The Council of Territory Co-operation Committee First Report February 2010
Tabled paper 714
Tabled Papers for 11th Assembly 2008 - 2012; Tabled Papers; ParliamentNT
2010-02-24
Tabled By Gerard Wood
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory under Standing Order 240. Where copyright subsists with a third party it remains with the original owner and permission may be required to reuse the material.
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https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/280438
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/416082
Council of Territory Co-operation 38 First Report Mr David Ross, Director CLC, stated that the CLCs main concern with Working Future is the growth towns policy has been designed for the Top End and not the districts of Central Australia. The CLC is concerned about the future of remote communities and outstations as a result of COAG and Territory Growth Towns policies.168 In saying there is too much emphasis on the Top End, Mr Ross referred to independent research that argues that Territory growth towns cover about 18 per cent of the population in central Australia.169 Mr Ross provided the examples of Utopia and Lake Nash as both having large populations and poor living conditions that could be considered as growth towns. He suggested the main issue was that more discussion about the proposal was needed with people on the ground, before decisions and announcements are made.170 Mr Rohan Sullivan (NT Cattlemens Association and also elected member of the Roper Gulf Shire) commented on a disconnect between the current shires and the proposed model of growth towns. I think there are three growth towns in the Roper Gulf Shire that is Ngukurr, Numbulwar and Borroloola. My understanding of how these growth towns would work is that they would be a sort of centre, and then there would be a mob of outstations around them which that town would service, those outstations, and it seems to me that would suit a local government model where there was a local council in that town, maybe with some members from the outstations, and that would basically run the affairs of the town. In this case, we have a shire based in Katherine, and which basically has no relationship to the growth town model, I do not believe anyway. 171 Mr Ken Davies (DCM) advised the Council that as part of Working Future, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure is developing a town planning regime for each community that will then be worked through with land councils.172 The Council asked about the role of the land councils in the development of growth towns. Mr Davies advised that the Tiwi Land Council and Anindilyakwa Land Council are pushing township leases, education services delivery and home ownership. Those land councils are also considering contributing part of their royalty payments to add to government funds.173 Mr Burgess (DCM) advised the Council that there are three whole of township leases in place in Nguiu, Umbakumba and Angurugu and negotiations are underway for township leases of Milikapiti and Pirlamgimpi. While the Northern and Central Land Councils have agreed to leases for SIHIP housing, negotiations havent commenced on township leases. Talks have commenced however, on draft town plans. Mr Burgess added that not having a township lease in place would not prevent a town 168 LANT, CTC, Transcript of Proceedings, Alice Springs, Monday, 23 November 2009, p.2. In a letter to Office of Indigenous Policy, Mr Ross described the CLCs concerns as the lack of hub coverage in the central Australian region. CLC, Letter to the Office of Indigenous Policy, 2 November 2009, CTC Tabled Paper No.2, 23 November 2009. 169 Dr Will Sanders, Working Future: A Critique of Policy by Numbers or The weakness of Collaborative Federalism in an Emergency, Tabled Paper No.11, 23 November 2009. 170 LANT, CTC, Transcript of Proceedings, Alice Springs, Monday, 23 November 2009, pp.3-4. 171 LANT, CTC, Transcript of Proceedings, Katherine, Wednesday, 2 December 2009, p.31. 172 LANT, CTC, Transcript of Proceedings, Darwin, Monday, 9 November 2009, p.16. Note that the functions of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure are now part of the Department of Lands and Planning. 173 LANT, CTC, Transcript of Proceedings, Darwin, Monday, 9 November 2009, p.6.