QUESTION

Notice has been given today that a package of legislation will be introduced this week to tackle illicit drugs, and drug dealers operating in our community. Will the Chief Minister outline why these moves are necessary, and will the position adopted by the CLP opposition, or this morning's invasion of the Legislative Assembly, persuade the government from it's course?

ANSWER

Madam Speaker, let me put very clearly on the record, that disgraceful events like this morning's invasion of Parliament House will not deter this government from tackling the drug distribution, drug traffickers and drug dealers right across the Territory. So, I put drug dealers, drug traffickers, drug manufacturers - those who want to stand up, as we saw this morning, for those people who are doing this in our society - on notice, because we are not deterred. We, as a government, are not deterred from bringing in our very effective drug legislation into this sittings of parliament.

Madam Speaker, I share your sentiments; it was a disgrace this morning. I make it very clear that we won't be dissuaded from tackling the drug-related problems in our community. I'm disappointed that, when you said: 'Leave the Chamber', that there wasn't an immediate leaving of the Chamber by all members - and that's on both sides. What also disappoints me is that we have the opposition now attempting to make political capital from an exercise where we should be standing side by side …

Mr BURKE: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The opposition has sat silently whilst the Leader of Government Business brought forth on this issue, and now the Chief Minister is having her say. If we are going to have a debate, let's have an open debate, and we will all have a say. But I would ask in the interim that the Chief Minister confines her comments to the question that was asked.

Madam SPEAKER: Chief Minister, I would prefer you to confine your comments to the question that has been asked. If you wish, later in debate, to debate the instance that occurred, I think that there are many members who might like to make comments, because it did affect all of us. So, could you address the question?

Ms MARTIN: I am addressing the question, Madam Speaker, about the relationship between the disgraceful invasion you saw this morning, and our determination to move forward, and I was just saying …

Madam SPEAKER: Good, continue on that line.

Ms MARTIN: … reinforcing your comments, and saying we have to have a bipartisan approach to this.

Members interjecting.

Ms MARTIN: To briefly talk about this - if the member for Drysdale would stop giggling in a silly voice - we had the opposition outside saying: 'This is typical of the Labor Party. This is …

Mr REED: A point of order, Madam Speaker! You did make a ruling, and whether the Chief Minister is the Chief Minister or not, she has to abide by that ruling.

Madam SPEAKER: That's right. And I did say, Chief Minister, that I want you to address the question. I don't want to debate the incident, unless we do it specifically by question from a member. I've already been asked that question and given my advice. I want you, really, to stick to the question you have been asked, which is about your legislation.

Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, I appreciate this, and this relationship between this invasion and our drug package is very clear, and I'm addressing this issue. I think that we, as a parliament, should have a very strong bipartisan stance on this. So, it disappoints me, that you would have the opposition running outside this parliament and saying, 'What would you expect from the Labor Party, they preferenced this lot' saying they had to be the Socialist Alliance. I would like to table, Madam Speaker, the CLP's how to vote from the last election.

Mr REED: Point of order, Madam Speaker. I know the Chief Minister wants to get a word across, but the fact is that you have ruled, twice indeed, and the Chief Minister should show some respect both for this House and for your ruling.

Madam SPEAKER: The member for Katherine is right. I have spoken twice, Chief Minister, and I really think in the spirit of what we need to do at the moment it is best for us all to work together to make sure that we are seen united on this matter, and that you confine your answer to the question asked.

Ms MARTIN: Exactly, Madam Speaker. I think we should be united. We should have a bipartisan position, so why is the opposition running outside saying, 'These are your friends, you preferenced them'. When you in the last election preferenced them as well. Let's just look at the how to vote for CLP. Fannie Bay – Mary Cunningham, first preference. Second preference to Peter Johnson, Socialist Alliance. Third preference to Clare Martin. Let's get it quite straight. So if we are going to talk about having a side by side attitude …

Mr Burke: We've got all your cards here.

Ms MARTIN: We've got your cards. We've got your cards.

Madam Speaker, I just go back to your point. This is a serious issue for this parliament, and I would say to the opposition, don't go outside playing stupid politics that you get sprung on it. Stand side by side with everyone in this parliament and make sure that this disgraceful event does not happen again, and the proper legislative action that we are taking to tackle drugs in this community that you support and support strongly. We won't remind you that you did not support this kind of legislation for 26 years. The opposition leader used to describe the problem of drug addiction, the problem of drug use in the Territory as minuscule. Do you remember the word minuscule, Madam Speaker?

The now opposition simply put their head in the sand about this very important issue for the Territory, and why, Madam Speaker? Why is it so important for the Territory? National figures show quite clearly that almost 50% of property crime is related to drug use. Almost 50% of property crime. It is a major issue for the Territory and it needs to be tackled. Could we get the CLP in government to tackle? No. Not at all.

The second point is, and an equally important if not more important point, is the growing …

Mr BURKE: Point of order, Madam Speaker!

Ms MARTIN: Oh sit down for heaven's sake.

Mr BURKE: I thought you were saying get a life. You've got a new phrase now.

Madam SPEAKER: Order!

Mr BURKE: Madam Speaker, I am appalled that the Chief Minister can trot statistics in this Chamber pointing to an investigation that was done south …

Madam SPEAKER: What is your point order?

Mr BURKE: … no reference to the Northern Territory, try to extrapolate that as Northern Territory data. This is typical, Madam Speaker, of the sort of the sort of misinformation that is being …

Madam SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, what is your point of order?

Mr BURKE: …peddled to the Northern Territory.

Members interjecting.

Madam SPEAKER: There is no point of order. Chief Minister, would you round off your answer thank you. I think we have spent long enough on this question.

Ms MARTIN: Madam Speaker, it is important, and it does go to the heart of what happened here this morning, which we supported you very strongly on, that the second point of why we need to be so determined as a parliament to tackle the Territory's drug problem, is the effect it has on our community. The effect it has on our young people, particularly young people in our urban centres but also young people in our remote communities. The damage is growing, and I would expect bipartisan support on this. Look, we could go through the statistics. It shows, if you look at for example last year's Australian Illicit Drug Report …

Mr Burke: The stats are the Police Commissioner doesn't agree with the Justice Minister, that's the problem. The Police Commissioner …

Madam SPEAKER: Order!

Ms MARTIN: If you look at the Australian Illicit Drug Report from last year, the growth of amphetamine use, the growth of opiates. In 1999, in the Territory, the prescriptions of morphine were almost 15 times the national average, and morphine is still the most commonly used opiate in the Territory. We have seen the growing use of cannabis. We have seen the nature of cannabis that is around change quite dramatically. The THC level in cannabis, because of genetics and the way it is grown, is increasing. This is a more dangerous drug than one that we saw around 20 years ago.

The link between illicit drug use and property crime, it is established. The Opposition Leader can say: 'These are down south figures'. I say: 'Grow up' about that. This is a problem. It is identified, and you as a government failed to do anything about it. We need to make very clear to those who are dealing drugs, those who are manufacturing, those who are trafficking in drugs in the Territory, that displays like the one we saw this morning will not deter this parliament, will not deter this government from getting tough on drugs and those who are dealing them.

Madam SPEAKER: Can I just say that answer was far too long, Chief Minister.