Parliamentary record : Part I debates (11 November 1986)
Debates for 4th Assembly 1983 - 1987; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 4th Assembly 1983 - 1987
1986-11-11
Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
English
Debates
Northern Territory Legislative Assembly
Darwin
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Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory
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https://hdl.handle.net/10070/220605
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/698931
DEBATES - Tuesday 11 November 1986 There is no argument that this Assembly is being asked. on the basis of pure ignorance. to make this vital decision regarding the World Heritage value of Kakadu National Park. What a disgraceful performance on the part of this government! On this very rare occasion. we are meeting for 3 weeks. At .the very least. one would have expected that the government would have given notice of this motion so that all honourable members could have made themselves familiar with the criteria for World Heritage listing which is contained in the first paragraph of this motion and have taken the opportunity to study the very complex matter of whether Kakadu stage 2 complies with those criteria. Can I say categorically that. in my view . stage 2 of Kakadu National Park. in its entirety. satisfies not 1 but each of the 8 criteria attached to the cultural significance of the park and the criteria relating to the natural significance of the park. It satisfies every 1 of them and I will demonstrate that in just a minute. I have to demonstrate it because the Chief Minister. who moved this motion Members interjecting. Mr B. COLLINS: Mr Speaker. could I ask for at least some protection by the Chair? Mr SPEAKER: Order! At least 2 honourable members have been running fairly constant. across-the-floor chatter. I ask all members to cease their interjections. Mr B. COLLINS: The Chief Minister failed to provide us with anything; he did not address the criteria. not even .the 2 broad categories. in his speech this morning. One would have expected that. as the mover of the motion. he had some obligation to address himself to the motion. However. he fai1~d. to do so. Apart from his totally ridiculous and categorical statement that 80% of stage 2 does not comply with those criteria. he did not address himself to them. Mr Speaker. I guess we are meant to rely completely on the political statements of the Northern Territory's development consultant. Mr Harry Butler. I dare say that Uranium Dundee. Harry Butler. will do precisely the same job for the piper that's playing his tune on this occasion. I would suggest to the Chief Minister that he have a look at Mr Butler's record because he has no credibility at all. The glaring headlines of the NT News yesterday described the listing as a fraud. Harry Butler is the fraud. Mr Speaker. Not only is he a fraud now; he has been for some considerable time. Here is a man who. apart from 1 fleeting claim to fame through ABC television. has a totally discredited record in respect of environmental matters in this country. Indeed. some of Mr Butler's clients over the last few years are worth listing. He has worked for Anaconda. Hamersley. Mount Newman. Texas Gulf. Amex. Woodside Petroleum and so on. He made some marvellous statements in support of the Franklin Dam saying. in fact. that the Franklin Dam would flood nothing but 'waste country'. He was employed by the Tasmanian government but discredited himself quickly in the first days following his appointment by making absurd statements about the Franklin that were incorrect factually. He was hounded out of the place after a few short weeks and resigned his commission. Indeed. yesterday. Mr Butler misrepresented himself once again. as he has done so often on these issues. and denied that he had ever advocated the building of the Franklin Dam. At the time. Mr Butler was quoted in the Tasmanian Mercury as saying 756