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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-11-29 Daily Xml
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ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS AND RECONCILIATION

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:21): Why are Aboriginal groups repeatedly telling the opposition that Labor's Closing the Gap programs are not working, and what evidence has the government that their funding of almost $1 billion a year to Aboriginal communities is improving outcomes?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:21): It is just a tad galling to be lectured by those opposite about commitment by governments to Aboriginal affairs. This from the party which, when it was last in government, did not permit the Aboriginal lands standing committee to even visit the APY lands.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order!

The SPEAKER: Order! What is your point of order?

Mr GARDNER: It is a tad galling to be lectured by this Premier—

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr GARDNER: —about Aboriginal affairs when he refuses to answer the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier and the member for Morialta will sit down. Order! You will not shout at each other across the floor. What is your point of order, member for Morialta?

Mr GARDNER: It is 98, Madam Speaker. The Premier is refusing to answer the substance of the question which goes to his government's record.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The Premier is answering the question in his own way.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Let's just start with the most disadvantaged Aboriginal community—the APY lands. When we came into government, there was not one sworn police officer on the APY lands. You should hang your heads in shame. To come into this place and ask questions about our commitment to Aboriginal affairs, you should be—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order!

The SPEAKER: Order! What is your point of order?

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Standing order 98: the Premier is debating the issue, rather than answering the question.

The SPEAKER: No, there is no point of order there, member for Stuart. He is answering the question as he chooses.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: We're going to go through this line by line and you're going to sit there and listen to your lack of commitment to these lands: no visits from the Aboriginal lands standing committee, no sworn officers—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —the run-down in TAFE and commitment to skills development.

Members interjecting:

Mr GARDNER: Point of order!

The SPEAKER: Order! What is your point of order, member of Morialta?

Mr GARDNER: At some point, the Premier must get around to his own record.

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta, the question was about the billion dollars' funding not working. The Premier can answer that and he is answering that. There is no point of order.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: No, no. I'm telling you what we're doing. What we are doing is remedying your mistakes and abject disregard—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —for some of the most disadvantaged people in our community.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You will listen to the Premier. This question is important to me and I want to hear his answer. Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: We have introduced now, I think, 19 sworn officers into the lands when there were zero, introduced scrutiny in relation to the lands by having the Aboriginal lands standing committee visit the lands and have full access to the lands, introduced a far-reaching inquiry into sexual abuse in relation to the APY lands and acting on its—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —and acting on its recommendations, introduced the most substantial program on house building in relation to the APY—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The deputy leader will leave the chamber for 10 minutes.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The deputy leader will leave the chamber for the rest of question time now, if he shouts at me. You will stay out until the end of question time. Order! We will have some order in this place. I know it's the day before the Christmas break, but that's it. I'm not putting up with any more disorder.

The honourable member for Norwood having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: What is your point of order?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I don't know what the deputy leader said to you, but it seemed as if he was speaking to you in a threatening manner.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Well, he was.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I didn't feel threatened at all by the deputy leader; however, I did take offence at his shouting as he left the chamber. Now, Premier, we will get back to your answer.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I was referring to the commitment of public housing, of substantial resources in relation to public housing, and I think the former minister for housing will correct me if—$290 million over 10 years in relation to remote communities generally, a substantial proportion to be devoted to the APY lands. There is the introduction of a new TAFE facility in relation to the APY lands, which was recently opened by the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, to build skills in that region. There is the recent negotiation in relation to the extension of the BHP indenture agreement, and the substantial commitment that is made by BHP in relation to the provision of Aboriginal employment. The largest single element of that package negotiated with BHP goes to the question of Aboriginal employment.

Mrs REDMOND: Point of order, Madam Speaker, under standing order 98 regarding relevance. The question was about outcomes not inputs. The Premier has so far only talked about what they have put in, not what the outcomes of those inputs are.

The SPEAKER: No, I think that is a matter of interpretation. I am satisfied with the way the Premier is answering the question. He was referring back to what the government has done with that money.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Absolutely, and I would have thought a roof over one's head is an outcome. It has always been regarded as an outcome in any language that I understand, and can I also refer to: our contributions that have been made to the Aboriginal foundation to set up its own encouragement of business enterprises for Aboriginal people across our state; our commitment in relation to the APY lands to provide social workers in relation to schools; the provision of people to support youth workers who go into communities to work with them; the provision of child protection workers based on the lands for the first time; and, crucially, upgraded police stations and infrastructure in at least three communities in relation to the APY lands. Also, pools in relation to, I think, two communities on the APY lands, perhaps three. Madam Speaker, the commitment of this government to addressing Aboriginal disadvantage is unquestioned, and it sits ill in the mouth of those opposite who presided over a complete neglect of this area of government responsibility.

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