Debates Day 3 - Thursday 21 October 2010
Parliamentary Record 15
Debates for 11th Assembly 2008 - 2012; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 11th Assembly 2008 - 2012
2010-10-21
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Debates
Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
Darwin
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DEBATES - Thursday 21 October 2010 are set - inside or outside a park - and it does not matter who has the traps in their possession or who sets them; if contractors are engaged to trap crocodiles we will be ensuring the traps are government owned, and the new laws will apply regardless of who sets the traps and who manages the traps. The other question related to the outcome of the investigation into incidents which occurred earlier in the year - the member for Brennan giving us examples of incidents during his contribution. Those incidents were thoroughly investigated. The photos in the NT News and on the web helped identify those people. Where people could be identified they were interviewed, evidence was collected, and strong warnings were issued. We are here to introduce this bill because the current legislation did not allow for enforcement action to be taken against those people. Unfortunately, the amendments are not retrospective, which is consistent with general legal principles of fairness, so those people who have been identified will not be pursued under the new amendments. Regarding laws with croc traps in Kakadu, the Australian government has its own arrangements and laws governing Kakadu which are complementary to these amendments. We have advised the Australian government of these arrangements and they are, importantly, supportive. In relation to the Coroners report, the government has done what it can in resourcing the department and ensuring public safety is the number one concern - we have taken decisive action with our Crocwise strategy. We have secured additional resources for croc management with 20 new croc traps and the new pontoon boat, and developed the Crocwise strategy which has been rolled out in the Top End, particularly in Darwin and Palmerston. Some 10 000 kids have had access to the Crocwise program. It is also being rolled out in Katherine and through the Daly River. It is important we not only focus on Darwin and Palmerston, but also the harbour and the management area, and other communities in the Top End affected by crocodiles. Madam Deputy Speaker, in regard to the public tender announced at the end of last year, we called for expressions of interest and there was some interest. When it went to the final tender stage those expressions of interest did not stack up; we did not have any final tenders submitted for a contract. I am working with the Treasurer and my colleagues to reach a quick resolution on this and we will be making announcements soon. Motion agreed to; bill read a second time. Mr HAMPTON (Parks and Wildlife)(by leave): Madam Deputy Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a third time. Motion agreed to; bill read a third time. MOTION Note Statement Growing International Trade 2009 to 2013 Continued from 20 October 2010. Madam SPEAKER: The member for Port Darwin is in continuation. You have 17 minutes remaining. Mr ELFERINK (Port Darwin): I will be hard pressed to use it all, Madam Speaker. Thank you for the call. I was discussing the issue of penetration into Southeast Asia by a government which has long since let much of the penetration fall away, which is a shame because the former government did much to gain great entre into places like Indonesia and the Philippines. In fact, observers have said the Northern Territorys penetration into Southeast Asia prior to the change of government was probably better than the Australian government. The other component is when you are protecting your trade system how well are you protecting the system at the other end, the end where we start producing material, particularly in the area of primary industries - our heartland? How well do we protect those industries? Whilst the government talks about trade and how great their efforts are, getting the fundamentals right is a matter of concern. I draw members attention to the Pastoral Land Board Annual Report presented several days ago. The annual report from the Pastoral Land Board, the board which has oversight of the Northern Territorys pastoral state to ensure it is in good health, is over a year late. Moreover, this is the annual report for the 2008-09 year; we have yet to see the annual report for the 2009-10 year. The minister is clearly indifferent to the operation of the Pastoral Land Board if it has the same demands as other institutions regarding annual reporting requirements. Again, I find myself in this House bleating about annual reports coming in late, and unlawfully late. Let us look at how we protect the best sources of our trade. The Chairmans foreword to this was signed on 23 August 2010 - clearly running late even at that stage. He makes several observations which I will quote for members edification: 6506