Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

We have got more and more mutterings from Senator Crossin. I do not know if you pay any attention in question time, but the questions were asked again today and the government came up with absolutely nothing. There was not one answer. How much had been spent? How many houses had been built? Nothing—there is no answer. You know why? Because they do not know. This has been the worst managed, most horrifically bungled bureaucracy in the history of Federation. I am sure, as more of that comes out, we will have more spin from those on the other side.

There are a number of things we have asked for. I have written to the minister. We have said that we would like the budget to be released. That is similar to many of the questions we asked the minister today: where is the expenditure? Of course, it cannot be released because, as I have said, I suspect people do not understand what is going on. It is a complete disgrace: $672 million and not a single house. So what they have promised is a program of around 750 new houses, including new subdivisions; 230 new houses to replace houses to be demolished; 2,500 housing upgrades; essential infrastructure to support new houses; and improvements to living conditions in town camps.

I was just visiting a friend of mine, Queenie—I was dropping off a couple of kangaroos at a town camp last week. I said, ‘How’s this accommodation going?’ This was in the town camp. It is a piece of tarpaulin, an old spring bed and half a car body. Of course, there is an Indigenous organisation for that that charges them for that luxury—they charge them rent. There is no shower; there is no toilet; there is no power. Each one of the five people in that shelter gets charged $50 a fortnight for the privilege of being able to use a tap that is out on the flat. They are the circumstances that Senator Crossin’s government is quite happy with. The situation is normal! Nothing has changed. Everything is okay! It is an absolute outrage, and I will continue to attack the government on this matter until some changes are evident in these camps.

We have had a number of media releases. We had one dated 28 October that said an additional $6.5 million is going to be spent on new housing in Tennant Creek—that is above and beyond the $30 million that was provided by the previous government in other promises. That was going to help stop the overcrowding across seven community areas. That was, as I said, in addition to this money. There have been a couple of refurbishments at Tennant Creek, I understand—a new fridge or something like that—but the media release also revealed, ‘Civil works will begin next month.’ That would have been in November 2008. The media release also said, ‘Housing construction and refurbishment works can begin as planned in early 2009.’ Well, it would have been a very cold and cramped Christmas, Senator Crossin. Did you enjoy your Christmas pudding, Senator Crossin? They did not. They were there that entire time, and they had absolutely nothing done.