Debates Day 3 - Thursday 1 May 2003
Parliamentary Record 11
Debates for 9th Assembly 2001 - 2005; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 9th Assembly 2001 - 2005
2003-05-01
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
English
Debates
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
application/pdf
Attribution International 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/278500
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/420998
DEBATES - Thursday 1 May 2003 and reintegrated, not just into society, but also into our economies. Unless we can deliver a meaningful future role for them in the Territory economy, the grim likelihood is that participation in crime of some sort is going to become an increasingly central aspect of the lifestyle of indigenous youth. When I talk about reclaimable young offenders, I mean young people who are still capable of learning, loving, working, and assuming a constructive place in the Territorys future. Where the allocation of financial and human resources may result - for example in the breaking up of that strangle hold of the petrol sniffing addiction or other substance and the associated criminal activity that goes with it - we need to do whatever it takes to secure that result. Madam Speaker, I have focussed on one aspect. I do not think that I could have gone without having added my bit to the debate in terms of some of the diatribe that has been uttered in this parliament over the last couple of days. It will be interesting, because I would like to hear what plans and strategies opposition members have to offer Territorians when it comes to this sort of crime prevention. I note that precious little was achieved during their previous incumbency. Mr AH KIT (Community Development): Madam Speaker, in this debate I take advantage of the opportunity afforded to me to support the Chief Ministers statement on the Northern Territory governments vision for Central Australia. I begin by saying that this government has emphatically moved away from the do nothing attitude towards Territorians who live past the Berrimah Line. That marks the opposition, not just when it was in government but, sadly, to this day. Their attacks on the holding of parliament here in Alice Springs demonstrate their contempt for anyone outside their comfort zones of Darwin and Palmerston. My focus is on seeing significant benefits and greater efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of services, particularly in rural and remote regions of the Territory. Today I would like to highlight examples of projects in Central Australia through my Department of Community Development, Sport and Cultural Affairs, that I believe will, in time, improve the quality of life for people living in this region. An improved delivery method for indigenous housing into remote communities is being trialled in Central Australia. It is referred to as the Central Remote Model and came about some years back when Central Australian Aboriginal people raised concerns about the housing outcomes they were achieving with their available funds. Central Australian representatives on IHANT, which is the Indigenous Housing Authority Northern Territory, made up of Territory Housing, Commonwealth Housing and ATSIC, were particularly concerned to fmd ways o f addressing issues of economies of scale for construction projects - appropriate housing designs that suited their conditions - and, most of all, that consultation with the end users of the finished product happened from the very beginning of the construction process. The key feature of the IHANT Central Remote Model is that a single project manager is contracted to deliver the entire IHANT housing allocations to communities within the central remote region. In addition, there are just five standard housing designs. Two of the five standard housing designs can be built as either three- or four-bedroom houses. There is also a requirement for consultation on design with both the recipient of the funds and, where possible, consultation with the people who will occupy the house. A second, and probably more significant initiative, has been the development of a sustainable training and employment program as an integral part of the Central Remote Region Model. Important training and employment outcomes are being achieved through this method of delivering housing programs to remote communities. The training and employment component of this service model currently consists of six training teams, comprising one builder and four apprentices per building team. Currently, 17 apprentices have completed 75% of their competencies required for the Certificate II in Building and Construction through Centralian College. All 17 of these apprentices are now progressing to a three-year program in Certificate III in Building and Construction, starting in June this year. An indicator of the success of this program is that a further 16 apprentices will commence on 1 July; that is another four by four apprentice teams which will be added. There is strong community support for the continuation and expansion of this program. An expanded range of communities are requesting involvement in this training and employment program, with local people wanting to undertake more apprenticeships. The advantages are designed to continue into the future. Not only are there economies o f scale in purchasing construction materials, but the standardisation of materials and fittings will have longer term benefits through ongoing efficiencies in repairs and maintenance. The communities participating in the training and employment program are: Ltyentye Apurte which is commonly known as Santa Teresa, Ntaria, Papunya, Laramba and Aherrenge and Kaltukatjara. 3970