2011-02-22
Madam Speaker Aagaard took the Chair at 10 am.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the member for Fong Lim be discharged from the Public Accounts Committee and the member for Katherine be appointed in his stead.
Motion agreed to.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is with regret that I advise of the death, on 25 December 2010, of Mr Maurice Joseph Andrew Rioli, former member for Arafura in the Legislative Assembly from November 1992 until August 2001.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of family and friends of the late Mr Rioli. I particularly acknowledge Mr Sebastian Rioli and his wife, Cheryl, and Manny and Cyril Rioli Junior, brothers of Mr Maurice Rioli. In addition, Mr Alan Hudson, the CEO of the Tiwi Shire; the Mayor of the Tiwi Shire, Lynette de Santis; and the Director of Community Services at Milikapiti, Mr Lawrence Costa. There are also other family and friends, including Mr Rioli’s nieces, Gail and Sonia. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly:
As an iconic footballer, once retired he could have lived the life of a superstar in Melbourne; however, he decided to come home to the Tiwi Islands. He could have been on television screens commentating on games, part of footy panels, and part of the whole glamour circuit around Melbourne and made an enormous amount of money. He decided not to do that. He decided to go back to the Tiwi Islands and commit to his people, which was the enormous strength of the man.
Sadly, Maurice passed away on Christmas Day whilst spending time with his family in Darwin. I was shell-shocked when I heard the news. I spent Christmas Day with my extended family at home in Wanguri, and it was probably the only day of the year I had my phone turned off. Only if there was an enormous catastrophe could someone knock on my door, and I would not be answering phone calls. I did not receive a knock on the door. Later that evening, with other family members, we visited a friend’s at the bottom of my street and had a wonderful evening. Stacey, the kids and I came home around 11 pm on Christmas Day. It was when the first cyclone was due to hit North Queensland and I said to my wife: ‘I am going to watch Sky News to see what is happening with the cyclone in Queensland’. I turned on the television and there was the ticker tape across the bottom: ‘Maurice Rioli, football legend, has died’. I could not believe it; I was shocked. I had 27 messages on my mobile phone from all sorts of people. I immediately called Marion to see if it was true. It was an enormous shock because I had caught up with Maurice a few weeks earlier. It was a heck of a way to end Christmas with such sad news.
Maurice was born on 1 September 1957 at Garden Point on Melville Island. In 1964, the family moved to Darwin. He attended St Mary’s school with his younger brothers, Manny and Laurence. In 1968, Maurice went to St John’s College. It was there he developed his football and cricket skills. He was also a very handy Rugby League player and a boxer. He represented the Territory in Rugby League and Australian Rules.
He played for St Mary’s Footy Club in Darwin in the 1974-75 season, and was recruited to South Fremantle at the start of the 1975 season. He played in three WAFL grand finals between 1979 and 1982, including winning a premiership in 1980. Maurice won the Simpson Medal as the best player in the 1980 and 1981 grand finals. He moved to Richmond for the 1982 VFL season after playing 121 games for South Fremantle between 1975 and 1981. Maurice gained the reputation of being a great tackler, and a skilful and fair player. He won the Norm Smith Medal in a losing grand final side in 1983, the first Indigenous person to do so.
I have limited memories of Maurice playing football all those years ago; however, as the Minister for Central Australia reminded me, Maurice captained the Northern Territory side which played Essendon in Darwin at Gardens Oval on Australia Day 20 years ago. I remember watching that game; it was great that the Northern Territory won and Maurice captained the team that day.
On Boxing Day, I was explaining to my kids what a great footballer Maurice was, and googled Maurice Rioli to see what footage was on YouTube - not a great deal. We have recommended to Richmond Football Club and the AFL, through their archival and history records, they put together a tribute DVD of Maurice Rioli so we can show Territory kids and people what an amazing player Maurice Rioli was. I saw him play in the early 1980s in Darwin several times.
He also represented Australia in Gaelic Football against Ireland. That must have been a hoot. I am sure he did very well in those games. He won All Australian honours for a third time after the 1988 Bicentennial Carnival. In 1990, he finished playing in Perth after 166 games for South Fremantle. He played for Waratahs until 1991, and then coached them for two years. My memory is at that time Waratahs were really struggling; they were almost about to go under as a footy club. They approached Maurice to play with them and to coach them, which started a Waratahs’ revival and saved a very famous Darwin footy club.
In 1993, he was invited by the AFL to present the Norm Smith Medal at the grand final. We have all seen the footage of Maurice putting the Norm Smith Medal over the head of another Territory legend, Michael Long.
Maurice, who passed away at 53, was a true pioneer for Territory football. He was, in the modern era, the first Indigenous player to cut through in an enormous way. There is not one person in footy circles who is not full of admiration for Maurice Rioli. Maurice was a devoted family man and supported his family involvement with basketball, football and other sports.
Another person who admired Maurice as a sportsman and person was Tiwi Bombers coach, Karl Gundersen, who described Maurice as ‘a massive beacon and figurehead for the Tiwi Islands and Tiwi football in general’. The Tiwi Bombers want to win the premiership this year for several reasons. If they beat my team, St Mary’s, it is all well and good because they will have done it in large part for Maurice Rioli, and we would not begrudge them that.
Maurice was one of eight footballing brothers from the tiny community of Garden Point to play with the NTFL powerhouse St Mary’s. At 17, Maurice had already caught the eye of seasoned observers who had him high in the betting to win the league’s best and fairest award, the Nichols Medal. A two-time Simpson Medallist with South Fremantle, the brilliant left-footer was a three-time All Australian, member of the AFL’s Indigenous Team of the Century, and an inaugural inductee into the AFLNT’s Hall of Fame - and what a great night that was. I attended the first Hall of Fame night, and Maurice looked very distinguished with a new pair of glasses with frames which were right out there. They were very colourful and I asked Maurice: ‘What is it with the Dame Edna glasses, Maurice?’ I also ribbed Marion about Maurice’s trendy new glasses. He had a fantastic night and it was great to see him inducted into the AFLNT’s Hall of Fame. Maurice captained the Northern Territory side which won the Division 2 title at the 1988 Bicentennial Carnival, and was the inaugural coach of the Indigenous All Stars in 1994.
Maurice was elected as the member for Arafura in the Legislative Assembly for the Labor Party in 1992. In 1992 I was on the admin committee - I might have been vice president of the party - and we were so excited to have Maurice as our candidate. I remember the victory party in Darwin after he won the 1992 by-election. Maurice turned up later in the evening and there was such a buzz that the Labor Party had approached Maurice, Maurice had accepted, and had been elected. It was a fantastic night. Maurice made a huge contribution as member for Arafura for nearly 10 years.
In his first speech in this Chamber he described the electorate of Arafura as a cultural powerhouse of Australia, with 95% of the electorate being Indigenous. He held his seat until 2001 when he retired from parliament. I remember being sworn in after the 1999 election and taking my seat where Mr Conlan now sits. Right next to me was Maurice Rioli. I had to pinch myself that I had been elected - I did not think I would be – and come into the parliament and sat next to a real icon of the Territory, Maurice Rioli. It was a very proud time.
It takes time for a new member of parliament to understand how things work. I kept myself to myself and was quiet. Our Whip in those days was Syd Stirling, and there was always a panic when Maurice, who was shadow minister for a range of things, was due to speak. Where is Maurice; where is Maurice? Magically he would appear at the right time, well-prepared, deliver his contribution and disappear. People would say: ‘Where the heck’s Maurice?’ No one would know where he was; however, like the great footballer he was, he always appeared when his side needed him - always did great things. That is my memory of him in the Chamber - always reliable but nerve-racking when he stood to speak. He spoke from the heart and from his head, and although he was quiet and demure compared to some of the characters of the day who may be at full throttle, I did not see Maurice in that mode. When he spoke people listened because he always had something significant to say.
Maurice was honoured on 7 January with a State Funeral at St Mary’s Star of the Sea Cathedral. I was honoured to attend the ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, where several past and present members of the Territory Assembly were in attendance together with representatives from the Richmond Football Club and the AFLNT.
The service was led by Bishop Eugene Hurley, and I pay tribute to the Bishop – the service was magnificent. It was dignified yet personalised, and had a large Tiwi cultural involvement. There was so much grief and so many people wanting to celebrate the contribution Maurice had made. Bishop Hurley spoke eloquently about Maurice the person, Maurice the man, and the legacy he left. Bishop Hurley agreed to me using some of his speech for the Parliamentary Record. It was a fantastic speech and I quote from the eulogy by Bishop Hurley at the State Funeral:
As short as Maurice’s life was, his legacy to his people, to all those Tiwi kids, is to dream anything is possible if you are prepared to work for it and dream. He leaves an enormous legacy to his people and all his friends around the Northern Territory, of which there are thousands. It was a sad day - people are still talking about it. It was disappointing the All Stars game with Richmond Football Club was called off because of the condition of the TIO oval. There were plans to turn that into a game to commemorate the contribution Maurice made to football, both in the Northern Territory and nationally. Our minister for Sport is working with the AFL to ensure there is another opportunity, perhaps when Richmond visits later this year to play the Western Bulldogs for premiership points. The footy world is still working to determine the ultimate recognition for Maurice, both locally and through the AFL.
People wanted some distance so significant AFL people could work through honorary statements and figurehead initiatives. I have contributed my thoughts to local football people; however, it is really for Territory football to decide which way to go. There will be significant announcements to commemorate Maurice and his contribution to footy in the Territory.
In conclusion, I say farewell Maurice Rioli. We were not great friends; however I always enjoyed Maurice’s company. Both sides of the Chamber will miss Maurice dropping in. If he was in town and sittings were on he would always drop in, say hello, share a laugh, some of his wisdom, and some footy analysis. We are going to miss that. Every time I travelled to the Tiwi Islands I would bump into Maurice - I am going to miss not seeing Maurice Rioli there.
My condolences to Maurice’s family - it was an enormous shock. My condolences to the people of the Tiwi Islands who have lost an amazing leader; a man who made an incredible contribution. To kids growing up on the Tiwi Islands, listen to Bishop Hurley’s words and be inspired by Maurice Rioli; be inspired to dream; be inspired to hope and believe all things are possible, because they are. If kids on the Tiwi Islands can live up to that hope and dream there is a bright future.
Mr MILLS (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, it is a sad time. I support this important condolence motion and offer my commiserations to the family. A hole is left by the early departure of Maurice Rioli.
Being raised in Western Australia, I have some insights into the significance of the life lived which we commemorate and consider today. In Western Australia in 1974 and 1975, and years on, he was a legend. He was awe-inspiring; he was in a league of his own. People spoke of Maurice Rioli. He was deeply loved. He has left a space in the football world which is hard to describe and we now recognise what we had. He was an inspiration, and it is difficult to describe the impact of a quiet man. The Chief Minister described the man who turned up to deliver his speech at the right time - as the football commentators would say, at the psychological moment. He is there and he performs magic.
Having been raised in Western Australia, and having the additional good fortune to have family members who played with Maurice, the level of admiration and respect is something I can only convey to honourable members who may have no experience with Australian Rules football, or not experienced a view of the Northern Territory through the life of this man from outside the Northern Territory. He was amazing on the football field – breathtaking. I was a Subiaco supporter but every eye would be drawn to this man when he played. Everyone would look at Maurice Rioli and be impressed.
People were not just drawn to look at this man - how did he do that? He was in a league of his own; he was awe-inspiring. He raised a new profile - the potential of the Northern Territory. He represented the Northern Territory. When you heard of Maurice Rioli there was always a reference to the Northern Territory. That was very significant and created in the football world the potential magic in the Northern Territory. It added to the legend, the possibility, and the mystique of the Territory. He carried that onto the football field.
The gift this man created was a space for others to dream - just as the Bishop described in his eulogy and the Chief Minister recounted in this condolence motion. He created a space. He inspired so many to think the thoughts and dream that it could be them. Others have come after him; however, he changed the landscape - make no mistake about that. From someone who was outside the Northern Territory at that time, he changed the landscape and made it possible for others to live that dream - so many of them. That is an awesome legacy.
The Chief Minister and I came into this Chamber on the same day. I became involved in politics and it was just like another job in some respects. I phoned my late father to let him know I was being sworn into parliament. Dad dropped everything to be here not so much to see me, to see the bloke sitting in the chair behind where I am standing. My father, along with many of his generation, loved Maurice. He would often ask me: ‘How is Maurice?’ I would say: ‘He is on the other side of the Chamber’.
Maurice was constant; he was a man who did not play politics as sometimes the ugliness of politics can be played. He was constant, he was friendly, he was good-natured, and we were able to communicate with each other plainly. He always asked about my family members whom he played with – we had that in common.
We also know he was humble. He carried this mantle of being a legend - and he was - with humility. He also carried his struggles with candour and a humility which was impressive. Not much has been said about this but Kevin Naughton has written an excellent article on the carriage of Maurice through a difficult period. In keeping with Maurice’s view and humility, he was completely honest. That is a powerful response to a challenge for all who carry difficulties – to be honest and allow hope to emerge. That profound humility is an important part of this story. In fact, some things were much greater than his personal prestige and ego.
Two telling themes come through from his first speech in parliament, one being health. The former member died at an early age. Maurice spoke of the health issues of his people. The ball has been passed to us to continue that. Do not allow those words just to stand on the page; we have to continue. Second, he spoke of real economic activity leading to real jobs. Once again, the ball has been passed to us. We need to run that because he is sitting in the grandstand watching to ensure the ball is still being played. There is real hope through real economic activity. The people - in this case his electorate and principally the Tiwis - have real economic activity which leads to a real job.
The level of respect for this man I can only recount to those who know some of these characters. Anyone who knows Mal Brown, a Western Australian lad who coached South Fremantle for a number of years whilst Maurice was there, played for Richmond, is still involved with the Richmond Football Club, a legend himself in a different way - you could not find two more different people, the persona of Mal Brown matched against Maurice. You might think the actions and words of Mal Brown on the football field would be deeply offensive. Many people have reacted to Mal Brown, who occupies his own space and says the most outrageous things. He was lambasted not so long ago for some disgraceful commentary, yet one person who supported him was Maurice. Maurice said he is not to be taken seriously; he does not really mean that. One quiet voice spoke out of respect for Mal Brown because he knew where he was coming from. Mal Brown was able to provide real support at an important point in Maurice’s life, and Maurice knew it was deeper and far more powerful, which conveyed to Maurice the level of respect he had as a man. It was a very special moment for Mal Brown to be able to make comment at the service. I spent time with Mal Brown afterwards and he told me of his great love, and the love of many, for Maurice.
Maurice made a contribution to the parliament. His record stands. However, the two themes which come from his first speech - health and economic activity - are the challenges we need to continue with. God bless you, Maurice, rest in peace and best wishes to the family.
Ms LAWRIE (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I join with the Chief Minister and members of parliament to give my deepest condolences to the family of Maurice Rioli, an extraordinary Territorian; an inspirational Territorian.
I remember seeing his footy career explode in Melbourne when he played for the Richmond Tigers. As a Territorian, it made me incredibly proud to see we had the best footballer of his time running and lighting up the football field wearing the Richmond Tigers colours. I was raised as a Nightcliff Tigers supporter, growing up opposite the football oval, understanding footy is not just a game, it is a way of living your life and a binding part of our community and our society. It was an incredibly proud experience, as a Territorian spending their latter teenage years in Darwin and then working in Melbourne, with Maurice at the height of his Richmond Tigers footy career.
He elevated the Territory to national status; he elevated the Territory to a place where people were galvanised and inspired by the talent of our Indigenous footballers. Maurice led the way; he cut through and transcended to a level never seen before.
He was an extraordinary man, and extraordinary men do not appear of their own account. I acknowledge the strength of Maurice’s family, his parents and his siblings. Extraordinary people are often nurtured by their environment and life experiences. You cannot go past the Rioli family of the Tiwi, the strength of the Tiwi culture, and the enduring effort to work for their community and maintain the strength and greatness of their society and culture, and to grow the opportunities for Tiwi people on the Tiwi Islands. It is no surprise that Maurice chose, after such a stellar career, to return home to continue the good work for the Tiwi on the Islands. Friends of mine who have played for South Fremantle, and Territorians who have settled in Perth, came home to attend Maurice’s funeral.
You cannot get away from the 118 games he played for Richmond - he exploded into the national football scene. He played from 1982 to 1987 and kicked some 80 goals. He won the club’s prestigious Jack Dyer Medal - the best and fairest award - in his first two years at Punt Road. He literally exploded onto the national football scene in 1982 and 1983.
He did the unimaginable; he won the Norm Smith Medal for being best on field in the Tiger’s grand final when they lost to Carlton, and was the first player to win a Norm Smith Medal in a losing side. He also finished runner-up in the 1983 Brownlow Medal. He was an exceptionally exciting player. His skill, finesse, ability to read the game, speed and agility were phenomenal. He was named as an All Australian in 1983, 1986 and 1988, and played in the centre in the Indigenous Team of the Century. His career as an Aussie Rules player is unparalleled for what he did to elevate and inspire Indigenous Territorians to pursue careers at the elite level of our great game, Australian Rules Football.
His commitment to his people and the Territory was also an enduring part of Maurice’s life work. As a member of parliament from 1992 to 2001, he worked tirelessly, quietly, and in a humble way to represent, to the fullest extent, the aspirations of the people of the electorate of Arafura, also understanding what it would take to bind people throughout the Territory. He was highly loved and regarded across the Territory and made a very strong and enduring mark as a member of the parliament, not only representing the people of Arafura, but representing the aspirations of many Indigenous Territorians across the Territory.
I feel privileged to have known Maurice. He was always giving of his time and very gently would provide information which gave an insight into the needs and aspirations of people. He had a fantastic sense of humour and a tremendous wit. Whatever complex issue was occurring, Maurice had an insightful way of penetrating the complexities of the issue to provide sensible and thought-through solutions. Not many people take the time to do that. His intellect was significant, and it was tempered by his incredible humility. Many people will rush through life; Maurice Rioli did not. He was thoughtful and would take the time to seek people out, talk them through issues, and propose solutions.
Maurice was very much a humble man of the people. I remember the experience of my then husband after we returned to the Territory. He was at Nightcliff oval playing cricket, and who was playing for the other side? The iconic legend Maurice Rioli. My husband was gobsmacked; he could not believe he was playing cricket at Nightcliff oval and there was Maurice Rioli. Maurice was just being Maurice, quietly cracking a few jokes, not really participating in the sledging cricket is so famous for. He showed tremendous skills on the cricket field as I sat with the kids watching him that day. I said to my husband: ‘Welcome to the Territory’, because our greats are part of the people; they do not stand apart from the people. That was Maurice. He loved and was passionate about his sports, which he excelled in.
Maurice always took the time to help people around him, which marked him as an extraordinary man. I am deeply sorry he passed away on Christmas Day; it will change that day forever for his family.
None of us expected to see Maurice pass so early in life. He was excelling in his work. From discussions I have had with my colleague, the member for Arafura, he was binding the people of Tiwi to meet the challenges they have, and also finding pathways forward for the people. His passing was far too soon, and such a tragedy for it to be on Christmas Day.
I acknowledge and thank Nuala Murphy, Maurice’s right-hand woman for the years he served in parliament, for her work and support.
Maurice was a tremendous Tiger man. Early in his career he was great with Saints, and late in his career enormously helpful to Waratahs. Above all he was a tremendous man, a great Tiwi man, and an amazing and extraordinary Territorian. He is, and will be, an inspiration to us all. We are beholden to work for our people. We should do so not above people but with and among our people, and take the time to consider the challenges and aspirations of our people, and care deeply for their wellbeing. Be prepared to nurture the young ones coming through, be prepared to think outside the square – Maurice was a great lateral and insightful thinker.
I am deeply sorry at his passing. My thoughts go to his family, his many friends, and the people of Tiwi. He will never be forgotten. He was such an extraordinary man, an extraordinary Territorian, who put us on the national map showing the skills and talents Territorians have. He did so through football but he continued as a community leader after his football career.
Thank you, Maurice Rioli, for being a friend and mentor to so many Territorians. Those of us who worked with Maurice will continue working tirelessly for the people of the Territory recognising he has left a legacy we must carry on. Vale, Maurice Rioli.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Speaker, I support this motion and extend my sympathies to the family. I extend my mother, Noel Padgham’s, sympathies to Maurice’s parents, Mr and Mrs Rioli, and to all the Rioli family. This is a sad day for the Territory; a sad day for Maurice’s family; a very sad day for the Tiwi people; the sporting community, and the community at large.
Maurice was a star in his sporting career. After talking with my brother, Peregrine, this stardom was worked on; it did not fall at his feet. When Maurice first went to play for South Fremantle his elder brother, Sebastian, was there and Maurice was in his shadow. Sebastian was a brilliant footballer whose career was cut short through injury. Maurice’s stardom came from hard work, dedication and commitment to the game. When my brother, Peregrine, was watching a football match in Perth with Billy Roe - we all know Billy Roe and his football talent - Billy commented that Maurice was going places - he could see it. He said he tackled hard and worked hard at the game. My eldest brother, a football person himself, believed Maurice’s stardom came from the hard work he did at South Fremantle Football Club. He had the raw talent and skills; however, it was the hard work, the sheer drive to excel at his game which took him to national and international levels in his sporting career.
He was a truly talented sportsperson – he not only played football, he played other sports at a very high level. It was from that solid grounding at South Fremantle that he was scooped up by Richmond. We have heard of his sporting achievements; he could have achieved much more. However, he wanted to come back to his home and his people.
I pass on my sympathies and condolences to Mr and Mrs Rioli and all family present, from me, my mother, Noel Padgham, my brother, Peregrine, and the rest of my family.
Ms McCARTHY (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I welcome family and friends of Maurice Rioli who are here, and those who are listening to this broadcast across the Northern Territory as we pay tribute to a remarkable person.
When we consider the life of someone, we always look at what they have done. In this case, we also reflect on the way Maurice left us. It is noteworthy to remember where we were on Christmas Day, a day where people around the country, and around the world, look at families. It is a day where the gift of giving is the primary goal. We look at what Maurice Rioli gave to his family and the people of the Northern Territory, and reflect on the importance of what was given to every person who can say something about this man - whether they knew him personally or watched him from afar.
Growing up in Borroloola in the Gulf of Carpentaria, I had the opportunity to know Maurice. I reflect on what he gave to my families in the Gulf region: the enormous pride young Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Mara, and Gudanji men would experience watching him play football - the extraordinary gift he gave to the men who stood proud in their footy guernseys as they went onto the field to play teams from across the Barkly and into the Gulf through Arnhem Land. As we gather at the Barunga Festival to play, the legend of Maurice Rioli will always be at the forefront of these young men’s mind.
The gift of inspiring, of challenging others to stand strong, of encouraging others to overcome adversity, of driving others to stand up for change is the real gift Maurice Rioli has left for people of the Northern Territory and, indeed, Australia. It is a remarkable gift of being able to reconcile between black and white Australians; the importance of forever trying to rise above the things which separate us as people: the poverty - not material poverty alone, spiritual poverty; the distances which allow black and white Australia to grow further apart. This is the gift Maurice Rioli shared by example with his people on the Tiwi Islands, in the football he played, and the many teams he not only played in but also captained and coached. The examples of inspiration, courage, boldness, and determination are the gifts Maurice Rioli left us on Christmas Day 2010.
When he stood in parliament as the Labor member for Arafura, he reflected on the importance of representing his constituents, recognising the incredible poverty, the huge gap in education, in housing and in local governance were the reasons he wanted to make a difference, not only for the Tiwi people, for all constituents in Arafura and all Aboriginal people across the Northern Territory.
In his maiden speech to parliament, he said:
In 2001, he saw that come to fruition with the current member for Arafura, Marion Scrymgour. His maiden speech went on to say:
He also said:
That statement carried Maurice Rioli through his life as the member for Arafura. He was human, very much like any other member of this House, with strengths and weaknesses. However, Maurice Rioli captured the goodness of what it was to rise above that which weakened people, and weakened him.
He represented the people of Arafura. When he retired he maintained his commitment to the people of the Tiwis by being part of the local government authority and, most recently, the Tiwi Shire. I make special mention of the Tiwi Shire and, as Local Government Minister, make special mention of Maurice’s role in the area of local governance across the Tiwis; a role which continued until his death.
He has been referred to as the Northern Territory’s most famous sporting son. He was a true champion on and off the field. His sporting achievements are truly legendary, and rightly so. His quiet achievement and his commitment to Indigenous and Tiwi issues are less well-known.
He was born one of eight siblings on Melville Island. Maurice learnt to play the game he came to excel in, in the small community of Pularumpi. From these modest beginnings he went on to play for St Mary’s in Darwin, and then for the South Fremantle Football Club in Western Australia. Maurice played in three consecutive WAFL grand finals between 1979 and 1982, playing 121 games with South Fremantle. He was awarded the Simpson Medal for best player on field in two of those three grand finals, a clear indication of his outstanding sporting skill.
As we have heard, he transferred to Richmond in what was then the Victorian Football League, where he played 118 games. He was awarded the Tiger’s best and fairest player in 1982 and 1983. He secured his place in football history when he became the first player from a losing side to win the Norm Smith Medal for best player after Richmond lost to Carlton in the 1982 grand final. He was also the first Indigenous player to win the Norm Smith Medal. He eventually returned to Perth, and then to Darwin, where he continued his football career as a player and coach until 1991.
On behalf of the people of Arnhem Land, my constituents of Arnhem, and my families in the Gulf region, the Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Mara and Gundanji peoples, I pay my sincere respects to the families present today, and the families listening to this broadcast across the Northern Territory, of a truly remarkable man who inspired so many who have come behind him.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I support this motion. I lived on Bathurst Island in the 1970s and early 1980s, during which time I took on the most dangerous occupation in the world, umpiring football on the Tiwi Islands. To reduce the danger I made a sensible move - I did not barrack for any football team so hopefully could not be accused of bias; however, it did not always work.
I loved to umpire, especially with the Tiwis, and can remember well the yellow and black team of Imalu, which for many years dominated football on the islands. A grand final involving Imalu was really Bathurst versus Melville Island, which made for much excitement and passion. The one thing I remember about Imalu was the name Rioli. Over the years I umpired, the names Rioli and Imalu were synonymous. A Rioli coached, captained, played, barracked or did everything for Imalu, and it was obvious from their skills they were born with football genes. Cyril Kalippa, his father, was captain of the first Garden Point, or Imalu, football team. The member for Karama mentioned Maurice played cricket. He inherited those skills from his father because Cyril got me out for a duck three times in a row - LBW would you believe. I complained bitterly to the umpire! I remember his father’s cricketing skills when Bathurst played Garden Point. It was no wonder Maurice was a great footballer - he came from a Rioli family.
I did not know Maurice then - the year he headed off to St Mary’s Football Club was the year I arrived at Nguiu. Like many others, I heard about him and his exploits as a footballer, whether with St Mary’s, South Fremantle, Western Australia or Richmond, which meant he went from the yellow and black of the Imalu Tigers to the yellow and black of the Richmond Tigers.
Others have spoken of those achievements and how hard it would have been being an Aboriginal playing football in Melbourne. It would have been tough but he came through and set an example for others. His time playing for Richmond was also good for the people of Melbourne - it opened their eyes. I came from Melbourne - I had never heard of the Tiwis, let alone the Riolis. It would have helped the Aboriginal people of Victoria who, when I was young, were hardly spoken of. The only Aboriginal person I knew of was Lionel Rose. Maurice’s move to Richmond helped break down the bias people in places like Victoria had towards Aboriginal people.
My great memory of Maurice as a footballer - and it never leaves me - is that great, long, sweeping left foot kick which could be a deadly accurate pass, or one which went down into the forward line to bring up the odd goal for Richmond. I am uncertain of what he would think of Richmond these days - they could do with some players like Maurice.
Maurice was not the first to be chased by political parties. Good footballers seem to attract attention from political parties; perhaps it is the high-profile nature of their job. He became the Labor member for Arafura. In my time that was a CLP seat held either by Hyacinth Tungutalum or Noel Padgham-Purich. Under Stanley Tipiloura, it became a Labor seat and has been Labor ever since. I never think of Tiwis as being party political - they are a group of very independent people. I would not be surprised if the Tiwi Islands are CLP one day because the party is not necessarily what drives them. They see themselves as an important part of the political process. They pick the party they want to support, which shows they are independent people.
From a distance some people might have thought Maurice a quiet person. However, he worked hard for his electorate - that is why he was elected. Unfortunately, he had a gambling addiction, which caused him some public embarrassment. As the member for Arnhem said, he was only human and who of us has never made a mistake. He survived that and turned his life around, which to me is the sign of a champion. When things were down he was able to turn his life around.
After retiring as local member he became interested in local government, which is where I caught up with him after all those years. He was passionate about local government and worked hard to make the new, amalgamated system work successfully, which was not easy.
For me, Maurice mirrored the Territory. He was born in the Territory; a little white, a little black; a love of life, football, boxing and the Tiwi Islands. He moved south, came back, entered politics; was famous - there were some good times and some bad times. When with Maurice I did not feel I was with a big-noting ex-football champion. I knew him as a good bloke who was a champion footballer. He was also an ordinary person who did his best to help the Tiwis, especially young Tiwis, and the Territory. I will remember him for that.
The Territory has lost a great man. Condolences to all the Rioli family; may he rest in peace.
Mr HAMPTON (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, I pay my respects to Mr Rioli and acknowledge his family present this morning. I particularly acknowledge his wife, Robyn, and their three children, Donna, Kristen and Gavin.
Maurice was inspirational to a generation of young footy players around the country. Whilst I did not reach the heights of Maurice in my footy career, I looked up to him. For my son, Curtly, who has just started his AFL career, Maurice is a role model. The impact Maurice has had on young footy players around the country, and in the Territory, spans generations.
Tributes came from people all around the country who had not forgotten his skills. He was a three-time All Australian, the first Indigenous player to win a Norm Smith Medal, and was named in the Indigenous Team of the Century which hangs in AFL House, Melbourne.
Rioli started his career in Darwin before being recruited to South Fremantle in the 1970s. His days at South Fremantle opened the door for many other Tiwi footballers - Vigona, Dunn and Campbell - to go south to try their luck. He was later signed by Richmond, where he played 118 games, kicking 80 goals and picking up two back-to-back club best and fairest awards in 1982 and 1983. In 1982, he became the first Indigenous Norm Smith Medallist and the first player from a losing side to take the coveted award in Richmond’s grand final defeat against Carlton. Rioli was a Brownlow Medal runner-up in 1983, and as the tribute from St Mary’s puts it:
In 1984, Maurice toured Ireland with the All Australian team for a series of half-Gaelic football half-Aussie Rules test matches. Maurice adjusted better than any of the Australians to the Gaelic style, and finished the tour with Australia’s best player award.
Maurice returned to South Fremantle in 1988 as club captain, but not before he was captain of the Northern Territory side at the Bicentennial Carnival in Adelaide. The Northern Territory was the surprise packet of that series, winning all three games to take the second division pennant. Maurice was one of the three Territorians selected in the All Australian side. When Maurice retired as a WAFL player in 1990 he had already served one season as coach of Waratahs in Darwin, and was one of the top coaches in the competition - his work forced him out of the game.
Footy was not the only inspiration Maurice delivered to young Territorians; he also contributed to the Territory in other ways, including our democracy. The Tiwis have a strong tradition of proud, Indigenous representatives in this parliament. The member for Nelson pointed out Hyacinth Tungutalum represented the electorate of Arafura from 1974 to 1977; Stanley Tipiloura represented the people of Arafura from 1987 to 1992; and Maurice represented the people of Arafura from 1992 to 2001. This great tradition continues with our own sitting member for Arafura, Marion Scrymgour.
In 1992, Maurice was elected to the Northern Territory parliament in a by-election for the seat of Arafura, which includes his Tiwi Islands’ homeland. The election was caused by the untimely death of Maurice’s long-time friend and former St Mary’s team mate, Mr Tipiloura. Maurice was the shadow spokesman for Mines and Energy and Youth, Sport and Recreation in the Labor Party opposition. Maurice was a wonderful member of this proud tradition and delivered for his electorate as we have heard today. This inspired many around the Territory in the same way he inspired us on the footy field. He was one of those blokes who would say you do not have to be on the sidelines watching; you can get in there and have a go. He certainly did. Unfortunately, with his retirement prior to the 2001 election, Maurice did not have the opportunity to sit on the government benches. I am sure he would have made a huge contribution given the opportunity.
He contributed to the Northern Territory not only as a member of parliament; also on his return to his homeland. He was inspirational and continued to deliver for his people. The Royal Life Saving Society of Australia stated:
His legacy extends far beyond his time in this House, and Maurice will continue to inspire us after his all too early passing.
The Rioli Fund, organised by Maurice’s nephew, Dean Rioli, is organising an annual sportsman’s dinner to be held on the eve of the NTFL grand final. This year’s inaugural dinner will be a tribute to Mr Magic and will take place on Friday, 18 March 2011, at Kantilla’s function room. I encourage everyone to get behind this meaningful tribute to Maurice and the efforts of Dean to highlight issues in Aboriginal health.
Maurice was someone I tried to imitate when I was growing up playing footy in the back yard - singing out the name Maurice Rioli whilst kicking the ball between trees. As a man from the desert, is it is a long way to the Tiwi Islands but I am connected through in-laws to the Dunn family. On Christmas Day, I was with Cadji Dunn Junior and Nicolette Dunn, and receiving the news - my niece and nephew are also closely connected to Maurice - made it a sad day. It is something I will not forget. Having to console both Junior and Sissy was very difficult. During his time in Alice Springs Cadji, my brother-in-law, spoke about Maurice and the Imalu Tigers with great pride. There is no doubt Maurice had a big impact on the local footy scene, the Tiwi people, and down the track to Alice Springs.
One of my greatest memories of Maurice is presenting Michael Long with his Norm Smith Medal after that fantastic grand final with the Baby Bombers. That memory will stay with me for many years. The Chief Minister mentioned the All Stars tribute and, as Sports minister - I spoke to Michael Long about this - it drove me to keep the game in the Territory. Unfortunately, it did not happen but we will work hard to have the tribute to Maurice this year.
On behalf of Marion Scrymgour, I would like to read a tribute to Mr Magic, Maurice Rioli, from Brian Ciccotosto from Perth:
Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for moving this motion. It is a great honour to speak about Maurice Rioli, a pillar of strength in the Northern Territory and a titan of the AFL.
People in the wider world might be amazed at the friendships we make in parliament. During my time in federal parliament I made many friends on the other side of the Chamber; similarly here. For reasons of decorum and the fact that I do not want to embarrass some on the other side, I will not go into naming those who are friends at this time. However, Maurice Rioli was one from the other side of politics who made a great impression on me.
I first met Maurice through basketball. Members will know I originally came to Darwin to play basketball, which was one of the great passions of the Rioli family. Maurice was always at basketball watching his children play. He had a great love for his girls, and took a great interest in their sporting achievements and prowess. Basketball will miss Maurice Rioli, I can assure you.
One of my friends prior to my election to parliament was the former Treasurer, Syd Stirling. I would often catch up with Syd and Maurice for a coffee in the mall or the Roma Bar, and have idle chitchat with them. I got on with both very well. It was obvious both men were dedicated to their cause and keen to see the Territory develop and grow. I was heartened to see Mr Stirling had the opportunity to speak of Maurice and his service in parliament at the funeral.
Similarly, several of my best friends were also close to Maurice Rioli. I refer to Michael Long, who most people will know, and Brian Ah Mat. Brian Ah Mat referred to Maurice Rioli as the ultimate traditional hunter. They would visit me at Beatrice Hill, where I was caretaking a buffalo property, and would constantly regale me with stories of Maurice’s hunting exploits. Maurice was the master of diving for turtles, hunting possums, hunting wallabies, an excellent fisherman, and an excellent goose shooter. He embodied all there was to know about Aboriginal and traditional hunting methods, and those lads I mentioned were only too keen to tell us stories about Maurice’s hunting prowess.
I have never been a great fan of Australian Rules football - it is heresy to say that in the Northern Territory sometimes. I played at the Masters, as the member for Nelson reminds me, but not very well. At Maurice’s funeral I was amazed to find how wonderful Maurice Rioli was as an Aussie Rules player. I had no idea he was such a legend in the sport. I always knew Maurice was a great, however, did not realise the extent, breadth and depth of his achievements - something to behold because the man I knew was a quiet man, an extraordinarily humble man who did not talk about his wonderful achievements. He had other things to talk about. I have seen a couple of great footballers; Maurice Rioli was one, Michael Long the other, and both are proud Tiwi men. What sets them apart from most of us mere mortals is their sheer humility, the fact they are quietly spoken and incredibly decent people. That is reason to admire them.
Maurice was a great family man. He had a huge love of family and friends around him. He captured the imagination of Territorians and Australians across the board with his football exploits; he also captured the love and adulation of people close to him in a much greater way.
I pass on my condolences to those who sit opposite. It has been a hard few months for the comrades in the Labor Party, and I acknowledge the passing of long-time faithful Labor man, Jack Haritos. Jack was another role model in the community. Like Maurice, he had a love of the Labor Party and a love the Chief Minister and I share - a love of St Mary’s. The Chief Minister and I are both vice patrons of the club by some quirk. Both Maurice and Jack Haritos will be sadly missed by the Labor Party and by Saint Mary’s; I acknowledge that and pass on my sympathy.
Maurice Rioli was a titan of the AFL. He provided inspiration for so many people across the Northern Territory. We heard our Sports minister say he tried to imitate Maurice Rioli as a child; that speaks worlds about Maurice. He was a towering role model for so many people who grew up in such tough conditions in the Northern Territory. It is people like him who provide inspiration, who give us all hope there is a future for some of the poorest and downtrodden people in our community. In that regard alone Maurice provides inspiration to us all.
He was the inculcation of decency and hard work. He was a lovely man. The hole he leaves in the Northern Territory is enormous; we will not fill it, which is enormously sad. It is sad that Maurice departed so early in life; however, it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what he did to make the Territory a great place and the inspiration he provided to thousands of people across the community.
Chief Minister, thank you very much for bringing on this motion. Condolences to all the family and friends - it has been a very tough time and my sympathies are with you.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Arafura): Madam Speaker, I join everyone who has contributed to this all-important motion about someone who played such an important role in this Chamber, with his family, and his mentoring of me as the current member for Arafura. Christmas Day rocked everyone - no one expected to receive that news. His death followed the death of another important man on the Tiwi Islands, Matthew Wonaeamirri. There is grief upon grief for the Tiwi people. When Cyclone Carlos was heading our way I got down on my hands and knees and prayed it would not go near the Tiwi Islands. My mob have had their fair share of grief with those two deaths. A number of important women on the islands have passed away recently and their funerals have just finished.
Throughout his adult life, and since his recent early death, many people have spoken in reverence of Maurice’s grace and brilliance as a footballer. I listened to the eulogies, and it was best summed up in the poem which described him as poetry in motion. There is no need to add anything except the transcendence and self-knowledge Maurice achieved as an athlete gave him the confidence and courage to embark on a very different journey which I want to speak about today.
Maurice was born into an important Tiwi family. In the context of Tiwi politics and the mainstream political world, Maurice eventually chose to enter after his return to the Northern Territory from his football career, challenges to Tiwi identity are an occupational hazard. In Maurice’s case, he had to meet and overcome a campaign run against him which involved the promotion of his opponent as a ceremony man. The subtext to this was the suggestion Maurice was an urbanised Aboriginal person who, in some sense, was not a proper Tiwi. The Arafura electorate, both on the Tiwi Islands and throughout western Arnhem Land, rejected that characterisation of Maurice and embraced him as their own at successive elections.
Maurice was an exceptional local member. He was loved and missed in that role, not only by Tiwi people, but by constituents in Gunbalanya, Maningrida, Minjilang, Warrawi, and all the western Arnhem Land outstations. I have received a steady stream of phone calls from western Arnhem Land cultural leaders - the very people he described in his maiden speech as the cultural powerhouse - wanting to arrange for dancers to finish off, acknowledge, perform, and pay their respects.
Perhaps the biggest moment in my life was when, in 2001, I was danced into this Chamber by my Tiwi countrymen to formally celebrate my election as Maurice’s successor. We all know how harrowing preselection can be, leaving you forever scarred. One attribute I saw with Maurice was his support and respect for women. As the current sitting member there was pressure to select from a number of men. He knew it was time a woman was nominated. To receive that support and be anointed by someone of his stature leaves me forever indebted to him. Going out on the trail, meeting various cultural leaders, introducing me to the men was his way of handing over and providing insight into my constituents I had not seen.
There were many funny moments as well. I remember during an election, Nuala Murphy - I have to acknowledge Nuala because she was the faithful electorate officer for Uncle Stan and Maurice. She and I were in the car with Maurice driving to Kakadu. We were setting up the polling booth when Maurice disappeared. I smiled when the Chief Minister mentioned he would disappear at times. Nuala and I were handing out how-to-vote cards and thinking: Where is Maurice? We need Maurice. He appeared. Unbeknown to me, he was in the bush behind the Toyota cooking our dinner. He had managed to get a goose from someone and was cooking it for us. Since his death, I have reflected on those moments and not felt sad. I feel privileged that I shared moments with him.
My entry into this Chamber - what a sight! In 2001 the Northern Territory elected a Labor government. I often reflect on that feeling and the people who came to celebrate. I have a photo - with your indulgence, Madam Speaker - I would like to show. I have copied this for the Tiwi Shire because he played a big role in driving local government reforms. To his children, Maurice Junior, Maria and Mali, this photo delivers a message to anyone who had questioned his Tiwi identity. Maurice did not appear before us in loincloth and paint; he dressed in a suit. He moved with passion and vigour across the same carpet he walked on during his period of almost a decade in parliament. He was declaring to the world: I am a proud, modern Tiwi man dedicated to retaining and revering my cultural heritage, and to doing whatever I can to advance my people to a better future.
Maurice put his money where his mouth was. He moved back to the Tiwi Islands and became a facilitator - the voice of reason in the slow and difficult years of local government reform. For years he was the go-to person at Pirlangimpi and, more recently, the senior local government representative at his home community. Any of the succession of Tiwi local government CEOs would testify to the central role played by Maurice, and to how impossible it would have been to win the trust and cooperation of community people without his involvement, clarifying things people found confusing, diffusing confrontations and disputes, and getting the Tiwi focused on the important things in life – family, health, employment, sport and culture.
He was never too busy to check up on the old in our community, and I will miss the phone calls and the discussions regarding Mummy Anita. All family members present know who Mummy Anita from Pirlangimpi is. He would relay reports to me in Darwin.
I acknowledge Lawrence Costa, Manny, the Mayor of the Tiwi Shire, Lynette De Santis, and Henry Dunn. We were like a band of brothers in the bush wanting to develop things. One of Maurice’s achievements was with the youth program with Kevin Doolan - I acknowledge Kevin Doolan and the many unsung heroes who oversee the youth diversion program on the Tiwi Islands and how it has developed and progressed over the years.
Maurice often spoke of the rewards which could be obtained by young people through disciplined participation in sport and other positive recreational activities, and that alcohol and drugs were the enemy when it came to steering teenagers and young adults in that direction. He worked tirelessly with the shire to acquire equipment, set up facilities and ensured trained people were providing guidance and direction to the young people encouraged to participate.
While Maurice was by nature calm and measured in his dealings with other people, he was an implacable and courageous opponent of the things he saw on the Tiwi Islands he considered unjust and wrong, both with his own land-owning group and in relation to Tiwi people. Generally, he wanted a better and more inclusive future for all Tiwi people.
In his last telephone call to me before his death, Maurice expressed something approaching despair over the damage he believed certain non-Tiwi individuals were causing Tiwi people and their prospects of economic and social advancement. Just as Maurice passed the baton to me in 2001, he has called on me and other Tiwis of our generation with the educational background and drive to make a difference, to continue his campaign for positive change. I hope I can live up to his expectations.
Finally, I want to say a few words about the invaluable mentoring role Maurice played in my political career. In the Tiwi world I called Maurice my brother or Yuwuni. I can think of no better description of the relationship I was privileged to share with this strong and gentle Tiwi leader. He was like an older brother in whom I could confide and who, after listening to what I had to say, would challenge me every time with the question: are you sure in your own mind that is the best thing for your constituents? This sometimes resulted in more discussion and an eventual moderation or adjustment of my original position. On each occasion I told Maurice I was sure the position I proposed to take was the right one for Arafura constituents - it is this same reply I receive from my support base - he would often say: ‘Well, we will back you 100%, sis’. That included times I was under pressure after taking contentious positions which have been heavily criticised.
Maurice knew about living his life in the media spotlight and the difficulties it entailed for close families. More importantly, he knew what it meant to be an Aboriginal Territorian and a Tiwi, with the allegiances, obligations and, at times, frustrations which go with that, and also an elected, mainstream politician committed to achieving outcomes for all Territorians. When the juggling exercise became too hard I would turn to Maurice, who would talk to me with clarity and equilibrium. Coping without him will be a daunting prospect.
To his mother, his father, Sibby, Manny, Laurence, Cyril Junior, John, Willie, his sisters, his children, Donna and Gavin, to all the families, your loss is more than mine. You have lost a son, a brother, a father, an uncle. Many of your countrymen feel and understand your grief. I acknowledge Lawrence, Lenny, Jane, Alan, and all his Tiwi Shire family. We must continue to do what he wanted: focus on a better life for our Tiwi children and their future prosperity.
My last words are reserved for his wife, Mali, with whom he spent 10 beautiful years - a woman who made him so happy. To Mali, Maurice Junior and Maria, I, like many of your family, will ensure we support you through the years as he would have wanted us to do. Nimpangi Yuwuni.
Madam SPEAKER: I also extend my condolences to the family and friends of Maurice Rioli.
Motion agreed to.
Members stood and observed one minute’s silence as a mark of respect.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, the member for Goyder has drawn to my attention that there was a massive earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, a short time ago. I understand there could be 300 to 400 people already dead. I thought members might like to be aware of it.
Dr BURNS (Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I table an exposure draft of a proposed Education Amendment Bill to amend the Education Act. In December 2009, the Northern Territory government released its long-term strategic plan, Territory 2030, which sets out the Territory government’s direction over the next two decades. Territory 2030 is the result of extensive consultation with ordinary Territorians and, from those consultations, education was nominated as a major factor in addressing many of the challenges faced by the Northern Territory.
Formal schooling brings incredible benefits to the Northern Territory and Territorians. A sound education can contribute to better health outcomes, increased employment opportunities and improved productivity levels. If we are going to meet our key educational challenges we must address the basics: getting every child to attend school every day.
On 27 October 2010, the Chief Minister gave parliament an update on government’s work to improve school attendance in the Northern Territory, namely, our government’s Every Child, Every Day attendance strategy. For the first time the Territory has a comprehensive and integrated strategy to address enrolment, attendance and participation. It sets ambitious targets and details key strategies government is implementing with parents, schools and communities to improve the participation of our young people in high-quality education available to them.
Sending children to school first and foremost is the responsibility of parents and families. Parents have to get their kids to school every single day. In October 2010 we introduced, amongst other measures, infringement notices attracting a $200 penalty for those parents who continue to refuse to send their children to school. The situation is urgent. We have no time to waste and it is crucial provisions within the Education Act are further strengthened to support our policy intent, particularly the capacity for enforcement of school attendance.
The purpose of the exposure draft tabled today is to provide opportunity for broad-based comment on particular changes to the Education Act designed to strengthen provisions relating to compulsory attendance at school. Extensive community consultations are scheduled to occur in coming weeks, and I encourage all education stakeholders and interested community groups to consider what is proposed in this exposure draft and provide feedback to the Department of Education and Training by 9 March 2011. The time frame is short, however, the situation is urgent and it is my intention to introduce the bill during the Legislative Assembly sittings scheduled for March 2011.
The provisions contained in this amendment are primarily designed to make the act more workable and enforceable. They include:
making it compulsory for parents to attend formal meetings to discuss their children’s attendance at school. Whilst there are currently provisions around family responsibility agreements and family responsibility orders under the Youth Justice Act, the provisions as part of this amendment relate specifically to non-compliance with school attendance including, for example, the power to compel parents to attend meetings to discuss their child’s attendance at school;
bringing Northern Territory infringement penalties into line with other jurisdictions in Australia. Current infringement penalties have not changed since the Education Act was passed in 1979 and are low by comparison with other jurisdictions. The amendments will bring penalties into line with those of other jurisdictions;
sharing information across Northern Territory government agencies. The amendment will provide further capacity for agencies to more readily support parents and children in relation to school attendance specifically; and
fewer significant changes which address issues of occupational health and safety, interstate schooling and home schooling.
Madam Speaker, I encourage all members of the Education community, parents, school councils, teachers, and all other representative organisations to consider the provisions contained in this amendment and provide feedback through formal channels as soon as possible. I commend the draft exposure of the amendments to the House.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr VATSKALIS (Child Protection): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
Many members would be aware the Board of Inquiry into the Child Protection System in the Northern Territory released its report Growing them strong, together to government on 18 October 2010. The report identified some significant problems with the provision of child protection services in the Northern Territory. On the same day, this government committed to implementing all 147 recommendations in the board of inquiry report. As members would also be aware, recommendations were categorised into three levels of urgency. The first category is urgent, with commencement of the recommendation to be done within six months. The second category is semi-urgent, with commencement within 18 months. The third category, important but not urgent, suggests commencement of the recommendation within two to three years.
Of the 147 recommendations, five recommendations were relevant to the Children’s Commissioner and, of these, two were considered by the board to be urgent. It is those two recommendations - Nos 136 and 137 - we are concerned with now. Recommendation 136 provides:
Recommendation 137 provides:
Recommendation 136 is the focus of these legislative amendments. I am pleased to introduce today a bill that:
confers an ‘own motion’ power of investigation;
makes clear the powers exercisable by the Children’s Commissioner in performing his functions; and
inserts a new function for the Children’s Commissioner, namely that of dealing with submissions relating to the implementation of the board of inquiry recommendations insofar as they relate to the wellbeing of vulnerable children.
Let me deal with each of these changes in turn.
Own motion investigation: the first relevant feature of this amendment is the ‘own motion’ provision. Its relevance is twofold. First, it allows the commissioner to instigate an investigation in the absence of a specific complaint or submission. Second, prior to these amendments there was no real clarity regarding the jurisdictions of the Ombudsman and the Children’s Commissioner. It is my understanding this created confusion and resulted in duplication of effort in conducting investigations.
To ensure there is clear demarcation and no duplication between the functions and powers of the Ombudsman and the commissioner, consequential amendments have been made at clause 26 to the Ombudsman Act prohibiting the Ombudsman from conducting investigations on matters within the jurisdiction of the commissioner. The exemption to this is where the investigation relates to police conduct as provided for in clause 10 at section 266(5). As members would be aware, a comprehensive and established framework for police complaint handling sits with the Ombudsman and there is no intention for that function to be moved or duplicated.
The provision also provides that the Ombudsman must refer any matters relating to the jurisdiction of the commissioner to the commissioner. This provision ensures that communication between the two officers enables both parties to clearly understand their role and jurisdiction.
In relation to the Health and Community Services Complaints Commission, it is possible for one set of circumstances to ground two quite distinct complaints and investigations. For example, a complaint regarding the provision of services to a child with a disability could appropriately be dealt with by the Children’s Commissioner insofar as the service provided was to protect the child and prevent harm and exploitation of that child. At the same time, the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner could quite appropriately investigate whether the service provided failed to act consistent with relevant disability service standards or with the relevant charter of rights. This example of dual jurisdiction is a frequent occurrence for statutory office holders across Australia. For this reason, dual jurisdiction has been maintained.
Vulnerable children: a significant element of the amendments is the expansion of the definition of ‘protected child’ to ‘vulnerable child’. Clause 7 of the bill creates a new definition of ‘vulnerable child’ under section 258(1) and (2), drafted to capture children both currently in the child protection system and those vulnerable to being part of it, and children vulnerable because of a disability, a mental illness or mental disorder. The definition also includes:
children who have been arrested or are on bail;
children to whom an order is made under the Volatile Substance Abuse Prevention Act; and
young people who have left the care of the Chief Executive.
For those not aware of the expression ‘triangle of need’, it describes those families entering into the child protection system at the base, and children who are the most resource intensive and in greatest need at the peak of the triangle. The board of inquiry report identified the need to increase significant resources into the base; being to help families and children before they become part of the child protection system. This new definition of ‘vulnerable child’ allows the commissioner to oversight the response of government and non-government agencies to those families and children. Defining the term was not easy. The views of those in Education, police, housing, Justice and a range of other agencies have been sought, as have those of the commissioner to develop the definition. It was crucial to get this right.
The definition does not give these groups of children or their parents and caregivers the mechanism to lodge complaints about any actions by government or non-government services. Rather, it allows them to lodge complaints in relation to services relating to their care or protection and the prevention of harm or exploitation. However, the definition is significantly broader than the definition of ‘protected child’, and extends the Children’s Commissioner’s jurisdiction to a range of services, particularly those in the non-government sector, to which it previously did not extend. For this reason, I have tasked my department to work with the Northern Territory Council of Social Services to jointly develop and present appropriate education and information to workers in that sector.
Complaints relating to the implementation of the board of inquiry recommendations: the bill, at clause 8, inserts a new function of the Children’s Commissioner to deal with submissions relating to government implementation of the board of inquiry recommendations insofar as the submission relates to the wellbeing of vulnerable children. This is consistent with the amended objects of the Care and Protection of Children Act under Chapter 5, which details the Children’s Commissioner is established to ensure the wellbeing of vulnerable children. This new function, coupled with the expanded definition of ‘vulnerable child’, provides the commissioner with broad powers to assess, analyse and provide advice and recommendations to the minister on matters related to government implementation on the board of inquiry recommendations.
Appropriately, it also provides that this broad power is only to be exercised insofar as it relates to the wellbeing of protected children. This maintains the jurisdiction and responsibilities of existing statutory office holders and other authorities in relation to some recommendations of the board of inquiry. For example, it is appropriate that the Commissioner for Public Employment, and not the Children’s Commissioner, have a role in relation to the significant number of recommendations which relate to staff training, development and attraction, recruitment and retention strategies. The board of inquiry, at Chapter 13, proposed that there be a monitoring of the implementation of the recommendations and this ‘may’ be a function of the commissioner. The government has analysed Chapter 13 and has identified that this proposed monitoring function would take the focus of the Children’s Commissioner away from his most critical role of ensuring the wellbeing of protected and vulnerable children.
Acknowledging this important function, government has created the Child Protection External Monitoring and Reporting Committee, which has been established to oversee government implementation of the board of inquiry recommendations. The commissioner’s amended powers and functions provide that where he receives a submission on implementation of the board of inquiry’s recommendations, he is required to provide a copy of the submission to the Minister for Child Protection. As Minister for Child Protection, I will then consider these submissions and provide those documents to the external monitoring committee so committee members are kept informed of any issues or concerns raised through the Children’s Commissioner and can deal with these as part of their monitoring functions.
Powers of the Children’s Commissioner: the board of inquiry report, at Chapter 13, identifies that part of the risk management framework for child protection is to have strong oversight, accountability and review mechanisms within government, and of government agencies and services, relating to and provided for protected and vulnerable children. Prior to these amendments, the commissioner’s powers to call people and obtain information and documents were limited to individual complaints. They now have application to the new expanded function of the commissioner, including own motion powers and the overall monitoring of the administration of the act. In addition, the act has been amended to provide for preliminary inquiries; that is, the commissioner may now make an assessment of a complaint or submission before deciding to go further.
This bill is significant for government as it is the first recommendation of the board of inquiry to be legislatively implemented.
I extend thanks for the efforts of the experienced and knowledgeable practitioners of the Department of Justice, the Solicitor for the Northern Territory, and the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, who assisted staff within my department in preparing these amendments.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I table the Auditor-General’s February 2011 Report to the Legislative Assembly.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the report, and that I have leave to continue my remarks at a later hour.
Leave granted.
Debate adjourned.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Ms LAWRIE (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The Penalties Amendment (Children and Families, Health and Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources) Bill 2011 continues the process of converting penalties in Northern Territory legislation from dollar amount to penalty units.
The Justice Legislation (Penalties) Act 2010 and the Penalties Amendment (Justice and Treasury Legislation) Act 2010 have converted most of the penalties in the Department of Justice and Treasury legislation. The Penalties Amendment (Chief Minister’s and Other Portfolios) Bill 2010 has begun the process of amending legislation administered by other departments. The purpose of this bill is to amend legislation from the portfolios of the Minister for Children and Families, the Minister for Health, and the Minister for Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources.
The previous penalties amendment acts provided for penalty increases of no more than 15%. This bill maintains that principle. As was the case for the Penalties Amendment (Justice and Treasury Legislation) Act 2010 and the Penalties Amendment (Chief Minister’s and Other Portfolios) Bill 2010, the conversion factors are based on a penalty unit value of $133, as the value of the penalty unit increased from $130 on 1 July 2010 in accordance with a formula in the Penalty Units Act 2009 based on the Darwin CPI.
For penalties of a significant size, the conversion process is:
current monetary penalty is increased by 15%; and
Where the rounding down to the nearest five penalty units would result in an actual decrease in the penalty the following principles were applied:
first, the penalty was rounded down to the nearest whole penalty unit that was closest to, but not more than, the 15% increase in value. Thus, for example, the current penalty of $2000 increased by 15% ($2300) becomes 17 penalty units ($2261). See, for example, section 26(3) of the Adult Guardianship Act.
second, where the penalty rounded to the nearest 0.5 of a penalty unit would result in an actual decrease in penalty, the penalty was rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a penalty unit (but greater than 0.5 of a penalty unit). Thus, for example, the current penalty of $200 increase by 15% ($230) becomes 1.7 of a penalty unit ($226.10). See, for example, schedule 2 of the Meat Industries Regulations.
Acts that do not contain penalties or that contain monetary penalties which have already been converted to penalty units, for example the Tobacco Control Act, have not been included in this bill. Amendments have not been made to amend any act that is either proposed to be repealed or amended in some other way. The following legislation will not be amended by this bill because other bills intend to repeal, amend or may amend these legislative instruments:
Health and Community Services Complaints Act;
Human Tissue Transplant Act;
Mental Health and Related Services Act;
Petroleum Act;
Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act;
Plant Disease Control Act;
Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Act;
Public Health Act;
Therapeutic Goods and Cosmetics Act;
Poison and Dangerous Drugs Regulations;
Public Health (Barbers’ Shops) Regulations;
Public Health (Cervical Cytology Register) Regulations;
Public Health (General Sanitation, Mosquito Prevention, Rat Exclusion and Prevention) Regulations;
Public Health (Medical and Dental Inspection of School Children) Regulations;
Public Health (Night-soil, Garbage, Cesspits, Wells and Water) Regulations;
Public Health (Noxious Trades) Regulations;
Public Health (Nuisance Prevention) Regulations; and
Public Health (Shops, Boarding Houses, Hostels and Hotels) Regulations.
The Mental Health and Related Services Act, the Petroleum Act and the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act are not included because the offence provisions need further consideration and redrafting. They will be included in the next penalties amendment bill.
This bill also makes a number of minor amendments of a statute law revision nature, including inserting the words ‘maximum penalty’ into further provisions; and including penalties at the end of each subsection or clarifying to which subsections the penalty applies in an offence provision.
This bill provides for the conversion of penalties in three Department of Children and Families acts and regulations; five Department of Health acts; and 13 Department of Resources’ acts and regulations. All remaining Northern Territory acts are expected to be reviewed by mid-2011.
I note this approach to bringing in penalty units does not solve all penalty-related problems. For example, it does not fix differentials across the statute book concerning like offences. Differences in specific offences will be individually reviewed.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and I table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT AND MANAGEMENT AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 146)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr BURNS (Public Employment): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
A well-resourced public sector operating within the framework of the contemporary legislation is an essential element of effective government. Our public servants deliver services to Territorians across a broad range of vital sectors such as education, health, planning and infrastructure. Their work is valued and they deserve our support.
The Public Sector Employment and Management Act provides for the regulation and management of agencies established for government or public purposes. The bill before the Assembly will ensure that the act continues to meet the needs of the public sector in the 21st century. It provides flexibility, simplicity and certainty in responsibility and accountability. The review of the act forms a major part of the Northern Territory Public Sector Reform and Revitalisation package.
Other components of the package include a range of initiatives to attract, retain and develop staff, such as wages policy and workplace agreement negotiations; development of a workplace planning framework; introduction of staff surveys; and implementation of an executive leadership development strategy. These initiatives complement the review of the act and, taken together, constitute a significant public sector reform agenda.
The act was reviewed in 2009 by an independent review committee comprising Mr Ken Simpson, Commissioner for Public Employment; Mr Barry Chambers, former NTPS Chief Executive; and Ms Naomi Porrovecchio, former Regional Director of the CPSU. Submissions were invited from key stakeholders including public sector agencies, employees, employee associations and unions. Forty-five submissions were received in response. Developments in public sector legislation in other jurisdictions also informed the deliberations of the review committee. Broadly speaking, the key recommendations of the review committee were as follows:
the act should be principles-based with the detail and process left to the subordinate legislation;
The principles of efficiency, accountability, merit and natural justice underpin the provisions of the bill.
Concurrent with the review of the act, a review of the regulations, by-laws and employment instructions has also been undertaken in consultation with agencies, employee associations and unions. These will become operational following the commencement of the amendments to the act.
I turn now to some key provisions of the bill. The bill includes provisions which enumerate the objects of the act including:
to enable the public sector to operate in a manner expected under a Westminster system of government;
to legislate for the administration of the public sector and the management and employment of its employees;
to provide for the obligations and rights of employees; and
to promote fairness and equality of employment in the public sector.
The bill also sets out general principles relating to the public sector in relation to administration and management; human resource management; merit; equal employment opportunity, and performance and conduct. I am sure members will agree that these principles are fundamental to an effective and equitable public sector.
The principles formerly contained in the regulations will now be contained in the act, consistent with their importance to the overall performance of the public service. They have also been enhanced to include modern public sector concepts of collaboration, responsiveness and innovation. Importantly, the definition of merit has been broadened to allow consideration of the value a person’s background would bring to the workplace when assessing their suitability for employment. This initiative will facilitate employment for persons from diverse backgrounds under equal opportunity provisions. The overall objective of this provision is to ensure the makeup of the public sector better reflects the diversity of the community and results in a better level of service to the community.
The bill also includes a new provision which clarifies the relationship between the public sector employment act and the Public Interest Disclosure Act. This will ensure matters referred from the Commissioner for Public Interest Disclosures to the Commissioner for Public Employment are properly investigated and dealt with. The bill also expands the commissioner’s reporting responsibilities to include outcomes in relation to the human resource management principle and the performance and conduct principle. It is envisaged these measures will contribute to improved management and performance in the public sector. Members will be aware that, in the interests of accountability and transparency, the commissioner’s report is tabled in this Assembly.
New provisions have also been included in the bill to clarify the role of the Chief Minister with respect to the appointment and termination of chief executives. The bill includes provisions to clarify the function of chief executives with a focus on management and strategic leadership in their agencies. It will be a requirement of the act that the chief executive officers must exercise these functions in a way which is responsive to government policies and priorities, upholds the public sector principles, and complies with all applicable employment laws. The bill also provides that chief executive officers are responsible for devising and implementing employee performance management and development systems for their agencies. These provisions will enhance performance and accountability generally in the public sector. Under the bill, chief executive officers will be required to report on the extent to which all of the public sector principles have been upheld in their agencies. This provision will also support employee performance as well as ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of employees.
The bill will allow for agencies to develop ‘special measures’ programs, plans or arrangements designed to promote equality of opportunity for persons from diverse backgrounds. The ability to take special measures has been available to public sector employees in the NT for many years through the Anti-Discrimination Act. The use of special measures will enable the public sector to better reflect the diversity of the community it serves and result in improved services to the community.
I now move to other important features of the bill. Provisions in relation to multiple employment arrangements make it clear a person is able to enter into more than one concurrent employment contract in the public sector. For example, an employee may be employed under one employment arrangement as a part-time teacher working for the Department of Education and Training and under another employment arrangement working on the weekend as a casual librarian with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services during the same period.
Another initiative in the bill will allow a chief executive officer to enter into a secondment arrangement with an authority or employer not an agency for the purposes of this act. The amendment is to rectify an anomaly which allowed a chief executive officer to only enter into a secondment arrangement for an employee to work for an employer outside the public sector. The provision will facilitate the secondment of external employees into the Northern Territory Public Service if it is in the public interest for such an arrangement to occur.
The bill also includes a range of provisions to streamline, accelerate and simplify processes in relation to matters such as disciplinary procedures, probation appeals, suspensions and inability.
I thank employees, agencies, unions and employee associations who made submissions to the review of the act. I also thank members of the review committee, Mr Ken Simpson, Mr Barry Chambers and Ms Naomi Porrovecchio for their contributions to the review.
Madam Speaker, I am confident the measures contained in this bill will contribute to an efficient, effective, client-focused public sector delivering quality services to the people of the Northern Territory. I commend this bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement accompanying this bill.
Debate adjourned.
Continued from 1 December 2010.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I suspect I will not be on my feet for long. This bill attempts to capture the thrust of the Model Criminal Code, a course a former Attorney-General, Peter Toyne, set the Northern Territory on. The Northern Territory was one of the original jurisdictions to introduce a criminal code. Queensland had one before us; maybe one or two other jurisdictions. On 1 January 1984, if memory serves me, the Criminal Code Act became law in the Northern Territory. Prior to that time crimes acts were in place which largely reflected the common law points of proof when it came to matters of homicide or whatever else. Indeed, jurisdictions like New South Wales still rely on a crimes act rather than a criminal code.
In pursuit of the national criminal code structure the Northern Territory has accepted a retreat from the idea of total codification, and the excuse provisions in our current Criminal Code as they currently exist are more reflective of the crimes act approach than the original Criminal Code when it was passed in 1984. They strictly read down the excuse provisions which were well described within the Criminal Code of the time. This is part of the process to capture the Model Criminal Code which Peter Toyne committed us to.
Inasmuch as this bill attends to matters dealing with criminal damage particularly, it also encapsulates other forms of damage extending from criminal damage, including arson and sabotage. None of that particularly offends this side of the House, and we make no major observations in relation to this. Suffice to say it will be more convenient, in some respects, for the legal profession which has become more mobile in recent decades. With the pursuit of uniform types of legislation we see this bill being pursued to that end.
I have no major issue with uniform legislation, Model Criminal Codes, etcetera, suffice to make the observation that when this jurisdiction commits itself to that path it does so with the caveat of looking after the interests of this jurisdiction before the interests of national arrangement.
There are a number of national arrangements arising out of COAG, particularly where we have agreed to legislative frameworks which are national models - one is listed on the Notice Paper for discussion in the next few days. National uniform evidence law is an example the government has signalled it will be looking at in the future. I have no major problem dealing with or acquiescing to such things. However, the caveat must always be it should not be at the expense of the jurisdiction if that jurisdiction determines to maintain legislation which, whilst not consistent with other jurisdictions, is beneficial to the people and good governance of the Northern Territory.
There are one or two minor issues in relation to matters of property and damaging property which is intangible. Until now, the definition of ‘property’ within the Criminal Code has contemplated the idea of intangible property. For members who are unfamiliar with this, intangible property is property which is not of a physical nature. Software stored on a memory stick may have its own intrinsic value but is nothing more tangible than some electrons stored on that memory stick. This amendment will have the effect of changing that because intangible property will not be capable of being damaged. If a person has 10 years of work stored on a memory stick – or perhaps a computer hard drive - and that property is destroyed, as a result of this legislation the intangible component will no longer be capable of being destroyed and will be referred back to the civil court to deal with damages arising out of a loss.
I expressed concern about this during the briefing on this legislation. I was quoted, chapter and verse, the difficulty of pursuing the matter of intangible property. Literally, the text book on the Model Criminal Code turns its mind to this issue and determines it would be too complicated to deal with in a criminal justice approach. Consequently, if someone has stored on a memory stick, computer hard drive or whatever, property of a intangible nature and valuable, they will not gain comfort under this legislation by way of a criminal prosecution for damage to that property; they will have to go to the civil court for recovery of damages.
This is a real change in law because it changes what you can be charged with in relation to damaging a computer or memory stick. I flag that concern because, whilst I understand drafters of the Model Criminal Code decided it was too complicated, it has, historically in the Northern Territory, not created any complications. I do not know of any instance where a charge has arisen out of damage to intangible property - the complication may not have occurred. However, I would not argue against the passage of this bill based on that one issue.
Other than that, the bill captures the Model Criminal Code and deals with issues of sabotage and arson. Perhaps the reason this part of the Model Criminal Code was advanced before any other is because there is a bill on the Notice Paper which applies the offence of arson to setting fire to a vehicle, something not currently contemplated by the Criminal Code but by these amendments. It is not a coincidence that the Attorney-General has deemed fit to advance this part of the Model Criminal Code first. It is more likely to be a response to the pressure felt as a result of the bill before this House at the moment developed by one of my predecessors in relation to the arson of motor vehicles.
With those observations I leave this matter for debate. I thank the Attorney-General for bringing this bill to the House and responding to the desire of members on this side to make the deliberate setting on fire of a vehicle an act of arson. This bill captures that and, as a result, the opposition bill which has been on the Notice Paper for some time will ultimately be withdrawn.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Deputy Speaker, the arson of cars is a serious criminal offence and I believe this bill is important for two reasons: (1), it addresses the serious law and order problem we currently have in the NT - car theft; and (2), the wanton and malicious damage to stolen cars by torching.
The theft and deliberate burning of vehicles produces a significant financial burden to the community, law enforcement agencies, Emergency Services and the insurance industry. Moreover, it places a burden on the person or family who has had their car stolen and subsequently burnt. Arson - whether it is a deliberately lit bushfire or setting fire to a car - is an extremely easy crime to commit; it does not require much skill to light a fire. A relatively small fire can quickly become big if it is not brought under control quickly. Arson differs from other crimes in that it is not always immediately obvious a crime has occurred - despite the assumption a burnt car is deliberate, that is not always the case. Investigating the burning of vehicles is difficult as the fire frequently destroys evidence that it was stolen and deliberately lit.
In other states, cars are burnt for insurance reasons. Most, if not all, in the NT are related to theft, joy riding and destruction by burning. Why do criminals do it? Yes, evidence is destroyed, but there are other reasons. Setting fire to something requires no skill at all - even an idiot can light a match and stick it under a pile of paper in a car. Most of us have had experience with fire in our lives, whether through camping, log fires, or heated houses. My research suggests fire represents power and protest and has done so throughout history. Deliberate lighting of bushland and/or vehicles is not something peculiar to Australia or the NT.
The definition of arson will help people understand this bill. DeHaan, John D Kirk’s Fire Investigations describes arson as:
His books are the bibles of fire investigation. It is clear what arson is; however, it does not cover the intentional setting of fire with intent to damage or defraud in relation to motor vehicles.
Arson is covered by the section 239 of the Criminal Code and identifies the unlawful setting of fire to other modes of transport, yet does not include a vehicle. Section 239 says:
(c) a stack of cultivated vegetable produce, or a stack, tank, storage or collection of mineral or vegetable fuel;
(d) a mine or the workings, fittings or appliances of a mine; or
(e) an aircraft,
I will highlight some statistics for the Territory which shows the extent of torching cars in our community. From July 2005 to date, the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service responded to 926 vehicle fires within the major urban areas of the Northern Territory. At a conservative value of $10 000 per vehicle, the loss to the NT community is over $9m. Vehicle fires can be treated as accidental or unlawful damage. For the vast majority of vehicle fires investigated by the fire service, the cause was established as unlawful damage, usually in an attempt to cover up forensic evidence of theft.
I will highlight the impact a stolen and burnt car can have on a family’s life, and the fact this should be viewed as a serious crime. I spoke with a friend who worked in the mines in the Northern Territory and is now a safety advisor in the oil industry in Victoria. He told me his brother recently had his car stolen from Dandenong Railway Station in Victoria. The person, George, and his wife and children travelled to Melbourne for the day to watch a football game, or have a family outing. Because of the difficulties getting parking in Melbourne, and the high cost, they left the family car at Dandenong Railway Station and caught the train to Melbourne, where public transport is very good. The trip into the city takes about 30 minutes and is reasonably reliable. My friend said that they spent the day in the city and had a great time. On returning to the railway station they found their car had been stolen. Police advised the family this was a common problem at the station - they were receiving calls every second day regarding car theft. I am sure the same occurs at other stations as people commute to work by train daily. This raises issues regarding the proposed park-and-drive being set up in the rural area. Police took the required details and the man and his family returned home. In the following weeks he was forced to ask friends and family to take his children to school, take them food shopping, cancel planned day trips, be taken to work and, in general, suffered because someone had stolen their car. My friend convinced his brother to use one of his cars in an effort to help. The police found his car a few weeks later – it had been torched and was a write-off.
It is one thing to steal a car; it is even worse to set fire to it - the inconvenience it causes is terrible. My friend’s family life was disrupted and inconvenienced by some fool who thought they had the right to steal the car. If the culprit were caught they would only receive a smack on the hand or told not to do it again - be a good person.
We know the punishment does not fit the crime. With amendments to this legislation the punishment will fit the crime. The person who steals cars is the same as one who burgles a house or punches an old lady to steal her money. They look for soft targets. Should the penalties be higher? Yes, much higher. Offenders should compensate for the wanton theft and disruption stealing and torching of cars causes.
That was the sentiment of my friend’s family. Understandably, they were outraged and angry - justifiably so. This legislation is long overdue. I hope the government signals this clearly to the Northern Territory community and those who believe it is their God-given right to steal property and damage it. The impact on the victim is severe; the impact across the community is also severe.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I support this bill. I thank the minister for the briefings I received from the department. Some of the terminology can be difficult to understand - I now have a better understanding of why we need lawyers. In some sections of the bill a person is guilty of a crime, later they are guilty of an offence, later guilty of a crime, and later convicted of the offence. There is a range of terminology in the bill which makes it difficult for a lay person like me to understand. Departmental staff explained why it was written in such a manner.
There are some important matters in the bill. The member for Port Darwin said the government has taken up the opposition’s concept of arson, especially where a vehicle, trailer, or boat, etcetera, is burnt. It is good the government has recognised it. That, in many ways, is the role of the opposition. I have introduced bills in previous sittings; I had to wait a long time for them to come back. However, they came back in another form and with a minister’s name. I slowly understood my role was to promote good changes to legislation. I did not have the knowledge or backing of a department to see if what I was putting forward coincided or conflicted with existing legislation. It is good that the government has taken up an issue the opposition put forward.
I am concerned with the amount of arson, especially the number of vehicles being burnt. The member for Goyder mentioned around 900. One only has to travel around the rural area to see practical examples of burnt-out cars.
I was looking at some slightly damp blocks, as the real estate people would say, on the weekend. I would call them more than damp, perhaps a home for Burdekin ducks. I noticed burnt-out cars I had not seen before. It is common in the rural area to find people have driven cars from Palmerston and Darwin, dumped them in the rural area, and burnt them. I agree with the member for Goyder that this can be a very traumatic occasion for people who rely on a car. It might only be a car worth a few thousand dollars. It might be that person’s only means of getting to work. They may not have comprehensive insurance because they cannot afford it or the car is not worth it. They are then out of luck getting to work, especially if they are shift workers where public transport may not be available. I hope, when magistrates convict people for this crime, they take into account the cost of the vehicle. More importantly, they should take into account the effect it has on the owner of the vehicle. It is a worthwhile amendment to the Criminal Code.
One could argue arson and bushfires are the same. By bringing it in as a separate amendment you are recognising bushfires have caused much loss of life and property throughout Australia and arson is an offence which requires a serious penalty. Recently there was an incident in Perth where a large number of houses were destroyed by a person using an angle grinder on a day of total fire ban. Clause 244(1)(a) and (b) in the bill would cover that. I would like to know if the Perth incident would be covered by the changes to the Criminal Code put forward today.
I have a question in relation to sabotage. The second reading more or less relates this to terrorism. It said:
It went on to say:
It is good these amendments have been brought forward. I have heard much about amendments to the Criminal Code. Ten years on, we are still amending it. People tell me it is a big job; I am starting to think it is nearly as big as Lawrence of Arabia. This is a big job; a cinemascope version of amendments. Perhaps the Attorney-General could tell us, percentage wise, where we are with the amendment of the Criminal Code. Is there light at the end of the tunnel, or will this continue for many years to come?
Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the bill. It makes some important changes, and I thank the government for taking up the opposition changes put forward in relation to arson.
Ms LAWRIE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the members for Port Darwin, Goyder and Nelson for their contribution to debate and support of this legislation. It was quite some time ago that Cabinet made the decision to introduce this aspect of the Model Criminal Code legislation in regard to criminal damage. We always intended picking up the provisions currently contained within the opposition’s proposed legislation.
I have made it very clear I expedited the introduction of this legislation because of the tragedy of the house fire in Leanyer in which we saw a little boy lose his life. There has since been another house fire tragedy. There is no coincidence in regard to the timing of this legislation. We have had this on our legislative agenda for quite some time and I expedited its introduction as a result of the government’s concerns with the tragic house fires in Leanyer.
This bill modernises the law of criminal damage by bringing it into the 21st century, in relation to the crimes of arson and criminal damage, and introduces a new offence of sabotage in response to modern trends in criminal threats. In relation to the definition of terrorism and the question of sabotage from the member for Nelson, a person commits a crime of sabotage if they commit a property damage offence and, thereby, cause damage to a public facility with the intention of causing - it operates on the basis of the intention, therefore a description of terrorism is not required in this legislation - the following results: major disruption to government functions, major disruption to the use of services by the public; or major economic loss.
The example of a disgruntled person and a particular office building would not necessarily meet the definition of intention. The offence requires damage to a public facility, which is broadly defined. It includes both privately- and publicly-owned facilities such as a government facility; a public infrastructure facility for the provision of water, sewerage, energy, fuel, communication or other services; public information systems; public transport facilities, including facilities used to transport people or goods; or a public place, including any premises, land or water open to the public. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
We believe there was a gap in the law between criminal damage - which can be anything from graffiti to damaging a vehicle – and terrorism, which involves using violence to interfere with the government for the purpose of putting the public in fear. There is no property damage offence with a penalty of the appropriate severity for persons who damage or destroy public facilities including the Territory’s critical infrastructure, but whose offending does not fall within the ambit of the offence of organised terrorism.
The new offence of sabotage is designed to capture criminal behaviour which poses a very serious threat to public facilities, and to emphasise the gravity of the danger sabotage represents. Department of Justice officers consulted with the Department of Chief Minister’s Security and Emergency division, who welcomed the new offence to protect the Territory’s critical infrastructure. Following passage of this legislation, managers of critical infrastructure will be provided with information with respect to the new offence via the critical infrastructure forum. I sit on the Ministerial Council for Energy. This has been a topic for significant and considerable consideration by ministers at the Ministerial Energy Council. There is recognition of the threat sabotage poses to critical infrastructure such as energy systems. I am pleased to see we are working to pick up the gap and introduce it into the legislation we anticipate passing today, with the bipartisan support of this Chamber.
Regarding the legislation more broadly, the purpose of the bill is to reform the criminal damages offences in Part VII, Division 6 of the Criminal Code. We are repealing some of the discrete criminal damage-type offences which deal with specific property such as the offences of casting away ships or damaging signals, and replacing them with a single offence of causing damage to property with the definition of property encompassing a broad range of property. You have heard the member for Goyder talk about the support she has for the introduction of motor vehicles.
We are introducing a modern crime of sabotage to fill the gap in the law between offences of criminal damage and terrorism, and modernise offences which will be retained under Part VII Division 6 of the Criminal Code including arson, endangering the operation of an aircraft, obstructing runways, and leaving explosives at a place. The new provisions closely follow most of Chapter 4 of the Model Criminal Code prepared by the Model Criminal Code Offenders Committee under the auspices of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General.
As Attorney-General of the Northern Territory, it is my view that government not embark on the wholesale introduction of legislation arising out of the Model Criminal Code. Carefully, I am picking through elements of the Criminal Code, making a decision in the best interests of the Northern Territory and the operation of law in the Northern Territory for the benefit of Territorians, before any decision is made by me as Attorney-General, as to its introduction.
That may be evident by the fact I have not been bringing tranches of the Model Criminal Code before the Chamber. I have been carefully assessing which aspects of the provisions within the Model Criminal Code suit the needs of Territorians. I happily put on the record, as the current Attorney-General, that is the way I proceed. Whilst we have fully participated in all the SCAG processes, all the committee processes - and I know the good work done by the former Attorney-General, Peter Toyne, in relation to homicide - we will proceed carefully before adopting any elements of the Model Criminal Code ensuring we understand what is in the best interests of the Northern Territory and what suits our needs. In some instances, we may introduce the Model Criminal Code with some changes if there are elements within a section which do not meet our needs in the Territory.
In relation to the offence of causing bushfires, in 2009 we chose to move swiftly to change legislation. We changed the words ‘intends to cause’ to ‘intentionally cause’ fire to make it consistent with the style and language adopted in other new offences.
Regarding the query on Western Australia, I am advised if the act is not reckless or intentional it is not a crime. Whether the man’s use of an angle grinder was an offence depends on whether the act was intentional or reckless. I am advised it could have been reckless if he was aware of a substantial risk and proceeded to act when it was unjustified to do so. Media has reported the man in question was charged with an offence related to undertaking the activity when a fire ban was in place. That is my advice regarding the tragic circumstances in Western Australia where an upstanding member of the community, a police officer, used an angle grinder during a fire ban day; we saw the property destruction as a result. In 2009, the Territory moved quickly to modernise our bushfires offences as a result of the catastrophic Victorian bushfires.
This legislation repeals a number of discrete property damage-type offences defined by the nature of the type of property. This includes the current criminal damage offence in section 251 of the Criminal Code, the penalty for which depends on the value or type of property involved in the offending. That offence will be replaced with ‘causing damage to property offence’, the new section 241, with property broadly defined to include all forms of property except intangible property.
I turn to the query from the member for Port Darwin about intangible property. The current definition of property in section 1 of the Criminal Code we are changing includes everything animate and inanimate, including both intangible and tangible property. This definition currently applies to the entire Criminal Code. Intangible property is something a person can own but which does not have physical property such as a right to exploit something, an easement, a lease, or a share in a company. Essentially, the criminal damage provisions in the new Part VII Division 6 of the Criminal Code are designed to cover physical destruction and damage of property. It could be argued changing the definition of property to exclude intangible property will narrow the scope of the offence of criminal damage compared to the current state of the law.
For example, a minerals title under the yet to be commenced Minerals Title Act will now not be protected by the new offence but could have been under the current offence and the definition of property. It is doubtful the current Criminal Code offence was ever intended to extend to interference with intangible property because there is only one definition of property in the Criminal Code in section 1. It is a definition of general application applying to the whole Criminal Code. The current definition of damage in Part 1 Division 1 includes ‘destroys, and with respect to a document obliterating or rendering illegible’, which describes actions that can be done to physical things.
The subject matter of the current criminal damage offence suggests application to tangible property not intangible. For example, it covers ships, motor vehicles and testamentary instruments. The other specific offences in this division relate to specific types of physical property and not intangible property, and it is not necessarily the case that the rights under the Minerals Titles Act would be intangible forms of property. The Model Criminal Code Officers Committee considered whether the definition of property should extend to intangible property and rejected it, stating in their report:
Damaging intangible property would be very difficult to prove and would often be unnecessary because the damage would have occurred due to some damage to a physical property. Rights under civil law or specific offences such as a breach of copyright, fraud, or offences such as interference with a right to exploit a licence under the Minerals Titles Act, are more appropriate to cover the criminal behaviour in relation to intangible property.
In Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT, intangible property is specifically excluded from the definition of property for the purpose of the law of criminal damage, although it is noted in the ACT the crime of arson is only committed by setting fire to specific types of tangible property along the lines of the Model Criminal Code provision. In New South Wales and Victoria, arson is committed by causing damage by fire to any property belonging to another person. In the South Australian Criminal Law Consolidation Act the definition of property for the whole of that act includes intangible property. Arson, however, is made out by setting fire to specific forms of tangible property, namely buildings and motor vehicles. Similarly, Queensland’s Criminal Code provides a definition of property which applies to the whole code and includes intangible property. Again, arson is made out by setting fire to specific forms of tangible property namely buildings, trains, aircraft, vessels, stacks of cultivated vegetable produce, minerals or vegetable fuels, or a motor vehicle. Tasmania and Western Australia define property as things which are animate or inanimate, in other words tangible property.
That is a comprehensive explanation of why intangible has not been included, although I thank the member for Port Darwin for his consideration of the matter and his questioning at both the briefing and in the Chamber today.
I thank members of the Department of Justice for responding to my request to expedite the drafting of legislation in relation to introducing a broader and more modern range of criminal damage, particularly in relation to arson. I note this, essentially, makes redundant the opposition legislation. However, I state again this government decided long before the opposition introduced their legislation to introduce the Model Criminal Code provisions in relation to property damage and arson. Essentially, the tragedies as a result of house fires in Leanyer meant that, as Attorney-General, I asked for that work to be expedited and brought before the House as soon as possible. That is the process which occurred.
We should not be playing politics with this - tragedies have occurred in our community. It was time to modernise our legislation to cover a range of property in arson. My thoughts go to the families dealing with the tragedy of arson. I thank the member for Goyder for talking about the personal experience of her friends with the arson of a motor vehicle in Victoria, and how that affected their lives. There is a reasonable intolerance in our community to arson as a result of theft of a motor vehicle to joy ride and the ultimate torching of that motor vehicle. That is unacceptable. Equally, there is horror in our community at the effect arson is having on not only property damage, but the threat to life and, ultimately, the tragedy of loss of life. Therefore, it is good today to have bipartisan support in this Chamber to the modernising of the legislative instrument.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Ms LAWRIE (Justice and Attorney-General) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
Continued from 2 December 2010.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I respond from this side of the House in relation to this bill. I will not go through this bill chapter and verse; it is not required we do so, although I have several observations.
I note from the second reading speech the primary function of this bill is to deal with the sharing of information kept by government which is captured by the IPPs or Information Privacy Principles. The government explains this as having a negative effect on the census process. It has the capacity to limit the effectiveness of the Australian Census, and we have no problem with that approach. However, in the later parts of the bill, the government made the following observations:
I agree with the Attorney-General’s position on that. However, as the Attorney-General indicated in her second reading speech, it does not go anywhere near those issues raised in Chapter 11 of the Growing them strong, together report - what I presume she was referring to - which deals with the communication and dual pathways for information flowing between departments in relation to protecting the children in our community.
I seek, in the Attorney-General’s response, a reassurance that the amendments described by the Growing them strong, together report will not be pointed to as being dealt with by the passage of today’s legislation. Whilst she indicated that in the second reading speech I would like it reiterated, bearing in mind the government promised, when dealing with the Growing them strong, together report, it would introduce the required legislative amendments to the 147 recommendations as a package. This goes outside that promise. However, I accept, on face value and trust, the Attorney-General’s judgment in making these amendments today outside a global package, as long as this is not the global package when it comes to the sharing of information with a view to protecting children.
The bill deals with the issues described in the second reading speech by the Attorney-General and it would be sensible to support such legislation. The Census count has a direct effect on the finances of the Northern Territory, and if we are, by way of stringent restraint of information, preventing an accurate count of our population, that should be changed. The Attorney-General, and the legislation, assures us information shared for those purposes will not expose the sharing of a private individuals’ information to public scrutiny. I take comfort from the bill, and the Attorney-General, that that component has been considered.
The bill is straightforward in its intent and, whilst this government has been cavalier with people’s private information in the past - our Lord Mayor of recent experience - we accept the intent. I take this opportunity to remind employees on the fifth floor that they are not exempt from the provisions of the Criminal Code when it comes to dealing with information they receive, and hope we do not have the unedifying experience of reading more NT News articles by Matt Cunningham about the enthusiasm by which that information was to be shared with the media.
The Chief Minister has denied being briefed on the raid on the mayor’s house. I find that difficult to imagine because flash briefs come up from departments all the time and they refer to prosecutions of high-profile individuals. Government has historically been briefed by senior public servants and police officers when prosecutions were to occur. The knowledge the government provides to fifth floor staff, and exposure of people like Warren Anderson in the past, demonstrates this government’s predisposition to use information it becomes aware of in a cavalier and reckless fashion, and if the circumstances described by Matt Cunningham are to be believed, in a malicious fashion.
The privacy principles outlined in the Information Act, and the provisions of the Criminal Code dealing with the possession of information, do not restrict themselves to whether records of interview, or other police information has been made available to journalists - they are far more sweeping than that. The Chief Minister’s defence on that issue does not provide a shield for his staff. If staff are engaging in gossip, which is what the Chief Minister expects this House to accept, obtained outside the public service, that is, at very best, highly unprofessional. If there was no flash brief I suspect some communication between the Police department and fifth floor staff, who then engaged in the ring around - if Mr Cunningham is to be believed - which would potentially qualify as a breach of the provisions of the Criminal Code and, quite possibly, in relation to the Information Act. I hope the privacy principles to which the Information Act and the Information Commissioner subscribe are also considered by staff on the fifth floor.
The insistence by the Chief Minister that this material was not authorised means those people who passed it on could find themselves on the wrong side of the law. The only way that material could have been authorised for release is by a person of ministerial rank. No media release goes out in my name unless I have read and checked it; I am sure it is the same on the fifth floor. I will not authorise communications by my electorate officer or staff of the Leader of the Opposition’s office in my name until I have authorised it.
I struggle to find it comprehensible that the Chief Minister’s office was not advised of the raid on the Lord Mayor’s house, and that information had been passed on, either unlawfully by fifth floor staff, or with the authorisation of a minister, ministers or, possibly, the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister and ministers of the Crown come into information from time to time by virtue of their job; information they need to know what is going on. In the past, high-profile prosecutions have been the subject of flash briefs to the minister on several occasions. On 18 June 2004, such a briefing was given by the Police Commissioner to the Police minister at the time, the now Chief Minister, as well as the Attorney-General, and present at that …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I have let the member for Port Darwin wander far and wide in his flights of fancy. This is information sharing to facilitate the best possible result from the Census for the Northern Territory. This affects our GST, and picks up one small component of the recommendations arising from the Growing them strong, together report. He is on a flight of fancy which has no relevance to legislation before the House.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, it is not a point of order. Please direct your comments to the legislation, member for Port Darwin.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I am talking to the Information Act, an act this government has a history of not showing adherence to in the same way it expects other people to, and I am constructing that argument.
Ms Lawrie. Not true. It is of no relevance to this bill whatsoever.
Mr ELFERINK: It is thoroughly relevant.
Ms Lawrie: Do not mislead the House.
Madam SPEAKER: Direct your comments through the Chair please, member for Port Darwin.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I ask that the minister withdraw her last comment.
Madam SPEAKER: I did not hear it.
Mr ELFERINK: In relation to the allegation I am misleading the House. I am not.
Ms Lawrie: I said do not mislead the House.
Madam SPEAKER: Can we all settle down. Member for Port Darwin, direct your comments through the Chair and keep to the bill, please.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I am keeping to the bill and demonstrating the principles outlined in the Information Act, and the principles referred to in the Attorney-General’s second reading speech - the ones she uses to justify the passage of this bill through the House and has made some play of referring to the Victorian approach to these issues - are principles this government should itself adhere to. I do not believe it is a large departure from matters at hand, and will continue pointing out to people that this government does not consider itself bound by the information in its possession.
Matters of great importance find their way into the possession of government and government is briefed. The Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, was briefed in June 2004 …
Ms Lawrie: As were you.
Mr ELFERINK: Not in June 2004.
Ms Lawrie: You were fully briefed.
Mr ELFERINK: I was not briefed on several other issues, and it is clear the Attorney-General knows where I am going with this. The issue I have not been able to resolve is how in June 2004, two days prior to a probable attempted suicide by Bob Collins driving his car into a tree and rolling over …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance - yet again, relevance. This is an amendment to legislation to give effect to information sharing across departments for the provision of a more accurate census. The only other provision is a recommendation picked up from the Bath inquiry. There is no relevance to the member for Port Darwin’s flights of fancy.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, I remind you of Standing Order 67 in relation to digression from the subject. There is a bill before the House, and while we have allowed you much leniency in this case could you come to the point fairly quickly.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I am seeking to construct my argument as to how this government applies …
Ms Lawrie: You are supporting the legislation! You said you support it.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: … the principles of information to other people differently to itself. If the government does not want to hear this, if it wants to use the processes of parliament to stifle debate - we are becoming used to that. The only type of information this government is interested in getting out there is its type of information.
There were two days between …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance. We are debating a bill which amends legislation to provide for the provision of information sharing in relation to the forthcoming census, and a small provision picked up from the Bath inquiry. This man is swimming around in the fancies of his mind …
Madam SPEAKER: Please refer to the member by his title, thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: … back to 2004.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, the line of argument you are using seems to be a major digression. Could you please come to the point quickly and move to the bill?
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, there were two days between when the government was briefed and a suicide - a matter which had been investigated for months and nothing leaked. All of a sudden, two days later, there was a …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: I will allow it for a few minutes. Member for Port Darwin, can you please come to the bill quickly, because this is totally irrelevant.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I have not been allowed an opportunity because of persistent interjections by the Attorney-General.
Ms Lawrie: Because you are not speaking to this legislation.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! I will allow the member to continue and am sure he is going to come to the point quickly.
Mr ELFERINK: There were two days between the time the now Chief Minister was briefed and the near-fatal motor vehicle accident of a criminal suspect. What was different that time was the Chief Minister was advised no matter what came out of it, Bob Collins was going …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I must point out a lack of relevance to this legislation. This is information sharing in relation to various government efforts to improve the statistical information in regard to the Census, and one minor recommendation out of the Bath inquiry regarding the Information Act. The flight of fancy point the member for Port Darwin is making has no relevance to this legislation whatsoever.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Deputy Chief Minister.
Mr TOLLNER: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker! Maybe if the shadow Attorney-General would take the time to listen to the member for Port Darwin, she might get a grip on what the …
Ms Scrymgour: Shadow? She is the Attorney-General, fool!
Mr TOLLNER: You would not know it, would you?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr TOLLNER: If the Attorney-General would let the member for Port Darwin finish his comments, she might see whether it is relevant or not …
Ms Lawrie: It is not relevant, we already know that.
Mr TOLLNER: … this constant interjecting is an effort to put the member off his game.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, resume your seat. Member for Port Darwin, it is an extreme digression - Standing Order 67. However, if you come to the point quickly I will allow you to continue for a short period of time, otherwise I will ask you to resume your seat.
Mr ELFERINK: The only thing I am asking, Madam Speaker, is ...
Madam SPEAKER: Continue, thank you, member for Port Darwin, quickly.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, two days between the time this government was advised no matter what happens, Bob Collins was to be charged with sexual offences …
Ms Lawrie: You have been down in this gutter too many times, Elferink, and are wrong!
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr ELFERINK: … and the date of the car accident - the first, what I and other people suspect, attempted suicide ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Again, I go to relevance. He is digressing. This has nothing to do with the bill.
Mr Tollner: Gag girl; she is at it again.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fong Lim, I ask you to withdraw that comment, thank you.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, she is trying to gag debate.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, please withdraw that comment, thank you.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, this is an effort to gag debate.
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw the comment, member for Fong Lim!
Mr TOLLNER: I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Deputy Chief Minister, I have already indicated we will allow the member to speak for a short period of time. If he does not come to the point very soon, I will ask him to sit down.
Ms Lawrie: He has not.
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, resume your seat. Member for Port Darwin, I do not want to hear that preamble again, thank you; I have heard it five times. Come to the point or I will ask you to resume your seat.
Mr ELFERINK: The point is there are still questions hanging …
Ms Lawrie: No there are not, only in your mind.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: … in space as to how this government deals with information. This government deals with information to its own end. We have bills before this House; we have legislation in place where this government has placed a burden on the people of the Northern Territory, and its public servants, to deal with information in a specific way.
I am attempting to demonstrate there is one rule for Territorians and another rule for the government in dealing with information. Shock, horror, should you ask some difficult questions about those issues! If you do, you will be constantly interrupted. If you are a journalist and have received information from a police officer, both will have a thorough investigation conducted against them. However, if you are from the fifth floor or a minister of the Crown, the way you are held to account in dealing with information is fundamentally different …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, that is my concern. I make no allegation regarding what happened in 2004; suffice to draw a link between the two-day space when this government was told what was happening with Bob Collins and the first suicide attempt. Two days, despite the fact the investigation had gone on for months. Why has this government avoided any scrutiny in relation to this and the character assassination from the fifth floor? This government is prepared to abuse information which comes into its possession rather than apply the same principles the Attorney-General referred to in her second reading speech.
Ms LAWRIE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, the member for Port Darwin never ceases to amaze me with weird flights of fancy and conspiracies …
Mr Tollner: You have the whine going …
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fong Lim!
Ms LAWRIE: … going on in his mind and how he finds any opportunity to draw a weird long bow to legislation before the House that has no relevance to his flights of fancy. It is quite extraordinary.
He says the opposition supports this legislation, understands why it is occurring, and sees the Northern Territory has a stake in improving the GST revenue because it makes sense for improved information sharing in relation to the Census in August this year. He also felt comforted by the second reading speech regarding provisions picked up in this legislation arising from a recommendation of the Growing them strong, together report.
He said the opposition is pleased to see the government is going ahead with provisions in relation to amending the Information Act to ensure public sector agencies can use and disclose personal information, but not publish it in a form which identifies a particular individual, for research or the compilation or analysis of statistics. We have made it clear this is to position ourselves as best we might in the lead-up to the Census to receive an estimated $75m loss in GST revenue because of the undercounting which occurs in the Territory. We are doing the smart and sensible thing any government would do - position itself well with statistical information for the upcoming 2011 Census.
Appropriately, in the formation of this legislation, I asked whether there were any aspects of the Growing them strong, together report from the Bath board of inquiry which could be picked up and brought before the Chamber to show the government’s bona fides in the implementation of the recommendations. There was no intent to have global legislation as stated by the member for Port Darwin. That would be ridiculous.
The Minister for Children and Families has introduced legislation regarding the role of the Children’s Commissioner. We do not have omnibus legislation to capture all the relevant legislative recommendations of the Bath inquiry. Distinct legislation should be progressed - this progresses one element of the recommendations. Separately, our Minister for Children and Families is bringing forward legislation regarding the role of the Children’s Commissioner, and has provided us with an introduction. There will be other legislation. There was no statement by government to bring forward global legislation. The member for Port Darwin must be referring to omnibus legislation - another flight of fancy and getting it wrong.
The member for Port Darwin said he supported this legislation and then embarked on some weird, twisted, fanciful machinations about what he would do if in a position of importance in government. No wonder he was a backbencher in the CLP government. Little wonder he has been sacked as the shadow Treasurer and today remains the laughing stock of the legal fraternity, who cannot believe what an appalling shadow Attorney-General he is. Everyone is saying: ‘Bring back Jodeen’. At least she was a competent shadow Attorney-General. The clown from Port Darwin, who redefines the definition of ‘weird’, once again displayed his lack of regard for the legislative process. He took weird flights of fanciful digression from a bill before the House and would purport to be an Attorney-General. That is a disgrace.
I will continue to point out the irrelevance of the flights of fancy of the member for Port Darwin, which, quite frankly, I find offensive. It is offensive to allege, on the public record, that any minister or any member of the government or any staff member applies a double standard in the provision of information to the public. This opposition spends its time spinning, twisting and peddling rumours and any grubby thing it can put out. He drew many inferences which were clearly wrong - to his eternal shame. Whilst he continues to be that wrong and that weird on a repetitive basis he will never be Leader of the Opposition. We know he wants to; however, he will never make it because he goes too far even for his own team.
As Attorney-General, I receive much feedback from the legal fraternity about their concern with the strange member for Port Darwin and the way he is behaving as a shadow. I said: ‘Get used to it. There is a reason he was dumped as shadow treasurer - his behaviour’.
Madam Speaker, I am glad this legislation has bipartisan support. To share information with privacy provisions intact so we are well positioned to improve our Census results is a sensible path to follow. Historically, there is an under count in the Territory and I am pleased we took the opportunity to pick up on a Growing them strong, together recommendation. I commend the legislation to the House.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Ms LAWRIE (Justice and Attorney-General) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to, bill read a third time.
MOTION
Note Paper – Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report for 2010-11
Continued from 2 December 2010.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, the Northern Territory economy is driven, to a large degree, by government spending. Indirectly, the intervention has had some impact. Programs such as SIHIP and the BER have also added to economic activity, not only in Darwin, but in towns and the broader regions across the Territory. These initiatives are big ticket, largely federally-funded programs instigated in response to certain stimuli. One could say they are one-off spends; however, SIHIP represents ongoing spending across a number of years.
We are well and truly on the record when it comes to our views on the BER and SIHIP. The BER was the Commonwealth’s response to the global financial crisis yet, in the Territory, went for duplication rather than capacity. Schools which were the recipient of new halls, etcetera, appreciated having those new buildings added to their asset list, but the program was poorly targeted with short-term results. It did not create wealth, which has always been a concern of the conservative side. On the bright side, some of our schools had a say in what they received. Katherine South Primary School put its foot down, set aside the idea of a hall and ended up with a new preschool and after-school care facility - something it can use. Thank goodness for common sense prevailing in the mess around that program.
SIHIP remains nothing short of an expensive debacle for both levels of government delivering way less than the expectation raised when it was first announced …
Ms Scrymgour: You do not know what you are talking about.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Do you think? I pick up on the interjection from the member for Arafura. Have you been out to see the smaller houses being built, member for Arafura?
Ms Scrymgour: You have not been out there for ages.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: When this was first announced the cost was $762m, and I recall - and stand corrected if wrong - the Territory’s contribution was to be around $100m. We have already seen the cost of this exercise blow out significantly. In the first instance the second ‘I’ in SIHIP was dropped from the equation. We saw, and continue to see, money from the Territory poured into the infrastructure component. This money should have been spent on parallel programs but has been poured in to top up a very poorly planned and delivered housing program. Last year the Treasurer’s Advance was also thrown into the mix to top up SIHIP. It shows the Territory government and the government in Canberra has …
Ms Lawrie: No, it was not. TA was not used for SIHIP prop up.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Sorry?
Ms Lawrie: TA was not used for SIHIP.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Okay, I stand corrected. I have no doubt minister Macklin could put her hand on her heart and …
Ms Scrymgour: He does not know what he is talking about.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: … say she delivered what she promised; however, it will be much less and at what cost? The pundits are predicting this program will blow out to more than $1bn. I will not go into the litany of failures in this program – they have been well documented.
A pattern of behaviour is becoming abundantly clear. This government and its federal counterpart do not do infrastructure programs well. I have heard the Treasurer use the term ‘record infrastructure spend’ many times, which prompted me to look through previous budget papers to discover when this language first appeared. It appears regularly in this mid-year report. It starts on page 2, and talks about the Territory government’s ‘record capital works program’. Different language is used on page 17 where it says ‘record Territory government infrastructure program’, so on and so on.
Looking into the history around budget speeches I noticed in 2006-07, as far as I bothered to go back, then Treasurer Syd Stirling said, and I quote from Budget Paper No 1 of that year:
In 2007-08 the same type of language is used – ‘record’ and ‘unprecedented’. Under the new Treasurer, the member for Karama, in 2008-09 it said:
In 2009-10 similar words, page 4:
… record infrastructure spend of $1.3bn.
In 2010-11 - lo and behold! - page 1 of the Treasurer’s speech mentions a record $1.8bn infrastructure spend. That language is reflected in this mid-year report and across many years of budgets.
That is not to say record budget spends are not a desirable thing - quite the contrary. We would all like to see record infrastructure spending far more targeted, and to see real results. Speaking in reply to this year’s budget, I pointed out that almost half of the record infrastructure spend was carried forward from the previous year. It seems to be the order of the day from this government - between 30% and 58% of infrastructure components of budgets for 2002 and 2003 were not spent in the financial year they were announced. I understand sometimes this has to happen. However, you will not convince me it is a good idea or even necessary, except in exceptional circumstances, that 50% of the infrastructure budget is not spent, unless the Treasurer is working her way towards an enormous pre-election spend. I suspect this government is governing by election cycle. You could almost excuse that from occurring but it is not justified under present circumstances. For example, where is the $50m from the federal government to upgrade East Arm port? That money could have, and should have, been spent last year to build a covered conveyor which might have prevented the spillage of tonnes of copper oxide into Darwin Harbour.
That is one example. The opposition points out the obvious, ad nauseam, yet the government does not listen. Let us look at Engineers Australia’s Northern Territory Infrastructure Report Card. Page 1 of the media release of 9 November 2010 shows almost every rating for Territory infrastructure has dropped since 2005. Over that five-year period this government has presided over the continuing deterioration of infrastructure in the Northern Territory. The ratings summary of the 2010 infrastructure report card said:
Postponed - is that the same as revoted work from the previous year? Perhaps it is:
In relation to ports the summary said:
I have mentioned the $50m in the budget which should have been spent last year to upgrade the conveyor system. The summary continued:
The litany goes on. It is bad enough to read that but when I turn back to the mid-year report I see decreases in operating surplus, significant increases in the deficit and, if in the operating statements contained in the mid-year report, decreases in total revenue, increases in expenses, and a huge increase in expected nett debt for the Territory from next year for years to come.
The Treasurer went some way in the mid-year report to explain how this occurred:
That is fair enough, I will come back to that.
Debt levels for the Northern Territory, in the revised estimates in this year’s report, have ballooned for the 2013-14 year from $1.68bn to $2.16bn, an increase of around $480m. In December I asked how Treasury got this so wrong. The Treasurer mentioned the new prison, which could well be so. The Treasurer mentioned $300m on the prison was going to contribute to the forward debt position of the Northern Territory. In 2013, on those figures, we will have a debt of close to $10 000 for every man, woman and child in the Territory. Looking at the total liabilities of the Northern Territory in 2013-14 of $6.5bn, which includes unfunded superannuation liabilities, etcetera, we will have a liability for every man, woman and child in the Territory of around $30 000 each. We will have lower revenues and increasing debt.
I have a few debts of my own; some good, some bad. We all have them. I see a smile on your face, Madam Speaker; you understand what I am talking about. A good debt funds an investment which grows in value over time. This might be a house or an investment property. In the case of the government, it would be an investment that adds value to the Territory, both as an asset and value-added to the economy by creating jobs, and a general economic stimulus for the long term. Bad debt would be something which loses value as soon as you drive it out of the boat yard - I have one of those. It begs the question: what has this government been spending its money on? Let me repeat that: we will have lower revenues and increased debt. If I have a household budget with low revenue and increasing debt my wife would be having kittens. She would say we have to tighten the belt, and we have to rethink our budget. We would have to find savings to fund our ongoing costs like groceries. That is very scary from a household budget point of view, and is the situation the Territory finds itself in going forward.
Looking at the infrastructure report card, I see decrepit and failing Territory infrastructure, notwithstanding the record GST revenues which have flowed into the Territory for the past years, combined with a fairly dim outlook for the future. What has the government spent its money on? Does the answer have anything to do with the increase in public service numbers to 4500 in the past 10 years? The government mentioned 930 new jobs in 2010 in a media release recently. It does not say there was an extra 410 public servant jobs in the Territory in the nine months to the end of September that year. You could extrapolate that and say half the number would have been growth in the public service. So, you have more public servants administering more failed programs like SIHIP, and presiding over the last 10 years of failed child protection in the Territory - we do not want to go there today.
This government is addicted to spending but nothing is improving, especially for the punters. I see it as poor infrastructure and it comes in many different guises. Housing and rental prices in the Territory are at all-time highs because of lack of land release, not forgetting the hard work had been done well before Labor came to power. All Palmerston suburbs and Weddell were planned by the CLP government. I remember reading an old speech from around 1999, where CLP ministers were talking about the release of Weddell, Bellamack and other suburbs at Palmerston. This was all in the offing probably before the Treasurer and Chief Minister thought about a career in politics.
House prices are at record levels. That is a record the Treasurer does not want to talk about. It has been great for government finances through increased stamp duty revenue. The BankWest stamp duty survey released late last year states the median stamp duty payable on real property in Darwin was around $22 000 - an increase of 137% over the past five years - whilst across the Territory the median stamp duty was $19 000 per transaction, an increase of 152% over the same period. That is a nice windfall for the government; however, it comes at enormous cost to potential homeowners. Throughout Australia we have seen the global financial crisis has brought about a severe tightening of lending criteria across not only the business sector, but the residential housing sector as well. Mining companies are having enormous difficulty raising capital funds for that reason. More importantly for potential homeowners, banks are tightening their lending criteria. I am advised banks are now requiring a full 20% deposit in cash before homeowners can buy a new home.
That was always the desirable level - 80% borrowings and 20% equity - before the bank would look at you. Banks were far more flexible pre-global financial crisis. In those almost halcyon days, one could take advantage of mortgage insurance where you paid an extra fee and could borrow up to 95% of the value of a property. In some cases you could borrow 110% if you had to cover purchasing costs as well. You could end up with a debt greater than the value of the property but it was all covered by mortgage insurance. I am advised that is almost non-existent as far as bank loans go these days, and we are back to 20% deposit for homeowners.
Let us do some calculations, and it is important to talk about this because people listening need some understanding of where things are and how this government has presided over increasingly difficult times for homeowners.
In Darwin in 2010, the median house price was around $540 000; some people say it was slightly higher. It almost defies belief - $540 000. Let us use a far more conservative costing of $350 000. Twenty per cent of $350 000 is $70 000. Because of the GFC, banks have tightened their lending criteria - new homeowners have to find $70 000. When you add an extra $15 000 or $20 000 in stamp duty, it is a no-brainer why first homebuyers are struggling to get into the market. We all know the median house price is so high because – let us go back to simple economics of supply and demand – big demand, low supply, lack of land release, house prices will always go up. The Territory government reaps hundreds of millions of dollars in stamp duty, yet the number of homes being sold has dropped significantly. Even the Treasurer acknowledges the housing market is on the decline in the Territory. In a climate of rising interest rates, what implication do interest rates have on people’s ability to commit to new homes? In this climate, a great deal.
Rents in Darwin are the highest of all capital cities. In the Territory, petrol prices are high; the price of electricity has risen nearly 25%; the price of water has increased, and a trolley of groceries is the most expensive in the country. Is it any wonder we continue to have a negative nett interstate migration and lower nett overseas migration? Although the Treasurer has a different view, the bottom line is people cannot afford to live in Darwin, or anywhere in the Territory, particularly with the lack of rental housing. When people cannot afford to buy a house they are forced into rentals; however, there is no slack to take the new arrivals.
In 2010, we have probably had a nett loss of 1000 people interstate. That problem is not exclusive to Darwin. In Katherine we are experiencing the same thing. I recently learnt of a lady who separated from her husband and had to move out of the RAAF-supplied home. She had a good government job, wanted to stay in Katherine, had put her roots down in Katherine, had friends in Katherine but because of the tight rental market she could not find accommodation and has since left the Northern Territory. That is the reason people are leaving …
A member: In Katherine?
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: In Katherine.
A member: Capital city of the universe.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: That is right. Can you imagine? Nearly two years ago a friend of mine moved here from Alice Springs. The only accommodation he could find was a room in a four-bedroom house in Palmerston paying $200 a week. Effectively, that made the rent $800 a week. How can people in the Northern Territory live and thrive under the economic conditions created by this Labor government?
I mentioned the port, also mining. The mining boom has started in the Territory but government inaction is driving up costs. Why do Territory Iron or OM (Manganese) Ltd have to double or triple handle their material stockpiles on the wharf because of the failure of this government to upgrade port facilities?
I will lavish a little praise on the government. I like what the government is doing to encourage mineral exploration. Minister for Resources, keep it up; it is great! However, that is as far as it goes. Where is the next generation of mining activity? We only have a handful of operating mines in the Territory …
Mr Vatskalis: More than when you were in power.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: How long has it been since we had a new mine commence production, make a profit and pay royalties? Without new mines we have to rely on royalties from existing operations. This mid-year report states royalties have dropped off because of changes in the exchange rate - the strength of the Aussie dollar. I am paraphrasing but that is what it equates to. How do you hedge against fluctuations in the Aussie dollar? For the Northern Territory, having new income streams from new profitable mining operations would be one way. New mines paying royalties makes sense, doesn’t it? It is no wonder mining royalties have dropped off - we have not had new profitable enterprises come online.
What of planning for heavy industry precincts? It is true Arafura Resources dumped the Territory in favour of a processing plant in South Australia for the minerals it will mine at Nolan’s Bore. Not only has this government not planned heavy industrial land, it has shown no interest in entertaining a proposal from Arafura to build a multimillion dollar processing plant in the NT potentially leading to hundreds of jobs for Territorians. Perhaps the government lacks the political ticker to make some hard calls …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I move an extension of time for the member, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Thank you, member for Port Darwin …
A member: And the Treasurer.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Did she nod? Thank you, Treasurer.
The government has failed to facilitate private investment in primary industry and resources. It says it is open for business; however, when it comes to getting things happening in the primary and mining sector the doors are well and truly closed on the fifth floor. I talk to many people who have immense trouble seeing ministers. Everything is bound up in bureaucracy.
The economic benefits of tourism are impacted by perceptions of crime, antisocial behaviour, alcohol policy, and a lack of investment in capacity. Where are the innovative programs and concepts driving tourism forward? I have not heard any major funding announcement from the Tourism minister; I have heard about Tiger leaving Darwin again. I would like to know how much the government provided Tiger to commence flying operations. This mid-year report is on the budget; however, it talks about the economy and I could not find one reference to tourism, one of the top three economic drivers in the Northern Territory.
The stabbing of a tourist and the assault of three others in Alice Springs means the cost of not enforcing the law requires more money to be spent housing criminals, not rehabilitating them. In December last year, shortly after this mid-year report was released, I spoke about the forward debt projections and how they would be $480m in 2013-14. The Treasurer immediately said the cost of the new prison, at $300m, was a significant part of the debt blowout. I take from that the government will borrow money for the prison; that is a reasonable inference to be drawn from the Treasurer’s statement. We are going into further debt to fund this government’s ineptitude. This government has no idea how to combat rising crime rates in the Territory. Its only answer is to build a bigger prison, which, by all projections I have heard, will be full by the time it is finished. Good debt I can understand; bad debt we all have. Debt to pay for a lack of political courage, a lack of capability, or to pay for the ineptitude of this government is something we should resist with all our might.
Madam Speaker, I will leave you with a quote from Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States:
I would like to add my sentiment and say: blessed are Territorians for they shall inherit Delia’s debt.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, this mid-year report speaks volumes about the Northern Territory government and its capacity to plan for the future. It is always an interesting exercise to compare the government’s balance sheets as proposed in the last budget to what they look like less than six months later, because the mid-year report comes down well before Christmas.
Part of the budgetary process is the capacity to plan for the future, although we cannot expect government to foresee things like the global financial crisis - some of the best minds in the world did not pick that up. That has now passed, yet we are seeing the fluctuations of bad management we are becoming used to. I invite members to go to the General Government Sector balance sheet for the budget proposal for nett debt into the future from Budget Paper No 2 and the mid-year report, as demonstrated in the uniform presentation framework. It immediately becomes obvious this government’s capacity to plan for the future is non-existent.
It is an intriguing exercise to go through previous budget papers to look at the future projections. Treasury always tends to be a little conservative when it comes to these issues. We are now seeing a debt spiralling out of control which this government is going to inflict on Territorians - Delia’s debt – and, as it projects further into the future, it becomes more out of control.
If you look at the budget for 2010-11, the projected nett debt was to be $1.25bn; bearing in mind the nett debt for 2009-10 was $900m. That means for the 2010-11 budget, government was already going to stack about $300m on top of the nett debt the Northern Territory is carrying. We then project into the future and the revised nett debt is a slight improvement of $1.2bn in the mid-year report. However, if you project to the year 2013-14, the 2010-11 budget projected a nett debt situation of $1.67bn - an increase in nett debt.
This government’s fiscal strategies anticipate a reduction of debt over time. It has stepped away from that in a huge way - accelerated away from that strategy. If you look at the General Government Sector balance sheet for the year 2013-14, and compare it with the Budget Paper No 2 General Government Sector balance sheet for the same year, you will see a difference. In the original budget - page 97, Budget Paper No 2 - it was $1.67bn. Six months later, that projection blows out to $2.15bn, which means for a government so proud of its debt reduction in the last few years, it is now planning to blow out the debt of the Northern Territory by about $500m in a few years time without considering any effect on the superannuation liability as that carries into the future.
The same thing appears in the cashflow statement, where the projected deficit in the budget shows a shrinking of projected deficits into the future. By 2013-14, the projected deficit is $61m. The projected cash deficit revised is $205m, or a little less than four times the projected deficit for 2013-14 budget.
This government has a spending habit which is out of control. The frustrating thing is it had the opportunity of the century with the introduction of the GST, and the good economic times which came with it, to reduce debt to zero. If it had applied a modicum of financial discipline surpluses could have been substantially more. The government could have improved services substantially and could definitely have achieved, since coming to government, the elimination of nett debt in the Northern Territory as a whole. All it required was a little financial discipline. It could have achieved what Western Australia did, and what John Howard achieved with the national debt situation. It did not choose to do that.
We have heard of the great services and wonderful things it has done in the past; however, we do not see that reflected in outcomes in our community. We do not see better results from our enlarged police department, from our courts or our health system. We are told those results are better; however, that is not the experience of the average punter on the street. They have lost faith in this government. It is not how much money you spend; it is how well you spend it. The government’s answer is to buy advertising space and tell people how wonderful everything is. You have an issue with planning. Buy advertising space and tell us the great plan for the future. On the television set, ad nauseum, I see advertisements from the Northern Territory government, saying it has a wonderful plan for the future - it is all television advertising.
Planning for the future has led to the circumstances, described so ably by the member for Katherine, regarding the cost of living in the Northern Territory. Failure to release land in an effective way, year in, year out, has led to this situation. The Treasurer, when Planning minister, was interviewed on Stateline - I think in April 2007 - where she projected requirements for the Top End for release of land into the public domain was about 350 blocks per year. Her Treasury figures now mention thousands of dwellings required every year to catch up with demand. That is the reason we have a serious problem with the cost of housing and rentals in the Northern Territory. Is that going to get better? No, because we hear from the Minister for Essential Services, in whatever guise he was talking earlier today, about the $23bn INPEX project, welcomed by this side of the House, which requires a government response greater than taking out television advertising saying what a great job it is doing in the planning area, as well as having a nice forum with 350 businesses present.
Yes, you have to do that; however, you also have to release land. Having 3500 to 4000 workers living in the INPEX village during its construction phase - if that is true - is almost a new electorate to support in this House if everyone was on the roll. This is a huge project; even when it is completed there will be ongoing jobs. Where is the land release to support this? Johnston was passed in at auction because of government loadings and demands on developers. It was not viable for that land to be released. Bellamack is four or five years late and continues to be hailed as a great achievement by government. No, it is not. It is too little, too late.
Weddell - a nice forum at the Convention Centre - that is great. We now have an idea of what it will look like. When are you turning it off? What are your time lines? If you look at land release and the time line the government has set, it is already way behind. It does not have a hope in Hades of meeting any of the time lines set only two years ago.
The planning shortfalls for land release are reflected by the planning shortfalls we see in the mid-year report. It is not Treasury’s fault these figures change; it is the government’s fault. The government, through its Cabinet process, sets its spending priorities as well as its savings priorities. Whilst we read the material Treasury creates which is meant to reflect government’s philosophy and thinking, when you look at the financial strategies and proposed financial outcomes contained in the budget papers, the financial strategies for the future are not being reflected in the numbers being projected in the uniform presentation framework.
The government is going in the wrong direction because it cannot successfully plan. It is an awful planner. It wants to respond to social issues, which is the nature of its ilk. I recall Peter Toyne, not long after Labor formed government in the Northern Territory, saying government had completed enough infrastructure and it was now going to focus on social priorities. That was the stated object of the government from day one and it has not changed.
The government tells us about its wonderful infrastructure and says: ‘It is not true, we have a new direction and will build this infrastructure and we have huge budgets’. The problem is the amount of money voted out of those budgets is increasing in size exponentially. Whilst government says it is putting more money in, it is also rolling more money out the other side. The constant deficits we see projected for the future is either an attempt to haul in those promises - government says the cash is there; I am struggling to see it. Government says the cash is in the infrastructure budget; it is all cashed up and it is a matter of rolling out these projects over time. Why are we borrowing money to build a gaol? You knew the gaol was coming; it was a policy prior to the last election.
How could you not know you had to put money aside in infrastructure forward works, or put money aside for it into the future? Based on the answer given by the Treasurer in relation to this, government is borrowing for the gaol. How could that possibly be? Because it is making promises it is not putting cash against, and the only place it can get the cash is to rack it up on the credit card. That is why the member for Katherine is being so accurate - that is the plan for the future: rack it up on the credit card.
The benchmark is the former CLP - we love this one: ‘Yes, but we are always doing better than the former CLP government. Our debt-to-income ratio is so much better’. Your debt-to-income ratio should be infinitely better by now. The last CLP government had a budget of $2.2bn, not the $4.5bn this government has. This has more than doubled in 10 years. The growth of our budget has exceeded CPI. It is not a case of keeping up with CPI - we have done much better than that. Yet we have trotted out failed programs and the government refuses to acknowledge it. We have social programs - Return to Country and others - to accommodate the poor victims of the CLP’s rapacious government in the past. It is not working. We are spending much more money on programs which do not work and the result is Alice Springs. Alice Springs is an indictment of this government’s capacity to be honest with itself. After 10 years it wakes up one morning and says: ‘Oh, alcohol is the problem’. Alcohol was around before Labor came to government.
I heard the Treasurer say today: ‘We are selling less alcohol’. What is happening in Alice Springs at the moment? If you are selling less alcohol and crime is rising you cannot argue alcohol is the problem. Eight percent was the figure the Treasurer gave during Question Time - an 8% reduction in the sale of alcohol. Why is the crime situation in Alice Springs worse than ever if it is alcohol-related? The correlation would be an 8% reduction in crime because 8% less alcohol is being sold. It is not true.
Rather than government saying: ‘Maybe we are taking the wrong approach’, it says, ‘No, you are horrible’ and call us names. Opposition members are called names for having the audacity to question government’s infinite wisdom. We are called clowns. And, to reinforce the issue, the Treasurer would say - she did this when I was the shadow Treasurer – ‘The people in Treasury say you are a clown’. Now she says: ‘All the legal fraternity think you are a clown’. However, it does not wash because the vitriol is becoming more and more transparent every passing day - the only weapon government has is venom. It does not work because it is becoming weaker with every application. The defensive posture of this government is breathtaking, and the reason it is in such a defensive position is it has lost the will to govern.
The government launches into tirades about how awful everyone is; it is everyone else’s fault except the government. The government has lost heart; it has lost desire; it has lost the lust to govern. All it is concerned about is sniping from bunkers at the passing parade. If you are Lord Mayor you only have to be targeted as a potential candidate and they will come after you. That is the government system of planning into the future. It will plan by political assassination, by character assassination and by vitriol and venom.
It thinks this will make the people of the Northern Territory happy and drapes itself in the shroud of advertising saying: ‘We will advertise this; we will advertise our planning. We have the CDL which is really popular; we will trot that out. Then we will trot out a lie about the next CLP campaign being funded by Coca-Cola. We will also trot out the poster’. The poster is the weapon. For $1.5m it is for sale. How does that poster protect children? It is the government’s job to protect children and it is failing to do so. It is the government’s job to protect the people of the Northern Territory and it is failing to do so. It is only interested in vitriol, venom and poison.
The minister for arsenic launches into an attack on members of this side of the House. I ask her: ‘How does this protect anyone?’ The Chief Minister, to his enormous credit, threw out an olive branch and said: ‘I will listen to any suggestion people care to make’. This side of the House did so. Unfortunately, the asp we have for a Treasurer lashed out and attempted to drag that debate into something more base because that is the place the Treasurer is most comfortable. That does not protect Territorians’ property or their physical wellbeing, and it does nothing to serve the interests of the Northern Territory. I say to this Treasurer: keep flashing around your posters, keep up the bile, keep up the vitriol, and see what happens to peoples’ faith in this government’s capacity to deliver services to the people of the Northern Territory.
Ms LAWRIE (Treasurer): Madam Deputy Speaker, another example of a somewhat unhinged contribution from the member for Port Darwin. He never ceases to be somewhat entertaining if he was not so pathetic.
The themes the opposition trot out every time we have an economic debate are interesting. I take my hat off to the member for Katherine. He tried to, broadly speaking, stick to an economic debate. He wandered off from the mid-year report but went to the key economic drivers across the economy, which was useful. He repeated the theme, went back to the key messaging, then back to the theme. The opposition’s new catchphrase is ‘Delia’s debt’. I am anticipating a few stickers! I would be disappointed if you do not - last time you had ‘I hate Delia’ stickers’.
I proudly say this government stepped up when Territorians needed it to. There was a fleeting reference to the global financial crisis from the member for Katherine, but he quickly moved on. There was an initial reference to the global financial crisis from the member for Port Darwin, who abandoned that and went into his flights of fancy.
The mid-year report shows the effect the global financial crisis has had on our budget position. Several things influenced that. The member for Katherine recognised that the mid-year report points out the reduction in GST revenue and the impact of the Australian dollar on mining royalties. He has also pointed out the carry forward of Commonwealth payments which would affect our 2010-11 result. What he failed to do was recognise why the government chose to ramp up, dramatically - double in two years - an infrastructure spending component in its budgets. It is not normal to double, in the space of two years, infrastructure spending in the budget. Looking year on year at the infrastructure growth going back to 2000-01, whilst there was an increase in our infrastructure spend, there was at no point a doubling.
What caused a doubling of the infrastructure spend and the very deliberate decision this government made to go into debt? The global financial crisis. Private investment fell away from the marketplace and public spending had to step up. Key commentators post-global financial crisis said governments needed to step up spending; spend swiftly and at significant levels to prop up the construction sectors of the economy, which would prop up and provide that all-important economic driver. This government did that. It is a bold thing to do and all business groups, from the Chamber of Commerce to the Master Builders Association, thanked us for it. They all understood to go into debt after eight surpluses in a row was the result of a deliberate decision to prop up our economy post-global financial crisis. This government always said 2010-11 would be the toughest year because of the lag effect flowing through, and it was right.
This is our toughest year. However, if you look at not only Treasury predictions, not only what I, as Treasurer, say based on those Treasury predictions, but at what Access Economics - an independent, credible economic commentator - is saying, we have come through the global financial crisis in good shape. Point 2 of its latest report says the Territory has huge potential in gas including the possibility of a huge INPEX development and a possible tripling of production at the Wickham Point LNG plant:
The shadow Treasurer would like us to believe we have rising debt levels and no way of increasing revenue. He does not understand the importance of major projects to this economy. Access Economics understands it.
The government has also focused on developing Darwin as an oil and gas hub through the marine supply base – not one mention of that in the contribution from members opposite, yet it may be one of the most dramatic gain changes in the Territory economy. The opposition talks about economic drivers but does not mention the marine supply base because it wants to bury its head in the sand and pretend it is all doom and gloom. You are wrong; independent commentators say you are wrong. The marine supply base has the potential to underpin our economy for the next 40 years.
The Access Economics Business Outlook report of September last year highlights the government’s record infrastructure spending across land release. The opposition would have them think the government is not releasing land at the rate it should. You would have them believe the opposition had drawn up the plans. No agreed plans were drawn up in detail for the supply of the Palmerston East suburbs, or any real plans for Weddell. Access Economics mentioned the government’s record infrastructure spending across land release to support housing construction and public infrastructure like schools.
Mr Conlan: Alice Springs has had 76 blocks in 10 years. That is it.
Ms LAWRIE: You are a little shallow in your understanding of the economic debate, member for Greatorex.
Mr Conlan: Seventy-six blocks in 10 years.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: I am quoting Access Economics.
Mr Conlan: Seventy-six blocks in 10 years is all you have released in Alice Springs.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, you do not have the call!
Ms LAWRIE: Alice Springs was landlocked under the CLP because you had your heads buried in the sand …
Mr Conlan: Stop gloating about your land release policy; you have done nothing.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: … because you would not negotiate with the landowners, you fool …
Mr Conlan: Seventy-six blocks in 10 years.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex! You have the call, minister.
Ms LAWRIE: The Johnny-come-lately from Alice Springs does not understand that the CLP landlocked …
Mr Conlan: Seventy-six blocks in 10 years.
Ms LAWRIE: The CLP landlocked Alice Springs because it refused to negotiate ...
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Conlan: This was 10 years ago.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, cease interjecting.
Ms LAWRIE: … with the native title owners of Alice Springs. It was landlocked; it took a Labor government to negotiate an Indigenous Land Use Agreement which created Larapinta and also Mt Johns Valley …
Mr Conlan: You do not know how to negotiate.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex!
Ms LAWRIE: You do not want to hear the truth; you do not want to hear reality.
Back to Access Economics and its business outlook report. In September it highlighted the government’s record infrastructure spending across land release to support housing construction and public infrastructure like schools, public housing and roads, and says it has filled the void left by the predicted sharp shake-out in commercial construction. That is the point of the record infrastructure spend. The CLP does not understand it. The business sector understands it …
Mr Tollner: What does Engineers Australia say about your record infrastructure spend?
Ms LAWRIE: They understand with a drop in private investment …
Mr Tollner: It was fail, fail, fail, fail was it not?
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fong Lim, cease interjecting!
Mr Tollner: You are living a pipe dream.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim!
Ms LAWRIE: They do not like to hear it. They know it is true and they know Access Economics is a credible, independent, economic commentator …
Mr Tollner: Flight of fancy.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: If you could pause, please. I remind members opposite of Standing Order 51:
Your interjections are out of order. You are interrupting and I ask you to cease. Thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: The Access Economics Business Outlook report of September highlights the government’s record infrastructure spending across land release to support housing construction …
Mr Tollner: Engineers Australia - what do they say about you, Delia? You were there.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim!
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! Is there not some requirement in this House to remain relevant rather than embarking on flights of fancy and fantasy?
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, there is no point of order. Resume your seat.
Mr Tollner: She has to keep it real, surely?
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: You do not have the call.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Deputy Speaker, I point out to the member for Fong Lim that the infrastructure spend within the 2010-11 year is an appropriate point of debate. Not only is it appropriate, the members for Katherine and Port Darwin raised it. Of course I will go through it in my closing remarks; however, to put it in context, I am quoting credible independent economic commentators such as Access Economics, where they say the government’s infrastructure spend on schools, public housing and roads has filled the void left by the predicted sharp shake-out in commercial construction.
This is also evident in the November 2010 Australian Bureau of Statistics gross state product figures …
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Members! Order! I will be putting people on a warning shortly. Treasurer, you have the call.
Ms LAWRIE: This is also evident in the November 2010 ABS gross state product figures which show our government’s …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, if you wish to read something to the member for Fong Lim I ask you to go to the back of the Chamber and do so quietly.
Mr Conlan: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Ms LAWRIE: … infrastructure investment shouldered the construction sector and the broader economy. This spurious comment that the government is racking up debt to what end - government is shouldering the Territory’s economy through public investment in infrastructure, and infrastructure provides legacy outcomes. We are building schools to educate future generations of Territorians and are staffing them with teachers.
I go to the road infrastructure report raised by the member for Katherine. He said the quality of Territory roads has slowly improved and went on to describe the poor state of local roads. I will point out what he should already know: Territory roads are the responsibility of the Territory government and local roads are the responsibility of local governments …
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! The Treasurer mentions quoting from credible sources. Maybe she could quote from Engineers Australia, which conducts a review on roads …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, there is no point of order. Resume your seat. If you wish to continue arguing you will be on a warning and will be asked to leave the Chamber. Member for Fong Lim, I remind you about frivolous points of order. Thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: That one stung because in the member for Katherine’s own words: ‘the infrastructure report said the quality of Territory roads has slowly improved’. This is in an environment where we inherited 23% of the Territory road network sealed. We are, year-on-year, increasing our roads spend for not only repairs and maintenance, which is critically important, we are talking to civil contractors around the importance of the repairs and maintenance spend, which we have increased, and also the program of sealing our Territory roads network. Government has said it has a long way to go and recognises there is still more than $2bn work needed on the Territory road network.
The infrastructure report pointed out Territory roads were slowly improving and addressed local roads. There is a distinct funding difference between Territory roads and local roads. It is one you should be briefed on if you want to make comments as shadow Treasurer. It points out your ignorance …
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Ms LAWRIE: It also mentioned barge landings. In 2010-11 we increased funding to improve barge landings across our communities. We have no argument there. Barge landings needed improving, which is why we funded the improvements in the 2010-11 budget and budgets going forward.
Comments by the opposition in relation to the East Arm Wharf show their lack of understanding of the master plan for the wharf and port business. The export of live cattle is becoming a whole growth business for the port. Servicing of the oil and gas industry has also been a growth business for the port. We have seen significant growth in exploration in the mining, oil and gas projects in the region, where the port plays a critical role in supply and logistic support capacity. You would think, having listened to the opposition’s contribution today, nothing was happening in infrastructure investment at East Arm. You would be wrong. The eastern reclaimed area, a project of $9.5m is upgrading and sealing reclaimed land to create additional hardstand. Talk to businesses about the importance of that additional hardstand. Sage Contracting has completed the filling of the area including about 4 m of surcharge. The surcharge will be removed in December this year, depending on the rate of settlement.
There are further infrastructure projects at the port: reclamation of Pond F at $15m, and reclamation of land behind the bulk loading facility for additional hardstand. Work commenced in April last year and filling is expected to be completed in July this year. Part of the pond will be retained in the interim to collect and store stormwater. The overland conveyor, a $35m project, will transport bulk minerals from the stockpile sites - currently iron ore and manganese - to the ship loader. Design and documentation is being prepared. Approximately $1.5m has already been invested by this government in improving the environmental standards of the existing conveyor. A Labor government saw the vision for bulk minerals business growth at the port, funded the bulk mineral loader, funded the conveyor belts and has negotiated the site agreements with relevant mines with regard to storage of bulk minerals.
Again, listening to the opposition you would believe nothing was happening at the port apart from the fact it missed one of the most critical economic drivers for our economy: the establishment of a marine supply base.
The issue of debt is a spurious line the opposition run and I say: bring it on. If you want to look at debt in its context, you have to look at capacity to service debt. The example of the household budget - what is your earning capacity to service your debt? It is a critical element of debt levels and, when you are looking at capacity to service debt, you go to your nett debt to revenue ratio. The opposition say - I forget the ideological word thrown into debate – by our ilk we are attracted to debt. In 2001, when the CLP had been in government for 27 years, the nett debt to revenue ratio was 61% …
Mr Westra Van Holthe: We were building things back then.
Ms LAWRIE: In case you missed it: the nett debt to revenue ratio we inherited from the CLP was 61%. We also know the deficit was larger than the budget books had predicted. The Labor government went through some pretty tough measures - efficiency dividends, etcetera - to control the budget and in successive years delivered surplus budgets. What do surplus budget do? They pay off your debt. This government drove a nett debt-to-revenue ratio from 61% under the CLP down to 15% in 2009-10 as an actual - 61% driven down to 15% of nett debt-to-revenue ratio. We are predicting in 2010-11 a rise to 26%. In the out years of 2013-14 referred to by the member for Port Darwin, we are predicting a 48% nett debt to revenue ratio –manageable, and why I return to the original. We made a deliberate decision …
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! I move an extension of time for the member pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Ms LAWRIE: I thank members, with the exception for the member for Greatorex, who does not believe in an economic debate in this Chamber.
Why have we seen Labor - eight surpluses in a row - make a dramatic change in our budget position? The global financial crisis hit and we needed to prop up this economy, keep the construction sector alive and keep jobs flowing. We created something like 5000 jobs during a period of rising unemployment in economies elsewhere. We are the envy of the nation with our unemployment rate at 2.3%. What these figures mean for Territorians is they have jobs and can provide shelter, food and a future for their families in developing and growing opportunities.
Jobs are essential. If we continued with our surplus path, which we have been on for almost a decade, and said we would not go into deficit but increase debt, we would have seen dramatic unemployment, particularly across the all-important construction sector. We would then not have been able to position ourselves as best as possible for the upturn in economic growth coming through the marine supply base and exploration, which is flourishing across the Territory. I note the member for Katherine acknowledged that as a key success and hallmark of this government.
That means there will be strong regional economic development. This is not only about economic drivers in the Top End; the exploration occurring in Central Australia, particularly in the exciting area of rare earths, is a huge opportunity for the supplier township of Alice Springs. The exploration which has occurred and the mines signed up in the Barkly have huge opportunities for the growth of Tennant Creek - exploration which has gone on with vigour. There is the opportunity of gold around Pine Creek - significant opportunities for the Katherine region. Nhulunbuy has grown off mining. Mining is part of our present and is increasingly going to be part of our future. We have done our predictions for the pipeline of new mines. We can argue about it; however, the reality of our growth is oil and gas resources, and our mining resources.
We have built across the diversity of strength in our economy - from tourism, Defence growth and our primary industries. You cannot get away from the exponential growth in live cattle exports since Labor has been in government. We recognise an infrastructure deficit in the Territory which we have to meet. We cannot meet it on our own, which is why we work closely with the Commonwealth government. There will always be an ideological battlefield around stimulus spending; however, the BER was a significant infrastructure spend in our education system. The member for Katherine bagged it on one hand, but on the other talked about how sense prevailed at a Katherine school and it has the project it wanted rather than a hall. Member for Katherine, that negotiation occurred at schools across the Territory. Schools which did not want or need a hall had their project specifications changed and received infrastructure relevant to the school community …
Mr Westra van Holthe: Thank goodness for that.
Ms LAWRIE: Do your homework before you espouse ideological battlegrounds in this Chamber.
In relation to SIHIP, we have an investment in housing this Territory ought to be proud of. Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia are all potential beneficiaries under the national partnership in Indigenous housing. Sods are not turned, the slabs are not down, the walls and roofs are not up. We have had scrutiny upon scrutiny of SIHIP – as is correct and should continue. I am glad that work is being done. The fact is we are building new houses, refurbishing old housing stock, rebuilding old housing stock and tackling the housing deficit across the Territory when our neighbouring jurisdictions, who also have significant need in their remote communities, cannot lay their first slab and are years behind the Territory.
They will benefit from the tasks we have undertaken as leaders in our nation in developing, improving and delivering Indigenous housing across remote communities; from the complex lease negotiations through to how you package the works, how you get the works out the door, and at what cost. We have had debates with the Commonwealth governments - Howard and others - about what those packages would look like. Debates are occurring now around refurbishments.
Going to the issue of an infrastructure budget and revote, the capital works cash in the 2010-11 program represents about 56% of the program. That is consistent with cash averaging around 54% over the previous 10 years. Revotes historically average around 46%. We are tracking, estimated so far at 2010-11, at about 44% - a lower revote is estimated to date.
The capital works program, by its nature, is a rolling program. It does not suit the opposition to accept that. It is a rolling program which takes account of projects delivered over a period of time which cross financial years for several reasons: the size and scale of the project - it takes a few years to build a major road project, including a bridge. Anyone who understands the construction sector in the Territory knows you have to take into account a slow construction program during the Wet Season. We build at a rapid rate through the Dry Season, which falls across financial years. Capital projects - if you are interested in how they occur - take time to plan, include a design and documentation phase, time to tender, then construction. Major road projects like Tiger Brennan Drive and the Victoria Highway bridges have to, by their sheer scale and size, run over several financial years. Other factors include the Wet Season.
Industry understands the rolling program and wants government to sustain it and be aware when major projects on the horizon are coming, at what point they are likely to land, and commence pegging back our capital expenditure as they land. That is a task of government going forward: to deal with the cycle of potential, significant, new private investment in the Territory in capital expenditure and still meet the expectations of Territorians for improved roads, barge landings, airstrips, housing, schools, clinics and police stations. We have done that to date and will continue to do so.
Regarding an additional cohort of public servants, the opposition is on record saying it will slash public service jobs if elected to government …
Mr Elferink: Not true.
Ms LAWRIE: We have it on record; we have the quotes and will quote them back at you whenever we choose: you want to slash public servants. We recognise, as a developing jurisdiction with a growing population and growing reasonable expectation of level of service delivery, we need more teachers. We have needed more police, nurses, doctors and the back room support staff which means these people can do their frontline jobs. We make no apology for that. We are taking care of our children, not just through improving the legislative and operational framework but by hiring additional child protection workers needed to do the work of protecting children.
Notwithstanding the ranting and raving of the somewhat unhinged member for Port Darwin, this is what we have done with growth in revenue over the past decade. Coming out of 2010-11 we will see challenges. We will see opportunities borne about where we are positioned with the LNG industry and mining. We will see challenges with predicted revenue reductions in GST. We are ready for those challenges because we work closely with the business sectors affected by external factors and influences. We work very closely with our public servants, understanding where the pressure points are, whether it is the school system, our health system, or particular hospitals or clinics. We work very closely with our police. This mid-year report shows we are on track to deliver a vibrant economy, manage our debt levels and grow revenue where the opportunity exists.
Madam Deputy Speaker, we make no apology for deliberately going into deficit and increasing debt to save the jobs of thousands and thousands of Territorians.
Motion agreed to; paper noted.
Continued from 23 November 2010.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Arafura): Madam Deputy Speaker, I speak in relation to the third report of the Council of Territory Cooperation and the progress report tabled by the Chair in December last year.
The CTC continues its visits into remote communities keeping a watching brief on SIHIP, and the last progress report looks at some of the issues the Council of Territory Cooperation has continued with.
The member for Katherine’s response to the Treasurer’s mid-year report said SIHIP still had problems. The CLP was a little hasty in removing members from the CTC, where there were opportunities for members to see firsthand what was happening in communities. There is the possibility some time in the future - I hope not too soon - the CLP, once it stops infighting, may win government and the issues affecting Aboriginal people, particularly SIHIP, A Working Future and the Growing them stronger, together report will be relevant. CLP members, rather than carping, whingeing and sniping from the sidelines, would be better served as part of the Council of Territory Cooperation getting the facts rather than the misinformation constantly peddled.
Yes, there are issues, and the Council of Territory Cooperation has never shied away from that. We continue to have concerns in relation to the repairs and maintenance and refurbishment programs. All members of the CTC have recognised that rather than continually point out the problems, we should be highlighting the positive aspects of this program. Communities like Maningrida in my electorate will see over 100 extra houses come online. A whole new subdivision has been created through this program, which has been fantastic for the community and has lifted morale. One hundred new houses are not enough but it is a start and the community is turning itself around and working with the council and the government to find solutions to make things better.
When the CTC was at Maningrida it was the first time both the Chair and the member for Nhulunbuy had visited together. Maningrida’s population is at the same level as Wadeye - a very big Aboriginal community with 20 different language groups. The people are from diverse areas throughout western Arnhem Land, with ties across to eastern Arnhem Land. It is a vibrant community, not without problems, but it has come a long way. Members of the CTC looked at the subdivision and the infrastructure being put into place. We looked at some of the houses. Again, we were a little disappointed at the level of refurbishments, and that was noted. We then joined members of the alliance, including Aboriginal men from Maningrida working with the alliance on the housing project. Aboriginal men working as part of this program were quite happy - they thought it was great. They were getting four meals a day, and even though the work was hard there was involvement and a feeling of pride in a project of the size and capacity seen at Maningrida.
One of the areas the Council of Territory Cooperation discussed - and it is one of the recommendations - is leasing. In Maningrida, 40 housing precinct leases have been taken out. In both Gunbalanya and Maningrida there has been a view amongst traditional owners, as well as the housing precincts, that the communities could work towards having a whole-of-township leasing, particularly when they look at the economic development which needs to occur. Look at A Working Future, Territory 2030 and the local implementation plans overseen by the Minister for Indigenous Development; those communities are looking at different ways to obtain those leases to enable economic prosperity for their communities and future generations.
There is a need for the Northern Territory to have its own statutory authority to take on some of that leasing. Until the Northern Territory moves towards that there will always be a barrier. If the Northern Territory government is fully supportive of economic development and growth in communities, it is better positioned to negotiate leases and develop communities now and into the future to obtain a better future, particularly for the younger people, rather than Canberra coming in over the top. That needs to be looked at and we touch on it briefly in this progress report. However, it has been a theme throughout our first and second reports, and it needs to be given due consideration. A number of issues are developing in communities and we need to take steps to ensure we get economic development happening.
Whilst we looked at SIHIP, we also had Mr Ken Davies and Mr Andrew Kirkman from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services. I take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Ken and Andrew. We had two senior public servants who provided frank, open and honest responses to the council. They endeavoured to provide transparent information to all members of the committee to enable a robust, honest and open discussion on progress in the communities. Using that information and visiting sites has been a useful tool, and one I believe the CLP will regret losing. Rather than the petty politics they have played with this, they are the losers in the debate because it makes their policy and vision for the future much less - they cannot participate positively in what is happening in the communities. I look forward to our next trip.
I notice the Chair thanked the member for Fong Lim for his very brief participation; it was very brief, about one week. We were waiting for Dave to turn up; we were very disappointed the member for Fong Lim did not continue. I was looking forward to having the member for Fong Lim on the committee – he would find some real benefits in being part of the Council of Territory Cooperation. He should come with us and go on a journey of self discovery.
I throw this challenge out to the member for Fong Lim: join us. He has a commitment; I have heard him speak. The member for Fong Lim often says one thing; however, there is the member for Fong Lim you hear outside who projects a different view to when standing on his feet. I may not know him too well but I believe the member for Fong Lim has a great deal to contribute to the Council of Territory Cooperation.
The member for Araluen should join us – the Council of Territory Cooperation is looking at the Growing them strong, together report. We meet with Professor Vimpani at regular intervals. We are having discussions with senior public servants at the coalface of child protection. The member for Araluen would benefit greatly from participating on the CTC.
Child protection goes beyond politics, and the member for Araluen probably feels that way too. I heard the member for Fong Lim last year say: ‘I am sick of hearing about the former member for Araluen’; however, the present member for Araluen, and every member in this Chamber, has the passion and conviction to ensure we oversee the reforms that are occurring. To have access to, question and talk to senior public servants who are implementing the reform – the member for Araluen would benefit from that. I urge the Leader of the Opposition to reconsider his decision to not have CLP members on the CTC; it will make the Territory a richer place. In this parliament we are all committed to finding solutions; we all want to ensure things are better, not worse.
Member for Fong Lim, I would love to have you on the CTC, and I would welcome the member for Araluen, particularly regarding child protection inquiries and housing issues. You cannot separate housing and overcrowding in remote communities from child protection. We need to look at programs and ensure government implements them. The goal is protecting children and ensuring houses are built.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the CTC. As a bush member it has given me the opportunity to access information and question senior public servants in many areas. I thank the Chair, and I thank the member for Fong Lim, who tried to contribute. Hopefully, he will join. I look forward to our next round of visits and continuing the good work the Council of Territory Cooperation is doing.
Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Deputy Speaker, first, I say thank you for the kind words from the member for Arafura. She records her thanks for a smidgen of time I found myself on the Council of Territory Cooperation. I have to be honest; at that time I had no great interest in the Council of Territory Cooperation and saw it as a waste of time. Judging from this current report, not much has changed. For the benefit of the members for Arafura and Nhulunbuy, and my new best friend forever sitting next to me as described by ABC radio, the member for Nelson, I will keep my mind open about membership of the Council of Territory Cooperation. Some things would have to change before I would consider jumping on board, although I am not ruling it out. If the Council of Territory Cooperation was to take a different approach, maybe apply some intellectual rigour in some of its deliberations, I may become involved …
Members interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: Some interjections making fun of me again. I am quite happy with that.
The member for Nelson provided me with a list of recommendations contained in the third progress report. I took once glance at it, which is what prompted me to speak now. I almost had a seizure when I read Recommendation 1 which says:
That flies in the face of SIHIP. SIHIP, before being called SIHIP, was part of the national emergency response in the Northern Territory. That emergency response was about an emergency: the worst possible cases of housing overcrowding and lawlessness were identified as occurring across the Northern Territory. The Little Children are Sacred report identified the breadth these horrendous situations were occurring. As the Territory government of the time failed to act in an appropriate way it was left to the Commonwealth to intervene. It intervened and called it an emergency.
The rule of law was quickly put in place in many communities. Things were moved, as you do in an emergency; government business managers were put in place in communities. They were people who could get things done in a hurry and had a great deal of control over federal government and Territory government departments, and could pull strings no one else could to make quick and valuable change to those communities. Part of that was identifying one of the great problems in communities to be massive housing overcrowding. In fact, an emergency response was required to address that and get shelters into communities quickly. Town leases were taken over by the Commonwealth, short-term government business managers put in place and the permit system cancelled on main roads and townships so things could happen quickly.
It was not about building houses to last 50 years and employing multiple Indigenous people. It was about an emergency response: building shelters quickly so people could move in. In 2011, four years after this emergency, we have minimal houses built across the Territory. The situation is worse than ever, as shown in the most recent child protection report. What do we have? We have a CTC recommending houses be built to deliver the longest possible useful life and low maintenance requirements. How about a roof? That is what is required! We need houses now; we need shelters now. It is not about building houses to last 50 years; it is about providing emergency shelters for people who are living 20 and 30 in a house. The CTC has disregarded that out of hand and Recommendation 1 shows that.
Recommendation 6 says:
What happened to the government business managers? What about the people who move in - it is a state of emergency - take over a town, put a quick town plan in place and erect some shelters so people have somewhere to stay? We are getting caught up in consultations again. When you look at the SIHIP budget and see how much money has been frittered away constantly consulting, you scratch your head and wonder how so many hundreds of millions of dollars could be spent for such a small number of houses. It is appalling!
Recommendation 10 states:
What was the government business manager supposed to do? That was their role; why were they put in place and what has this government done? The new federal Labor government has diluted the role of government business managers to the point of making them obsolete. We now have the CTC recommending shires be involved in some way when we are really trying to meet an emergency. This has been going on for over four years. For over four years we have seen reports saying the situation has not changed for kids in communities …
Mr Wood: When did you last …
Mr TOLLNER: It is not about when I last built a subdivision, when you last built a subdivision or when anyone last built a subdivision. This is about putting a roof over someone’s head, not running around on stupid committees cooking up ways to make jobs for bureaucrats.
This is outrageous! How many more reports have to plop on the desk of this parliament before we say enough is enough, and recognise there is an emergency out there and treat it as such? We receive money from the Commonwealth; we fritter it away and wonder why it does not trust us. It is ridiculous.
Recommendation 11 says:
What rot! It will have a detrimental impact on the Northern Territory government because it might have to start paying its way and paying some of these people what they are worth. CDEP is nothing more than a big cost shift to the Commonwealth government. We are sitting in this great Chamber a pack of mendicants. The Commonwealth has to keep the CDEP program going because without it we will not have police aides, teacher’s aides, or nurse’s aides and might have to pay our own way. It is wrong.
I have a tick for several recommendations, however, there is a whole range I gag on …
Mr Wood: Have you read the whole report?
Mr TOLLNER: No, I have not read the whole report. I am looking at the recommendations …
Mr Wood: You did not read the bill ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr TOLLNER: If the recommendations are anything like the report, the whole thing is a big joke.
Mr Wood: You might understand the basis of the recommendations.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson!
Mr TOLLNER: This report flies in the face of reality.
As wonderful as the current members of the CTC are - I have nothing personal against any of them - it seems like a junket when you have a group of people flitting around the Northern Territory being entertained by bureaucrats who word them up, send them somewhere and get them to table this rubbish we are expected to swallow. They then go to the Territory government armed with this new report from the council of love, go to Canberra and say: ‘We have had an independent parliamentary committee, the CTC, look into this and you have to keep giving us CDEP money. You have to build more houses, you have to do this, and you have to do that’. Why? Because we are incompetent and cannot deal with our own problems. We have to face the fact that we have major problems which require major reforms rather than run to Canberra with our hand out every time we hit a problem …
Mr Wood: You came with me.
Mr TOLLNER: You came with me.
I have much goodwill towards members of the CTC and will not rule out joining them, but there would have to be changes. Banging my head against a wall with a group of people who do not seem to understand the real issues in the community is not for me.
We have a national emergency. The Northern Territory is the disgrace of the nation when it comes to looking after Indigenous people, and people in government have no interest in facing that. They sweep problems under the carpet, blame everyone else, anything rather than confront the major problems we have. The Growing them strong, together report is heartbreaking. We can have a joke at times, however, the things we do in this House are extremely important. The CTC could play an important role but is wasting the opportunity, and I do not blame my colleagues on this side of parliament for jumping out of it. It would be very embarrassing to be part of it the way it is running now …
Mr Wood: They supported all the recommendations.
Mr TOLLNER: They may well have supported the recommendations; however, I have blown holes in some of them for you.
We have some major problems and these recommendations are more about strengthening the bureaucracy and offloading more power to the public service and other organisations than addressing the real problems we face in the Northern Territory.
Madam Speaker, I do not support many of the recommendations - some are probably quite harmless; however, the ones I have highlighted are counterproductive.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I speak in response to the Third Report of the Council of Territory Cooperation. The member for Fong Lim said intellectual rigour is needed on this council and intimated it is lacking. I take back any invitation I might have made to you to join the CTC, member for Fong Lim, based on that woeful contribution. Misinformed, wrong - you do not get it! You did not even read the report - you said that - and only five or 10 minutes ago you read the recommendations. You are misinformed. If you believe SIHIP is about building a few shelters you demonstrate you do not understand it, and you do not deserve to have a seat on the CTC, let alone in this parliament.
This report covers the activities of the CTC from April to September 2010. It was an active period for the CTC, with visits to different locations around the Territory as well as numerous public hearings across the areas of investigation, namely SIHIP, the government’s A Working Future policy, and the progress of local government reforms across shires in the Northern Territory.
With membership of the Council of Territory Cooperation reduced last year with the withdrawal of opposition members and, later, the resignation of the Independent member for Macdonnell, we have adjusted our schedule and the way we work. This includes the Chair, the member for Nelson, undertaking the occasional site visit to communities on his own, perhaps with a member of the secretariat or his research officer on occasions where the member for Arafura or I were unable to attend.
The member for Arafura and I have large bush electorates and, during the Dry Season months, need to capitalise on the opportunity to visit our constituents while the weather is kind. Even when the CTC had full membership, coordinating members’ schedules was always a challenge, especially when asking people to commit to two or three days. Nevertheless, we continued to plan for 2011, work around our electorate obligations, and are committed to a full program in 2011.
The current arrangement allowing the CTC to continue its investigations by endorsing the Chair to make site visits has worked well. It has meant community visits and information gathering occurs in a less formal way and, on some occasions, that is not such a bad thing. During his contribution in this debate at the end of last year, the member for Nelson stated formal meetings are not always the best way to hear people’s concerns, and this is especially true when visiting communities. Formal meetings and hearings held in Darwin work fine because those attending are invariably public servants, senior bureaucrats or members of organisations accustomed to the processes of formal meetings and appearing as witnesses. With all the audio gadgetry which goes with these hearings, plus the more formal set up of a room with CTC members on one side of the table and community members on the other, it is understandably somewhat of an intimidating environment and not always conducive for community members to feel comfortable enough to speak up.
That said, when we travelled to Santa Teresa in Central Australia in July, there were some very forthcoming contributions from community members who provided valuable insight into matters of housing, local government and job opportunities, and often other things as well: health issues, education and all the things which fall under the banner of community life. We need to strike a balance between formal meetings on community visits and the opportunity to talk informally with community members who are shire employees, school teachers, nurses, tradesmen or in any jobs held in communities. We also need to take the time to walk through communities to see not only what is happening in the housing program, but with other infrastructure as well.
Santa Teresa - and it is not the first time I have heard it – has issues with Australia Post. You can receive mail at Santa Teresa; you cannot send mail from Santa Teresa. In my electorate at Galiwinku - it is not unique to any one shire; however, $20 000 a year from the Australian government to the shire to provide postal services goes nowhere near the cost of providing that service. By the time you employ staff, often more than one person to receive and sort mail, it falls way short of what is required to run that service. It often involves phones and faxes as well. That was one of many things discussed at Santa Teresa.
When we visit communities and growth towns it is not about finding everything wrong with the place. Listening to the member for Fong Lim you would think that is all we do. We hear about many positive things and we meet some very inspirational people; some very happy people who are prepared to talk about the good things happening in their community or their growth town. We also hear about the things that need addressing, which is only to be expected.
The member for Nelson mentioned last November three members of the CTC, with Mr Simon Flavel from our secretariat, travelled to Maningrida. It was the first visit for me and the member for Nelson as CTC members, and was a fruitful and busy day with a mix of informal meetings with notes taken, a walk around the schools, through the new subdivision and through the doors of Bawinanga. I was interested to talk with Bawinanga, the counterpart of Laynhapuy Homelands from my electorate. I will not discuss that as the findings of that visit will be covered in the full CTC report due soon. However, I am highlighting how the CTC has developed and evolved to become a very workable committee, contrary to what the member for Fong Lim would have us believe.
There is never enough time to do and see everything we would like to when we visit communities and growth towns, and there often seems to be a very last minute rush to the airport to return to Darwin. It seems to be the nature of the beast, and as local members we all wish there were more hours in the day. We are conscious of not only trying to get a bang for our travel budget by staying overnight when we can, but are also mindful of the message we send when we fly in and out of communities on a day basis. People have told us so many times of the flow of bureaucrats or contractors who fly in and out and are not seen again for some time.
The Chair is keen to return to communities the CTC has visited to see how things are progressing, which is what drove him back to Wadeye late last year. Understandably, he was pleased to see construction of housing had progressed and was disappointed to find extensive damage to at least one new home. This called into question the tenancy management process of Territory Housing.
That brings us to the recommendations - nine of the 15 being in relation to SIHIP. This includes Recommendation 7 regarding malicious and wilful damage to public housing and the need for it to be reported to police as part of the tenancy and asset management systems. As a member of the CTC, I stand by this recommendation and others pertaining to SIHIP. I am not going to go through all of them but the CTC, and of course taxpayers, want to see houses constructed which will deliver the longest possible useful life, with low maintenance requirements even though the member for Fong Lim believes that is ridiculous and all we need to do is whack up emergency shelters. The 90 new houses under construction at Galiwinku are of very solid design with prefabricated walls made of Ritek which, when in place – there is a 6 inch gap between the two panels and they are filled with cement - would stand up to the member for Nelson’s star picket test and, in coastal Top End communities, would stand up to and provide safe refuge during a cyclone - very topical having had Cyclone Carlos through Darwin last week.
That is something people at Galiwinku talk to me about because the housing legacy is such that they fear, when the Wet Season comes, how houses will stand up to cyclonic conditions. These new houses will meet those conditions and are the same as the 110 the member for Arafura mentioned are being built at Maningrida. The member for Nelson will correct me if I am wrong; however, I believe they are the same style as were being built in the Alice Springs town camps. We visited the first house handed over by minister Macklin and it is the same design.
Recommendation 2, regarding the transfer of refurbishments funding from the alliances to the shires or other local organisations to undertake refurbishments makes a great deal of sense. Refurbishments to date have attracted a good deal of attention because we are not assured this program is delivering value for money or can be confident it is improving living conditions in order to improve health outcomes for those living there, particularly children. On the strength of that recommendation, I do not believe Recommendation 9 is unreasonable in asking the Northern Territory government to:
This is important for a host of reasons, especially in light of the Growing them strong, together report, which is all about care and protection of children.
I return to the recommendation of refurbishments being undertaken by locally based contractors or shires. It makes far more sense than to see the alliances continue with refurbishments. At local level it will provide more training and employment, the opportunities will be ongoing in light of maintenance programs, be more cost-effective and, at the end of the day, provide better value for money.
The refurbishments the CTC saw during its visit to Santa Teresa in July were disappointing, especially given the patches of dirt between the back door and the ablutions area - shower, toilet and laundry. Nevertheless, it was a positive result coming out of that visit by members of the CTC that that the issue was put under the spotlight. Recommendations were made and a solution was found to see these back porches sealed with concrete in order to deliver what this program is supposed to deliver: homes that are conducive to healthy living.
I mentioned how we need to highlight some of the positive aspects and was reminded, when listening to the Treasurer in the previous debate, about the sheer magnitude of this program. It is transformational. It is the biggest project of its kind ever undertaken in the history of this nation and is delivering houses. It has not been without its problems; however, if members opposite joined the CTC and visited places like Wadeye, Galiwinku, Maningrida and others, they would see these houses being built. I cannot remember where we are with those houses; however, many houses have been built and handed over. It is the same with refurbishments and rebuilds.
I acknowledge and recognise, in a project of this magnitude, the efforts of the CE of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services, Mr Ken Davies, and his oversight of the program. With him is Mr Andrew Kirkman, Executive Director, Remote Housing NT. They have appeared before the Council of Territory Cooperation on numerous occasions and are always forthcoming with information. They are asked some very difficult questions. There is nothing easy about the CTC - it is like an estimates process. They appear before the CTC, are asked many questions, and endeavour to find the answer if they do not have it on the spot.
Apart from SIHIP, four recommendations are around local government and the remaining two about the A Working Future policy. The local government recommendations encompass, to a point, the A Working Future policy, particularly when talking about CDEP programs. Without a doubt the CTC, with the support of the Northern Territory government, will continue to lobby the Australian government to come on board with the CDEP program. It has worked so well for so long, and the alternative for people on CDEP is not working. I acknowledge the efforts of our Minister for Local Government in lobbying to extend the CDEP program. I will be interested in the feedback we receive from the government on Recommendation 11.
Recommendations 14 and 15 are about the A Working Future policy, specifically lease arrangements. Land tenure is critical. Some of the processes government is working through, particularly with whole of township leasing, appear not to be working and not supporting a policy to open up growth towns and stimulate and encourage growth through economy when you need a permit to enter those communities. There are shortcomings, and I agree with the member for Arafura, if we can bring the responsibility back to the Northern Territory government to oversight those leases the program will be much more successful. We will see towns grow with the growth of private enterprise, and with it jobs and people’s capacity and ability to find work and gain economic independence.
I do not have much more to say, other than there was one aspect of the activities of the Council of Territory Cooperation not included in the third report, perhaps because in the scheme of things it is relatively minor. It was the Chair’s desire, supported by members at a time when the Country Liberal Party had members on the CTC, to promote the work of the Council of Territory Cooperation and communicate, face-to-face, with Territorians regarding what we do. As such, we had a stand at the Alice Springs Show. We worked on a roster and people were interested to learn about the CTC. We fielded questions, not only from the people of Alice Springs, but many visitors to Alice Springs - I even bumped into some Gove-ites and ex-Gove-ites. It was about the activities of the Council of Territory Cooperation but people welcomed the opportunity to talk, ask questions, or make criticisms about all aspects of government policy.
That was a worthwhile thing to do, and I want to recommend to our Chair that if we do it this year we need to find a less chilly spot …
Mr Giles: Stand near the CLP barbecue. I will make you a free sausage sandwich.
Ms WALKER: Thank you, member for Braitling, we might do that. We saltwater girls are accustomed to warmer weather - the member for Arafura and I suffered in that cold weather. Perhaps next time we will pack some thermal underwear and I will take two pairs of socks.
The Council of Territory Cooperation activities for 2011 are well under way. We will keep a watching brief on SIHIP, local government reforms, the A Working Future policy with it leasing issues, and CDEP. We look forward to returning to communities and growth towns to see progress. There are still communities and growth towns we have not visited - we will juggle that somehow.
We have broadened our horizons and are now looking at care and protection of children following the tabling of the Growing them strong, together report in October last year. Hearings commenced in December. The member for Nelson has had a number of meetings since then, and we took the opportunity on Monday to receive an update from several senior public servants on how things are progressing. Clare Gardiner-Barnes, Acting Chief Executive of the Department of Children and Families was one.
It is a shame the CLP has walked away from the Council of Territory Cooperation. The member for Araluen, to the best of my knowledge, is not on any parliamentary committee at the moment - she has some shadow responsibilities. What we are delving into now is part of her shadow portfolio. I understand the member for Araluen, in the Centralian Advocate several weeks ago, was vocal about not getting access to bureaucrats and information about her shadow portfolio and how very frustrating that was. It was no surprise and went with our blessing when the member for Nelson, as Chair, issued a media release inviting the member for Araluen: ‘Hey, you want access to that information, come on board, sit with the CTC and you will have it all there for you!’
I do not know why the Leader of the Opposition will not allow his members to be on the CTC - I find it a head-in-the-sand approach. When the members for Port Darwin and Katherine were part of the CTC I always had the impression they found it beneficial. The member for Port Darwin, as we know, was never short of questions and they were rarely easy ones. It was valuable in drawing out information. We will watch that and see what happens.
Madam Speaker, I thank our secretariat. They are very efficient, work hard and are always happy to work around our schedules or reschedule things. I thank them for their enormous patience. If I try to rattle off all their names I may offend by forgetting someone so I will not - they know who they are. The CTC will continue working hard in 2011.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I thank everyone for their contributions. I will not repeat issues raised by members of the CTC, except to say the CTC has had a number of meetings since this report and one area we need to improve on is getting our message out sooner. As Chair, I have been to Galiwinku; we have had one meeting with the department of Local Government; and have also had two meetings with people involved in child protection since then.
The member for Fong Lim has every justification to have an opinion. Sometimes that opinion is clouded by a big voice, and sometimes it is not backed up by a fairness which would allow us to say some of what he says is correct. We know SIHIP was introduced to reduce overcrowding but the CTC is not the government. One of its roles is to look at government programs and recommend changes to those programs if possible. The member for Fong Lim should also remember if this was about providing short-term housing to reduce overcrowding - which could be a good solution - why did the minister of the time, Mr Mal Brough, build two houses at Wadeye which cost between $600 000 and $900 000? That is a very expensive way to reduce overcrowding and set the scene for the government of the day - Liberal then Labor – to believe it should be putting in long-term housing as part of a strategic housing plan for the Northern Territory. At the speed it has been going we are probably barely keeping up with overcrowding in the Northern Territory.
Look at figures for birth rates in some of our growth towns - this is not bringing into debate what we should do on outstations - the amount of housing being built at present would need to increase to keep up with the birth rate in some communities. However, the government has put out a program saying: ‘Here is a budget; we will build X number of houses; we will refurbish X number of houses and do X number of rebuilds’.
We can argue about wasting money – it is something not only the CTC has been concerned about but also our Auditor-General. A review showed there had been waste and the CTC is looking at and raising those issues. Only recently, as Chair of the CTC, I visited Galiwinku and saw doors, timber, and some metal products for housing construction left in the open. The CTC has concerns products being used in the housing programs are of best quality so the life of those buildings is not jeopardised by rust, corrosion or moisture.
The member for Fong Lim is a little heavy on a report he has not read, picks up the recommendations and makes a grand statement. I understand where the statement is coming from; however, he has to understand the CTC is dealing with a government program. If he wants to debate whether a housing program should be short-term accommodation to overcome overcrowding, he can. However, the Commonwealth and Territory governments have agreed to building long-term, solid houses on Aboriginal communities and it the job of the CTC to see that happens. It may be worth him understanding that is where the recommendation comes from. We are not making a recommendation to put cheap houses or long-term houses in these communities. We say if the government provides houses which will last 40 years they should be made of material that will last 40 years without much maintenance.
The CTC has concerns about the houses at Wadeye. Minister Macklin has visited; perhaps our local minister for Housing as well. The CTC is not convinced, and has not been shown anything which suggests hollow wall houses will be cheap to maintain over 40 years compared to the solid concrete wall houses being built by Thamarrurr and Territory Alliance; that is the reason it is there. It is not there to argue whether these houses will reduce overcrowding. That is another argument, and a reasonable argument.
I suggest the member for Fong Lim read Recommendation 5 because the CTC has concerns about the effectiveness this program has on overcrowding. Recommendation 5 states:
Anyone who knows the history of SIHIP knows the second ‘I’ means infrastructure. After the review it was agreed that infrastructure should come from another bucket of money and the money set aside in the original SIHIP should be for building houses. When the CTC visited Tennant Creek, the Julalikari Council said they did not want the $30m set aside for infrastructure to build new houses. This sounded strange considering the Commonwealth government had agreed the infrastructure money could be used for houses and money for infrastructure would come from another bucket. That is one reason the CTC is going to Tennant Creek - we were told an average of 20 people are living in one house. The local Aboriginal association is telling us there are 20 people per house. We are giving them a means of reducing that number by using the infrastructure money to build new houses, and I am yet to understand their reasoning. That is what it is for.
The CTC is concerned about overcrowding and will continue to be concerned. The CTC will also look at how we can advance other means of housing Aboriginal people. Private ownership of houses has been discussed before but it is not as simple as you might think.
I am visiting East Arm Wharf in the next few days to see what type of modular housing the East Arnhem Shire is producing. The member for Nhulunbuy asked: ‘Will it come up to the star picket test?’ We do not want to invest large amounts of money building houses if they do not stand up to the test of time. The CTC is also concerned about the maintenance of houses. The member for Fong Lim suggested we all flit around the country with bureaucrats - two people drove to Wadeye, slept in the bush one night, visited these places with no great fanfare, and on purpose, there were no bureaucrats - we needed to see how things were on the ground. That is how I travelled to Galiwinku. I went in a plane with Helen Campbell, our secretary. I will not forget that flight through monsoonal rain and those small planes – exciting. Flying through blinding rain you cannot see the ground below or the sky above. We did not mention we were going; we needed to see what was happening on the ground and to ensure SIHIP was going ahead.
The big issue for the government will be how to maintain these houses for 40 years. Who will do this job on the ground? How are we going to increase the number of houses because in 40 years time most of these communities will have double the population?
The member for Fong Lim laughed about the greater involvement of councils in SIHIP. Whether it is emergency housing or more permanent housing you will need an increase in roads, sewerage, water and electricity, which requires a large amount of money. Whether it is an emergency community or not the pipe will be the same; it will need roads; it will need electricity, and it will need sewerage. Those things need to be assessed. Do we need additional power; do we need bigger sewage ponds; do we have enough bores to supply water to each house; are the pipes big enough to handle the load? This applies especially to sewerage and water.
It is not simple. Anyone can build those houses quickly. The land has to be planned. A government business manager from Canberra who has never been on a community will not have the experience to say: ‘Let us put a subdivision there’. That is one of the faults of bringing people in overnight. People with no experience of Aboriginal communities have been placed there. I am not saying some have not done a very good job; however, they are not, all of a sudden, planners and designers – it needs some design and consultation with the community.
If you put INPEX in the rural area plenty of people will want to have a say in what happens. They will look at whether it is a good idea, a bad idea; whether it is a good plan or a bad plan. You would not drop 95 houses into a community and not let the people have some say in what is happening. Regardless of the emergency, things have to be done correctly.
If you put large sums of money in and it lasts 10 years people will ask: ‘Why did you not spend more money and do the job properly?’ The member for Fong Lim makes a reasonable point. The CTC is concerned that many people still live in overcrowded houses. I was told of a house at Elcho Island where 50 people live in shifts. That is terrible. Houses are being built at Galiwinku, one of the slower areas in SIHIP which did not get off to a good start. We recently visited Gunbalanya - it has also been slow. In other areas it has been much faster. A substantial number of houses are being built at Maningrida. There is a major subdivision and when you see what infrastructure has been put in - the sewerage pipes are 4 m or 5 m deep - and the equipment which has been brought in for the trenching, you realise it is not a simple task. It would not matter whether it was temporary accommodation or permanent, those pipes would have to go in because you have the same number of toilets, sinks and bathrooms.
It is important shires are involved because they will take over. Why are councils in Darwin, Litchfield and Palmerston involved in subdivisions when they are handed over to councils to maintain? You need the community maintaining the subdivision involved in the planning process. Yes, perhaps it could be faster; that does not mean those people should not be involved.
There are standards; the town camps in Alice Springs are to be built to the same standard as suburbs in Alice Springs. That is not easy, especially when it comes to the cost of rebuilding what were rural roads and turning them into suburban roads. You have to put in kerbs, guttering and stormwater drains. There are issues in Alice Springs as they are attempting to have equivalent subdivision standards in town camps as are found in other parts of Alice Springs.
The member for Fong Lim mentioned closure of CDEP and makes a response which is so broad he destroys a reasonable argument. The CTC does not believe CDEP should be subsiding jobs in schools, hospitals, etcetera - that should be funded by government departments. However, the majority of people are not in those jobs. They are doing CDEP work because there is no other work for them. We need to ensure people are not going on the dole, which is what the member misses. It was fair to say the government should not be cost shifting; should not be using CDEP to get people working in hospitals or as ACPOs. However, the CTC says welfare is not the way to go, which is why that recommendation is there.
The government will respond to the recommendations shortly. We hope it will accept many of the recommendations. Legislation was passed today regarding the role of the Children’s Commissioner. Those changes came from discussions between the CTC and the Children’s Commissioner, and our recommendation to the government to change the role of the Children’s Commissioner. It is good to see that legislation brought before parliament. The CTC may not have been the only one to think it a good idea; however, it came from a recommendation of the CTC.
The CTC is quietly ensuring government policy is looked at, putting forward practical points to improve government policy, and will continue to do so. One has to remember, like any other committee in this parliament, the government does not have to accept the recommendations. I quoted a recommendation from the Environment committee saying there should be a fence across the Cobourg Peninsula. The Treasurer, who was minister for NRETAS at that time, said no; yet to me it was one of the most sensible recommendations we had. You have to live with that. The committee makes its recommendations; the government wears it, and puts arguments as to why it did not accept the recommendations.
I thank all staff. I thank the members for Arafura and Nhulunbuy for their hard work, and the member for Fong Lim who is teetering between becoming a member and hitting himself in the face with not wanting to become a member. The member for Araluen knows my opinion - if she would like to join for the child protection part she would be welcome. You have said some wonderful things and have shown your passion for child protection. In time you may be able to join; we would appreciate your thoughts and input.
The Council of Territory Cooperation is moving on and is now looking at child protection. We will be travelling to Tennant Creek and Ali Curung. I will be going to Willowra. We are going to Melville Island to conduct public meetings and look at the refurbishments. There have been issues with the amount of money set aside for refurbishments and the quality of those refurbishments …
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I move an extension of time for the member for Nelson, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WOOD: Thank you, Chief Minister. The CTC will continue. We are going to put more emphasis on the child protection report. We will also be looking at the growth towns’ issue – that is not going to go away. Another important issue is where the outstations are heading. Local government reform is a big issue. Local governments do not know what roads they will be maintaining, and there are issues around rates and pastoral properties.
We will continue to watch SIHIP; we will not let it go. I will conduct some spot checks to see what is happening because someone needs to monitor progress of these important projects. Regardless of whether people agree with the philosophy or its beginnings, the Council of Territory Cooperation has to live with what is before it and ensure the taxpayer is getting best value, and these policies are operating the way the government said they would. It is no good saying we are doing it to achieve certain outcomes, and SIHIP is a classic example. One of its outcomes is healthier families by building healthier homes. When I visited Wadeye I saw a six-month-old house full of cockroaches. That cannot continue – it will not make healthier families. The role of the CTC is to ensure government, through Territory Housing, is keeping houses clean and well maintained to achieve the outcome government wants. Those outcomes will prove if these programs are any good.
It is important that we continue monitoring things like SIHIP because Chapter 6 of the Growing them strong, together report talks about reasons for child abuse. I put this in perspective. People like me think of child abuse as sexual and physical abuse - that is part of the problem. However, most of it is child neglect. The report shows overcrowding in houses is one reason for child neglect – in other words, child abuse. This parliament, and all parliaments throughout Australia, has to find ways to reduce overcrowding, especially in Indigenous communities, if we are to reduce child abuse. You cannot do it in the middle; you cannot do it at the end; you have to have a total package and one way is to ensure people have adequate housing.
Madam Speaker, I appreciate all comments made. I will be interested to see what the member for Fong Lim does over the next few weeks. If he would like to join he will make it a lively CTC. He might have to put his application in first, the CTC being a democratic body. I am unsure if the member for Arafura is excited about him coming on board after his contribution today. We will see what happens in the future.
Motion agreed to; paper noted.
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, today I want to outline the government’s major priorities for the coming year, and show how our ongoing work will continue to transform the Territory, creating more jobs and more opportunities and an even better lifestyle for all Territorians. Today, Territorians have every reason to feel optimistic about the future. Our government shares their optimism because the things which are important to Territory families, the things Territorians value, are important to the Labor Party. They are also important to me, which is why this Labor government will continue putting jobs for Territorians first because a rewarding, well-paid job underpins a great lifestyle. Every Territorian should be able to find a good job no matter where they live. We will continue to build a world-class education system which allows our students to compete with the best from Australia and overseas, because Labor believes every child deserves the best possible start in life and an education which allows them to be the best they possibly can.
We will continue to transform our health system, ensuring Territorians get the care they need when they need it. Nothing is more important to the Labor Party than the health and wellbeing of our people. We will forge ahead with our work in the bush through our groundbreaking A Working Future strategy, and will continue to work shoulder to shoulder with the Australian government to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage. Our aim is to build and resource our regional and remote communities to bring opportunity to those Territorians who live outside major centres.
We will continue to work to keep our streets and communities safe and secure because the great Territory lifestyle, a lifestyle which has brought people here from across Australia and around the world, is worth protecting and preserving. Whilst the world continues to change rapidly and we are constantly adapting to the challenges of a dynamic high-tech global economy, these priorities, these core Labor goals, have not changed and will not change in 2011. They will not change as long as I lead this government.
I am one of the many Territorians who came here to build a new life and seek new opportunities. In 1983, I left my job as an underground fitter in a mining camp on the west coast of Tasmania and made the trek to the Top End. It is a move I have never regretted for one moment because the Territory is a place of great opportunity, unlimited potential, which rewards hard work and a go-ahead can-do attitude. In the Territory you can achieve anything - that is what I tell my kids and it is my philosophy when it comes to government. It is the unlimited potential of the Territory and its people this government wants to continue to nurture and encourage. The government wants the Territory to be a land of opportunity for all.
Before I outline the government’s major priorities for the coming year, I want to talk briefly about the economy. I have always said the economy is not about money, it is about people. A strong and resilient economy is not an end in itself. It underpins opportunity and enables our government to deliver the new jobs, the new opportunities and the quality services Territorians need and demand for their families. It is in every way the foundation on which a more productive, more prosperous, more sustainable and fairer society is built. Today, in 2011, our foundations are stronger than they have ever been.
This did not happen by accident. From the time it assumed office, this government has focused on building a resilient and growing economy. In 2000-01, when the CLP was last in power in the Territory, it left a legacy of zero percent economy growth and unemployment at 5.6%. Labor has generated 24 493 jobs, which is why we have invested in infrastructure which encourages new investment and generates new jobs in the Territory. That is why we back these investments with an unswerving commitment to bring major projects to the Territory, particularly across our resources sector.
Today, in 2011, I am proud of what we have achieved. Territory Labor has invested around $1.3bn in 2009-10 in infrastructure we need to broaden our economic base and attract new and sustainable investment. That includes consecutive record infrastructure budgets during one of the worst global economic downturns in living memory. These investments have not only helped protect jobs during uncertain times, they have also helped build key infrastructure such as the Tiger Brennan Drive extension, upgrades to Territory schools and health facilities, and new suburbs in Palmerston East. This is vital infrastructure that will help secure a prosperous and sustainable way of life for our people today as well as future generations of Territorians.
Compare our commitment to building the Territory to that of the opposition. When Labor came to government a decade ago the infrastructure budget was meagre. In its last year in office, the CLP allocated less than $400 000 in capital works compared to the $1.8bn Labor invested in the last budget. That is a 400% increase in capital works spending. The figures speak volumes about the difference between our party - the party of jobs and opportunities for all - and the lazy, economically nave, approach of the CLP. We heard that in the contribution to the Treasurer’s financial statement today.
Investments in the productive capacity of our economy have helped attract the major projects Territorians need to prosper into the future. Our economy is relatively small compared to other jurisdictions and major projects like the ConocoPhillips LNG plant, the Alcan expansion, the new INPEX LNG project, and industrial development such as the establishment of a marine supply base in Darwin are critical investments that will lock in growth and generate the jobs and opportunities Territorians need.
The government has also worked hard to revitalise our business sector and provide Territory business with the confidence and certainty it needs to invest and expand in the future. That is why government has consistently delivered tax cuts for Territory business to help stimulate investment and generate new jobs. I am proud to say the Territory now has the lowest taxes in the nation for small to medium businesses. Since 2001, tax breaks have saved Territory business around $291m.
The government also backed Territory business by investing in our people and building a skilled and flexible workforce. Government said it would again train 10 000 apprentices and trainees in one term of government as we did in the last term, and we will deliver on that commitment ahead of time. There were many sceptics when we made that groundbreaking commitment, including those opposite; however, whilst they carped and talked down the Territory, we rolled up our sleeves and got on with the job and will continue to do so. Today, 5764 trainees and apprentices are being supported under the Jobs Plan initiatives. There are more in training per capita in the Northern Territory than anywhere else in Australia, and we are working with the Commonwealth to secure funding to build six trade training centres across the Territory - also opposed by those opposite.
The upshot of our prudent and strategic economic management is plain for all to see. We have the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. Compare that to the 5.6% legacy of the Country Liberal Party. This government has created more than 24 000 new jobs since coming to office and, reassuringly, the most recent forecast from Access Economics places the Territory in the top three economies in the nation over the next five years with average economic growth of 3.9%.
Our foundations are strong which means we can do what Labor governments do best: deliver the jobs, the opportunities and the quality services Territorians need for their families. Despite our strong economy and low levels of unemployment, some Territory families are doing it tough. The Territory has not been immune to the rising cost of living across the nation but the government is determined to take action to ease the pressure on Territory families. This will be a major focus in 2011.
This government understands a rising population has seen demand for accommodation outstrip supply in recent years, placing pressure on house prices and rents. Government has responded with decisive action. It has upped the ante when it comes to land release, freeing up land five times faster than before. It is planning for the new city of Weddell and the new suburb of Kilgariff in Alice Springs. It is keeping 15% of all new releases for affordable housing, with the first online in Bellamack and Johnston now. The government has reduced stamp duty, increased the Principal Place of Residence rebate to $3500, introduced a seniors reduction of $8000, and waived stamp duty for houses up to the value of $540 000 for first homebuyers.
In addition, government has subsidised power and water costs saving Territorians around $62m per year, introduced the $75 Back to School Payment Scheme, has the best Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme in Australia by a country mile, and the Territory is the only place in Australia to provide free buses for students, seniors and carers. Government has introduced a childcare subsidy worth around $22 per child per week, and provided $1000 to apprentices and trainees to help with the cost of buying work wear and work gear.
I am cautiously optimistic our work is paying off. For example, annual CPI increased by 2.3% in Darwin compared to the national capital city average of 2.8%. That is the second lowest behind Canberra. The latest Access Economics report forecasts our inflation at 2.8% over 2010-11, below the national average of 3.1%. The government will continue to support Territory families in 2011, and continue to take action to ease cost of living pressures.
There is nothing more important to Territory families - families like mine - than education and ensuring our children get the best possible start in life. Getting the best possible start not only helps create happy and healthy children, and engages our kids in the learning process early on, but increases their chances of completing their journey through school and acquiring the skills they need to build satisfying and rewarding careers. That is good for our kids, good for our economy, and great for our society.
This government recognises better schools and more sophisticated learning facilities are fundamental to the delivery of quality educational programs and, in turn, better results for our students. I am unsure if those opposite agree with that proposition because education was neglected for decades under the CLP and investment in our schools was sadly lacking.
In contrast, Labor has invested well over $500m in schools since 2001, including our record $246m current program of capital works. We have built new schools to meet the needs of our growing remote and urban communities - remote schools like Emu Point, Manyallaluk, Yilpara and Arlparra where previously there were no schools, and urban schools like Darwin Middle School and the state-of-the-art Rosebery Middle and Primary schools, which provide Palmerston children with facilities equal to anywhere in the world. This government will continue to upgrade existing schools, including its landmark commitment to upgrade every government primary and group school in the Territory.
Our education system is being transformed and modernised before our eyes with advances such as distance learning, virtual classrooms, and vocational education and training, or VET online. We recognise building must continue and education must remain a priority for many years to come. That is because on this side of the House we believe in opportunity for all. I passionately believe all Territory students deserve the best possible education no matter where they live. That is what the A Working Future strategy is all about and what drives our work across government. For example, today more kids are getting to experience preschool in remote communities through our mobile preschools, our Families as First Teachers program, and our child and family centres. We now have purpose-built secondary school facilities in communities such as Wadeye, Maningrida, Kalkarindji, Galiwinku and other places - places where secondary education has never existed before.
Things are changing. Since 2003, when the first remote students graduated from the bush, more than 100 students have complete Year 12. This is a fantastic achievement; however, it needs significant building. Those opposite should hang their head in shame – 27 years of CLP government and not one graduate from a remote community in the Territory, not one. This government will continue working hard and, through our groundbreaking A Working Future strategy, I am confident our investments will see many more remote students coming through the ranks in the years ahead.
Highly motivated and committed teachers are critical to ensuring successful education outcomes for young Territorians. Since 2002, the government has employed an extra 330 teachers and is working hard to keep them in the Territory. That is why we introduced a new remote teaching service. In short, our teachers are amongst the best paid in Australia, which is why we will continue to provide principals and teachers with professional development opportunities and the support they need to do their jobs. The government is also supporting teachers with a world-class secondary school system. The Territory now has middle year schooling for Years 7, 8 and 9; senior colleges for Years 10, 11 and 12; and a modern and dynamic secondary school curriculum. Education is being transformed and last year’s results show we are right on track with top TER students - almost the best in Australia. Completion rates and academic results were excellent in 2010, and I am confident things will only improve in the future.
Work will continue in 2011. We will continue to build new and better schools across the Territory and continue to support our teachers and provide them with the tools they need to excel in a modern classroom. We will continue to give families in remote communities the educational opportunities they deserve.
The primary focus in 2011, the big challenge we face in education, is to boost school attendance across remote and regional parts of the Territory. In October last year, I updated parliament on work to improve school attendance. We introduced Every Child, Every Day, a comprehensive strategy to address enrolment, attendance and participation. It sets ambitious targets and details key strategies government is implementing with parents, schools and communities to improve participation and attendance. We will not rest until we have every child attending school at least 90% of the time. I will update the House on progress throughout the year.
The health and wellbeing of Territorians will also remain a major focus in 2011. Like education, health is core business for Labor governments - it always will be. Real improvements to healthcare in this country have always been driven by Labor governments. This government is part of that tradition and will continue to work to transform healthcare in the Territory.
The Territory faces major challenges when it comes to shaping a modern and responsive healthcare system. For example, we have the busiest hospitals in the country. Our emergency department presentations are twice the national average, and patient admissions are three times the national average. Our aim is to ensure we meet this demand and ensure all Territorians receive the treatment they need when they need it. That is why this government delivered the Territory’s first $1bn health and families budget in 2009, and why we followed it up with a further $1.16bn in 2010.
Health funding has more than doubled since 2001, up by a massive 139%, and our investments are reaping dividends. For example, in the Territory we spend more per patient in public hospitals than any other jurisdiction and have more public hospital beds than the national average. We have the most hospital doctors and nurses on a population basis; a super clinic in Palmerston provides an after-hours service to patients in need; and we have the world-class Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre at Royal Darwin Hospital and the new 26-room Barbara James House in Darwin. In 2011, patients no longer need to travel interstate for the majority of cancer treatments. We have a state-of-the-art birthing service at Royal Darwin Hospital; expanded emergency services; Hospital in the Home and discharge planning services seven days a week at Royal Darwin Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital. There are new renal dialysis units in Alice Springs, Gap Road, Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Palmerston, and remote areas such as Santa Teresa, Ramingining, Umbakumba, Galiwinku and Maningrida. We have new remote health centres in Milikapiti, Daly River, Yuendumu, Nguiu, Minjilang, Kalkarindji and Maningrida.
Record investments in health are leading to improved outcomes, particularly for Indigenous Territorians. There has been a three-year improvement in life expectancy for Aboriginal women, and the Indigenous infant mortality rate has fallen by 35%. These are encouraging figures and while there is still a great deal of work needed to close the gap further, I am optimistic our A Working Future strategy will see these positive trends continue. In addition, anaemia rates for Aboriginal children have fallen by 20% and cervical cancer rates have fallen by 61% across the Territory, with an accompanying decline in mortality for cervical cancer falling by 92% for Aboriginal women between 1991 and 2003. Survival rates for patients on renal dialysis are now equivalent to the rest of Australia, an improvement over the last seven years. The Minister for Health will talk more about A Working Future.
Improving health services will continue to be a major focus for my government in the year ahead. As well as our ongoing work in the bush, key highlights include redeveloping the emergency departments at Alice Springs Hospital and working with the Commonwealth government on the new super clinic for the northern suburbs.
Our great Territory lifestyle is something worth protecting and preserving and there is no bigger threat to our way of life than alcohol-related crime. This threat is not unique to the Territory; we are seeing similar problems around Australia and the western world. That is little consolation to Territory families. The facts speak for themselves: 60% of assaults and 67% of domestic violence incidents are alcohol-related. Alcohol-related crime costs the Territory around $650m every year, and there are 54 000 protective custody episodes in the Territory every year.
We need to take action now, which is why my government will introduce the most comprehensive alcohol reforms in the Territory’s history - world-leading reforms targeting problem drinkers. We will ban problem drinkers from purchasing alcohol; introduce a banned drinker register to enforce the bans; mandate treatment for problem drinkers and increase rehabilitation and treatment; and introduce an alcohol management plan for Darwin and Palmerston, including a ban on cask wine over two litres. We will get tough and will turn the taps off to stop crime and violence. I am aware these are harsh and controversial measures. I make no apologies. Our streets, suburbs and communities are sacrosanct, and the sooner we stamp out the scourge of alcohol-fueled violence and crime the better. I know most Territorians would agree.
Over the past decade the Territory has been transformed. Today, our economy is one of the strongest and most resilient in Australia, an economy that is growing and generating new jobs and opportunities for Territorians. Today, we have an education system we can be proud of, an education system on par with any in the nation and one that gives our kids the chance to fulfil their potential. Today, we have a modern and responsive healthcare system, one that allows people to access the healthcare they need when they need it.
Yes, we have our challenges: the cost of living pressures, improving the lives of Territorians in the bush, and the scourge of alcohol-fuelled violence. We will rise to these challenges and take action to improve the lives of Territorians no matter where they live. That is what the Labor Party does and what Territory families expect a Labor government to do.
Madam Speaker, I finish by giving an example of how much the Territory has changed in the last decade. Today in the Territory a child beginning preschool has the opportunity to complete that journey through school and study and graduate as a doctor without leaving the Territory. In years to come our new $28m NT medical school will be seen as a key moment in our history. The medical school will not only mean more opportunities for our children, it will also mean we can finally produce homegrown doctors who have spent their lives in the Territory and understand our unique health challenges. It is a potent symbol of how far the Territory has come. I take this opportunity to wish the seven Territorians who will be studying there this year all the best for the future.
Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Debate adjourned.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have received the following letter from the member for Greatorex:
It is signed by the member for Greatorex.
Is the proposed discussion supported? It is supported.
Mr CONLAN (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I start by reading a message I received from Facebook. This is someone I am not too familiar with; nevertheless they sent me this message last night which says:
I received that on my Facebook account from someone I do not know. This is the type of thing people in Alice Springs face on a daily basis.
This arrived in my e-mail account this morning - you may have seen the front page of the Centralian Advocate – and says:
Hello, Matt,
It continues.
Madam Speaker, during a censure motion last week I highlighted the problems facing Alice Springs. Things have become serious and the community is at fever pitch.
The matter of public importance proposes for discussion the acute lawlessness devastating Alice Springs, and that resources be made available by the Northern Territory government as current resources are insufficient. We need an acknowledgment by the Northern Territory government that an immediate response is required and the deployment of a police task force and an extra 20 police on the beat as part of a long-term strategy. It is not about taking police from one area and putting them in Alice Springs - robbing Peter to pay Paul. This is a long-term solution to bolster the establishment of police numbers in Central Australia.
We need an immediate response to the emergency. Emergency response is not overstating the situation - I have read a Facebook entry and an e-mail sent to me.
Let us look at the Centralian Advocate over the last couple of months: ‘Off the Hook Cops Let Rock Thrower Go Claims Cabby’; ‘Run Over Like A Dog - Death In The Front Yard’; ‘Slash, Dash and Bash - Unhappy Ending After A Night At The Movies’; ‘West Side Story in Alice Springs’ - two groups of Alice Springs teenagers are competing to see who can steal the most cars and lure police into dangerous chases; ‘Thieves Keep Cops Busy’; ‘Drunks Face CBD Exile’; ‘Wanted’ - police are looking for these three gang members responsible for a vicious Christmas Eve attack in the suburbs - that was 31 December 2010; ‘Bill ‘em and Sue ‘em!’ – 7 January 2011. Several days later: ‘Alice Night Patrol Fiasco’ - Only one vehicle on the road, staff numbers dangerously low; ‘Group Picket Pollies’; ‘Bank Robber “robbed”’; ‘”Harpoon” is aimed at youths’. This is on 14 January: ‘Forced to Bed down at Work’ - vandals trash the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens four times in the last week causing about $20 000 worth of damage. That story relates to business owners forced to sleep on the premises and: ‘Stabbed Tourist – They Threatened to Kill Us; Terror on Stott Terrace’. On 15 February: ‘Lawlessness Spreads like Cancer’. These are all over the last few months.
This is a clear indication of what is occurring in Central Australia. Tonight people in Alice Springs attended a public meeting called by interested parties to discuss solutions and to vent their anger at what is occurring in their town. Between 200 and 250 people attended in the Andy McNeill Room at the Alice Springs Town Council - no mean feat; a large number of people. We have all attended public meetings in this line of work. However, I would be hard pressed to find too many who have attended a meeting with that number present, particularly in a town the size of Alice Springs.
Last week, the Chief Minister wanted to discuss solutions and options saying: ‘Come and talk to us; let us discuss what we can do’. Chief Minister, you can immediately deploy a police task force to Central Australia to stem the violence plaguing the town …
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr CONLAN: On 15 February the ‘Terror on Stott Terrace’ headline was accompanied by a sign on windows at the Northside shops saying: ‘Northside IGA will be closed 7 pm tonight due to the ongoing antisocial behaviour’. This is real. The government will say: ‘Everything is okay; we are doing what we can’.
The Minister for Central Australia talks about the Youth Action Plan and the transformation plan. I am unsure where the Youth Action Plan is - the minister is nodding his head. It does not seem to be successful if what is happening now is anything to go by. That plan was discussed with the former Minister for Central Australia two years ago when local members from both sides of parliament met with the Alice Springs Town Council. Two years later, things have spiralled out of control.
The opposition proposes a task force be despatched immediately to Alice Springs to stem the extreme levels of violence plaguing the town. We understand the approach is multipronged. We understand it is not a simple silver bullet solution. Long-term issues have to be addressed. It is difficult for people of Alice Springs facing this wave of violence and lawlessness who feel there is no long term, it is short term. We have to address this problem now. We propose a task force and 20 extra police on the beat to increase police establishment. Broader issues include a boot camp for juveniles who flout the law, and mandatory rehabilitation for drunks. This often goes hand in hand - parents are drunk and the kids remain unsupervised, become bored, are largely idle and up to their own devices at the expense of Alice Springs. We also need legislative changes and have highlighted many unacceptable areas. We believe a bolstering of our police numbers overall, and the deployment of a task force, will address some of this. We need to ensure the courts reflect the expectations of the community and the sentence fits the crime. There is that expectation in the community.
Considering the dire state this government has left Alice Springs in, no measure to restore law and order is off the table and, if that requires legislative change, that will be on the table. We have reached a point where things are almost unsustainable and, if left longer, will become insurmountable. This problem is so big it is, for many residents, almost too hard to conquer, hence they are throwing up their arms and are leaving town. I will give examples of people leaving town. This is happening; this is real - I cannot emphasise how real this is.
I will read a few words from a letter written by the member for Port Darwin, our shadow Attorney-General, to the NT News on 6 January 2011. It says:
There is an enormous public expectation in Alice Springs that the punishment fit the crime. Back to the letter from our shadow Attorney-General:
We understand you cannot take 20 police from somewhere and place them somewhere else. We propose a 20-man whole-of-Northern Territory deployment ready to go at any moment in a foreseeable situation. This is a foreseeable situation, and police can properly plan and deploy 20 people to Central Australia immediately.
Police are performing much overtime at present because of the enormous workload. Police have told me they appreciate the money but the pressure on them, their work and their families is essentially …
Mrs Lambley: Unreasonable.
Mr CONLAN: Yes, unreasonable is a good word, thank you, member for Araluen. It outweighs the financial compensation they receive. I would like the minister to tell me how many hours of overtime are paid per police officer during a pay cycle? What is the cost of overtime payments? Would it not be more cost-effective to have extra police so the current police are not burnt out and placing themselves at risk by working extremely long hours under constant pressure, and eventually resigning and joining interstate police with better pay and conditions? What is the average break time between finishing a full shift plus overtime and being called back for a regular shift? One would cancel out the other. In other words, the enormous amount of overtime being paid to police working extended hours to keep the peace in Central Australia would easily be compensated by additional police and a police task force dispatched immediately to Alice Springs.
Madam Deputy Speaker, Alice Springs is at breaking point and, despite government rhetoric, it has deserted Alice Springs. It is similar to the pessimist and the optimist. The pessimist says things cannot get any worse, it is terrible, it is so bad; the optimist says yes, they can. Alice Springs will become worse unless the Northern Territory government addresses the issues facing it and restores it to the safe and secure town it was.
Members: Hear, hear!
Ms LAWRIE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Deputy Speaker, I acknowledge the concerns of residents of Alice Springs and their calls for assistance and change. This government takes very seriously the crime wave experienced in Alice Springs through December. It started in November and continued through December and January into February - a crime wave we find unacceptable, which started with a focus on commercial and residential property crimes. We have seen in recent weeks disturbing and unacceptable assaults on innocent people. There is an unacceptable level of crime and associated antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs. Cohorts of crime are being conducted by adults and juveniles - we accept there are different cohorts in this and have worked closely with police in Alice Springs to have factual information provided to government.
I have visited Alice Springs and am working very closely with the Minister for Central Australia and the Chief Minister, who has availed the police to the Minister for Central Australia and me for briefings. The minister has participated with the Chief Minister in a series of meetings. We even met over the weekend and are focused on doing everything we can to provide better law and order in Alice Springs whilst addressing the medium and longer term issues fuelling the violence and antisocial behaviour. Government understands the sentiment of the opposition in the MPI, and not for one minute is this government saying it is okay with what is happening in Alice Springs.
Politics will be played here to some extent. There is a by-election coming up, and we know there is a prevailing current of politics which the member for Greatorex is being somewhat mischievous in. That being said, there is a very serious and unacceptable level of crime and antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs and we are not resiling from that; we are tackling it using the best police intelligence we have. From discussions with Commander Murphy, who runs operations in Alice Springs, and the Police Commissioner and the Deputy Police Commissioner, the advice is there are adequate police resources in Alice Springs.
Police ran three different operations, the first in the December period when they started to see an increase in property crimes. That transferred into a second one, Operation Harpoon, which was around targeting - the first operation was an intelligence-led operation, understanding who the recidivist offenders were, the ringleaders, and targeting and cracking down on them. Operation Harpoon was a more external operation - additional police on the beat. The opposition is calling for additional police on the beat - police have responded. Operation Harpoon ran through January. As a result of that operation, 26 offenders were arrested and 47 charges laid. I acknowledge the fine work done by police in Alice Springs through the intelligence-led operation in December which went to identifying offenders and the reasons and patterns of offending. Operation Harpoon occurred from 7 to 21 January and involved members from Southern Command, including members from Themis stations and both general duties and regional investigation Alice Springs.
Overtime is occurring as a result of these intense police operations and additional police on the beat. We have been briefed on the capacity of those officers and their work so they are not unreasonably overtaxed in the exercise of their duties. We have been advised that the rotation of officers from Themis stations in the Southern Command region to give a break to officers in Alice Springs has been a way for police to manage those operations. Experienced police are providing us with this advice, so do we accept their advice or not? Government accepts the advice of people like Commander Murphy, and the Police Commissioner and Deputy Police Commissioner. They are well-trained, experienced police officers. It does not necessarily play out in the political debate. We have a great deal of confidence in their expertise.
During Operation Harpoon they targeted the increasing number of unlawful entries, particularly youth activities within Alice Springs through both mobile and static patrols. They identified hot spots. The operation resulted in 24 property offences - 26 offenders were arrested and 47 charges laid.
As a result of a series of meetings the Minister for Central Australia and I had in Alice Springs hearing the concerns of the business community around the state of crime, police introduced Operation Overseer on 9 February. This was to address antisocial behaviour and youth concerns targeting evening and night periods in Alice Springs. Again, members were sourced from general duties, traffic and investigations. I am advised by police up to six additional officers per night are in response patrols and the Police Beat, with the operation being focused on the central business district which includes the 24-hour store on Gap Road and the Royal Flying Doctor Service lawns in Stuart Terrace. This operation is being supported by the work undertaken by the new patrol coordinator, a new senior sergeant position announced earlier in the year as a result of listening to the business community. It is based at Alice Springs Police Station to better coordinate patrol services in Alice Springs.
There is also the Alice Springs Town Council morning ranger patrol. Tangentyere has the day patrol funded by the Northern Territory government, and the night patrol funded from the federal Attorney-General’s department. There is a new youth outreach service – a Northern Territory government-funded youth night patrol. That youth patrol has gone from operating three nights a week to seven nights a week in the most critical evening hours.
As a result of the additional police operations, and bearing in mind the call for immediate action, this is real-time immediate action occurring every night in Alice Springs as a result of increased police activity and patrol activity. Statistics from police show between 9 and 20 February 494 incidents of protective custody occurred. There were 394 incidents of liquor being tipped out; 28 arrests have been made; 15 summary infringement notices have been issued; 22 incidents of liquor banning notices were issued, and one incident of breach of liquor banning notice issued.
Police say they are making inroads into addressing the antisocial behaviour and have identified youth problems through community engagement, rapport with youth, and liaising with government and non-government organisations. This is real time; this is happening; it is an increased and enhanced police operation in Alice Springs.
We know, and the member for Greatorex mentioned it, these are complex issues and no one is resiling from that. A multifaceted approach is being taken by this government. Regarding alcohol reforms, we are going to the heart of the problem. We have announced the most significant reforms in our nation’s history directly targeting problem drinkers and banning them from purchasing and consuming alcohol.
We are delivering a juvenile justice package to respond to this initial spike in crime and antisocial behaviour, and I will talk to the details of the package shortly. We have a Youth Action Plan in place; it is being implemented and I will talk to the elements of the Youth Action Plan shortly.
In partnership with the federal government we are spending $150m in transforming the town camps of Alice Springs. Anyone who knows Alice Springs knows you cannot solve the antisocial issues without tackling the condition of the town camps; not only the physical structures, but also the social structures in and around the town camps. That $150m is not only being spent on bricks and mortar. Critically and importantly, a significant amount is going to social packages dealing with people in crisis.
Alcohol is the biggest cause of crime in the Territory. We are tackling that through reforms to turn the tap off problem drinkers to stop the violence. We will ban problem drinkers; we will enforce those bans, and will mandate treatment to stop the cycle of violence. We want to ensure people do not commit alcohol-related crime. We want to turn the tap off people who currently go in and out of protective custody and sobering-up shelters. The statistics are stark: 60% of all assaults in the Territory are alcohol-related; 67% of all domestic violence is alcohol-related. There are 54 000 protective custodies a year occurring across the Territory, and alcohol is contributing to more deaths, more injuries and more hospitalisations in the Territory than ever before.
I have spoken of our reforms: banning the problem drinkers; introducing the banned drinking register; mandating treatment for problem drinkers; and increased rehabilitation and treatment. I have spoken consistently in this Chamber about the widespread support for those reforms across the social services delivery sector and the AHA and liquor association. We know alcohol and substance misuse is fuelling antisocial behaviour and crime in Alice Springs and we need to tackle this. We are moving as quickly as possible to get legislation into this Chamber. I look forward to a bipartisan approach on this, and hope the CLP will put aside its ideological objection to an ID system and support the reforms when they are introduced to parliament in March. We are committed to taking action.
In regard to total wholesale alcohol supply, a report out today shows we had, in 2009, a 9% increase in wholesale alcohol supply in Alice Springs. This came after three consecutive years where alcohol supply had decreased. In 2006 it was down by 5%; in 2007 down by 13%; in 2008 down by 5%. Many people have come into town, have stayed, and are accessing grog. That is why we need to turn the tap off Territory-wide, not just in isolated areas.
We have heard from a key doctor at Alice Springs Hospital that there has been a significant reduction in the horrendous stabbings we saw in the past. The Menzies report shows a 21% reduction in serious assaults in Alice Springs. Dr Jacob said: ‘On average, we used to get 250 female victims every year. Last year’ – that is 2009 – ‘the number has actually been reduced to 146. Various things may have contributed to this but I think alcohol restriction is the major factor’. I accept the alcohol restriction measures we have in Alice Springs have not been wholly accepted by the entire community. Reasonably they are saying: ‘Why should we be different to elsewhere in the Territory?’ Contributions by members opposite might point to why we have had to be harsher in supply restrictions in Alice Springs. There is no doubt the town has been more greatly impacted by grog-fuelled antisocial behaviour and violence. The new reforms are Territory-wide and are designed to turn the problem drinker off tap.
As a result of listening to the concerned business people in Alice Springs, as well as other community members, government announced a package to get young people off the street at night and reduce crime. It is no small bickies to announce the establishment of a juvenile detention centre for Alice Springs. That is currently being fitted out with a fence and cameras, and we have an agreement for an education program to be operational as soon as possible. People are moving as quickly as possible to get the new detention facility kitted out.
We are introducing a new offence of bail - I gave notice of that today and will make the second reading speech tomorrow. Government has moved swiftly to get the legislative reform in place the community has been asking for. We have announced a review of the Youth Justice Act which will lead to many legislative reforms the community is expecting the government to consider in making it a tougher environment. If children want to commit crime where is the responsibility meted back to the parents? We need to look at parental liability. We need to a look at what are reasonable restitution provisions within a Youth Justice Act. Reasonable with all the checks, balances and tests because some parents try hard - their kids are out doing things. It is not about the parents who are doing the right thing; parental liability will be about parents who are doing the wrong thing.
We have undertaken a Return to Country blitz in Alice Springs as part of our back to school. Timing was not great with the weather conditions in the Top End - Murphy’s law - the All Stars game was to be shifted to Alice Springs at the time we were conducting the Return to Country blitz. Anyone who understands the cohort of clients we were attempting to return to communities knows they are football fanatics - they stayed in town. We have not given up on the Return to Country blitz and are working through logistics to have another go. There are many people in town from communities in Western Australia, South Australia and the broader Northern Territory remote communities who would be better served going home, settling into a better education system for their kids, and a more productive life than living in overcrowded town camps or creek beds. We will continue the Return to Country efforts.
We have commenced with targeted additional police patrols, through Operations Harpoon and Overseer, on the streets of Alice Springs. The new patrol coordinator has commenced. We are logistically identifying safe houses; places where the police can take kids off the street and put them into safe houses at night. In the morning, parents then have to explain why the kids were on the street in the first place. We have also announced the expansion of the BushMob juvenile alcohol and other drug facility.
The opposition ignores these are significant and serious undertakings by this government as a result of this latest crime spree in Alice Springs. They are very significant - new facilities, new legislation and additional police resources. The immediate is police resources; the medium is safe houses - and by that I mean short-term medium. We are conducting meetings throughout the weeks to identify safe houses and have them kitted out as workable for police and the child protection system.
We are currently kitting out the new detention centre for juveniles in Alice Springs, and are sourcing the facility for the expanded BushMob alcohol and drug facility. These are new initiatives with new resources this government is implementing and will complement the existing Alice Springs Youth Action Plan oversighted by my colleague, the Minister for Central Australia. The Youth Action Plan has already achieved some of its initiatives and others are being implemented. Included in the Youth Action Plan was a Police Beat in the Todd Mall, which is operational.
The No School No Service program has been introduced and is being supported by local business. We have provided additional funding of $75 000 a year for three years to the Gap Youth Centre. The Centralian Middle School is operating at Gillen campus. The Youth Hub is being established at ANZAC campus. Fitting out is occurring, and we have identified the units which will go into the ANZAC campus as soon as possible. The new Youth Outreach Service is operational, and has gone from three nights to seven nights a week.
Tender specifications have gone out for the boarding school at ANZAC Hill. That is to provide young people attending school a safe place to live. Extra safe accommodation beds are coming online. By the end of 2011, Alice Springs will have 520 additional beds in accommodation options. That is a dire need. The impact that will have in reducing antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs is underestimated.
The $6.4m committed in the budget to update Centralian Middle School and develop the Youth Hub at ANZAC Hill has been rapidly spent by the agencies coordinated to undertake the service delivery. Police and service providers are participating in inter-agency operations and patrols targeting truancy and young people on the street at night. Education services to encourage and support school attendance have commenced, and education services to target young people disengaged from school - the contract has been let and is about to commence operation. The government has appointed the important coordinator position.
This is not to say we do not recognise the significant need to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs. We are not doing nothing - we are doing a lot. We are being constructive and listening carefully to the aspirations of businesses, and residents who live and work in Alice Springs.
It is easy for the opposition to give the judicial officers a bashing. Magistrates live and work in Alice Springs …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired. Please resume your seat.
Mrs LAMBLEY (Araluen): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Greatorex for bringing forward this matter of extreme public interest for the people of Central Australia. This government has had 10 long years to implement strategies to combat lawlessness in Alice Springs and I cannot understand how the deputy leader of the government can say strategies are in place, and the government is listening and has done its best. It has not. You have not listened. You might be listening now, but you have not been listening for the last five or six years I have been in local government and become a member of parliament. As a consequence of not listening, you have lost time and resources and there is an extreme problem that is not being exaggerated, embellished or overstated. This is an emergency situation which requires an emergency response.
My colleague, the member for Greatorex, has illustrated proof in the media that this has been at crisis point for a long time. The NT News, the Centralian Advocate, The Australian - The Weekend Australian had a large expos on the severity of the situation in Central Australia, and the radio has been reporting it for a long time. To quote the Four Corners program on ABC television last year: this is dangerous territory. We are talking about the lives of young people in Central Australia; children, youths and adults who are intoxicated and are vandalising. There is theft, public drunkenness, sexual assault, and antisocial behaviour. Today, in the Centralian Advocate, there is a story about a poor woman who was stoned in front of her house by a group of youths.
We need a circuit breaker and this government is not offering one. We are hearing rhetoric; we are hearing boring stories about a Youth Action Plan, a tired, old plan with little effect. Things are intensifying in Central Australia, deteriorating; the social fabric of our town is falling apart.
A group of several hundred people from Alice Springs who are exasperated and fed up gathered together tonight to form a group. The plan is to hold this government to account. Yes, that is working in the opposition’s favour. We are not here to make you look bad; we are here to make our communities a safer and better place.
The members for Greatorex and Braitling, and my other colleagues throughout the Northern Territory all want to see genuine change and we want more police. That is a starting point. We have been asking for more police for a long time. During the Araluen by-election one of the top priorities in my campaign was placing an extra 20 police in Alice Springs. I agree with the deputy leader that crackdowns and task forces are very effective. We have seen many over the years and there is a change in the level of crime throughout the town. They work - that is why we want more of them more often. We want intense police operations all the time. That might sound a little outrageous but it is exactly what we are asking for: more police on the street deployed at a time when the demand is the highest. There is often a large number of police working during the day in Alice Springs. We do not want them on during the day - we want them on at night. We want them working in a strategic way to address the crime problems on our street.
This weekend the NAB Cup will be held in Alice Springs - we are bracing ourselves for a hard weekend. Everyone knows the NAB Cup weekend is a great weekend for sport but not much else. The social problems it brings are outrageous and untenable.
Police communications appear as bad as ever. I received an e-mail today from a constituent who lives at 57 Van Senden Avenue. He said on Friday night, 18 February, there was a party at 56 Van Senden which got out of control with up to 150 people fighting, yelling, and blocking off the street. Later, there were 30 people in his front yard. He first called police at 10.30 pm, made a second call, and the third was at midnight. The operator asked how long he had lived in Alice Springs and when he said 17 years her response was he should be used to it by now and hung up. He said police finally arrived at 2 am and the crowd dispersed. He was told police are stretched for staff and this was a priority one. He wondered how many other riots consisting of up to 150 people happened that night, and questioned why police could not do a drive-by to assess the situation, particularly when the crowd quickly dispersed once police arrived.
That tells me police are short-staffed and cannot manage with the current resources. It also tells me having the police communication system in Darwin is not working. How many times have we heard stories like this, member for Greatorex? There is an endless stream of people complaining about police communications.
Alice Springs and Central Australia is not only a community in crisis – we need to protect the children of Alice Springs. The editorial of The Australian today was titled ‘Maltreated Girls in Alice Springs Need a Strong Voice’ and I quote:
Where is the long-term recovery plan for Alice Springs? Children are walking the streets of Alice Springs at night unsupervised - they are not being protected. As the shadow minister for Child Protection in the Northern Territory, I want to redefine this problem not just as a problem for the Alice Springs community around alcohol, and Aboriginal people feeling disenfranchised and powerless, but about the protection of children in our community. If what we hear is true, we have children as young as nine and 10 walking the streets at night, some soliciting their bodies for money. This is unacceptable.
As a civilised society, what do we do about it? Are the police, the professional people, the youth workers and the various helpers employed or who volunteer to help, identifying these children at risk? Are they reporting them? Are they notifying them? Is the Department of Children and Families aware of the status of these children? It has to be redefined to protect the children of Alice Springs who are placed in these situations. As the deputy leader of government has said, we need safe houses. She has not been listening long - we asked for safe houses many years ago; now is as good a time as any to put that on the agenda.
We need safe houses for these children. We need structures in place to provide safety for these children, and if they cannot help themselves, which is the case more often than not, we have to steer them to a place that can provide safety and protection. That is why the community of Alice Springs is demanding a curfew for children - to assist them; mandate their supervision in centres such as safe houses so they can be protected whilst there is no parent identified to provide protection for them.
We have a state of crisis in Alice Springs and it is about child protection. It is about coordinating and being responsible citizens. It is about the government governing, putting in strategies, listening and planning, not when things get really bad like now. This problem has been escalating in intensity for many years. Every summer, we see a slight increase in intensity. Everyone who has been in Alice Springs for any length of time, including the Minister for Central Australia, would agree that is what we have been seeing over the years. We need a government that can plan and address these issues in a meaningful way rather than be only reactive.
I understand the Minister for Central Australia is meeting with Aboriginal elders in Alice Springs on Friday. I do not know what that means. I would love more information from the minister about this. Why has the Minister for Central Australia not been meeting with Aboriginal elders on a regular basis for the last 10 years? Why has he not been meeting with Aboriginal leaders in Alice Springs on a regular basis and with representatives from the Central Land Council, Tangentyere, Lhere Artepe and the new shires? All these stakeholders have to play a part in the solution.
Why does it happen when things become bad instead of a continuous, consistent, focused and productive approach to consultation and planning? Is that not what government is about? I have come into politics fairly late compared to most of you, however, my understanding of government is you foresee, you listen to people, you collect information, you formulate a vision of what is going to happen - trends, as the deputy leader was talking about - and resources are put into identifying a problem before it escalates to what we see in Alice Springs, a complete and utter crisis.
My thoughts go to the Commonwealth government’s response in June 2007 when, as a reaction to the Little Children are Sacred report, the government put in place an emergency response, which later became known as the intervention. This was brought about by the serious state of affairs relating to the sexual abuse of Aboriginal children on communities throughout the Northern Territory. What we have now is as serious. We are talking about the abuse and neglect of, primarily, Aboriginal children in Central Australia, who are collecting in Alice Springs for many different reasons - call it urbanisation, call it urban drift, call it what you like – there are many similarities between what happened in 2007 and what is happening now.
The Northern Territory government needs to put together an emergency response, perhaps bring on board the Commonwealth government, which saved many lives and provided some future and hope for many people in the Northern Territory in 2007, and continues to do so. You need to act now. There is no use …
Mr Knight: They did not.
Mr Conlan: You are the former Minister for Central Australia. Half of this happened on your watch. I would keep my mouth shut.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, resume your seat! Member for Araluen, your time has expired.
Mr Conlan: I would keep quiet, sunshine. Half of this happened on your watch.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, resume your seat!
Mr Conlan: What a joke.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, you are on a warning.
Mr HAMPTON (Central Australia): Madam Deputy Speaker, I respond to the matter of public importance raised by the member for Greatorex. I mentioned in the censure motion last week brought by the member for Greatorex, that it is vitally important we discuss issues facing Alice Springs. Let me make it clear: crime and antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs, and across the Territory, is totally unacceptable. I have been on patrol with police and youth workers on the streets of Alice Springs for a long time. I speak with young people - I know many of them; many are relatives coming in from remote communities. I have been out at all hours of the night, and know colleagues from Alice Springs have also been out.
I speak to business owners who are suffering from break-ins; I speak to people from all walks of life who have been victims of crime. Over the last two weeks I have spoken to several victims who have had homes broken into or their car stolen. Last week I spoke to a single mother whose only prized possession was her car - that was stolen by youths. My family has had homes broken into - sometimes twice a day, sometimes three times a week.
I agree with the opposition regarding issues with crime in Alice Springs. I am a member of the Memorial Club and the Gillen Club, and I met with Geoff Booth and Alan Rowe last year. I also I met with business owners a month ago, with the Deputy Chief Minister, and listened to their concerns and frustrations. I hear their cries for help and take them on board.
I have been fairly public regarding my concerns about the current campaign and what it might do. Concerns have been raised by tourism industry operators. A letter to the editor in today’s Centralian Advocate titled ‘I am Not Afraid and Not Leaving’ said:
It went on to say:
The letter was from Deborah Rock, an Alice Springs tourism operator. It is courageous to speak out and call it as you see it.
There was also a letter from the Chairman of Tourism Central Australia which he sent to his membership and I quote:
He went on to say:
The Attorney-General has outlined some of the initiatives announced to build on the Youth Action Plan in Alice Springs. It is a comprehensive plan to tackle youth-related crime and antisocial behaviour. It takes tough measures against those who do the wrong thing and it supports children and families. Under the Youth Action Plan, a Police Beat is operating in Todd Mall and is an initiative welcomed by local business. The No School No Service is operating, and the Centralian Middle School is operating at Gillen campus.
The youth hub is partly operational at the ANZAC campus and is overseen by the youth services coordinator, John Adams. Education services to encourage school attendance and others targeting young people disengaged from school have started this year. Work on the provision of a boarding facility to give young people attending school a safe place to live is ongoing, the Youth Outreach Service is operating seven nights a week, and extra safe accommodation beds are coming online.
Police and services providers are important in dealing with young people and antisocial behaviour on our streets. Police and service providers are taking part in inter-agency operations and patrols targeting truancy and young people on the streets late at night.
The Deputy Chief Minister mentioned Operation Harpoon. I met with senior police officers today who briefed me on Operation Overseer, which commenced on 9 February to address antisocial behaviour and youth concerns at night in Alice Springs. They provided me with information and statistics up to 20 February. Operation Overseer included members from general duties, traffic and investigations, and officer numbers were between two and six per night in addition to response patrols and the Police Beat. During Operation Overseer there were 494 protective custodies; 394 litres of alcohol tipped out; 28 arrests; one summons; 15 summary infringement notices; 22 liquor banning notices, and one breach of a liquor banning notice.
I acknowledge the hard work of our police officers and those on the streets seven nights a week. They are at the coalface; they are on the front line and have my thanks for the work they do. I will continue to provide the resources they need.
During my meeting I expressed concern at the current situation in Alice Springs. I would like to see the mobile police van in the hot spots around the CBD, and the car park at the Memorial Club acting as a highly visible deterrent. The mobile police van could also act as headquarters for patrols - the superintendent coordinating the patrols in Alice Springs – and be of valuable assistance.
Senior police I met with today advised they will be conducting a special operation over the weekend because of the large number of visitors for the football. My position in getting major events to Alice Springs is: why should the majority of good citizens of Alice Springs and Central Australia miss out? It is a minority of people who spoil it for the rest. I will continue pushing for these events in Alice Springs, with the support of the community, because the people of Alice Springs deserve to see these events as much as anyone else in the Territory. The majority of good people should not have to miss out because of the stupidity of the minority.
The Chief Minister outlined what has already been achieved through the Youth Action Plan. The other important policy initiative is the $150m Alice Springs transformation plan. The transformation plan is overseen by the joint steering committee made up of representatives from Tangentyere Council, Lhere Artepe, the Commonwealth and Territory governments as well as the town council with Mayor Damien Ryan. I am happy to provide a briefing for members from Alice Springs because both the Youth Action Plan and the transformation plan are happening in their back yard - their electorates - and they do not understand what is occurring …
A member: No one does.
Mr HAMPTON: Have a briefing. I am happy to provide one. In today’s The Australian, Geoff Booth, from Action for Alice, said the initiatives under the Youth Action Plan are good. He has been very vocal and very public in this campaign. However, we have local members who do not know about it. I am more than happy to provide a briefing for members opposite.
The Alice Springs Transformation Plan is the single largest commitment to improving lives and living conditions in town camps, with benefits for the wider community. More than 500 additional beds will be made available for Aboriginal residents and visitors to Alice Springs under the plan. Eighty-five new houses will be built across 18 town camps, and new facilities will help address homelessness: the new accommodation park, Percy Court, The Lodge, Mt Gillen and the Salvation Army will bring additional beds.
This is real reform. For me, it is about putting in the effort and supporting those in the community; our police, our youth workers, non-government organisations, Aboriginal organisations and business. It is time to stop the divisiveness and realise this issue confronts the whole town.
I have called a meeting of Aboriginal leaders and representatives in Alice Springs on Friday to find solutions in a balanced way; to ensure all voices are heard. To date, the Aboriginal voice has not been heard in this debate. The business community has been vocal - we have heard their cry for help. Both the business sector and the Aboriginal community are important to the economic, social and cultural future of Alice Springs so why should we not meet? The member for Macdonnell has called on Aboriginal leaders to take some responsibility. Business people in Alice Springs have asked for Aboriginal people to stand up. The opposition should have met with business and Aboriginal leaders some time ago. We will be meeting on Friday. Aboriginal people have every right to participate in this debate and be part of the solution.
Madam Deputy Speaker, Alice Springs is a vibrant and dynamic regional centre and continues to be a popular tourist destination. It is a great place to raise kids and enjoy a lifestyle available nowhere else in Australia. However, there is a level of unacceptable crime and antisocial behaviour this government is committed to tackling, and I am committed to turning around. Bringing the community together and being united in our efforts will make a difference.
Discussion concluded.
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I talk about someone who has made a great contribution to the Northern Territory in many ways. Mr Keith Williams would be known to a number of members in this Chamber. It was my privilege to attend Keith’s 80th birthday celebration at Christ Church Cathedral in November last year. Keith and his family have been involved with the Anglican Church over many years. Keith has also been involved with many Indigenous people over the years, and there were a number of Indigenous people from remote areas and within Darwin present. Keith worked as member of the prostate support group and is well known in the Northern Territory. The year 2010 was not only a celebration of Keith’s 80th birthday; he is a long-term Collingwood fan so he had much to celebrate.
I have known Keith since 1979, when he was my boss and I was the YMCA recreation officer at Maningrida. Keith had a long association with the YMCA in Victoria and went to Vietnam to give support to our troops during the 1970s. Keith’s role was to provide support for our troops, be an important conduit to their families, and also represent the troops’ interests to those in command. There were a number of occasions where Keith did just that and was able to secure very positive outcomes for the troops. He also supported them in many ways, particularly in providing recreational outlets and a sympathetic ear for Diggers missing their families and loved ones, or who may have encountered some problems.
In 1976, Keith came to the Northern Territory to work for the YMCA as Assistant Executive Director of the Northern Territory division, with a particular focus on developing Aboriginal recreation programs in remote communities. That is how I got to know Keith, and I learnt much from him because he had spent time on remote communities. We were able to get many programs going across the Top End and into Central Australia. The YMCA had work in many communities with Indigenous recreation programs including football, basketball, holiday programs for the kids, and general programs giving a sporting outlet for young people, girls and boys, men and women.
Community entertainment was also welcomed; discos and film nights for the community were part and parcel of what the YMCA did in many communities across the Territory. Many locals still remember the work of the YMCA in their communities. In Maningrida, it was at the town hall Gough Whitlam built, as the locals used to say, and I have fond memories of that town hall, and Maningrida itself, including a visit from Gough; however, that is another story.
I believe the work of the YMCA across the Top End, and in some areas of Central Australia, was greatly appreciated. The development of Aboriginal recreation officers was part and parcel of Keith’s work, and he did a fantastic job. There are many people around the Territory who remember Keith with affection.
Keith’s son, Steven, was also a recreation officer. He was at Galiwinku for many years and is still remembered very fondly by people there. Steve, to some degree, has followed in his dad’s footsteps. He has been working with Care Australia since the 1990s. He works around the world, overseeing aid programs in many countries - many hot spots around the world. It was great to catch up with Steve at his dad’s 80th birthday.
Whilst talking about the Williams family, many people would know Keith’s wife, Pat Williams, was the chaplain at Royal Darwin Hospital for many years and was an ordained minister within the Anglican Church. Both Pat and Keith are very well-respected throughout the Darwin community and very well-known.
After leaving the YMCA in 1981, Keith worked for CAAPS, the Aboriginal alcohol program, for many years and this has been a particular interest of Keith’s. Keith is a teetotaller, I might add. Keith, from very early times, recognised the problems alcohol posed in the Northern Territory and set about to rectify that situation. He worked hard over many years in that area. He has recognised, at both the community and individual level, the harm alcohol does, particularly in Indigenous communities.
Keith was involved in the formation of CAAPS and worked with them for a number of years. He has kept up his drug and alcohol education work, particularly in the Gunbalanya region and visits a number of outstations at the invitation of communities to talk to people, particularly young people, about substance abuse, alcohol, and the dangers of abusing alcohol. At 80 years of age, Keith is doing a fantastic job in many areas of the Territory.
The other area Keith has been involved in is the prostate support group known as Prosper. We all know people who have had prostate cancer, and all realise how prevalent this form of cancer has become within Australia. It is important that men be aware of the steps they can take to minimise the chances of having prostate cancer through early diagnosis. Keith has been at the forefront of that, particularly the public education advocating men have a yearly check-up. It is not just a blood test for prostate, also the digital examination of the prostate, which really is not a pleasant thing; however, most authorities agree the digital examination is required together with a blood test to positively exclude prostate cancer. There is some debate about the efficacy of the blood test; there is real agreement about the digital examination.
Keith’s message has been, and the health message is: men should have that yearly check-up. It is an important message and Keith has been instrumental in delivering that within the Darwin community. He is a wonderful advocate for prostate cancer awareness and support for those who have had prostate cancer. A number of people at his birthday party told me, on a personal level, how Keith had helped them through their diagnosis and recovery from prostate cancer. He is well-liked and well-respected. He is someone who gives of himself very selflessly to the community, and has given support to many people throughout his long life.
He has also been an official prison visitor at the juvenile prison for about five years. Keith is always there helping young people, advocating for the young people in prison and giving them a helping hand out of that cycle of recidivism.
He is also the consumer representative on a committee of General Practice Network NT. He is always advocating as a consumer, as someone who comes in contact with the health system, to the GP group about what the public experience is; how the GP network can feed into the GPs and assist people to see their GPs.
Madam Deputy Speaker, Keith works hard. He is 80 years of age and still involved in community organisations and community work. I commend Keith Williams to the House as a great Territorian. I truly believe Keith is a great Territorian and he, and his family, have made a great contribution to the Northern Territory. It has been a pleasure to inform the House of Keith Williams and the work he has done in the past and what he is currently doing. He is a great Territorian.
Mr CONLAN (Greatorex): Madam Deputy Speaker, I will continue my remarks regarding the matter of public importance - 20 minutes is not long enough when speaking about something so important; we could spend the whole day. You could restructure parliament and have two weeks on Alice, two weeks on Tennant Creek and two weeks on Katherine. You could then do two weeks on Darwin, another few weeks on Gove and start all over again. There is so much to discuss and address across the Northern Territory, particularly when it comes to law and order and, as eloquently articulated by the member for Araluen today, the issue of child protection. They go hand in hand; this is an emergency.
Member for Stuart, Minister for Central Australia - how uninspiring, Karl. They call a leader with no followers a guy taking a walk - that is where you are. You are not showing leadership. It is a shame; it is tragic; it is reprehensible and embarrassing. I feel for you. You know more. You must be so hamstrung by the government, by the bullies on the other side, the heavy hitters, to toe the party line and not speak out against anything. Toe the line is what seems to be happening.
You said you would like the police van out more often - why not put it out more often? Why do you not send a directive, speak to the Police minister, your colleagues in Cabinet? You are the Minister for Central Australia. Say: ‘Chief Minister, I would like the police van on the streets more often’. Do it. The minister said: ‘I would like to see the police van in the mall a little more often’. How pathetic! What complete lack of leadership or will to do something that shows. The police van is next to my office - I sit out the back. If you go to the alleyway of my office you will see it there every day not being utilised to its full potential.
I use this opportunity to put some statistics on the Parliamentary Record. The government has had 10 years to address these problems. The Deputy Chief Minister gloated about what government is doing. It has not planned; not foreseen any of this. I have given 10 or more newspaper headlines from the last two to three months. Last week, I brought out four or five headlines from 12 months ago, and the opposition has mentioned headlines from newspapers in Central Australia every January and March. It cannot be hard to plan. It is about time you started planning for this - equip a special task force before this happens. This is the government’s record, contrary to its rhetoric tonight:
The rate of violent assault has risen by 80% during Labor’s decade of denial. Last financial year there were 7296 crimes against the person in the Territory compared with 6226 the previous year. There has been an 8.5% increase in 12 months. Alice Springs has felt the brunt of Labor’s failed law and order policy. In 2004-05, robberies increased by 450%; assaults by 87%; sexual assault by 97%. Sexual assault by 97%, highlighted today by the member for Araluen, and the editorial of today’s The Australian newspaper, children on the streets pimping their bodies - sexual assault. That is extraordinary. House break-ins are up by 64%; commercial break-ins by 185%; motor vehicle theft by 97%, and property damage by 71%. This is Labor’s record, which the Minister for Central Australia and the Deputy Chief Minister spoke about today with their chests puffed out with pride.
They mention the alcohol restrictions and how well they have worked. You have to be kidding! It has to be one of your greatest failures. There are a few but one of your greatest failures is alcohol restrictions. You have not addressed the thirst for alcohol. You have addressed supply issues not demand issues. You have no concept, no idea, or no will to address the demand issues of alcohol. It is simply a matter of supply for you. Child protection is in a dire state. We have seen it with the Little Children are Sacred report. We saw it with the report the government was dragged kicking and screaming to last year by the former member for Araluen. God knows where those children would be, the welfare of those children, if it was not for a very proactive former member for Araluen, and a current member for Araluen who has been active with the child protection portfolio.
The Minister for Central Australia talks about meeting with elders this Friday. That is good but why has he not been doing this on a regular basis? It may be difficult; however, a monthly meeting is not so difficult - even an annual meeting. Now, 10 years down the track Alice Springs is on its knees; it desperately needs to be rescued from these law and order issues 10 years after a Labor government was elected, and six years after the Minister for Central Australia, the member for Stuart, was elected. Three years after becoming Minister for Central Australia he is meeting with elders of the community. That is disgraceful and completely unacceptable.
Tonight we had a meeting of 200 to 250 people at the Andy McNeill Room of the Alice Springs Town Council vehemently opposed to the government’s policies, not because they have something against the government - it is not working. People would vote for you if you showed you cared about Alice Springs. They believe you do not care. You now say: ‘Of course we care about the place’. People are at their wits’ end; they are at breaking point, at tipping point.
There is a raft of clichs which describe the situation in Alice Springs. People have had a gutful and are leaving town; people who thought they would never leave, who settled in Alice Springs for many reasons, who love the town, love the opportunities the Northern Territory has provided and will continue to provide them and their children. They are now faced with the decision they thought they would never have to make - they want to leave town. A number of people want to leave but are financially unable to do so. They feel the government is arrogant and it is not listening to them. They fear walking down the streets and are angry at the government’s full-page newspaper advertisement saying what it is doing which flies in the face of what is happening on the streets. People tell me they cannot believe the government has spent an enormous amount of money – it would be well into the thousands of dollars to place that in a newspaper – yet the very next day, a 45-year-old woman was stoned and had to be flown to Royal Adelaide Hospital for facial reconstruction. This is what people are up against.
We need more police. We need more police longer term, and we need a task force to address this situation immediately. It is urgent, it is an emergency, and we need an emergency response.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Madam Deputy Speaker, I take the opportunity to extend my thanks and best wishes to a number of staff retiring from the Northern Territory public sector with whom I have had contact over the years.
Mr Roy Albion retired from the Department of Health on 18 February 2011 after more than 31 years of service. Mr Albion commenced in the Pathology Department in 1980, where he specialised in clinical haematology after many years of multidisciplinary work in the clinical laboratory. He developed in-depth knowledge of the primary haematology analyser, often minimising equipment downtime by performing repairs and maintenance. Given the inherent delays associated with service technicians travelling to Darwin, this skill proved invaluable in service maintenance. His expertise in malaria diagnosis and speciation is also very well known. His skill and dedication has been pivotal to the Pathology Department during significant events such as the East Timor evacuation medical screening, including the Bali bombing and Ashmore Reef tragedies. I thank Roy for his significant contribution to the department and wish him every happiness in commencing his well deserved retirement.
Mrs Paulene Kittler retired from the Department of Health on 2 February 2011. Mrs Kittler was instrumental in the development of Hospital in the Home services, which commenced as a pilot under the name of Post Acute Care. Paulene was the only nurse when this commenced and has continued in her role as Clinical Nurse Manager since late 1996, where she has been responsible for significant changes, both from a service delivery and policy and procedural prospective. As such, Paulene is considered a clinical expert by both medical and nursing staff and has been revered for her clinical education in this field. Mrs Kittler has been an integral part of the Hospital in the Home service. I thank Mrs Kittler for her significant contribution to the department. I wish Paulene every happiness in her retirement.
I also take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks and best wishes to Michele Castagna who officially retired from the Department of Health on 11 February after 29 years of service. Michele was born and bred in Alice Springs and, in 1983, set up the Disabled Persons Bureau for the Health Department as a direct outcome of the 1981 International Year of Disabled People. Her commitment, achievements and passion for the disability industry is widely known and acknowledged, not only in Alice Springs and throughout the Territory, but Australia wide. Michele’s services to disability were recognised in the 1980s with the awarding of an Order of Australia Medal.
Most recently, Michele was the Coordinator of the Office of Disability and Disability Liaison in Alice Springs. Passionate about the rights of people with a disability, Michele also had a special interest in Aboriginal people and migrants, and spoke out strongly in support of their rights. Once asked by a colleague what her disability was, she replied: ‘I don’t have one’. May her retirement be happy and healthy.
On a very sad note, I pay tribute to a wonderful Territorian, Mr Jack Haritos, who recently passed away. Jack was a very well-respected and loved Territorian. He will be dearly missed by wife, Helen, son Tony, daughter Diana, and their families, together with the many extended family members and friends.
Jack was born in Darwin in 1928 and attended St Mary’s Primary School until the early 1940s, when he was evacuated to northern New South Wales and Queensland when the war broke out. He later returned to Darwin where he bought a work boat which serviced Qantas water planes on their way to and from London. At the same time, he played AFL for Wanderers and later Waratahs.
He met his wife, Helen, whilst on holidays in Brisbane and they went on to have three children, Anthony, Paul and Diana. Sadly, Paul died from a fatal box jellyfish sting at Foster’s Beach across Darwin Harbour when he was six-years-old. Jack and Helen lived at Larrakeyah Terrace, the site of the old hospital, where Jack was born. Jack went on in 1973 to finally become an AASA accountant after many years of part-time study. Jack continued to be involved with NTFL and in 1980 was honoured for his service with life membership.
I first met Jack at the Greek Glenti in 1993, and we remained friends from then. Jack was a true believer in the Labor Party of the Territory. When times were tough, Jack never lost sight of what he passionately believed in. In 2002, Jack was honoured with life membership of the Australian Labor Party.
My heartfelt condolences go to Helen, Tony and Diana, their families and their friends.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Deputy Speaker, there has been much spoken and laughed about over a certain sea eagle. It all began when I offered to pay for the freight of a sea eagle from Taronga Zoo in Sydney to the Territory Wildlife Park. From that unimportant offer came much discussion, media comment and laughter in this parliament.
The Territory Wildlife Park does not have a sea eagle; a bird which was once the centrepiece of the raptor section of the park, and this was an opportunity to return the species to the park. Then it all seemed to go haywire. The park said freight would cost $1000, even though I was originally told $200. Then Parks said the bird was from the wrong provenance, and then, through the minister, parliament was told the bird was neurotic and blind. It did have some nerve damage from possible chemical poisoning when it was young which affected its stability when flying over houses and the cliffs at Manly, but it was okay flying over open ground. It definitely was not blind. Where the minister got that story is still a mystery. As it is now part of Territory folklore it is difficult to change and, as you know, the media always likes a good yarn.
Then the park said a bird from a place like Sydney could bring in disease. In the end, it all became too hard. The park said it would obtain one locally in 2011 and, except for the odd mention in the local newspaper before Christmas, all was quiet on the sea eagle front and the sea eagle at Taronga Zoo stayed at home.
That was not quite the end of the story. On 25 October last year, some fishermen found a young bird wandering along a road out bush. They took it to the Larrimah hotel which is owned by Barry Sharpe and Ann Kanters. Ann has a permit to keep wildlife. Everyone thought the eagle was a wedge-tailed eagle. Barry contacted Territory Wildlife Park and asked if they were interested in the bird but was told they did not need more eagles; presumably they had plenty.
On 10 November, Barry rang a lady at Wildcare who said she would look after it. To get the bird to the Wildcare lady who lives at Darwin River, Barry packed the bird in a cage and headed north along the Stuart Highway. This was on 11 November - he did not make it. As he approached the airport turn-off at Katherine, he was stopped by two police cars and two Parks and Wildlife Katherine staff, who somehow knew he was coming. His car was searched, even under the bonnet, by the Parks and Wildlife people. They took the eagle in the cage only to find they could not fit it into their car so Barry offered to take it to Parks Katherine headquarters, which they accepted.
Two days later Barry rang the lady at Wildcare and was told she had received the eagle, presumably from Parks and Wildlife. As the weeks went by it became apparent the eagle was a white-bellied sea-eagle. It takes some time for a young sea eagle to develop the distinctive white plumage. When Parks found out they became interested in obtaining the bird and it is now being trained for the raptor section at Territory Wildlife Park.
For the record, the bird neither has a neurological problem nor is it blind; however, some questions need to be asked of the Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage.
How did the department know Barry Sharpe would travel on the Stuart Highway on a certain day at a certain time? Was Barry’s phone tapped? Were satellite CCTV cameras secretly installed at Larrimah? Were the fishermen undercover cops and the eagle used to entrap Barry? Did the eagle have a listening device inserted under its feathers? Who knows? Why did the department take the eagle from Barry when they knew his partner had a wildlife permit? Why were police involved? How long did they wait by the side of the road? How many police officers were involved and what was the cost to the taxpayer for this high-powered, serious crime road block?
Will the government apologise to Barry for the statement in the NT News which made out he had done something illegal? Why did the department want Barry to travel all the way to Katherine on another day to make a statement - something he refused to do on advice from his lawyer. Lastly, could the minister please explain where the new sea-eagle was found and why it has been accepted at the Territory Wildlife Park if it has come from another provenance?
Yes, Madam Deputy Speaker, the sea-eagle may have landed but the story lives on. There may be a twist in the ending or some last minute egg on the face.
Mr HENDERSON (Wanguri): Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I extend my condolences to the friends and family of Corporal Richard Atkinson and Sapper Jamie Larcombe, both Darwin-based soldiers killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan in the last few weeks. It has been a very, very sad time.
Corporal Atkinson was 22-years old and Sapper Larcombe just 21. Both young men were part of Darwin based 1st Combat Engineer Regiment and had made Darwin their home. We all know the Defence personnel stationed in Darwin are a much-loved and respected part of our community. We adopt them as our own. We grieve as a community when one of our own is tragically lost while serving and protecting this great country, and our hearts go out to family and friends during this very tough time.
I cannot imagine the grief and pain the families of Richard and Jamie are feeling at this moment. Such young men with such bright futures killed whilst serving their country. Their contributions towards the safety of all Australians, as well as those of the countries in which they served, should never be forgotten. Seeing Gus McLachlan on the television last night talking so bravely about the loss of Sapper Larcombe was very touching. I believe the quote from Gus was: ‘Our army is built on the shoulders of these great young Australians and it has been a tragic time’. My thoughts and prayers and those of all Territorians are with Corporal Atkinson’s fiance Dannielle, his parents, Ross and Kate, brother, James and sister-in-law, Sumah and with Sapper Larkin’s partner, Rhiannon, his parents, Tricia and Steven, and his three sisters, Anne-Marie, Emily and April. Lest we forget.
I also pay tribute to a great friend of mine, a man best described as one of Darwin’s living treasures, Kyriacos (Jack) Haritos. Jack died recently of a suspected heart attack; he was 82 years of age. Over more than 80 years Jack was a witness to, and participant in, the growth and history of Darwin. Given his birthplace was renamed Darwin from Palmerston only in 1911, Jack was around for more than 80% of the history of this city we call home.
What an extraordinary life he had surviving two major cyclones in 1937 and 1974, witnessing the first plane to land at the airstrip - now Ross Smith Avenue - in 1934, and with his brothers Michael and George, was one of the pioneers of the shipping industry in Darwin. He played footy for both Wanderers and Waratahs, was involved in the export of barramundi to the Olympic Games in 1956, helped in the reconstruction of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy and still found time to marry his wonderful wife, Helen, and have three children.
Jack was a man for all seasons; however, a city is far more than bricks and mortar, bitumen and buildings. Darwin, in particular, is about the people who make it a real community, the people who grow up with the city, the people who give things back to their fellow citizens. In this, Jack really was a man of the people. I wonder if as a kid going to St Joseph’s School in Cavenagh Street he ever imagined what shape Darwin would take, and what role his family would play in its development.
From the time I arrived in Darwin and worked for a time on the waterfront, the Haritos family name was synonymous with that of the city, and from my first involvement with the Australian Labor Party the name of Jack and Helen Haritos was synonymous with the special qualities that makes the Darwin community what it is and what it can be.
I cannot count the number of times I saw Jack at Labor Party functions over the years; always a quiet, good humoured determination to build a better place through the policies of the Labor Party. What determination that involved. Jack handed out how-to-vote cards through 27 years of opposition. Somehow his award of life membership to the party in 2002 seems barely adequate to cover that dedication and commitment.
Jack was also a dedicated football administrator and for many years was honorary treasurer of the Northern Territory Football League. As a friend recently noted, honorary really means you do not get paid.
Jack Haritos was a sincere man, a man of great compassion always willing to listen and lend a hand. Jack was one of those fine people - no matter who you met in whatever walk of life in Darwin, anyone around for a significant amount of time in Darwin would have know Jack and Helen Haritos and the Haritos family. I believe Jack would never cross swords with anyone. He was always up for a debate and a point of view, but would always listen attentively to someone’s point of view and agree or disagree with it. He would not cross swords with anyone or be enemies with anyone.
He was such a wonderful man and had been married to Helen, his lovely wife, for nearly 59 years - an extraordinary amount of time. My heart goes out to Helen, his children, Tony and Diana, and their families. Every time I saw Jack, whether it was party functions, in the community, at the footy - even towards the end he still went to the footy at Marrara, sat in the grandstand with Helen - they seemed inseparable. It seemed whenever you saw Jack, Helen was with him - 59 years of married life. When I caught up with Helen, as soon as I heard about the death of Jack, and gave her a big hug, I said: ‘I know there will be plenty of tears but you have over 59 years of glorious and happy memories. They are very special times that can never be taken away’. Jack, we are all going to miss you, your smile, your good humour and your infectious enthusiasm for life.
Jack led a heck of a life. He packed an enormous amount into his 82 years and was around for more than 80% of the history of Darwin. He was one of the true founding fathers of modern Darwin, and will be significantly missed by thousands of people. He was one of the true believers in the Labor Party. Through thick and thin he a true believer and one of his happiest and proudest days was when Labor was elected in 2001.
To Helen, Tony, Diana and families, we will also miss Jack greatly, but let us remember the great contribution he made and the laughs we had with him. Vale, Jack Haritos.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I pay tribute to the passing of a true blood Territorian, Mark Hedley Davies, who passed away on 10 January 2011. Whilst the sporting community was aware of his passing, sadly, it was not picked up by many within the government; however, I would like to place on the record the Country Liberals’ condolences to Mark’s family and loved ones.
Mark was born on 30 June 1960 in Darwin and was raised by his adoptive parents, Pam and Hedley Davies. His formative years were spent at Maningrida, Rapid Creek, Nightcliff and Darwin primary schools, one year at Charters Towers boarding school - which he hated, as many Territory children did with boarding schools - and three years at Darwin High School.
In January 1974, the Davies family relocated to a large block at Virginia. Despite his limited vision, Mark managed to get a driver’s licence. How he passed the eye test no one knows. He bought a Torana and had a job with the Darwin City Council as a courier. Given his sight issues, Mark had several motor vehicle accidents, including some in the council vehicle. Fortunately, and miraculously, all were minor collisions and no one was hurt, including himself. Wisely, Darwin City Council offered Mark an office position and purchased a talking typewriter for him to undertake his duties. At age 21, Mark had an eye test with a visiting locum from Alice Springs who identified a rare eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa. Five years later, Mark learnt from his biological family his condition was hereditary and would result in blindness. Needless to say, and as reported in an early NT News article, this caused Mark to be exceptionally angry, obnoxious and unhappy for many years, as can be understood. He could not accept he would lose his sight.
While conducting a Coaching Athletes with Disabilities program in Alice Springs in 1995, Mark met Alison Richards. Upon returning to Darwin they stayed in regular telephone contact. They had a mutual respect and admiration for each other which led to Ally moving in with Mark the following year. After Mark retired from the NT Institute of Sport in 2001, he and Ally built a cottage on their 26-acre block in Virginia and he established magnificent gardens around his new home while Ally went to work. Even with sight issues he built rockeries, paths, water features and garden beds and maintained them meticulously. Due to Ally’s work commitments and the increased pressure to assist Mark with the maintenance of the garden - although they both loved living in the rural area - they purchased an apartment at Hastings over Mindil. After being engaged for 13 years, in Mark’s words: ‘On 26 June 2010, the proudest day of my life, I married one of the world’s most beautiful caring, gracious and gorgeous ladies’. Mark was devoted to Ally and worshipped the ground she walked on.
Ally, sadly, passed away early this year and Mark was devastated. According to Mark, Ally had brought him the best years of his life. With her he was always proud and never felt inferior or ashamed of his ‘disability’ as he called it. She enabled him to walk six feet tall all of the time.
NT Blind Sport commenced in the Northern Territory in 1982. At 21, Mark Davies was the first vision-impaired athlete to represent the Territory at the 4th Australian Blind Championships in Brisbane in 1983, winning five gold medals from six events. He was working as a gardener at Mindil Beach casino at the time. Such was Mark’s success at his first outing, the Queensland Sporting Wheelies were so impressed they poached him with the promise he would receive more experience coaching there. At the 1984 World Disability Games in New York, Mark won two gold medals, one in the 100 m, and a world record in the pentathlon.
Whilst the move to Queensland paid off handsomely for Mark, other Territory vision impaired athletes followed in Mark’s footsteps at home with equally outstanding success. Mark soon worked out we had some idea of what we were doing and returned to Darwin in 1986 to rejoin the NT team. The NT Blind Sports team, of which Mark was the senior member, won the Northern Territory Sports Awards Team of the Year in 1987, 1988 and 1990. The team’s success was undeniable. For example, at the FESPIC Games held in Japan in 1989, Mark, Sam Rickard and Phillip Devereaux won seven gold medals between them, whilst the other 13 Australian competitors won seven. It is not too hard to work out the maths. Mark also coached the team. He was both NT coach and a competitor for the 1988 Australian Blind Championships in Perth, where he, Phillip, and Sam won 17 medals in all, 13 of them gold. All three qualified for the 1988 Paralympic Games in Seoul. This was also the year Mark was recognised as one of the top 200 Territorians with a commemorative tile placed along the Esplanade which reads: Mark Davies - Paralympian.
In 1988, Mark joined the Department of Health and Community Services as a sports project officer and became the first qualified vision-impaired athletics coach in Australia. This gave Mark an important platform to assist with the local ongoing campaign for equal funding for elite disabled athletes and elite able-bodied athletes. Mark saw himself as an elite athlete; being blind was just an inconvenience. Through his project work, Mark helped ensure when the NT Institute of Sport was formed and grants to assist elite Territory athletes in their training and travel were dispensed, he and his team-mates were not forgotten or undervalued. The Northern Territory government was the first Australian state or territory government to give equal funding to Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The NT Sports Awards Committee was the first to award the Sports Person of the Year to a disabled athlete, Phillip Devereaux, followed in later years by Judith Green and, of course, the three team awards also. Since that time, other Australian states have followed suit.
Mark, and his B2 classification, was the best all-rounder this country has produced. This is easily substantiated when you realise six Australian Oceanic records still belong to him 10 years after his retirement from track and field. He holds the current record for the 100 m, long jump, triple jump, discus and pentathlon today. At one time he even held the Northern Territory record for discus, set at the 1992 Paralympic Games, with a distance of 37.1 m. From the beginning, Mark had his sights set on being number one in the world in his class, representing Australia in five Paralympic Games, two Paralympic gold medals, and a past world record holder in the pentathlon. Mark achieved his goal and a goal for all Territorians.
The Australian Paralympic Committee CEO, Jason Hellwig, remembered Mark this week as a great contributor to the Australian Paralympic movement and his sport at all levels. He said: ‘Mark worked hard as an administrator and trained even harder as an athlete. Every day Mark would be clear on the sessions he had to get done before and after work, and every day he would organise himself and the things around him to make sure they got done. All this happened at the same time he was progressively losing his sight’. Jason said Mark was, in many ways, a genuine pioneer of the Australian Paralympic movement, dedicating himself to an elite level of training and preparation while based in Darwin prior to the establishment of the Northern Territory Institute of Sport.
Yes, the Northern Territory has produced other great Paralympians - Phil Devereaux, Sam Rickard, Hamish McDonald, Judith Green, Melissa Dunn, Nadia Romeo, Bill Medley and Melanie Hall; however, Mark Davies will always be the first Territory Paralympian and gold medallist. He paved the way for others to follow. He showed others the dedication he had and showed them all things were possible, even with an impairment.
Madam Speaker, I pay tribute to Mark for his achievements in life and extend our sympathies to his family and loved ones on the passing of a great Territorian.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Speaker, I pay my respects to contributions made to the Territory by Vic Czernezkyj. Vic died in Adelaide on Christmas Eve after a short and torrid battle with cancer. He was a man of many parts. I will quote from the eulogy provided by his young brother, Ron, at a memorial service held at the Freemasons in Fannie Bay a short time ago:
That is when he first entered the life of my family - he taught my brother. He was a very good mathematics mentor and was a very dear friend of my mother’s.
I attended his retirement function and it was incredible to see the number of people across the senior levels of education who turned out to recognise his exemplary career.
That was an excerpt from the eulogy given by his brother, Ron. I give my heartfelt, deepest sympathy to Vicki. She is a beautiful woman and has lost her lifelong partner, husband and best friend.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, on Tuesday last week the Chief Minister moved a condolence motion in this House extending our deepest sympathies to the victims, their families, and the communities affected by the horrendous floods experienced in southeast Queensland, and those affected by Tropical Cyclone Yasi which caused so much devastation in north Queensland.
I would like to add to that this evening by speaking about my personal experience, and the response of the people of Katherine and across the Territory to assist those devastated by these natural disasters - Mother Nature can be so cruel. In doing so, I acknowledge a number of people and organisations which played an enormous role in providing that response. I did not speak on the motion last week because I was happy to let other members convey the feelings of this House - feelings to which I wholly subscribe and support. In saying that, I add my condolences to those who have lost loved ones and express my profound sympathies to those who have suffered loss of property and, in many cases, their livelihood.
The Chief Minister mentioned we would all know someone affected by these disasters - he is quite right. My son, Nicholas, lives in the Brisbane suburb of Fairfield - he used to live there. His house was flooded as the Brisbane River broke its banks. He was fortunate as he managed to get most of his belongings out of his two-storey house as he watched the water rising towards the floor. He moved to higher ground to a neighbour who lived 100 m up the street. They were neighbours Nick did not know yet they allowed him, and others, to occupy a place on their floor. He was also able to store his belongings there for some days before he could return for them. I do not know those people but they typify the response by people to help their fellow Australians in times of difficulty and disaster. In the same vein, it is a typical response from across the country.
Tonight, I mention the response from the people of my electorate in Katherine. Both the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister last week referred to the Katherine floods of 1998. I was not in Katherine in 1998; however, was affected by the 2006 flood - a small touch of that experienced in 1998. I am sure many victims of Katherine’s major flood felt more than a touch of poignancy as the events of southeast Queensland unfolded. They responded in kind. As the local member I knew the people of Katherine would want to respond and knew they would need a conduit to channel their generosity. I saw the need so I picked up the phone. Four phone calls later I had organised a central collection point in Katherine, freight from Katherine to Darwin, and freight from Darwin to southeast Queensland – all at no charge.
I only made a few calls - nothing really. The credit goes to those who responded with the word ‘yes’. Not one person said ‘no. If I said: ‘I need some freight to southeast Queensland’ the response was: ‘How much can I give you?’ If I said: ‘I need to get some pallets to Darwin’ the response was: ‘Tell me what you need’. From there it was like a snowball rolling down a hill. We had donations of almost everything you can name – clothing, furniture, toothpaste and manchester. The response was outstanding. In the end around 14 pallets were sent from Katherine to the flood affected areas of Grantham and the Lockyer Valley. The wish of the people of Katherine was to send those items to the areas most devastated by the floods in southeast Queensland.
I pay tribute to a number of organisations and individuals who played an enormous part in the relief effort from Katherine. Louise Bilato from the Australian Trucking Association provided the right contact in the trucking industry. My thanks to Dale Goldsworthy from Northline Freight, who provided almost unlimited road freight from Darwin to Brisbane. I said to him: ‘Dale, I need to get some freight to Brisbane or southeast Queensland, how can you help me?’ He said: ‘We will start with one container and if you need more we will go from there’. The response was outstanding.
I thank Marios Andreou from Australian Air Express, who provided air freight for five pallets of urgent items from Darwin to Brisbane. I have no idea of the cost of flying five pallets from Darwin to Brisbane; however, it was no mean feat; no average spend, and no average effort. Thank you very much, Marios.
I thank the Katherine YMCA, particularly Lisa Elliott and her staff, for allowing the YMCA to become the central collection point in Katherine. I know it was an inconvenience having tonnes of freight all over the place, but it was all done with a smile. My thanks also to the lady from the Anglican Church in Katherine who helped sort all the clothing and other items donated, including making up care packs containing essential toiletry and cleaning items so urgently needed in the early days.
Thanks also, sincerely, to Steve at the Allied Pickfords depot in Katherine. Steve provided me with as many packing boxes as I needed and everything that went with it. Every time I went to pick up more boxes he would say: ‘Come back when you need more’.
There are too many individuals to name in recounting the numerous volunteers who assisted with sorting and packing duties - I would be in danger of missing someone if I went through them individually. Suffice to say there was no shortage of people through the doors of the YMCA. I should also mention the gargantuan efforts of the broader Red Cross community for the part they played in the volunteer effort. Katherine Red Cross volunteers also went to southeast Queensland. Well done, Jane Goodings in particular, for coordinating that effort in Katherine.
I acknowledge and thank the federal member for Solomon, Natasha Griggs, who personally assisted in bringing this operation together, and her office and staff for coordinating the logistics at the Darwin end.
Last, I thank the federal member for Wright, Scott Buchholz. The electorate of Wright covers the greater area of the Lockyer Valley which saw so much devastation from flash flooding and the walls of water going through those communities where people suffered loss of life and so much tragedy. Scott led from the front in his own patch, as you would expect, ensuring the relief effort was properly and appropriately applied to the area, and the right things got to the right people at the right time.
The response from Katherine, and the broader Northern Territory community, has been outstanding and I thank people sincerely. There was more than just a touch of poignancy for the people of Katherine as they saw this disaster unfold in southeast Queensland, particularly after what occurred in Katherine in 1998. It is so typical of the people of Katherine to be as generous as they were. One of the things donated was a leather lounge - three seaters with two recliners. I would have been happy to have that in my home; it was a beautiful piece of furniture. Natasha Griggs had a car donated - a fairly late model Commodore - which she had to arrange transport for. Getting a car to southeast Queensland is a mammoth effort. All in all, the response was incredible.
Finally, I call upon insurance companies to do the right thing by their clients in both southeast Queensland and north Queensland. I understand there are already disputes over claims - victims of the flooding have suffered enough.
Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I speak about the 69th Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin commemorated last Saturday. 19 February 1942 remains the day of the largest attack on Australia by a foreign power.
I refer to a document found at culture.gov.au which gives a detailed explanation of what occurred that day - a significant day in the history of Australia. On 19 February 1942, 188 Japanese planes were launched against Darwin. The harbour at that stage was full of allied shipping. Several days previously, at least 27 allied ships were in the harbour and about 30 aircrafts. On the day of the bombing even more allied ships were there - around 46 ships; however, we had lost some of our air cover for that day.
One of the difficulties during the raid was ships found it difficult to manoeuvre in the harbour as there were so many and, as it was a surprise attack, there was no pre-warning. We heard from one of the speakers at the ceremony who was here during the bombing that they thought the planes were American and it was not until the bombs started to drop they realised they were in trouble. The first Japanese attack was by the same task force that bombed Pearl Harbour in December 1941. The same commander planned that attack and then sailed his aircraft carriers to the Timor Sea and executed the attack on Darwin.
The first attack, at two minutes to 10, was planned by the Japanese commander, executed by 188 planes and lasted approximately 40 minutes. The land targets included the post office, the telegraph office, the cable office and the postmaster’s residence, where 10 postal workers were killed. This House sits where the bombs fell, and there are some artefacts and some of the original stonework from the post office in the foyer outside the Parliamentary Library, which is attached to the main hall.
The second attack began an hour after the first ended. Heavy bombers attacked the Royal Australian Air Force base in Parap. That last about 25 minutes. Sadly, those two air raids killed at least 243 Australians and allies, and almost 400 were wounded. We lost 20 military aircraft, eight ships at anchor in the harbour were sunk, and most of the civil and military facilities in Darwin were destroyed.
This is a significant event in the history of Australia and something we should all remember. It was the first time such a huge attack had been executed on Australian soil. It does not appear to be ingrained in the Australian psyche as a significant day as are Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and Vietnam Veterans Day, yet it has a huge significance in the history of this country and should be a day of national significance. Senator Trish Crossin issued a media release recently calling upon the country to recognise the bombing of Darwin as a national day of significance. Her reasons are similar to those I have highlighted to the House.
It is one of the most important events in our national history yet only Darwin honours it. I can understand people in Victoria, who have no idea of the significance and what happened in those first two raids, and the subsequent 62 raids on Darwin and the 33 raids on other targets in Northern Australia - over 70 people were killed in raids as far down as Broome. I remember as a school student it was not something I knew about. It was not until I read a book titled Darwin 1942: Australia’s Darkest Hour that I had any idea what had occurred in the north of Australia. I read that book prior to moving to Darwin and one of the first things I did when I arrived was to find somewhere to learn more of the history of this nation at war.
I agree with Senator Crossin: we should work towards making this a significant day in the history of Australia. Volunteers at the Darwin Military Museum keep this history alive and work tirelessly to gather information, artifacts and present it well. I encourage anyone who has not visited the Darwin Military Museum to see what this great group of people have put together. It was started in the 1960s by members of the Australian Artillery Association and to this day remains a significant military display in the northern part of Australia. It was Darwin’s first museum. I urge members of this House to encourage those who have the ability to make this a day of significance to do so.
Due to the damage done by Cyclone Carlos and the inclement weather, Darwin City Council Chief Executive Officer, Brendan Dowd, and his staff did a fabulous job in moving the event from the Cenotaph to the Darwin Entertainment Centre. It was sad to see some of the beautiful trees around the Cenotaph damaged by the cyclone. Many in the vicinity of the Cenotaph have been lost. On Anzac Day, and other times we go there to commemorate, those shady trees will be missed.
The ceremony held at the Darwin Entertainment Centre was fantastic. There was almost a full house, and it was attended by Dr Masahiro Kohara, the Consul-General of Japan. He has a great interest and recently presented the museum with the notes, photographs and records of a Japanese businessman who was a salvage engineer - I cannot remember his name – in the 1960s salvaging wrecks from the harbour who kept a detailed record. This is now in the possession of the Territory so we can present that information and fill in the gaps of what happened.
I was also privileged to hear the guest speaker, Mr John Murray, recount his time in Darwin during the war. He was one of a number of people present during the bombing of Darwin who returned to see the city and to be here on the day. His recollection of the events of the bombing of Darwin and his time in the army was an excellent presentation and came from the heart. It was not polished; he was simply an old Digger recounting how the events affected him, his mates, his life, and his memories of the mates who did not return and are buried at the Adelaide River War Cemetery. After the event I was privileged to hear some of his personal stories. It was an event, and I ask members to help have this turned into a day of national significance.
Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I want to speak about a truly wonderful person in my electorate, Apolonia Craufurd, better known to most as Apple, who grew up and went to school in the southern Philippines. She was further educated at the University of Manila, where she studied Philosophy and Theology. Apple majored in English and Literary Criticism. Apple’s education was also expanded as she studied and learnt to read and write in Spanish. Her commitment to her faith led her to the Catholic Convent, where she was trained by the nuns from age 16 to 25. Later, she left the Dominican Order and joined a finance company where she became head of the Treasury department.
During this work period, Apple met with many overseas investors and business people visiting Manila, and met her future husband, Lindsay Craufurd. The couple were married in Darwin on 20 November 1980, and commenced wedded bliss at their home in The Narrows in the Fong Lim electorate. Lindsay had a background in construction and transport, and this led to the formation of a small transport company specialising in taxi and courier services. Apple became head of the business. She managed the accounts and, as a spouse at home, led the daily domestic chores with great enthusiasm. In 1981, the birth of their daughter, Joy, was also celebrated. Apple also commenced her garden with a great love for tropical plants. Over time, she created one of the best and well loved gardens in Darwin.
Apple also assisted the Filipino-Australia Association of the Northern Territory and immediately became an officer in that organisation. However, sadly, in 1992, Lindsay became sick and was bedridden. He passed away in 1995. The two businesses were managed until sold later in 1999. Apple has also been through an enormous fight with breast cancer and has maintained a hectic pace of community activity. From the year 2000, she decided to travel again. One pilgrimage was her trip to Lake Argyle. She felt here her late husband’s aura, as Lindsay had worked in the construction of the dam at this wonderful Australian icon. Apple has also been on the executive committee and Vice President of the Filipino-Australia Association between 1986 and 2008.
Apple has raised huge amounts of money over the years for the Northern Territory Cancer Council by opening her fabulous garden to visitors. It has been my great privilege to talk about Apolonia Craufurd. She has contributed in so many different ways to our community. She is a very important member of the Darwin Chorale, St Mary’s Choir and the Cancer Council. She is also a fantastic constituent in my electorate, and anyone who knows her knows she greets you with a smile and warmth of heart unmatched by most people. What more can I say but thank Apolonia for her wonderful contribution to our community in the Northern Territory.
I also rise to inform the House about the Savannah Guides. Savannah Guides Limited was established as a not-for-profit organisation in 1988 by the Gulf Local Authorities Development Association in Queensland. The purpose of the organisation was to provide access for tourists to unique natural features on private, leased or public property, and in a manner which protects the region’s assets. Members were initially drawn from local communities within the Gulf savannah, but the network has since expanded to encompass the tropical savannahs of Northern Australia between Cairns and Broome. Savannah Guides continues to contribute to the development of regional tourism, generating employment opportunities whilst conserving our natural and cultural heritage.
Savannah Guides works with many of Australia’s leading tourism, environmental and community organisations to pursue its mission of being an economically sound, community-based professional body which maintains high standards of interpretation and public education, training and guiding leadership and natural and cultural resource management.
Savannah Guides Limited is recognised nationally and internationally as a leader in the promotion of ecologically sustainable tourism products, enhancing regional lifestyles, and the protection and conservation of natural and cultural resources of the tropical savannahs from Cairns to Broome. Enterprises and individual members must meet very high standards of operation and abide by professional codes of conduct. These guides are highly trained by industry and lauded by our visitors. Two training and development schools are conducted each year at varying locations across the savannahs. They may feature experts in related fields, including ecology, land management and tourism. In October last year, the school was held in the Tablelands near Cairns with a birding tourism theme. This year, the March school will be held in Darwin with a new product, a showcase theme.
Recently, board elections were held and a new president, our very own Ben Humphries from Darwin, was elected. This is an extraordinarily good result for Darwin and the Northern Territory. Ben is well known and works with Charles Darwin University delivering VET tourism training to industry and remote communities. His skill and enthusiasm promote a positive future for Savannah Guides and tourism in the Northern Territory. Ben has extensive experience as a professional guide all over Australia, winning the Northern Territory Tourism Brolga Award for Outstanding Interpretative Guiding in 2007.
Ben and his executive team are looking forward to a productive term ahead, continuing to develop opportunities for new and existing tourism operators and guides in northern Australia. Ben will continue to maintain and develop relationships with Indigenous operators, guides and communities in the region. This is a very exciting time for Savannah Guides in the Northern Territory as the organisation continues to strengthen its membership in Queensland, the Top End and Western Australia, with the new president in Darwin.
I encourage our Tourism minister to sit down with Ben and discuss what it is Savannah Guides do, and for the government to offer any form of assistance, financial or otherwise, they might need. It is my view, and I believe the view of many in the community, that this type of tourism opportunity will thrive in the Northern Territory and across northern Australia.
I thank Ben Humphries for his work and wish him all the best as the new president of Savannah Guides.
I say again how grateful I was this morning to be able to pay tribute to the great Maurice Rioli, and say how grateful I was to hear the Chief Minister in this recent debate refer to Jack Haritos. Whilst he was a strong and loving supporter of members on the other side and a big fan of the Labor Party, he was an extremely difficult person not to like. During every election I have been involved in, he always manned the spot at Ludmilla Primary School, very, very proud of his Labor Party. He was a fantastic community member who will be missed by all of us. I offer my sympathies to those members of the Labor Party who will miss Jack Haritos and the great Maurice Rioli.
Mr BOHLIN (Drysdale): Madam Deputy Speaker, I commend all people involved in last week’s cyclone and subsequent floods. It is never an easy task to sort through, deal with and organise all that occurs during and beyond a cyclone. It is important to ensure those involved in the front line who battle to protect the citizens of this Territory and help out during or after those events, are properly equipped. It is a very strong person who speaks out when they see something wrong with government, because this government is currently hell-bent on harassing, berating and bullying anyone who dares speak out and tell the truth. Power and Water, the police, the Emergency Services, the ambulance service, the hospitals, even the schools have all done a fantastic job. Let us hope not only can we learn from this, but we make changes to ensure appropriate things are done.
On a note of great concern to me are the earthquakes which happened in Christchurch, New Zealand today. My daughter lives in Auckland, New Zealand and, as any parent does when they hear of a disaster or occurrence happening where your loved ones are, you immediately panic. Knowing she is in Auckland we knew she would be safe; however, I made the phone call to check she was all right. My ex-wife and my daughter, Jasmine, have friends just outside Christchurch, Greg and Theresa Miller and their son - they are all right and I am glad to hear that. Unfortunately, as daylight will reveal tomorrow, many people have lost their lives in New Zealand. At the last report 65-plus people are confirmed deceased. It is a tragedy. The footage is compelling, realising it is a near neighbour is compelling, and the task ahead carrying out the search and rescue will be arduous, extremely dangerous and very long. I wish them all the best. New South Wales has already mobilised a search and rescue team to help. Well done to the government for its immediate action in sending some very highly skilled people over to help New Zealanders.
I hope, wherever possible, we pass on any service we can to New Zealand as quickly as possible. Without doubt, time is extremely critical and every hour counts. I hope any decisions are made quickly and we support New Zealanders, our friends, our combatants when it comes to the sporting field, and do everything we can to rescue survivors trapped beneath the magnitude of rubble. It has been quite shocking to see.
I have listened intently to the matter of public importance raised in this Chamber on crime in Alice Springs. It is, unfortunately, occurring throughout the Territory; however, is a Mt Everest peak in Alice Springs. In my time as Officer-in-Charge of Kintore Police Station I do not recall seeing that level of violence and intimidation in my many visits to Alice Springs. I have many friends in Alice Springs, and although we jest about who your real friends are, real friends are the ones who stand up and support you. Unfortunately, my friends tell me of their fear - being scared every day.
A friend posted on Facebook last Tuesday that her daughter had driven her granddaughter to school. On the way home from dropping off her five-year-old granddaughter, the daughter had a mad woman run in front of her car, swearing and abusing her, half de-robed with blood. The woman had been involved in a fight and was now attacking the car. She had taken her daughter to school, was driving back home and was attacked because she was on the road. She did exactly what I would expect – she got out of there. As she did, the woman punched her car. The police were advised but little effort was put into finding this person. There is such a level of violence and a magnitude of numbers it appears certain elements are not willing to take the extra step any more. This government has failed. This government acknowledged today there are problems; however, it is failing to take the measures needed.
The member for Greatorex outlined some of those measures today - they are simple. We have reactionary forces in the police force. Send down our task force. It is well-equipped at coordinating responses. If not only for its manpower, it is extremely well-equipped at managing and targeting these issues. Send a group of five, 10, 20 or more. You can find them, and as a government you should be reacting to the needs of the people you represent - if you do not you have failed.
This government reigns over failed policies and is unable to act or react. You have failed dismally in a response to support Alice Springs. Every police officer who goes on duty tonight will work extremely hard and will do their best. However, they know they are up against a battle they cannot win because they do not have the support of this government to do what is needed. Take the stance of zero tolerance, fix Alice Springs and make it safe for the people who live there.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, how much time do I have?
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Until 10:30 pm.
Mr ELFERINK: Is that a problem for you?
A member: I can do this tomorrow night.
Mr ELFERINK: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I raise an issue which is running very hot in my electorate dealing with the Cavenagh Street renewal project run by the Darwin City Council. Whilst it does not entirely reflect on the Northern Territory government, it does have a role to play in it at the peripheries. I doorknocked businesses in the Knuckey Street area where similar works were done in the not so distant past and one of the complaints from a street entirely boarded by parallel parking was the removal of even a handful of car parks had a negative effect on business.
The Darwin City Council is proposing a plan that, if rolled out in its entirety, would remove as many as 100 car parks in the Cavenagh Street precinct. This would have a direct and negative effect on businesses operating in the area. I have spoken to numerous businessmen, not least of whom was Mr Duncan Bell, who made his passions quite clear on television not so long ago, and also other businesses in the area. Whilst the level of passion changes from business to business, it is a universal ‘no’ in relation to rolling out this program without an alternative in place. I have been asked to lay on the table today 1650 signatures on a petition aimed at the Darwin City Council. I seek leave to table these documents.
Leave granted.
Mr ELFERINK: I am concerned there are 1650 signatures from people who use car parks in the CBD. I will not enter into the blame game or a debate about who is wrong and who is right. What I would like to see come from this is an approach where the car parks in the Darwin CBD are available for people to use.
It is a nasty fact of life that people in the Territory tend to be a little lazy when they go into town. It is not like other jurisdictions. People like to park in front of the shop they are about to go into. Weather is often the reason. Sometimes it is the convenience people are used to. However, these shops rely on being serviced by effective car parking in the area. If the council removes these car parks from the vicinity of the shopping district, it should first have an alternative in place. This will also have a wash-over effect into the mall because many people using the mall tend to park in the angle parking on Cavenagh Street. Whilst I appreciate the council would like to make greater use of the Chinatown car park, and the West Lane car park is full every day, I am keen to see another car park constructed conveniently close to the shops, particularly in Cavenagh Street, also conveniently close to the mall to service those shops.
Darwin is different from other capital cities because people travel through the CBD going somewhere else. In Darwin, unfortunately, you need a reason to travel into the city. If the council determines it is necessary to remove these car parks without creating an effective alternative reasonably close to shops, some businesses will suffer unnecessarily.
I have spoken to the mayor about this issue and asked him to take on board these concerns. He indicated he has done so. The consultation process is not yet complete as far as the council is concerned so I raise the issue tonight. It is relying on information given to it by the Northern Territory government through the public transport survey conducted last year, as well as other information provided by the Northern Territory government. I ask the Northern Territory government to keep a close watch on this because it is about businesses in the Northern Territory trying to make their way. We are talking about small business operators who have to deal with issues counterparts in other capital cities do not have to. I urge the government to keep a close eye on this, and urge the mayor to ensure the consultation process is properly followed.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
MOTION
Public Accounts Committee – Change of Membership
Public Accounts Committee – Change of Membership
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the member for Fong Lim be discharged from the Public Accounts Committee and the member for Katherine be appointed in his stead.
Motion agreed to.
STATEMENT BY SPEAKER
Death of Mr Maurice Joseph Andrew Rioli, Former Member for Arafura
Death of Mr Maurice Joseph Andrew Rioli, Former Member for Arafura
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, it is with regret that I advise of the death, on 25 December 2010, of Mr Maurice Joseph Andrew Rioli, former member for Arafura in the Legislative Assembly from November 1992 until August 2001.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I draw your attention to the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of family and friends of the late Mr Rioli. I particularly acknowledge Mr Sebastian Rioli and his wife, Cheryl, and Manny and Cyril Rioli Junior, brothers of Mr Maurice Rioli. In addition, Mr Alan Hudson, the CEO of the Tiwi Shire; the Mayor of the Tiwi Shire, Lynette de Santis; and the Director of Community Services at Milikapiti, Mr Lawrence Costa. There are also other family and friends, including Mr Rioli’s nieces, Gail and Sonia. On behalf of honourable members, I extend to you a very warm welcome.
Members: Hear, hear!
CONDOLENCE MOTION
Mr Maurice Joseph Andrew Rioli – Former Member for Arafura
Mr Maurice Joseph Andrew Rioli – Former Member for Arafura
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that this Assembly:
- (a) express its deep regret at the passing of Mr Maurice Joseph Andrew Rioli, an outstanding Territorian, a wonderfully talented sportsman, and a former member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly; and
(b) tender our profound sympathy to his family and friends.
As an iconic footballer, once retired he could have lived the life of a superstar in Melbourne; however, he decided to come home to the Tiwi Islands. He could have been on television screens commentating on games, part of footy panels, and part of the whole glamour circuit around Melbourne and made an enormous amount of money. He decided not to do that. He decided to go back to the Tiwi Islands and commit to his people, which was the enormous strength of the man.
Sadly, Maurice passed away on Christmas Day whilst spending time with his family in Darwin. I was shell-shocked when I heard the news. I spent Christmas Day with my extended family at home in Wanguri, and it was probably the only day of the year I had my phone turned off. Only if there was an enormous catastrophe could someone knock on my door, and I would not be answering phone calls. I did not receive a knock on the door. Later that evening, with other family members, we visited a friend’s at the bottom of my street and had a wonderful evening. Stacey, the kids and I came home around 11 pm on Christmas Day. It was when the first cyclone was due to hit North Queensland and I said to my wife: ‘I am going to watch Sky News to see what is happening with the cyclone in Queensland’. I turned on the television and there was the ticker tape across the bottom: ‘Maurice Rioli, football legend, has died’. I could not believe it; I was shocked. I had 27 messages on my mobile phone from all sorts of people. I immediately called Marion to see if it was true. It was an enormous shock because I had caught up with Maurice a few weeks earlier. It was a heck of a way to end Christmas with such sad news.
Maurice was born on 1 September 1957 at Garden Point on Melville Island. In 1964, the family moved to Darwin. He attended St Mary’s school with his younger brothers, Manny and Laurence. In 1968, Maurice went to St John’s College. It was there he developed his football and cricket skills. He was also a very handy Rugby League player and a boxer. He represented the Territory in Rugby League and Australian Rules.
He played for St Mary’s Footy Club in Darwin in the 1974-75 season, and was recruited to South Fremantle at the start of the 1975 season. He played in three WAFL grand finals between 1979 and 1982, including winning a premiership in 1980. Maurice won the Simpson Medal as the best player in the 1980 and 1981 grand finals. He moved to Richmond for the 1982 VFL season after playing 121 games for South Fremantle between 1975 and 1981. Maurice gained the reputation of being a great tackler, and a skilful and fair player. He won the Norm Smith Medal in a losing grand final side in 1983, the first Indigenous person to do so.
I have limited memories of Maurice playing football all those years ago; however, as the Minister for Central Australia reminded me, Maurice captained the Northern Territory side which played Essendon in Darwin at Gardens Oval on Australia Day 20 years ago. I remember watching that game; it was great that the Northern Territory won and Maurice captained the team that day.
On Boxing Day, I was explaining to my kids what a great footballer Maurice was, and googled Maurice Rioli to see what footage was on YouTube - not a great deal. We have recommended to Richmond Football Club and the AFL, through their archival and history records, they put together a tribute DVD of Maurice Rioli so we can show Territory kids and people what an amazing player Maurice Rioli was. I saw him play in the early 1980s in Darwin several times.
He also represented Australia in Gaelic Football against Ireland. That must have been a hoot. I am sure he did very well in those games. He won All Australian honours for a third time after the 1988 Bicentennial Carnival. In 1990, he finished playing in Perth after 166 games for South Fremantle. He played for Waratahs until 1991, and then coached them for two years. My memory is at that time Waratahs were really struggling; they were almost about to go under as a footy club. They approached Maurice to play with them and to coach them, which started a Waratahs’ revival and saved a very famous Darwin footy club.
In 1993, he was invited by the AFL to present the Norm Smith Medal at the grand final. We have all seen the footage of Maurice putting the Norm Smith Medal over the head of another Territory legend, Michael Long.
Maurice, who passed away at 53, was a true pioneer for Territory football. He was, in the modern era, the first Indigenous player to cut through in an enormous way. There is not one person in footy circles who is not full of admiration for Maurice Rioli. Maurice was a devoted family man and supported his family involvement with basketball, football and other sports.
Another person who admired Maurice as a sportsman and person was Tiwi Bombers coach, Karl Gundersen, who described Maurice as ‘a massive beacon and figurehead for the Tiwi Islands and Tiwi football in general’. The Tiwi Bombers want to win the premiership this year for several reasons. If they beat my team, St Mary’s, it is all well and good because they will have done it in large part for Maurice Rioli, and we would not begrudge them that.
Maurice was one of eight footballing brothers from the tiny community of Garden Point to play with the NTFL powerhouse St Mary’s. At 17, Maurice had already caught the eye of seasoned observers who had him high in the betting to win the league’s best and fairest award, the Nichols Medal. A two-time Simpson Medallist with South Fremantle, the brilliant left-footer was a three-time All Australian, member of the AFL’s Indigenous Team of the Century, and an inaugural inductee into the AFLNT’s Hall of Fame - and what a great night that was. I attended the first Hall of Fame night, and Maurice looked very distinguished with a new pair of glasses with frames which were right out there. They were very colourful and I asked Maurice: ‘What is it with the Dame Edna glasses, Maurice?’ I also ribbed Marion about Maurice’s trendy new glasses. He had a fantastic night and it was great to see him inducted into the AFLNT’s Hall of Fame. Maurice captained the Northern Territory side which won the Division 2 title at the 1988 Bicentennial Carnival, and was the inaugural coach of the Indigenous All Stars in 1994.
Maurice was elected as the member for Arafura in the Legislative Assembly for the Labor Party in 1992. In 1992 I was on the admin committee - I might have been vice president of the party - and we were so excited to have Maurice as our candidate. I remember the victory party in Darwin after he won the 1992 by-election. Maurice turned up later in the evening and there was such a buzz that the Labor Party had approached Maurice, Maurice had accepted, and had been elected. It was a fantastic night. Maurice made a huge contribution as member for Arafura for nearly 10 years.
In his first speech in this Chamber he described the electorate of Arafura as a cultural powerhouse of Australia, with 95% of the electorate being Indigenous. He held his seat until 2001 when he retired from parliament. I remember being sworn in after the 1999 election and taking my seat where Mr Conlan now sits. Right next to me was Maurice Rioli. I had to pinch myself that I had been elected - I did not think I would be – and come into the parliament and sat next to a real icon of the Territory, Maurice Rioli. It was a very proud time.
It takes time for a new member of parliament to understand how things work. I kept myself to myself and was quiet. Our Whip in those days was Syd Stirling, and there was always a panic when Maurice, who was shadow minister for a range of things, was due to speak. Where is Maurice; where is Maurice? Magically he would appear at the right time, well-prepared, deliver his contribution and disappear. People would say: ‘Where the heck’s Maurice?’ No one would know where he was; however, like the great footballer he was, he always appeared when his side needed him - always did great things. That is my memory of him in the Chamber - always reliable but nerve-racking when he stood to speak. He spoke from the heart and from his head, and although he was quiet and demure compared to some of the characters of the day who may be at full throttle, I did not see Maurice in that mode. When he spoke people listened because he always had something significant to say.
Maurice was honoured on 7 January with a State Funeral at St Mary’s Star of the Sea Cathedral. I was honoured to attend the ceremony on the Tiwi Islands, where several past and present members of the Territory Assembly were in attendance together with representatives from the Richmond Football Club and the AFLNT.
The service was led by Bishop Eugene Hurley, and I pay tribute to the Bishop – the service was magnificent. It was dignified yet personalised, and had a large Tiwi cultural involvement. There was so much grief and so many people wanting to celebrate the contribution Maurice had made. Bishop Hurley spoke eloquently about Maurice the person, Maurice the man, and the legacy he left. Bishop Hurley agreed to me using some of his speech for the Parliamentary Record. It was a fantastic speech and I quote from the eulogy by Bishop Hurley at the State Funeral:
- Occasionally in our lives we have the privilege of meeting some extraordinary person or witnessing some extraordinary talent. When we are privileged in this way we are both inspired by their personality and we are amazed at their talent and their giftedness. On even rarer occasions we meet a person who contributes all these elements, resulting in one outstanding and committed person. When we encounter such a person we are challenged to examine our own lives and to wonder about what the possibilities of life might be. We are inspired by such a person to dream, to hope and to believe that all things are possible. We are encouraged to believe that all things are possible. We are encouraged to believe in the possibilities of the future because we can see it in the person before us. We are challenged and encouraged to dream. Maurice Rioli was one such person. Maurice was a proud Tiwi man who demanded that we recognise the history, the beauty and the dignity of his culture. As a parliamentarian he blazed the way for others of his people to follow. May he rest in peace.
As short as Maurice’s life was, his legacy to his people, to all those Tiwi kids, is to dream anything is possible if you are prepared to work for it and dream. He leaves an enormous legacy to his people and all his friends around the Northern Territory, of which there are thousands. It was a sad day - people are still talking about it. It was disappointing the All Stars game with Richmond Football Club was called off because of the condition of the TIO oval. There were plans to turn that into a game to commemorate the contribution Maurice made to football, both in the Northern Territory and nationally. Our minister for Sport is working with the AFL to ensure there is another opportunity, perhaps when Richmond visits later this year to play the Western Bulldogs for premiership points. The footy world is still working to determine the ultimate recognition for Maurice, both locally and through the AFL.
People wanted some distance so significant AFL people could work through honorary statements and figurehead initiatives. I have contributed my thoughts to local football people; however, it is really for Territory football to decide which way to go. There will be significant announcements to commemorate Maurice and his contribution to footy in the Territory.
In conclusion, I say farewell Maurice Rioli. We were not great friends; however I always enjoyed Maurice’s company. Both sides of the Chamber will miss Maurice dropping in. If he was in town and sittings were on he would always drop in, say hello, share a laugh, some of his wisdom, and some footy analysis. We are going to miss that. Every time I travelled to the Tiwi Islands I would bump into Maurice - I am going to miss not seeing Maurice Rioli there.
My condolences to Maurice’s family - it was an enormous shock. My condolences to the people of the Tiwi Islands who have lost an amazing leader; a man who made an incredible contribution. To kids growing up on the Tiwi Islands, listen to Bishop Hurley’s words and be inspired by Maurice Rioli; be inspired to dream; be inspired to hope and believe all things are possible, because they are. If kids on the Tiwi Islands can live up to that hope and dream there is a bright future.
Mr MILLS (Opposition Leader): Madam Speaker, it is a sad time. I support this important condolence motion and offer my commiserations to the family. A hole is left by the early departure of Maurice Rioli.
Being raised in Western Australia, I have some insights into the significance of the life lived which we commemorate and consider today. In Western Australia in 1974 and 1975, and years on, he was a legend. He was awe-inspiring; he was in a league of his own. People spoke of Maurice Rioli. He was deeply loved. He has left a space in the football world which is hard to describe and we now recognise what we had. He was an inspiration, and it is difficult to describe the impact of a quiet man. The Chief Minister described the man who turned up to deliver his speech at the right time - as the football commentators would say, at the psychological moment. He is there and he performs magic.
Having been raised in Western Australia, and having the additional good fortune to have family members who played with Maurice, the level of admiration and respect is something I can only convey to honourable members who may have no experience with Australian Rules football, or not experienced a view of the Northern Territory through the life of this man from outside the Northern Territory. He was amazing on the football field – breathtaking. I was a Subiaco supporter but every eye would be drawn to this man when he played. Everyone would look at Maurice Rioli and be impressed.
People were not just drawn to look at this man - how did he do that? He was in a league of his own; he was awe-inspiring. He raised a new profile - the potential of the Northern Territory. He represented the Northern Territory. When you heard of Maurice Rioli there was always a reference to the Northern Territory. That was very significant and created in the football world the potential magic in the Northern Territory. It added to the legend, the possibility, and the mystique of the Territory. He carried that onto the football field.
The gift this man created was a space for others to dream - just as the Bishop described in his eulogy and the Chief Minister recounted in this condolence motion. He created a space. He inspired so many to think the thoughts and dream that it could be them. Others have come after him; however, he changed the landscape - make no mistake about that. From someone who was outside the Northern Territory at that time, he changed the landscape and made it possible for others to live that dream - so many of them. That is an awesome legacy.
The Chief Minister and I came into this Chamber on the same day. I became involved in politics and it was just like another job in some respects. I phoned my late father to let him know I was being sworn into parliament. Dad dropped everything to be here not so much to see me, to see the bloke sitting in the chair behind where I am standing. My father, along with many of his generation, loved Maurice. He would often ask me: ‘How is Maurice?’ I would say: ‘He is on the other side of the Chamber’.
Maurice was constant; he was a man who did not play politics as sometimes the ugliness of politics can be played. He was constant, he was friendly, he was good-natured, and we were able to communicate with each other plainly. He always asked about my family members whom he played with – we had that in common.
We also know he was humble. He carried this mantle of being a legend - and he was - with humility. He also carried his struggles with candour and a humility which was impressive. Not much has been said about this but Kevin Naughton has written an excellent article on the carriage of Maurice through a difficult period. In keeping with Maurice’s view and humility, he was completely honest. That is a powerful response to a challenge for all who carry difficulties – to be honest and allow hope to emerge. That profound humility is an important part of this story. In fact, some things were much greater than his personal prestige and ego.
Two telling themes come through from his first speech in parliament, one being health. The former member died at an early age. Maurice spoke of the health issues of his people. The ball has been passed to us to continue that. Do not allow those words just to stand on the page; we have to continue. Second, he spoke of real economic activity leading to real jobs. Once again, the ball has been passed to us. We need to run that because he is sitting in the grandstand watching to ensure the ball is still being played. There is real hope through real economic activity. The people - in this case his electorate and principally the Tiwis - have real economic activity which leads to a real job.
The level of respect for this man I can only recount to those who know some of these characters. Anyone who knows Mal Brown, a Western Australian lad who coached South Fremantle for a number of years whilst Maurice was there, played for Richmond, is still involved with the Richmond Football Club, a legend himself in a different way - you could not find two more different people, the persona of Mal Brown matched against Maurice. You might think the actions and words of Mal Brown on the football field would be deeply offensive. Many people have reacted to Mal Brown, who occupies his own space and says the most outrageous things. He was lambasted not so long ago for some disgraceful commentary, yet one person who supported him was Maurice. Maurice said he is not to be taken seriously; he does not really mean that. One quiet voice spoke out of respect for Mal Brown because he knew where he was coming from. Mal Brown was able to provide real support at an important point in Maurice’s life, and Maurice knew it was deeper and far more powerful, which conveyed to Maurice the level of respect he had as a man. It was a very special moment for Mal Brown to be able to make comment at the service. I spent time with Mal Brown afterwards and he told me of his great love, and the love of many, for Maurice.
Maurice made a contribution to the parliament. His record stands. However, the two themes which come from his first speech - health and economic activity - are the challenges we need to continue with. God bless you, Maurice, rest in peace and best wishes to the family.
Ms LAWRIE (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I join with the Chief Minister and members of parliament to give my deepest condolences to the family of Maurice Rioli, an extraordinary Territorian; an inspirational Territorian.
I remember seeing his footy career explode in Melbourne when he played for the Richmond Tigers. As a Territorian, it made me incredibly proud to see we had the best footballer of his time running and lighting up the football field wearing the Richmond Tigers colours. I was raised as a Nightcliff Tigers supporter, growing up opposite the football oval, understanding footy is not just a game, it is a way of living your life and a binding part of our community and our society. It was an incredibly proud experience, as a Territorian spending their latter teenage years in Darwin and then working in Melbourne, with Maurice at the height of his Richmond Tigers footy career.
He elevated the Territory to national status; he elevated the Territory to a place where people were galvanised and inspired by the talent of our Indigenous footballers. Maurice led the way; he cut through and transcended to a level never seen before.
He was an extraordinary man, and extraordinary men do not appear of their own account. I acknowledge the strength of Maurice’s family, his parents and his siblings. Extraordinary people are often nurtured by their environment and life experiences. You cannot go past the Rioli family of the Tiwi, the strength of the Tiwi culture, and the enduring effort to work for their community and maintain the strength and greatness of their society and culture, and to grow the opportunities for Tiwi people on the Tiwi Islands. It is no surprise that Maurice chose, after such a stellar career, to return home to continue the good work for the Tiwi on the Islands. Friends of mine who have played for South Fremantle, and Territorians who have settled in Perth, came home to attend Maurice’s funeral.
You cannot get away from the 118 games he played for Richmond - he exploded into the national football scene. He played from 1982 to 1987 and kicked some 80 goals. He won the club’s prestigious Jack Dyer Medal - the best and fairest award - in his first two years at Punt Road. He literally exploded onto the national football scene in 1982 and 1983.
He did the unimaginable; he won the Norm Smith Medal for being best on field in the Tiger’s grand final when they lost to Carlton, and was the first player to win a Norm Smith Medal in a losing side. He also finished runner-up in the 1983 Brownlow Medal. He was an exceptionally exciting player. His skill, finesse, ability to read the game, speed and agility were phenomenal. He was named as an All Australian in 1983, 1986 and 1988, and played in the centre in the Indigenous Team of the Century. His career as an Aussie Rules player is unparalleled for what he did to elevate and inspire Indigenous Territorians to pursue careers at the elite level of our great game, Australian Rules Football.
His commitment to his people and the Territory was also an enduring part of Maurice’s life work. As a member of parliament from 1992 to 2001, he worked tirelessly, quietly, and in a humble way to represent, to the fullest extent, the aspirations of the people of the electorate of Arafura, also understanding what it would take to bind people throughout the Territory. He was highly loved and regarded across the Territory and made a very strong and enduring mark as a member of the parliament, not only representing the people of Arafura, but representing the aspirations of many Indigenous Territorians across the Territory.
I feel privileged to have known Maurice. He was always giving of his time and very gently would provide information which gave an insight into the needs and aspirations of people. He had a fantastic sense of humour and a tremendous wit. Whatever complex issue was occurring, Maurice had an insightful way of penetrating the complexities of the issue to provide sensible and thought-through solutions. Not many people take the time to do that. His intellect was significant, and it was tempered by his incredible humility. Many people will rush through life; Maurice Rioli did not. He was thoughtful and would take the time to seek people out, talk them through issues, and propose solutions.
Maurice was very much a humble man of the people. I remember the experience of my then husband after we returned to the Territory. He was at Nightcliff oval playing cricket, and who was playing for the other side? The iconic legend Maurice Rioli. My husband was gobsmacked; he could not believe he was playing cricket at Nightcliff oval and there was Maurice Rioli. Maurice was just being Maurice, quietly cracking a few jokes, not really participating in the sledging cricket is so famous for. He showed tremendous skills on the cricket field as I sat with the kids watching him that day. I said to my husband: ‘Welcome to the Territory’, because our greats are part of the people; they do not stand apart from the people. That was Maurice. He loved and was passionate about his sports, which he excelled in.
Maurice always took the time to help people around him, which marked him as an extraordinary man. I am deeply sorry he passed away on Christmas Day; it will change that day forever for his family.
None of us expected to see Maurice pass so early in life. He was excelling in his work. From discussions I have had with my colleague, the member for Arafura, he was binding the people of Tiwi to meet the challenges they have, and also finding pathways forward for the people. His passing was far too soon, and such a tragedy for it to be on Christmas Day.
I acknowledge and thank Nuala Murphy, Maurice’s right-hand woman for the years he served in parliament, for her work and support.
Maurice was a tremendous Tiger man. Early in his career he was great with Saints, and late in his career enormously helpful to Waratahs. Above all he was a tremendous man, a great Tiwi man, and an amazing and extraordinary Territorian. He is, and will be, an inspiration to us all. We are beholden to work for our people. We should do so not above people but with and among our people, and take the time to consider the challenges and aspirations of our people, and care deeply for their wellbeing. Be prepared to nurture the young ones coming through, be prepared to think outside the square – Maurice was a great lateral and insightful thinker.
I am deeply sorry at his passing. My thoughts go to his family, his many friends, and the people of Tiwi. He will never be forgotten. He was such an extraordinary man, an extraordinary Territorian, who put us on the national map showing the skills and talents Territorians have. He did so through football but he continued as a community leader after his football career.
Thank you, Maurice Rioli, for being a friend and mentor to so many Territorians. Those of us who worked with Maurice will continue working tirelessly for the people of the Territory recognising he has left a legacy we must carry on. Vale, Maurice Rioli.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Speaker, I support this motion and extend my sympathies to the family. I extend my mother, Noel Padgham’s, sympathies to Maurice’s parents, Mr and Mrs Rioli, and to all the Rioli family. This is a sad day for the Territory; a sad day for Maurice’s family; a very sad day for the Tiwi people; the sporting community, and the community at large.
Maurice was a star in his sporting career. After talking with my brother, Peregrine, this stardom was worked on; it did not fall at his feet. When Maurice first went to play for South Fremantle his elder brother, Sebastian, was there and Maurice was in his shadow. Sebastian was a brilliant footballer whose career was cut short through injury. Maurice’s stardom came from hard work, dedication and commitment to the game. When my brother, Peregrine, was watching a football match in Perth with Billy Roe - we all know Billy Roe and his football talent - Billy commented that Maurice was going places - he could see it. He said he tackled hard and worked hard at the game. My eldest brother, a football person himself, believed Maurice’s stardom came from the hard work he did at South Fremantle Football Club. He had the raw talent and skills; however, it was the hard work, the sheer drive to excel at his game which took him to national and international levels in his sporting career.
He was a truly talented sportsperson – he not only played football, he played other sports at a very high level. It was from that solid grounding at South Fremantle that he was scooped up by Richmond. We have heard of his sporting achievements; he could have achieved much more. However, he wanted to come back to his home and his people.
I pass on my sympathies and condolences to Mr and Mrs Rioli and all family present, from me, my mother, Noel Padgham, my brother, Peregrine, and the rest of my family.
Ms McCARTHY (Local Government): Madam Speaker, I welcome family and friends of Maurice Rioli who are here, and those who are listening to this broadcast across the Northern Territory as we pay tribute to a remarkable person.
When we consider the life of someone, we always look at what they have done. In this case, we also reflect on the way Maurice left us. It is noteworthy to remember where we were on Christmas Day, a day where people around the country, and around the world, look at families. It is a day where the gift of giving is the primary goal. We look at what Maurice Rioli gave to his family and the people of the Northern Territory, and reflect on the importance of what was given to every person who can say something about this man - whether they knew him personally or watched him from afar.
Growing up in Borroloola in the Gulf of Carpentaria, I had the opportunity to know Maurice. I reflect on what he gave to my families in the Gulf region: the enormous pride young Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Mara, and Gudanji men would experience watching him play football - the extraordinary gift he gave to the men who stood proud in their footy guernseys as they went onto the field to play teams from across the Barkly and into the Gulf through Arnhem Land. As we gather at the Barunga Festival to play, the legend of Maurice Rioli will always be at the forefront of these young men’s mind.
The gift of inspiring, of challenging others to stand strong, of encouraging others to overcome adversity, of driving others to stand up for change is the real gift Maurice Rioli has left for people of the Northern Territory and, indeed, Australia. It is a remarkable gift of being able to reconcile between black and white Australians; the importance of forever trying to rise above the things which separate us as people: the poverty - not material poverty alone, spiritual poverty; the distances which allow black and white Australia to grow further apart. This is the gift Maurice Rioli shared by example with his people on the Tiwi Islands, in the football he played, and the many teams he not only played in but also captained and coached. The examples of inspiration, courage, boldness, and determination are the gifts Maurice Rioli left us on Christmas Day 2010.
When he stood in parliament as the Labor member for Arafura, he reflected on the importance of representing his constituents, recognising the incredible poverty, the huge gap in education, in housing and in local governance were the reasons he wanted to make a difference, not only for the Tiwi people, for all constituents in Arafura and all Aboriginal people across the Northern Territory.
In his maiden speech to parliament, he said:
- Many people know of my involvement with and commitment to sport. I have always been a team player and I am proud of that. I have always believed that contributing to a team approach is the best way to get things done. Mr Speaker, make no mistake, it will be as part of the Territory Labor team that I will work with the people of Arafura to ensure that the Territory’s first Labor government is elected.
In 2001, he saw that come to fruition with the current member for Arafura, Marion Scrymgour. His maiden speech went on to say:
- I can happily describe my electorate as the cultural powerhouse of Australia. For instance, Arafura contains many of this country’s most significant and accomplished practising artists. It was a source of continuing support for me that, as we campaigned during the by-election, I was aware that ceremony - a celebration of the land - was taking place constantly all around us. That ongoing cultural expression is a welcome reminder of the great strength of my people.
He also said:
- In the end, it will be the jobs that come from well-planned economic development that will overcome these disadvantages.
That statement carried Maurice Rioli through his life as the member for Arafura. He was human, very much like any other member of this House, with strengths and weaknesses. However, Maurice Rioli captured the goodness of what it was to rise above that which weakened people, and weakened him.
He represented the people of Arafura. When he retired he maintained his commitment to the people of the Tiwis by being part of the local government authority and, most recently, the Tiwi Shire. I make special mention of the Tiwi Shire and, as Local Government Minister, make special mention of Maurice’s role in the area of local governance across the Tiwis; a role which continued until his death.
He has been referred to as the Northern Territory’s most famous sporting son. He was a true champion on and off the field. His sporting achievements are truly legendary, and rightly so. His quiet achievement and his commitment to Indigenous and Tiwi issues are less well-known.
He was born one of eight siblings on Melville Island. Maurice learnt to play the game he came to excel in, in the small community of Pularumpi. From these modest beginnings he went on to play for St Mary’s in Darwin, and then for the South Fremantle Football Club in Western Australia. Maurice played in three consecutive WAFL grand finals between 1979 and 1982, playing 121 games with South Fremantle. He was awarded the Simpson Medal for best player on field in two of those three grand finals, a clear indication of his outstanding sporting skill.
As we have heard, he transferred to Richmond in what was then the Victorian Football League, where he played 118 games. He was awarded the Tiger’s best and fairest player in 1982 and 1983. He secured his place in football history when he became the first player from a losing side to win the Norm Smith Medal for best player after Richmond lost to Carlton in the 1982 grand final. He was also the first Indigenous player to win the Norm Smith Medal. He eventually returned to Perth, and then to Darwin, where he continued his football career as a player and coach until 1991.
On behalf of the people of Arnhem Land, my constituents of Arnhem, and my families in the Gulf region, the Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Mara and Gundanji peoples, I pay my sincere respects to the families present today, and the families listening to this broadcast across the Northern Territory, of a truly remarkable man who inspired so many who have come behind him.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I support this motion. I lived on Bathurst Island in the 1970s and early 1980s, during which time I took on the most dangerous occupation in the world, umpiring football on the Tiwi Islands. To reduce the danger I made a sensible move - I did not barrack for any football team so hopefully could not be accused of bias; however, it did not always work.
I loved to umpire, especially with the Tiwis, and can remember well the yellow and black team of Imalu, which for many years dominated football on the islands. A grand final involving Imalu was really Bathurst versus Melville Island, which made for much excitement and passion. The one thing I remember about Imalu was the name Rioli. Over the years I umpired, the names Rioli and Imalu were synonymous. A Rioli coached, captained, played, barracked or did everything for Imalu, and it was obvious from their skills they were born with football genes. Cyril Kalippa, his father, was captain of the first Garden Point, or Imalu, football team. The member for Karama mentioned Maurice played cricket. He inherited those skills from his father because Cyril got me out for a duck three times in a row - LBW would you believe. I complained bitterly to the umpire! I remember his father’s cricketing skills when Bathurst played Garden Point. It was no wonder Maurice was a great footballer - he came from a Rioli family.
I did not know Maurice then - the year he headed off to St Mary’s Football Club was the year I arrived at Nguiu. Like many others, I heard about him and his exploits as a footballer, whether with St Mary’s, South Fremantle, Western Australia or Richmond, which meant he went from the yellow and black of the Imalu Tigers to the yellow and black of the Richmond Tigers.
Others have spoken of those achievements and how hard it would have been being an Aboriginal playing football in Melbourne. It would have been tough but he came through and set an example for others. His time playing for Richmond was also good for the people of Melbourne - it opened their eyes. I came from Melbourne - I had never heard of the Tiwis, let alone the Riolis. It would have helped the Aboriginal people of Victoria who, when I was young, were hardly spoken of. The only Aboriginal person I knew of was Lionel Rose. Maurice’s move to Richmond helped break down the bias people in places like Victoria had towards Aboriginal people.
My great memory of Maurice as a footballer - and it never leaves me - is that great, long, sweeping left foot kick which could be a deadly accurate pass, or one which went down into the forward line to bring up the odd goal for Richmond. I am uncertain of what he would think of Richmond these days - they could do with some players like Maurice.
Maurice was not the first to be chased by political parties. Good footballers seem to attract attention from political parties; perhaps it is the high-profile nature of their job. He became the Labor member for Arafura. In my time that was a CLP seat held either by Hyacinth Tungutalum or Noel Padgham-Purich. Under Stanley Tipiloura, it became a Labor seat and has been Labor ever since. I never think of Tiwis as being party political - they are a group of very independent people. I would not be surprised if the Tiwi Islands are CLP one day because the party is not necessarily what drives them. They see themselves as an important part of the political process. They pick the party they want to support, which shows they are independent people.
From a distance some people might have thought Maurice a quiet person. However, he worked hard for his electorate - that is why he was elected. Unfortunately, he had a gambling addiction, which caused him some public embarrassment. As the member for Arnhem said, he was only human and who of us has never made a mistake. He survived that and turned his life around, which to me is the sign of a champion. When things were down he was able to turn his life around.
After retiring as local member he became interested in local government, which is where I caught up with him after all those years. He was passionate about local government and worked hard to make the new, amalgamated system work successfully, which was not easy.
For me, Maurice mirrored the Territory. He was born in the Territory; a little white, a little black; a love of life, football, boxing and the Tiwi Islands. He moved south, came back, entered politics; was famous - there were some good times and some bad times. When with Maurice I did not feel I was with a big-noting ex-football champion. I knew him as a good bloke who was a champion footballer. He was also an ordinary person who did his best to help the Tiwis, especially young Tiwis, and the Territory. I will remember him for that.
The Territory has lost a great man. Condolences to all the Rioli family; may he rest in peace.
Mr HAMPTON (Sport and Recreation): Madam Speaker, I pay my respects to Mr Rioli and acknowledge his family present this morning. I particularly acknowledge his wife, Robyn, and their three children, Donna, Kristen and Gavin.
Maurice was inspirational to a generation of young footy players around the country. Whilst I did not reach the heights of Maurice in my footy career, I looked up to him. For my son, Curtly, who has just started his AFL career, Maurice is a role model. The impact Maurice has had on young footy players around the country, and in the Territory, spans generations.
Tributes came from people all around the country who had not forgotten his skills. He was a three-time All Australian, the first Indigenous player to win a Norm Smith Medal, and was named in the Indigenous Team of the Century which hangs in AFL House, Melbourne.
Rioli started his career in Darwin before being recruited to South Fremantle in the 1970s. His days at South Fremantle opened the door for many other Tiwi footballers - Vigona, Dunn and Campbell - to go south to try their luck. He was later signed by Richmond, where he played 118 games, kicking 80 goals and picking up two back-to-back club best and fairest awards in 1982 and 1983. In 1982, he became the first Indigenous Norm Smith Medallist and the first player from a losing side to take the coveted award in Richmond’s grand final defeat against Carlton. Rioli was a Brownlow Medal runner-up in 1983, and as the tribute from St Mary’s puts it:
- In 1984 Maurice played in possibly the greatest game of football in the 1980s, the State of Origin clash between Victoria and WA Perth WA won, the newspapers hailed the match as ‘Space Age Football’ and Maurice was one of the best players on the ground the day.
In 1984, Maurice toured Ireland with the All Australian team for a series of half-Gaelic football half-Aussie Rules test matches. Maurice adjusted better than any of the Australians to the Gaelic style, and finished the tour with Australia’s best player award.
Maurice returned to South Fremantle in 1988 as club captain, but not before he was captain of the Northern Territory side at the Bicentennial Carnival in Adelaide. The Northern Territory was the surprise packet of that series, winning all three games to take the second division pennant. Maurice was one of the three Territorians selected in the All Australian side. When Maurice retired as a WAFL player in 1990 he had already served one season as coach of Waratahs in Darwin, and was one of the top coaches in the competition - his work forced him out of the game.
Footy was not the only inspiration Maurice delivered to young Territorians; he also contributed to the Territory in other ways, including our democracy. The Tiwis have a strong tradition of proud, Indigenous representatives in this parliament. The member for Nelson pointed out Hyacinth Tungutalum represented the electorate of Arafura from 1974 to 1977; Stanley Tipiloura represented the people of Arafura from 1987 to 1992; and Maurice represented the people of Arafura from 1992 to 2001. This great tradition continues with our own sitting member for Arafura, Marion Scrymgour.
In 1992, Maurice was elected to the Northern Territory parliament in a by-election for the seat of Arafura, which includes his Tiwi Islands’ homeland. The election was caused by the untimely death of Maurice’s long-time friend and former St Mary’s team mate, Mr Tipiloura. Maurice was the shadow spokesman for Mines and Energy and Youth, Sport and Recreation in the Labor Party opposition. Maurice was a wonderful member of this proud tradition and delivered for his electorate as we have heard today. This inspired many around the Territory in the same way he inspired us on the footy field. He was one of those blokes who would say you do not have to be on the sidelines watching; you can get in there and have a go. He certainly did. Unfortunately, with his retirement prior to the 2001 election, Maurice did not have the opportunity to sit on the government benches. I am sure he would have made a huge contribution given the opportunity.
He contributed to the Northern Territory not only as a member of parliament; also on his return to his homeland. He was inspirational and continued to deliver for his people. The Royal Life Saving Society of Australia stated:
- Maurice Rioli was an active and influential supporter for the construction and operation of swimming pools on the Tiwi Islands. His leadership has resulted in a succession of local pool managers, hours of fun and healthy activity for local children, and programs that attract adult community members to the benefits of swimming pools. This leadership was extended to other Northern Territory communities via Royal Life Saving’s Remote Pools Program where Maurice shared his knowledge, expertise, and commitment.
- Maurice Rioli’s legacy will be felt far beyond AFL circles with many Tiwi people continuing to benefit from his significant work that ensures children can learn vital swimming survival skills and have a good time at the swimming pool, whilst providing an ongoing pathway for local people to be active in community development roles such as lifeguards and swimming instructors.
His legacy extends far beyond his time in this House, and Maurice will continue to inspire us after his all too early passing.
The Rioli Fund, organised by Maurice’s nephew, Dean Rioli, is organising an annual sportsman’s dinner to be held on the eve of the NTFL grand final. This year’s inaugural dinner will be a tribute to Mr Magic and will take place on Friday, 18 March 2011, at Kantilla’s function room. I encourage everyone to get behind this meaningful tribute to Maurice and the efforts of Dean to highlight issues in Aboriginal health.
Maurice was someone I tried to imitate when I was growing up playing footy in the back yard - singing out the name Maurice Rioli whilst kicking the ball between trees. As a man from the desert, is it is a long way to the Tiwi Islands but I am connected through in-laws to the Dunn family. On Christmas Day, I was with Cadji Dunn Junior and Nicolette Dunn, and receiving the news - my niece and nephew are also closely connected to Maurice - made it a sad day. It is something I will not forget. Having to console both Junior and Sissy was very difficult. During his time in Alice Springs Cadji, my brother-in-law, spoke about Maurice and the Imalu Tigers with great pride. There is no doubt Maurice had a big impact on the local footy scene, the Tiwi people, and down the track to Alice Springs.
One of my greatest memories of Maurice is presenting Michael Long with his Norm Smith Medal after that fantastic grand final with the Baby Bombers. That memory will stay with me for many years. The Chief Minister mentioned the All Stars tribute and, as Sports minister - I spoke to Michael Long about this - it drove me to keep the game in the Territory. Unfortunately, it did not happen but we will work hard to have the tribute to Maurice this year.
On behalf of Marion Scrymgour, I would like to read a tribute to Mr Magic, Maurice Rioli, from Brian Ciccotosto from Perth:
- From an island paradise off the northern tip of Darwin,
Came Mr Magic, Maurice Rioli, in his search for national stardom.
From his proud and humble beginnings amongst the Tiwi clan,
Maurice rose to greater heights to become a super-man.
He cast his magic spell over places that he went
And to thousands of West Australians he was surely Heaven sent.
His wizardry with the football it certainly knew no bounds
And he amazed the football public on all types of football grounds.
He was at his most brilliant in a big game atmosphere,
Where he reserved his best performance for the right time of the year.
He was a graceful, gifted player; he was poetry in motion,
A credit to his sport and to a life of strong devotion.
To the Aboriginal people he was their perfect inspiration
And he’s left his mark among them in all corners of the nation.
He covered himself with dignity at his final curtain call
So we salute you, MAURICE RIOLI, the greatest of them all.
May he rest in peace.
Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Speaker, I thank the Chief Minister for moving this motion. It is a great honour to speak about Maurice Rioli, a pillar of strength in the Northern Territory and a titan of the AFL.
People in the wider world might be amazed at the friendships we make in parliament. During my time in federal parliament I made many friends on the other side of the Chamber; similarly here. For reasons of decorum and the fact that I do not want to embarrass some on the other side, I will not go into naming those who are friends at this time. However, Maurice Rioli was one from the other side of politics who made a great impression on me.
I first met Maurice through basketball. Members will know I originally came to Darwin to play basketball, which was one of the great passions of the Rioli family. Maurice was always at basketball watching his children play. He had a great love for his girls, and took a great interest in their sporting achievements and prowess. Basketball will miss Maurice Rioli, I can assure you.
One of my friends prior to my election to parliament was the former Treasurer, Syd Stirling. I would often catch up with Syd and Maurice for a coffee in the mall or the Roma Bar, and have idle chitchat with them. I got on with both very well. It was obvious both men were dedicated to their cause and keen to see the Territory develop and grow. I was heartened to see Mr Stirling had the opportunity to speak of Maurice and his service in parliament at the funeral.
Similarly, several of my best friends were also close to Maurice Rioli. I refer to Michael Long, who most people will know, and Brian Ah Mat. Brian Ah Mat referred to Maurice Rioli as the ultimate traditional hunter. They would visit me at Beatrice Hill, where I was caretaking a buffalo property, and would constantly regale me with stories of Maurice’s hunting exploits. Maurice was the master of diving for turtles, hunting possums, hunting wallabies, an excellent fisherman, and an excellent goose shooter. He embodied all there was to know about Aboriginal and traditional hunting methods, and those lads I mentioned were only too keen to tell us stories about Maurice’s hunting prowess.
I have never been a great fan of Australian Rules football - it is heresy to say that in the Northern Territory sometimes. I played at the Masters, as the member for Nelson reminds me, but not very well. At Maurice’s funeral I was amazed to find how wonderful Maurice Rioli was as an Aussie Rules player. I had no idea he was such a legend in the sport. I always knew Maurice was a great, however, did not realise the extent, breadth and depth of his achievements - something to behold because the man I knew was a quiet man, an extraordinarily humble man who did not talk about his wonderful achievements. He had other things to talk about. I have seen a couple of great footballers; Maurice Rioli was one, Michael Long the other, and both are proud Tiwi men. What sets them apart from most of us mere mortals is their sheer humility, the fact they are quietly spoken and incredibly decent people. That is reason to admire them.
Maurice was a great family man. He had a huge love of family and friends around him. He captured the imagination of Territorians and Australians across the board with his football exploits; he also captured the love and adulation of people close to him in a much greater way.
I pass on my condolences to those who sit opposite. It has been a hard few months for the comrades in the Labor Party, and I acknowledge the passing of long-time faithful Labor man, Jack Haritos. Jack was another role model in the community. Like Maurice, he had a love of the Labor Party and a love the Chief Minister and I share - a love of St Mary’s. The Chief Minister and I are both vice patrons of the club by some quirk. Both Maurice and Jack Haritos will be sadly missed by the Labor Party and by Saint Mary’s; I acknowledge that and pass on my sympathy.
Maurice Rioli was a titan of the AFL. He provided inspiration for so many people across the Northern Territory. We heard our Sports minister say he tried to imitate Maurice Rioli as a child; that speaks worlds about Maurice. He was a towering role model for so many people who grew up in such tough conditions in the Northern Territory. It is people like him who provide inspiration, who give us all hope there is a future for some of the poorest and downtrodden people in our community. In that regard alone Maurice provides inspiration to us all.
He was the inculcation of decency and hard work. He was a lovely man. The hole he leaves in the Northern Territory is enormous; we will not fill it, which is enormously sad. It is sad that Maurice departed so early in life; however, it is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what he did to make the Territory a great place and the inspiration he provided to thousands of people across the community.
Chief Minister, thank you very much for bringing on this motion. Condolences to all the family and friends - it has been a very tough time and my sympathies are with you.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Arafura): Madam Speaker, I join everyone who has contributed to this all-important motion about someone who played such an important role in this Chamber, with his family, and his mentoring of me as the current member for Arafura. Christmas Day rocked everyone - no one expected to receive that news. His death followed the death of another important man on the Tiwi Islands, Matthew Wonaeamirri. There is grief upon grief for the Tiwi people. When Cyclone Carlos was heading our way I got down on my hands and knees and prayed it would not go near the Tiwi Islands. My mob have had their fair share of grief with those two deaths. A number of important women on the islands have passed away recently and their funerals have just finished.
Throughout his adult life, and since his recent early death, many people have spoken in reverence of Maurice’s grace and brilliance as a footballer. I listened to the eulogies, and it was best summed up in the poem which described him as poetry in motion. There is no need to add anything except the transcendence and self-knowledge Maurice achieved as an athlete gave him the confidence and courage to embark on a very different journey which I want to speak about today.
Maurice was born into an important Tiwi family. In the context of Tiwi politics and the mainstream political world, Maurice eventually chose to enter after his return to the Northern Territory from his football career, challenges to Tiwi identity are an occupational hazard. In Maurice’s case, he had to meet and overcome a campaign run against him which involved the promotion of his opponent as a ceremony man. The subtext to this was the suggestion Maurice was an urbanised Aboriginal person who, in some sense, was not a proper Tiwi. The Arafura electorate, both on the Tiwi Islands and throughout western Arnhem Land, rejected that characterisation of Maurice and embraced him as their own at successive elections.
Maurice was an exceptional local member. He was loved and missed in that role, not only by Tiwi people, but by constituents in Gunbalanya, Maningrida, Minjilang, Warrawi, and all the western Arnhem Land outstations. I have received a steady stream of phone calls from western Arnhem Land cultural leaders - the very people he described in his maiden speech as the cultural powerhouse - wanting to arrange for dancers to finish off, acknowledge, perform, and pay their respects.
Perhaps the biggest moment in my life was when, in 2001, I was danced into this Chamber by my Tiwi countrymen to formally celebrate my election as Maurice’s successor. We all know how harrowing preselection can be, leaving you forever scarred. One attribute I saw with Maurice was his support and respect for women. As the current sitting member there was pressure to select from a number of men. He knew it was time a woman was nominated. To receive that support and be anointed by someone of his stature leaves me forever indebted to him. Going out on the trail, meeting various cultural leaders, introducing me to the men was his way of handing over and providing insight into my constituents I had not seen.
There were many funny moments as well. I remember during an election, Nuala Murphy - I have to acknowledge Nuala because she was the faithful electorate officer for Uncle Stan and Maurice. She and I were in the car with Maurice driving to Kakadu. We were setting up the polling booth when Maurice disappeared. I smiled when the Chief Minister mentioned he would disappear at times. Nuala and I were handing out how-to-vote cards and thinking: Where is Maurice? We need Maurice. He appeared. Unbeknown to me, he was in the bush behind the Toyota cooking our dinner. He had managed to get a goose from someone and was cooking it for us. Since his death, I have reflected on those moments and not felt sad. I feel privileged that I shared moments with him.
My entry into this Chamber - what a sight! In 2001 the Northern Territory elected a Labor government. I often reflect on that feeling and the people who came to celebrate. I have a photo - with your indulgence, Madam Speaker - I would like to show. I have copied this for the Tiwi Shire because he played a big role in driving local government reforms. To his children, Maurice Junior, Maria and Mali, this photo delivers a message to anyone who had questioned his Tiwi identity. Maurice did not appear before us in loincloth and paint; he dressed in a suit. He moved with passion and vigour across the same carpet he walked on during his period of almost a decade in parliament. He was declaring to the world: I am a proud, modern Tiwi man dedicated to retaining and revering my cultural heritage, and to doing whatever I can to advance my people to a better future.
Maurice put his money where his mouth was. He moved back to the Tiwi Islands and became a facilitator - the voice of reason in the slow and difficult years of local government reform. For years he was the go-to person at Pirlangimpi and, more recently, the senior local government representative at his home community. Any of the succession of Tiwi local government CEOs would testify to the central role played by Maurice, and to how impossible it would have been to win the trust and cooperation of community people without his involvement, clarifying things people found confusing, diffusing confrontations and disputes, and getting the Tiwi focused on the important things in life – family, health, employment, sport and culture.
He was never too busy to check up on the old in our community, and I will miss the phone calls and the discussions regarding Mummy Anita. All family members present know who Mummy Anita from Pirlangimpi is. He would relay reports to me in Darwin.
I acknowledge Lawrence Costa, Manny, the Mayor of the Tiwi Shire, Lynette De Santis, and Henry Dunn. We were like a band of brothers in the bush wanting to develop things. One of Maurice’s achievements was with the youth program with Kevin Doolan - I acknowledge Kevin Doolan and the many unsung heroes who oversee the youth diversion program on the Tiwi Islands and how it has developed and progressed over the years.
Maurice often spoke of the rewards which could be obtained by young people through disciplined participation in sport and other positive recreational activities, and that alcohol and drugs were the enemy when it came to steering teenagers and young adults in that direction. He worked tirelessly with the shire to acquire equipment, set up facilities and ensured trained people were providing guidance and direction to the young people encouraged to participate.
While Maurice was by nature calm and measured in his dealings with other people, he was an implacable and courageous opponent of the things he saw on the Tiwi Islands he considered unjust and wrong, both with his own land-owning group and in relation to Tiwi people. Generally, he wanted a better and more inclusive future for all Tiwi people.
In his last telephone call to me before his death, Maurice expressed something approaching despair over the damage he believed certain non-Tiwi individuals were causing Tiwi people and their prospects of economic and social advancement. Just as Maurice passed the baton to me in 2001, he has called on me and other Tiwis of our generation with the educational background and drive to make a difference, to continue his campaign for positive change. I hope I can live up to his expectations.
Finally, I want to say a few words about the invaluable mentoring role Maurice played in my political career. In the Tiwi world I called Maurice my brother or Yuwuni. I can think of no better description of the relationship I was privileged to share with this strong and gentle Tiwi leader. He was like an older brother in whom I could confide and who, after listening to what I had to say, would challenge me every time with the question: are you sure in your own mind that is the best thing for your constituents? This sometimes resulted in more discussion and an eventual moderation or adjustment of my original position. On each occasion I told Maurice I was sure the position I proposed to take was the right one for Arafura constituents - it is this same reply I receive from my support base - he would often say: ‘Well, we will back you 100%, sis’. That included times I was under pressure after taking contentious positions which have been heavily criticised.
Maurice knew about living his life in the media spotlight and the difficulties it entailed for close families. More importantly, he knew what it meant to be an Aboriginal Territorian and a Tiwi, with the allegiances, obligations and, at times, frustrations which go with that, and also an elected, mainstream politician committed to achieving outcomes for all Territorians. When the juggling exercise became too hard I would turn to Maurice, who would talk to me with clarity and equilibrium. Coping without him will be a daunting prospect.
To his mother, his father, Sibby, Manny, Laurence, Cyril Junior, John, Willie, his sisters, his children, Donna and Gavin, to all the families, your loss is more than mine. You have lost a son, a brother, a father, an uncle. Many of your countrymen feel and understand your grief. I acknowledge Lawrence, Lenny, Jane, Alan, and all his Tiwi Shire family. We must continue to do what he wanted: focus on a better life for our Tiwi children and their future prosperity.
My last words are reserved for his wife, Mali, with whom he spent 10 beautiful years - a woman who made him so happy. To Mali, Maurice Junior and Maria, I, like many of your family, will ensure we support you through the years as he would have wanted us to do. Nimpangi Yuwuni.
Madam SPEAKER: I also extend my condolences to the family and friends of Maurice Rioli.
Motion agreed to.
Members stood and observed one minute’s silence as a mark of respect.
STATEMENT BY SPEAKER
Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand
Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, the member for Goyder has drawn to my attention that there was a massive earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, a short time ago. I understand there could be 300 to 400 people already dead. I thought members might like to be aware of it.
TABLED PAPER
Draft Education Amendment Bill
Draft Education Amendment Bill
Dr BURNS (Education and Training): Madam Speaker, I table an exposure draft of a proposed Education Amendment Bill to amend the Education Act. In December 2009, the Northern Territory government released its long-term strategic plan, Territory 2030, which sets out the Territory government’s direction over the next two decades. Territory 2030 is the result of extensive consultation with ordinary Territorians and, from those consultations, education was nominated as a major factor in addressing many of the challenges faced by the Northern Territory.
Formal schooling brings incredible benefits to the Northern Territory and Territorians. A sound education can contribute to better health outcomes, increased employment opportunities and improved productivity levels. If we are going to meet our key educational challenges we must address the basics: getting every child to attend school every day.
On 27 October 2010, the Chief Minister gave parliament an update on government’s work to improve school attendance in the Northern Territory, namely, our government’s Every Child, Every Day attendance strategy. For the first time the Territory has a comprehensive and integrated strategy to address enrolment, attendance and participation. It sets ambitious targets and details key strategies government is implementing with parents, schools and communities to improve the participation of our young people in high-quality education available to them.
Sending children to school first and foremost is the responsibility of parents and families. Parents have to get their kids to school every single day. In October 2010 we introduced, amongst other measures, infringement notices attracting a $200 penalty for those parents who continue to refuse to send their children to school. The situation is urgent. We have no time to waste and it is crucial provisions within the Education Act are further strengthened to support our policy intent, particularly the capacity for enforcement of school attendance.
The purpose of the exposure draft tabled today is to provide opportunity for broad-based comment on particular changes to the Education Act designed to strengthen provisions relating to compulsory attendance at school. Extensive community consultations are scheduled to occur in coming weeks, and I encourage all education stakeholders and interested community groups to consider what is proposed in this exposure draft and provide feedback to the Department of Education and Training by 9 March 2011. The time frame is short, however, the situation is urgent and it is my intention to introduce the bill during the Legislative Assembly sittings scheduled for March 2011.
The provisions contained in this amendment are primarily designed to make the act more workable and enforceable. They include:
making it compulsory for parents to attend formal meetings to discuss their children’s attendance at school. Whilst there are currently provisions around family responsibility agreements and family responsibility orders under the Youth Justice Act, the provisions as part of this amendment relate specifically to non-compliance with school attendance including, for example, the power to compel parents to attend meetings to discuss their child’s attendance at school;
bringing Northern Territory infringement penalties into line with other jurisdictions in Australia. Current infringement penalties have not changed since the Education Act was passed in 1979 and are low by comparison with other jurisdictions. The amendments will bring penalties into line with those of other jurisdictions;
sharing information across Northern Territory government agencies. The amendment will provide further capacity for agencies to more readily support parents and children in relation to school attendance specifically; and
fewer significant changes which address issues of occupational health and safety, interstate schooling and home schooling.
Madam Speaker, I encourage all members of the Education community, parents, school councils, teachers, and all other representative organisations to consider the provisions contained in this amendment and provide feedback through formal channels as soon as possible. I commend the draft exposure of the amendments to the House.
CARE AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN (CHILDREN’S COMMISSIONER) AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 147)
(Serial 147)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr VATSKALIS (Child Protection): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
Many members would be aware the Board of Inquiry into the Child Protection System in the Northern Territory released its report Growing them strong, together to government on 18 October 2010. The report identified some significant problems with the provision of child protection services in the Northern Territory. On the same day, this government committed to implementing all 147 recommendations in the board of inquiry report. As members would also be aware, recommendations were categorised into three levels of urgency. The first category is urgent, with commencement of the recommendation to be done within six months. The second category is semi-urgent, with commencement within 18 months. The third category, important but not urgent, suggests commencement of the recommendation within two to three years.
Of the 147 recommendations, five recommendations were relevant to the Children’s Commissioner and, of these, two were considered by the board to be urgent. It is those two recommendations - Nos 136 and 137 - we are concerned with now. Recommendation 136 provides:
- That the Northern Territory government reviews the roles and functions of the Children’s Commissioner in the light of this inquiry with a view to amending the act to address the needs for:
Recommendation 137 provides:
- That the Northern Territory government ensures that the Children’s Commissioner is adequately funded to carry out any additional functions.
Recommendation 136 is the focus of these legislative amendments. I am pleased to introduce today a bill that:
confers an ‘own motion’ power of investigation;
makes clear the powers exercisable by the Children’s Commissioner in performing his functions; and
inserts a new function for the Children’s Commissioner, namely that of dealing with submissions relating to the implementation of the board of inquiry recommendations insofar as they relate to the wellbeing of vulnerable children.
Let me deal with each of these changes in turn.
Own motion investigation: the first relevant feature of this amendment is the ‘own motion’ provision. Its relevance is twofold. First, it allows the commissioner to instigate an investigation in the absence of a specific complaint or submission. Second, prior to these amendments there was no real clarity regarding the jurisdictions of the Ombudsman and the Children’s Commissioner. It is my understanding this created confusion and resulted in duplication of effort in conducting investigations.
To ensure there is clear demarcation and no duplication between the functions and powers of the Ombudsman and the commissioner, consequential amendments have been made at clause 26 to the Ombudsman Act prohibiting the Ombudsman from conducting investigations on matters within the jurisdiction of the commissioner. The exemption to this is where the investigation relates to police conduct as provided for in clause 10 at section 266(5). As members would be aware, a comprehensive and established framework for police complaint handling sits with the Ombudsman and there is no intention for that function to be moved or duplicated.
The provision also provides that the Ombudsman must refer any matters relating to the jurisdiction of the commissioner to the commissioner. This provision ensures that communication between the two officers enables both parties to clearly understand their role and jurisdiction.
In relation to the Health and Community Services Complaints Commission, it is possible for one set of circumstances to ground two quite distinct complaints and investigations. For example, a complaint regarding the provision of services to a child with a disability could appropriately be dealt with by the Children’s Commissioner insofar as the service provided was to protect the child and prevent harm and exploitation of that child. At the same time, the Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner could quite appropriately investigate whether the service provided failed to act consistent with relevant disability service standards or with the relevant charter of rights. This example of dual jurisdiction is a frequent occurrence for statutory office holders across Australia. For this reason, dual jurisdiction has been maintained.
Vulnerable children: a significant element of the amendments is the expansion of the definition of ‘protected child’ to ‘vulnerable child’. Clause 7 of the bill creates a new definition of ‘vulnerable child’ under section 258(1) and (2), drafted to capture children both currently in the child protection system and those vulnerable to being part of it, and children vulnerable because of a disability, a mental illness or mental disorder. The definition also includes:
children who have been arrested or are on bail;
children to whom an order is made under the Volatile Substance Abuse Prevention Act; and
young people who have left the care of the Chief Executive.
For those not aware of the expression ‘triangle of need’, it describes those families entering into the child protection system at the base, and children who are the most resource intensive and in greatest need at the peak of the triangle. The board of inquiry report identified the need to increase significant resources into the base; being to help families and children before they become part of the child protection system. This new definition of ‘vulnerable child’ allows the commissioner to oversight the response of government and non-government agencies to those families and children. Defining the term was not easy. The views of those in Education, police, housing, Justice and a range of other agencies have been sought, as have those of the commissioner to develop the definition. It was crucial to get this right.
The definition does not give these groups of children or their parents and caregivers the mechanism to lodge complaints about any actions by government or non-government services. Rather, it allows them to lodge complaints in relation to services relating to their care or protection and the prevention of harm or exploitation. However, the definition is significantly broader than the definition of ‘protected child’, and extends the Children’s Commissioner’s jurisdiction to a range of services, particularly those in the non-government sector, to which it previously did not extend. For this reason, I have tasked my department to work with the Northern Territory Council of Social Services to jointly develop and present appropriate education and information to workers in that sector.
Complaints relating to the implementation of the board of inquiry recommendations: the bill, at clause 8, inserts a new function of the Children’s Commissioner to deal with submissions relating to government implementation of the board of inquiry recommendations insofar as the submission relates to the wellbeing of vulnerable children. This is consistent with the amended objects of the Care and Protection of Children Act under Chapter 5, which details the Children’s Commissioner is established to ensure the wellbeing of vulnerable children. This new function, coupled with the expanded definition of ‘vulnerable child’, provides the commissioner with broad powers to assess, analyse and provide advice and recommendations to the minister on matters related to government implementation on the board of inquiry recommendations.
Appropriately, it also provides that this broad power is only to be exercised insofar as it relates to the wellbeing of protected children. This maintains the jurisdiction and responsibilities of existing statutory office holders and other authorities in relation to some recommendations of the board of inquiry. For example, it is appropriate that the Commissioner for Public Employment, and not the Children’s Commissioner, have a role in relation to the significant number of recommendations which relate to staff training, development and attraction, recruitment and retention strategies. The board of inquiry, at Chapter 13, proposed that there be a monitoring of the implementation of the recommendations and this ‘may’ be a function of the commissioner. The government has analysed Chapter 13 and has identified that this proposed monitoring function would take the focus of the Children’s Commissioner away from his most critical role of ensuring the wellbeing of protected and vulnerable children.
Acknowledging this important function, government has created the Child Protection External Monitoring and Reporting Committee, which has been established to oversee government implementation of the board of inquiry recommendations. The commissioner’s amended powers and functions provide that where he receives a submission on implementation of the board of inquiry’s recommendations, he is required to provide a copy of the submission to the Minister for Child Protection. As Minister for Child Protection, I will then consider these submissions and provide those documents to the external monitoring committee so committee members are kept informed of any issues or concerns raised through the Children’s Commissioner and can deal with these as part of their monitoring functions.
Powers of the Children’s Commissioner: the board of inquiry report, at Chapter 13, identifies that part of the risk management framework for child protection is to have strong oversight, accountability and review mechanisms within government, and of government agencies and services, relating to and provided for protected and vulnerable children. Prior to these amendments, the commissioner’s powers to call people and obtain information and documents were limited to individual complaints. They now have application to the new expanded function of the commissioner, including own motion powers and the overall monitoring of the administration of the act. In addition, the act has been amended to provide for preliminary inquiries; that is, the commissioner may now make an assessment of a complaint or submission before deciding to go further.
This bill is significant for government as it is the first recommendation of the board of inquiry to be legislatively implemented.
I extend thanks for the efforts of the experienced and knowledgeable practitioners of the Department of Justice, the Solicitor for the Northern Territory, and the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, who assisted staff within my department in preparing these amendments.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
TABLED PAPER
Auditor-General’s February 2011 Report to the Legislative Assembly
Auditor-General’s February 2011 Report to the Legislative Assembly
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I table the Auditor-General’s February 2011 Report to the Legislative Assembly.
MOTION
Print Paper – Auditor-General’s February 2011 Report to the Legislative Assembly
Print Paper – Auditor-General’s February 2011 Report to the Legislative Assembly
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the report be printed.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Note Paper – Auditor-General’s February 2011 Report to the Legislative Assembly
Note Paper – Auditor-General’s February 2011 Report to the Legislative Assembly
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the report, and that I have leave to continue my remarks at a later hour.
Leave granted.
Debate adjourned.
PENALTIES AMENDMENT (CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, HEALTH AND PRIMARY INDUSTRY, FISHERIES AND RESOURCES) BILL
(Serial 149)
(Serial 149)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Ms LAWRIE (Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The Penalties Amendment (Children and Families, Health and Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources) Bill 2011 continues the process of converting penalties in Northern Territory legislation from dollar amount to penalty units.
The Justice Legislation (Penalties) Act 2010 and the Penalties Amendment (Justice and Treasury Legislation) Act 2010 have converted most of the penalties in the Department of Justice and Treasury legislation. The Penalties Amendment (Chief Minister’s and Other Portfolios) Bill 2010 has begun the process of amending legislation administered by other departments. The purpose of this bill is to amend legislation from the portfolios of the Minister for Children and Families, the Minister for Health, and the Minister for Primary Industry, Fisheries and Resources.
The previous penalties amendment acts provided for penalty increases of no more than 15%. This bill maintains that principle. As was the case for the Penalties Amendment (Justice and Treasury Legislation) Act 2010 and the Penalties Amendment (Chief Minister’s and Other Portfolios) Bill 2010, the conversion factors are based on a penalty unit value of $133, as the value of the penalty unit increased from $130 on 1 July 2010 in accordance with a formula in the Penalty Units Act 2009 based on the Darwin CPI.
For penalties of a significant size, the conversion process is:
current monetary penalty is increased by 15%; and
Where the rounding down to the nearest five penalty units would result in an actual decrease in the penalty the following principles were applied:
first, the penalty was rounded down to the nearest whole penalty unit that was closest to, but not more than, the 15% increase in value. Thus, for example, the current penalty of $2000 increased by 15% ($2300) becomes 17 penalty units ($2261). See, for example, section 26(3) of the Adult Guardianship Act.
second, where the penalty rounded to the nearest 0.5 of a penalty unit would result in an actual decrease in penalty, the penalty was rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a penalty unit (but greater than 0.5 of a penalty unit). Thus, for example, the current penalty of $200 increase by 15% ($230) becomes 1.7 of a penalty unit ($226.10). See, for example, schedule 2 of the Meat Industries Regulations.
Acts that do not contain penalties or that contain monetary penalties which have already been converted to penalty units, for example the Tobacco Control Act, have not been included in this bill. Amendments have not been made to amend any act that is either proposed to be repealed or amended in some other way. The following legislation will not be amended by this bill because other bills intend to repeal, amend or may amend these legislative instruments:
Health and Community Services Complaints Act;
Human Tissue Transplant Act;
Mental Health and Related Services Act;
Petroleum Act;
Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act;
Plant Disease Control Act;
Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Act;
Public Health Act;
Therapeutic Goods and Cosmetics Act;
Poison and Dangerous Drugs Regulations;
Public Health (Barbers’ Shops) Regulations;
Public Health (Cervical Cytology Register) Regulations;
Public Health (General Sanitation, Mosquito Prevention, Rat Exclusion and Prevention) Regulations;
Public Health (Medical and Dental Inspection of School Children) Regulations;
Public Health (Night-soil, Garbage, Cesspits, Wells and Water) Regulations;
Public Health (Noxious Trades) Regulations;
Public Health (Nuisance Prevention) Regulations; and
Public Health (Shops, Boarding Houses, Hostels and Hotels) Regulations.
The Mental Health and Related Services Act, the Petroleum Act and the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act are not included because the offence provisions need further consideration and redrafting. They will be included in the next penalties amendment bill.
This bill also makes a number of minor amendments of a statute law revision nature, including inserting the words ‘maximum penalty’ into further provisions; and including penalties at the end of each subsection or clarifying to which subsections the penalty applies in an offence provision.
This bill provides for the conversion of penalties in three Department of Children and Families acts and regulations; five Department of Health acts; and 13 Department of Resources’ acts and regulations. All remaining Northern Territory acts are expected to be reviewed by mid-2011.
I note this approach to bringing in penalty units does not solve all penalty-related problems. For example, it does not fix differentials across the statute book concerning like offences. Differences in specific offences will be individually reviewed.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members and I table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT AND MANAGEMENT AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 146)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Dr BURNS (Public Employment): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
A well-resourced public sector operating within the framework of the contemporary legislation is an essential element of effective government. Our public servants deliver services to Territorians across a broad range of vital sectors such as education, health, planning and infrastructure. Their work is valued and they deserve our support.
The Public Sector Employment and Management Act provides for the regulation and management of agencies established for government or public purposes. The bill before the Assembly will ensure that the act continues to meet the needs of the public sector in the 21st century. It provides flexibility, simplicity and certainty in responsibility and accountability. The review of the act forms a major part of the Northern Territory Public Sector Reform and Revitalisation package.
Other components of the package include a range of initiatives to attract, retain and develop staff, such as wages policy and workplace agreement negotiations; development of a workplace planning framework; introduction of staff surveys; and implementation of an executive leadership development strategy. These initiatives complement the review of the act and, taken together, constitute a significant public sector reform agenda.
The act was reviewed in 2009 by an independent review committee comprising Mr Ken Simpson, Commissioner for Public Employment; Mr Barry Chambers, former NTPS Chief Executive; and Ms Naomi Porrovecchio, former Regional Director of the CPSU. Submissions were invited from key stakeholders including public sector agencies, employees, employee associations and unions. Forty-five submissions were received in response. Developments in public sector legislation in other jurisdictions also informed the deliberations of the review committee. Broadly speaking, the key recommendations of the review committee were as follows:
the act should be principles-based with the detail and process left to the subordinate legislation;
The principles of efficiency, accountability, merit and natural justice underpin the provisions of the bill.
Concurrent with the review of the act, a review of the regulations, by-laws and employment instructions has also been undertaken in consultation with agencies, employee associations and unions. These will become operational following the commencement of the amendments to the act.
I turn now to some key provisions of the bill. The bill includes provisions which enumerate the objects of the act including:
to enable the public sector to operate in a manner expected under a Westminster system of government;
to legislate for the administration of the public sector and the management and employment of its employees;
to provide for the obligations and rights of employees; and
to promote fairness and equality of employment in the public sector.
The bill also sets out general principles relating to the public sector in relation to administration and management; human resource management; merit; equal employment opportunity, and performance and conduct. I am sure members will agree that these principles are fundamental to an effective and equitable public sector.
The principles formerly contained in the regulations will now be contained in the act, consistent with their importance to the overall performance of the public service. They have also been enhanced to include modern public sector concepts of collaboration, responsiveness and innovation. Importantly, the definition of merit has been broadened to allow consideration of the value a person’s background would bring to the workplace when assessing their suitability for employment. This initiative will facilitate employment for persons from diverse backgrounds under equal opportunity provisions. The overall objective of this provision is to ensure the makeup of the public sector better reflects the diversity of the community and results in a better level of service to the community.
The bill also includes a new provision which clarifies the relationship between the public sector employment act and the Public Interest Disclosure Act. This will ensure matters referred from the Commissioner for Public Interest Disclosures to the Commissioner for Public Employment are properly investigated and dealt with. The bill also expands the commissioner’s reporting responsibilities to include outcomes in relation to the human resource management principle and the performance and conduct principle. It is envisaged these measures will contribute to improved management and performance in the public sector. Members will be aware that, in the interests of accountability and transparency, the commissioner’s report is tabled in this Assembly.
New provisions have also been included in the bill to clarify the role of the Chief Minister with respect to the appointment and termination of chief executives. The bill includes provisions to clarify the function of chief executives with a focus on management and strategic leadership in their agencies. It will be a requirement of the act that the chief executive officers must exercise these functions in a way which is responsive to government policies and priorities, upholds the public sector principles, and complies with all applicable employment laws. The bill also provides that chief executive officers are responsible for devising and implementing employee performance management and development systems for their agencies. These provisions will enhance performance and accountability generally in the public sector. Under the bill, chief executive officers will be required to report on the extent to which all of the public sector principles have been upheld in their agencies. This provision will also support employee performance as well as ensuring the fair and equitable treatment of employees.
The bill will allow for agencies to develop ‘special measures’ programs, plans or arrangements designed to promote equality of opportunity for persons from diverse backgrounds. The ability to take special measures has been available to public sector employees in the NT for many years through the Anti-Discrimination Act. The use of special measures will enable the public sector to better reflect the diversity of the community it serves and result in improved services to the community.
I now move to other important features of the bill. Provisions in relation to multiple employment arrangements make it clear a person is able to enter into more than one concurrent employment contract in the public sector. For example, an employee may be employed under one employment arrangement as a part-time teacher working for the Department of Education and Training and under another employment arrangement working on the weekend as a casual librarian with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services during the same period.
Another initiative in the bill will allow a chief executive officer to enter into a secondment arrangement with an authority or employer not an agency for the purposes of this act. The amendment is to rectify an anomaly which allowed a chief executive officer to only enter into a secondment arrangement for an employee to work for an employer outside the public sector. The provision will facilitate the secondment of external employees into the Northern Territory Public Service if it is in the public interest for such an arrangement to occur.
The bill also includes a range of provisions to streamline, accelerate and simplify processes in relation to matters such as disciplinary procedures, probation appeals, suspensions and inability.
I thank employees, agencies, unions and employee associations who made submissions to the review of the act. I also thank members of the review committee, Mr Ken Simpson, Mr Barry Chambers and Ms Naomi Porrovecchio for their contributions to the review.
Madam Speaker, I am confident the measures contained in this bill will contribute to an efficient, effective, client-focused public sector delivering quality services to the people of the Northern Territory. I commend this bill to honourable members and table the explanatory statement accompanying this bill.
Debate adjourned.
CRIMINAL CODE AMENDMENT (CRIMINAL DAMAGE) BILL
(Serial 141)
(Serial 141)
Continued from 1 December 2010.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I suspect I will not be on my feet for long. This bill attempts to capture the thrust of the Model Criminal Code, a course a former Attorney-General, Peter Toyne, set the Northern Territory on. The Northern Territory was one of the original jurisdictions to introduce a criminal code. Queensland had one before us; maybe one or two other jurisdictions. On 1 January 1984, if memory serves me, the Criminal Code Act became law in the Northern Territory. Prior to that time crimes acts were in place which largely reflected the common law points of proof when it came to matters of homicide or whatever else. Indeed, jurisdictions like New South Wales still rely on a crimes act rather than a criminal code.
In pursuit of the national criminal code structure the Northern Territory has accepted a retreat from the idea of total codification, and the excuse provisions in our current Criminal Code as they currently exist are more reflective of the crimes act approach than the original Criminal Code when it was passed in 1984. They strictly read down the excuse provisions which were well described within the Criminal Code of the time. This is part of the process to capture the Model Criminal Code which Peter Toyne committed us to.
Inasmuch as this bill attends to matters dealing with criminal damage particularly, it also encapsulates other forms of damage extending from criminal damage, including arson and sabotage. None of that particularly offends this side of the House, and we make no major observations in relation to this. Suffice to say it will be more convenient, in some respects, for the legal profession which has become more mobile in recent decades. With the pursuit of uniform types of legislation we see this bill being pursued to that end.
I have no major issue with uniform legislation, Model Criminal Codes, etcetera, suffice to make the observation that when this jurisdiction commits itself to that path it does so with the caveat of looking after the interests of this jurisdiction before the interests of national arrangement.
There are a number of national arrangements arising out of COAG, particularly where we have agreed to legislative frameworks which are national models - one is listed on the Notice Paper for discussion in the next few days. National uniform evidence law is an example the government has signalled it will be looking at in the future. I have no major problem dealing with or acquiescing to such things. However, the caveat must always be it should not be at the expense of the jurisdiction if that jurisdiction determines to maintain legislation which, whilst not consistent with other jurisdictions, is beneficial to the people and good governance of the Northern Territory.
There are one or two minor issues in relation to matters of property and damaging property which is intangible. Until now, the definition of ‘property’ within the Criminal Code has contemplated the idea of intangible property. For members who are unfamiliar with this, intangible property is property which is not of a physical nature. Software stored on a memory stick may have its own intrinsic value but is nothing more tangible than some electrons stored on that memory stick. This amendment will have the effect of changing that because intangible property will not be capable of being damaged. If a person has 10 years of work stored on a memory stick – or perhaps a computer hard drive - and that property is destroyed, as a result of this legislation the intangible component will no longer be capable of being destroyed and will be referred back to the civil court to deal with damages arising out of a loss.
I expressed concern about this during the briefing on this legislation. I was quoted, chapter and verse, the difficulty of pursuing the matter of intangible property. Literally, the text book on the Model Criminal Code turns its mind to this issue and determines it would be too complicated to deal with in a criminal justice approach. Consequently, if someone has stored on a memory stick, computer hard drive or whatever, property of a intangible nature and valuable, they will not gain comfort under this legislation by way of a criminal prosecution for damage to that property; they will have to go to the civil court for recovery of damages.
This is a real change in law because it changes what you can be charged with in relation to damaging a computer or memory stick. I flag that concern because, whilst I understand drafters of the Model Criminal Code decided it was too complicated, it has, historically in the Northern Territory, not created any complications. I do not know of any instance where a charge has arisen out of damage to intangible property - the complication may not have occurred. However, I would not argue against the passage of this bill based on that one issue.
Other than that, the bill captures the Model Criminal Code and deals with issues of sabotage and arson. Perhaps the reason this part of the Model Criminal Code was advanced before any other is because there is a bill on the Notice Paper which applies the offence of arson to setting fire to a vehicle, something not currently contemplated by the Criminal Code but by these amendments. It is not a coincidence that the Attorney-General has deemed fit to advance this part of the Model Criminal Code first. It is more likely to be a response to the pressure felt as a result of the bill before this House at the moment developed by one of my predecessors in relation to the arson of motor vehicles.
With those observations I leave this matter for debate. I thank the Attorney-General for bringing this bill to the House and responding to the desire of members on this side to make the deliberate setting on fire of a vehicle an act of arson. This bill captures that and, as a result, the opposition bill which has been on the Notice Paper for some time will ultimately be withdrawn.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Deputy Speaker, the arson of cars is a serious criminal offence and I believe this bill is important for two reasons: (1), it addresses the serious law and order problem we currently have in the NT - car theft; and (2), the wanton and malicious damage to stolen cars by torching.
The theft and deliberate burning of vehicles produces a significant financial burden to the community, law enforcement agencies, Emergency Services and the insurance industry. Moreover, it places a burden on the person or family who has had their car stolen and subsequently burnt. Arson - whether it is a deliberately lit bushfire or setting fire to a car - is an extremely easy crime to commit; it does not require much skill to light a fire. A relatively small fire can quickly become big if it is not brought under control quickly. Arson differs from other crimes in that it is not always immediately obvious a crime has occurred - despite the assumption a burnt car is deliberate, that is not always the case. Investigating the burning of vehicles is difficult as the fire frequently destroys evidence that it was stolen and deliberately lit.
In other states, cars are burnt for insurance reasons. Most, if not all, in the NT are related to theft, joy riding and destruction by burning. Why do criminals do it? Yes, evidence is destroyed, but there are other reasons. Setting fire to something requires no skill at all - even an idiot can light a match and stick it under a pile of paper in a car. Most of us have had experience with fire in our lives, whether through camping, log fires, or heated houses. My research suggests fire represents power and protest and has done so throughout history. Deliberate lighting of bushland and/or vehicles is not something peculiar to Australia or the NT.
The definition of arson will help people understand this bill. DeHaan, John D Kirk’s Fire Investigations describes arson as:
- … the intentional setting of fire with the intent to damage or defraud.
His books are the bibles of fire investigation. It is clear what arson is; however, it does not cover the intentional setting of fire with intent to damage or defraud in relation to motor vehicles.
Arson is covered by the section 239 of the Criminal Code and identifies the unlawful setting of fire to other modes of transport, yet does not include a vehicle. Section 239 says:
- Any person who unlawfully sets fire to:
(c) a stack of cultivated vegetable produce, or a stack, tank, storage or collection of mineral or vegetable fuel;
(d) a mine or the workings, fittings or appliances of a mine; or
(e) an aircraft,
- is guilty of a crime and is liable to imprisonment for life.
I will highlight some statistics for the Territory which shows the extent of torching cars in our community. From July 2005 to date, the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service responded to 926 vehicle fires within the major urban areas of the Northern Territory. At a conservative value of $10 000 per vehicle, the loss to the NT community is over $9m. Vehicle fires can be treated as accidental or unlawful damage. For the vast majority of vehicle fires investigated by the fire service, the cause was established as unlawful damage, usually in an attempt to cover up forensic evidence of theft.
I will highlight the impact a stolen and burnt car can have on a family’s life, and the fact this should be viewed as a serious crime. I spoke with a friend who worked in the mines in the Northern Territory and is now a safety advisor in the oil industry in Victoria. He told me his brother recently had his car stolen from Dandenong Railway Station in Victoria. The person, George, and his wife and children travelled to Melbourne for the day to watch a football game, or have a family outing. Because of the difficulties getting parking in Melbourne, and the high cost, they left the family car at Dandenong Railway Station and caught the train to Melbourne, where public transport is very good. The trip into the city takes about 30 minutes and is reasonably reliable. My friend said that they spent the day in the city and had a great time. On returning to the railway station they found their car had been stolen. Police advised the family this was a common problem at the station - they were receiving calls every second day regarding car theft. I am sure the same occurs at other stations as people commute to work by train daily. This raises issues regarding the proposed park-and-drive being set up in the rural area. Police took the required details and the man and his family returned home. In the following weeks he was forced to ask friends and family to take his children to school, take them food shopping, cancel planned day trips, be taken to work and, in general, suffered because someone had stolen their car. My friend convinced his brother to use one of his cars in an effort to help. The police found his car a few weeks later – it had been torched and was a write-off.
It is one thing to steal a car; it is even worse to set fire to it - the inconvenience it causes is terrible. My friend’s family life was disrupted and inconvenienced by some fool who thought they had the right to steal the car. If the culprit were caught they would only receive a smack on the hand or told not to do it again - be a good person.
We know the punishment does not fit the crime. With amendments to this legislation the punishment will fit the crime. The person who steals cars is the same as one who burgles a house or punches an old lady to steal her money. They look for soft targets. Should the penalties be higher? Yes, much higher. Offenders should compensate for the wanton theft and disruption stealing and torching of cars causes.
That was the sentiment of my friend’s family. Understandably, they were outraged and angry - justifiably so. This legislation is long overdue. I hope the government signals this clearly to the Northern Territory community and those who believe it is their God-given right to steal property and damage it. The impact on the victim is severe; the impact across the community is also severe.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I support this bill. I thank the minister for the briefings I received from the department. Some of the terminology can be difficult to understand - I now have a better understanding of why we need lawyers. In some sections of the bill a person is guilty of a crime, later they are guilty of an offence, later guilty of a crime, and later convicted of the offence. There is a range of terminology in the bill which makes it difficult for a lay person like me to understand. Departmental staff explained why it was written in such a manner.
There are some important matters in the bill. The member for Port Darwin said the government has taken up the opposition’s concept of arson, especially where a vehicle, trailer, or boat, etcetera, is burnt. It is good the government has recognised it. That, in many ways, is the role of the opposition. I have introduced bills in previous sittings; I had to wait a long time for them to come back. However, they came back in another form and with a minister’s name. I slowly understood my role was to promote good changes to legislation. I did not have the knowledge or backing of a department to see if what I was putting forward coincided or conflicted with existing legislation. It is good that the government has taken up an issue the opposition put forward.
I am concerned with the amount of arson, especially the number of vehicles being burnt. The member for Goyder mentioned around 900. One only has to travel around the rural area to see practical examples of burnt-out cars.
I was looking at some slightly damp blocks, as the real estate people would say, on the weekend. I would call them more than damp, perhaps a home for Burdekin ducks. I noticed burnt-out cars I had not seen before. It is common in the rural area to find people have driven cars from Palmerston and Darwin, dumped them in the rural area, and burnt them. I agree with the member for Goyder that this can be a very traumatic occasion for people who rely on a car. It might only be a car worth a few thousand dollars. It might be that person’s only means of getting to work. They may not have comprehensive insurance because they cannot afford it or the car is not worth it. They are then out of luck getting to work, especially if they are shift workers where public transport may not be available. I hope, when magistrates convict people for this crime, they take into account the cost of the vehicle. More importantly, they should take into account the effect it has on the owner of the vehicle. It is a worthwhile amendment to the Criminal Code.
One could argue arson and bushfires are the same. By bringing it in as a separate amendment you are recognising bushfires have caused much loss of life and property throughout Australia and arson is an offence which requires a serious penalty. Recently there was an incident in Perth where a large number of houses were destroyed by a person using an angle grinder on a day of total fire ban. Clause 244(1)(a) and (b) in the bill would cover that. I would like to know if the Perth incident would be covered by the changes to the Criminal Code put forward today.
I have a question in relation to sabotage. The second reading more or less relates this to terrorism. It said:
- By introducing a new offence of sabotage, the bill also fills a gap identified in Australian domestic law in relation to acts of terrorism.
It went on to say:
- The offences of sabotage and threatened sabotage are directed at terrorists and others who attempt or threaten to destroy public facilities, infrastructure, government offices, or services.
It is good these amendments have been brought forward. I have heard much about amendments to the Criminal Code. Ten years on, we are still amending it. People tell me it is a big job; I am starting to think it is nearly as big as Lawrence of Arabia. This is a big job; a cinemascope version of amendments. Perhaps the Attorney-General could tell us, percentage wise, where we are with the amendment of the Criminal Code. Is there light at the end of the tunnel, or will this continue for many years to come?
Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the bill. It makes some important changes, and I thank the government for taking up the opposition changes put forward in relation to arson.
Ms LAWRIE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the members for Port Darwin, Goyder and Nelson for their contribution to debate and support of this legislation. It was quite some time ago that Cabinet made the decision to introduce this aspect of the Model Criminal Code legislation in regard to criminal damage. We always intended picking up the provisions currently contained within the opposition’s proposed legislation.
I have made it very clear I expedited the introduction of this legislation because of the tragedy of the house fire in Leanyer in which we saw a little boy lose his life. There has since been another house fire tragedy. There is no coincidence in regard to the timing of this legislation. We have had this on our legislative agenda for quite some time and I expedited its introduction as a result of the government’s concerns with the tragic house fires in Leanyer.
This bill modernises the law of criminal damage by bringing it into the 21st century, in relation to the crimes of arson and criminal damage, and introduces a new offence of sabotage in response to modern trends in criminal threats. In relation to the definition of terrorism and the question of sabotage from the member for Nelson, a person commits a crime of sabotage if they commit a property damage offence and, thereby, cause damage to a public facility with the intention of causing - it operates on the basis of the intention, therefore a description of terrorism is not required in this legislation - the following results: major disruption to government functions, major disruption to the use of services by the public; or major economic loss.
The example of a disgruntled person and a particular office building would not necessarily meet the definition of intention. The offence requires damage to a public facility, which is broadly defined. It includes both privately- and publicly-owned facilities such as a government facility; a public infrastructure facility for the provision of water, sewerage, energy, fuel, communication or other services; public information systems; public transport facilities, including facilities used to transport people or goods; or a public place, including any premises, land or water open to the public. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
We believe there was a gap in the law between criminal damage - which can be anything from graffiti to damaging a vehicle – and terrorism, which involves using violence to interfere with the government for the purpose of putting the public in fear. There is no property damage offence with a penalty of the appropriate severity for persons who damage or destroy public facilities including the Territory’s critical infrastructure, but whose offending does not fall within the ambit of the offence of organised terrorism.
The new offence of sabotage is designed to capture criminal behaviour which poses a very serious threat to public facilities, and to emphasise the gravity of the danger sabotage represents. Department of Justice officers consulted with the Department of Chief Minister’s Security and Emergency division, who welcomed the new offence to protect the Territory’s critical infrastructure. Following passage of this legislation, managers of critical infrastructure will be provided with information with respect to the new offence via the critical infrastructure forum. I sit on the Ministerial Council for Energy. This has been a topic for significant and considerable consideration by ministers at the Ministerial Energy Council. There is recognition of the threat sabotage poses to critical infrastructure such as energy systems. I am pleased to see we are working to pick up the gap and introduce it into the legislation we anticipate passing today, with the bipartisan support of this Chamber.
Regarding the legislation more broadly, the purpose of the bill is to reform the criminal damages offences in Part VII, Division 6 of the Criminal Code. We are repealing some of the discrete criminal damage-type offences which deal with specific property such as the offences of casting away ships or damaging signals, and replacing them with a single offence of causing damage to property with the definition of property encompassing a broad range of property. You have heard the member for Goyder talk about the support she has for the introduction of motor vehicles.
We are introducing a modern crime of sabotage to fill the gap in the law between offences of criminal damage and terrorism, and modernise offences which will be retained under Part VII Division 6 of the Criminal Code including arson, endangering the operation of an aircraft, obstructing runways, and leaving explosives at a place. The new provisions closely follow most of Chapter 4 of the Model Criminal Code prepared by the Model Criminal Code Offenders Committee under the auspices of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General.
As Attorney-General of the Northern Territory, it is my view that government not embark on the wholesale introduction of legislation arising out of the Model Criminal Code. Carefully, I am picking through elements of the Criminal Code, making a decision in the best interests of the Northern Territory and the operation of law in the Northern Territory for the benefit of Territorians, before any decision is made by me as Attorney-General, as to its introduction.
That may be evident by the fact I have not been bringing tranches of the Model Criminal Code before the Chamber. I have been carefully assessing which aspects of the provisions within the Model Criminal Code suit the needs of Territorians. I happily put on the record, as the current Attorney-General, that is the way I proceed. Whilst we have fully participated in all the SCAG processes, all the committee processes - and I know the good work done by the former Attorney-General, Peter Toyne, in relation to homicide - we will proceed carefully before adopting any elements of the Model Criminal Code ensuring we understand what is in the best interests of the Northern Territory and what suits our needs. In some instances, we may introduce the Model Criminal Code with some changes if there are elements within a section which do not meet our needs in the Territory.
In relation to the offence of causing bushfires, in 2009 we chose to move swiftly to change legislation. We changed the words ‘intends to cause’ to ‘intentionally cause’ fire to make it consistent with the style and language adopted in other new offences.
Regarding the query on Western Australia, I am advised if the act is not reckless or intentional it is not a crime. Whether the man’s use of an angle grinder was an offence depends on whether the act was intentional or reckless. I am advised it could have been reckless if he was aware of a substantial risk and proceeded to act when it was unjustified to do so. Media has reported the man in question was charged with an offence related to undertaking the activity when a fire ban was in place. That is my advice regarding the tragic circumstances in Western Australia where an upstanding member of the community, a police officer, used an angle grinder during a fire ban day; we saw the property destruction as a result. In 2009, the Territory moved quickly to modernise our bushfires offences as a result of the catastrophic Victorian bushfires.
This legislation repeals a number of discrete property damage-type offences defined by the nature of the type of property. This includes the current criminal damage offence in section 251 of the Criminal Code, the penalty for which depends on the value or type of property involved in the offending. That offence will be replaced with ‘causing damage to property offence’, the new section 241, with property broadly defined to include all forms of property except intangible property.
I turn to the query from the member for Port Darwin about intangible property. The current definition of property in section 1 of the Criminal Code we are changing includes everything animate and inanimate, including both intangible and tangible property. This definition currently applies to the entire Criminal Code. Intangible property is something a person can own but which does not have physical property such as a right to exploit something, an easement, a lease, or a share in a company. Essentially, the criminal damage provisions in the new Part VII Division 6 of the Criminal Code are designed to cover physical destruction and damage of property. It could be argued changing the definition of property to exclude intangible property will narrow the scope of the offence of criminal damage compared to the current state of the law.
For example, a minerals title under the yet to be commenced Minerals Title Act will now not be protected by the new offence but could have been under the current offence and the definition of property. It is doubtful the current Criminal Code offence was ever intended to extend to interference with intangible property because there is only one definition of property in the Criminal Code in section 1. It is a definition of general application applying to the whole Criminal Code. The current definition of damage in Part 1 Division 1 includes ‘destroys, and with respect to a document obliterating or rendering illegible’, which describes actions that can be done to physical things.
The subject matter of the current criminal damage offence suggests application to tangible property not intangible. For example, it covers ships, motor vehicles and testamentary instruments. The other specific offences in this division relate to specific types of physical property and not intangible property, and it is not necessarily the case that the rights under the Minerals Titles Act would be intangible forms of property. The Model Criminal Code Officers Committee considered whether the definition of property should extend to intangible property and rejected it, stating in their report:
- Extension of the offence of criminal damage to include impairment of rights of ownership would result in an alarming and incalculable extension of criminal liability in areas currently regulated by the civil law. Where impairment of rights to tangible property is concerned, we currently rely on the law of theft, fraud, copyright infringement and the like ..
The law of criminal damage is an exceedingly blunt instrument by comparison.
Damaging intangible property would be very difficult to prove and would often be unnecessary because the damage would have occurred due to some damage to a physical property. Rights under civil law or specific offences such as a breach of copyright, fraud, or offences such as interference with a right to exploit a licence under the Minerals Titles Act, are more appropriate to cover the criminal behaviour in relation to intangible property.
In Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT, intangible property is specifically excluded from the definition of property for the purpose of the law of criminal damage, although it is noted in the ACT the crime of arson is only committed by setting fire to specific types of tangible property along the lines of the Model Criminal Code provision. In New South Wales and Victoria, arson is committed by causing damage by fire to any property belonging to another person. In the South Australian Criminal Law Consolidation Act the definition of property for the whole of that act includes intangible property. Arson, however, is made out by setting fire to specific forms of tangible property, namely buildings and motor vehicles. Similarly, Queensland’s Criminal Code provides a definition of property which applies to the whole code and includes intangible property. Again, arson is made out by setting fire to specific forms of tangible property namely buildings, trains, aircraft, vessels, stacks of cultivated vegetable produce, minerals or vegetable fuels, or a motor vehicle. Tasmania and Western Australia define property as things which are animate or inanimate, in other words tangible property.
That is a comprehensive explanation of why intangible has not been included, although I thank the member for Port Darwin for his consideration of the matter and his questioning at both the briefing and in the Chamber today.
I thank members of the Department of Justice for responding to my request to expedite the drafting of legislation in relation to introducing a broader and more modern range of criminal damage, particularly in relation to arson. I note this, essentially, makes redundant the opposition legislation. However, I state again this government decided long before the opposition introduced their legislation to introduce the Model Criminal Code provisions in relation to property damage and arson. Essentially, the tragedies as a result of house fires in Leanyer meant that, as Attorney-General, I asked for that work to be expedited and brought before the House as soon as possible. That is the process which occurred.
We should not be playing politics with this - tragedies have occurred in our community. It was time to modernise our legislation to cover a range of property in arson. My thoughts go to the families dealing with the tragedy of arson. I thank the member for Goyder for talking about the personal experience of her friends with the arson of a motor vehicle in Victoria, and how that affected their lives. There is a reasonable intolerance in our community to arson as a result of theft of a motor vehicle to joy ride and the ultimate torching of that motor vehicle. That is unacceptable. Equally, there is horror in our community at the effect arson is having on not only property damage, but the threat to life and, ultimately, the tragedy of loss of life. Therefore, it is good today to have bipartisan support in this Chamber to the modernising of the legislative instrument.
Madam Speaker, I commend the bill to honourable members.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Ms LAWRIE (Justice and Attorney-General) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to; bill read a third time.
INFORMATION AMENDMENT BILL
(Serial 143)
(Serial 143)
Continued from 2 December 2010.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, I respond from this side of the House in relation to this bill. I will not go through this bill chapter and verse; it is not required we do so, although I have several observations.
I note from the second reading speech the primary function of this bill is to deal with the sharing of information kept by government which is captured by the IPPs or Information Privacy Principles. The government explains this as having a negative effect on the census process. It has the capacity to limit the effectiveness of the Australian Census, and we have no problem with that approach. However, in the later parts of the bill, the government made the following observations:
- The bill also incorporates an amendment to cover a minor issue raised in the report of the Board of Inquiry into the Child Protection System released on the 19 October 2010. The rest of the issues raised and recommendations made in the report regarding information sharing will need to be given further thorough consideration to ensure any amendments do not result in unintended consequences. Substantial discussions with relevant agency divisions are required to ensure that any amendments to legislation properly address the issues and provide a framework which is useful. It is important that hasty amendments are not made to legislation.
I agree with the Attorney-General’s position on that. However, as the Attorney-General indicated in her second reading speech, it does not go anywhere near those issues raised in Chapter 11 of the Growing them strong, together report - what I presume she was referring to - which deals with the communication and dual pathways for information flowing between departments in relation to protecting the children in our community.
I seek, in the Attorney-General’s response, a reassurance that the amendments described by the Growing them strong, together report will not be pointed to as being dealt with by the passage of today’s legislation. Whilst she indicated that in the second reading speech I would like it reiterated, bearing in mind the government promised, when dealing with the Growing them strong, together report, it would introduce the required legislative amendments to the 147 recommendations as a package. This goes outside that promise. However, I accept, on face value and trust, the Attorney-General’s judgment in making these amendments today outside a global package, as long as this is not the global package when it comes to the sharing of information with a view to protecting children.
The bill deals with the issues described in the second reading speech by the Attorney-General and it would be sensible to support such legislation. The Census count has a direct effect on the finances of the Northern Territory, and if we are, by way of stringent restraint of information, preventing an accurate count of our population, that should be changed. The Attorney-General, and the legislation, assures us information shared for those purposes will not expose the sharing of a private individuals’ information to public scrutiny. I take comfort from the bill, and the Attorney-General, that that component has been considered.
The bill is straightforward in its intent and, whilst this government has been cavalier with people’s private information in the past - our Lord Mayor of recent experience - we accept the intent. I take this opportunity to remind employees on the fifth floor that they are not exempt from the provisions of the Criminal Code when it comes to dealing with information they receive, and hope we do not have the unedifying experience of reading more NT News articles by Matt Cunningham about the enthusiasm by which that information was to be shared with the media.
The Chief Minister has denied being briefed on the raid on the mayor’s house. I find that difficult to imagine because flash briefs come up from departments all the time and they refer to prosecutions of high-profile individuals. Government has historically been briefed by senior public servants and police officers when prosecutions were to occur. The knowledge the government provides to fifth floor staff, and exposure of people like Warren Anderson in the past, demonstrates this government’s predisposition to use information it becomes aware of in a cavalier and reckless fashion, and if the circumstances described by Matt Cunningham are to be believed, in a malicious fashion.
The privacy principles outlined in the Information Act, and the provisions of the Criminal Code dealing with the possession of information, do not restrict themselves to whether records of interview, or other police information has been made available to journalists - they are far more sweeping than that. The Chief Minister’s defence on that issue does not provide a shield for his staff. If staff are engaging in gossip, which is what the Chief Minister expects this House to accept, obtained outside the public service, that is, at very best, highly unprofessional. If there was no flash brief I suspect some communication between the Police department and fifth floor staff, who then engaged in the ring around - if Mr Cunningham is to be believed - which would potentially qualify as a breach of the provisions of the Criminal Code and, quite possibly, in relation to the Information Act. I hope the privacy principles to which the Information Act and the Information Commissioner subscribe are also considered by staff on the fifth floor.
The insistence by the Chief Minister that this material was not authorised means those people who passed it on could find themselves on the wrong side of the law. The only way that material could have been authorised for release is by a person of ministerial rank. No media release goes out in my name unless I have read and checked it; I am sure it is the same on the fifth floor. I will not authorise communications by my electorate officer or staff of the Leader of the Opposition’s office in my name until I have authorised it.
I struggle to find it comprehensible that the Chief Minister’s office was not advised of the raid on the Lord Mayor’s house, and that information had been passed on, either unlawfully by fifth floor staff, or with the authorisation of a minister, ministers or, possibly, the Chief Minister.
The Chief Minister and ministers of the Crown come into information from time to time by virtue of their job; information they need to know what is going on. In the past, high-profile prosecutions have been the subject of flash briefs to the minister on several occasions. On 18 June 2004, such a briefing was given by the Police Commissioner to the Police minister at the time, the now Chief Minister, as well as the Attorney-General, and present at that …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I have let the member for Port Darwin wander far and wide in his flights of fancy. This is information sharing to facilitate the best possible result from the Census for the Northern Territory. This affects our GST, and picks up one small component of the recommendations arising from the Growing them strong, together report. He is on a flight of fancy which has no relevance to legislation before the House.
Madam SPEAKER: Minister, it is not a point of order. Please direct your comments to the legislation, member for Port Darwin.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I am talking to the Information Act, an act this government has a history of not showing adherence to in the same way it expects other people to, and I am constructing that argument.
Ms Lawrie. Not true. It is of no relevance to this bill whatsoever.
Mr ELFERINK: It is thoroughly relevant.
Ms Lawrie: Do not mislead the House.
Madam SPEAKER: Direct your comments through the Chair please, member for Port Darwin.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I ask that the minister withdraw her last comment.
Madam SPEAKER: I did not hear it.
Mr ELFERINK: In relation to the allegation I am misleading the House. I am not.
Ms Lawrie: I said do not mislead the House.
Madam SPEAKER: Can we all settle down. Member for Port Darwin, direct your comments through the Chair and keep to the bill, please.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I am keeping to the bill and demonstrating the principles outlined in the Information Act, and the principles referred to in the Attorney-General’s second reading speech - the ones she uses to justify the passage of this bill through the House and has made some play of referring to the Victorian approach to these issues - are principles this government should itself adhere to. I do not believe it is a large departure from matters at hand, and will continue pointing out to people that this government does not consider itself bound by the information in its possession.
Matters of great importance find their way into the possession of government and government is briefed. The Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, was briefed in June 2004 …
Ms Lawrie: As were you.
Mr ELFERINK: Not in June 2004.
Ms Lawrie: You were fully briefed.
Mr ELFERINK: I was not briefed on several other issues, and it is clear the Attorney-General knows where I am going with this. The issue I have not been able to resolve is how in June 2004, two days prior to a probable attempted suicide by Bob Collins driving his car into a tree and rolling over …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance - yet again, relevance. This is an amendment to legislation to give effect to information sharing across departments for the provision of a more accurate census. The only other provision is a recommendation picked up from the Bath inquiry. There is no relevance to the member for Port Darwin’s flights of fancy.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, I remind you of Standing Order 67 in relation to digression from the subject. There is a bill before the House, and while we have allowed you much leniency in this case could you come to the point fairly quickly.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, I am seeking to construct my argument as to how this government applies …
Ms Lawrie: You are supporting the legislation! You said you support it.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: … the principles of information to other people differently to itself. If the government does not want to hear this, if it wants to use the processes of parliament to stifle debate - we are becoming used to that. The only type of information this government is interested in getting out there is its type of information.
There were two days between …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Relevance. We are debating a bill which amends legislation to provide for the provision of information sharing in relation to the forthcoming census, and a small provision picked up from the Bath inquiry. This man is swimming around in the fancies of his mind …
Madam SPEAKER: Please refer to the member by his title, thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: … back to 2004.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, the line of argument you are using seems to be a major digression. Could you please come to the point quickly and move to the bill?
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, there were two days between when the government was briefed and a suicide - a matter which had been investigated for months and nothing leaked. All of a sudden, two days later, there was a …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Madam SPEAKER: I will allow it for a few minutes. Member for Port Darwin, can you please come to the bill quickly, because this is totally irrelevant.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I have not been allowed an opportunity because of persistent interjections by the Attorney-General.
Ms Lawrie: Because you are not speaking to this legislation.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! I will allow the member to continue and am sure he is going to come to the point quickly.
Mr ELFERINK: There were two days between the time the now Chief Minister was briefed and the near-fatal motor vehicle accident of a criminal suspect. What was different that time was the Chief Minister was advised no matter what came out of it, Bob Collins was going …
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I must point out a lack of relevance to this legislation. This is information sharing in relation to various government efforts to improve the statistical information in regard to the Census, and one minor recommendation out of the Bath inquiry regarding the Information Act. The flight of fancy point the member for Port Darwin is making has no relevance to this legislation whatsoever.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you, Deputy Chief Minister.
Mr TOLLNER: Speaking to the point of order, Madam Speaker! Maybe if the shadow Attorney-General would take the time to listen to the member for Port Darwin, she might get a grip on what the …
Ms Scrymgour: Shadow? She is the Attorney-General, fool!
Mr TOLLNER: You would not know it, would you?
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr TOLLNER: If the Attorney-General would let the member for Port Darwin finish his comments, she might see whether it is relevant or not …
Ms Lawrie: It is not relevant, we already know that.
Mr TOLLNER: … this constant interjecting is an effort to put the member off his game.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, resume your seat. Member for Port Darwin, it is an extreme digression - Standing Order 67. However, if you come to the point quickly I will allow you to continue for a short period of time, otherwise I will ask you to resume your seat.
Mr ELFERINK: The only thing I am asking, Madam Speaker, is ...
Madam SPEAKER: Continue, thank you, member for Port Darwin, quickly.
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, two days between the time this government was advised no matter what happens, Bob Collins was to be charged with sexual offences …
Ms Lawrie: You have been down in this gutter too many times, Elferink, and are wrong!
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr ELFERINK: … and the date of the car accident - the first, what I and other people suspect, attempted suicide ...
Ms LAWRIE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Again, I go to relevance. He is digressing. This has nothing to do with the bill.
Mr Tollner: Gag girl; she is at it again.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fong Lim, I ask you to withdraw that comment, thank you.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, she is trying to gag debate.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, please withdraw that comment, thank you.
Mr TOLLNER: Madam Speaker, this is an effort to gag debate.
Madam SPEAKER: Withdraw the comment, member for Fong Lim!
Mr TOLLNER: I withdraw.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Deputy Chief Minister, I have already indicated we will allow the member to speak for a short period of time. If he does not come to the point very soon, I will ask him to sit down.
Ms Lawrie: He has not.
Madam SPEAKER: Deputy Chief Minister, resume your seat. Member for Port Darwin, I do not want to hear that preamble again, thank you; I have heard it five times. Come to the point or I will ask you to resume your seat.
Mr ELFERINK: The point is there are still questions hanging …
Ms Lawrie: No there are not, only in your mind.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: … in space as to how this government deals with information. This government deals with information to its own end. We have bills before this House; we have legislation in place where this government has placed a burden on the people of the Northern Territory, and its public servants, to deal with information in a specific way.
I am attempting to demonstrate there is one rule for Territorians and another rule for the government in dealing with information. Shock, horror, should you ask some difficult questions about those issues! If you do, you will be constantly interrupted. If you are a journalist and have received information from a police officer, both will have a thorough investigation conducted against them. However, if you are from the fifth floor or a minister of the Crown, the way you are held to account in dealing with information is fundamentally different …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr ELFERINK: Madam Speaker, that is my concern. I make no allegation regarding what happened in 2004; suffice to draw a link between the two-day space when this government was told what was happening with Bob Collins and the first suicide attempt. Two days, despite the fact the investigation had gone on for months. Why has this government avoided any scrutiny in relation to this and the character assassination from the fifth floor? This government is prepared to abuse information which comes into its possession rather than apply the same principles the Attorney-General referred to in her second reading speech.
Ms LAWRIE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Speaker, the member for Port Darwin never ceases to amaze me with weird flights of fancy and conspiracies …
Mr Tollner: You have the whine going …
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fong Lim!
Ms LAWRIE: … going on in his mind and how he finds any opportunity to draw a weird long bow to legislation before the House that has no relevance to his flights of fancy. It is quite extraordinary.
He says the opposition supports this legislation, understands why it is occurring, and sees the Northern Territory has a stake in improving the GST revenue because it makes sense for improved information sharing in relation to the Census in August this year. He also felt comforted by the second reading speech regarding provisions picked up in this legislation arising from a recommendation of the Growing them strong, together report.
He said the opposition is pleased to see the government is going ahead with provisions in relation to amending the Information Act to ensure public sector agencies can use and disclose personal information, but not publish it in a form which identifies a particular individual, for research or the compilation or analysis of statistics. We have made it clear this is to position ourselves as best we might in the lead-up to the Census to receive an estimated $75m loss in GST revenue because of the undercounting which occurs in the Territory. We are doing the smart and sensible thing any government would do - position itself well with statistical information for the upcoming 2011 Census.
Appropriately, in the formation of this legislation, I asked whether there were any aspects of the Growing them strong, together report from the Bath board of inquiry which could be picked up and brought before the Chamber to show the government’s bona fides in the implementation of the recommendations. There was no intent to have global legislation as stated by the member for Port Darwin. That would be ridiculous.
The Minister for Children and Families has introduced legislation regarding the role of the Children’s Commissioner. We do not have omnibus legislation to capture all the relevant legislative recommendations of the Bath inquiry. Distinct legislation should be progressed - this progresses one element of the recommendations. Separately, our Minister for Children and Families is bringing forward legislation regarding the role of the Children’s Commissioner, and has provided us with an introduction. There will be other legislation. There was no statement by government to bring forward global legislation. The member for Port Darwin must be referring to omnibus legislation - another flight of fancy and getting it wrong.
The member for Port Darwin said he supported this legislation and then embarked on some weird, twisted, fanciful machinations about what he would do if in a position of importance in government. No wonder he was a backbencher in the CLP government. Little wonder he has been sacked as the shadow Treasurer and today remains the laughing stock of the legal fraternity, who cannot believe what an appalling shadow Attorney-General he is. Everyone is saying: ‘Bring back Jodeen’. At least she was a competent shadow Attorney-General. The clown from Port Darwin, who redefines the definition of ‘weird’, once again displayed his lack of regard for the legislative process. He took weird flights of fanciful digression from a bill before the House and would purport to be an Attorney-General. That is a disgrace.
I will continue to point out the irrelevance of the flights of fancy of the member for Port Darwin, which, quite frankly, I find offensive. It is offensive to allege, on the public record, that any minister or any member of the government or any staff member applies a double standard in the provision of information to the public. This opposition spends its time spinning, twisting and peddling rumours and any grubby thing it can put out. He drew many inferences which were clearly wrong - to his eternal shame. Whilst he continues to be that wrong and that weird on a repetitive basis he will never be Leader of the Opposition. We know he wants to; however, he will never make it because he goes too far even for his own team.
As Attorney-General, I receive much feedback from the legal fraternity about their concern with the strange member for Port Darwin and the way he is behaving as a shadow. I said: ‘Get used to it. There is a reason he was dumped as shadow treasurer - his behaviour’.
Madam Speaker, I am glad this legislation has bipartisan support. To share information with privacy provisions intact so we are well positioned to improve our Census results is a sensible path to follow. Historically, there is an under count in the Territory and I am pleased we took the opportunity to pick up on a Growing them strong, together recommendation. I commend the legislation to the House.
Motion agreed to; bill read a second time.
Ms LAWRIE (Justice and Attorney-General) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time.
Motion agreed to, bill read a third time.
MOTION
Note Paper – Treasurer’s Mid-Year Report for 2010-11
Continued from 2 December 2010.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, the Northern Territory economy is driven, to a large degree, by government spending. Indirectly, the intervention has had some impact. Programs such as SIHIP and the BER have also added to economic activity, not only in Darwin, but in towns and the broader regions across the Territory. These initiatives are big ticket, largely federally-funded programs instigated in response to certain stimuli. One could say they are one-off spends; however, SIHIP represents ongoing spending across a number of years.
We are well and truly on the record when it comes to our views on the BER and SIHIP. The BER was the Commonwealth’s response to the global financial crisis yet, in the Territory, went for duplication rather than capacity. Schools which were the recipient of new halls, etcetera, appreciated having those new buildings added to their asset list, but the program was poorly targeted with short-term results. It did not create wealth, which has always been a concern of the conservative side. On the bright side, some of our schools had a say in what they received. Katherine South Primary School put its foot down, set aside the idea of a hall and ended up with a new preschool and after-school care facility - something it can use. Thank goodness for common sense prevailing in the mess around that program.
SIHIP remains nothing short of an expensive debacle for both levels of government delivering way less than the expectation raised when it was first announced …
Ms Scrymgour: You do not know what you are talking about.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Do you think? I pick up on the interjection from the member for Arafura. Have you been out to see the smaller houses being built, member for Arafura?
Ms Scrymgour: You have not been out there for ages.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: When this was first announced the cost was $762m, and I recall - and stand corrected if wrong - the Territory’s contribution was to be around $100m. We have already seen the cost of this exercise blow out significantly. In the first instance the second ‘I’ in SIHIP was dropped from the equation. We saw, and continue to see, money from the Territory poured into the infrastructure component. This money should have been spent on parallel programs but has been poured in to top up a very poorly planned and delivered housing program. Last year the Treasurer’s Advance was also thrown into the mix to top up SIHIP. It shows the Territory government and the government in Canberra has …
Ms Lawrie: No, it was not. TA was not used for SIHIP prop up.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Sorry?
Ms Lawrie: TA was not used for SIHIP.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Okay, I stand corrected. I have no doubt minister Macklin could put her hand on her heart and …
Ms Scrymgour: He does not know what he is talking about.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: … say she delivered what she promised; however, it will be much less and at what cost? The pundits are predicting this program will blow out to more than $1bn. I will not go into the litany of failures in this program – they have been well documented.
A pattern of behaviour is becoming abundantly clear. This government and its federal counterpart do not do infrastructure programs well. I have heard the Treasurer use the term ‘record infrastructure spend’ many times, which prompted me to look through previous budget papers to discover when this language first appeared. It appears regularly in this mid-year report. It starts on page 2, and talks about the Territory government’s ‘record capital works program’. Different language is used on page 17 where it says ‘record Territory government infrastructure program’, so on and so on.
Looking into the history around budget speeches I noticed in 2006-07, as far as I bothered to go back, then Treasurer Syd Stirling said, and I quote from Budget Paper No 1 of that year:
- Since 2001, this Labor government has invested over $2.7bn in cash in infrastructure-related works and construction jobs – an unprecedented commitment.
In 2007-08 the same type of language is used – ‘record’ and ‘unprecedented’. Under the new Treasurer, the member for Karama, in 2008-09 it said:
- … highest ever Territory infrastructure spend – a record $870m.
In 2009-10 similar words, page 4:
… record infrastructure spend of $1.3bn.
In 2010-11 - lo and behold! - page 1 of the Treasurer’s speech mentions a record $1.8bn infrastructure spend. That language is reflected in this mid-year report and across many years of budgets.
That is not to say record budget spends are not a desirable thing - quite the contrary. We would all like to see record infrastructure spending far more targeted, and to see real results. Speaking in reply to this year’s budget, I pointed out that almost half of the record infrastructure spend was carried forward from the previous year. It seems to be the order of the day from this government - between 30% and 58% of infrastructure components of budgets for 2002 and 2003 were not spent in the financial year they were announced. I understand sometimes this has to happen. However, you will not convince me it is a good idea or even necessary, except in exceptional circumstances, that 50% of the infrastructure budget is not spent, unless the Treasurer is working her way towards an enormous pre-election spend. I suspect this government is governing by election cycle. You could almost excuse that from occurring but it is not justified under present circumstances. For example, where is the $50m from the federal government to upgrade East Arm port? That money could have, and should have, been spent last year to build a covered conveyor which might have prevented the spillage of tonnes of copper oxide into Darwin Harbour.
That is one example. The opposition points out the obvious, ad nauseam, yet the government does not listen. Let us look at Engineers Australia’s Northern Territory Infrastructure Report Card. Page 1 of the media release of 9 November 2010 shows almost every rating for Territory infrastructure has dropped since 2005. Over that five-year period this government has presided over the continuing deterioration of infrastructure in the Northern Territory. The ratings summary of the 2010 infrastructure report card said:
- National roads have improved, and while localised failures are increasing due to pavement aging, they are being addressed through ongoing intervention programs. The quality of the major Territory roads has slowly improved, but other Territory roads have declined due to increased traffic loads and lack of maintenance. Local road quality has deteriorated in many places outside urban areas, as road maintenance and resealing work have been postponed.
Postponed - is that the same as revoted work from the previous year? Perhaps it is:
- There is a significant backlog of sealing/resealing work and projects to provide all weather access on both Territory and local roads.
In relation to ports the summary said:
- This rating recognises that while there have been improvements at the Port of Darwin’s facilities, its East Arm Wharf facilities face challenges with regard to maintenance, capacity, bulk materials handling and environmental issues.
I have mentioned the $50m in the budget which should have been spent last year to upgrade the conveyor system. The summary continued:
- Barge landings and their supporting infrastructure are rudimentary and have not kept up with growing needs.
The litany goes on. It is bad enough to read that but when I turn back to the mid-year report I see decreases in operating surplus, significant increases in the deficit and, if in the operating statements contained in the mid-year report, decreases in total revenue, increases in expenses, and a huge increase in expected nett debt for the Territory from next year for years to come.
The Treasurer went some way in the mid-year report to explain how this occurred:
- … increased expenses and payments in this and future years as a result of the carry forward of Commonwealth-funded expenditure programs. There has also been non-policy related changes to a range of revenues including a reduction in GST revenue due to the Commonwealth’s revisions to the GST pool estimates, lower mining royalties as a result of the high Australian dollar and lower stamp duty revenue due to a slowing Territory housing market.
That is fair enough, I will come back to that.
Debt levels for the Northern Territory, in the revised estimates in this year’s report, have ballooned for the 2013-14 year from $1.68bn to $2.16bn, an increase of around $480m. In December I asked how Treasury got this so wrong. The Treasurer mentioned the new prison, which could well be so. The Treasurer mentioned $300m on the prison was going to contribute to the forward debt position of the Northern Territory. In 2013, on those figures, we will have a debt of close to $10 000 for every man, woman and child in the Territory. Looking at the total liabilities of the Northern Territory in 2013-14 of $6.5bn, which includes unfunded superannuation liabilities, etcetera, we will have a liability for every man, woman and child in the Territory of around $30 000 each. We will have lower revenues and increasing debt.
I have a few debts of my own; some good, some bad. We all have them. I see a smile on your face, Madam Speaker; you understand what I am talking about. A good debt funds an investment which grows in value over time. This might be a house or an investment property. In the case of the government, it would be an investment that adds value to the Territory, both as an asset and value-added to the economy by creating jobs, and a general economic stimulus for the long term. Bad debt would be something which loses value as soon as you drive it out of the boat yard - I have one of those. It begs the question: what has this government been spending its money on? Let me repeat that: we will have lower revenues and increased debt. If I have a household budget with low revenue and increasing debt my wife would be having kittens. She would say we have to tighten the belt, and we have to rethink our budget. We would have to find savings to fund our ongoing costs like groceries. That is very scary from a household budget point of view, and is the situation the Territory finds itself in going forward.
Looking at the infrastructure report card, I see decrepit and failing Territory infrastructure, notwithstanding the record GST revenues which have flowed into the Territory for the past years, combined with a fairly dim outlook for the future. What has the government spent its money on? Does the answer have anything to do with the increase in public service numbers to 4500 in the past 10 years? The government mentioned 930 new jobs in 2010 in a media release recently. It does not say there was an extra 410 public servant jobs in the Territory in the nine months to the end of September that year. You could extrapolate that and say half the number would have been growth in the public service. So, you have more public servants administering more failed programs like SIHIP, and presiding over the last 10 years of failed child protection in the Territory - we do not want to go there today.
This government is addicted to spending but nothing is improving, especially for the punters. I see it as poor infrastructure and it comes in many different guises. Housing and rental prices in the Territory are at all-time highs because of lack of land release, not forgetting the hard work had been done well before Labor came to power. All Palmerston suburbs and Weddell were planned by the CLP government. I remember reading an old speech from around 1999, where CLP ministers were talking about the release of Weddell, Bellamack and other suburbs at Palmerston. This was all in the offing probably before the Treasurer and Chief Minister thought about a career in politics.
House prices are at record levels. That is a record the Treasurer does not want to talk about. It has been great for government finances through increased stamp duty revenue. The BankWest stamp duty survey released late last year states the median stamp duty payable on real property in Darwin was around $22 000 - an increase of 137% over the past five years - whilst across the Territory the median stamp duty was $19 000 per transaction, an increase of 152% over the same period. That is a nice windfall for the government; however, it comes at enormous cost to potential homeowners. Throughout Australia we have seen the global financial crisis has brought about a severe tightening of lending criteria across not only the business sector, but the residential housing sector as well. Mining companies are having enormous difficulty raising capital funds for that reason. More importantly for potential homeowners, banks are tightening their lending criteria. I am advised banks are now requiring a full 20% deposit in cash before homeowners can buy a new home.
That was always the desirable level - 80% borrowings and 20% equity - before the bank would look at you. Banks were far more flexible pre-global financial crisis. In those almost halcyon days, one could take advantage of mortgage insurance where you paid an extra fee and could borrow up to 95% of the value of a property. In some cases you could borrow 110% if you had to cover purchasing costs as well. You could end up with a debt greater than the value of the property but it was all covered by mortgage insurance. I am advised that is almost non-existent as far as bank loans go these days, and we are back to 20% deposit for homeowners.
Let us do some calculations, and it is important to talk about this because people listening need some understanding of where things are and how this government has presided over increasingly difficult times for homeowners.
In Darwin in 2010, the median house price was around $540 000; some people say it was slightly higher. It almost defies belief - $540 000. Let us use a far more conservative costing of $350 000. Twenty per cent of $350 000 is $70 000. Because of the GFC, banks have tightened their lending criteria - new homeowners have to find $70 000. When you add an extra $15 000 or $20 000 in stamp duty, it is a no-brainer why first homebuyers are struggling to get into the market. We all know the median house price is so high because – let us go back to simple economics of supply and demand – big demand, low supply, lack of land release, house prices will always go up. The Territory government reaps hundreds of millions of dollars in stamp duty, yet the number of homes being sold has dropped significantly. Even the Treasurer acknowledges the housing market is on the decline in the Territory. In a climate of rising interest rates, what implication do interest rates have on people’s ability to commit to new homes? In this climate, a great deal.
Rents in Darwin are the highest of all capital cities. In the Territory, petrol prices are high; the price of electricity has risen nearly 25%; the price of water has increased, and a trolley of groceries is the most expensive in the country. Is it any wonder we continue to have a negative nett interstate migration and lower nett overseas migration? Although the Treasurer has a different view, the bottom line is people cannot afford to live in Darwin, or anywhere in the Territory, particularly with the lack of rental housing. When people cannot afford to buy a house they are forced into rentals; however, there is no slack to take the new arrivals.
In 2010, we have probably had a nett loss of 1000 people interstate. That problem is not exclusive to Darwin. In Katherine we are experiencing the same thing. I recently learnt of a lady who separated from her husband and had to move out of the RAAF-supplied home. She had a good government job, wanted to stay in Katherine, had put her roots down in Katherine, had friends in Katherine but because of the tight rental market she could not find accommodation and has since left the Northern Territory. That is the reason people are leaving …
A member: In Katherine?
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: In Katherine.
A member: Capital city of the universe.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: That is right. Can you imagine? Nearly two years ago a friend of mine moved here from Alice Springs. The only accommodation he could find was a room in a four-bedroom house in Palmerston paying $200 a week. Effectively, that made the rent $800 a week. How can people in the Northern Territory live and thrive under the economic conditions created by this Labor government?
I mentioned the port, also mining. The mining boom has started in the Territory but government inaction is driving up costs. Why do Territory Iron or OM (Manganese) Ltd have to double or triple handle their material stockpiles on the wharf because of the failure of this government to upgrade port facilities?
I will lavish a little praise on the government. I like what the government is doing to encourage mineral exploration. Minister for Resources, keep it up; it is great! However, that is as far as it goes. Where is the next generation of mining activity? We only have a handful of operating mines in the Territory …
Mr Vatskalis: More than when you were in power.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: How long has it been since we had a new mine commence production, make a profit and pay royalties? Without new mines we have to rely on royalties from existing operations. This mid-year report states royalties have dropped off because of changes in the exchange rate - the strength of the Aussie dollar. I am paraphrasing but that is what it equates to. How do you hedge against fluctuations in the Aussie dollar? For the Northern Territory, having new income streams from new profitable mining operations would be one way. New mines paying royalties makes sense, doesn’t it? It is no wonder mining royalties have dropped off - we have not had new profitable enterprises come online.
What of planning for heavy industry precincts? It is true Arafura Resources dumped the Territory in favour of a processing plant in South Australia for the minerals it will mine at Nolan’s Bore. Not only has this government not planned heavy industrial land, it has shown no interest in entertaining a proposal from Arafura to build a multimillion dollar processing plant in the NT potentially leading to hundreds of jobs for Territorians. Perhaps the government lacks the political ticker to make some hard calls …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I move an extension of time for the member, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Thank you, member for Port Darwin …
A member: And the Treasurer.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Did she nod? Thank you, Treasurer.
The government has failed to facilitate private investment in primary industry and resources. It says it is open for business; however, when it comes to getting things happening in the primary and mining sector the doors are well and truly closed on the fifth floor. I talk to many people who have immense trouble seeing ministers. Everything is bound up in bureaucracy.
The economic benefits of tourism are impacted by perceptions of crime, antisocial behaviour, alcohol policy, and a lack of investment in capacity. Where are the innovative programs and concepts driving tourism forward? I have not heard any major funding announcement from the Tourism minister; I have heard about Tiger leaving Darwin again. I would like to know how much the government provided Tiger to commence flying operations. This mid-year report is on the budget; however, it talks about the economy and I could not find one reference to tourism, one of the top three economic drivers in the Northern Territory.
The stabbing of a tourist and the assault of three others in Alice Springs means the cost of not enforcing the law requires more money to be spent housing criminals, not rehabilitating them. In December last year, shortly after this mid-year report was released, I spoke about the forward debt projections and how they would be $480m in 2013-14. The Treasurer immediately said the cost of the new prison, at $300m, was a significant part of the debt blowout. I take from that the government will borrow money for the prison; that is a reasonable inference to be drawn from the Treasurer’s statement. We are going into further debt to fund this government’s ineptitude. This government has no idea how to combat rising crime rates in the Territory. Its only answer is to build a bigger prison, which, by all projections I have heard, will be full by the time it is finished. Good debt I can understand; bad debt we all have. Debt to pay for a lack of political courage, a lack of capability, or to pay for the ineptitude of this government is something we should resist with all our might.
Madam Speaker, I will leave you with a quote from Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States:
- Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt.
I would like to add my sentiment and say: blessed are Territorians for they shall inherit Delia’s debt.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Madam Speaker, this mid-year report speaks volumes about the Northern Territory government and its capacity to plan for the future. It is always an interesting exercise to compare the government’s balance sheets as proposed in the last budget to what they look like less than six months later, because the mid-year report comes down well before Christmas.
Part of the budgetary process is the capacity to plan for the future, although we cannot expect government to foresee things like the global financial crisis - some of the best minds in the world did not pick that up. That has now passed, yet we are seeing the fluctuations of bad management we are becoming used to. I invite members to go to the General Government Sector balance sheet for the budget proposal for nett debt into the future from Budget Paper No 2 and the mid-year report, as demonstrated in the uniform presentation framework. It immediately becomes obvious this government’s capacity to plan for the future is non-existent.
It is an intriguing exercise to go through previous budget papers to look at the future projections. Treasury always tends to be a little conservative when it comes to these issues. We are now seeing a debt spiralling out of control which this government is going to inflict on Territorians - Delia’s debt – and, as it projects further into the future, it becomes more out of control.
If you look at the budget for 2010-11, the projected nett debt was to be $1.25bn; bearing in mind the nett debt for 2009-10 was $900m. That means for the 2010-11 budget, government was already going to stack about $300m on top of the nett debt the Northern Territory is carrying. We then project into the future and the revised nett debt is a slight improvement of $1.2bn in the mid-year report. However, if you project to the year 2013-14, the 2010-11 budget projected a nett debt situation of $1.67bn - an increase in nett debt.
This government’s fiscal strategies anticipate a reduction of debt over time. It has stepped away from that in a huge way - accelerated away from that strategy. If you look at the General Government Sector balance sheet for the year 2013-14, and compare it with the Budget Paper No 2 General Government Sector balance sheet for the same year, you will see a difference. In the original budget - page 97, Budget Paper No 2 - it was $1.67bn. Six months later, that projection blows out to $2.15bn, which means for a government so proud of its debt reduction in the last few years, it is now planning to blow out the debt of the Northern Territory by about $500m in a few years time without considering any effect on the superannuation liability as that carries into the future.
The same thing appears in the cashflow statement, where the projected deficit in the budget shows a shrinking of projected deficits into the future. By 2013-14, the projected deficit is $61m. The projected cash deficit revised is $205m, or a little less than four times the projected deficit for 2013-14 budget.
This government has a spending habit which is out of control. The frustrating thing is it had the opportunity of the century with the introduction of the GST, and the good economic times which came with it, to reduce debt to zero. If it had applied a modicum of financial discipline surpluses could have been substantially more. The government could have improved services substantially and could definitely have achieved, since coming to government, the elimination of nett debt in the Northern Territory as a whole. All it required was a little financial discipline. It could have achieved what Western Australia did, and what John Howard achieved with the national debt situation. It did not choose to do that.
We have heard of the great services and wonderful things it has done in the past; however, we do not see that reflected in outcomes in our community. We do not see better results from our enlarged police department, from our courts or our health system. We are told those results are better; however, that is not the experience of the average punter on the street. They have lost faith in this government. It is not how much money you spend; it is how well you spend it. The government’s answer is to buy advertising space and tell people how wonderful everything is. You have an issue with planning. Buy advertising space and tell us the great plan for the future. On the television set, ad nauseum, I see advertisements from the Northern Territory government, saying it has a wonderful plan for the future - it is all television advertising.
Planning for the future has led to the circumstances, described so ably by the member for Katherine, regarding the cost of living in the Northern Territory. Failure to release land in an effective way, year in, year out, has led to this situation. The Treasurer, when Planning minister, was interviewed on Stateline - I think in April 2007 - where she projected requirements for the Top End for release of land into the public domain was about 350 blocks per year. Her Treasury figures now mention thousands of dwellings required every year to catch up with demand. That is the reason we have a serious problem with the cost of housing and rentals in the Northern Territory. Is that going to get better? No, because we hear from the Minister for Essential Services, in whatever guise he was talking earlier today, about the $23bn INPEX project, welcomed by this side of the House, which requires a government response greater than taking out television advertising saying what a great job it is doing in the planning area, as well as having a nice forum with 350 businesses present.
Yes, you have to do that; however, you also have to release land. Having 3500 to 4000 workers living in the INPEX village during its construction phase - if that is true - is almost a new electorate to support in this House if everyone was on the roll. This is a huge project; even when it is completed there will be ongoing jobs. Where is the land release to support this? Johnston was passed in at auction because of government loadings and demands on developers. It was not viable for that land to be released. Bellamack is four or five years late and continues to be hailed as a great achievement by government. No, it is not. It is too little, too late.
Weddell - a nice forum at the Convention Centre - that is great. We now have an idea of what it will look like. When are you turning it off? What are your time lines? If you look at land release and the time line the government has set, it is already way behind. It does not have a hope in Hades of meeting any of the time lines set only two years ago.
The planning shortfalls for land release are reflected by the planning shortfalls we see in the mid-year report. It is not Treasury’s fault these figures change; it is the government’s fault. The government, through its Cabinet process, sets its spending priorities as well as its savings priorities. Whilst we read the material Treasury creates which is meant to reflect government’s philosophy and thinking, when you look at the financial strategies and proposed financial outcomes contained in the budget papers, the financial strategies for the future are not being reflected in the numbers being projected in the uniform presentation framework.
The government is going in the wrong direction because it cannot successfully plan. It is an awful planner. It wants to respond to social issues, which is the nature of its ilk. I recall Peter Toyne, not long after Labor formed government in the Northern Territory, saying government had completed enough infrastructure and it was now going to focus on social priorities. That was the stated object of the government from day one and it has not changed.
The government tells us about its wonderful infrastructure and says: ‘It is not true, we have a new direction and will build this infrastructure and we have huge budgets’. The problem is the amount of money voted out of those budgets is increasing in size exponentially. Whilst government says it is putting more money in, it is also rolling more money out the other side. The constant deficits we see projected for the future is either an attempt to haul in those promises - government says the cash is there; I am struggling to see it. Government says the cash is in the infrastructure budget; it is all cashed up and it is a matter of rolling out these projects over time. Why are we borrowing money to build a gaol? You knew the gaol was coming; it was a policy prior to the last election.
How could you not know you had to put money aside in infrastructure forward works, or put money aside for it into the future? Based on the answer given by the Treasurer in relation to this, government is borrowing for the gaol. How could that possibly be? Because it is making promises it is not putting cash against, and the only place it can get the cash is to rack it up on the credit card. That is why the member for Katherine is being so accurate - that is the plan for the future: rack it up on the credit card.
The benchmark is the former CLP - we love this one: ‘Yes, but we are always doing better than the former CLP government. Our debt-to-income ratio is so much better’. Your debt-to-income ratio should be infinitely better by now. The last CLP government had a budget of $2.2bn, not the $4.5bn this government has. This has more than doubled in 10 years. The growth of our budget has exceeded CPI. It is not a case of keeping up with CPI - we have done much better than that. Yet we have trotted out failed programs and the government refuses to acknowledge it. We have social programs - Return to Country and others - to accommodate the poor victims of the CLP’s rapacious government in the past. It is not working. We are spending much more money on programs which do not work and the result is Alice Springs. Alice Springs is an indictment of this government’s capacity to be honest with itself. After 10 years it wakes up one morning and says: ‘Oh, alcohol is the problem’. Alcohol was around before Labor came to government.
I heard the Treasurer say today: ‘We are selling less alcohol’. What is happening in Alice Springs at the moment? If you are selling less alcohol and crime is rising you cannot argue alcohol is the problem. Eight percent was the figure the Treasurer gave during Question Time - an 8% reduction in the sale of alcohol. Why is the crime situation in Alice Springs worse than ever if it is alcohol-related? The correlation would be an 8% reduction in crime because 8% less alcohol is being sold. It is not true.
Rather than government saying: ‘Maybe we are taking the wrong approach’, it says, ‘No, you are horrible’ and call us names. Opposition members are called names for having the audacity to question government’s infinite wisdom. We are called clowns. And, to reinforce the issue, the Treasurer would say - she did this when I was the shadow Treasurer – ‘The people in Treasury say you are a clown’. Now she says: ‘All the legal fraternity think you are a clown’. However, it does not wash because the vitriol is becoming more and more transparent every passing day - the only weapon government has is venom. It does not work because it is becoming weaker with every application. The defensive posture of this government is breathtaking, and the reason it is in such a defensive position is it has lost the will to govern.
The government launches into tirades about how awful everyone is; it is everyone else’s fault except the government. The government has lost heart; it has lost desire; it has lost the lust to govern. All it is concerned about is sniping from bunkers at the passing parade. If you are Lord Mayor you only have to be targeted as a potential candidate and they will come after you. That is the government system of planning into the future. It will plan by political assassination, by character assassination and by vitriol and venom.
It thinks this will make the people of the Northern Territory happy and drapes itself in the shroud of advertising saying: ‘We will advertise this; we will advertise our planning. We have the CDL which is really popular; we will trot that out. Then we will trot out a lie about the next CLP campaign being funded by Coca-Cola. We will also trot out the poster’. The poster is the weapon. For $1.5m it is for sale. How does that poster protect children? It is the government’s job to protect children and it is failing to do so. It is the government’s job to protect the people of the Northern Territory and it is failing to do so. It is only interested in vitriol, venom and poison.
The minister for arsenic launches into an attack on members of this side of the House. I ask her: ‘How does this protect anyone?’ The Chief Minister, to his enormous credit, threw out an olive branch and said: ‘I will listen to any suggestion people care to make’. This side of the House did so. Unfortunately, the asp we have for a Treasurer lashed out and attempted to drag that debate into something more base because that is the place the Treasurer is most comfortable. That does not protect Territorians’ property or their physical wellbeing, and it does nothing to serve the interests of the Northern Territory. I say to this Treasurer: keep flashing around your posters, keep up the bile, keep up the vitriol, and see what happens to peoples’ faith in this government’s capacity to deliver services to the people of the Northern Territory.
Ms LAWRIE (Treasurer): Madam Deputy Speaker, another example of a somewhat unhinged contribution from the member for Port Darwin. He never ceases to be somewhat entertaining if he was not so pathetic.
The themes the opposition trot out every time we have an economic debate are interesting. I take my hat off to the member for Katherine. He tried to, broadly speaking, stick to an economic debate. He wandered off from the mid-year report but went to the key economic drivers across the economy, which was useful. He repeated the theme, went back to the key messaging, then back to the theme. The opposition’s new catchphrase is ‘Delia’s debt’. I am anticipating a few stickers! I would be disappointed if you do not - last time you had ‘I hate Delia’ stickers’.
I proudly say this government stepped up when Territorians needed it to. There was a fleeting reference to the global financial crisis from the member for Katherine, but he quickly moved on. There was an initial reference to the global financial crisis from the member for Port Darwin, who abandoned that and went into his flights of fancy.
The mid-year report shows the effect the global financial crisis has had on our budget position. Several things influenced that. The member for Katherine recognised that the mid-year report points out the reduction in GST revenue and the impact of the Australian dollar on mining royalties. He has also pointed out the carry forward of Commonwealth payments which would affect our 2010-11 result. What he failed to do was recognise why the government chose to ramp up, dramatically - double in two years - an infrastructure spending component in its budgets. It is not normal to double, in the space of two years, infrastructure spending in the budget. Looking year on year at the infrastructure growth going back to 2000-01, whilst there was an increase in our infrastructure spend, there was at no point a doubling.
What caused a doubling of the infrastructure spend and the very deliberate decision this government made to go into debt? The global financial crisis. Private investment fell away from the marketplace and public spending had to step up. Key commentators post-global financial crisis said governments needed to step up spending; spend swiftly and at significant levels to prop up the construction sectors of the economy, which would prop up and provide that all-important economic driver. This government did that. It is a bold thing to do and all business groups, from the Chamber of Commerce to the Master Builders Association, thanked us for it. They all understood to go into debt after eight surpluses in a row was the result of a deliberate decision to prop up our economy post-global financial crisis. This government always said 2010-11 would be the toughest year because of the lag effect flowing through, and it was right.
This is our toughest year. However, if you look at not only Treasury predictions, not only what I, as Treasurer, say based on those Treasury predictions, but at what Access Economics - an independent, credible economic commentator - is saying, we have come through the global financial crisis in good shape. Point 2 of its latest report says the Territory has huge potential in gas including the possibility of a huge INPEX development and a possible tripling of production at the Wickham Point LNG plant:
- If either get the go ahead - and both are clearly possible - the next phase of Territory growth will be well and truly in the bag.
The shadow Treasurer would like us to believe we have rising debt levels and no way of increasing revenue. He does not understand the importance of major projects to this economy. Access Economics understands it.
The government has also focused on developing Darwin as an oil and gas hub through the marine supply base – not one mention of that in the contribution from members opposite, yet it may be one of the most dramatic gain changes in the Territory economy. The opposition talks about economic drivers but does not mention the marine supply base because it wants to bury its head in the sand and pretend it is all doom and gloom. You are wrong; independent commentators say you are wrong. The marine supply base has the potential to underpin our economy for the next 40 years.
The Access Economics Business Outlook report of September last year highlights the government’s record infrastructure spending across land release. The opposition would have them think the government is not releasing land at the rate it should. You would have them believe the opposition had drawn up the plans. No agreed plans were drawn up in detail for the supply of the Palmerston East suburbs, or any real plans for Weddell. Access Economics mentioned the government’s record infrastructure spending across land release to support housing construction and public infrastructure like schools.
Mr Conlan: Alice Springs has had 76 blocks in 10 years. That is it.
Ms LAWRIE: You are a little shallow in your understanding of the economic debate, member for Greatorex.
Mr Conlan: Seventy-six blocks in 10 years.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: I am quoting Access Economics.
Mr Conlan: Seventy-six blocks in 10 years is all you have released in Alice Springs.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, you do not have the call!
Ms LAWRIE: Alice Springs was landlocked under the CLP because you had your heads buried in the sand …
Mr Conlan: Stop gloating about your land release policy; you have done nothing.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: … because you would not negotiate with the landowners, you fool …
Mr Conlan: Seventy-six blocks in 10 years.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex! You have the call, minister.
Ms LAWRIE: The Johnny-come-lately from Alice Springs does not understand that the CLP landlocked …
Mr Conlan: Seventy-six blocks in 10 years.
Ms LAWRIE: The CLP landlocked Alice Springs because it refused to negotiate ...
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Conlan: This was 10 years ago.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, cease interjecting.
Ms LAWRIE: … with the native title owners of Alice Springs. It was landlocked; it took a Labor government to negotiate an Indigenous Land Use Agreement which created Larapinta and also Mt Johns Valley …
Mr Conlan: You do not know how to negotiate.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex!
Ms LAWRIE: You do not want to hear the truth; you do not want to hear reality.
Back to Access Economics and its business outlook report. In September it highlighted the government’s record infrastructure spending across land release to support housing construction and public infrastructure like schools, public housing and roads, and says it has filled the void left by the predicted sharp shake-out in commercial construction. That is the point of the record infrastructure spend. The CLP does not understand it. The business sector understands it …
Mr Tollner: What does Engineers Australia say about your record infrastructure spend?
Ms LAWRIE: They understand with a drop in private investment …
Mr Tollner: It was fail, fail, fail, fail was it not?
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fong Lim, cease interjecting!
Mr Tollner: You are living a pipe dream.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim!
Ms LAWRIE: They do not like to hear it. They know it is true and they know Access Economics is a credible, independent, economic commentator …
Mr Tollner: Flight of fancy.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: If you could pause, please. I remind members opposite of Standing Order 51:
- No Member may converse aloud or make any noise or disturbance which, in the opinion of the Speaker …
- … is designed to interrupt or has the effect of interrupting a Member speaking.
Your interjections are out of order. You are interrupting and I ask you to cease. Thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: The Access Economics Business Outlook report of September highlights the government’s record infrastructure spending across land release to support housing construction …
Mr Tollner: Engineers Australia - what do they say about you, Delia? You were there.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim!
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! Is there not some requirement in this House to remain relevant rather than embarking on flights of fancy and fantasy?
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, there is no point of order. Resume your seat.
Mr Tollner: She has to keep it real, surely?
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: You do not have the call.
Ms LAWRIE: Madam Deputy Speaker, I point out to the member for Fong Lim that the infrastructure spend within the 2010-11 year is an appropriate point of debate. Not only is it appropriate, the members for Katherine and Port Darwin raised it. Of course I will go through it in my closing remarks; however, to put it in context, I am quoting credible independent economic commentators such as Access Economics, where they say the government’s infrastructure spend on schools, public housing and roads has filled the void left by the predicted sharp shake-out in commercial construction.
This is also evident in the November 2010 Australian Bureau of Statistics gross state product figures …
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Members! Order! I will be putting people on a warning shortly. Treasurer, you have the call.
Ms LAWRIE: This is also evident in the November 2010 ABS gross state product figures which show our government’s …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, if you wish to read something to the member for Fong Lim I ask you to go to the back of the Chamber and do so quietly.
Mr Conlan: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Ms LAWRIE: … infrastructure investment shouldered the construction sector and the broader economy. This spurious comment that the government is racking up debt to what end - government is shouldering the Territory’s economy through public investment in infrastructure, and infrastructure provides legacy outcomes. We are building schools to educate future generations of Territorians and are staffing them with teachers.
I go to the road infrastructure report raised by the member for Katherine. He said the quality of Territory roads has slowly improved and went on to describe the poor state of local roads. I will point out what he should already know: Territory roads are the responsibility of the Territory government and local roads are the responsibility of local governments …
Mr TOLLNER: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! The Treasurer mentions quoting from credible sources. Maybe she could quote from Engineers Australia, which conducts a review on roads …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Fong Lim, there is no point of order. Resume your seat. If you wish to continue arguing you will be on a warning and will be asked to leave the Chamber. Member for Fong Lim, I remind you about frivolous points of order. Thank you.
Ms LAWRIE: That one stung because in the member for Katherine’s own words: ‘the infrastructure report said the quality of Territory roads has slowly improved’. This is in an environment where we inherited 23% of the Territory road network sealed. We are, year-on-year, increasing our roads spend for not only repairs and maintenance, which is critically important, we are talking to civil contractors around the importance of the repairs and maintenance spend, which we have increased, and also the program of sealing our Territory roads network. Government has said it has a long way to go and recognises there is still more than $2bn work needed on the Territory road network.
The infrastructure report pointed out Territory roads were slowly improving and addressed local roads. There is a distinct funding difference between Territory roads and local roads. It is one you should be briefed on if you want to make comments as shadow Treasurer. It points out your ignorance …
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Ms LAWRIE: It also mentioned barge landings. In 2010-11 we increased funding to improve barge landings across our communities. We have no argument there. Barge landings needed improving, which is why we funded the improvements in the 2010-11 budget and budgets going forward.
Comments by the opposition in relation to the East Arm Wharf show their lack of understanding of the master plan for the wharf and port business. The export of live cattle is becoming a whole growth business for the port. Servicing of the oil and gas industry has also been a growth business for the port. We have seen significant growth in exploration in the mining, oil and gas projects in the region, where the port plays a critical role in supply and logistic support capacity. You would think, having listened to the opposition’s contribution today, nothing was happening in infrastructure investment at East Arm. You would be wrong. The eastern reclaimed area, a project of $9.5m is upgrading and sealing reclaimed land to create additional hardstand. Talk to businesses about the importance of that additional hardstand. Sage Contracting has completed the filling of the area including about 4 m of surcharge. The surcharge will be removed in December this year, depending on the rate of settlement.
There are further infrastructure projects at the port: reclamation of Pond F at $15m, and reclamation of land behind the bulk loading facility for additional hardstand. Work commenced in April last year and filling is expected to be completed in July this year. Part of the pond will be retained in the interim to collect and store stormwater. The overland conveyor, a $35m project, will transport bulk minerals from the stockpile sites - currently iron ore and manganese - to the ship loader. Design and documentation is being prepared. Approximately $1.5m has already been invested by this government in improving the environmental standards of the existing conveyor. A Labor government saw the vision for bulk minerals business growth at the port, funded the bulk mineral loader, funded the conveyor belts and has negotiated the site agreements with relevant mines with regard to storage of bulk minerals.
Again, listening to the opposition you would believe nothing was happening at the port apart from the fact it missed one of the most critical economic drivers for our economy: the establishment of a marine supply base.
The issue of debt is a spurious line the opposition run and I say: bring it on. If you want to look at debt in its context, you have to look at capacity to service debt. The example of the household budget - what is your earning capacity to service your debt? It is a critical element of debt levels and, when you are looking at capacity to service debt, you go to your nett debt to revenue ratio. The opposition say - I forget the ideological word thrown into debate – by our ilk we are attracted to debt. In 2001, when the CLP had been in government for 27 years, the nett debt to revenue ratio was 61% …
Mr Westra Van Holthe: We were building things back then.
Ms LAWRIE: In case you missed it: the nett debt to revenue ratio we inherited from the CLP was 61%. We also know the deficit was larger than the budget books had predicted. The Labor government went through some pretty tough measures - efficiency dividends, etcetera - to control the budget and in successive years delivered surplus budgets. What do surplus budget do? They pay off your debt. This government drove a nett debt-to-revenue ratio from 61% under the CLP down to 15% in 2009-10 as an actual - 61% driven down to 15% of nett debt-to-revenue ratio. We are predicting in 2010-11 a rise to 26%. In the out years of 2013-14 referred to by the member for Port Darwin, we are predicting a 48% nett debt to revenue ratio –manageable, and why I return to the original. We made a deliberate decision …
Dr BURNS: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! I move an extension of time for the member pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Ms LAWRIE: I thank members, with the exception for the member for Greatorex, who does not believe in an economic debate in this Chamber.
Why have we seen Labor - eight surpluses in a row - make a dramatic change in our budget position? The global financial crisis hit and we needed to prop up this economy, keep the construction sector alive and keep jobs flowing. We created something like 5000 jobs during a period of rising unemployment in economies elsewhere. We are the envy of the nation with our unemployment rate at 2.3%. What these figures mean for Territorians is they have jobs and can provide shelter, food and a future for their families in developing and growing opportunities.
Jobs are essential. If we continued with our surplus path, which we have been on for almost a decade, and said we would not go into deficit but increase debt, we would have seen dramatic unemployment, particularly across the all-important construction sector. We would then not have been able to position ourselves as best as possible for the upturn in economic growth coming through the marine supply base and exploration, which is flourishing across the Territory. I note the member for Katherine acknowledged that as a key success and hallmark of this government.
That means there will be strong regional economic development. This is not only about economic drivers in the Top End; the exploration occurring in Central Australia, particularly in the exciting area of rare earths, is a huge opportunity for the supplier township of Alice Springs. The exploration which has occurred and the mines signed up in the Barkly have huge opportunities for the growth of Tennant Creek - exploration which has gone on with vigour. There is the opportunity of gold around Pine Creek - significant opportunities for the Katherine region. Nhulunbuy has grown off mining. Mining is part of our present and is increasingly going to be part of our future. We have done our predictions for the pipeline of new mines. We can argue about it; however, the reality of our growth is oil and gas resources, and our mining resources.
We have built across the diversity of strength in our economy - from tourism, Defence growth and our primary industries. You cannot get away from the exponential growth in live cattle exports since Labor has been in government. We recognise an infrastructure deficit in the Territory which we have to meet. We cannot meet it on our own, which is why we work closely with the Commonwealth government. There will always be an ideological battlefield around stimulus spending; however, the BER was a significant infrastructure spend in our education system. The member for Katherine bagged it on one hand, but on the other talked about how sense prevailed at a Katherine school and it has the project it wanted rather than a hall. Member for Katherine, that negotiation occurred at schools across the Territory. Schools which did not want or need a hall had their project specifications changed and received infrastructure relevant to the school community …
Mr Westra van Holthe: Thank goodness for that.
Ms LAWRIE: Do your homework before you espouse ideological battlegrounds in this Chamber.
In relation to SIHIP, we have an investment in housing this Territory ought to be proud of. Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia are all potential beneficiaries under the national partnership in Indigenous housing. Sods are not turned, the slabs are not down, the walls and roofs are not up. We have had scrutiny upon scrutiny of SIHIP – as is correct and should continue. I am glad that work is being done. The fact is we are building new houses, refurbishing old housing stock, rebuilding old housing stock and tackling the housing deficit across the Territory when our neighbouring jurisdictions, who also have significant need in their remote communities, cannot lay their first slab and are years behind the Territory.
They will benefit from the tasks we have undertaken as leaders in our nation in developing, improving and delivering Indigenous housing across remote communities; from the complex lease negotiations through to how you package the works, how you get the works out the door, and at what cost. We have had debates with the Commonwealth governments - Howard and others - about what those packages would look like. Debates are occurring now around refurbishments.
Going to the issue of an infrastructure budget and revote, the capital works cash in the 2010-11 program represents about 56% of the program. That is consistent with cash averaging around 54% over the previous 10 years. Revotes historically average around 46%. We are tracking, estimated so far at 2010-11, at about 44% - a lower revote is estimated to date.
The capital works program, by its nature, is a rolling program. It does not suit the opposition to accept that. It is a rolling program which takes account of projects delivered over a period of time which cross financial years for several reasons: the size and scale of the project - it takes a few years to build a major road project, including a bridge. Anyone who understands the construction sector in the Territory knows you have to take into account a slow construction program during the Wet Season. We build at a rapid rate through the Dry Season, which falls across financial years. Capital projects - if you are interested in how they occur - take time to plan, include a design and documentation phase, time to tender, then construction. Major road projects like Tiger Brennan Drive and the Victoria Highway bridges have to, by their sheer scale and size, run over several financial years. Other factors include the Wet Season.
Industry understands the rolling program and wants government to sustain it and be aware when major projects on the horizon are coming, at what point they are likely to land, and commence pegging back our capital expenditure as they land. That is a task of government going forward: to deal with the cycle of potential, significant, new private investment in the Territory in capital expenditure and still meet the expectations of Territorians for improved roads, barge landings, airstrips, housing, schools, clinics and police stations. We have done that to date and will continue to do so.
Regarding an additional cohort of public servants, the opposition is on record saying it will slash public service jobs if elected to government …
Mr Elferink: Not true.
Ms LAWRIE: We have it on record; we have the quotes and will quote them back at you whenever we choose: you want to slash public servants. We recognise, as a developing jurisdiction with a growing population and growing reasonable expectation of level of service delivery, we need more teachers. We have needed more police, nurses, doctors and the back room support staff which means these people can do their frontline jobs. We make no apology for that. We are taking care of our children, not just through improving the legislative and operational framework but by hiring additional child protection workers needed to do the work of protecting children.
Notwithstanding the ranting and raving of the somewhat unhinged member for Port Darwin, this is what we have done with growth in revenue over the past decade. Coming out of 2010-11 we will see challenges. We will see opportunities borne about where we are positioned with the LNG industry and mining. We will see challenges with predicted revenue reductions in GST. We are ready for those challenges because we work closely with the business sectors affected by external factors and influences. We work very closely with our public servants, understanding where the pressure points are, whether it is the school system, our health system, or particular hospitals or clinics. We work very closely with our police. This mid-year report shows we are on track to deliver a vibrant economy, manage our debt levels and grow revenue where the opportunity exists.
Madam Deputy Speaker, we make no apology for deliberately going into deficit and increasing debt to save the jobs of thousands and thousands of Territorians.
Motion agreed to; paper noted.
MOTION
Note Paper – Council of Territory Cooperation – Third Progress Report
Note Paper – Council of Territory Cooperation – Third Progress Report
Continued from 23 November 2010.
Ms SCRYMGOUR (Arafura): Madam Deputy Speaker, I speak in relation to the third report of the Council of Territory Cooperation and the progress report tabled by the Chair in December last year.
The CTC continues its visits into remote communities keeping a watching brief on SIHIP, and the last progress report looks at some of the issues the Council of Territory Cooperation has continued with.
The member for Katherine’s response to the Treasurer’s mid-year report said SIHIP still had problems. The CLP was a little hasty in removing members from the CTC, where there were opportunities for members to see firsthand what was happening in communities. There is the possibility some time in the future - I hope not too soon - the CLP, once it stops infighting, may win government and the issues affecting Aboriginal people, particularly SIHIP, A Working Future and the Growing them stronger, together report will be relevant. CLP members, rather than carping, whingeing and sniping from the sidelines, would be better served as part of the Council of Territory Cooperation getting the facts rather than the misinformation constantly peddled.
Yes, there are issues, and the Council of Territory Cooperation has never shied away from that. We continue to have concerns in relation to the repairs and maintenance and refurbishment programs. All members of the CTC have recognised that rather than continually point out the problems, we should be highlighting the positive aspects of this program. Communities like Maningrida in my electorate will see over 100 extra houses come online. A whole new subdivision has been created through this program, which has been fantastic for the community and has lifted morale. One hundred new houses are not enough but it is a start and the community is turning itself around and working with the council and the government to find solutions to make things better.
When the CTC was at Maningrida it was the first time both the Chair and the member for Nhulunbuy had visited together. Maningrida’s population is at the same level as Wadeye - a very big Aboriginal community with 20 different language groups. The people are from diverse areas throughout western Arnhem Land, with ties across to eastern Arnhem Land. It is a vibrant community, not without problems, but it has come a long way. Members of the CTC looked at the subdivision and the infrastructure being put into place. We looked at some of the houses. Again, we were a little disappointed at the level of refurbishments, and that was noted. We then joined members of the alliance, including Aboriginal men from Maningrida working with the alliance on the housing project. Aboriginal men working as part of this program were quite happy - they thought it was great. They were getting four meals a day, and even though the work was hard there was involvement and a feeling of pride in a project of the size and capacity seen at Maningrida.
One of the areas the Council of Territory Cooperation discussed - and it is one of the recommendations - is leasing. In Maningrida, 40 housing precinct leases have been taken out. In both Gunbalanya and Maningrida there has been a view amongst traditional owners, as well as the housing precincts, that the communities could work towards having a whole-of-township leasing, particularly when they look at the economic development which needs to occur. Look at A Working Future, Territory 2030 and the local implementation plans overseen by the Minister for Indigenous Development; those communities are looking at different ways to obtain those leases to enable economic prosperity for their communities and future generations.
There is a need for the Northern Territory to have its own statutory authority to take on some of that leasing. Until the Northern Territory moves towards that there will always be a barrier. If the Northern Territory government is fully supportive of economic development and growth in communities, it is better positioned to negotiate leases and develop communities now and into the future to obtain a better future, particularly for the younger people, rather than Canberra coming in over the top. That needs to be looked at and we touch on it briefly in this progress report. However, it has been a theme throughout our first and second reports, and it needs to be given due consideration. A number of issues are developing in communities and we need to take steps to ensure we get economic development happening.
Whilst we looked at SIHIP, we also had Mr Ken Davies and Mr Andrew Kirkman from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services. I take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Ken and Andrew. We had two senior public servants who provided frank, open and honest responses to the council. They endeavoured to provide transparent information to all members of the committee to enable a robust, honest and open discussion on progress in the communities. Using that information and visiting sites has been a useful tool, and one I believe the CLP will regret losing. Rather than the petty politics they have played with this, they are the losers in the debate because it makes their policy and vision for the future much less - they cannot participate positively in what is happening in the communities. I look forward to our next trip.
I notice the Chair thanked the member for Fong Lim for his very brief participation; it was very brief, about one week. We were waiting for Dave to turn up; we were very disappointed the member for Fong Lim did not continue. I was looking forward to having the member for Fong Lim on the committee – he would find some real benefits in being part of the Council of Territory Cooperation. He should come with us and go on a journey of self discovery.
I throw this challenge out to the member for Fong Lim: join us. He has a commitment; I have heard him speak. The member for Fong Lim often says one thing; however, there is the member for Fong Lim you hear outside who projects a different view to when standing on his feet. I may not know him too well but I believe the member for Fong Lim has a great deal to contribute to the Council of Territory Cooperation.
The member for Araluen should join us – the Council of Territory Cooperation is looking at the Growing them strong, together report. We meet with Professor Vimpani at regular intervals. We are having discussions with senior public servants at the coalface of child protection. The member for Araluen would benefit greatly from participating on the CTC.
Child protection goes beyond politics, and the member for Araluen probably feels that way too. I heard the member for Fong Lim last year say: ‘I am sick of hearing about the former member for Araluen’; however, the present member for Araluen, and every member in this Chamber, has the passion and conviction to ensure we oversee the reforms that are occurring. To have access to, question and talk to senior public servants who are implementing the reform – the member for Araluen would benefit from that. I urge the Leader of the Opposition to reconsider his decision to not have CLP members on the CTC; it will make the Territory a richer place. In this parliament we are all committed to finding solutions; we all want to ensure things are better, not worse.
Member for Fong Lim, I would love to have you on the CTC, and I would welcome the member for Araluen, particularly regarding child protection inquiries and housing issues. You cannot separate housing and overcrowding in remote communities from child protection. We need to look at programs and ensure government implements them. The goal is protecting children and ensuring houses are built.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I support the CTC. As a bush member it has given me the opportunity to access information and question senior public servants in many areas. I thank the Chair, and I thank the member for Fong Lim, who tried to contribute. Hopefully, he will join. I look forward to our next round of visits and continuing the good work the Council of Territory Cooperation is doing.
Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Deputy Speaker, first, I say thank you for the kind words from the member for Arafura. She records her thanks for a smidgen of time I found myself on the Council of Territory Cooperation. I have to be honest; at that time I had no great interest in the Council of Territory Cooperation and saw it as a waste of time. Judging from this current report, not much has changed. For the benefit of the members for Arafura and Nhulunbuy, and my new best friend forever sitting next to me as described by ABC radio, the member for Nelson, I will keep my mind open about membership of the Council of Territory Cooperation. Some things would have to change before I would consider jumping on board, although I am not ruling it out. If the Council of Territory Cooperation was to take a different approach, maybe apply some intellectual rigour in some of its deliberations, I may become involved …
Members interjecting.
Mr TOLLNER: Some interjections making fun of me again. I am quite happy with that.
The member for Nelson provided me with a list of recommendations contained in the third progress report. I took once glance at it, which is what prompted me to speak now. I almost had a seizure when I read Recommendation 1 which says:
- The CTC recommends that SIHIP construction only be of housing designs that will deliver the longest possible useful life and low maintenance requirements.
That flies in the face of SIHIP. SIHIP, before being called SIHIP, was part of the national emergency response in the Northern Territory. That emergency response was about an emergency: the worst possible cases of housing overcrowding and lawlessness were identified as occurring across the Northern Territory. The Little Children are Sacred report identified the breadth these horrendous situations were occurring. As the Territory government of the time failed to act in an appropriate way it was left to the Commonwealth to intervene. It intervened and called it an emergency.
The rule of law was quickly put in place in many communities. Things were moved, as you do in an emergency; government business managers were put in place in communities. They were people who could get things done in a hurry and had a great deal of control over federal government and Territory government departments, and could pull strings no one else could to make quick and valuable change to those communities. Part of that was identifying one of the great problems in communities to be massive housing overcrowding. In fact, an emergency response was required to address that and get shelters into communities quickly. Town leases were taken over by the Commonwealth, short-term government business managers put in place and the permit system cancelled on main roads and townships so things could happen quickly.
It was not about building houses to last 50 years and employing multiple Indigenous people. It was about an emergency response: building shelters quickly so people could move in. In 2011, four years after this emergency, we have minimal houses built across the Territory. The situation is worse than ever, as shown in the most recent child protection report. What do we have? We have a CTC recommending houses be built to deliver the longest possible useful life and low maintenance requirements. How about a roof? That is what is required! We need houses now; we need shelters now. It is not about building houses to last 50 years; it is about providing emergency shelters for people who are living 20 and 30 in a house. The CTC has disregarded that out of hand and Recommendation 1 shows that.
Recommendation 6 says:
- The CTC recommends:
What happened to the government business managers? What about the people who move in - it is a state of emergency - take over a town, put a quick town plan in place and erect some shelters so people have somewhere to stay? We are getting caught up in consultations again. When you look at the SIHIP budget and see how much money has been frittered away constantly consulting, you scratch your head and wonder how so many hundreds of millions of dollars could be spent for such a small number of houses. It is appalling!
Recommendation 10 states:
- The CTC recommends DHLGRS develop memorandums of understandings agreements with all shires to improve coordination between governments and establish a single point of contact.’
What was the government business manager supposed to do? That was their role; why were they put in place and what has this government done? The new federal Labor government has diluted the role of government business managers to the point of making them obsolete. We now have the CTC recommending shires be involved in some way when we are really trying to meet an emergency. This has been going on for over four years. For over four years we have seen reports saying the situation has not changed for kids in communities …
Mr Wood: When did you last …
Mr TOLLNER: It is not about when I last built a subdivision, when you last built a subdivision or when anyone last built a subdivision. This is about putting a roof over someone’s head, not running around on stupid committees cooking up ways to make jobs for bureaucrats.
This is outrageous! How many more reports have to plop on the desk of this parliament before we say enough is enough, and recognise there is an emergency out there and treat it as such? We receive money from the Commonwealth; we fritter it away and wonder why it does not trust us. It is ridiculous.
Recommendation 11 says:
- The CTC recommends the Northern Territory government:
(a) tell the Australian government that the closure of CDEP will have a detrimental impact on Aboriginal communities;
What rot! It will have a detrimental impact on the Northern Territory government because it might have to start paying its way and paying some of these people what they are worth. CDEP is nothing more than a big cost shift to the Commonwealth government. We are sitting in this great Chamber a pack of mendicants. The Commonwealth has to keep the CDEP program going because without it we will not have police aides, teacher’s aides, or nurse’s aides and might have to pay our own way. It is wrong.
I have a tick for several recommendations, however, there is a whole range I gag on …
Mr Wood: Have you read the whole report?
Mr TOLLNER: No, I have not read the whole report. I am looking at the recommendations …
Mr Wood: You did not read the bill ...
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr TOLLNER: If the recommendations are anything like the report, the whole thing is a big joke.
Mr Wood: You might understand the basis of the recommendations.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Nelson!
Mr TOLLNER: This report flies in the face of reality.
As wonderful as the current members of the CTC are - I have nothing personal against any of them - it seems like a junket when you have a group of people flitting around the Northern Territory being entertained by bureaucrats who word them up, send them somewhere and get them to table this rubbish we are expected to swallow. They then go to the Territory government armed with this new report from the council of love, go to Canberra and say: ‘We have had an independent parliamentary committee, the CTC, look into this and you have to keep giving us CDEP money. You have to build more houses, you have to do this, and you have to do that’. Why? Because we are incompetent and cannot deal with our own problems. We have to face the fact that we have major problems which require major reforms rather than run to Canberra with our hand out every time we hit a problem …
Mr Wood: You came with me.
Mr TOLLNER: You came with me.
I have much goodwill towards members of the CTC and will not rule out joining them, but there would have to be changes. Banging my head against a wall with a group of people who do not seem to understand the real issues in the community is not for me.
We have a national emergency. The Northern Territory is the disgrace of the nation when it comes to looking after Indigenous people, and people in government have no interest in facing that. They sweep problems under the carpet, blame everyone else, anything rather than confront the major problems we have. The Growing them strong, together report is heartbreaking. We can have a joke at times, however, the things we do in this House are extremely important. The CTC could play an important role but is wasting the opportunity, and I do not blame my colleagues on this side of parliament for jumping out of it. It would be very embarrassing to be part of it the way it is running now …
Mr Wood: They supported all the recommendations.
Mr TOLLNER: They may well have supported the recommendations; however, I have blown holes in some of them for you.
We have some major problems and these recommendations are more about strengthening the bureaucracy and offloading more power to the public service and other organisations than addressing the real problems we face in the Northern Territory.
Madam Speaker, I do not support many of the recommendations - some are probably quite harmless; however, the ones I have highlighted are counterproductive.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I speak in response to the Third Report of the Council of Territory Cooperation. The member for Fong Lim said intellectual rigour is needed on this council and intimated it is lacking. I take back any invitation I might have made to you to join the CTC, member for Fong Lim, based on that woeful contribution. Misinformed, wrong - you do not get it! You did not even read the report - you said that - and only five or 10 minutes ago you read the recommendations. You are misinformed. If you believe SIHIP is about building a few shelters you demonstrate you do not understand it, and you do not deserve to have a seat on the CTC, let alone in this parliament.
This report covers the activities of the CTC from April to September 2010. It was an active period for the CTC, with visits to different locations around the Territory as well as numerous public hearings across the areas of investigation, namely SIHIP, the government’s A Working Future policy, and the progress of local government reforms across shires in the Northern Territory.
With membership of the Council of Territory Cooperation reduced last year with the withdrawal of opposition members and, later, the resignation of the Independent member for Macdonnell, we have adjusted our schedule and the way we work. This includes the Chair, the member for Nelson, undertaking the occasional site visit to communities on his own, perhaps with a member of the secretariat or his research officer on occasions where the member for Arafura or I were unable to attend.
The member for Arafura and I have large bush electorates and, during the Dry Season months, need to capitalise on the opportunity to visit our constituents while the weather is kind. Even when the CTC had full membership, coordinating members’ schedules was always a challenge, especially when asking people to commit to two or three days. Nevertheless, we continued to plan for 2011, work around our electorate obligations, and are committed to a full program in 2011.
The current arrangement allowing the CTC to continue its investigations by endorsing the Chair to make site visits has worked well. It has meant community visits and information gathering occurs in a less formal way and, on some occasions, that is not such a bad thing. During his contribution in this debate at the end of last year, the member for Nelson stated formal meetings are not always the best way to hear people’s concerns, and this is especially true when visiting communities. Formal meetings and hearings held in Darwin work fine because those attending are invariably public servants, senior bureaucrats or members of organisations accustomed to the processes of formal meetings and appearing as witnesses. With all the audio gadgetry which goes with these hearings, plus the more formal set up of a room with CTC members on one side of the table and community members on the other, it is understandably somewhat of an intimidating environment and not always conducive for community members to feel comfortable enough to speak up.
That said, when we travelled to Santa Teresa in Central Australia in July, there were some very forthcoming contributions from community members who provided valuable insight into matters of housing, local government and job opportunities, and often other things as well: health issues, education and all the things which fall under the banner of community life. We need to strike a balance between formal meetings on community visits and the opportunity to talk informally with community members who are shire employees, school teachers, nurses, tradesmen or in any jobs held in communities. We also need to take the time to walk through communities to see not only what is happening in the housing program, but with other infrastructure as well.
Santa Teresa - and it is not the first time I have heard it – has issues with Australia Post. You can receive mail at Santa Teresa; you cannot send mail from Santa Teresa. In my electorate at Galiwinku - it is not unique to any one shire; however, $20 000 a year from the Australian government to the shire to provide postal services goes nowhere near the cost of providing that service. By the time you employ staff, often more than one person to receive and sort mail, it falls way short of what is required to run that service. It often involves phones and faxes as well. That was one of many things discussed at Santa Teresa.
When we visit communities and growth towns it is not about finding everything wrong with the place. Listening to the member for Fong Lim you would think that is all we do. We hear about many positive things and we meet some very inspirational people; some very happy people who are prepared to talk about the good things happening in their community or their growth town. We also hear about the things that need addressing, which is only to be expected.
The member for Nelson mentioned last November three members of the CTC, with Mr Simon Flavel from our secretariat, travelled to Maningrida. It was the first visit for me and the member for Nelson as CTC members, and was a fruitful and busy day with a mix of informal meetings with notes taken, a walk around the schools, through the new subdivision and through the doors of Bawinanga. I was interested to talk with Bawinanga, the counterpart of Laynhapuy Homelands from my electorate. I will not discuss that as the findings of that visit will be covered in the full CTC report due soon. However, I am highlighting how the CTC has developed and evolved to become a very workable committee, contrary to what the member for Fong Lim would have us believe.
There is never enough time to do and see everything we would like to when we visit communities and growth towns, and there often seems to be a very last minute rush to the airport to return to Darwin. It seems to be the nature of the beast, and as local members we all wish there were more hours in the day. We are conscious of not only trying to get a bang for our travel budget by staying overnight when we can, but are also mindful of the message we send when we fly in and out of communities on a day basis. People have told us so many times of the flow of bureaucrats or contractors who fly in and out and are not seen again for some time.
The Chair is keen to return to communities the CTC has visited to see how things are progressing, which is what drove him back to Wadeye late last year. Understandably, he was pleased to see construction of housing had progressed and was disappointed to find extensive damage to at least one new home. This called into question the tenancy management process of Territory Housing.
That brings us to the recommendations - nine of the 15 being in relation to SIHIP. This includes Recommendation 7 regarding malicious and wilful damage to public housing and the need for it to be reported to police as part of the tenancy and asset management systems. As a member of the CTC, I stand by this recommendation and others pertaining to SIHIP. I am not going to go through all of them but the CTC, and of course taxpayers, want to see houses constructed which will deliver the longest possible useful life, with low maintenance requirements even though the member for Fong Lim believes that is ridiculous and all we need to do is whack up emergency shelters. The 90 new houses under construction at Galiwinku are of very solid design with prefabricated walls made of Ritek which, when in place – there is a 6 inch gap between the two panels and they are filled with cement - would stand up to the member for Nelson’s star picket test and, in coastal Top End communities, would stand up to and provide safe refuge during a cyclone - very topical having had Cyclone Carlos through Darwin last week.
That is something people at Galiwinku talk to me about because the housing legacy is such that they fear, when the Wet Season comes, how houses will stand up to cyclonic conditions. These new houses will meet those conditions and are the same as the 110 the member for Arafura mentioned are being built at Maningrida. The member for Nelson will correct me if I am wrong; however, I believe they are the same style as were being built in the Alice Springs town camps. We visited the first house handed over by minister Macklin and it is the same design.
Recommendation 2, regarding the transfer of refurbishments funding from the alliances to the shires or other local organisations to undertake refurbishments makes a great deal of sense. Refurbishments to date have attracted a good deal of attention because we are not assured this program is delivering value for money or can be confident it is improving living conditions in order to improve health outcomes for those living there, particularly children. On the strength of that recommendation, I do not believe Recommendation 9 is unreasonable in asking the Northern Territory government to:
- … provide details of how the outcome of delivering healthy homes will be monitored and evaluated.
This is important for a host of reasons, especially in light of the Growing them strong, together report, which is all about care and protection of children.
I return to the recommendation of refurbishments being undertaken by locally based contractors or shires. It makes far more sense than to see the alliances continue with refurbishments. At local level it will provide more training and employment, the opportunities will be ongoing in light of maintenance programs, be more cost-effective and, at the end of the day, provide better value for money.
The refurbishments the CTC saw during its visit to Santa Teresa in July were disappointing, especially given the patches of dirt between the back door and the ablutions area - shower, toilet and laundry. Nevertheless, it was a positive result coming out of that visit by members of the CTC that that the issue was put under the spotlight. Recommendations were made and a solution was found to see these back porches sealed with concrete in order to deliver what this program is supposed to deliver: homes that are conducive to healthy living.
I mentioned how we need to highlight some of the positive aspects and was reminded, when listening to the Treasurer in the previous debate, about the sheer magnitude of this program. It is transformational. It is the biggest project of its kind ever undertaken in the history of this nation and is delivering houses. It has not been without its problems; however, if members opposite joined the CTC and visited places like Wadeye, Galiwinku, Maningrida and others, they would see these houses being built. I cannot remember where we are with those houses; however, many houses have been built and handed over. It is the same with refurbishments and rebuilds.
I acknowledge and recognise, in a project of this magnitude, the efforts of the CE of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Regional Services, Mr Ken Davies, and his oversight of the program. With him is Mr Andrew Kirkman, Executive Director, Remote Housing NT. They have appeared before the Council of Territory Cooperation on numerous occasions and are always forthcoming with information. They are asked some very difficult questions. There is nothing easy about the CTC - it is like an estimates process. They appear before the CTC, are asked many questions, and endeavour to find the answer if they do not have it on the spot.
Apart from SIHIP, four recommendations are around local government and the remaining two about the A Working Future policy. The local government recommendations encompass, to a point, the A Working Future policy, particularly when talking about CDEP programs. Without a doubt the CTC, with the support of the Northern Territory government, will continue to lobby the Australian government to come on board with the CDEP program. It has worked so well for so long, and the alternative for people on CDEP is not working. I acknowledge the efforts of our Minister for Local Government in lobbying to extend the CDEP program. I will be interested in the feedback we receive from the government on Recommendation 11.
Recommendations 14 and 15 are about the A Working Future policy, specifically lease arrangements. Land tenure is critical. Some of the processes government is working through, particularly with whole of township leasing, appear not to be working and not supporting a policy to open up growth towns and stimulate and encourage growth through economy when you need a permit to enter those communities. There are shortcomings, and I agree with the member for Arafura, if we can bring the responsibility back to the Northern Territory government to oversight those leases the program will be much more successful. We will see towns grow with the growth of private enterprise, and with it jobs and people’s capacity and ability to find work and gain economic independence.
I do not have much more to say, other than there was one aspect of the activities of the Council of Territory Cooperation not included in the third report, perhaps because in the scheme of things it is relatively minor. It was the Chair’s desire, supported by members at a time when the Country Liberal Party had members on the CTC, to promote the work of the Council of Territory Cooperation and communicate, face-to-face, with Territorians regarding what we do. As such, we had a stand at the Alice Springs Show. We worked on a roster and people were interested to learn about the CTC. We fielded questions, not only from the people of Alice Springs, but many visitors to Alice Springs - I even bumped into some Gove-ites and ex-Gove-ites. It was about the activities of the Council of Territory Cooperation but people welcomed the opportunity to talk, ask questions, or make criticisms about all aspects of government policy.
That was a worthwhile thing to do, and I want to recommend to our Chair that if we do it this year we need to find a less chilly spot …
Mr Giles: Stand near the CLP barbecue. I will make you a free sausage sandwich.
Ms WALKER: Thank you, member for Braitling, we might do that. We saltwater girls are accustomed to warmer weather - the member for Arafura and I suffered in that cold weather. Perhaps next time we will pack some thermal underwear and I will take two pairs of socks.
The Council of Territory Cooperation activities for 2011 are well under way. We will keep a watching brief on SIHIP, local government reforms, the A Working Future policy with it leasing issues, and CDEP. We look forward to returning to communities and growth towns to see progress. There are still communities and growth towns we have not visited - we will juggle that somehow.
We have broadened our horizons and are now looking at care and protection of children following the tabling of the Growing them strong, together report in October last year. Hearings commenced in December. The member for Nelson has had a number of meetings since then, and we took the opportunity on Monday to receive an update from several senior public servants on how things are progressing. Clare Gardiner-Barnes, Acting Chief Executive of the Department of Children and Families was one.
It is a shame the CLP has walked away from the Council of Territory Cooperation. The member for Araluen, to the best of my knowledge, is not on any parliamentary committee at the moment - she has some shadow responsibilities. What we are delving into now is part of her shadow portfolio. I understand the member for Araluen, in the Centralian Advocate several weeks ago, was vocal about not getting access to bureaucrats and information about her shadow portfolio and how very frustrating that was. It was no surprise and went with our blessing when the member for Nelson, as Chair, issued a media release inviting the member for Araluen: ‘Hey, you want access to that information, come on board, sit with the CTC and you will have it all there for you!’
I do not know why the Leader of the Opposition will not allow his members to be on the CTC - I find it a head-in-the-sand approach. When the members for Port Darwin and Katherine were part of the CTC I always had the impression they found it beneficial. The member for Port Darwin, as we know, was never short of questions and they were rarely easy ones. It was valuable in drawing out information. We will watch that and see what happens.
Madam Speaker, I thank our secretariat. They are very efficient, work hard and are always happy to work around our schedules or reschedule things. I thank them for their enormous patience. If I try to rattle off all their names I may offend by forgetting someone so I will not - they know who they are. The CTC will continue working hard in 2011.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I thank everyone for their contributions. I will not repeat issues raised by members of the CTC, except to say the CTC has had a number of meetings since this report and one area we need to improve on is getting our message out sooner. As Chair, I have been to Galiwinku; we have had one meeting with the department of Local Government; and have also had two meetings with people involved in child protection since then.
The member for Fong Lim has every justification to have an opinion. Sometimes that opinion is clouded by a big voice, and sometimes it is not backed up by a fairness which would allow us to say some of what he says is correct. We know SIHIP was introduced to reduce overcrowding but the CTC is not the government. One of its roles is to look at government programs and recommend changes to those programs if possible. The member for Fong Lim should also remember if this was about providing short-term housing to reduce overcrowding - which could be a good solution - why did the minister of the time, Mr Mal Brough, build two houses at Wadeye which cost between $600 000 and $900 000? That is a very expensive way to reduce overcrowding and set the scene for the government of the day - Liberal then Labor – to believe it should be putting in long-term housing as part of a strategic housing plan for the Northern Territory. At the speed it has been going we are probably barely keeping up with overcrowding in the Northern Territory.
Look at figures for birth rates in some of our growth towns - this is not bringing into debate what we should do on outstations - the amount of housing being built at present would need to increase to keep up with the birth rate in some communities. However, the government has put out a program saying: ‘Here is a budget; we will build X number of houses; we will refurbish X number of houses and do X number of rebuilds’.
We can argue about wasting money – it is something not only the CTC has been concerned about but also our Auditor-General. A review showed there had been waste and the CTC is looking at and raising those issues. Only recently, as Chair of the CTC, I visited Galiwinku and saw doors, timber, and some metal products for housing construction left in the open. The CTC has concerns products being used in the housing programs are of best quality so the life of those buildings is not jeopardised by rust, corrosion or moisture.
The member for Fong Lim is a little heavy on a report he has not read, picks up the recommendations and makes a grand statement. I understand where the statement is coming from; however, he has to understand the CTC is dealing with a government program. If he wants to debate whether a housing program should be short-term accommodation to overcome overcrowding, he can. However, the Commonwealth and Territory governments have agreed to building long-term, solid houses on Aboriginal communities and it the job of the CTC to see that happens. It may be worth him understanding that is where the recommendation comes from. We are not making a recommendation to put cheap houses or long-term houses in these communities. We say if the government provides houses which will last 40 years they should be made of material that will last 40 years without much maintenance.
The CTC has concerns about the houses at Wadeye. Minister Macklin has visited; perhaps our local minister for Housing as well. The CTC is not convinced, and has not been shown anything which suggests hollow wall houses will be cheap to maintain over 40 years compared to the solid concrete wall houses being built by Thamarrurr and Territory Alliance; that is the reason it is there. It is not there to argue whether these houses will reduce overcrowding. That is another argument, and a reasonable argument.
I suggest the member for Fong Lim read Recommendation 5 because the CTC has concerns about the effectiveness this program has on overcrowding. Recommendation 5 states:
- The CTC recommends a scope of works be published for the three Tennant Creek town camps where infrastructure works are under way.
Anyone who knows the history of SIHIP knows the second ‘I’ means infrastructure. After the review it was agreed that infrastructure should come from another bucket of money and the money set aside in the original SIHIP should be for building houses. When the CTC visited Tennant Creek, the Julalikari Council said they did not want the $30m set aside for infrastructure to build new houses. This sounded strange considering the Commonwealth government had agreed the infrastructure money could be used for houses and money for infrastructure would come from another bucket. That is one reason the CTC is going to Tennant Creek - we were told an average of 20 people are living in one house. The local Aboriginal association is telling us there are 20 people per house. We are giving them a means of reducing that number by using the infrastructure money to build new houses, and I am yet to understand their reasoning. That is what it is for.
The CTC is concerned about overcrowding and will continue to be concerned. The CTC will also look at how we can advance other means of housing Aboriginal people. Private ownership of houses has been discussed before but it is not as simple as you might think.
I am visiting East Arm Wharf in the next few days to see what type of modular housing the East Arnhem Shire is producing. The member for Nhulunbuy asked: ‘Will it come up to the star picket test?’ We do not want to invest large amounts of money building houses if they do not stand up to the test of time. The CTC is also concerned about the maintenance of houses. The member for Fong Lim suggested we all flit around the country with bureaucrats - two people drove to Wadeye, slept in the bush one night, visited these places with no great fanfare, and on purpose, there were no bureaucrats - we needed to see how things were on the ground. That is how I travelled to Galiwinku. I went in a plane with Helen Campbell, our secretary. I will not forget that flight through monsoonal rain and those small planes – exciting. Flying through blinding rain you cannot see the ground below or the sky above. We did not mention we were going; we needed to see what was happening on the ground and to ensure SIHIP was going ahead.
The big issue for the government will be how to maintain these houses for 40 years. Who will do this job on the ground? How are we going to increase the number of houses because in 40 years time most of these communities will have double the population?
The member for Fong Lim laughed about the greater involvement of councils in SIHIP. Whether it is emergency housing or more permanent housing you will need an increase in roads, sewerage, water and electricity, which requires a large amount of money. Whether it is an emergency community or not the pipe will be the same; it will need roads; it will need electricity, and it will need sewerage. Those things need to be assessed. Do we need additional power; do we need bigger sewage ponds; do we have enough bores to supply water to each house; are the pipes big enough to handle the load? This applies especially to sewerage and water.
It is not simple. Anyone can build those houses quickly. The land has to be planned. A government business manager from Canberra who has never been on a community will not have the experience to say: ‘Let us put a subdivision there’. That is one of the faults of bringing people in overnight. People with no experience of Aboriginal communities have been placed there. I am not saying some have not done a very good job; however, they are not, all of a sudden, planners and designers – it needs some design and consultation with the community.
If you put INPEX in the rural area plenty of people will want to have a say in what happens. They will look at whether it is a good idea, a bad idea; whether it is a good plan or a bad plan. You would not drop 95 houses into a community and not let the people have some say in what is happening. Regardless of the emergency, things have to be done correctly.
If you put large sums of money in and it lasts 10 years people will ask: ‘Why did you not spend more money and do the job properly?’ The member for Fong Lim makes a reasonable point. The CTC is concerned that many people still live in overcrowded houses. I was told of a house at Elcho Island where 50 people live in shifts. That is terrible. Houses are being built at Galiwinku, one of the slower areas in SIHIP which did not get off to a good start. We recently visited Gunbalanya - it has also been slow. In other areas it has been much faster. A substantial number of houses are being built at Maningrida. There is a major subdivision and when you see what infrastructure has been put in - the sewerage pipes are 4 m or 5 m deep - and the equipment which has been brought in for the trenching, you realise it is not a simple task. It would not matter whether it was temporary accommodation or permanent, those pipes would have to go in because you have the same number of toilets, sinks and bathrooms.
It is important shires are involved because they will take over. Why are councils in Darwin, Litchfield and Palmerston involved in subdivisions when they are handed over to councils to maintain? You need the community maintaining the subdivision involved in the planning process. Yes, perhaps it could be faster; that does not mean those people should not be involved.
There are standards; the town camps in Alice Springs are to be built to the same standard as suburbs in Alice Springs. That is not easy, especially when it comes to the cost of rebuilding what were rural roads and turning them into suburban roads. You have to put in kerbs, guttering and stormwater drains. There are issues in Alice Springs as they are attempting to have equivalent subdivision standards in town camps as are found in other parts of Alice Springs.
The member for Fong Lim mentioned closure of CDEP and makes a response which is so broad he destroys a reasonable argument. The CTC does not believe CDEP should be subsiding jobs in schools, hospitals, etcetera - that should be funded by government departments. However, the majority of people are not in those jobs. They are doing CDEP work because there is no other work for them. We need to ensure people are not going on the dole, which is what the member misses. It was fair to say the government should not be cost shifting; should not be using CDEP to get people working in hospitals or as ACPOs. However, the CTC says welfare is not the way to go, which is why that recommendation is there.
The government will respond to the recommendations shortly. We hope it will accept many of the recommendations. Legislation was passed today regarding the role of the Children’s Commissioner. Those changes came from discussions between the CTC and the Children’s Commissioner, and our recommendation to the government to change the role of the Children’s Commissioner. It is good to see that legislation brought before parliament. The CTC may not have been the only one to think it a good idea; however, it came from a recommendation of the CTC.
The CTC is quietly ensuring government policy is looked at, putting forward practical points to improve government policy, and will continue to do so. One has to remember, like any other committee in this parliament, the government does not have to accept the recommendations. I quoted a recommendation from the Environment committee saying there should be a fence across the Cobourg Peninsula. The Treasurer, who was minister for NRETAS at that time, said no; yet to me it was one of the most sensible recommendations we had. You have to live with that. The committee makes its recommendations; the government wears it, and puts arguments as to why it did not accept the recommendations.
I thank all staff. I thank the members for Arafura and Nhulunbuy for their hard work, and the member for Fong Lim who is teetering between becoming a member and hitting himself in the face with not wanting to become a member. The member for Araluen knows my opinion - if she would like to join for the child protection part she would be welcome. You have said some wonderful things and have shown your passion for child protection. In time you may be able to join; we would appreciate your thoughts and input.
The Council of Territory Cooperation is moving on and is now looking at child protection. We will be travelling to Tennant Creek and Ali Curung. I will be going to Willowra. We are going to Melville Island to conduct public meetings and look at the refurbishments. There have been issues with the amount of money set aside for refurbishments and the quality of those refurbishments …
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, I move an extension of time for the member for Nelson, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WOOD: Thank you, Chief Minister. The CTC will continue. We are going to put more emphasis on the child protection report. We will also be looking at the growth towns’ issue – that is not going to go away. Another important issue is where the outstations are heading. Local government reform is a big issue. Local governments do not know what roads they will be maintaining, and there are issues around rates and pastoral properties.
We will continue to watch SIHIP; we will not let it go. I will conduct some spot checks to see what is happening because someone needs to monitor progress of these important projects. Regardless of whether people agree with the philosophy or its beginnings, the Council of Territory Cooperation has to live with what is before it and ensure the taxpayer is getting best value, and these policies are operating the way the government said they would. It is no good saying we are doing it to achieve certain outcomes, and SIHIP is a classic example. One of its outcomes is healthier families by building healthier homes. When I visited Wadeye I saw a six-month-old house full of cockroaches. That cannot continue – it will not make healthier families. The role of the CTC is to ensure government, through Territory Housing, is keeping houses clean and well maintained to achieve the outcome government wants. Those outcomes will prove if these programs are any good.
It is important that we continue monitoring things like SIHIP because Chapter 6 of the Growing them strong, together report talks about reasons for child abuse. I put this in perspective. People like me think of child abuse as sexual and physical abuse - that is part of the problem. However, most of it is child neglect. The report shows overcrowding in houses is one reason for child neglect – in other words, child abuse. This parliament, and all parliaments throughout Australia, has to find ways to reduce overcrowding, especially in Indigenous communities, if we are to reduce child abuse. You cannot do it in the middle; you cannot do it at the end; you have to have a total package and one way is to ensure people have adequate housing.
Madam Speaker, I appreciate all comments made. I will be interested to see what the member for Fong Lim does over the next few weeks. If he would like to join he will make it a lively CTC. He might have to put his application in first, the CTC being a democratic body. I am unsure if the member for Arafura is excited about him coming on board after his contribution today. We will see what happens in the future.
Motion agreed to; paper noted.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Government Priorities for 2011
Government Priorities for 2011
Mr HENDERSON (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, today I want to outline the government’s major priorities for the coming year, and show how our ongoing work will continue to transform the Territory, creating more jobs and more opportunities and an even better lifestyle for all Territorians. Today, Territorians have every reason to feel optimistic about the future. Our government shares their optimism because the things which are important to Territory families, the things Territorians value, are important to the Labor Party. They are also important to me, which is why this Labor government will continue putting jobs for Territorians first because a rewarding, well-paid job underpins a great lifestyle. Every Territorian should be able to find a good job no matter where they live. We will continue to build a world-class education system which allows our students to compete with the best from Australia and overseas, because Labor believes every child deserves the best possible start in life and an education which allows them to be the best they possibly can.
We will continue to transform our health system, ensuring Territorians get the care they need when they need it. Nothing is more important to the Labor Party than the health and wellbeing of our people. We will forge ahead with our work in the bush through our groundbreaking A Working Future strategy, and will continue to work shoulder to shoulder with the Australian government to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage. Our aim is to build and resource our regional and remote communities to bring opportunity to those Territorians who live outside major centres.
We will continue to work to keep our streets and communities safe and secure because the great Territory lifestyle, a lifestyle which has brought people here from across Australia and around the world, is worth protecting and preserving. Whilst the world continues to change rapidly and we are constantly adapting to the challenges of a dynamic high-tech global economy, these priorities, these core Labor goals, have not changed and will not change in 2011. They will not change as long as I lead this government.
I am one of the many Territorians who came here to build a new life and seek new opportunities. In 1983, I left my job as an underground fitter in a mining camp on the west coast of Tasmania and made the trek to the Top End. It is a move I have never regretted for one moment because the Territory is a place of great opportunity, unlimited potential, which rewards hard work and a go-ahead can-do attitude. In the Territory you can achieve anything - that is what I tell my kids and it is my philosophy when it comes to government. It is the unlimited potential of the Territory and its people this government wants to continue to nurture and encourage. The government wants the Territory to be a land of opportunity for all.
Before I outline the government’s major priorities for the coming year, I want to talk briefly about the economy. I have always said the economy is not about money, it is about people. A strong and resilient economy is not an end in itself. It underpins opportunity and enables our government to deliver the new jobs, the new opportunities and the quality services Territorians need and demand for their families. It is in every way the foundation on which a more productive, more prosperous, more sustainable and fairer society is built. Today, in 2011, our foundations are stronger than they have ever been.
This did not happen by accident. From the time it assumed office, this government has focused on building a resilient and growing economy. In 2000-01, when the CLP was last in power in the Territory, it left a legacy of zero percent economy growth and unemployment at 5.6%. Labor has generated 24 493 jobs, which is why we have invested in infrastructure which encourages new investment and generates new jobs in the Territory. That is why we back these investments with an unswerving commitment to bring major projects to the Territory, particularly across our resources sector.
Today, in 2011, I am proud of what we have achieved. Territory Labor has invested around $1.3bn in 2009-10 in infrastructure we need to broaden our economic base and attract new and sustainable investment. That includes consecutive record infrastructure budgets during one of the worst global economic downturns in living memory. These investments have not only helped protect jobs during uncertain times, they have also helped build key infrastructure such as the Tiger Brennan Drive extension, upgrades to Territory schools and health facilities, and new suburbs in Palmerston East. This is vital infrastructure that will help secure a prosperous and sustainable way of life for our people today as well as future generations of Territorians.
Compare our commitment to building the Territory to that of the opposition. When Labor came to government a decade ago the infrastructure budget was meagre. In its last year in office, the CLP allocated less than $400 000 in capital works compared to the $1.8bn Labor invested in the last budget. That is a 400% increase in capital works spending. The figures speak volumes about the difference between our party - the party of jobs and opportunities for all - and the lazy, economically nave, approach of the CLP. We heard that in the contribution to the Treasurer’s financial statement today.
Investments in the productive capacity of our economy have helped attract the major projects Territorians need to prosper into the future. Our economy is relatively small compared to other jurisdictions and major projects like the ConocoPhillips LNG plant, the Alcan expansion, the new INPEX LNG project, and industrial development such as the establishment of a marine supply base in Darwin are critical investments that will lock in growth and generate the jobs and opportunities Territorians need.
The government has also worked hard to revitalise our business sector and provide Territory business with the confidence and certainty it needs to invest and expand in the future. That is why government has consistently delivered tax cuts for Territory business to help stimulate investment and generate new jobs. I am proud to say the Territory now has the lowest taxes in the nation for small to medium businesses. Since 2001, tax breaks have saved Territory business around $291m.
The government also backed Territory business by investing in our people and building a skilled and flexible workforce. Government said it would again train 10 000 apprentices and trainees in one term of government as we did in the last term, and we will deliver on that commitment ahead of time. There were many sceptics when we made that groundbreaking commitment, including those opposite; however, whilst they carped and talked down the Territory, we rolled up our sleeves and got on with the job and will continue to do so. Today, 5764 trainees and apprentices are being supported under the Jobs Plan initiatives. There are more in training per capita in the Northern Territory than anywhere else in Australia, and we are working with the Commonwealth to secure funding to build six trade training centres across the Territory - also opposed by those opposite.
The upshot of our prudent and strategic economic management is plain for all to see. We have the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. Compare that to the 5.6% legacy of the Country Liberal Party. This government has created more than 24 000 new jobs since coming to office and, reassuringly, the most recent forecast from Access Economics places the Territory in the top three economies in the nation over the next five years with average economic growth of 3.9%.
Our foundations are strong which means we can do what Labor governments do best: deliver the jobs, the opportunities and the quality services Territorians need for their families. Despite our strong economy and low levels of unemployment, some Territory families are doing it tough. The Territory has not been immune to the rising cost of living across the nation but the government is determined to take action to ease the pressure on Territory families. This will be a major focus in 2011.
This government understands a rising population has seen demand for accommodation outstrip supply in recent years, placing pressure on house prices and rents. Government has responded with decisive action. It has upped the ante when it comes to land release, freeing up land five times faster than before. It is planning for the new city of Weddell and the new suburb of Kilgariff in Alice Springs. It is keeping 15% of all new releases for affordable housing, with the first online in Bellamack and Johnston now. The government has reduced stamp duty, increased the Principal Place of Residence rebate to $3500, introduced a seniors reduction of $8000, and waived stamp duty for houses up to the value of $540 000 for first homebuyers.
In addition, government has subsidised power and water costs saving Territorians around $62m per year, introduced the $75 Back to School Payment Scheme, has the best Pensioner and Carer Concession Scheme in Australia by a country mile, and the Territory is the only place in Australia to provide free buses for students, seniors and carers. Government has introduced a childcare subsidy worth around $22 per child per week, and provided $1000 to apprentices and trainees to help with the cost of buying work wear and work gear.
I am cautiously optimistic our work is paying off. For example, annual CPI increased by 2.3% in Darwin compared to the national capital city average of 2.8%. That is the second lowest behind Canberra. The latest Access Economics report forecasts our inflation at 2.8% over 2010-11, below the national average of 3.1%. The government will continue to support Territory families in 2011, and continue to take action to ease cost of living pressures.
There is nothing more important to Territory families - families like mine - than education and ensuring our children get the best possible start in life. Getting the best possible start not only helps create happy and healthy children, and engages our kids in the learning process early on, but increases their chances of completing their journey through school and acquiring the skills they need to build satisfying and rewarding careers. That is good for our kids, good for our economy, and great for our society.
This government recognises better schools and more sophisticated learning facilities are fundamental to the delivery of quality educational programs and, in turn, better results for our students. I am unsure if those opposite agree with that proposition because education was neglected for decades under the CLP and investment in our schools was sadly lacking.
In contrast, Labor has invested well over $500m in schools since 2001, including our record $246m current program of capital works. We have built new schools to meet the needs of our growing remote and urban communities - remote schools like Emu Point, Manyallaluk, Yilpara and Arlparra where previously there were no schools, and urban schools like Darwin Middle School and the state-of-the-art Rosebery Middle and Primary schools, which provide Palmerston children with facilities equal to anywhere in the world. This government will continue to upgrade existing schools, including its landmark commitment to upgrade every government primary and group school in the Territory.
Our education system is being transformed and modernised before our eyes with advances such as distance learning, virtual classrooms, and vocational education and training, or VET online. We recognise building must continue and education must remain a priority for many years to come. That is because on this side of the House we believe in opportunity for all. I passionately believe all Territory students deserve the best possible education no matter where they live. That is what the A Working Future strategy is all about and what drives our work across government. For example, today more kids are getting to experience preschool in remote communities through our mobile preschools, our Families as First Teachers program, and our child and family centres. We now have purpose-built secondary school facilities in communities such as Wadeye, Maningrida, Kalkarindji, Galiwinku and other places - places where secondary education has never existed before.
Things are changing. Since 2003, when the first remote students graduated from the bush, more than 100 students have complete Year 12. This is a fantastic achievement; however, it needs significant building. Those opposite should hang their head in shame – 27 years of CLP government and not one graduate from a remote community in the Territory, not one. This government will continue working hard and, through our groundbreaking A Working Future strategy, I am confident our investments will see many more remote students coming through the ranks in the years ahead.
Highly motivated and committed teachers are critical to ensuring successful education outcomes for young Territorians. Since 2002, the government has employed an extra 330 teachers and is working hard to keep them in the Territory. That is why we introduced a new remote teaching service. In short, our teachers are amongst the best paid in Australia, which is why we will continue to provide principals and teachers with professional development opportunities and the support they need to do their jobs. The government is also supporting teachers with a world-class secondary school system. The Territory now has middle year schooling for Years 7, 8 and 9; senior colleges for Years 10, 11 and 12; and a modern and dynamic secondary school curriculum. Education is being transformed and last year’s results show we are right on track with top TER students - almost the best in Australia. Completion rates and academic results were excellent in 2010, and I am confident things will only improve in the future.
Work will continue in 2011. We will continue to build new and better schools across the Territory and continue to support our teachers and provide them with the tools they need to excel in a modern classroom. We will continue to give families in remote communities the educational opportunities they deserve.
The primary focus in 2011, the big challenge we face in education, is to boost school attendance across remote and regional parts of the Territory. In October last year, I updated parliament on work to improve school attendance. We introduced Every Child, Every Day, a comprehensive strategy to address enrolment, attendance and participation. It sets ambitious targets and details key strategies government is implementing with parents, schools and communities to improve participation and attendance. We will not rest until we have every child attending school at least 90% of the time. I will update the House on progress throughout the year.
The health and wellbeing of Territorians will also remain a major focus in 2011. Like education, health is core business for Labor governments - it always will be. Real improvements to healthcare in this country have always been driven by Labor governments. This government is part of that tradition and will continue to work to transform healthcare in the Territory.
The Territory faces major challenges when it comes to shaping a modern and responsive healthcare system. For example, we have the busiest hospitals in the country. Our emergency department presentations are twice the national average, and patient admissions are three times the national average. Our aim is to ensure we meet this demand and ensure all Territorians receive the treatment they need when they need it. That is why this government delivered the Territory’s first $1bn health and families budget in 2009, and why we followed it up with a further $1.16bn in 2010.
Health funding has more than doubled since 2001, up by a massive 139%, and our investments are reaping dividends. For example, in the Territory we spend more per patient in public hospitals than any other jurisdiction and have more public hospital beds than the national average. We have the most hospital doctors and nurses on a population basis; a super clinic in Palmerston provides an after-hours service to patients in need; and we have the world-class Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre at Royal Darwin Hospital and the new 26-room Barbara James House in Darwin. In 2011, patients no longer need to travel interstate for the majority of cancer treatments. We have a state-of-the-art birthing service at Royal Darwin Hospital; expanded emergency services; Hospital in the Home and discharge planning services seven days a week at Royal Darwin Hospital and Alice Springs Hospital. There are new renal dialysis units in Alice Springs, Gap Road, Katherine, Tennant Creek, and Palmerston, and remote areas such as Santa Teresa, Ramingining, Umbakumba, Galiwinku and Maningrida. We have new remote health centres in Milikapiti, Daly River, Yuendumu, Nguiu, Minjilang, Kalkarindji and Maningrida.
Record investments in health are leading to improved outcomes, particularly for Indigenous Territorians. There has been a three-year improvement in life expectancy for Aboriginal women, and the Indigenous infant mortality rate has fallen by 35%. These are encouraging figures and while there is still a great deal of work needed to close the gap further, I am optimistic our A Working Future strategy will see these positive trends continue. In addition, anaemia rates for Aboriginal children have fallen by 20% and cervical cancer rates have fallen by 61% across the Territory, with an accompanying decline in mortality for cervical cancer falling by 92% for Aboriginal women between 1991 and 2003. Survival rates for patients on renal dialysis are now equivalent to the rest of Australia, an improvement over the last seven years. The Minister for Health will talk more about A Working Future.
Improving health services will continue to be a major focus for my government in the year ahead. As well as our ongoing work in the bush, key highlights include redeveloping the emergency departments at Alice Springs Hospital and working with the Commonwealth government on the new super clinic for the northern suburbs.
Our great Territory lifestyle is something worth protecting and preserving and there is no bigger threat to our way of life than alcohol-related crime. This threat is not unique to the Territory; we are seeing similar problems around Australia and the western world. That is little consolation to Territory families. The facts speak for themselves: 60% of assaults and 67% of domestic violence incidents are alcohol-related. Alcohol-related crime costs the Territory around $650m every year, and there are 54 000 protective custody episodes in the Territory every year.
We need to take action now, which is why my government will introduce the most comprehensive alcohol reforms in the Territory’s history - world-leading reforms targeting problem drinkers. We will ban problem drinkers from purchasing alcohol; introduce a banned drinker register to enforce the bans; mandate treatment for problem drinkers and increase rehabilitation and treatment; and introduce an alcohol management plan for Darwin and Palmerston, including a ban on cask wine over two litres. We will get tough and will turn the taps off to stop crime and violence. I am aware these are harsh and controversial measures. I make no apologies. Our streets, suburbs and communities are sacrosanct, and the sooner we stamp out the scourge of alcohol-fueled violence and crime the better. I know most Territorians would agree.
Over the past decade the Territory has been transformed. Today, our economy is one of the strongest and most resilient in Australia, an economy that is growing and generating new jobs and opportunities for Territorians. Today, we have an education system we can be proud of, an education system on par with any in the nation and one that gives our kids the chance to fulfil their potential. Today, we have a modern and responsive healthcare system, one that allows people to access the healthcare they need when they need it.
Yes, we have our challenges: the cost of living pressures, improving the lives of Territorians in the bush, and the scourge of alcohol-fuelled violence. We will rise to these challenges and take action to improve the lives of Territorians no matter where they live. That is what the Labor Party does and what Territory families expect a Labor government to do.
Madam Speaker, I finish by giving an example of how much the Territory has changed in the last decade. Today in the Territory a child beginning preschool has the opportunity to complete that journey through school and study and graduate as a doctor without leaving the Territory. In years to come our new $28m NT medical school will be seen as a key moment in our history. The medical school will not only mean more opportunities for our children, it will also mean we can finally produce homegrown doctors who have spent their lives in the Territory and understand our unique health challenges. It is a potent symbol of how far the Territory has come. I take this opportunity to wish the seven Territorians who will be studying there this year all the best for the future.
Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly take note of the statement.
Debate adjourned.
MATTER OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Lawlessness in Alice Springs
Lawlessness in Alice Springs
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I have received the following letter from the member for Greatorex:
- Madam Speaker,
I propose for discussion this day the following definite matter of public importance:
That there is acute lawlessness devastating Alice Springs and that the resources made available by the NT government are insufficient to deal with the problems.
An immediate acknowledgement and response is required with the deployment of a police task force and extra police on the beat.
It is signed by the member for Greatorex.
Is the proposed discussion supported? It is supported.
Mr CONLAN (Greatorex): Madam Speaker, I start by reading a message I received from Facebook. This is someone I am not too familiar with; nevertheless they sent me this message last night which says:
- I think it is time for a vote of no confidence against the current Northern Territory government. People of Alice Springs are tired of the violence and crime in this town. We all have investments in this town and the way it is going people are going to leave in droves. My son leaves to work in Adelaide tomorrow …
- … his girlfriend a month later. One of my friends, a base wife, had the …
… beaten out of her last Saturday night on Memorial Drive out the front of her house. She is now in Alice Springs Hospital with not one part of her body without a bruise and has to go to Adelaide for facial reconstruction. This happened to a 40-odd year old mother.
I received that on my Facebook account from someone I do not know. This is the type of thing people in Alice Springs face on a daily basis.
This arrived in my e-mail account this morning - you may have seen the front page of the Centralian Advocate – and says:
Hello, Matt,
- I was participating in the cricket match in today’s Advocate that has the story on the front page. Sadly, this happens every time we play at Flynn Drive, but the last time we played there we witnessed an attempted sexual assault. This happened in broad daylight and not 20 metres away from the main road and 50 metres away from the shops. It was following this incident that the fathers who play our great game decided to stop bringing our sons to watch and be involved on the sidelines for our matches. What the article in the paper doesn’t describe is the events leading up to the incident last Saturday. We watched in disbelief this group of people consume a carton of VB and then go on to purchase another from Flynn Drive. In the meantime, a lady over the fence in the block of units was hanging her washing only to have abuse and her fence continually belted.
It continues.
Madam Speaker, during a censure motion last week I highlighted the problems facing Alice Springs. Things have become serious and the community is at fever pitch.
The matter of public importance proposes for discussion the acute lawlessness devastating Alice Springs, and that resources be made available by the Northern Territory government as current resources are insufficient. We need an acknowledgment by the Northern Territory government that an immediate response is required and the deployment of a police task force and an extra 20 police on the beat as part of a long-term strategy. It is not about taking police from one area and putting them in Alice Springs - robbing Peter to pay Paul. This is a long-term solution to bolster the establishment of police numbers in Central Australia.
We need an immediate response to the emergency. Emergency response is not overstating the situation - I have read a Facebook entry and an e-mail sent to me.
Let us look at the Centralian Advocate over the last couple of months: ‘Off the Hook Cops Let Rock Thrower Go Claims Cabby’; ‘Run Over Like A Dog - Death In The Front Yard’; ‘Slash, Dash and Bash - Unhappy Ending After A Night At The Movies’; ‘West Side Story in Alice Springs’ - two groups of Alice Springs teenagers are competing to see who can steal the most cars and lure police into dangerous chases; ‘Thieves Keep Cops Busy’; ‘Drunks Face CBD Exile’; ‘Wanted’ - police are looking for these three gang members responsible for a vicious Christmas Eve attack in the suburbs - that was 31 December 2010; ‘Bill ‘em and Sue ‘em!’ – 7 January 2011. Several days later: ‘Alice Night Patrol Fiasco’ - Only one vehicle on the road, staff numbers dangerously low; ‘Group Picket Pollies’; ‘Bank Robber “robbed”’; ‘”Harpoon” is aimed at youths’. This is on 14 January: ‘Forced to Bed down at Work’ - vandals trash the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens four times in the last week causing about $20 000 worth of damage. That story relates to business owners forced to sleep on the premises and: ‘Stabbed Tourist – They Threatened to Kill Us; Terror on Stott Terrace’. On 15 February: ‘Lawlessness Spreads like Cancer’. These are all over the last few months.
This is a clear indication of what is occurring in Central Australia. Tonight people in Alice Springs attended a public meeting called by interested parties to discuss solutions and to vent their anger at what is occurring in their town. Between 200 and 250 people attended in the Andy McNeill Room at the Alice Springs Town Council - no mean feat; a large number of people. We have all attended public meetings in this line of work. However, I would be hard pressed to find too many who have attended a meeting with that number present, particularly in a town the size of Alice Springs.
Last week, the Chief Minister wanted to discuss solutions and options saying: ‘Come and talk to us; let us discuss what we can do’. Chief Minister, you can immediately deploy a police task force to Central Australia to stem the violence plaguing the town …
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr CONLAN: On 15 February the ‘Terror on Stott Terrace’ headline was accompanied by a sign on windows at the Northside shops saying: ‘Northside IGA will be closed 7 pm tonight due to the ongoing antisocial behaviour’. This is real. The government will say: ‘Everything is okay; we are doing what we can’.
The Minister for Central Australia talks about the Youth Action Plan and the transformation plan. I am unsure where the Youth Action Plan is - the minister is nodding his head. It does not seem to be successful if what is happening now is anything to go by. That plan was discussed with the former Minister for Central Australia two years ago when local members from both sides of parliament met with the Alice Springs Town Council. Two years later, things have spiralled out of control.
The opposition proposes a task force be despatched immediately to Alice Springs to stem the extreme levels of violence plaguing the town. We understand the approach is multipronged. We understand it is not a simple silver bullet solution. Long-term issues have to be addressed. It is difficult for people of Alice Springs facing this wave of violence and lawlessness who feel there is no long term, it is short term. We have to address this problem now. We propose a task force and 20 extra police on the beat to increase police establishment. Broader issues include a boot camp for juveniles who flout the law, and mandatory rehabilitation for drunks. This often goes hand in hand - parents are drunk and the kids remain unsupervised, become bored, are largely idle and up to their own devices at the expense of Alice Springs. We also need legislative changes and have highlighted many unacceptable areas. We believe a bolstering of our police numbers overall, and the deployment of a task force, will address some of this. We need to ensure the courts reflect the expectations of the community and the sentence fits the crime. There is that expectation in the community.
Considering the dire state this government has left Alice Springs in, no measure to restore law and order is off the table and, if that requires legislative change, that will be on the table. We have reached a point where things are almost unsustainable and, if left longer, will become insurmountable. This problem is so big it is, for many residents, almost too hard to conquer, hence they are throwing up their arms and are leaving town. I will give examples of people leaving town. This is happening; this is real - I cannot emphasise how real this is.
I will read a few words from a letter written by the member for Port Darwin, our shadow Attorney-General, to the NT News on 6 January 2011. It says:
- The courts’ legitimacy is derived from a general public acceptance of their integrity. Part of that integrity is generated in the practice of sentencing in criminal matters. The public has no capacity to elect or place any direct pressure on courts or jurists.
They do, however, have the capacity to elect parliaments and parliaments have the capacity to directly limit the discretion of a court if they choose to do so. There are any number of examples where this has occurred. Jurists complain bitterly if their discretion is limited by the parliament because it limits their latitude.
I suggest to the legal fraternity that if they do want to avoid having to deal with a parliament that is hostile to their discretion then they use that discretion through a filter of understanding what the public expectation is.
There is an enormous public expectation in Alice Springs that the punishment fit the crime. Back to the letter from our shadow Attorney-General:
- The current government has been actively promoting softer policies that have been embraced by some in the legal fraternity. The Country Liberals are not of that mind. Whilst we may be accused of being populist, we are proud of being in touch with our community.
We understand you cannot take 20 police from somewhere and place them somewhere else. We propose a 20-man whole-of-Northern Territory deployment ready to go at any moment in a foreseeable situation. This is a foreseeable situation, and police can properly plan and deploy 20 people to Central Australia immediately.
Police are performing much overtime at present because of the enormous workload. Police have told me they appreciate the money but the pressure on them, their work and their families is essentially …
Mrs Lambley: Unreasonable.
Mr CONLAN: Yes, unreasonable is a good word, thank you, member for Araluen. It outweighs the financial compensation they receive. I would like the minister to tell me how many hours of overtime are paid per police officer during a pay cycle? What is the cost of overtime payments? Would it not be more cost-effective to have extra police so the current police are not burnt out and placing themselves at risk by working extremely long hours under constant pressure, and eventually resigning and joining interstate police with better pay and conditions? What is the average break time between finishing a full shift plus overtime and being called back for a regular shift? One would cancel out the other. In other words, the enormous amount of overtime being paid to police working extended hours to keep the peace in Central Australia would easily be compensated by additional police and a police task force dispatched immediately to Alice Springs.
Madam Deputy Speaker, Alice Springs is at breaking point and, despite government rhetoric, it has deserted Alice Springs. It is similar to the pessimist and the optimist. The pessimist says things cannot get any worse, it is terrible, it is so bad; the optimist says yes, they can. Alice Springs will become worse unless the Northern Territory government addresses the issues facing it and restores it to the safe and secure town it was.
Members: Hear, hear!
Ms LAWRIE (Justice and Attorney-General): Madam Deputy Speaker, I acknowledge the concerns of residents of Alice Springs and their calls for assistance and change. This government takes very seriously the crime wave experienced in Alice Springs through December. It started in November and continued through December and January into February - a crime wave we find unacceptable, which started with a focus on commercial and residential property crimes. We have seen in recent weeks disturbing and unacceptable assaults on innocent people. There is an unacceptable level of crime and associated antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs. Cohorts of crime are being conducted by adults and juveniles - we accept there are different cohorts in this and have worked closely with police in Alice Springs to have factual information provided to government.
I have visited Alice Springs and am working very closely with the Minister for Central Australia and the Chief Minister, who has availed the police to the Minister for Central Australia and me for briefings. The minister has participated with the Chief Minister in a series of meetings. We even met over the weekend and are focused on doing everything we can to provide better law and order in Alice Springs whilst addressing the medium and longer term issues fuelling the violence and antisocial behaviour. Government understands the sentiment of the opposition in the MPI, and not for one minute is this government saying it is okay with what is happening in Alice Springs.
Politics will be played here to some extent. There is a by-election coming up, and we know there is a prevailing current of politics which the member for Greatorex is being somewhat mischievous in. That being said, there is a very serious and unacceptable level of crime and antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs and we are not resiling from that; we are tackling it using the best police intelligence we have. From discussions with Commander Murphy, who runs operations in Alice Springs, and the Police Commissioner and the Deputy Police Commissioner, the advice is there are adequate police resources in Alice Springs.
Police ran three different operations, the first in the December period when they started to see an increase in property crimes. That transferred into a second one, Operation Harpoon, which was around targeting - the first operation was an intelligence-led operation, understanding who the recidivist offenders were, the ringleaders, and targeting and cracking down on them. Operation Harpoon was a more external operation - additional police on the beat. The opposition is calling for additional police on the beat - police have responded. Operation Harpoon ran through January. As a result of that operation, 26 offenders were arrested and 47 charges laid. I acknowledge the fine work done by police in Alice Springs through the intelligence-led operation in December which went to identifying offenders and the reasons and patterns of offending. Operation Harpoon occurred from 7 to 21 January and involved members from Southern Command, including members from Themis stations and both general duties and regional investigation Alice Springs.
Overtime is occurring as a result of these intense police operations and additional police on the beat. We have been briefed on the capacity of those officers and their work so they are not unreasonably overtaxed in the exercise of their duties. We have been advised that the rotation of officers from Themis stations in the Southern Command region to give a break to officers in Alice Springs has been a way for police to manage those operations. Experienced police are providing us with this advice, so do we accept their advice or not? Government accepts the advice of people like Commander Murphy, and the Police Commissioner and Deputy Police Commissioner. They are well-trained, experienced police officers. It does not necessarily play out in the political debate. We have a great deal of confidence in their expertise.
During Operation Harpoon they targeted the increasing number of unlawful entries, particularly youth activities within Alice Springs through both mobile and static patrols. They identified hot spots. The operation resulted in 24 property offences - 26 offenders were arrested and 47 charges laid.
As a result of a series of meetings the Minister for Central Australia and I had in Alice Springs hearing the concerns of the business community around the state of crime, police introduced Operation Overseer on 9 February. This was to address antisocial behaviour and youth concerns targeting evening and night periods in Alice Springs. Again, members were sourced from general duties, traffic and investigations. I am advised by police up to six additional officers per night are in response patrols and the Police Beat, with the operation being focused on the central business district which includes the 24-hour store on Gap Road and the Royal Flying Doctor Service lawns in Stuart Terrace. This operation is being supported by the work undertaken by the new patrol coordinator, a new senior sergeant position announced earlier in the year as a result of listening to the business community. It is based at Alice Springs Police Station to better coordinate patrol services in Alice Springs.
There is also the Alice Springs Town Council morning ranger patrol. Tangentyere has the day patrol funded by the Northern Territory government, and the night patrol funded from the federal Attorney-General’s department. There is a new youth outreach service – a Northern Territory government-funded youth night patrol. That youth patrol has gone from operating three nights a week to seven nights a week in the most critical evening hours.
As a result of the additional police operations, and bearing in mind the call for immediate action, this is real-time immediate action occurring every night in Alice Springs as a result of increased police activity and patrol activity. Statistics from police show between 9 and 20 February 494 incidents of protective custody occurred. There were 394 incidents of liquor being tipped out; 28 arrests have been made; 15 summary infringement notices have been issued; 22 incidents of liquor banning notices were issued, and one incident of breach of liquor banning notice issued.
Police say they are making inroads into addressing the antisocial behaviour and have identified youth problems through community engagement, rapport with youth, and liaising with government and non-government organisations. This is real time; this is happening; it is an increased and enhanced police operation in Alice Springs.
We know, and the member for Greatorex mentioned it, these are complex issues and no one is resiling from that. A multifaceted approach is being taken by this government. Regarding alcohol reforms, we are going to the heart of the problem. We have announced the most significant reforms in our nation’s history directly targeting problem drinkers and banning them from purchasing and consuming alcohol.
We are delivering a juvenile justice package to respond to this initial spike in crime and antisocial behaviour, and I will talk to the details of the package shortly. We have a Youth Action Plan in place; it is being implemented and I will talk to the elements of the Youth Action Plan shortly.
In partnership with the federal government we are spending $150m in transforming the town camps of Alice Springs. Anyone who knows Alice Springs knows you cannot solve the antisocial issues without tackling the condition of the town camps; not only the physical structures, but also the social structures in and around the town camps. That $150m is not only being spent on bricks and mortar. Critically and importantly, a significant amount is going to social packages dealing with people in crisis.
Alcohol is the biggest cause of crime in the Territory. We are tackling that through reforms to turn the tap off problem drinkers to stop the violence. We will ban problem drinkers; we will enforce those bans, and will mandate treatment to stop the cycle of violence. We want to ensure people do not commit alcohol-related crime. We want to turn the tap off people who currently go in and out of protective custody and sobering-up shelters. The statistics are stark: 60% of all assaults in the Territory are alcohol-related; 67% of all domestic violence is alcohol-related. There are 54 000 protective custodies a year occurring across the Territory, and alcohol is contributing to more deaths, more injuries and more hospitalisations in the Territory than ever before.
I have spoken of our reforms: banning the problem drinkers; introducing the banned drinking register; mandating treatment for problem drinkers; and increased rehabilitation and treatment. I have spoken consistently in this Chamber about the widespread support for those reforms across the social services delivery sector and the AHA and liquor association. We know alcohol and substance misuse is fuelling antisocial behaviour and crime in Alice Springs and we need to tackle this. We are moving as quickly as possible to get legislation into this Chamber. I look forward to a bipartisan approach on this, and hope the CLP will put aside its ideological objection to an ID system and support the reforms when they are introduced to parliament in March. We are committed to taking action.
In regard to total wholesale alcohol supply, a report out today shows we had, in 2009, a 9% increase in wholesale alcohol supply in Alice Springs. This came after three consecutive years where alcohol supply had decreased. In 2006 it was down by 5%; in 2007 down by 13%; in 2008 down by 5%. Many people have come into town, have stayed, and are accessing grog. That is why we need to turn the tap off Territory-wide, not just in isolated areas.
We have heard from a key doctor at Alice Springs Hospital that there has been a significant reduction in the horrendous stabbings we saw in the past. The Menzies report shows a 21% reduction in serious assaults in Alice Springs. Dr Jacob said: ‘On average, we used to get 250 female victims every year. Last year’ – that is 2009 – ‘the number has actually been reduced to 146. Various things may have contributed to this but I think alcohol restriction is the major factor’. I accept the alcohol restriction measures we have in Alice Springs have not been wholly accepted by the entire community. Reasonably they are saying: ‘Why should we be different to elsewhere in the Territory?’ Contributions by members opposite might point to why we have had to be harsher in supply restrictions in Alice Springs. There is no doubt the town has been more greatly impacted by grog-fuelled antisocial behaviour and violence. The new reforms are Territory-wide and are designed to turn the problem drinker off tap.
As a result of listening to the concerned business people in Alice Springs, as well as other community members, government announced a package to get young people off the street at night and reduce crime. It is no small bickies to announce the establishment of a juvenile detention centre for Alice Springs. That is currently being fitted out with a fence and cameras, and we have an agreement for an education program to be operational as soon as possible. People are moving as quickly as possible to get the new detention facility kitted out.
We are introducing a new offence of bail - I gave notice of that today and will make the second reading speech tomorrow. Government has moved swiftly to get the legislative reform in place the community has been asking for. We have announced a review of the Youth Justice Act which will lead to many legislative reforms the community is expecting the government to consider in making it a tougher environment. If children want to commit crime where is the responsibility meted back to the parents? We need to look at parental liability. We need to a look at what are reasonable restitution provisions within a Youth Justice Act. Reasonable with all the checks, balances and tests because some parents try hard - their kids are out doing things. It is not about the parents who are doing the right thing; parental liability will be about parents who are doing the wrong thing.
We have undertaken a Return to Country blitz in Alice Springs as part of our back to school. Timing was not great with the weather conditions in the Top End - Murphy’s law - the All Stars game was to be shifted to Alice Springs at the time we were conducting the Return to Country blitz. Anyone who understands the cohort of clients we were attempting to return to communities knows they are football fanatics - they stayed in town. We have not given up on the Return to Country blitz and are working through logistics to have another go. There are many people in town from communities in Western Australia, South Australia and the broader Northern Territory remote communities who would be better served going home, settling into a better education system for their kids, and a more productive life than living in overcrowded town camps or creek beds. We will continue the Return to Country efforts.
We have commenced with targeted additional police patrols, through Operations Harpoon and Overseer, on the streets of Alice Springs. The new patrol coordinator has commenced. We are logistically identifying safe houses; places where the police can take kids off the street and put them into safe houses at night. In the morning, parents then have to explain why the kids were on the street in the first place. We have also announced the expansion of the BushMob juvenile alcohol and other drug facility.
The opposition ignores these are significant and serious undertakings by this government as a result of this latest crime spree in Alice Springs. They are very significant - new facilities, new legislation and additional police resources. The immediate is police resources; the medium is safe houses - and by that I mean short-term medium. We are conducting meetings throughout the weeks to identify safe houses and have them kitted out as workable for police and the child protection system.
We are currently kitting out the new detention centre for juveniles in Alice Springs, and are sourcing the facility for the expanded BushMob alcohol and drug facility. These are new initiatives with new resources this government is implementing and will complement the existing Alice Springs Youth Action Plan oversighted by my colleague, the Minister for Central Australia. The Youth Action Plan has already achieved some of its initiatives and others are being implemented. Included in the Youth Action Plan was a Police Beat in the Todd Mall, which is operational.
The No School No Service program has been introduced and is being supported by local business. We have provided additional funding of $75 000 a year for three years to the Gap Youth Centre. The Centralian Middle School is operating at Gillen campus. The Youth Hub is being established at ANZAC campus. Fitting out is occurring, and we have identified the units which will go into the ANZAC campus as soon as possible. The new Youth Outreach Service is operational, and has gone from three nights to seven nights a week.
Tender specifications have gone out for the boarding school at ANZAC Hill. That is to provide young people attending school a safe place to live. Extra safe accommodation beds are coming online. By the end of 2011, Alice Springs will have 520 additional beds in accommodation options. That is a dire need. The impact that will have in reducing antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs is underestimated.
The $6.4m committed in the budget to update Centralian Middle School and develop the Youth Hub at ANZAC Hill has been rapidly spent by the agencies coordinated to undertake the service delivery. Police and service providers are participating in inter-agency operations and patrols targeting truancy and young people on the street at night. Education services to encourage and support school attendance have commenced, and education services to target young people disengaged from school - the contract has been let and is about to commence operation. The government has appointed the important coordinator position.
This is not to say we do not recognise the significant need to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs. We are not doing nothing - we are doing a lot. We are being constructive and listening carefully to the aspirations of businesses, and residents who live and work in Alice Springs.
It is easy for the opposition to give the judicial officers a bashing. Magistrates live and work in Alice Springs …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, your time has expired. Please resume your seat.
Mrs LAMBLEY (Araluen): Madam Deputy Speaker, I thank the member for Greatorex for bringing forward this matter of extreme public interest for the people of Central Australia. This government has had 10 long years to implement strategies to combat lawlessness in Alice Springs and I cannot understand how the deputy leader of the government can say strategies are in place, and the government is listening and has done its best. It has not. You have not listened. You might be listening now, but you have not been listening for the last five or six years I have been in local government and become a member of parliament. As a consequence of not listening, you have lost time and resources and there is an extreme problem that is not being exaggerated, embellished or overstated. This is an emergency situation which requires an emergency response.
My colleague, the member for Greatorex, has illustrated proof in the media that this has been at crisis point for a long time. The NT News, the Centralian Advocate, The Australian - The Weekend Australian had a large expos on the severity of the situation in Central Australia, and the radio has been reporting it for a long time. To quote the Four Corners program on ABC television last year: this is dangerous territory. We are talking about the lives of young people in Central Australia; children, youths and adults who are intoxicated and are vandalising. There is theft, public drunkenness, sexual assault, and antisocial behaviour. Today, in the Centralian Advocate, there is a story about a poor woman who was stoned in front of her house by a group of youths.
We need a circuit breaker and this government is not offering one. We are hearing rhetoric; we are hearing boring stories about a Youth Action Plan, a tired, old plan with little effect. Things are intensifying in Central Australia, deteriorating; the social fabric of our town is falling apart.
A group of several hundred people from Alice Springs who are exasperated and fed up gathered together tonight to form a group. The plan is to hold this government to account. Yes, that is working in the opposition’s favour. We are not here to make you look bad; we are here to make our communities a safer and better place.
The members for Greatorex and Braitling, and my other colleagues throughout the Northern Territory all want to see genuine change and we want more police. That is a starting point. We have been asking for more police for a long time. During the Araluen by-election one of the top priorities in my campaign was placing an extra 20 police in Alice Springs. I agree with the deputy leader that crackdowns and task forces are very effective. We have seen many over the years and there is a change in the level of crime throughout the town. They work - that is why we want more of them more often. We want intense police operations all the time. That might sound a little outrageous but it is exactly what we are asking for: more police on the street deployed at a time when the demand is the highest. There is often a large number of police working during the day in Alice Springs. We do not want them on during the day - we want them on at night. We want them working in a strategic way to address the crime problems on our street.
This weekend the NAB Cup will be held in Alice Springs - we are bracing ourselves for a hard weekend. Everyone knows the NAB Cup weekend is a great weekend for sport but not much else. The social problems it brings are outrageous and untenable.
Police communications appear as bad as ever. I received an e-mail today from a constituent who lives at 57 Van Senden Avenue. He said on Friday night, 18 February, there was a party at 56 Van Senden which got out of control with up to 150 people fighting, yelling, and blocking off the street. Later, there were 30 people in his front yard. He first called police at 10.30 pm, made a second call, and the third was at midnight. The operator asked how long he had lived in Alice Springs and when he said 17 years her response was he should be used to it by now and hung up. He said police finally arrived at 2 am and the crowd dispersed. He was told police are stretched for staff and this was a priority one. He wondered how many other riots consisting of up to 150 people happened that night, and questioned why police could not do a drive-by to assess the situation, particularly when the crowd quickly dispersed once police arrived.
That tells me police are short-staffed and cannot manage with the current resources. It also tells me having the police communication system in Darwin is not working. How many times have we heard stories like this, member for Greatorex? There is an endless stream of people complaining about police communications.
Alice Springs and Central Australia is not only a community in crisis – we need to protect the children of Alice Springs. The editorial of The Australian today was titled ‘Maltreated Girls in Alice Springs Need a Strong Voice’ and I quote:
- Had Nicholas Rothwell’s account in The Weekend Australian of what happened in the Alice after the KFC shuts at 10 pm has been written about white girls in another town, the national outcry would already have drawn a swift, stern response from authorities, with rape and other serious criminal charges laid. Indigenous children deserve no less. But, as the article showed, in the midst of a local leadership vacuum there is only so much police and security officers can do when confronted by 70 teenagers, some with knife-blades at the ready. Had this bleak article been set in a north Queensland Indigenous community, effective leaders with consciences such as Noel Pearson, would be standing up for the young people, insisting that parents, communities and authorities do their duty. And he would be drawing up a long-term recovery plan.
Where is the long-term recovery plan for Alice Springs? Children are walking the streets of Alice Springs at night unsupervised - they are not being protected. As the shadow minister for Child Protection in the Northern Territory, I want to redefine this problem not just as a problem for the Alice Springs community around alcohol, and Aboriginal people feeling disenfranchised and powerless, but about the protection of children in our community. If what we hear is true, we have children as young as nine and 10 walking the streets at night, some soliciting their bodies for money. This is unacceptable.
As a civilised society, what do we do about it? Are the police, the professional people, the youth workers and the various helpers employed or who volunteer to help, identifying these children at risk? Are they reporting them? Are they notifying them? Is the Department of Children and Families aware of the status of these children? It has to be redefined to protect the children of Alice Springs who are placed in these situations. As the deputy leader of government has said, we need safe houses. She has not been listening long - we asked for safe houses many years ago; now is as good a time as any to put that on the agenda.
We need safe houses for these children. We need structures in place to provide safety for these children, and if they cannot help themselves, which is the case more often than not, we have to steer them to a place that can provide safety and protection. That is why the community of Alice Springs is demanding a curfew for children - to assist them; mandate their supervision in centres such as safe houses so they can be protected whilst there is no parent identified to provide protection for them.
We have a state of crisis in Alice Springs and it is about child protection. It is about coordinating and being responsible citizens. It is about the government governing, putting in strategies, listening and planning, not when things get really bad like now. This problem has been escalating in intensity for many years. Every summer, we see a slight increase in intensity. Everyone who has been in Alice Springs for any length of time, including the Minister for Central Australia, would agree that is what we have been seeing over the years. We need a government that can plan and address these issues in a meaningful way rather than be only reactive.
I understand the Minister for Central Australia is meeting with Aboriginal elders in Alice Springs on Friday. I do not know what that means. I would love more information from the minister about this. Why has the Minister for Central Australia not been meeting with Aboriginal elders on a regular basis for the last 10 years? Why has he not been meeting with Aboriginal leaders in Alice Springs on a regular basis and with representatives from the Central Land Council, Tangentyere, Lhere Artepe and the new shires? All these stakeholders have to play a part in the solution.
Why does it happen when things become bad instead of a continuous, consistent, focused and productive approach to consultation and planning? Is that not what government is about? I have come into politics fairly late compared to most of you, however, my understanding of government is you foresee, you listen to people, you collect information, you formulate a vision of what is going to happen - trends, as the deputy leader was talking about - and resources are put into identifying a problem before it escalates to what we see in Alice Springs, a complete and utter crisis.
My thoughts go to the Commonwealth government’s response in June 2007 when, as a reaction to the Little Children are Sacred report, the government put in place an emergency response, which later became known as the intervention. This was brought about by the serious state of affairs relating to the sexual abuse of Aboriginal children on communities throughout the Northern Territory. What we have now is as serious. We are talking about the abuse and neglect of, primarily, Aboriginal children in Central Australia, who are collecting in Alice Springs for many different reasons - call it urbanisation, call it urban drift, call it what you like – there are many similarities between what happened in 2007 and what is happening now.
The Northern Territory government needs to put together an emergency response, perhaps bring on board the Commonwealth government, which saved many lives and provided some future and hope for many people in the Northern Territory in 2007, and continues to do so. You need to act now. There is no use …
Mr Knight: They did not.
Mr Conlan: You are the former Minister for Central Australia. Half of this happened on your watch. I would keep my mouth shut.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, resume your seat! Member for Araluen, your time has expired.
Mr Conlan: I would keep quiet, sunshine. Half of this happened on your watch.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, resume your seat!
Mr Conlan: What a joke.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, you are on a warning.
Mr HAMPTON (Central Australia): Madam Deputy Speaker, I respond to the matter of public importance raised by the member for Greatorex. I mentioned in the censure motion last week brought by the member for Greatorex, that it is vitally important we discuss issues facing Alice Springs. Let me make it clear: crime and antisocial behaviour in Alice Springs, and across the Territory, is totally unacceptable. I have been on patrol with police and youth workers on the streets of Alice Springs for a long time. I speak with young people - I know many of them; many are relatives coming in from remote communities. I have been out at all hours of the night, and know colleagues from Alice Springs have also been out.
I speak to business owners who are suffering from break-ins; I speak to people from all walks of life who have been victims of crime. Over the last two weeks I have spoken to several victims who have had homes broken into or their car stolen. Last week I spoke to a single mother whose only prized possession was her car - that was stolen by youths. My family has had homes broken into - sometimes twice a day, sometimes three times a week.
I agree with the opposition regarding issues with crime in Alice Springs. I am a member of the Memorial Club and the Gillen Club, and I met with Geoff Booth and Alan Rowe last year. I also I met with business owners a month ago, with the Deputy Chief Minister, and listened to their concerns and frustrations. I hear their cries for help and take them on board.
I have been fairly public regarding my concerns about the current campaign and what it might do. Concerns have been raised by tourism industry operators. A letter to the editor in today’s Centralian Advocate titled ‘I am Not Afraid and Not Leaving’ said:
- What I am really annoyed with is that the law and order lobby groups and at least one independent politician are using the media to achieve their own goals and they are doing so at my expense and at the expense of other business operators around town.
It went on to say:
- But for me, my annoyance goes beyond that. I am also very disturbed by the fear being stirred up around town which I think is way out of proportion right now.
Crime is not over, but we’re going in the right direction.
The letter was from Deborah Rock, an Alice Springs tourism operator. It is courageous to speak out and call it as you see it.
There was also a letter from the Chairman of Tourism Central Australia which he sent to his membership and I quote:
- Media bashing of the town seems to have become something of a national pastime which is extremely disappointing to those of us who live here and enjoy a great quality of life.
He went on to say:
- Tourism Central Australia is aware that a number of strategies will be rolled out by the Northern Territory government, and we actively support any initiative that offers solutions to the current antisocial behaviour and crime that is being experienced in our town.
The Attorney-General has outlined some of the initiatives announced to build on the Youth Action Plan in Alice Springs. It is a comprehensive plan to tackle youth-related crime and antisocial behaviour. It takes tough measures against those who do the wrong thing and it supports children and families. Under the Youth Action Plan, a Police Beat is operating in Todd Mall and is an initiative welcomed by local business. The No School No Service is operating, and the Centralian Middle School is operating at Gillen campus.
The youth hub is partly operational at the ANZAC campus and is overseen by the youth services coordinator, John Adams. Education services to encourage school attendance and others targeting young people disengaged from school have started this year. Work on the provision of a boarding facility to give young people attending school a safe place to live is ongoing, the Youth Outreach Service is operating seven nights a week, and extra safe accommodation beds are coming online.
Police and services providers are important in dealing with young people and antisocial behaviour on our streets. Police and service providers are taking part in inter-agency operations and patrols targeting truancy and young people on the streets late at night.
The Deputy Chief Minister mentioned Operation Harpoon. I met with senior police officers today who briefed me on Operation Overseer, which commenced on 9 February to address antisocial behaviour and youth concerns at night in Alice Springs. They provided me with information and statistics up to 20 February. Operation Overseer included members from general duties, traffic and investigations, and officer numbers were between two and six per night in addition to response patrols and the Police Beat. During Operation Overseer there were 494 protective custodies; 394 litres of alcohol tipped out; 28 arrests; one summons; 15 summary infringement notices; 22 liquor banning notices, and one breach of a liquor banning notice.
I acknowledge the hard work of our police officers and those on the streets seven nights a week. They are at the coalface; they are on the front line and have my thanks for the work they do. I will continue to provide the resources they need.
During my meeting I expressed concern at the current situation in Alice Springs. I would like to see the mobile police van in the hot spots around the CBD, and the car park at the Memorial Club acting as a highly visible deterrent. The mobile police van could also act as headquarters for patrols - the superintendent coordinating the patrols in Alice Springs – and be of valuable assistance.
Senior police I met with today advised they will be conducting a special operation over the weekend because of the large number of visitors for the football. My position in getting major events to Alice Springs is: why should the majority of good citizens of Alice Springs and Central Australia miss out? It is a minority of people who spoil it for the rest. I will continue pushing for these events in Alice Springs, with the support of the community, because the people of Alice Springs deserve to see these events as much as anyone else in the Territory. The majority of good people should not have to miss out because of the stupidity of the minority.
The Chief Minister outlined what has already been achieved through the Youth Action Plan. The other important policy initiative is the $150m Alice Springs transformation plan. The transformation plan is overseen by the joint steering committee made up of representatives from Tangentyere Council, Lhere Artepe, the Commonwealth and Territory governments as well as the town council with Mayor Damien Ryan. I am happy to provide a briefing for members from Alice Springs because both the Youth Action Plan and the transformation plan are happening in their back yard - their electorates - and they do not understand what is occurring …
A member: No one does.
Mr HAMPTON: Have a briefing. I am happy to provide one. In today’s The Australian, Geoff Booth, from Action for Alice, said the initiatives under the Youth Action Plan are good. He has been very vocal and very public in this campaign. However, we have local members who do not know about it. I am more than happy to provide a briefing for members opposite.
The Alice Springs Transformation Plan is the single largest commitment to improving lives and living conditions in town camps, with benefits for the wider community. More than 500 additional beds will be made available for Aboriginal residents and visitors to Alice Springs under the plan. Eighty-five new houses will be built across 18 town camps, and new facilities will help address homelessness: the new accommodation park, Percy Court, The Lodge, Mt Gillen and the Salvation Army will bring additional beds.
This is real reform. For me, it is about putting in the effort and supporting those in the community; our police, our youth workers, non-government organisations, Aboriginal organisations and business. It is time to stop the divisiveness and realise this issue confronts the whole town.
I have called a meeting of Aboriginal leaders and representatives in Alice Springs on Friday to find solutions in a balanced way; to ensure all voices are heard. To date, the Aboriginal voice has not been heard in this debate. The business community has been vocal - we have heard their cry for help. Both the business sector and the Aboriginal community are important to the economic, social and cultural future of Alice Springs so why should we not meet? The member for Macdonnell has called on Aboriginal leaders to take some responsibility. Business people in Alice Springs have asked for Aboriginal people to stand up. The opposition should have met with business and Aboriginal leaders some time ago. We will be meeting on Friday. Aboriginal people have every right to participate in this debate and be part of the solution.
Madam Deputy Speaker, Alice Springs is a vibrant and dynamic regional centre and continues to be a popular tourist destination. It is a great place to raise kids and enjoy a lifestyle available nowhere else in Australia. However, there is a level of unacceptable crime and antisocial behaviour this government is committed to tackling, and I am committed to turning around. Bringing the community together and being united in our efforts will make a difference.
Discussion concluded.
ADJOURNMENT
Dr BURNS (Leader of Government Business): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I talk about someone who has made a great contribution to the Northern Territory in many ways. Mr Keith Williams would be known to a number of members in this Chamber. It was my privilege to attend Keith’s 80th birthday celebration at Christ Church Cathedral in November last year. Keith and his family have been involved with the Anglican Church over many years. Keith has also been involved with many Indigenous people over the years, and there were a number of Indigenous people from remote areas and within Darwin present. Keith worked as member of the prostate support group and is well known in the Northern Territory. The year 2010 was not only a celebration of Keith’s 80th birthday; he is a long-term Collingwood fan so he had much to celebrate.
I have known Keith since 1979, when he was my boss and I was the YMCA recreation officer at Maningrida. Keith had a long association with the YMCA in Victoria and went to Vietnam to give support to our troops during the 1970s. Keith’s role was to provide support for our troops, be an important conduit to their families, and also represent the troops’ interests to those in command. There were a number of occasions where Keith did just that and was able to secure very positive outcomes for the troops. He also supported them in many ways, particularly in providing recreational outlets and a sympathetic ear for Diggers missing their families and loved ones, or who may have encountered some problems.
In 1976, Keith came to the Northern Territory to work for the YMCA as Assistant Executive Director of the Northern Territory division, with a particular focus on developing Aboriginal recreation programs in remote communities. That is how I got to know Keith, and I learnt much from him because he had spent time on remote communities. We were able to get many programs going across the Top End and into Central Australia. The YMCA had work in many communities with Indigenous recreation programs including football, basketball, holiday programs for the kids, and general programs giving a sporting outlet for young people, girls and boys, men and women.
Community entertainment was also welcomed; discos and film nights for the community were part and parcel of what the YMCA did in many communities across the Territory. Many locals still remember the work of the YMCA in their communities. In Maningrida, it was at the town hall Gough Whitlam built, as the locals used to say, and I have fond memories of that town hall, and Maningrida itself, including a visit from Gough; however, that is another story.
I believe the work of the YMCA across the Top End, and in some areas of Central Australia, was greatly appreciated. The development of Aboriginal recreation officers was part and parcel of Keith’s work, and he did a fantastic job. There are many people around the Territory who remember Keith with affection.
Keith’s son, Steven, was also a recreation officer. He was at Galiwinku for many years and is still remembered very fondly by people there. Steve, to some degree, has followed in his dad’s footsteps. He has been working with Care Australia since the 1990s. He works around the world, overseeing aid programs in many countries - many hot spots around the world. It was great to catch up with Steve at his dad’s 80th birthday.
Whilst talking about the Williams family, many people would know Keith’s wife, Pat Williams, was the chaplain at Royal Darwin Hospital for many years and was an ordained minister within the Anglican Church. Both Pat and Keith are very well-respected throughout the Darwin community and very well-known.
After leaving the YMCA in 1981, Keith worked for CAAPS, the Aboriginal alcohol program, for many years and this has been a particular interest of Keith’s. Keith is a teetotaller, I might add. Keith, from very early times, recognised the problems alcohol posed in the Northern Territory and set about to rectify that situation. He worked hard over many years in that area. He has recognised, at both the community and individual level, the harm alcohol does, particularly in Indigenous communities.
Keith was involved in the formation of CAAPS and worked with them for a number of years. He has kept up his drug and alcohol education work, particularly in the Gunbalanya region and visits a number of outstations at the invitation of communities to talk to people, particularly young people, about substance abuse, alcohol, and the dangers of abusing alcohol. At 80 years of age, Keith is doing a fantastic job in many areas of the Territory.
The other area Keith has been involved in is the prostate support group known as Prosper. We all know people who have had prostate cancer, and all realise how prevalent this form of cancer has become within Australia. It is important that men be aware of the steps they can take to minimise the chances of having prostate cancer through early diagnosis. Keith has been at the forefront of that, particularly the public education advocating men have a yearly check-up. It is not just a blood test for prostate, also the digital examination of the prostate, which really is not a pleasant thing; however, most authorities agree the digital examination is required together with a blood test to positively exclude prostate cancer. There is some debate about the efficacy of the blood test; there is real agreement about the digital examination.
Keith’s message has been, and the health message is: men should have that yearly check-up. It is an important message and Keith has been instrumental in delivering that within the Darwin community. He is a wonderful advocate for prostate cancer awareness and support for those who have had prostate cancer. A number of people at his birthday party told me, on a personal level, how Keith had helped them through their diagnosis and recovery from prostate cancer. He is well-liked and well-respected. He is someone who gives of himself very selflessly to the community, and has given support to many people throughout his long life.
He has also been an official prison visitor at the juvenile prison for about five years. Keith is always there helping young people, advocating for the young people in prison and giving them a helping hand out of that cycle of recidivism.
He is also the consumer representative on a committee of General Practice Network NT. He is always advocating as a consumer, as someone who comes in contact with the health system, to the GP group about what the public experience is; how the GP network can feed into the GPs and assist people to see their GPs.
Madam Deputy Speaker, Keith works hard. He is 80 years of age and still involved in community organisations and community work. I commend Keith Williams to the House as a great Territorian. I truly believe Keith is a great Territorian and he, and his family, have made a great contribution to the Northern Territory. It has been a pleasure to inform the House of Keith Williams and the work he has done in the past and what he is currently doing. He is a great Territorian.
Mr CONLAN (Greatorex): Madam Deputy Speaker, I will continue my remarks regarding the matter of public importance - 20 minutes is not long enough when speaking about something so important; we could spend the whole day. You could restructure parliament and have two weeks on Alice, two weeks on Tennant Creek and two weeks on Katherine. You could then do two weeks on Darwin, another few weeks on Gove and start all over again. There is so much to discuss and address across the Northern Territory, particularly when it comes to law and order and, as eloquently articulated by the member for Araluen today, the issue of child protection. They go hand in hand; this is an emergency.
Member for Stuart, Minister for Central Australia - how uninspiring, Karl. They call a leader with no followers a guy taking a walk - that is where you are. You are not showing leadership. It is a shame; it is tragic; it is reprehensible and embarrassing. I feel for you. You know more. You must be so hamstrung by the government, by the bullies on the other side, the heavy hitters, to toe the party line and not speak out against anything. Toe the line is what seems to be happening.
You said you would like the police van out more often - why not put it out more often? Why do you not send a directive, speak to the Police minister, your colleagues in Cabinet? You are the Minister for Central Australia. Say: ‘Chief Minister, I would like the police van on the streets more often’. Do it. The minister said: ‘I would like to see the police van in the mall a little more often’. How pathetic! What complete lack of leadership or will to do something that shows. The police van is next to my office - I sit out the back. If you go to the alleyway of my office you will see it there every day not being utilised to its full potential.
I use this opportunity to put some statistics on the Parliamentary Record. The government has had 10 years to address these problems. The Deputy Chief Minister gloated about what government is doing. It has not planned; not foreseen any of this. I have given 10 or more newspaper headlines from the last two to three months. Last week, I brought out four or five headlines from 12 months ago, and the opposition has mentioned headlines from newspapers in Central Australia every January and March. It cannot be hard to plan. It is about time you started planning for this - equip a special task force before this happens. This is the government’s record, contrary to its rhetoric tonight:
The rate of violent assault has risen by 80% during Labor’s decade of denial. Last financial year there were 7296 crimes against the person in the Territory compared with 6226 the previous year. There has been an 8.5% increase in 12 months. Alice Springs has felt the brunt of Labor’s failed law and order policy. In 2004-05, robberies increased by 450%; assaults by 87%; sexual assault by 97%. Sexual assault by 97%, highlighted today by the member for Araluen, and the editorial of today’s The Australian newspaper, children on the streets pimping their bodies - sexual assault. That is extraordinary. House break-ins are up by 64%; commercial break-ins by 185%; motor vehicle theft by 97%, and property damage by 71%. This is Labor’s record, which the Minister for Central Australia and the Deputy Chief Minister spoke about today with their chests puffed out with pride.
They mention the alcohol restrictions and how well they have worked. You have to be kidding! It has to be one of your greatest failures. There are a few but one of your greatest failures is alcohol restrictions. You have not addressed the thirst for alcohol. You have addressed supply issues not demand issues. You have no concept, no idea, or no will to address the demand issues of alcohol. It is simply a matter of supply for you. Child protection is in a dire state. We have seen it with the Little Children are Sacred report. We saw it with the report the government was dragged kicking and screaming to last year by the former member for Araluen. God knows where those children would be, the welfare of those children, if it was not for a very proactive former member for Araluen, and a current member for Araluen who has been active with the child protection portfolio.
The Minister for Central Australia talks about meeting with elders this Friday. That is good but why has he not been doing this on a regular basis? It may be difficult; however, a monthly meeting is not so difficult - even an annual meeting. Now, 10 years down the track Alice Springs is on its knees; it desperately needs to be rescued from these law and order issues 10 years after a Labor government was elected, and six years after the Minister for Central Australia, the member for Stuart, was elected. Three years after becoming Minister for Central Australia he is meeting with elders of the community. That is disgraceful and completely unacceptable.
Tonight we had a meeting of 200 to 250 people at the Andy McNeill Room of the Alice Springs Town Council vehemently opposed to the government’s policies, not because they have something against the government - it is not working. People would vote for you if you showed you cared about Alice Springs. They believe you do not care. You now say: ‘Of course we care about the place’. People are at their wits’ end; they are at breaking point, at tipping point.
There is a raft of clichs which describe the situation in Alice Springs. People have had a gutful and are leaving town; people who thought they would never leave, who settled in Alice Springs for many reasons, who love the town, love the opportunities the Northern Territory has provided and will continue to provide them and their children. They are now faced with the decision they thought they would never have to make - they want to leave town. A number of people want to leave but are financially unable to do so. They feel the government is arrogant and it is not listening to them. They fear walking down the streets and are angry at the government’s full-page newspaper advertisement saying what it is doing which flies in the face of what is happening on the streets. People tell me they cannot believe the government has spent an enormous amount of money – it would be well into the thousands of dollars to place that in a newspaper – yet the very next day, a 45-year-old woman was stoned and had to be flown to Royal Adelaide Hospital for facial reconstruction. This is what people are up against.
We need more police. We need more police longer term, and we need a task force to address this situation immediately. It is urgent, it is an emergency, and we need an emergency response.
Mr VATSKALIS (Casuarina): Madam Deputy Speaker, I take the opportunity to extend my thanks and best wishes to a number of staff retiring from the Northern Territory public sector with whom I have had contact over the years.
Mr Roy Albion retired from the Department of Health on 18 February 2011 after more than 31 years of service. Mr Albion commenced in the Pathology Department in 1980, where he specialised in clinical haematology after many years of multidisciplinary work in the clinical laboratory. He developed in-depth knowledge of the primary haematology analyser, often minimising equipment downtime by performing repairs and maintenance. Given the inherent delays associated with service technicians travelling to Darwin, this skill proved invaluable in service maintenance. His expertise in malaria diagnosis and speciation is also very well known. His skill and dedication has been pivotal to the Pathology Department during significant events such as the East Timor evacuation medical screening, including the Bali bombing and Ashmore Reef tragedies. I thank Roy for his significant contribution to the department and wish him every happiness in commencing his well deserved retirement.
Mrs Paulene Kittler retired from the Department of Health on 2 February 2011. Mrs Kittler was instrumental in the development of Hospital in the Home services, which commenced as a pilot under the name of Post Acute Care. Paulene was the only nurse when this commenced and has continued in her role as Clinical Nurse Manager since late 1996, where she has been responsible for significant changes, both from a service delivery and policy and procedural prospective. As such, Paulene is considered a clinical expert by both medical and nursing staff and has been revered for her clinical education in this field. Mrs Kittler has been an integral part of the Hospital in the Home service. I thank Mrs Kittler for her significant contribution to the department. I wish Paulene every happiness in her retirement.
I also take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks and best wishes to Michele Castagna who officially retired from the Department of Health on 11 February after 29 years of service. Michele was born and bred in Alice Springs and, in 1983, set up the Disabled Persons Bureau for the Health Department as a direct outcome of the 1981 International Year of Disabled People. Her commitment, achievements and passion for the disability industry is widely known and acknowledged, not only in Alice Springs and throughout the Territory, but Australia wide. Michele’s services to disability were recognised in the 1980s with the awarding of an Order of Australia Medal.
Most recently, Michele was the Coordinator of the Office of Disability and Disability Liaison in Alice Springs. Passionate about the rights of people with a disability, Michele also had a special interest in Aboriginal people and migrants, and spoke out strongly in support of their rights. Once asked by a colleague what her disability was, she replied: ‘I don’t have one’. May her retirement be happy and healthy.
On a very sad note, I pay tribute to a wonderful Territorian, Mr Jack Haritos, who recently passed away. Jack was a very well-respected and loved Territorian. He will be dearly missed by wife, Helen, son Tony, daughter Diana, and their families, together with the many extended family members and friends.
Jack was born in Darwin in 1928 and attended St Mary’s Primary School until the early 1940s, when he was evacuated to northern New South Wales and Queensland when the war broke out. He later returned to Darwin where he bought a work boat which serviced Qantas water planes on their way to and from London. At the same time, he played AFL for Wanderers and later Waratahs.
He met his wife, Helen, whilst on holidays in Brisbane and they went on to have three children, Anthony, Paul and Diana. Sadly, Paul died from a fatal box jellyfish sting at Foster’s Beach across Darwin Harbour when he was six-years-old. Jack and Helen lived at Larrakeyah Terrace, the site of the old hospital, where Jack was born. Jack went on in 1973 to finally become an AASA accountant after many years of part-time study. Jack continued to be involved with NTFL and in 1980 was honoured for his service with life membership.
I first met Jack at the Greek Glenti in 1993, and we remained friends from then. Jack was a true believer in the Labor Party of the Territory. When times were tough, Jack never lost sight of what he passionately believed in. In 2002, Jack was honoured with life membership of the Australian Labor Party.
My heartfelt condolences go to Helen, Tony and Diana, their families and their friends.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Deputy Speaker, there has been much spoken and laughed about over a certain sea eagle. It all began when I offered to pay for the freight of a sea eagle from Taronga Zoo in Sydney to the Territory Wildlife Park. From that unimportant offer came much discussion, media comment and laughter in this parliament.
The Territory Wildlife Park does not have a sea eagle; a bird which was once the centrepiece of the raptor section of the park, and this was an opportunity to return the species to the park. Then it all seemed to go haywire. The park said freight would cost $1000, even though I was originally told $200. Then Parks said the bird was from the wrong provenance, and then, through the minister, parliament was told the bird was neurotic and blind. It did have some nerve damage from possible chemical poisoning when it was young which affected its stability when flying over houses and the cliffs at Manly, but it was okay flying over open ground. It definitely was not blind. Where the minister got that story is still a mystery. As it is now part of Territory folklore it is difficult to change and, as you know, the media always likes a good yarn.
Then the park said a bird from a place like Sydney could bring in disease. In the end, it all became too hard. The park said it would obtain one locally in 2011 and, except for the odd mention in the local newspaper before Christmas, all was quiet on the sea eagle front and the sea eagle at Taronga Zoo stayed at home.
That was not quite the end of the story. On 25 October last year, some fishermen found a young bird wandering along a road out bush. They took it to the Larrimah hotel which is owned by Barry Sharpe and Ann Kanters. Ann has a permit to keep wildlife. Everyone thought the eagle was a wedge-tailed eagle. Barry contacted Territory Wildlife Park and asked if they were interested in the bird but was told they did not need more eagles; presumably they had plenty.
On 10 November, Barry rang a lady at Wildcare who said she would look after it. To get the bird to the Wildcare lady who lives at Darwin River, Barry packed the bird in a cage and headed north along the Stuart Highway. This was on 11 November - he did not make it. As he approached the airport turn-off at Katherine, he was stopped by two police cars and two Parks and Wildlife Katherine staff, who somehow knew he was coming. His car was searched, even under the bonnet, by the Parks and Wildlife people. They took the eagle in the cage only to find they could not fit it into their car so Barry offered to take it to Parks Katherine headquarters, which they accepted.
Two days later Barry rang the lady at Wildcare and was told she had received the eagle, presumably from Parks and Wildlife. As the weeks went by it became apparent the eagle was a white-bellied sea-eagle. It takes some time for a young sea eagle to develop the distinctive white plumage. When Parks found out they became interested in obtaining the bird and it is now being trained for the raptor section at Territory Wildlife Park.
For the record, the bird neither has a neurological problem nor is it blind; however, some questions need to be asked of the Minister for Natural Resources, Environment and Heritage.
How did the department know Barry Sharpe would travel on the Stuart Highway on a certain day at a certain time? Was Barry’s phone tapped? Were satellite CCTV cameras secretly installed at Larrimah? Were the fishermen undercover cops and the eagle used to entrap Barry? Did the eagle have a listening device inserted under its feathers? Who knows? Why did the department take the eagle from Barry when they knew his partner had a wildlife permit? Why were police involved? How long did they wait by the side of the road? How many police officers were involved and what was the cost to the taxpayer for this high-powered, serious crime road block?
Will the government apologise to Barry for the statement in the NT News which made out he had done something illegal? Why did the department want Barry to travel all the way to Katherine on another day to make a statement - something he refused to do on advice from his lawyer. Lastly, could the minister please explain where the new sea-eagle was found and why it has been accepted at the Territory Wildlife Park if it has come from another provenance?
Yes, Madam Deputy Speaker, the sea-eagle may have landed but the story lives on. There may be a twist in the ending or some last minute egg on the face.
Mr HENDERSON (Wanguri): Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I extend my condolences to the friends and family of Corporal Richard Atkinson and Sapper Jamie Larcombe, both Darwin-based soldiers killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan in the last few weeks. It has been a very, very sad time.
Corporal Atkinson was 22-years old and Sapper Larcombe just 21. Both young men were part of Darwin based 1st Combat Engineer Regiment and had made Darwin their home. We all know the Defence personnel stationed in Darwin are a much-loved and respected part of our community. We adopt them as our own. We grieve as a community when one of our own is tragically lost while serving and protecting this great country, and our hearts go out to family and friends during this very tough time.
I cannot imagine the grief and pain the families of Richard and Jamie are feeling at this moment. Such young men with such bright futures killed whilst serving their country. Their contributions towards the safety of all Australians, as well as those of the countries in which they served, should never be forgotten. Seeing Gus McLachlan on the television last night talking so bravely about the loss of Sapper Larcombe was very touching. I believe the quote from Gus was: ‘Our army is built on the shoulders of these great young Australians and it has been a tragic time’. My thoughts and prayers and those of all Territorians are with Corporal Atkinson’s fiance Dannielle, his parents, Ross and Kate, brother, James and sister-in-law, Sumah and with Sapper Larkin’s partner, Rhiannon, his parents, Tricia and Steven, and his three sisters, Anne-Marie, Emily and April. Lest we forget.
I also pay tribute to a great friend of mine, a man best described as one of Darwin’s living treasures, Kyriacos (Jack) Haritos. Jack died recently of a suspected heart attack; he was 82 years of age. Over more than 80 years Jack was a witness to, and participant in, the growth and history of Darwin. Given his birthplace was renamed Darwin from Palmerston only in 1911, Jack was around for more than 80% of the history of this city we call home.
What an extraordinary life he had surviving two major cyclones in 1937 and 1974, witnessing the first plane to land at the airstrip - now Ross Smith Avenue - in 1934, and with his brothers Michael and George, was one of the pioneers of the shipping industry in Darwin. He played footy for both Wanderers and Waratahs, was involved in the export of barramundi to the Olympic Games in 1956, helped in the reconstruction of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy and still found time to marry his wonderful wife, Helen, and have three children.
Jack was a man for all seasons; however, a city is far more than bricks and mortar, bitumen and buildings. Darwin, in particular, is about the people who make it a real community, the people who grow up with the city, the people who give things back to their fellow citizens. In this, Jack really was a man of the people. I wonder if as a kid going to St Joseph’s School in Cavenagh Street he ever imagined what shape Darwin would take, and what role his family would play in its development.
From the time I arrived in Darwin and worked for a time on the waterfront, the Haritos family name was synonymous with that of the city, and from my first involvement with the Australian Labor Party the name of Jack and Helen Haritos was synonymous with the special qualities that makes the Darwin community what it is and what it can be.
I cannot count the number of times I saw Jack at Labor Party functions over the years; always a quiet, good humoured determination to build a better place through the policies of the Labor Party. What determination that involved. Jack handed out how-to-vote cards through 27 years of opposition. Somehow his award of life membership to the party in 2002 seems barely adequate to cover that dedication and commitment.
Jack was also a dedicated football administrator and for many years was honorary treasurer of the Northern Territory Football League. As a friend recently noted, honorary really means you do not get paid.
Jack Haritos was a sincere man, a man of great compassion always willing to listen and lend a hand. Jack was one of those fine people - no matter who you met in whatever walk of life in Darwin, anyone around for a significant amount of time in Darwin would have know Jack and Helen Haritos and the Haritos family. I believe Jack would never cross swords with anyone. He was always up for a debate and a point of view, but would always listen attentively to someone’s point of view and agree or disagree with it. He would not cross swords with anyone or be enemies with anyone.
He was such a wonderful man and had been married to Helen, his lovely wife, for nearly 59 years - an extraordinary amount of time. My heart goes out to Helen, his children, Tony and Diana, and their families. Every time I saw Jack, whether it was party functions, in the community, at the footy - even towards the end he still went to the footy at Marrara, sat in the grandstand with Helen - they seemed inseparable. It seemed whenever you saw Jack, Helen was with him - 59 years of married life. When I caught up with Helen, as soon as I heard about the death of Jack, and gave her a big hug, I said: ‘I know there will be plenty of tears but you have over 59 years of glorious and happy memories. They are very special times that can never be taken away’. Jack, we are all going to miss you, your smile, your good humour and your infectious enthusiasm for life.
Jack led a heck of a life. He packed an enormous amount into his 82 years and was around for more than 80% of the history of Darwin. He was one of the true founding fathers of modern Darwin, and will be significantly missed by thousands of people. He was one of the true believers in the Labor Party. Through thick and thin he a true believer and one of his happiest and proudest days was when Labor was elected in 2001.
To Helen, Tony, Diana and families, we will also miss Jack greatly, but let us remember the great contribution he made and the laughs we had with him. Vale, Jack Haritos.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I pay tribute to the passing of a true blood Territorian, Mark Hedley Davies, who passed away on 10 January 2011. Whilst the sporting community was aware of his passing, sadly, it was not picked up by many within the government; however, I would like to place on the record the Country Liberals’ condolences to Mark’s family and loved ones.
Mark was born on 30 June 1960 in Darwin and was raised by his adoptive parents, Pam and Hedley Davies. His formative years were spent at Maningrida, Rapid Creek, Nightcliff and Darwin primary schools, one year at Charters Towers boarding school - which he hated, as many Territory children did with boarding schools - and three years at Darwin High School.
In January 1974, the Davies family relocated to a large block at Virginia. Despite his limited vision, Mark managed to get a driver’s licence. How he passed the eye test no one knows. He bought a Torana and had a job with the Darwin City Council as a courier. Given his sight issues, Mark had several motor vehicle accidents, including some in the council vehicle. Fortunately, and miraculously, all were minor collisions and no one was hurt, including himself. Wisely, Darwin City Council offered Mark an office position and purchased a talking typewriter for him to undertake his duties. At age 21, Mark had an eye test with a visiting locum from Alice Springs who identified a rare eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa. Five years later, Mark learnt from his biological family his condition was hereditary and would result in blindness. Needless to say, and as reported in an early NT News article, this caused Mark to be exceptionally angry, obnoxious and unhappy for many years, as can be understood. He could not accept he would lose his sight.
While conducting a Coaching Athletes with Disabilities program in Alice Springs in 1995, Mark met Alison Richards. Upon returning to Darwin they stayed in regular telephone contact. They had a mutual respect and admiration for each other which led to Ally moving in with Mark the following year. After Mark retired from the NT Institute of Sport in 2001, he and Ally built a cottage on their 26-acre block in Virginia and he established magnificent gardens around his new home while Ally went to work. Even with sight issues he built rockeries, paths, water features and garden beds and maintained them meticulously. Due to Ally’s work commitments and the increased pressure to assist Mark with the maintenance of the garden - although they both loved living in the rural area - they purchased an apartment at Hastings over Mindil. After being engaged for 13 years, in Mark’s words: ‘On 26 June 2010, the proudest day of my life, I married one of the world’s most beautiful caring, gracious and gorgeous ladies’. Mark was devoted to Ally and worshipped the ground she walked on.
Ally, sadly, passed away early this year and Mark was devastated. According to Mark, Ally had brought him the best years of his life. With her he was always proud and never felt inferior or ashamed of his ‘disability’ as he called it. She enabled him to walk six feet tall all of the time.
NT Blind Sport commenced in the Northern Territory in 1982. At 21, Mark Davies was the first vision-impaired athlete to represent the Territory at the 4th Australian Blind Championships in Brisbane in 1983, winning five gold medals from six events. He was working as a gardener at Mindil Beach casino at the time. Such was Mark’s success at his first outing, the Queensland Sporting Wheelies were so impressed they poached him with the promise he would receive more experience coaching there. At the 1984 World Disability Games in New York, Mark won two gold medals, one in the 100 m, and a world record in the pentathlon.
Whilst the move to Queensland paid off handsomely for Mark, other Territory vision impaired athletes followed in Mark’s footsteps at home with equally outstanding success. Mark soon worked out we had some idea of what we were doing and returned to Darwin in 1986 to rejoin the NT team. The NT Blind Sports team, of which Mark was the senior member, won the Northern Territory Sports Awards Team of the Year in 1987, 1988 and 1990. The team’s success was undeniable. For example, at the FESPIC Games held in Japan in 1989, Mark, Sam Rickard and Phillip Devereaux won seven gold medals between them, whilst the other 13 Australian competitors won seven. It is not too hard to work out the maths. Mark also coached the team. He was both NT coach and a competitor for the 1988 Australian Blind Championships in Perth, where he, Phillip, and Sam won 17 medals in all, 13 of them gold. All three qualified for the 1988 Paralympic Games in Seoul. This was also the year Mark was recognised as one of the top 200 Territorians with a commemorative tile placed along the Esplanade which reads: Mark Davies - Paralympian.
In 1988, Mark joined the Department of Health and Community Services as a sports project officer and became the first qualified vision-impaired athletics coach in Australia. This gave Mark an important platform to assist with the local ongoing campaign for equal funding for elite disabled athletes and elite able-bodied athletes. Mark saw himself as an elite athlete; being blind was just an inconvenience. Through his project work, Mark helped ensure when the NT Institute of Sport was formed and grants to assist elite Territory athletes in their training and travel were dispensed, he and his team-mates were not forgotten or undervalued. The Northern Territory government was the first Australian state or territory government to give equal funding to Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The NT Sports Awards Committee was the first to award the Sports Person of the Year to a disabled athlete, Phillip Devereaux, followed in later years by Judith Green and, of course, the three team awards also. Since that time, other Australian states have followed suit.
Mark, and his B2 classification, was the best all-rounder this country has produced. This is easily substantiated when you realise six Australian Oceanic records still belong to him 10 years after his retirement from track and field. He holds the current record for the 100 m, long jump, triple jump, discus and pentathlon today. At one time he even held the Northern Territory record for discus, set at the 1992 Paralympic Games, with a distance of 37.1 m. From the beginning, Mark had his sights set on being number one in the world in his class, representing Australia in five Paralympic Games, two Paralympic gold medals, and a past world record holder in the pentathlon. Mark achieved his goal and a goal for all Territorians.
The Australian Paralympic Committee CEO, Jason Hellwig, remembered Mark this week as a great contributor to the Australian Paralympic movement and his sport at all levels. He said: ‘Mark worked hard as an administrator and trained even harder as an athlete. Every day Mark would be clear on the sessions he had to get done before and after work, and every day he would organise himself and the things around him to make sure they got done. All this happened at the same time he was progressively losing his sight’. Jason said Mark was, in many ways, a genuine pioneer of the Australian Paralympic movement, dedicating himself to an elite level of training and preparation while based in Darwin prior to the establishment of the Northern Territory Institute of Sport.
Yes, the Northern Territory has produced other great Paralympians - Phil Devereaux, Sam Rickard, Hamish McDonald, Judith Green, Melissa Dunn, Nadia Romeo, Bill Medley and Melanie Hall; however, Mark Davies will always be the first Territory Paralympian and gold medallist. He paved the way for others to follow. He showed others the dedication he had and showed them all things were possible, even with an impairment.
Madam Speaker, I pay tribute to Mark for his achievements in life and extend our sympathies to his family and loved ones on the passing of a great Territorian.
Ms LAWRIE (Karama): Madam Speaker, I pay my respects to contributions made to the Territory by Vic Czernezkyj. Vic died in Adelaide on Christmas Eve after a short and torrid battle with cancer. He was a man of many parts. I will quote from the eulogy provided by his young brother, Ron, at a memorial service held at the Freemasons in Fannie Bay a short time ago:
- Vic was born on 18 August 1954 in Adelaide to Tamara and Kusmar as the second of three brothers. Wal, the eldest, five-years-old at the time, and Ronald, the youngest, arrived two years later.
Vic made a difference to everyone he met by demonstrating and modelling exemplary behaviour, not only professionally but also in his public and private lives. For the 56 years that Vic was with us, he managed to combine many roles: dutiful son, caring brother, high-achieving student, exemplary teacher, senior public servant, volunteer fire-fighter, active community member, master of a Freemasons Lodge and, importantly, loving husband to Vicki.
Vic’s intellectual ability shone through early when he completed both Grade 4 and 5 in the one year at Thebarton Primary School. He went on to Adelaide Boys High School to matriculate in 1970. He gained honours list mentions in mathematics and physics and came second in the IBM Mathematics Competition in the same year. Even at that early age, his work ethic and managerial capabilities were apparent. He combined part-time employment as a delivery boy with academic studies and successfully completed the Under Officers Training Program in the school cadets at Christmas 1969.
Vic led a very active intellectual life. He plunged into undergraduate studies at Adelaide University on a Commonwealth scholarship. He completed his honours degree in mathematical sciences in 1974. His thesis was on number theory with the topic of the Fibonacci Sequence, a mathematical theorem which remained a joy for the rest of his life. Yet he managed to find time to become involved with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Concerts Committee, developing his broad knowledge in music, particularly classical music.
His public service working career commenced in January of 1975 with a position in the Office of the Statutory Actuary. He completed his Adelaide University Diploma in Education in 1978. He headed to Darwin in 1980. He taught at Nightcliff High School …
That is when he first entered the life of my family - he taught my brother. He was a very good mathematics mentor and was a very dear friend of my mother’s.
- Vic moved into Curriculum Services at the time of introduction of computers into NT public schools. His career grew to encompass significant leadership, then executive roles dealing with the planning, implementation and support of information technology systems into schools, particularly isolated areas. He completed a Diploma in Computing Science (again through Adelaide University) in 1985, and a Masters in Business Administration through Deakin University in 1990.
His work within the NT public sector covered a variety of executive roles within Education and the Chief Minister’s departments, eventually becoming a key advisor on internal audit and corporate governance programs across several departments. He completed a Graduate Diploma in Public Service Executive Management at the Northern Territory University in 1995, and retired in July 2009 as the Director of Audits for the NT Department of Education.
I attended his retirement function and it was incredible to see the number of people across the senior levels of education who turned out to recognise his exemplary career.
- He was an active member of several professional groups, serving in executive capacities at national and/or local level. They include the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, receiving a Distinguished Service Award in 2005; the Australian College of Education, elected a Fellow in 1994; the Australian Institute of Company Directors, granted a diploma in 2004; as well as the Australian Institute of Internal Auditors; the Australian Institute of Management and the Australian Computer Society.
Despite all these senior appointments and accolades, he remained a registered teacher and was involved last year with teaching senior mathematics through the NT Open Education Centre.
Vic met Vicki, his Vicki, in 1980 at a Maths Teachers Association meeting and they were married on 25 May 1985 by my mother, Dawn, in Flagstaff Park in Darwin with best dogs, Lobochevsky and Tolstoy in attendance. To anticipate their 25th anniversary, they renewed their commitment to each other in a ceremony among friends in October 2008, again in Flagstaff Park, but with dogs, Molly and Lenski, attending.
- They shared 25 wonderful years of travel, of weekends down the block, of work challenges and achievements and were looking forward to many more years together. Sadly, that was not to be.
Vic was loved by many not only for his quirky sense of humour, albeit obscure at times, also for his boundless consideration of others. Nothing was too much trouble for him whether running the accounts for numerous community groups, baking cakes for morning teas, cooking sausages at Bunnings or even putting a little physical effort into working bees at the Milne Volunteer Fire Brigade. His rough, gruff exterior struggled to cover his soft as butter personality, but his friends knew him for the generous soul he was.
Vic loved to dress impeccably, seeing any formal occasion as an opportunity to wear a dinner suit and sport a flash bow tie. He had a great appreciation for fine chocolate, quality champagne and Jamieson’s whisky – not necessarily in that order. His cooking ability and hosting of pool parties were legendary.
- Vic became a Freemason at the age of 21. Freemasonry was an integral part of his life in Adelaide and for the past five years in Darwin, when he was able to devote the necessary time and energy to Lodge Foelsche.
Over the years he was deeply involved with many community organisations. Most recently, the Friends of the Darwin Symphony Orchestra and the Milne Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade received his very active support and attention. Both will miss him sadly.
However, his real and abiding passions were classical music and mathematics, not only for themselves, but also for the education and enjoyment of others. He wrote program notes for performances by the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, drawing from his extensive background of musical knowledge. He maintained an incredible collection of CDs - an amazing compactus system he regularly reviewed. Live music provided Vic with the greatest pleasure. Over his life with Vicki he delighted in taking her to opulent venues for magnificent performances – the Bolshoi and Kirov in Russia, the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, the Chicago Symphony in Adelaide and national orchestras and ballets in Paris, London and Berlin. He was overawed when he visited the Von Karajan Museum in Berlin in 1995, but the 2010 performance of the Berlin Philharmonic in Von Karajan’s Philharmonie Hall in Berlin was the absolute pinnacle of Vic’s musical life.
Mathematics was the other side of his dedicated leisure. He roamed his mathematics computer program Mathematica just for the fun of it, factorising gazillion sized integers for code breaking and drawing magnificent geometrical figures for advanced academic papers. He would ask and answer challenging questions for the youngsters he taught and loved to teach. For an auditor, he has left a remarkable mathematical legacy.
Vic Czernezkyj was an outstanding human being generous in soul and spirit. His journey through life helped to make him a complete man in scholastic achievement, interpersonal relationships and material comforts. He was made even richer by his relationship with Vicki, his lifelong partner, friend and wife. They were like the blades of a pair of scissors immutably jointed, moving backwards and forwards and punishing anything that came between them. Their life together can be summed up in the words of Kahlil Gibran:
- No relationship gives one possession of the other. Rather the two stand side by side, reaching together to grasp what one cannot do alone.
His heart was large and he was able to love his friends and be loved in return. He was Uncle Vic to his nephews and nieces and to his several godchildren. He became an integral part of Vicki’s family, loved for his droll humour and bright intelligence.
Vic loved his mother and brothers and was mindful of his heritage, almost every year ensuring he visited Adelaide to spend Orthodox Christmas with his original family. He and Vicki built strong, loving bonds over numerous visits with his Aunt Tante Valli and her family from Kappeln in Germany.
The world is a better place for his having lived and a sadder one for his passing. Our sorrow is losing Vic’s company; our joy will come in remembering him in our hearts. We will miss him.
That was an excerpt from the eulogy given by his brother, Ron. I give my heartfelt, deepest sympathy to Vicki. She is a beautiful woman and has lost her lifelong partner, husband and best friend.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, on Tuesday last week the Chief Minister moved a condolence motion in this House extending our deepest sympathies to the victims, their families, and the communities affected by the horrendous floods experienced in southeast Queensland, and those affected by Tropical Cyclone Yasi which caused so much devastation in north Queensland.
I would like to add to that this evening by speaking about my personal experience, and the response of the people of Katherine and across the Territory to assist those devastated by these natural disasters - Mother Nature can be so cruel. In doing so, I acknowledge a number of people and organisations which played an enormous role in providing that response. I did not speak on the motion last week because I was happy to let other members convey the feelings of this House - feelings to which I wholly subscribe and support. In saying that, I add my condolences to those who have lost loved ones and express my profound sympathies to those who have suffered loss of property and, in many cases, their livelihood.
The Chief Minister mentioned we would all know someone affected by these disasters - he is quite right. My son, Nicholas, lives in the Brisbane suburb of Fairfield - he used to live there. His house was flooded as the Brisbane River broke its banks. He was fortunate as he managed to get most of his belongings out of his two-storey house as he watched the water rising towards the floor. He moved to higher ground to a neighbour who lived 100 m up the street. They were neighbours Nick did not know yet they allowed him, and others, to occupy a place on their floor. He was also able to store his belongings there for some days before he could return for them. I do not know those people but they typify the response by people to help their fellow Australians in times of difficulty and disaster. In the same vein, it is a typical response from across the country.
Tonight, I mention the response from the people of my electorate in Katherine. Both the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister last week referred to the Katherine floods of 1998. I was not in Katherine in 1998; however, was affected by the 2006 flood - a small touch of that experienced in 1998. I am sure many victims of Katherine’s major flood felt more than a touch of poignancy as the events of southeast Queensland unfolded. They responded in kind. As the local member I knew the people of Katherine would want to respond and knew they would need a conduit to channel their generosity. I saw the need so I picked up the phone. Four phone calls later I had organised a central collection point in Katherine, freight from Katherine to Darwin, and freight from Darwin to southeast Queensland – all at no charge.
I only made a few calls - nothing really. The credit goes to those who responded with the word ‘yes’. Not one person said ‘no. If I said: ‘I need some freight to southeast Queensland’ the response was: ‘How much can I give you?’ If I said: ‘I need to get some pallets to Darwin’ the response was: ‘Tell me what you need’. From there it was like a snowball rolling down a hill. We had donations of almost everything you can name – clothing, furniture, toothpaste and manchester. The response was outstanding. In the end around 14 pallets were sent from Katherine to the flood affected areas of Grantham and the Lockyer Valley. The wish of the people of Katherine was to send those items to the areas most devastated by the floods in southeast Queensland.
I pay tribute to a number of organisations and individuals who played an enormous part in the relief effort from Katherine. Louise Bilato from the Australian Trucking Association provided the right contact in the trucking industry. My thanks to Dale Goldsworthy from Northline Freight, who provided almost unlimited road freight from Darwin to Brisbane. I said to him: ‘Dale, I need to get some freight to Brisbane or southeast Queensland, how can you help me?’ He said: ‘We will start with one container and if you need more we will go from there’. The response was outstanding.
I thank Marios Andreou from Australian Air Express, who provided air freight for five pallets of urgent items from Darwin to Brisbane. I have no idea of the cost of flying five pallets from Darwin to Brisbane; however, it was no mean feat; no average spend, and no average effort. Thank you very much, Marios.
I thank the Katherine YMCA, particularly Lisa Elliott and her staff, for allowing the YMCA to become the central collection point in Katherine. I know it was an inconvenience having tonnes of freight all over the place, but it was all done with a smile. My thanks also to the lady from the Anglican Church in Katherine who helped sort all the clothing and other items donated, including making up care packs containing essential toiletry and cleaning items so urgently needed in the early days.
Thanks also, sincerely, to Steve at the Allied Pickfords depot in Katherine. Steve provided me with as many packing boxes as I needed and everything that went with it. Every time I went to pick up more boxes he would say: ‘Come back when you need more’.
There are too many individuals to name in recounting the numerous volunteers who assisted with sorting and packing duties - I would be in danger of missing someone if I went through them individually. Suffice to say there was no shortage of people through the doors of the YMCA. I should also mention the gargantuan efforts of the broader Red Cross community for the part they played in the volunteer effort. Katherine Red Cross volunteers also went to southeast Queensland. Well done, Jane Goodings in particular, for coordinating that effort in Katherine.
I acknowledge and thank the federal member for Solomon, Natasha Griggs, who personally assisted in bringing this operation together, and her office and staff for coordinating the logistics at the Darwin end.
Last, I thank the federal member for Wright, Scott Buchholz. The electorate of Wright covers the greater area of the Lockyer Valley which saw so much devastation from flash flooding and the walls of water going through those communities where people suffered loss of life and so much tragedy. Scott led from the front in his own patch, as you would expect, ensuring the relief effort was properly and appropriately applied to the area, and the right things got to the right people at the right time.
The response from Katherine, and the broader Northern Territory community, has been outstanding and I thank people sincerely. There was more than just a touch of poignancy for the people of Katherine as they saw this disaster unfold in southeast Queensland, particularly after what occurred in Katherine in 1998. It is so typical of the people of Katherine to be as generous as they were. One of the things donated was a leather lounge - three seaters with two recliners. I would have been happy to have that in my home; it was a beautiful piece of furniture. Natasha Griggs had a car donated - a fairly late model Commodore - which she had to arrange transport for. Getting a car to southeast Queensland is a mammoth effort. All in all, the response was incredible.
Finally, I call upon insurance companies to do the right thing by their clients in both southeast Queensland and north Queensland. I understand there are already disputes over claims - victims of the flooding have suffered enough.
Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I speak about the 69th Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin commemorated last Saturday. 19 February 1942 remains the day of the largest attack on Australia by a foreign power.
I refer to a document found at culture.gov.au which gives a detailed explanation of what occurred that day - a significant day in the history of Australia. On 19 February 1942, 188 Japanese planes were launched against Darwin. The harbour at that stage was full of allied shipping. Several days previously, at least 27 allied ships were in the harbour and about 30 aircrafts. On the day of the bombing even more allied ships were there - around 46 ships; however, we had lost some of our air cover for that day.
One of the difficulties during the raid was ships found it difficult to manoeuvre in the harbour as there were so many and, as it was a surprise attack, there was no pre-warning. We heard from one of the speakers at the ceremony who was here during the bombing that they thought the planes were American and it was not until the bombs started to drop they realised they were in trouble. The first Japanese attack was by the same task force that bombed Pearl Harbour in December 1941. The same commander planned that attack and then sailed his aircraft carriers to the Timor Sea and executed the attack on Darwin.
The first attack, at two minutes to 10, was planned by the Japanese commander, executed by 188 planes and lasted approximately 40 minutes. The land targets included the post office, the telegraph office, the cable office and the postmaster’s residence, where 10 postal workers were killed. This House sits where the bombs fell, and there are some artefacts and some of the original stonework from the post office in the foyer outside the Parliamentary Library, which is attached to the main hall.
The second attack began an hour after the first ended. Heavy bombers attacked the Royal Australian Air Force base in Parap. That last about 25 minutes. Sadly, those two air raids killed at least 243 Australians and allies, and almost 400 were wounded. We lost 20 military aircraft, eight ships at anchor in the harbour were sunk, and most of the civil and military facilities in Darwin were destroyed.
This is a significant event in the history of Australia and something we should all remember. It was the first time such a huge attack had been executed on Australian soil. It does not appear to be ingrained in the Australian psyche as a significant day as are Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and Vietnam Veterans Day, yet it has a huge significance in the history of this country and should be a day of national significance. Senator Trish Crossin issued a media release recently calling upon the country to recognise the bombing of Darwin as a national day of significance. Her reasons are similar to those I have highlighted to the House.
It is one of the most important events in our national history yet only Darwin honours it. I can understand people in Victoria, who have no idea of the significance and what happened in those first two raids, and the subsequent 62 raids on Darwin and the 33 raids on other targets in Northern Australia - over 70 people were killed in raids as far down as Broome. I remember as a school student it was not something I knew about. It was not until I read a book titled Darwin 1942: Australia’s Darkest Hour that I had any idea what had occurred in the north of Australia. I read that book prior to moving to Darwin and one of the first things I did when I arrived was to find somewhere to learn more of the history of this nation at war.
I agree with Senator Crossin: we should work towards making this a significant day in the history of Australia. Volunteers at the Darwin Military Museum keep this history alive and work tirelessly to gather information, artifacts and present it well. I encourage anyone who has not visited the Darwin Military Museum to see what this great group of people have put together. It was started in the 1960s by members of the Australian Artillery Association and to this day remains a significant military display in the northern part of Australia. It was Darwin’s first museum. I urge members of this House to encourage those who have the ability to make this a day of significance to do so.
Due to the damage done by Cyclone Carlos and the inclement weather, Darwin City Council Chief Executive Officer, Brendan Dowd, and his staff did a fabulous job in moving the event from the Cenotaph to the Darwin Entertainment Centre. It was sad to see some of the beautiful trees around the Cenotaph damaged by the cyclone. Many in the vicinity of the Cenotaph have been lost. On Anzac Day, and other times we go there to commemorate, those shady trees will be missed.
The ceremony held at the Darwin Entertainment Centre was fantastic. There was almost a full house, and it was attended by Dr Masahiro Kohara, the Consul-General of Japan. He has a great interest and recently presented the museum with the notes, photographs and records of a Japanese businessman who was a salvage engineer - I cannot remember his name – in the 1960s salvaging wrecks from the harbour who kept a detailed record. This is now in the possession of the Territory so we can present that information and fill in the gaps of what happened.
I was also privileged to hear the guest speaker, Mr John Murray, recount his time in Darwin during the war. He was one of a number of people present during the bombing of Darwin who returned to see the city and to be here on the day. His recollection of the events of the bombing of Darwin and his time in the army was an excellent presentation and came from the heart. It was not polished; he was simply an old Digger recounting how the events affected him, his mates, his life, and his memories of the mates who did not return and are buried at the Adelaide River War Cemetery. After the event I was privileged to hear some of his personal stories. It was an event, and I ask members to help have this turned into a day of national significance.
Mr TOLLNER (Fong Lim): Madam Deputy Speaker, tonight I want to speak about a truly wonderful person in my electorate, Apolonia Craufurd, better known to most as Apple, who grew up and went to school in the southern Philippines. She was further educated at the University of Manila, where she studied Philosophy and Theology. Apple majored in English and Literary Criticism. Apple’s education was also expanded as she studied and learnt to read and write in Spanish. Her commitment to her faith led her to the Catholic Convent, where she was trained by the nuns from age 16 to 25. Later, she left the Dominican Order and joined a finance company where she became head of the Treasury department.
During this work period, Apple met with many overseas investors and business people visiting Manila, and met her future husband, Lindsay Craufurd. The couple were married in Darwin on 20 November 1980, and commenced wedded bliss at their home in The Narrows in the Fong Lim electorate. Lindsay had a background in construction and transport, and this led to the formation of a small transport company specialising in taxi and courier services. Apple became head of the business. She managed the accounts and, as a spouse at home, led the daily domestic chores with great enthusiasm. In 1981, the birth of their daughter, Joy, was also celebrated. Apple also commenced her garden with a great love for tropical plants. Over time, she created one of the best and well loved gardens in Darwin.
Apple also assisted the Filipino-Australia Association of the Northern Territory and immediately became an officer in that organisation. However, sadly, in 1992, Lindsay became sick and was bedridden. He passed away in 1995. The two businesses were managed until sold later in 1999. Apple has also been through an enormous fight with breast cancer and has maintained a hectic pace of community activity. From the year 2000, she decided to travel again. One pilgrimage was her trip to Lake Argyle. She felt here her late husband’s aura, as Lindsay had worked in the construction of the dam at this wonderful Australian icon. Apple has also been on the executive committee and Vice President of the Filipino-Australia Association between 1986 and 2008.
Apple has raised huge amounts of money over the years for the Northern Territory Cancer Council by opening her fabulous garden to visitors. It has been my great privilege to talk about Apolonia Craufurd. She has contributed in so many different ways to our community. She is a very important member of the Darwin Chorale, St Mary’s Choir and the Cancer Council. She is also a fantastic constituent in my electorate, and anyone who knows her knows she greets you with a smile and warmth of heart unmatched by most people. What more can I say but thank Apolonia for her wonderful contribution to our community in the Northern Territory.
I also rise to inform the House about the Savannah Guides. Savannah Guides Limited was established as a not-for-profit organisation in 1988 by the Gulf Local Authorities Development Association in Queensland. The purpose of the organisation was to provide access for tourists to unique natural features on private, leased or public property, and in a manner which protects the region’s assets. Members were initially drawn from local communities within the Gulf savannah, but the network has since expanded to encompass the tropical savannahs of Northern Australia between Cairns and Broome. Savannah Guides continues to contribute to the development of regional tourism, generating employment opportunities whilst conserving our natural and cultural heritage.
Savannah Guides works with many of Australia’s leading tourism, environmental and community organisations to pursue its mission of being an economically sound, community-based professional body which maintains high standards of interpretation and public education, training and guiding leadership and natural and cultural resource management.
Savannah Guides Limited is recognised nationally and internationally as a leader in the promotion of ecologically sustainable tourism products, enhancing regional lifestyles, and the protection and conservation of natural and cultural resources of the tropical savannahs from Cairns to Broome. Enterprises and individual members must meet very high standards of operation and abide by professional codes of conduct. These guides are highly trained by industry and lauded by our visitors. Two training and development schools are conducted each year at varying locations across the savannahs. They may feature experts in related fields, including ecology, land management and tourism. In October last year, the school was held in the Tablelands near Cairns with a birding tourism theme. This year, the March school will be held in Darwin with a new product, a showcase theme.
Recently, board elections were held and a new president, our very own Ben Humphries from Darwin, was elected. This is an extraordinarily good result for Darwin and the Northern Territory. Ben is well known and works with Charles Darwin University delivering VET tourism training to industry and remote communities. His skill and enthusiasm promote a positive future for Savannah Guides and tourism in the Northern Territory. Ben has extensive experience as a professional guide all over Australia, winning the Northern Territory Tourism Brolga Award for Outstanding Interpretative Guiding in 2007.
Ben and his executive team are looking forward to a productive term ahead, continuing to develop opportunities for new and existing tourism operators and guides in northern Australia. Ben will continue to maintain and develop relationships with Indigenous operators, guides and communities in the region. This is a very exciting time for Savannah Guides in the Northern Territory as the organisation continues to strengthen its membership in Queensland, the Top End and Western Australia, with the new president in Darwin.
I encourage our Tourism minister to sit down with Ben and discuss what it is Savannah Guides do, and for the government to offer any form of assistance, financial or otherwise, they might need. It is my view, and I believe the view of many in the community, that this type of tourism opportunity will thrive in the Northern Territory and across northern Australia.
I thank Ben Humphries for his work and wish him all the best as the new president of Savannah Guides.
I say again how grateful I was this morning to be able to pay tribute to the great Maurice Rioli, and say how grateful I was to hear the Chief Minister in this recent debate refer to Jack Haritos. Whilst he was a strong and loving supporter of members on the other side and a big fan of the Labor Party, he was an extremely difficult person not to like. During every election I have been involved in, he always manned the spot at Ludmilla Primary School, very, very proud of his Labor Party. He was a fantastic community member who will be missed by all of us. I offer my sympathies to those members of the Labor Party who will miss Jack Haritos and the great Maurice Rioli.
Mr BOHLIN (Drysdale): Madam Deputy Speaker, I commend all people involved in last week’s cyclone and subsequent floods. It is never an easy task to sort through, deal with and organise all that occurs during and beyond a cyclone. It is important to ensure those involved in the front line who battle to protect the citizens of this Territory and help out during or after those events, are properly equipped. It is a very strong person who speaks out when they see something wrong with government, because this government is currently hell-bent on harassing, berating and bullying anyone who dares speak out and tell the truth. Power and Water, the police, the Emergency Services, the ambulance service, the hospitals, even the schools have all done a fantastic job. Let us hope not only can we learn from this, but we make changes to ensure appropriate things are done.
On a note of great concern to me are the earthquakes which happened in Christchurch, New Zealand today. My daughter lives in Auckland, New Zealand and, as any parent does when they hear of a disaster or occurrence happening where your loved ones are, you immediately panic. Knowing she is in Auckland we knew she would be safe; however, I made the phone call to check she was all right. My ex-wife and my daughter, Jasmine, have friends just outside Christchurch, Greg and Theresa Miller and their son - they are all right and I am glad to hear that. Unfortunately, as daylight will reveal tomorrow, many people have lost their lives in New Zealand. At the last report 65-plus people are confirmed deceased. It is a tragedy. The footage is compelling, realising it is a near neighbour is compelling, and the task ahead carrying out the search and rescue will be arduous, extremely dangerous and very long. I wish them all the best. New South Wales has already mobilised a search and rescue team to help. Well done to the government for its immediate action in sending some very highly skilled people over to help New Zealanders.
I hope, wherever possible, we pass on any service we can to New Zealand as quickly as possible. Without doubt, time is extremely critical and every hour counts. I hope any decisions are made quickly and we support New Zealanders, our friends, our combatants when it comes to the sporting field, and do everything we can to rescue survivors trapped beneath the magnitude of rubble. It has been quite shocking to see.
I have listened intently to the matter of public importance raised in this Chamber on crime in Alice Springs. It is, unfortunately, occurring throughout the Territory; however, is a Mt Everest peak in Alice Springs. In my time as Officer-in-Charge of Kintore Police Station I do not recall seeing that level of violence and intimidation in my many visits to Alice Springs. I have many friends in Alice Springs, and although we jest about who your real friends are, real friends are the ones who stand up and support you. Unfortunately, my friends tell me of their fear - being scared every day.
A friend posted on Facebook last Tuesday that her daughter had driven her granddaughter to school. On the way home from dropping off her five-year-old granddaughter, the daughter had a mad woman run in front of her car, swearing and abusing her, half de-robed with blood. The woman had been involved in a fight and was now attacking the car. She had taken her daughter to school, was driving back home and was attacked because she was on the road. She did exactly what I would expect – she got out of there. As she did, the woman punched her car. The police were advised but little effort was put into finding this person. There is such a level of violence and a magnitude of numbers it appears certain elements are not willing to take the extra step any more. This government has failed. This government acknowledged today there are problems; however, it is failing to take the measures needed.
The member for Greatorex outlined some of those measures today - they are simple. We have reactionary forces in the police force. Send down our task force. It is well-equipped at coordinating responses. If not only for its manpower, it is extremely well-equipped at managing and targeting these issues. Send a group of five, 10, 20 or more. You can find them, and as a government you should be reacting to the needs of the people you represent - if you do not you have failed.
This government reigns over failed policies and is unable to act or react. You have failed dismally in a response to support Alice Springs. Every police officer who goes on duty tonight will work extremely hard and will do their best. However, they know they are up against a battle they cannot win because they do not have the support of this government to do what is needed. Take the stance of zero tolerance, fix Alice Springs and make it safe for the people who live there.
Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, how much time do I have?
Mr ACTING DEPUTY SPEAKER: Until 10:30 pm.
Mr ELFERINK: Is that a problem for you?
A member: I can do this tomorrow night.
Mr ELFERINK: Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I raise an issue which is running very hot in my electorate dealing with the Cavenagh Street renewal project run by the Darwin City Council. Whilst it does not entirely reflect on the Northern Territory government, it does have a role to play in it at the peripheries. I doorknocked businesses in the Knuckey Street area where similar works were done in the not so distant past and one of the complaints from a street entirely boarded by parallel parking was the removal of even a handful of car parks had a negative effect on business.
The Darwin City Council is proposing a plan that, if rolled out in its entirety, would remove as many as 100 car parks in the Cavenagh Street precinct. This would have a direct and negative effect on businesses operating in the area. I have spoken to numerous businessmen, not least of whom was Mr Duncan Bell, who made his passions quite clear on television not so long ago, and also other businesses in the area. Whilst the level of passion changes from business to business, it is a universal ‘no’ in relation to rolling out this program without an alternative in place. I have been asked to lay on the table today 1650 signatures on a petition aimed at the Darwin City Council. I seek leave to table these documents.
Leave granted.
Mr ELFERINK: I am concerned there are 1650 signatures from people who use car parks in the CBD. I will not enter into the blame game or a debate about who is wrong and who is right. What I would like to see come from this is an approach where the car parks in the Darwin CBD are available for people to use.
It is a nasty fact of life that people in the Territory tend to be a little lazy when they go into town. It is not like other jurisdictions. People like to park in front of the shop they are about to go into. Weather is often the reason. Sometimes it is the convenience people are used to. However, these shops rely on being serviced by effective car parking in the area. If the council removes these car parks from the vicinity of the shopping district, it should first have an alternative in place. This will also have a wash-over effect into the mall because many people using the mall tend to park in the angle parking on Cavenagh Street. Whilst I appreciate the council would like to make greater use of the Chinatown car park, and the West Lane car park is full every day, I am keen to see another car park constructed conveniently close to the shops, particularly in Cavenagh Street, also conveniently close to the mall to service those shops.
Darwin is different from other capital cities because people travel through the CBD going somewhere else. In Darwin, unfortunately, you need a reason to travel into the city. If the council determines it is necessary to remove these car parks without creating an effective alternative reasonably close to shops, some businesses will suffer unnecessarily.
I have spoken to the mayor about this issue and asked him to take on board these concerns. He indicated he has done so. The consultation process is not yet complete as far as the council is concerned so I raise the issue tonight. It is relying on information given to it by the Northern Territory government through the public transport survey conducted last year, as well as other information provided by the Northern Territory government. I ask the Northern Territory government to keep a close watch on this because it is about businesses in the Northern Territory trying to make their way. We are talking about small business operators who have to deal with issues counterparts in other capital cities do not have to. I urge the government to keep a close eye on this, and urge the mayor to ensure the consultation process is properly followed.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016