Territory Stories

Questions Day 5 - Wednesday 21 August 1991

Details:

Title

Questions Day 5 - Wednesday 21 August 1991

Other title

Parliamentary Record 4

Collection

Questions for 6th Assembly 1990 - 1994; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 6th Assembly 1990 - 1994

Date

1991-08-21

Notes

Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory

Language

English

Subject

Questions

Publisher name

Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory

Place of publication

Darwin

File type

application/pdf

Use

Attribution International 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

Copyright owner

Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory

License

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/279889

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/418344

Page content

QUESTIONS - Wednesday 21 August 1991 I believe there are 2 ways that this interim report and the final report can be approached. We can make a great deal of noise and accusations and try to score cheap points. The opposition can do this in relation to the government and the operations of the Department of Health and Community Services. Alternatively, the government can try to score cheap points in relation to the Commonwealth. However, I think that it 1s probably incumbent on the entire community to look at this 1n a responsible fashion. We should view the report 1n the light of present circumstances and try to obtain maximum benefit from the processes we are going through. I ask honourable members to approach the report in this way. Firstly, they should analyse the interim report and, if they have concrete suggestions regarding inaccuracies or some of the draft recommendations, they should contact the Cresap consultancy. As I have pointed out in the House before, Cresap is not directed by the government. It has been asked to provide information, warts and all. We have given an undertaking that its advice will be made public. That is occurring now. The purpose of this is to ensure that, 1n future, we end up with the best possible health and community welfare service, given our shrinking resources in this area. Sewer Rehabilitation Program Hr SETTER to HINISTER for TRANSPORT and WORKS Mr Speaker, I understand that there is a sewer rehabilitation program under way 1n Darwin at the moment. This is of particular interest to people living in the older suburbs of Darwin. Can the minister give the House an update on the current program and future plans? ANSWER Hr Bell: Is 1t a Clayton's ministerial statement? Hr FINCH: No. Mr Speaker, this issue would be of great interest to the member for Jing111 and the member for Wanguri because, 1n their electorates, there has been a problem for some time which has been spoken about previously in this House. The problem concerns sewers overflowing during storms. Some of the problems are the result of deteriorating sewerage systems. However, a great majority of the problems result from illegal or unintentional connection of stormwater drains from households into the sewerage system, thereby overloading the system quite dramatically. Cabinet had agreed some time ago to an $8m program to commence a program of rehabilitation of the sewers, and work commenced 1n the suburb of Millner. The latest proposals relate to Tiwi and extensive studies are under way there. Some 60% of residences have been inspected and quite a large number of them have been found to have Illegal or Improper connections. It 1s Important that we alert the public to the need to cooperate with the authority in rectifying the problem. If it 1s a matter of stormwater or roof drainage being directed Into the sewers, that should be discontinued. Upgrading of the main sewers and house drains 1s an ongoing and extremely expensive program. Historically, these have been on a basis of a split between PAWA and the household. It depends on the circumstances as to what costs are borne by whom. However, we need to be aware that, 1n those 2 suburbs 1n particular, work needs to be done. We also have difficulties at the RAAF base, Casuarina Drive, Parap, the Larrakeyah Army Barracks and 337