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to comment on some of the positives the member for Macdonnell has spoken of tonight, but I will come to that a little later. The statement tonight revolves around a major program of education reform for our secondary schooling system.
In the rural area, of course, we have one major secondary school, Taminmin High School, which has a VET program. The government should be congratulated on the support it gives for that VET program. Taminmin is unique in the Northern Territory because it has an agricultural farm attached to the school where students can learn about cattle, goats, vegetables and fruit, as well as learning, through the VET program, mechanics to put cars together, and to do welding - all those things that are so essential if you go back on the land. The VET program is something that needs to be strengthened.
I am grateful that when the minister was notified the VET program funding for Taminmin last year had dropped, he immediately told the department it was to stay as it was. I congratulate the government for doing that because Taminmin is a unique school; it now has 694 students enrolled. It also has a new principal, Tony Considine who has come from Thursday Island in Queensland, I believe, and taken over from Kim Rowe. He is a new broom. I went to the last council meeting, as did the members for Daly and Goyder. You might say he has a different view to previous administrators. That is not putting him down at all, it is just that he has some different points of view.
One of the problems with Taminmin is simply that it has never been able to retain enough students in Years 11 and 12 to attract more courses. One of the problems you always have in the rural area is that many students go to many schools. I would say, traditionally, Chinese students go to Darwin High School; it is just about their home base and has been for many years. Many kids go to O’Loughlin, Kormilda, and St John’s. You just have to be at the bus stop at Palmerston at 3:30 pm to 4 pm and look at the different coloured uniforms from all those schools. Quite a few of those are going back to the rural area, so the rural student population is spread far and wide. Taminmin has to be able to try to attract those people. Quite a few kids in the rural area go to Palmerston High School.
It is like a dog chasing its tail; until we get enough students in Years 11 and 12, we cannot raise the academic standard by having more courses. You have to get those people to stay in Year 11 and 12 so we can provide those courses. However, people say: ‘Oh, you do not have the courses, so we will send our kids elsewhere.’ The government may have to have an exemption, where it allows more teachers, even though those classes are lower in number; to have the courses running to attract young people to stay at Taminmin for Years 11 and 12.
I also see the benefits that urban schools have. Taminmin would require a better public transport system that went more than one way in the morning and one way in the afternoon. If the young people, for instance from Palmerston, would like to go and do some of the VET courses at Taminmin, it really would require a much better public transport system out to Humpty Doo from Palmerston. It is important that kids in the urban areas do have the opportunity to take on some of the courses that they would not be able to do anywhere else. When we talk about Building Better Schools, we need to look at that. I believe that was originally raised in the Ramsey report when they were talking about the clusters. We were a bit fearful that Palmerston would suck out all the kids out of Taminmin. I am glad that has not gone down that path, but there are opportunities there for a relationship between Palmerston High and Taminmin High in sharing courses.
I will just go through a few issues as I go along. I welcome the 20 student counsellors. There is one counsellor per high school, which may vary in more remote areas. I ask how the student counsellors and the wellbeing officers match? They seem to have the same role. I presume someone who is a counsellor is also looking after wellbeing. I would like the minister to explain their roles, and if they clash or complement one another. Do you find a wellbeing officer at every school as you do a counsellor? I like the idea of a counsellor because, unfortunately, the poor old teachers today who are meant to teach the subjects are also counsellors all the time. I am not saying they should not help students, because students come with a great range of problems every day to school. However, sometimes, I am sure the teachers would just like to teach the subject they are meant to teach. The counsellor is a good idea and great initiative by the government.
There does not seem to be anything about attendance officers. The member for Braitling has been talking about truancy. In fact, I think the minister said that in some places they have disappeared. The minister could say in his response what is happening to attendance officers. I met the two attendance officers about two years ago at Palmerston High. The reason I met them was because you may remember that we have a cricket match - this might sound a long-winded way to get there - out on a World War II cricket pitch called Strauss Cricket Ground. The family of Strauss came out to honour their uncle by - I cannot think of the word. Not launch –what do you do with a plaque?
Dr Lim: Unveil.
Mr WOOD: Unveil a plaque. That is the word I was after. They came over to unveil the plaque. Their names were Judi and Payden Green, and they are both teachers. Judi Green actually works with difficult kids at a high school called Marysville High School in Ohio. I am hoping to go there this year to return the trip. They then used their trip to go to Palmerston High. They wanted to see what the Northern Territory did with problems with kids turning up for school. That is how I got to learn about our attendance officers, and I was quite impressed. However, we have to try to expand that. I see kids in my area not at school when I know they should be at school. We have to put in more effort. It is a difficult area. If parents will not force their kids to school, what do you do? However, we have to pay more attention to that.
Middle years was mentioned. One of the things that has come out from the council meetings I have been to - both primary and secondary - since the start of school, was that it was a bit of a hurry. I know these principals have to have this middle school stuff all signed, sealed and delivered in a very short time. It might be at the end of this month. I have not had great reaction against the hurry although, if it is a new principal, all of a sudden, he has to …
A member interjecting.
Mr WOOD: Yes. It is hard for a principal - for instance, at Taminmin where he has just arrived - to all of a sudden be dealing with a fairly complex issue of middle school.
There certainly was debate as to whether Year 10 should be in senior or middle schools. I think Taminmin was looking at even the possibility of Year 10 being like a transition, where you gradually brought people into senior, but they might do half a year in middle school and then you move them into senior school. So, that Year 10 becomes a transition year. I thought that was interesting; it obviously means people are thinking about it. I know that when this was debated last year, I had people say they were worried about how this would apply to Casuarina Secondary College. Casuarina Secondary College is an open college where kids can come and go as they like. The reason they can do that is because those kids are a certain age where not being at school is a problem; it is up to them whether they come to school or not. It is not an offence, if that is the right word.
Once you put Year 10 into Casuarina Open College, who is going to compel those kids in Year 10? They are going to feel like: ‘Year 11 and 12 are going up to Casuarina Square for lunch today, I might as well go too’. That is an issue that really has to be sorted out. It may not apply to all schools because they are not all open colleges, but it is certainly an issue that we have to deal with at Casuarina Open College. I do not know whether there are any open colleges in Central Australia that it would possibly apply ...
Dr Lim: Centralian.
Mr WOOD: Centralian.
Indigenous education is always a subject that has been debated a lot in this parliament. I have stood here before and said literacy and numeracy in primary schools is just terrible. Even though we are talking about secondary schools, if we cannot raise the level of literacy and numeracy in primary schools, then we are not going to win in secondary schools - the kids are going to be so far behind they are never really going to achieve. We had some positive movements. I notice the member for Macdonnell was talking about, if we can have more secondary education in the bush the less trauma there is with people having to leave their homelands. The reality is, there is no way we are going to have high schools in every community. That is simply not on; it is too expensive. Whether we can have high schools that are in the regions, such as the high school at Yulara, which has that long name which I always forget.
Dr Lim interjecting.
Mr WOOD: It is longer than that. There is a high school there which we went to during the substance abuse committee trips, which is more like a regional high school. There are possibilities with having that type of development where they might have to leave for certain periods of time, but at least they are not leaving the whole region; they are within a region they can at least relate to. If we are to get young indigenous students who can do physics and chemistry, and those subjects require highly-qualified teachers and plenty of equipment, you cannot have that here, here and here, it is just not feasible. The subjects we are teaching at the moment which most people in Year 12 do, generally are not the type of subjects that require a lot of that type of equipment. However, if we are to advance the Year 11 and 12 subjects, then we have to look at regional high schools of some sort, which may have a boarding attachment.
The minister did not talk too much about the NT Open College. The NT Open College, naturally, was a fairly topical area of debate during the proposals that were put forward last year. A lot of people certainly did not want to see major changes to the NT Open College. It would be interesting for the minister to give us a rundown on where NT Open College fits within the Building Better Schools program. I notice there was discussion about Katherine School of the Air Interactive Distance Learning Studio and those sorts of things. How does that relate to the NT Open College? How do the two fit in together? I am interested if the minister could expand on the role of NTOC.
There is another area which worries me; that is, education on Catholic communities. I have heard rumblings and had people talk to me, and I am getting the feeling that somewhere in the department there is a move to try to get rid of the Catholic Education system from indigenous schools. Could the minister clearly state if there is a policy to take over some of these schools? The two schools I am concerned about are Wadeye and Bathurst Island. I know there has been talk in the public arena about Bathurst Island. I heard the member for Macdonnell talk about schools in a dilapidated state in her electorate. If there is anyone considering taking over the Catholic schools, why would you even bother when there is plenty of work to look at out there in the government schools?
The Catholic schools are part of the Northern Territory. They were mission schools in the Commonwealth days. I think there were independent schools, government schools and mission schools. Many of those schools, such as Bathurst Island, have been there for close on 100 years, and the Wadeye School has been there since about 1935. We live in a society where there are different types of schools - that is the way we are in Darwin; you can pick and choose. I would have no problem if the government decided a wise thing to do was to put a government school - if that is what the community wanted - in those communities as well if people wanted a choice. However, I am getting feedback from various sources …
Mr Henderson: One source.
Mr WOOD: No. It is a valid question - and I know the minister will take it on - as to whether there is a move from within the department to try to replace the Catholic Education system in those communities.
The other question I have - and I do not know enough about this, minister, you might be able to help us – is that I had heard there is to be a boarding school on Melville Island, and I would like to know what type of school it is. Is it a secondary school or primary school? Who runs it? Who funds it? I had been told that some of the royalties from the timber were part of the means of funding it. Where exactly is it situated? Which of the communities is it situated near? I know no more than that, so I thought I would ask the question tonight. It is an appropriate question, and at least if I hear people say something, I can say this is what the minister has said. If those people have it wrong, I will say: ‘Here is what the minister has to say about it’. I thought I would take the opportunity tonight just to ask those questions.
Getting back to the general thrust, minister, education, like health and law and order, must be one of these things that, no matter who you are, there are always difficult areas. We know that education in the Northern Territory is not one of the easiest things because we have so many remote areas where there are small populations.
What I read here makes a lot of good sense. It would be an unwise person to bag the government for what it is trying to do. It is a difficult area. It is trying to do things; it has put the Ramsey report together. It has listened to people on various issues that they were concerned with last year. You were not here – oh, sorry, I should not say that.
I did say at the beginning that I hope you can keep supporting VET, especially at places like Taminmin. I would also love to see a technical school. I still think Palmerston, for instance, is an ideal place for the old-fashioned technical school - not in the university, but out there where young kids are. I know we have some technical school ability at Palmerston High, but I was told one of the rooms which was the carpentry room or the metal works is now a library. I really think that is what technical schools were about. They were out in those suburbs, close to where the kids were. I still think there is room for a technical school.
I know the Commonwealth government said it is going to put up millions of dollars for a technical school. Then it told us it was going to be private, or funded by industry; it was not going to be a physical structure. It was going to be a technical school but it was going to be run from - I do not know where.
When you think of the numbers of young people who live in Palmerston, and of some of the issues, if you are trying to help the social fabric of a place like Palmerston, you have good sporting facilities. There is a new sporting facility going up in Palmerston at the moment, which is great. I noticed recently, for instance, that the old Palmerston Magpies - I umpire the Under 18s, and I had three matches they all forfeited – team, unfortunately, has been dropped off the list. I know there is a new presidency in that area. I am hoping that organisations such as the Palmerston Magpies will, somehow, attract more young people. That is all part of a total package: have good education, good sporting facilities, places for kids to go and, hopefully, you get less problems around the community.
I ask the minister whether any thought has ever been given to building a technical school in Palmerston, even if it started in a small way but was capable of building up? It might be attached to Palmerston High,- do not know, that would be up to other people to decide.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I welcome the statement tonight; it certainly has some important initiatives. I presume you will come back in a few months’ time and report on how these things are going.
Mr BURKE (Brennan): Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the minister’s statement. I thank the minister for his statement, putting on public record the progress that has been made in respect of the Building Better Schools initiatives. As the minister said, in 2005 this Labor government committed an extra $42m over four years to improve secondary education in the Territory. This is on top of the other expenditure advancing an education system that previous CLP governments were happy to ignore.
I commend the minister for his statement that the most important goal to have in education is an improvement in student outcomes. The members of the opposition would do well to note this statement. Our goal is not to improve some student outcomes and leave others out because it is too hard. The goal is not improvement in urban schools outcomes because we have no political interest in remote area schools. Our commitment is to all Territorians and to do what we can to improve outcomes across the board.
The minister made reference to the reforms made in indigenous education during Labor’s first term. Let me ask this question: in 1980, how many remote areas indigenous students completed the Northern Territory Certificate of Education. I stand to be corrected, but I think it was none. How many remote area indigenous students completed the NTCE in 1985? Again, I think the answer is still none. Let us go the whole hog: how many indigenous students studying in remote areas completed an NTCE between the years 1979 to 2001 when Labor came to power? A grand total of none. Let us compare the record. In 2001, the number remains zero. It remains zero in 2002. In 2003, the Northern Territory had three indigenous students in remote areas complete the NTCE, within 18 months of the change of government. What happened in 2004? There were five graduate indigenous students who studied in remote areas; a small but welcomed increase from the previous year. How many indigenous students studying in remote areas graduated with NTCE last year? The minister has already advised the Assembly in his speech, so this is a bit of a test to see who was listening. The answer is, of course, 25 graduates.
In less than five years in regard to remote education in indigenous communities, Labor has well and truly outstripped the achievement of previous regimes. It is even impossible to say that under Labor there is a thousand-fold increase than those managed by the CLP because a thousand-fold of zero is still zero. It is worse than that though, the CLP government had a policy of no secondary education in remote schools. Secondary provider status was only accorded to high schools and the Northern Territory Open Education Centre. Large remote schools were classified as community education centres and, despite having large numbers of secondary-age students, were not able to offer secondary programs. They were restricted to special courses called foundation studies and general studies, which were classified as bridging courses. If kids got to cross the bridge, then they could access NTOEC Year 8. However, the courses took 18 months each; a total of three years. The kids could not access Year 8 until they were at least 15. They were locked into these special courses for indigenous kids only - locked into second-rate education, a policy of the CLP. No wonder the kids voted with their feet.
A lot of people pushed hard to change this because they believed the Aboriginal students were capable of everything non-indigenous students were, albeit in a different language. The government of the day was not interested. Why? Maybe thinking was, too hard, too expensive - no jobs, they do not vote for us. Whatever it was, it was going nowhere until 2001. The minister authorised the secondary provision in remote schools project and - lo and behold! - we had three kids at Kalkarindji passing their NTCE. Robyn and George Hewitson cracked it open, and credit must be given to them.
Maningrida extended it in the next year with five. As I said, last year, we had 25 kids in five different communities. Fittingly, Quitaysha Frith from Kalkarindji won the Inaugural Telstra Robyn and George Hewitson Award for best remote student in 2005, presented at Parliament House last Friday night.
The Secondary Provision in Remote Schools project will continue. More and more communities are putting their hands up. It is a natural and proper reaction on the part of communities to want to be part of it. Many smaller communities are also demanding secondary education, and this government will work to find ways to deliver that for them. The Martin Labor government has done what everybody said was impossible, and we can finally hold our heads high in national and international circles. We may have a long way to go, but we proved it can be done; that we have the willingness to get it done. We will continue to do it.
In the past four years, this government has built new secondary school facilities at Kalkarindji, Maningrida, Minyerri, Papunya, and Shepherdson College on Elcho Island. The CLP asked what we have done with the money. As far as I am concerned, the opposition is right to run away from this historical fact. I am utterly appalled by the lack of action by CLP successive governments to address remote area education. Those facts and figures clearly show that the CLP was happy to govern for the benefit of some but, by no means, for the benefit of all.
I know all members on the Labor side of the House want to see that number of 25 grow even larger. That is why I applaud the government and the minister for Education for the further reforms the minister spoke of to assist even more indigenous students to graduate with the NTCE, not just in remote areas but right across the Territory.
I thank all the teachers who devoted a part of their lives to taking education to remote parts of the Territory. We, as a government, will continue to look at ways we can support you in your endeavours. The Northern Territory government, as stated by the minister, is committed to expanding VET in Schools. The minister spoke of making Vocational Education and Training an increasingly important part of school-based education. He mentioned the concern that vocational education has not received the attention it should and how this government has acted to ensure that it is a priority.
The minister spoke of consulting key stakeholder groups. Here is another stark contrast with the previous CLP governments. This government included union representatives in its consultation process rather than exclude them. I restate to the Assembly what I have said on many occasions outside this House: if you want to know what is happening on the ground in an industry, ask the unions. The union movement is the first to pick up the problems. When Howard’s federal government started ripping money out of the apprenticeship schemes and re-skilling programs, who raised the alarm? Who was it who said we would have a shortage of tradespeople if this continued? The union movement. Perhaps, however, this was part of Howard’s grand plan. We now have a need for importing workers that did not previously exist - workers who are not paid the same as Australian tradespeople. Perhaps I am just a conspiracy theorist at heart, but it seems to fit hand in glove with the current industrial relations climate.
I am glad to be part of a government that involves all parties, and not follow the path of previous governments of excluding a section of industry because it sees no value in its contribution. I know the union movement, through organisations such as Unions NT, is making welcome and meaningful contributions to the VET in Schools program. Members opposite may be surprised to learn that the unions and employer groups have the same interests in ensuring that young people are given the skills they need to make the transition to the work place.
The pathways program aims to provide students, many of whom enjoyed limited success within mainstream schooling, with an alternative which keeps them in full-time education and training. The program enables students to engage in school-based apprenticeships and the NTCE. For a successful participation in the program, students should be able to complete both the NTCE and a nationally-recognised Vocational Certificate at level 2. The program commenced in Central Australia and, in 2005, was expanded to Palmerston and Sanderson High Schools.
Palmerston High School continues to have a large and increasing number of students involved in VET in Schools programs, mainly in Year 11. Students have been going to other locations to access VET as Palmerston High is not a registered training organisation. I understand that Palmerston High School is in the process of introducing its own VET courses through auspicing arrangements with other registered training organisations. Palmerston High had 30 students start the program, and 18 still undertaking it by the end of 2005. These students are leading the charge and are now in the second phase of the program. I wish them every success. They have the example of the national apprentice of the year, a former student of Palmerston High School, to follow.
The introduction of a middle school years approach is a watershed in education in the Northern Territory. A system-wide introduction is no small endeavour. Many teachers within and outside the public education system have told me what an exciting and timely move it is. The consultative nature of the process has seen people in the community and profession give us unprecedented support. I was surprised by the voices of the opposition suggesting that there was too much consultation. Maybe it is because they consider consultation so unimportant. I remember in 1985 when the decision to implement junior and senior high schools was made, there was not any consultation with students and parents, and I do not think there was very much consultation with teachers. Sure, there were information sessions about, ‘This is what we are going to do’, but the other side to that was, ‘No matter what you say, we are still going to do it’.
The minister mentioned training of teachers as an important part of the implementation of the middle years program. This is, indeed, important. We cannot leave our teachers high and dry when it comes to giving them professional development opportunities. There are certainly differences in teaching within the middle years approach to what they are currently involved in, although many teachers are already implementing middle school approaches to their curriculum. I am confident that professional development is occurring and will continue as the Northern Territory moves to implement a Territory-wide middle schools approach in the public education system.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, when the minister made his report in August last year, I thought the member for Blain, who was the shadow minister for Education, and myself responded very positively and encouraged the minister to deliver on his aspirations for education in the Northern Territory. In fact, I said, now that you have talked the talk, you must now walk the walk. Then, I listened to a young member for Brennan telling us how well the Labor government has done to produce 25 high school graduates ...
Mr Burke: Twenty-five more than you lot managed.
Dr LIM: Never you mind that. These students would have to have at least pretty good primary education to be successful in secondary education. They did not go to primary school during the time of the Labor government. As they say, in the words of somebody better than I am: better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and confirm it.
The minister for Education endeavours enormously to do the right thing by our students, white or indigenous. It does not really matter who or what they are, they are all Territorians who deserve the best that education can offer. That is through great education, and we can do that. Through good education, they can achieve whatever they aspire to achieve.
Six months ago, we spoke of very many issues that this government has attempted to do but has not quite got there. We spoke of class sizes and how it has impacted significantly on the way education can be delivered. To this day, while the unions might have agreed to the EBA and agreed to a class size of one teacher to 27 students, the teachers are complaining that that class size is causing a lot of problems; that to deliver effective education to children in primary school it is not satisfactory. Far be it that the Labor government claims that they have delivered many high school graduates from among Indigenous students. Never mind that our primary school kids are not being taught as well as they can be.
We have always talked about school attendance as being an issue, first in urban schools and then in remote schools. The fact that this government has allowed the attendance officers to disappear into nothing is an indictment on the commitment of this government to ensure that primary school kids do go to school. It is a problem because, if the kids are no longer attending school, they are not going to achieve basic primary education which will enable them to then reach for the secondary education that this Labor Party - itself alone, obviously, and no other party would - aspires to for indigenous kids.
We know that culture, or so-called culture, comes into why people do not attend school. While cultural issues may be complicating school attendance, it is about trying to inculcate in people that mainstream education is the most important tool they can reach for. Our unique cultural and racial mix obviously causes problems for the delivery of education.
I will use the same words that I used in my August response to the minister because I did very well then, too. I will say it again because I believe it is worthwhile saying and for members to pay some attention to. I said this:
In the current environment of multiculturalism, there are some quarters where the teaching of English to children of a non-English speaking background is perceived as assimilationist. I believe the teaching of English as a second language to everyone in Australia, to every child in the Northern Territory, is enabling participation in the mainstream. Ultimately, education has to be delivered at nationally competitive standards to communities in urban centres as well as in the most remote parts of the Northern Territory where English is frequently a second language.
- Understanding that early childhood education is of great interest to all parents and is critical to the good development of literacy and numeracy, every effort must be made to provide all children with a sound education in the language medium that is prevailing in the country.
It has to be. If we were not speaking English in this Chamber, or if we do not understand English to an adequate level in this Chamber, we could not participate fully in this Chamber. Ask the members for Macdonnell and Arnhem. We have to participate in English because that is the only way that our colleagues can understand us. I can speak in my language and the member for Macdonnell can speak in her language. That is fine, but none of us would understand what it means. What is the value in that?
I am not saying that you cannot be educated in any other language, but in any country you will need to be able to work within the mainstream. English is the language of this country and of participation in public life and inter-group relations in what we call a linguistically and culturally diverse society. Regardless of whether English is our first language or not, we should have the right to attain a level of communication and competence in the paternal language, which is English. It will enable us to take our rightful place in the Northern Territory. To learn more one than one language is to increase ones own capacity to comprehend and to communicate. The greater one has that capacity, the greater is one’s power to grasp ideas and to act upon the world. Therefore, English should be encouraged; do not say it must not be done.
The minister spoke about endorsing the policy of middle school being for Years 7 to 9. Obviously, he has not quite decided what he is going to do about Year 10 because he does not say anything about it. If, by default, Year 10 goes into the secondary college, then he needs to state that. I am sure the Casuarina Secondary College is greatly concerned. They have said for over a year-and-a-half that they had been engaged in this debate, that this government has been trying to push through the Ramsey report, and that Casuarina is not designed for Year 10 students. Year 10 students could be as young as 14 years old and they are going to a college system where there are students easily 18 years of age as well. It is a huge range of age and maturity and this government says nothing about what process it is going to put in place to ensure that these 14-year-olds are going to be catered for; mentored or provided with pastoral care - nothing at all. If the minister wants to do it, it is the government’s prerogative to do that – that is fine. However, the minister needs to at least explain to us in this Chamber, if not to every parent who has a 14-year-old going to a senior secondary college, what it means.
Indigenous education starts from the very basic preschool years. What the minister did with Irrkerlantye Learning Centre in Alice Springs is beyond comprehension. After a lot of community complaints and demonstrations, the government has agreed to an extension of its life until the end of this first term. We are already into the second or third week of the school term, so the Irrkerlantye has about two months of life left. However, what is going to happen after that? Within the next three or four weeks, the whole school community is again going to be in turmoil. We need to ensure that this school has some answers and that the children have somewhere to go. If we want to teach, provide education in an appropriate cultural context, then Irrkerlantye has the right cultural context. It has the community support. Not only indigenous communities but mainstream community in Alice Springs supported their school. The ads that appeared last year before the last week of our sittings were supported by mainstream Alice Springs. The learning centre deserves an early response so that they can get on with their lives. I implore the minister to respond as soon as he can.
Like the member for Nelson, I was concerned about the lack of any comment by the minister about the Northern Territory Open Education Centre. Over the last 18 months, the NTOEC also made a lot of their views known to government and parliament; that they provided very high quality distance education for the Territory. The fact that the minister spoke in his statement in detail about the Katherine School of the Air and the IDL service that has been provided and enhanced, worries me somewhat. It worries me that the minister chose to ignore the premier distance education facility the Northern Territory has. Is it a hidden or veiled manner of saying to the NTOEC that their days are numbered? The Ramsey report wanted the NTOEC to close down altogether. It was through a lot of community support that the government was convinced not to make that decision. However, 18 months down the track, maybe the government thought: ‘The noise has died down and we will now proceed with closing down the NTOEC’. The staff of the NTOEC are watching closely. I believe it is important for you to reaffirm that the NTOEC will continue and, in fact, be enhanced so that it remains the premier distance education facility that we have in the Northern Territory.
The education community needs some certainty. The way the minister is going in this direction has many positives. I support him in the positive way that he has gone. I am pleased to see that he has qualified school counsellors. I assume by that, he has at least a psychologist who is a head of the unit and trained, qualified counsellors who will maintain the services for all secondary schools in the Northern Territory, with the secondary schools’ counsellor providing services to the primary schools that feed into it. If that is the case, then it will be very useful.
However, let us not walk away from the DARE program, which I know the Department of Education would love to get rid of quickly. The Police department would love to get the constable back on to its general duties force rather than being out there servicing school kids. The DARE program is a very good program. It has provided a very positive way to ensure that school children received a hardening of their attitudes against illicit drugs and other behaviours. Having a police constable in uniform based at the school has had a very positive impact on these children, and it should continue. I know that in Alice Springs the program has been watered down so significantly now that it is almost non-existent. I know the constables who are involved are most disappointed but, unfortunately, this is again a policy of government. I do not know what benefits there are in government removing these constables from the schools, but they are doing that. If the minister thinks that it has not been noticed well, it has been.
I come back to the issue of the Labor government claiming they are the ones who are responsible for the improved secondary education for indigenous students. Education, the best form of education, is done in a form of scaffolding, where you instruct, teach, and provide more and more skills based on a previously learnt skill. The fact that we have indigenous students now graduating from high school and choosing to go to university and into trades and other TAFE courses is a fantastic outcome. I could not praise these students more than anybody. This is terrific for the future of the Northern Territory. Every government contributes towards that.
Let us look back to 1950. How many of our forebears went to university? Was that a failure of the government of the 1950s that our forebears did not go to university? In the 1960s, some of us did because we were old enough to be there. Now, most of us would have gone to university, or at least got a diploma or an associate diploma. That is the way things move through history. With time, things get better. It is good that you provide resources and a bit of impetus to push it along a bit faster - that is a good thing. However, to say that a government, of whatever persuasion, maliciously denied education to indigenous people in the Northern Territory is nothing more than blatant racism in the extreme. I refute that. I resent such a comment. The Country Liberal Party did its best, within the conditions and resources that it had. The fact that they produced children who were capable of going into secondary school has to be seen in its positive light; that it contributed to the success that indigenous students have today. I wish these children the best, and look forward to them providing good role models for other indigenous students to follow.
In closing, Madam Speaker, the minister is starting to walk the walk, and that is good. Let us see that, over the next three to six months, he comes back with another report to see how far he has progressed. I do not expect him to change the world overnight, however, I hope he will progress and that we will see better outcomes for our students - whether they be black, white, Chinese, Greek or whatever, it does not matter. What we want is good education for all our children in the Northern Territory.
Mr STIRLING (Employment, Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I will start with the last first, because the comments from the member for Greatorex in relation to what the member for Brennan was speaking about in relation to secondary results came across my attention. The member for Greatorex, obviously, was not listening too closely. The member for Brennan was, in fact, talking about the tremendous success in indigenous students getting their NTC in their own communities …
Dr Lim: No, he slagged into the CLP, he did. Do not try to change the words now.
Mr STIRLING: This idiot over here says it is all a result of quality primary under the CLP. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason we went into this review was because our results across the secondary across the whole of the Northern Territory are abysmal! The best performing high schools in the Northern Territory do not make the South Australian average at Year 12. So do not have any notion that quality primary schools under you led to …
Dr Lim: You have been in government for five years. It is your fault that our high schools do not match …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STIRLING: … quality secondary outcomes. If we had quality secondary outcomes we would not have commissioned …
Members interjecting.
Mr STIRLING: We would not have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars on studies …
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr STIRLING: You idiot.
Dr Lim: Idiot - withdraw that word. Withdraw!
Mrs MILLER: A point or order!
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, I would like you to withdraw ‘idiot’ twice in that conversation.
Mr STIRLING: I withdraw ‘idiot’, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. I want no further interjections from the member for Greatorex.
Dr Lim: Well, he slagged in to me.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex! Deputy Chief Minister, please continue.
Mr STIRLING: Madam Speaker, I just wanted to correct a misunderstanding that the member for Greatorex had in relation to a most absurd claim that we had good secondary results because of quality primary education established under the CLP. The fact is we have lousy secondary results and that is why we are doing so much work on reforming secondary education. You guys left it a basket case, after 30 years of neglect under the CLP government, that is why we have had to do so much work. The member for Brennan was specifically referring to the fact that there had been no indigenous students achieve the NTCE in their own community for all of the years that there has been self-government in the Northern Territory until 2003 under this government.
That out of the way, Madam Speaker - and I can get my breath back now. Hypocrisy and deceit always stir me up and I make no apology for that.
Generally, the debate was conducted in a very positive fashion. I thank all members for their views and for contributing, particularly the first speaker, the opposition spokesperson for education, the member for Blain, who is very positive. He has very strong views about middle schools, some of it in part from his background in non-government education where he actually dealt with middle schools. We welcome that support and him putting it on the record tonight.
Whilst he supports it, he has in the past and again this evening talked about the process having taken too long. I guess it has taken time, but we make no apology for the in-depth consultation in working through the community. We want the community to understand at the community level why change is necessary and what change should be implemented. While on the one hand the member for Blain says that process has taken too long, on the other he says it is so important to get it right that the implementation should, perhaps, be staged or trialled. There is a little of each side of the coin there: on the one hand the process has taken too long, but we should take even longer to implement it. That is not our view at the moment. We would want to implement the system across the board, notwithstanding that it may take time to establish logistical infrastructure changes required in schools in some areas. That does not mean that you could not still run off with your middle school process and program and bring your infrastructure changes in later. In that sense, there might be staging. However, we are not talking about trialling; we are talking about the real thing once we get the community consultation back in and before Cabinet around April.
In relation to teachers and how they will work through what will and is expected to be – certainly over time – a quite different pedagogy in middle schools to what teachers have been used to, the answer – and it was put forward by the member for Braitling – is professional involvement. The answer to working teachers through change, stress, anxiety and different teaching methods is professional development. We stand ready to deliver that professional development full on in relation to middle school teaching and learning styles once we know exactly how the system will look. However, we do welcome those comments and we thank the opposition for their support.
In relation to community engagement not mentioned in this contribution which the member for Blain picked up. He is quite right; it is not actually part of Building Better Schools, it sits quite rightly under the indigenous education strategy. There is more to come on that; we will have plenty to say about it as that strategy is fully developed and we put that community engagement process into effect.
In relation to the 19 school counsellors that we have now brought on board, I think we have 15 in place. Should it extend to primary They will. Whilst they will be based with their high school they will attend and service those feeder primary schools to those particular high schools. We have strengthened the system considerably, particularly with current counsellors remaining in position. We are virtually doubling the effort there. There is every opportunity, and we would expect, that these school counsellors will work with their primary school feeders.
Regarding COGSO and support for school councils, COGSO has been closely involved in all the consultation. They have been on the boards or the committees as sounding boards behind this process all the way through, both around Building Better Schools and middle schools. We welcome COGSO’s involvement and we appreciate their views on all of these matters. We will continue to have COGSO engaged as we do with the AEU and school councils, right through.
The member for Braitling is generally supportive of the approach, but does not want things to change in Alice Springs. She said it works fine, Year 10s are too young to go into a senior school situation, they are not ready but, at the same time, wants the minister to listen to what Alice parents and teachers want. Well, this is exactly what the consultative process is about. This is why we have taken so long to this stage and why we will continue to go out and consult over these remaining months in relation to the models, and exactly what we go about implementing …
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, would you mind pausing for a minute? Whoever has that mobile phone, would you please take it out of the Chamber? It may be the member for Macdonnell. Minister, please continue.
Mr STIRLING: There is an element of double-talk here, because the member for Braitling says I should listen to what the teachers and parents in Alice Springs want, but she has the right to stand up here and say, no, Year 10s into senior school will not work. While she can have a very fixed view, I am bound to listen to the parents and teachers. That is fine. It is an interesting view as a whole, that you do not have to be consultative, but others do. However, we will be consultative all the way through.
Regarding pushing VET out to communities and pushing VET down to middle schools, we actually have had as a policy a strategy to push Vocational Education and Training down as far as Year 9. We have not really pushed to implement it, but it is a policy of government. Now, around all of this restructuring schools, there is still the opportunity to do that and we will. I support your views on that.
I picked up your points about counsellors and primary schools. They will work with feeder schools, similar to the point made by the member for Blain.
I thank you for your views around the staffing formula. We agree, you cannot have a ‘one fits all’ approach in relation to staffing. Schools and individuals, by their nature, are different and represent so many vastly differing needs that we do need to get innovative. An enormous amount of work has gone into this and, from the few briefings I have had on it, it is an enormously challenging intellectual exercise in coming to a view that one size will not fit all, or what you can have that is fair and equitable at the same time. There is quite an intellectually rigorous challenge in all of that. However, there are some terrific brains at DEET who are working on this. When they came to speak to me about it, I had no idea - absolutely no idea - what they were talking about until I realised they were talking about how many parts of a teacher there were to a student. Where we talk 1:22, or 1:17 - one teacher to seventeen students - they were talking in decimal points about how much of a teacher an individual student got. I said: ‘No one will ever understand that, please do not bring it to Cabinet in that form of 0.3689 of a student to a teacher. It just does not make sense. Put it just in simple terms. How many teachers, how many students, and we will do our best to understand that’.
I appreciate the views of the member for Braitling on Irrkerlantye. She is a member with an electorate close to it. She quoted a figure tonight of 43. Our figure is 31. I am greatly encouraged if it is 43, and will certainly be checking that. We have acted in good faith to extend that time because, while there was good progress pre-Christmas, you were never going to get much done over the Christmas break and I accept that. There has been good movement and, hopefully, there will be solid movement over these next few weeks. However, we have acted in good faith and we hope that a decision is made at the end of that time.
I picked up again your point about professional development in my response to the member for Blain. It is absolutely the key to successful implementation and settling down of middle schools.
Complaints around evaporative airconditioning replacement is an interesting one. Whether the climate is, in fact, changing or there are now extended spells of high humidity in Alice Springs than was ever experienced before, these evaporative airconditioners have been in place for many years and, okay, maybe they have reached the end of their useful life. However, it suggests that there is something more in terms of climate change. We do have a program of replacement over time, but there are many millions of dollars involved, school by school, and we simply cannot get to them all at one point. I will put on the record my appreciation and commendation of the principals involved who, very innovatively pick them up, bus them across. It seemed to work. The kids certainly loved it; it was novel, it was different, and did not affect learning outcomes. However, it is not something we want to do all of the time. We will be looking at that whole program of replacement and what can be done as far as is possible within the resources of this government to keep pushing that replacement through.
Member for Nelson, thank you for your supportive comments in relation to VET programs. As a minister, it is nice to get a pat in the back from time to time. I always appreciate it when you say good things about our programs there. I always enjoy visiting Taminmin because it is a bit different. You can go to Dripstone and Sanderson and they are fine schools, but Taminmin is different …
Mr Wood: They are getting uniforms this year.
Mr STIRLING: Good, good. Their VET programs are so successful that they do, in fact, draw students from the northern suburbs to those programs when they are run. Thank you for your words of support.
It was interesting to hear you mention that you are pleased with the decision made about not proceeding with the senior high school at Palmerston because of the effect that might have had on Taminmin. There is no doubt that there probably would have been an effect. I did not hear you say anything at the time we made that decision in the latter part of last year, in support that it was the right thing to do. We know, of course, that the $10m that had been on the capital works for Palmerston will all be spent in those Palmerston schools around the introduction of middle schools.
What does it mean to Taminmin? The same as it will mean to Tennant Creek, Nhulunbuy, Palmerston - wherever we have a stand-alone high school in that situation - they will become sub-schools. You will have Years 7, 8, 9, junior school and Years 10, 11, and 12 senior schools, with a principal, two assistant principals to run each school. It is probably as general a description as I can give. I guess, from the external no change, but quite strong structural change within the school in how they operate and deliver their programs to Years 7, 8, 9 and 10, 11, and 12.
The question about attendance officers I did answer during the week - not to the satisfaction of the member for Braitling. It is undergoing re-design. A couple are still in place where they were having a tremendously positive impact. What we found was that those who were continuing to have a positive effect were very closely tied to the alternative provision officers. We believe that there is a clue here for making these positions work. There is also, of course, a multitude of different title positions in our schools, from Aboriginal retention officers to home liaison officers to attendance officers still in some places, to Aboriginal Islander and education workers. I do not think the roles have ever been properly clarified and set down. There is potential duplication, if you like, and there needs to be a much clearer role definition in those positions. However, we expect it to probably be about mid-year that we will have that worked out and we will have attendance officers under a much more structured role coming back in.
I went through what it means for Taminmin. How will the Northern Territory Open Education College and Schools of the Air in Alice and Katherine work? They will come together as a distance education or school of distance education - I do not know what the title will be. However, there will be a close working relationship because they are all delivering distance education, but in different modes. We will expect very close cooperation between those as one school and, hopefully, transfer and exchange of teachers through the different schools over time. That model is being worked on and I will have more to say on that in the future. There will still be an NTOEC, and School of the Air Katherine and School of the Air Alice Springs, but we will be pulling them in together.
The question was asked about whether we are trying to take over or get rid of the Catholic Education schools- two on the Tiwi Islands, Daly, Santa Teresa, and Wadeye. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Prime Minister, no less, has asked that the original 1978-79 agreement, signed by Senator Carrick for the Commonwealth and Tom Harris for the Northern Territory - I am not sure of the NT minister; back then, if it was not Tom, it would have been his predecessor - set it up. The agreement is no more than a letter from the Commonwealth minister received by the Northern Territory government. It is just a couple of paragraphs saying that those schools will be Catholic Education schools run by the Catholic Education Office, but paid for lock, stock and barrel, by the Northern Territory government. Therefore, in that sense, they are neither government nor non-government. They are run by non-government but they are paid for by the government. All other non-government schools are funded to 22% to 23% of the per capita cost of delivering education to a government school. It has come from pretty high, in terms of getting this right, and we respect the Prime Minister and the then Minister for Education, Brendan Nelson, who relayed this down the line to us.
It is a mixed question on the Tiwis. There is a very highly protective and defensive group within the community who say we ought be getting support to make the current Catholic schools work rather than just abandoning them. There are other parts of the community that say: ‘Catholic Education has had its day, mate - it is not performing, it is not delivering and it ought be changed’. Within the government, we are of neither camp, and for good reasons. However, we are working with the Commonwealth government. We have a joint process of consultation between DEST, the Commonwealth department of Education, and ourselves to go out there and try to make sense of this question.
In relation to the boarding school, the Tiwi Land Council commissioned a study, perhaps 18 months ago now, into this question of a non-government secondary boarding school to be built at Pickertaramoor. They would pick the secondary students up from wherever around the Tiwis, drop them there which, as they say, will be a captive audience, and they will get better results. That was their view. The consultant, on the other hand, very clearly warned that, if the social dysfunction that was affecting the operation of the Catholic schools on the islands now did not change, those same problems would haunt the possibility of success at Pickertaramoor.
There are just a couple of points I want to make.
Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I move an extension of time for the minister.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STIRLING: Madam Speaker, I thank the House for their indulgence but it is an important point that I wanted to explain. When I challenged the Tiwi Land Council members on this, they just chose to read the report and see points that suit their argument for a new non-government boarding school. They do not go to those paragraphs that warn of the real risk of failure unless all of those attendant problems that are there now, are at least sought to be resolved and addressed. They just want to turn their backs on those existing problems and put millions of dollars into the secondary boarding school in the sure expectation that it will work. I am not absolutely convinced, I have to tell you. At that meeting I had, their request was for $1m from this government to go towards that school - a request that we have not advanced at this stage pending, of course, the consultative process with DEST and DEET. My other view to them was: ‘If you want to go this way with the secondary boarding school, ought not your first priority be to make sure the schools you have that are not working very well, are working first, en route to a quality secondary school?’ No, that is not the answer. The answer is a brand new flash multimillion dollar secondary boarding school. We will work through that with them and the Commonwealth.
We are certainly not trying to push Catholic Education out. They have done the hard yards for many years in these communities, often with not much thanks for the efforts that their people put in. The dedication and commitment of Sisters in those schools and Brothers in other schools, exceeds the normal grind of a teacher, because they carry a lot from in and around the community on their shoulders as well. I have enormous respect for Catholic Education and the job they have done over all of these years. I am not going to stand here and criticise them because we have plenty of remote area indigenous schools in just as much strife. Part of the reason we are going to this community engagement process is to try to get that commitment back to the process of education. That is something, at some stage, that the Tiwis, the Catholics, and us are probably going to have to engage in over there as well. There is no wish on behalf of this government to turf them out.
A similar question exists at Wadeye in relation to secondary schooling: whether the new secondary school will be built and whether that ought to be Catholic Education or government or some other non-government provider. No answer as yet, but we stay close to our Catholic brothers and Catholic Education Office in trying to understand this cauldron of conflict and differing views, and we will continue to stay close to them and work through it with them. I hope that answers your question.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms MARTIN (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Speaker, this evening I welcome in the new parliamentary year in terms of my electorate and, particularly, welcome new principals to the electorate. At Manunda Terrace Primary School, we have a new principle, Bill Armstrong. I went out to the school and had a long, positive chat with Bill Armstrong who seems to be a man very much of the ilk of the principal who retired, Ron Abbott. He has a great sense of pastoral care and extends with his skills - his very highly spoken of skills as a principal and a person who works well with his staff – a very deep concern and care for the children of the school. The Education Department has held the school in good stead by selecting Bill Armstrong to step in as the principal at Manunda Terrace Primary. I wish him all the very best for the school year. I look forward to working with him as I have done with previous principals at Manunda Terrace.
Another new principal to the electorate is the new principal at O’Loughlin College, Mr Lester Lemke who comes with very high regard from the people I am chatting to in the community; they say he is a very good principal. He takes on the helm of a very highly thought of and well-functioning secondary education delivery in our area of Karama. O’Loughlin College is, as people would know, a Catholic Education college and they do a fantastic job. I welcome Mr Lester Lemke to his position as principal and look forward to working with him. We have an exciting project under way out there at the moment of a new block of classrooms and I look forward to seeing that project completed.
I am working again this year with Marg Fenbury out at Karama Primary School. Marg has done a great job at Karama Primary School. I have caught up with quite a lot of the parents and staff at the school over the last few weeks since school came back and managed to have a good chat to Marg as well just before school was starting. It is really heartening to hear the very fine words that have been spoken about the job Marg Fenbury is doing at Karama Primary School. She has a great, strong team of senior teachers around her and has a very settled teaching staff. I am looking forward to very good results from Karama Primary School. They have taken on the accelerated literacy program which is extremely exciting for the school.
At Malak Primary School, we have Russell Legg back as principal again this year, a highly-regarded and well-liked principal. I have been to Malak and had a meeting, and we have had some very interesting discussions about middle years of school. He is certainly a very learned deliverer of education in the Territory, and I take on board many of the suggestions and ideas that he has. Malak community is very well served with the principal they have. It is good to see so many of the teachers at Malak Primary School back there again this year. There is a very dedicated and loyal teaching staff and it certainly serves the broader school community in good stead to have the consistency that we see at Malak Primary School.
Finally, I welcome back to the helm at Sanderson High School, Denise Wilkowski. She will have a challenging year ahead steering the debate around middle years at school, but I know she is well versed in the needs of secondary schooling in that particular section of the northern suburbs. She knows the constituency well, she knows the students needs and she is a very good person to steer that debate and encourage parents to understand what is being proposed in policy direction to strengthen middle years of school education.
We started off the year fairly successfully in Karama. We had some great news from the Attorney-General that Karama and Malak Neighbourhood Watch were successful in their crime prevention grant application, so we have $2000 to improve security at the Philadelphia Uniting Church which is, indeed, an Indonesian congregation, with the church based in Koolinda Crescent. We have had our first Neighbourhood Watch meeting of the year. We alternate our meetings between Karama Library and Malak Primary School. At Malak Primary School last week we discussed how best to use the $2000 crime prevention grant. We will be talking to the Indonesian congregation, particularly to Reverend Salomo Bangun who is the priest there, to find out whether they prefer a fence or the modern method of crim mesh on the windows. Very generously - and huge congratulations to the Neighbourhood Watch team – they have decided to donate new sensor lights to the church. Congratulations to the Neighbourhood Watch team showing great generosity to a very worthy local church community.
The Neighbourhood Watch team is led by two area coordinators, Kerrie Behm from Karama and Leigh Kariko from Malak. They do a fantastic job; they work well together, they are very active, they put in a lot of hours as volunteers, and a lot of commitment is shown by them to improving the safety and security of our neighbourhood. They are well supported by a consistent team of residents who turn up all the time. There is Helen and Joe Clarke, Sue Pattiselanno, Meg Angus, Andy Burnett, and Marion Hancock. They are there pretty well without fail every month at Neighbourhood Watch meetings and I congratulate them for the effort they show in working as volunteers to improve the security of our neighbourhood. I believe that, over the years I have been living in Karama and Malak, I have seen the strength of a local residents group such as Neighbourhood Watch bear fruit. There are some good strong community projects happening around the area which they have very much had a hand in delivering and identifying.
Jeff Mosel and Geoff Pickering are the two police officers who support the Neighbourhood Watch activities. They are doing a very fine job and I look forward to working with them throughout the year. We met for the first time the new Officer-in-Charge of Casuarina Police Station, Acting Senior Sergeant Tim Moseley at our Neighbourhood Watch meeting. Everyone was very impressed by the calibre of the officer and the ideas he had, and the suggestions he made of how he would use the police force in the area to improve safety. We are looking forward to a very good year of community working together to ensure we are looking out and improving the safety and security of the area.
Most members found somewhere or another to celebrate Australia Day; I chose to celebrate it with the Australia Day Ute Run. I loaded up my ute with the kids and the dogs and we headed off to a service station on the Stuart Highway and joined what seemed like hundreds of other utes. I do not know what the official number was, but it was an incredible number of utes. I was gob-smacked that utes came in so many different shapes and sizes. It was a great show of patriotism. One ute was covered in native flora and was decked out with tree branches. So many utes had Aussie flags; it was a spectacular sight. My kids were very impressed and my dog seemed suitably impressed as well. We had a really good Australia Day Ute Run enjoying ourselves in a very Aussie fashion on Australia Day.
We have also enjoyed the Chinese community. The Chung Wah Society came out to bless my Karama electorate office. I thank them for coming out last Saturday and having the lion dance through the office. There was a large gathering of residents having a look at the spectacle. The Chinese community members commented to me afterwards that they were amazed that my baby son showed no fear whatsoever. In fact, at one stage, I think he head-butted the lion. It was a very enjoyable morning at Karama Shopping Centre; a lot of colour, action, and noise, with a lot of donations to the Chung Wah Society - a very worthy cause.
Good news seems to be the flavour of this speech as, in a rare coup, our community has gained a doctor; a GP. We all know there is a huge shortage of GPs right across Australia; however, Karama is bucking the trend and we have had a GP surgery open at the Karama Shopping Centre to fill the space that was left when a very good GP departed about four years ago now. I very much welcome Dr Gervin Samarawickrama who has worked as a doctor previously in the Territory. He and his wife were missing the Territory and decided to come back. His commitment is as a GP running his own practice, so his return to our community is very welcome. Even more rare, he bulk bills. His GP practice is right opposite my electorate office. It is busy, day in and day out. He has only been open for a couple of weeks, and it is phenomenal to see how quickly he has already picked up clients and how the community is able to make the most of the fact that they have a bulk-billing GP at their local shopping centre. It is making a huge difference to the community. I really thank Dr Gervin Samarawickrama for coming back to town and setting up at Karama.
The start of the year, obviously, is dominated for many families by the start of school year and a return to school. As I was heading around the electorate and talking to parents, I was overwhelmed by the number of parents who came up to me and said: ‘We love the $50 voucher that helps us cover our uniforms and stationery’. So many parents said: ‘For the first time, I have actually been able to buy new uniforms for my kids’. Or they said: ‘For the first time, I have not been stressed out about trying to meet the stationery costs’. A huge congratulations to the government for identifying the need of the $50 vouchers and implementing it in a fair and equitable system through our local schools. It has been a real bonus to families; taking the pressure off. As we all know, people do it pretty tough in January; they are still trying to recover from the Christmas spend. To give them that extra help when they are taking their kids off to school - when you have families of three and four kids, it is not an insignificant amount of money that you are shelling out at the start of the school year to try to equip them with the basic needs. That $50 voucher hit the spot; it was right on the mark. It has meant that families can afford to start the school year without the huge financial stresses that they have had to meet in the past. A huge congratulations to the government on that one; it is a great initiative. It is practical assistance that is helping families. It has taken a fair bit of angst out of the front office of many schools, because they have all had smiles on their faces when, usually in that first week of school, they look a bit stressed. The front office staff I saw were pretty happy with the system.
I look forward to working with the community this year. There are a few exciting projects that we have on the boil already, particularly through Neighbourhood Watch. There are other projects as well, in election commitments. Judging by the amount of constituents coming into my office, we will have an extremely busy year. However, I am looking forward to it.
Ms CARNEY (Araluen): Mr Deputy Speaker, I take this opportunity tonight to put on the Parliamentary Record the opposition’s objections to the appointment of Mr Richard Coates as the Director of Public Prosecutions. The opposition does not support the appointment of Richard Coates as the DPP. It is with a great deal of regret that we cannot support his appointment, but the reasons for our not doing so will be stated at length during this speech. It is important that I outline all of the reasons for our inability to support the appointment for a number of reasons. One of them is to record them for historical purposes, given that this is the first time an opposition in the Territory has opposed an appointment of a DPP.
Members will know that I am ordinarily circumspect about appointments of this nature. It is important that the public have confidence in our legal system and appointments thereto. I was supportive of the appointment of the Chief Justice. It is important that the public have confidence in the Ombudsman which was, obviously, why we were supportive of the appointment of Carolyn Richards. The same can be said of the Auditor-General – the list goes on.
However, given that it is so important that the public have confidence in the legal system, it is equally important that appropriate appointments be made. In the case of the DPP, one cannot overstate the importance of maintaining the integrity and independence of the DPP. There are many reasons for this and I will refer to them later.
We oppose this appointment because Mr Richard Coates has been the right hand man of the Attorney-General and this Labor government since his appointment to the position as CEO of the Department of Justice in November 2001. He has, therefore, been an instrument of government and has implemented its agenda. He was seen as a Labor appointment when he got the job of CEO. Now, having implemented Labor’s agenda, he can rightly be seen as an instrument of this government. Whether he likes it or not, Richard Coates is seen publicly to be a part of the government. The public has a right to expect a high level of independence from the DPP and his or her office. They simply do not have it with this appointment. Territorians have been sold short. This is jobs for the boys at it worst; it is cronyism. It is an act of bastardry that has, for the first time since the establishment of the DPP, seen the role politicised. The job of the DPP is too important to give to your friends. It is not a reward for being a Labor supporter or for having a go at implementing government’s policies; it is a job that, rightly, requires the appointment of not only someone who is independent but, importantly, someone who is seen to be independent. Sadly, this is not the case.
The qualifications for a DPP are not specified by legislation, but there are certain conventions and traditional requirements. It is a combination of a number of important factors that go to support an appointment. It is usually someone of high standing in the legal profession, someone who is currently practising at law, and who is and is seen to be independent. Usually they are silks and have prosecutorial experience. The absence of one factor is not critical, but Mr Coates has none of these attributes. Indeed, he is the only DPP appointed in this country’s history who does not hold any of these attributes. This is the basis for our concern, and mine in particular, in addition to the fact that he is seen to be too close to government.
The government is focused on only one of the many reasons I have as to why this appointment cannot be supported; that is, that Mr Coates has not had prosecutorial experience. I wish to deal with that now. I say again that this is only one of the many reasons why this appointment is political in nature, and it is not even very high on the list. Obviously, there have been DPPs appointed who have not been prosecutors. However, to my knowledge, it has only happened twice in Australia. Even if it had happened one or two times, it does not matter. What does matter is that this is one of a long list of reasons why the appointment deserves to be condemned. I note in passing that one DPP, who had very little in the way of prosecutorial experience, was John Harber Phillips, who subsequently became Chief Justice of Victoria. Any implied comparison between John Phillips and Richard Coates is as laughable as it is unwise. Chief Justice Phillips, now retired, was a pre-eminent lawyer who practised for years, and he was practising law at the time of his appointment - unlike Mr Coates - and who had regularly appealed in superior courts.
This government is concentrated on this objection; namely the lack of prosecutorial experience. I raise that is only one objection, but my objections are multiple in relation to this appointment. I have sought to address it here because the way the government sought to spin itself away from the objections I raised were dishonest and disingenuous.
Mr KIELY: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I do not believe the member can make such charges about the government being dishonest and disingenuous. That would have to be a substantive motion, so I would ask her to withdraw those remarks.
Ms CARNEY: Speaking to the point of order, it is certainly the case that I cannot refer to an individual as being dishonest, but I make no such assertion, just government as a whole, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: I will seek clarification.
Ms CARNEY: Have we stopped the clock, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker?
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen, I will let you go but …
Ms CARNEY: Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker.
Mr BONSON: A point of order, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker! I recognise that it is late in the day. I just wonder if the member for Araluen, the Opposition Leader, would speak up a bit, I cannot hear.
Ms CARNEY: No problem, thank you.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Are you sure you will oblige, member for Araluen?
Ms CARNEY: Indeed I will. My apologies. I am not doing this to be provocative but, in order to find out where I was, I will repeat the last sentence. It was dishonest and disingenuous of the government to try to spin itself away from the numerous objections I made in relation to the appointment.
Another objection was that Mr Coates is not a silk, not one of Her Majesty’s Counsel, not a QC, and not an SC. In other jurisdictions, most DPPs were prior to their appointments; in other words they had a track record, and were of high standing.
Another major objection is that Mr Coates has not practiced for years. Indeed, since November 2001 he was the CEO of Justice, hence he has not practiced law for many years. Prior to that he was the Director of the Legal Aid Commission, not a job requiring regular court appearances. Mr Coates cannot be said to have been a director who regularly appeared in the courts of the Northern Territory, let alone superior ones. He was the Director of the Legal Aid Commission from about 1990. His job was: ‘To lead the planning and establishment’ of the legal commission, an administrative job in nature and not one requiring regular court appearances. That quote was from the Legal Aid Commission’s report the year of his departure.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, Territorians will question whether Mr Coates will spend much time at court; a good question given that he has spent so little time in one over the last decade. His predecessors did not get the job because they were administrators. One is also compelled to ask whether Mr Coates would be able to run a case such as the Murdoch trial, given his absence from the law for many years. Mr Coates, as I said, is not a lawyer who has a history of regular court appearances. It is this factor, amongst so many others, in addition to his appointment being blatantly political, that even a casual observer calls into question the appointment.
Government will say there was an independent committee. It is amazing the results you can come up with when you establish committees. It is inconceivable, in my view, that Mr Coates would have applied for the job, not got it, and then returned to his job as CEO of Justice. The Attorney-General may wish to provide details of the individuals on the committee and whether they were the same individuals who were originally on the committee on which Mr Coates was also going to be a member from the outset. In other words, we know that Mr Coates was part of a committee. The Attorney-General, presumably, received advice from his CEO of Justice about the membership of this so-called panel. We would like to know whether the membership changed in its entirety after Mr Coates indicated that he wanted the job. We note with a sense of irony that it clearly did not occur to the Attorney-General that Mr Coates would have wanted the job, or perhaps he just did not think he was a worthy appointment. Had he thought so, presumably he would have asked Mr Coates. The Attorney-General certainly has the power to appoint him.
The bottom line is that as soon as Mr Coates indicated he wanted the job he got it, and the process was either half in place, partly in place, or fully in place that ensured that he did. The government and the Attorney-General have been at pains to regularly state the principle of an independent judiciary and how the justice system, generally, should be at arms length from government. In other words, it should be independent - quite so. Indeed, members of Labor have been at pains to declare their unwavering commitment to uphold such principles, yet their actions show they have simply paid lip service to these important principles. It is not just me who says this. The former Director, Mr Wild QC, who received high praise from the Attorney-General in his annual report last year wrote:
- It is true that the administrative independence …
Of his office:
- … has lessened with the change in the relationship of ODPP with the Department of Justice as from 2001 …
He went on to say:
- … the biggest single challenge is to maintain the integrity and independence of the office.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I should also refer to Mr Wild’s annual report of 2004-05. The Director was scathing of a review undertaken by the Department of Justice and he said:
- The findings were regarded by ODDP as inaccurate and misleading in a number of respects. They ignore the independent nature of the office which was confirmed and stressed by the present Attorney-General in parliamentary debates in December 2001 and reaffirmed by him before the Estimates Committee in July 2005.
So there you have it; Mr Wild’s words, not mine.
The public has a right to expect the ODDP to be independent and this appointment does much to unsettle them and gives them cause to question its independence. Independence is a crucial attribute of a prosecutor. Underlying it – and there are plenty of textbooks on this in the event that anyone is interested – the International Association of Prosecutors has stated:
- The use of prosecutorial discretion should be exercised independently and be free from political interference.
Whether he or the government accepts it, Mr Coates cannot and will not be seen to be independent. There have been times over the years when DPPs have had to prosecute politicians and former politicians. It is a good example of the need for the DPP to be independent and to be seen to be independent. It is in the public interest that the DPP operate independently and that there be no attempt to interfere with his or her prosecutorial independence.
In this regard, it is noteworthy that much has been written about the need for the DPP to be independent. Although I could quote from hundreds of authoritative sources, I quote from an article written by the former DPP in Western Australia, published in the Western Australian Law Reports. The Director, John McKechnie QC wrote that two days after the DPP act was proclaimed in 1991, he instituted contempt proceedings against a serving minister in the Labor Lawrence government. He went on to say:
- In the last five years, the Western Australian prosecution service has been called upon to prosecute two former Premiers, one Labor, one Liberal, a former Deputy Premier and a current member of parliament, together with numbers of police officers and assorted tycoons. Nor are we alone, since Mr John Phillips became the first Australian DPP appointed in Victoria in 1982, directors in all jurisdictions have been called upon to consider controversial and notorious matters for prosecution, sometimes within a hostile atmosphere. The Western Australian experience, along with others, indicates why an independent prosecution service should now be regarded as part of the constitutional balance in 20th century democratic Australia.
These comments have equal application, of course, in the 21st century. These comments illustrate an importance of having an independent DPP in whom the public can have absolute confidence. Our jurisdiction is no different from any other. It may be the case that former politicians - Labor politicians for instance - might need to be prosecuted. One wonders how Mr Coates might act in the event that he is called upon to exercise his prosecutorial discretion when considering whether to prosecute politicians and former politicians in much the same way that other directors have been called upon to do so in the past.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ web site says of its role:
- The purpose of establishing the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions … was to ensure professionalism and independence in the institution, preparation and conduct of criminal prosecutions in the Northern Territory.
It goes on to say:
- Not surprisingly, the public often finds it difficult to understand or accept that in his or her prosecutorial role, the Attorney-General acts completely independently from government. Hence, the appointment of an independent law officer can be seen not only to be desirable but also as a substantial safeguard for the rights of every citizen.
The integrity and the independence of the DPP is essential and it is not achieved with this appointment. In the short time I have left, I stress that the public has been sold short and the integrity and the independence of the DPP has suffered a fatal blow.
Finally, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, if Labor members thought that alleging that I have a conflict of interest in this matter, and that by using the disgusting and disgraceful tactics they would silence me, they were mistaken. I will not be silenced when I see the appalling way this government conducts itself and, if it does something wrong, I will never hold back from saying so.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I have an issue to raise tonight. At about 3.50 pm this afternoon I finished my contribution to the cane toad motion that the minister moved today. I had to go out to an albino python briefing, just to keep it …
Members interjecting.
Mr WOOD: On the way back …
Members interjecting.
Mr WOOD: I do not want to put forward conspiracy theories or make it sound as though devious things are happening, but on the way back I stopped to get, of all things, an iced coffee. I came across the today’s copy of the Darwin Sun and - lo and behold! - it had this headline. Well blow me down! ‘Government slammed over cane toad inaction’. I thought: ‘Blow me down! Did someone know that this was going to come out?’ After all, we only had the motion presented yesterday, today we are debating it and, at 3.50 pm - bingo! - out comes the Darwin Sun with this great headline. I should note recommendation 6 of the motion before the Assembly said:
- … agrees that while research into biological control is necessary, increased on-ground cane toad control is essential to reduce the impacts of cane toads across northern Australia …
What does the paper say?
- A cane toad expert has slammed the NT government for not doing more to manage the ongoing cane toad invasion. FrogWatch North coordinator Graham [sic] Sawyer told Sun Newspapers governments in Darwin and Canberra have not yet begun comprehensive toad management programs in Top End parks and reserves ...
…
… (The NT’s) Parks and Wildlife is sending our biodiversity down the tube’.
Mr Sawyer – who has recently compiled a report on a toad trapping project at Mt Ringwood Station, 125 km south of Darwin - said placing traps at water courses helped reduce cane toad populations by up to 70%.
He said keeping toad numbers low was important for native species not directly harmed by the pest.
Mr Sawyer did applaud toad-busting efforts by residents in Darwin and the rural area, and said the NT government had ‘offered great support’ through the trap rebate scheme.
Very good; we all applauded that:
- ‘But areas in and around Darwin, like Holmes Jungle, Howard Springs and Charles Darwin National Park should all be areas where the toad is managed with trapping programs’ …
‘You’ve got residents busting their guts to get rid of toads at their properties, but government is letting them becoming infested in these areas’.
It was just …
Mr Kiely: What is the date of that paper?
Mr WOOD: Today, 15 February. Amazing! I just think it is a very interesting coincidence that, after praising FrogWatch and putting a motion forward that we should be doing more on-ground toad control, we have a headline quoting the man who runs FrogWatch saying we are not doing enough ...
Mr Kiely: It is a scoop, Gerry – a scoop!
Mr WOOD: Yes, it is a scoop. It is amazing what a drop of iced coffee can do when you need to get a scoop.
I am interested to at least put that on the Parliamentary Record. Although the government has put a great spin on its efforts in trying to control cane toads, and said it is a great supporter of FrogWatch …
Members interjecting.
Mr WOOD: … it has its very own person who it is supporting saying you are not doing enough. I did not write this, but here it is. I say to the government: would you please respond to Graeme Sawyer’s criticism of not enough on-ground cane toad control. Today you said there is, but your favourite man in the business, Graeme Sawyer of FrogWatch, says there is not. I am interested in the government’s response. Are they going to put cane toad traps at Holmes Jungle, Howard Springs and Charles Darwin National Park? Do they intend to put them in other places? Graeme Sawyer says they have traps in Rapid Creek and he is very appreciative of that.
However, it seems strange to me that, after all the lovely words said today, in actual fact the expert is saying the government has not been doing enough work. I say to the government: listen to what your expert says and go out there and get the trapping program started. Holmes Jungle, Howard Springs, Charles Darwin National Park, all have water bodies ...
Mr Bonson: They cannot make enough, Gerry. Graeme told me that last week. They cannot make them fast enough.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Millner!
Mr WOOD: It will only help the manufacturing industry if we can speed up those things, member for Millner. I would like to put on record …
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Nelson, if you can address your comments to me it might be helpful.
Mr WOOD: Okay, hang on a sec. I am just raising the point that, after all the debate today, all the grand words that have been said, perhaps we have fogged over the reality. The reality is the government is not doing enough. That is not coming from me; it is coming from FrogWatch. That is a fairly independent statement. The government should respond to that, and the best way to respond to it and say: ‘Okay, FrogWatch is saying this, let us go and get more traps around those areas’. It is as simple as that.
Mr Kiely: Did he mention anything about an extra person?
Mr WOOD: Excuse me. Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, the member for Sanderson is addressing me and he should not be doing that.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Just continue.
Mr WOOD: Okay. That is all I need to say. I hope the government will take note of what Graeme Sawyer said.
Mr Acting DEPUTY SPEAKER: Would you like to table that newspaper at all.
Mr WOOD: It is free, Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, so I will certainly table it and get myself another one.
Mrs MILLER (Katherine): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I have the pleasure of placing on the Parliamentary Record a bit of history about a wonderful lady who I have had the pleasure of knowing for 16 years.
This lady, Merle Wright, who is 80 years young, was named the Katherine Citizen of the Year at the Australia Day Ceremony in Katherine, which was held at the Katherine Civic Centre. Merle will actually be 81 years young on 15 March. The reason I keep saying young is that this lady has the energy, attitude and enthusiasm of a person generally much younger.
Merle was born at Alberton, South Australia, the eldest of four children. She went to school at Largs Bay and Port Adelaide Primary Schools, and Port Adelaide Girls Technical School. Merle left school at 13 years of age during the Depression and worked at the Lions food factory on North Terrace in Adelaide in the test kitchen, where her pay was 7/6 per week. At that time, it cost 5d per week on the bus, so Merle rode her bike to work for five years to save her money. I do not know the exact distance she rode her bike, but it is a long way from Alberton into the city - many miles.
Merle met her husband, Campbell Wright, at a cheer-up hut behind the Adelaide Railway Station. After they married, Merle and Campbell moved to Bridgewater in the Adelaide Hills, before returning to Alberton where their first son, John, was born. Campbell went off and served in World War II and, when he returned home, he applied for what was then known as soldiers settlement land in South Australia. There were three locations around South Australia, and Merle, Campbell and John were allocated to Kangaroo Island, along with 300 other soldier settlers. Merle and her sister-in-law’s families were the seventh and eighth families to be located to the island.
Along with other families, they lived in second-hand huts in long rows for three years waiting for their land allocation, which was 1306 acres, when they were finally able to move into their cottage. The land had to be cleared first. Campbell had suffered injuries during the war and was continually in and out of the Repatriation Hospital in Daw Park, Adelaide. Merle and Campbell’s other three sons, Colin, Greg and Mitchell, were born on Kangaroo Island. Merle said they were poor, but they had a great life - fishing, camping and sporting, with lots of outdoor activities - and they were never, ever hungry.
Campbell died of his war injuries when he was only 52 years of age. It took three years to get the war widow’s pension and, during that time, Merle and the boys moved into Kingscote where Merle worked in the hardware store, eventually moving back to Adelaide.
Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin in 1974, and that changed the Wright family’s movements. John, the eldest son, had already moved to Katherine to work prior to the cyclone. Colin was in Western Australia and Mitchell, the youngest, in Adelaide. Greg was offered work rebuilding Darwin and, when he had completed the months of rebuilding in Darwin, he visited his brother, John, in Katherine before returning to Adelaide. It was not long before mum, Merle, and Greg were on the dirt road heading to Katherine, joining brother John and his family. Greg was involved in building around Katherine, where he met Peter Semrau and they formed a partnership called Semrite Constructions.
In 1990, I became their office manager and worked for these great guys for several years until I moved into the tourism industry. During that time, they had a lot of government contracts in the outlying areas of Kalkarindji and all of the outlying indigenous areas for several hundred kilometres around. They were very busy and had a large team of workers – 13 to 14 on the staff.
This is also where I first met Merle, who is affectionately known as Nana Merle. Merle now lives on Gorge Road in a lovely cottage on her son Greg’s property. She is deeply involved in the community with seniors, Red Cross trolley at the hospital, St Vincent’s op shop, Rotary, hospital visits and Rocky Ridge Care, and was the first President of the Lioness Club in Katherine, not to mention being highly in demand around Katherine as a house-sitter.
Her wonderful sense of fun and adventure keeps her on the go. For example, if somebody has to wear the brightest clothes and be the gaudiest in colours, Merle will be right in it. She wears the colours of her grandchildren’s house teams when she visits them at their sports days. Whatever colour team her grandchildren’s team is, that is what Merle will be totally dressed in. She has a two-door Suzuki and she decorated it as a Christmas tree for a car rally just recently. She wore a tattoo of the Australian flag on her cheek for the Australia Day ceremony - and the list goes on and on. Merle has a wonderful value and attitude to life. She now has 11 grandchildren and two great-granddaughters, and her highest priority is her family.
It was wonderful to see Merle acknowledged as the Senior Citizen of the Year for Katherine. It is thoroughly deserved for all the voluntary work she does so willingly and with so much enthusiasm. Nothing is ever too much trouble to be involved in for Nana Merle, especially if it is helping someone disadvantaged. I will give another example of that. When the tsunami happened early last year Merle was one of the volunteers who worked tirelessly day after day sorting and packing clothes and goods and getting them sent off for the Tsunami victims. That is the sort of person Merle is.
Well done, Merle. Keep up the energy, drive and enthusiasm. You put a lot of young people to shame and, sometimes, you even put me to shame when I look at the amount of energy that she put through. She is thoroughly deserving of that award and it gives me the greatest of pleasure to be able to place that on the Parliamentary Record tonight for somebody who has achieved a lot in her life and expects nothing in return.
Dr LIM (Greatorex): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I speak about health, one of my favourite topics …
Members interjecting.
Dr LIM: I have my stethoscope in my office if you guys who are coughing need a hand; just let me know.
This morning, I asked a question of the Treasurer regarding what has happened to all the money he has received from the federal government in GST and every other dollar he has received. I also raised the issue of long and growing waiting lists at the Royal Darwin Hospital. In previous speeches, I have mentioned the growing waiting list at the Alice Springs Hospital. While we can say that the Darwin population has increased significantly, the Alice Springs population has remained somewhat stagnant over the last four or five years.
I was going through some annual reports of the Royal Darwin Hospital and got some very interesting figures. In the year 2002-03, the total number on elective surgery waiting lists was 1394. By next year, 2003-04, it had gone up to 1605, and at the close of the last financial year, 2004-05, it had gone further up to 1705. Gradually, it has been creeping up. In the three years, there is something like 300 to 310 cases extra waiting for surgery. You have heard me say that, at the change of government in 2000-01 there were 450 cases waiting for elective surgery in Alice Springs, and around Christmas of last year it had gone up to 1600.
While we can say the surgery cases are getting more complex or complicated and people, therefore, have to wait, the Territory health budget has gone from $450m at the change of government in 2000-01 to over $677m-plus actually spent in 2004-05; an increase of over $200m, yet waiting lists have grown.
In this morning’s question, I advised that as far as dental surgery is concerned it is now 34 months before you can get dental treatment. Something is radically wrong in the Health Department. It has to be when your health budget goes up by over $200m in the last four years, which means that each year you have an increasing health budget. What is the matter? Nobody seems to be able to tell me. When I asked the minister, he said: ‘We are doing better, we have employed 100 new nurses in the last term of our government’. Funny that! He does not tell us, though, that in the last four years of government they have also lost more nurses than they have actually recruited. That is why nurses are now working double shifts, working at least an extra shift each week. In Alice Springs, I know that nurses are working up to 36 hours without a break, and it is an issue.
Coming back to the elective surgery, let me show you the annual report for the Department of Health and Community Services, 2004-05 on page 38, for those who are listening. Elective surgery waiting times 2001-02 to 2004-05 - look at the graph. The graph shows an upper trend. In percentages, in 2001-02, it was around 60% to 65%. In 2005-06, the target – sorry, this is a target this is not the actual numbers. The target is the anticipated of how they are going to deal with the patients.
When you look at the number of patients who are presenting for treatment and admissions at the hospitals around the Territory, you see another increasing problem. It is calculated in a way that the department has weighted the figures so that the figures then become comparative and relevant to each other. In 2003-04, the actual numbers for hospital admissions were 45 883. In 2004-05, it had gone up to 47 396. It is interesting that when you look at the annual report, while the actual for 2003-04 was 45 883, for some reason I cannot understand, the department estimated the 2004-05 to be some 2000 patients less, but the actual was in fact nearly 2000 more patients than the actual of 2003-04. You would expect the department to say, if that is the case, then 2005-06 would be higher again, and the trends are that it would be higher.
Why am I labouring on this issue of patient numbers going up? The trends are there. If you are a departmental CEO or even a minister, you would say: ‘If that is the case then I cannot gear my hospitals across the Territory to shut down or to slow down or to decrease services over the Christmas period, because each year I am increasing’. Unfortunately, over the last two Christmases in particular, we had such a small number of staff looking after our hospitals that patient could not access treatment satisfactorily. There were long waiting queues, patients were lying on trolleys in corridors for days on end, and the excuse given by government was: ‘Oh, we had another outbreak’, or whatever other excuse.
The figures are there in the department’s report; it says that the numbers are going up. Therefore, the government must prepare itself to deal with the increasing load throughout the year. More and more Territorians are staying home for the Wet, or for the summer in Alice Springs. They are not going away as they used to in the late 1970s or the early 1980s; they are now staying here. The population base is increasing and, therefore, your patient loads at the hospital are not going to be there and demanding to be cared for. Emergency attendances in all NT hospitals from 2000-01 through 2004-05 - Figure 15 on page 84 of the report - shows another trend; it is going up. Because these facts are there – it is visual – the minister should be looking at this and saying: ‘Hey, we have to now start looking at how we can maintain services in the hospitals to ensure that Territorians are treated’. It is no good making all sorts of excuses saying that there are outbreaks of rotoviruses or increased pneumonia, or whatever, that is taking up the beds. Obviously, there is more and more demand being put on our hospital system and somehow, we need to deal with it.
The Country Liberal Party has made some suggestions as to how you can deal with your staff shortages. You are competing with a finite pool of nurses in Australia. Sure, yesterday you increased your salaries by about some 5% or 5.3% to make the salary scale competitive with the rest of the country. You are better than Tasmania and Queensland, but not against the other states. While you might be competitive, you are still trying to compete against other more attractive working environments. You have to ask yourself: why would somebody want to come to the Northern Territory to work if they can get the same salary or more in five of the seven states? Why would they? You need to create a different set of circumstances. You cannot just say: ‘Okay, we are going to give you extra wages; now come and work in the Territory’.
It costs you something in the order of $10 000 to $20 000 to recruit, whether they come from a close locality or from overseas. The department sent staff overseas to recruit nurses from all sorts of countries to come and work on short-term contracts. That is going to cost you a lot of money. It is going to cost you to relocate them to the Territory, they might stay a year or two, and then you have to fly them back home. That is going to cost you again - anything from $10 000 to $20 000.
The CLP has offered a suggestion that the government reimburses HECS fees. It is very simple. First of all, the Charles Darwin University currently has the Batchelor of Nursing Degree, and its course is under-subscribed by some 50%. Therefore, it has a lot of capacity to take on more students. Create incentives for students around the country to come and study in the Northern Territory. Give them an incentive to come. If you did create incentive and they come, they come at their own volition, so it does not cost the government anything to bring these people into the Territory. What are the benefits? One is they come of their own volition, therefore, no cost to recruitment. They increase the population numbers, therefore, our share of GST would go up correspondingly. If they choose to study and enrol at Charles Darwin University, the university gets increased funding from the federal government for having more students. It is a win in not having to recruit, for having more population in the Territory, and to have more have students in the Charles Darwin University. When they graduate and you offer them work, it is a win because they have been recruited in the Territory and it has cost you nothing and you have a locally trained nurse.
Say to the nurse: ‘Work 12 months and we will reimburse your first year’s HECS fees’. A nurse who graduates from university starts working, say in January or February. By the end of that first June, that nurse has to pay the first year’s HECS fees. If that nurse works the remainder of the year until December, you would have taxed the nurse for 12 months. You then reimburse the HECS fees. Because the nurse has come of his or her own volition and it costs you nothing in recruitment, you save $10 000 to $20 000, giving the nurse $4500 to $5000 HECS reimbursement, only a quarter of the recruitment costs that you would have to expend getting that nurse on board. All in all, you would have a saving in recruitment, an increase in GST sharing from the feds because of increase in population, an increase in university funding because you have increased student population, and you have a home-grown nurse who will work in the Territory. It is a win-win.
This government needs to do something like that to ensure that we create our own pool of nurses. We cannot compete in a finite pool that is in Australia. We just do not have the means to compete. We do not have enough attraction to bring the people in. If we do bring them in, it is at a very high cost. If you do it this way, we will ensure that we have more staff, therefore, we can afford to open up more beds in the hospitals and our patient population can be catered for without having long waiting lists such as has occurred in the last three years at least in Darwin, and the last five years in Alice Springs. Territorians deserve better. This government has a lot of money; it should be able to do it better and it must do better.
Mr KIELY (Sanderson): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, tonight I talk about the great work that Ian Kew and his staff at Darwin International Airport are doing in the rehabilitation of what I consider to be a great jewel in the northern suburbs; that is, the Rapid Creek corridor.
Darwin International Airport is located just on the fringes of the Sanderson electorate and is quite a significant entry and exit point to Darwin. Those of us who go in and out of there, either picking up friends and relatives or travelling ourselves, can see the amount of activity that is going on around that precinct.
The Darwin International Airport incorporates something like 87 ha of undeveloped airport property, so it is quite a substantial block of land in the suburbs. It is zoned into four areas for land use. These are for business park, service industries, airport business and for tourism facilities. If you go along McMillans Road, Bagot Road or Trower Road, you will notice they are clearing the land in there. That is going to have a superstore put up on it, which might be a Bunnings or something of that nature - a big hardware store complex and all manner of small stores attached. If you go along the airport road you will see AQIS, and all manner of government and private buildings. Airnorth have their headquarters there, which is quite a substantial development.
Of course, there is John Robinson’s Darwin Airport Resort, which is going great guns. It is in the suburbs and is probably the best resort in Darwin at the moment. My family and I, with friends, go there for a meal of a Friday or Saturday night - great service in the restaurant, great place, different cuisine. If you go out the back of the restaurant they have nice pools. It is a fantastic place, and he is still building on it. He has these small cabanas all around the place and, further out, you can see they are building more units. They even have a platform where you can have a look over the creek and into the wetlands, and at the great birdlife that comes down around that place.
In 1998, following privatisation of the Darwin International Airport from the Federal Airport Corporation, land management of airport sections of Rapid Creek were to be transferred to Darwin City Council. However, at that time, the DCC was under-resourced and could not achieve truly effective management of the area. In 2001, Ian Kew took over the role of the airport chief executive, and he noted that a few other landholders had the financial resources or interest to effect rehabilitation of the creek area.
Mr Kew recognised the special nature of the area of Rapid Creek, known as Yankee Pools. Yankee Pools got its name due to the US military camp stationed at the creek during World War II. It had been subject to years of inappropriate use and abuse, was weed infested and the sensitive creek vegetation was damaged by repeated hot fires. Mr Kew had a vision of creating a place that the Darwin community could be proud of. Darwin’s International Airport’s environment team, led by Dan Richards, set about the process of rehabilitating the area. Since that time, Darwin International Airport has aimed to take a leading role in the rehabilitation of its section of the Rapid Creek corridor, in consultation with other members of the Rapid Creek Catchment Advisory Committee. The airport has worked hard to remove dumped rubble, to eradicate weed species and replant native trees with the aim of rehabilitating the creek corridor for the benefit of the environment and the Darwin community alike.
On Saturday, 4 February 2006, I attended the community tree planting event there to celebrate World Wetland Day which was organised by the Darwin International Airport in conjunction with the Rapid Creek Landcare Group. I received an e-mail flier in regards to what was going to happen on 4 February. However, about a week later, I received another e-mail from my colleague, Mr Matthew Bonson, the member for Millner, saying: ‘Get behind this’. He is a member of the Rapid Creek Landcare Group and he said: ‘Get behind this and see what you can do to promote it throughout your electorate’. He sent this out to a number of electorates; to Chris Burns’ electorate of Johnston, and all our electorates which have an interest in the Rapid Creek corridor, and said: ‘See what you can do to involve the community’.
I thought this was a great idea and did up a flier. However, as I said, it was late notice and we only had three days to get the notice out. We photocopied 1000-odd fliers in my office and I, my electorate officer, Therla Fowlestone, and even my wife, walked and placed those fliers into 1000 letterboxes throughout the electorate, which was predominantly the suburbs of Northlakes, Marrara east and west, and Anula. I want to put on record the great work that Therla Fowlestone did in getting those out, and also the great work that my wife did to help me as, by the end of the day, I had pretty well had it; I was sunburnt and walked out. However, she took up the cudgels and got the rest in.
I am pleased to say that on the day of the tree planting - and there were 3000 trees we hoped to go in - about 150, perhaps 200, members of the community along. There was Matty Bonson who was working hard, and Chris Burns. They were on shovels; there were no little dingos or anything with augers to poke the holes in; we all had to dig by hand. They were working in one section. There were members of our own community, the Harold family - Tom and Marcy and their kids; they rode down and put in trees. There was Jenny Paul, a teacher at Anula School; and Leanne Wilson and her kids. I am pleased to say that Leanne’s boy, Danny won a raffle for everyone who went down there and helped out, with gifts donated by John Robinson at the Darwin Airport Resort - I think it was a meal and perhaps overnight accommodation at his great place. That was a pretty good effort. There was Margaret Stehouwer; a stalwart of the community, who is very green in her thinking and wants to see a lot of work done down there, and I am with her all the way on that. There was Kathie Snowball from the Toy Library and her family; who got down and got into it.
There was also Jim and Shirley Downing, an old Darwin family who live in Shackles Street. Shirley is the person who featured in the story in the NT News only last week. She painted seven canvases of the Rapid Creek corridor and called it Gurambai. They are great and hanging at Charles Darwin University. They are looking for a home and I know that Shirley would love to see them hanging somewhere in the airport precinct, perhaps at one of the main buildings of the Darwin International Airport or one of the Commonwealth offices. It is a fantastic tribute which she has done to help us all remember what Rapid Creek corridor looks like.
The team, as I said, was led by Dan Richards who did a great job. Peter O’Hagan was there. It was just a wonderful effort that they did. I took my daughter, Claire, and her friend, Jasmine, from across the road, who helped out. This is a fantastic story about the fliers that we put out. There was a couple from Anula who were actually visitors from England, who were staying with relatives on Yanyula Drive. They saw the flier and they were there, so we actually had international guests to Darwin who were digging holes and putting trees in who recognised the value of it. There was a great cross-section of the community and everyone worked up and down that corridor with a great sense or community spirit, and I was very pleased to be part of it.
It was the first time I have been to Yankee Pools. I said in this House a couple of years ago that one of my ambition was to jump in a rubber tyre - because I had heard about this trip - and float down Rapid Creek. I took a little heat from some of the members who are no longer in the House. They derided that and said that was not much of a wish. Let me say that the yearning to do that is still very strong in my family.
The next day, on Sunday, I went again to Yankee Pools and this time I had my daughter and my son with me. I took neighbours - two kids from across the road, and I think three kids from the other side. We went there and we had a great time. I took a picnic lunch and we sat there. Yankee Pools is just a great area. A place like that in the middle of the suburbs is just fantastic. There was beautiful clear water and the kids were having a great timed. It is a very historical site. I would really like to see the Darwin City Council work with Darwin International Airport and other land-holders to make this a truly great corridor. We just have to look across into the wetlands. I know there was consideration by the Darwin Golf Course and the Darwin Airport Resort to maybe push a little pathway through and then you could get the golfers across to the golf course. That would be fantastic, and would not encroach too heavily on environment and could be accommodated. There are all these things that could be done in this corridor to attract the people of the suburbs into it. It is something that we should be working hard at. All the work goes on over the other side over Kimmorley Bridge and down through to Rapid Creek at the Water Gardens area. I would like to see a bit of focus on what Darwin International Airport is doing around Yankee Pools and on that whole pathway down on the airport side to Kimmorley bridge.
The next challenge in the ongoing management and rehabilitation of the Yankee Pools area is the formation of the management agreement with four land-holders, including the airport, Defence, crown land and the council. Work has commenced on this and agreement reached which aims to continue the airport’s good works to create a 150 m wide environment corridor around the headwaters of Rapid Creek. The successful delivery of this agreement will set the foundation for the continued program of environmental protection of the area, increasing public awareness and instilling pride and commitment to the Rapid Creek area.
Ian Kew, may I also add, was there with his family working away digging holes. Everyone was there. Ian Kew is pretty dinkum about the work he wants to do there. He has a good offsider in Dan working away on it. I wish them all the luck with their plans. I give them my commitment to work with them. I believe John Robinson knows the value of that corridor and he will be getting stuck into it in making sure that it is a pleasure for tourists to walk along. There is a great little path there. It is up to us to get there and use it, making sure that there are proper facilities for looking after the litter, and that people are aware that what they take down there, they take out again.
All through the Wet, I suggest that people from the northern suburbs, and even further away, get down there, have a look at Yankee Pools and the corridor, walk along and have a look at the wildlife that is there, get into the beautiful water, have a good time, but take your rubbish out with you.
I would just like to finish by saying that Marcia Harold came to see me. She was one of the people there on the clean-up day and she turned up and said: ‘Can we get involved in Clean-up Australia Day, perhaps along that area?’ I have been talking to them and Dan at the Darwin International Airport and to Peter O’Hagan. Peter O’Hagan and his group will be working on the creek corridor between McMillans Road and Trower Road from 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm. I have to talk to Marcia and see whether she is putting up a sign at the top end of it. Dan and his crew are in with Qantas because Qantas is a major sponsor of CUAD. They are actually looking at somewhere over in the Fannie Bay area, probably around the Charles Hinkler memorial. I know that Dan is keen to get stuck into the Charles Eaton areas. I hope he does get in there.
Let us make it a great spot for all the community. I would like to extend an invitation to all members, particularly those members who fly in and out of the airport. Instead of going straight to your car when you get off the plane, have a short five-minute walk at the back of the resort, look at the birds and the walk, and you will see Yankee Pools. Come back, have a sit down around the pool, have a beer at Foxie’s place and really enjoy life in the northern suburbs.
Mr KNIGHT (Daly): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I am just going to make a few comments tonight in relation to my electorate and what has been happening over the last few weeks, especially after Christmas. It was good to see that Christmas went well for many people in my electorate and there was not too much flooding when I got back from my leave.
The first event that happened was, obviously, Australia Day that everybody gears up for. I attended two ceremonies, one at Batchelor and one at Pine Creek. For the Batchelor ceremony, I actually got there nice and early and helped members of the community and the Coomalie Community Government Council cook the breakfast. The council put on a fabulous breakfast for the locals and there would have been 200 or 300 people turn up for the event, which is absolutely fabulous for the community. I cannot go past the work that the councillors do. I acknowledge the organisation Kyra from the council puts into this event. The councillors and the president, Bruce Jones, is totally committed. He dressed up for the day in his Australia Day boxer shorts. There were many children. Families came along, which is absolutely fabulous and, after the breakfast, we moved into the ceremonies. It was terrific to acknowledge so many different groups and individuals who have contributed to that community.
One of the events was the open garden festival, which is something that was tried last year. It is one of those events which is bringing Batchelor together. It is putting the town on the map and will, obviously, work well in the future.
After I left Batchelor, I went down to Pine Creek. Pine Creek put on a fabulous show, and it was well under way by the time I got there. Again, another Aussie barbecue. I did not actually get to cook this one, but I was pretty barbecued out with sausages and fried meat by the end of the day. Again, this was a very well attended event, with a lot of families there and people just coming together. At that event, I made a few comments which were particularly related to what Australia Day means to me. The emphasis was that Australia Day is a time when we reflect on what we have done over the years, and what makes the community great. It really was everything that goes on day-to-day in each one of those communities. It is all the volunteers, the community spirit, the comradeship and the development of those communities which make it great and which makes the celebration of Australian Day a reflection of what happens.
Several weeks ago, I made a trip out to other parts of my constituency. I took a charter out to the Port Keats/Wadeye community, to be there in time for the school opening. Last year, they had a drive on to get students to school and that resulted in two-and-a-half times the number of students who typically come during the year, which was quite a stressful time for all concerned - the students, the teachers, and obviously the government, which had to respond as best it could. This year and throughout last year, the government and community worked closely together and, by this year, new teachers had been recruited, there were more classrooms and tables and chairs and a lot more organisation.
I arrived there from the show of light in the morning and things were well under way. There was a troop carriers racing around the community picking up people. Several people need to be given recognition in relation to that event. Special thanks to Mandy Leggett, who is absolutely fabulous for that community. Mandy has a long history with that community and she really puts a lot of energy in.
Also, to the co-principals of the Thamarrurr Regional School, Tobias Nganbe and the new co-principal, Anne Rebgetz, who has come from Queensland. Anne will be a fabulous asset to the community. She and Tobias will really do some fabulous things this year and, hopefully, they will stay for a long time. I do not know how it happened, but Anne’s husband is actually a GP, and he has moved to the community, which is good to see, so the community now has a resident doctor. Whether she came with him or he came with her, is irrelevant; it is good to see that we have two great people in the community.
The day was one of acknowledging the work that has been done in the community. There were a lot of returned students, a lot of new students, and the total student body was broken into three ceremony groups. Each ceremony group was put through a smoking ceremony to welcome the children, to get rid of the evil spirits. It was something that I am sure the kids remember and, hopefully, will stick to. Approximately 430 kids turned up the first day and, over that week, the numbers built up to, I believe, 500 or 600, which is absolutely fabulous. However, there is still a lot more work to be done. I will be constantly reminding our government of our responsibility there, and also the other players such as Catholic Education and the Commonwealth government, that we still have 1000 school-aged children in that community and we have to do a lot more.
I moved on to the Nganmarriyanga community, or Palumpa, to meet the new Town Clerk. Ken and his wife have come from Queensland, another great asset for that community. His wife works at the school. It is really good to see good quality people coming into these communities. Between him and the president, Jack Woditj, who is a good friend of mine, I believe things will move ahead with that community.
The school has always been fairly good, and Otto, the new principal there, certainly has a lot of ideas. I acknowledge the hard work they are trying to do for some of their satellite schools at Merrepen, and I will be working hard to help them have better services and look after those kids in those outlying areas.
The road is, obviously, a big issue. I drove on it to Nganmarriyanga, which is only 50 km of a 190 km journey back to the Daly River. It was in very poor condition. I look forward to working to have that road upgraded over the years to come so that we can have an all-weather road back to the Daly River and a bridge over the Daly River, and see that region’s economic development really kick on. That was one of the aspects I talked to several land-holders there about. William Parmbuk is someone I have known for a long time. He has a place at Kubiyirr which is an amazing place, at the top of a plateau looking over a huge floodplain and valleys. He wants to get things going there. I am encouraged that our departments are working very closely with them and with the work of the Northern Land Council there. I look forward to working with those parties in the future to get not only William’s place going, but other places as well.
Unfortunately, this year another part of my electorate suffered isolation through flooding. That was the Timber Creek area, where I have a long history. The low pressure trough tended to sit over the headwaters of the Victoria River. Obviously, the river came up to about 9 m over the Victoria River bridge which is a fair height. Also the Baines came up to the west of Timber Creek and it blocked it off. That community knows what it is like to be isolated. It was good to see the road open up in the last week and for those people to be able to get out and have a bit of time away from the town after being trapped there for several weeks.
I would just like to acknowledge another friend of mine, Basil Jimarin who, unfortunately, had a son who passed away over this last weekend. My sympathies go out to Basil and his family. The circumstances were not that nice. I hope to catch up with Basil in the future and I will definitely try to get to the funeral of his son.
Other significant events which are happening in my electorate have been the developments of the mine. I have mining happening all over the electorate from Batchelor, around the northern area of Pine Creek out to the east of Pine Creek as well, and out in the eastern area of Katherine, which is just in my electorate, I think - I will claim it. The really exciting thing about this has been the engagement we have had from the mine companies. Previously, mining companies did not want to know you. They would not give you any information, they just bungled along, did their thing, got in and got out and did the fly-in, fly-out so, basically, they did not do much for these small towns. We have two companies. I also acknowledge the work that has been done at Batchelor by Compass Resources. I have been fairly heavily involved with GBS Gold, and also Territory Iron, who have been very helpful. We have tried to work together: the community members at Pine Creek through their council, the Aboriginal Council at Kybrook Farm, the Northern Land Council and DEET, and we also had some Commonwealth agencies involved in the beginning as well.
It has been a great experience. We are looking at getting ahead of the game and getting some training programs in place for local people who we know are not going to leave the community, will spend their money in the community and continue to keep their kids in the school. These are the people who we want to put through training programs to give them the opportunity to work at these mines. From Batchelor all the way to Katherine there will be significant employment. Next week, I will talk more about the mining industry. Something like 200-odd jobs between the three mines over a period of 10 years is absolutely fabulous for those towns. I believe we have gone past the point of it stopping; both companies have committed themselves to opening up. Certainly, with the prices of gold and other precious metals, this is the time to do it. I thank them for their cooperation. I look forward to it continuing and getting these training programs happening.
We will also try to get an emphasis on getting government agencies like DBERD there to assist local business operators or individuals who want to start businesses, change their business, or to expand their businesses. As I said, we are starting to capture some of these smaller contracts that will be offered through the mining companies, and really build that town.
In parallel to all the mining developments in these communities, we want to make sure that we achieve some sustainable industries such as tourism, and build the infrastructure so that when the mines do close down, that infrastructure and those other annual industries are there to keep the economy at a higher level than it was previous to the mining happening, to continue to keep the people in the town.
Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I look forward to getting back the teacher we lost in Pine Creek late last year. I look forward to that position being reinstated. I thank everybody at Pine Creek for all their work.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016