Debates Day 2 - Wednesday 14 February 2007
Parliamentary Record 12
Debates for 10th Assembly 2005 - 2008; 10th Assembly 2005 - 2008; Parliamentary Record; ParliamentNT
2007-02-14
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Debates
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
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DEBATES Wednesday 14 February 2007 3849 important world-class research is the Diagnostic Services Division. This division conducted the field and development trials that have led to the replacement of a toxic organo-chlorine compound that was previously used in the Territory horticulture industry to control termites. This replacement chemical, which has been taken up by industry, is much safer to use and has considerably less impact on the environment. The division is also currently working with the CSIRO and the CRC for plant biosecurity, to develop a project using molecular diagnostics to identify exotic termite species that threaten Australia, such as those that can be found on foreign fishing vessels. Identification of termites normal relies upon the findings of the soldier stage of the insect pest, which are often extremely difficult to find. This research will use termite frass/poo, potentially making exotic termite identification in future much quicker and easier, as well as more effective. Madam Speaker, improving research that contributes to our standard of living is a major priority and a feather in the cap for the department, which is involved in world-class science. These are just some of the priority projects and achievements that our department is involved with. They continue to play a major role in securing and improving the lifestyle of Territorians. I commend the Chief Ministers statement to the House. Debate suspended. MOTION Note Statement - Challenges for the Territory in 2007: Delivering the Territory Lifestyle Continued from earlier this day. Mrs BRAHAM (Braitling): Madam Speaker, I must admit at first I thought: No, I am not even going to bother. It is more of the same. I know it is the start of the parliamentary year, and we have to set the scene, but there was not a lot of new stuff in it; it was just same old, same old. However, there are some remarks I want to make. I want to ask the Chief Minister: what is this so-called lifestyle? We keep hearing the Territory lifestyle. I looked up the Macquarie Dictionary and it says that lifestyle is: a way of life that a group or a person accepts For people who live in the long grass, that is their lifestyle. Are we saying this is the great lifestyle of the Territory? The people in town camps say: This is our lifestyle. Is this the lifestyle we are supporting? What is this magical lifestyle we keep hearing about? Is it going fishing? We do not do much of that in the Todd River, I have to admit. We even have our Administrator in a previous life carry on about Were bloody good drinkers in the Northern Territory. Is that part of our lifestyle? Ms Martin: Oh, are you attacking Ted? Mrs BRAHAM: No, that is true and it is well documented. We seem to spend so much time in this House talking about alcohol and the problems it causes, but we also never have an event in Parliament House where alcohol is not served. What is this great lifestyle we keep carrying on about? What is the Chief Ministers view of lifestyle? Perhaps in her response she can explain it to us. If you ask me what we should be protecting in my life, I would like to have a home, respect for my property, to make sure the values I have for my family respect other people and other peoples way of life and the law. I would like to have privacy. I certainly would like to know that people around me act as a community, and all the different things we do such as sport and recreation add to the pleasure of this so-called lifestyle. We have to be careful when we talk about the lifestyle of the Territory because the lifestyle of the Territory, the image that is often portrayed to southerners, is that we are a little like cowboys, we drink a lot, we like to have a good time, and we tend to flaunt the law a bit, too. We are a bit laid back, a bit laissez-faire. Let us not promote the lifestyle without explaining what we are protecting. I say to the Chief Minister: let us not get carried away with a word, let us make people understand. People on indigenous communities would say they have a wonderful lifestyle; we should be protecting that. Everyone has a different idea of what lifestyle is so let us not say: This is the lifestyle - as the Chief Minister said at the beginning and end of her statement - that we should protect without being sure of what we are talking about. The Chief Minister talked about the main priorities of alcohol plans. It is a sad that alcohol does play such a big part in our lifestyle. However, the plan is to reduce supply, demand and harm. We had a meeting in Alice Springs last night to look at whether Alice Springs should become a dry town. If we say that, are we actually saying that alcohol should be such a predominant part of our lifestyle? If we are talking about how alcohol influences our lifestyle, perhaps we need to rethink where we are going with it. I know we are having a statement on alcohol later in the day, so I will save most of my remarks for that. It just worries me that we do seem to get carried away with this idea of Territory lifestyle that sometimes