Debates Day 2 - Wednesday 17 May 1995
Parliamentary Record 10
Debates for 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 7th Assembly 1994 - 1997
1995-05-17
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Debates
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
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DEBATES - Wednesday 17 May 1995 place, it was highly unlikely that I would be able to attend the meeting in Alice Springs. Apart from that, I had other important commitments here. There was no way I was ducking a meeting. The meeting was set up, I suspect, with the cooperation of the Leader of the Opposition, purely in an attempt to embarrass me. It is quite a strange situation because the police never actually utilise my good offices in relation to their industrial relations. As Minister for Public Employment, I am the signatory to the industrial relations agreement between the government and the Police Association. It is an irony, as the Leader of the Opposition well knows, that negotiations on industrial relations are carried out normally by the Commissioner for Public Employment, David Hawkes in this particular instance, and the Police Association. It is done at the direction of the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services and the Commissioner for Police. The only role I play in it, as Minister for Public Employment, is that I end up signing the agreement. I do not take any active part in the negotiations, nor am I expected to, because all other departments and agencies do the same thing. However, as the Minister for Public Employment, I end up signing the agreement at the end of the day. It is absolute nonsense and a furphy for the Leader of the Opposition to suggest that I ducked a meeting with the Police Association. The facts belie it. I was given 24 hours notice of a meeting. I happened to be in Darwin at the time when the invitation was received by my office. I believe it was a deliberate attempt to embarrass me and to create a little publicity stunt with the connivance of the Leader of the Opposition. He should be condemned for it. Why he would introduce it into a debate about juvenile justice is beyond me. I believe I have played my part in the provision of services to the unfortunate children in our juvenile justice system. I have made every effort to ensure that, as a government, we do the right thing for children who get into trouble, and I am quite satisfied that these are very positive amendments for the administration of the Juvenile Justice Act. Motion agreed to; bill read a second time. Mr POOLE (Correctional Services)(by leave): Mr Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time. Motion agreed to; bill read a third time. LANDS ACQUISITION AMENDMENT BILL (Serial 63) Continued from 1 March 1995. Mr STIRLING (Nhulunbuy): Mr Speaker, I thank Bob Brockman of the Department of Lands, Housing and Local Government for a briefing on this bill and on the Pastoral Land Amendment Bill a couple of weeks ago. As I said previously, I am new to these areas, which are quite complex, and it will take me some little time to get across the many and varied issues within the lands area. 3307