Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to contribute to the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2015-2016 cognate debate. In part, I do this to acknowledge the strong record of delivery by the coalition government since its election 2½ years ago and to lay out the many programs the government has implemented in my electorate of Solomon, and indeed the Northern Territory, since 2013.

I will begin by going back a few days to Thursday, 19 February, which is a very significant day in Darwin for our sometimes turbulent history: 19 February was the first day of the bombing. The Japanese launched 188 planes from aircraft carriers, and bombs rained on the harbour and town. Ten ships were sunk, around 250 people were killed, 400 were injured, 30 aircraft were destroyed and the city was in absolute chaos. There were oil slicks across Darwin Harbour, smashed and burning buildings, and people dead and dying. It was an event of catastrophic significance, which saw the loss of American as well as Australian personnel. Yet, outside the Northern Territory, very little is known about it compared to, say, the Kokoda Track or the Thai-Burma Railway.

Out of respect for those who died trying to defend their country at our own backdoor, the event should have a national profile. Through my own efforts and those of a great friend of the Territory, former Labor Senator Trish Crossin—the one that was sadly replaced by a captain's pick who has disappointed us all—we were able to have the bombing of Darwin declared a national day of observance. This has raised the status of February 19 from a day of local commemoration to one of national significance. Next year we will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin. It is important that we acknowledge our past and celebrate our future.

This year I laid a wreath, on behalf of the Prime Minister, alongside my husband, Paul, and Mr Masato Takaoko who is the Consul-General of Japan. This was a very moving moment for the three of us and I am pleased that our countries are now firm friends.

Northern Australia contributes over 11 per cent of Australia's GDP and has 40 per cent of Australia's GDP but only around five per cent of its population. The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility is set to commence in the 2016-17 financial year. I am looking forward to seeing ambitious nation-building projects growing the Territory. Indeed, population growth will be crucial in driving investment in Northern Australia, particularly in cities like Darwin.

Leading demographer Bernard Salt said last year that if the government is to succeed in developing the north, Darwin's population will need to grow by 70 per cent to reach around 250,000 or 300,000 over the next 30 to 40 years. The government's vision for Northern Australia lays the foundation for this to occur over the next two decades. It includes $600 million for roads, cash to upgrade airstrips, money to explore rail freight, $100 million for beef roads, $200 million for water infrastructure, $75 million towards a cooperative research centre and measures to develop even closer links with Asia.

In partnership with the Northern Territory government, the coalition is spending $70 million duplicating Tiger Brennan Drive—one of the two main arterial roads in and out of Darwin. In 2014, I was proud to have the former Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss in my electorate to open the first stage of the duplication. I can assure the former Deputy Prime Minister that work on the next phase of the project—duplicating the road out to the Berrimah lights—is powering ahead, notwithstanding the discovery of the occasional bomb dropped during one of the raids that I mentioned earlier. The duplication means that Palmerston residents and those from further afield can enjoy a quicker and safer commute into and out of the CBD, spending a lot less time in their cars and more time doing the things that they like to do—and many Territorians like to spend time fishing.

Also growing the Territory, through the Investment Road and Rail Program, the coalition is spending $18 million improving flood immunity, road safety and productivity on the Stuart Highway—the other arterial road into and out of the city—between Katherine and Darwin.

Still on roads, the Black Spot Program has provided a boost to road safety in Solomon, with funding approved for a number of projects. Some of these have been funded directly to the Darwin City Council or the Palmerston City Council while others have been directed to the Northern Territory government for their road expenditure. We have $120,000 in expenditure on the Trower Road and Dripstone Road intersection in Wagaman. On the Smith Street and Edmund Street intersection in Darwin CBD there is $43,000 being spent. On McMillans Road and Lee Point Road intersection in Moil there is $400,000 being spent. On the Stuart Highway and Amy Johnson Avenue intersection in Coonawarra there is $100,000 being spent. On the Stuart Highway between Bagot Road and Billeroy Road, in The Narrows, there is $200,000 being spent to upgrade that area. In the city, once again, at Smith Street and Daly Street intersection, $550,000 is being used to implement a roundabout. At the Ryland Road and Clarke Crescent intersection in Rapid Creek, $75,000 is being spent for road infrastructure. At the Temple Terrace and Emery Avenue intersection in Gray, $500,000 is being spent to upgrade that intersection. And at the Elrundi Avenue and Bonson Terrace intersection in Moulden, $260,000 is being spent from the Black Spot Program to upgrade that particular intersection. On the Flockhart Drive Bridge between Muster Road and Campfire Court in Marlow Lagoon, $440,000 is being spent for a pedestrian bridge to make sure that the children going to and from the Palmerston Christian School are going to be safe from the road traffic. These upgrades are about improving safety on our local roads, and, as the local member, I am extremely proud to have been able to work with the Solomon community to identify roads in need and to secure investment in these particular roads.

Solomon has benefited from the Roads to Recovery program, with the city of Darwin receiving $5.72 million and the city of Palmerston $2.47 million to upgrade local roads. The National Stronger Regions Fund has at its heart economic development, and third-round submissions have recently opened for this much sought-after nation building measure. Darwin City Council's request for almost $4.5 million for its ambitious upgrade to Parap pool was approved in round 1, and I look forward to working with the Darwin City Council and, in particular, with Lord Mayor Katrina Fong Lim, as this project proceeds.

Some concerns were raised around the Northern Territory that we were not able to secure any funding in round 2. No-one was more disappointed than I was, and we have got some feedback from those applications and we are working to secure funding in the next round. I encourage anyone who is interested in submitting for round 3 to work with my office so we can ensure that we get some much-needed funding in the Territory.

The Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program was an extremely popular measure in Solomon. The Commonwealth provided funding of $1.7 million to help with the enormously successful Albert Borella trek. This trek re-enacted the incredible journey that Albert Borella and his companions took from Tennant Creek to Darwin after war broke out—by train, by horseback, on foot and eventually by boat. Albert Borella went to extraordinary lengths to enlist in the Great War, and after a short campaign at Gallipoli he eventually became the Territory's first and only Victoria Cross winner on the battlefields of Europe.

At a local level, I was extremely pleased that the Commonwealth was able to top up funding for the Anzac centenary program from $75,000 to $125,000, which allowed local committees more scope to assess submissions to approve project requests. The Solomon committee was bipartisan with representatives from the government and opposition benches of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly and included veterans group representatives, a leading military historian, the editor of Darwin Sun and Palmerston Sun newspapers and a youth representative, and we also received input from the Chief Minister's department. A substantial number of nominations were received but the primary criteria upon which successful applications were judged was the enduring nature of the proposal. For example, the Darwin RSL Sub Branch received the lion's share of funding with a $50,000 grant towards a documentary about Albert Borella's trek, including footage of the re-enactment ride into Darwin.

Other grant recipients were the Vietnam veterans, who received $3,357 to spread the Anzac history to all Northern Territory students, through a book; Girl Guides NT received $1,715 to construct an Anzac centenary memorial garden at their Parap headquarters;    Darwin Military Museum received $5,275 to contribute towards a Great War museum display; St Paul's Primary School received $2,333 to install an Anzac commemorative plaque and a flagpole; The Palmerston RSL Sub Branch received $18,583 to conduct an Anzac eve youth vigil and Great War research competition in Palmerston; Moil Primary School received $5,000 to perform the production From Darwin to Dardanelles, and Darwin High School also received $5,000 to hold an Anzac assembly featuring a tribute to the silent service of the Australian submarine flotilla.

Darwin Military Museum received $27,000 to produce and distribute a book, including a teacher's guide, about those who served in the Great War from the Northern Territory. I have spoken about that book, which was written by Norman Cramp. It is a fantastic book and I was delighted to be able to launch that a few weeks ago.

Casuarina Senior College received $875 to help them hold an Anzac centenary commemorative week and service, and the Darwin RSL Sub Branch received $7,262, for rectification and correction of deceased listings on the Darwin First World War cenotaph.

I am extremely proud to have been involved in this program, with its roots well and truly in the Solomon community. As somebody with a great-uncle who served and died in Europe fighting for his country, it was extremely satisfying to have been able in a small way to honour the sacrifice of those who took part in the war to end all wars.

The former Deputy Prime Minister also opened the Housing Industry Association's multipurpose building industry training centre project, which was supported with $3.3 million from the Regional Development Australia Fund, and the $7.5 million Michael Long Territory Thunder Learning and Leadership Centre was also built with support from this funding pool. It was opened by former minister Jamie Briggs.

Law and order was an unusual focus for Commonwealth governments, but the coalition was keen to help ease the pressure on the states and territories in this space. The result for Solomon was the purchase of two mobile CCTV units that have been deployed on a needs basis such as the Nightcliff, Karama and Palmerston shopping centres. These are wonderful pieces of infrastructure that provide awesome support to our police officers.

The Green Army has been busy in Solomon, with up to 30 volunteers, mostly aged between 17 and 24, assisting local groups including the McMinns Lagoon Reserve Association—even though that is not in Solomon—Friends of Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Friends of Fogg Dam and Friends of Mitchell Creek on revegetation, clean-up and signage projects. I want to acknowledge the really good work by Conservation Volunteers Australia in facilitating these projects.

Funding has also been approved for a particularly exciting project under the auspices of Greening Australia which, with support of the Green Army, aims to establish the largest seed bank in the Northern Territory. The Green Army will assist in the collection of seeds, their cataloguing and storage with an eye eventually on having the seed stock registered both nationally and globally. I am delighted the Green Army is able to assist in the early stages of this important body of work.

There has been some talk about the Palmerston hospital, and I noticed the Labor shadow minister is in the chamber. I am delighted to say that the project is well and truly underway. The Northern Territory government has responsibility for delivering on this. We funded it and, despite all the lies from those across the table, it is well and truly underway. My opponent, the wannabe politician, needs to stop with the scaremongering.

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