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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-30 Daily Xml
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APY LANDS, FOOD SECURITY

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:55): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, representing the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, questions regarding food security on the APY lands.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: I detailed this problem during my contribution on the Supply Bill back in March. I have also commented in the media on this issue a number of times, calling on the government to divert funds from underachieving projects into a subsidy, which the Mai Wiru food group has continually asked for. I have been informed that a figure of $300,000 would go a long way to equalising fresh food and grocery prices between the lands and supermarkets in Alice Springs.

The new minister commented recently, during a radio interview, that he doubts the market garden project would be continued as it was not making a positive contribution. In the same interview he remarked that the government puts so much money into the APY lands that it should not be considered a problem. My questions are:

1. Will the minister concede that previous minister Portolesi's solutions have not contributed positively to the inequity in food prices on the APY lands?

2. Is he able to find the $300,000 from the mountains of cash he is apparently throwing into the APY lands for a food transport subsidy? If not, then what is the minister's solution to this problem?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion, Minister for Social Housing, Minister for Disabilities, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers) (14:57): I thank the honourable member for his question and will take part of his question to the minister in the other place for a response. However, in relation to his first question, the answer is no.

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