Curent News Topics
This page reports and links to news items relevant to Statehood
Commonwealth Intervention in the Northern Terrritory
On 21 June 2007 the Commonwealth announced a takeover of responsibility for a range of matters concerning Indigenous Affairs in the Northern Territory. The Prime Minister has explained this to Channel Ten reporter Paul Bongiorno on Sunday 24 June as necessary because:
PAUL BONGIORNO: Well, Prime Minister, by one count there have been 13 reports in the last 11 years documenting child sexual abuse, three of them Federal, 10 of them State. What made you act dramatically now?
JOHN HOWARD: Because I felt the old approach had totally failed. We have gone along with the idea that these are State and Territory responsibilities, which technically they are. We'd persevered with that, we'd worked the old paradigm, but we just came to the conclusion that that wasn't going to work and we've decided in effect to put aside the old approach and to adopt in the short-term a highly interventionist approach. It is highly interventionist, but we don't apologise for that, because protecting innocent children is far more important than subservience to a doctrine or a philosophy or the niceties of some inter-governmental arrangement. In the end, solutions and outcomes are far more important than doctrine.
See the full transcript of this interview here by following the links to transcripts for News and Current Affairs and the program: Meet the Press
Seeking Consensus on Statehood
Statehood Steering Committee Executive Officer Michael Tatham writes in response to the release of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs' Report on 28 May entitled The Long Road to Statehood.
See the article published on 29 May 2007 at the ABC Online site here.
Democracy or Dictatorship?
Former Federal Court Judge Murray Wilcox QC criticised the Commonwealth Government on Tuesday 15 May 2007for contributing to "serious deficiencies in the quality of our democracy."
He commented on the Commonwealth abusing its financial superiority by meddling into the constitutional domain of the States. These views are important to consider in the context of Statehood.
See the article: Ex Judge hits Out at 'Elected Dictatorship'. The Age Newspaper on Tuesday 15 May 2007 here.
New Advertising Campaign - ABC Alice Springs
Transcript of an interview with Statehood Steering Committee Chair Barbara McCarthy MLA about the Statehood Steering Committee’s new radio advertising campaign.
ABC ALICE SPRINGS
DATE: Monday 19th March 2007
REPORTER: Katya Quigley
Well just how excited are you about the prospect of the Northern Territory? The last time around, it was a pretty big deal, but so was a sense of deflation among supporters when the votes were counted, I’m talking about Statehood. This week, the Statehood Committee is launching an advertising campaign urging Territorians to stand up for their rights, presumably by supporting the whole idea. Member for Arnhem, Barb McCarthy is a member of the committee, good morning.
MCCARTHY Good morning Katya.
QUIGLEY What’s the thrust of the advertising campaign?
MCCARTHY Look, it’s certainly just about creating awareness and asking people to once again start thinking about the future of the Northern Territory and asking questions about what the steps to statehood would be all about.
QUIGLEY Is the idea to persuade people to vote for Statehood or just to get them behind the idea for another referendum because the Federal Government does seem to be a bit lukewarm about the idea doesn’t it?
MCCARTHY Look the meeting with the Federal Government just a month ago was left with the conclusion that it was up to the Territory people to come to the party about what they wanted and the Commonwealth I guess seem a little bit reluctant certainly because they gave the opportunity to the Territory back in 98 to vote for Statehood and people voted against it and so naturally the Commonwealth is lukewarm and it does come back to people in the Territory to start thinking about, well where are we at and what do we want?
QUIGLEY How many ads will there be?
MCCARTHY We’ve got radio ads, just largely, there’s a simple one by Pete Davies saying that, is it fair. He’s certainly done a number of ads for radio broadcasting that will occur over the next eight weeks and just asking people to think about some issues regarding statehood.
QUIGLEY And what are some of those issues? I mean, we’re talking about rights, I understand part of the discussion and Territorians standing up for them, but what sort of rights are we essentially discussing here?
MCCARTHY Look, I think the most fundamental one is the fact that you can vote a person into the Northern Territory Parliament in the hope that they can make decisions about your future, but in reality those decisions can be overturned by the Commonwealth because we are not a State. So that is really the fundamental in terms of looking at the issue of equality in making legislative changes in the Northern Territory and looking at governance.
QUIGLEY The example in the ads of the 99 year lease at Bathurst Island, is that being pitched at aboriginal Territorians?
MCCARTHY The example of the ad?
QUIGLEY Yes of the 99 year lease on Bathurst Island.
MCCARTHY I think that is actually another part of the whole debate about what the Commonwealth can do in regards to the Northern Territory. It can come in in regards to these 99 year leases and set up a Federal entity and that is something that it can do because we are only a Territory. If we look at the nuclear waste debate, again, the same thing. If we look at what happened with the euthanasia bill, same thing again. So there seems to be a pattern that is occurring at various times throughout their political history of the Northern Territory which the Statehood steering committee wants to draw to the attention of all residents in the Northern Territory to have a good think about the issues that are important and the fact that we think we can govern for ourselves when in reality, the deep truth is that our laws can be overturned.
QUIGLEY Do you think that we’re bored by the idea of statehood and we need an issue that directly affects everyone for us to get excited by it?
MCCARTHY I think people certainly if I could look at it in two points here Katya and that’s a good question because the statehood steering committee asked this same question and certainly did when I came onboard as the Chair in October and that is that, how do we get the message out and do people really want to hear about this right now? And I think firstly we realised that it is quite enormous because we’re dealing with the aftermath of people saying, no. So we first have to understand why people said no and if we look at that, we recognise that the no vote largely came from aboriginal voters and the issues were related largely to governance on their land and the future and the fact that aboriginal people didn’t feel a part or included in any way to be able to say, yes to statehood. So that’s the first thing for the statehood steering committee is to recognise that we need to go back, look at why people said no and how can we work on those areas and the second part of it is that in terms of the general community, there are so many issues out there in the community, both from a Federal and a Territory level that we understand that for many residents, it’s kind of still ho-hum.
QUIGLEY So are the ads targeting aboriginal people then?
MCCARTHY The ads will target all people because we’ve broken it down into three areas and the first one is the schools education program which we’re dealing with throughout the year. The second part is the organisations representing community interests which we have to target also and the third area is the entire community which obviously does include aboriginal people.
QUIGLEY And are they all in English?
MCCARTHY We have English for this one, we will also have translation in numerous ads later on when we start targeting advertisements on CAAMA and Imparja and we’re certainly going to be involving linguists and translators as we travel around the Territory to various parts of the community.
QUIGLEY And so how will you measure the effectiveness if you’re not really asking anyone to do anything particular? How do you go about seeing if they’ve been a success?
MCCARTHY I think effectiveness really firstly comes back to what we get back in consultation from people. I think you can only firstly start off with discussion before you even think about coming to any formal vote. We need to hear as a committee what people are thinking and feeling right now in the Northern Territory and we need to do that by getting out there.
QUIGLEY Nice to talk to you this morning.
MCCARTHY Yeah thank you Katya.
ENDS .
Our Name - Sydney Morning Herald
THe SMH published an article on Saturday 17 March 2007 entitled Territory Dwellers in a State of Confusion which focused on the name of the Northern Territory as a Statehood issue. Amongst other things, the article assumes the words 'The State of' would appear in our new name. The article can be viewed here.
Commonwealth Government Responses - ABC Radio Darwin
Transcript of an interview with Statehood Steering Committee Co-Chair Sue Bradley, in relation to comments by the Commonwealth Attorney General, broadcast in reponse to a meeting he had with the Minister and Shadow Minister for Statehood on 6 February 2007
105.7 8DDD FM Wednesday 7th February 2007
Reporter: Julia Christensen
Interviewee Sue Bradley AM
INTRO - Some interesting descriptions of a meeting yesterday between some of our Territory politicians and Federal Attorney-General, Phillip Ruddock instructive, polite, conservative, not really a ringing endorsement is it of the Territory’s bipartisan push for statehood. The Federal Government says they’re yet to be convinced Territorians are actually behind the push. Sue Bradley is the Chair of the Statehood Steering Committee for the Northern Territory. Hello Sue.
BRADLEY - Hi Julia.
CHRISTENSEN - Are you a bit disappointed with that reception in Canberra yesterday, instructive, polite, conservative?
BRADLEY - Well I think instructive and polite is and conservative are probably a reasonable start to something when you’re talking about constitutional reform. I would rather go conservatively and politely to constitutional reform, something as important as that, something that is designed to deal with the Territory’s population in 100 or several hundred year’s time than leap in, you know, being a bit flamboyant about it.
CHRISTENSEN - It doesn’t sound like a very enthusiastic response though Sue you’ve got to say.
BRADLEY - I think no it doesn’t, but I think that when you’re talking about something as important as, you know, fundamental constitutional rights, I would rather see it going slowly than, as I say, leaping ahead.
CHRISTENSEN You’ve been talking to Territorians over the last, what, 12 months about statehood. What would you say to Phillip Ruddock if you could chat to him this morning about Territorians enthusiasm for statehood?
BRADLEY - To be absolutely honest, I would say to him that when you stop the average Joe in the street and I’m talking particularly in the urban areas because that’s the only place that’s really …(line drop out)… state, people will first of all say they’re not very interested. Once you start to sort of talk about the future and the fact that the Territory is in, is in a position to really grow economically, but the fact that the Territory has really got very, very few political rights because of its constitutional position. The possibilities that are in a hundred years time, you know, a very small …(line drop out)… with its 12 senators will be able to have a greater say at the national level than a strong growing Territory, they change their tune.
CHRISTENSEN - But is there some scepticism that this might just be a sort of political power grab for more Territory politicians than changing anything practical in our lives?
BRADLEY - I think that that is really a concern. I mean, this is very much a bipartisan, it has bipartisan support. As I understand it, every member of the current Northern Territory Parliament supports a move to statehood. The majority of the people on our Statehood Steering Committee are absolutely apolitical and I’m an example of that. But I feel quite passionately that I want to have equal constitutional rights as the other Australians and some of the political say that those increased constitutional rights or at least guaranteed constitutional rights will give me. I mean, I feel quite fearful when I look at the state of Norfolk Island which was a self governing Territory until February of last year and the Commonwealth decided to take those rights away which is absolutely permissible under the Australian constitution.
CHRISTENSEN - But it seems as though your passion and your fears are not perhaps shared by the average Territorian from what you’re saying.
BRADLEY - I think that is true and I think that the brief that has been given to the Statehood Committee by the Parliament is to educate people so that they do understand their constitutional position, limitations that it brings to them.
CHRISTENSEN - Phillip Ruddock said also that we need to sort out who would have the power to deal with things like nuclear waste and land rights, do you think that Syd Stirling, the Statehood Minister has perhaps jumped the gun with this meeting before deciding what the Territory Government’s position will be?
BRADLEY - No, I don’t think that it’s jumped the gun because there are two elements. The first element here is, what sort of State do we want to be and its principle, the Statehood Steering Committee has made it clear they want equality with the other States in these important issues as a starting point. But secondly there’s the issue of terms and conditions. Under the Australian constitution, that relates specifically to section 121 of the Constitution which allows the Commonwealth to create a State under whatever terms and conditions it wants particularly as regards to representation in the Federal Parliament. So if the Commonwealth were to come out and say, well you’ve got two Senators now and you can have that for ever, I think most members of this growing Territory would say, no thank you, we’re not interested and really this was an attempt to try and get the Commonwealth to make it clear whether it saw equality, future equality was the position for the Territory or whether it wanted or it only envisaged some less estate.
CHRISTENSEN - Well let’s see what people think. We’ll put the call out, we’ll see if we get any response. Thanks for your time this morning Sue.
BRADLEY - Thanks Julia.
ENDS.
Territory FM - 'Territory Talk' Program
104.1 Territory FM Thursday 7 December 2006
Reporter: Daryl Manzie
Senator Trish Crossin talks to Darryl Manzie about her recent submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs Inquiry into the Federal Implications of Northern Territory Statehood.
CROSSIN: It’s pretty simple; the suggestion is that we would go to 4 Senators on the grant (?) of Statehood and that over a period of 25 years so every say 10 or 12 years thereafter we would get another 4 Senators making us having 12 Senators after a period of about 25 years.
MANZIE: Now there was some argument, I think the Judge Dean Mildren actually proposed that we couldn’t have Statehood without having all Senators equal, but you…it was Graeme Nicholson pointed out the population of the Territory, Tasmania and think WA at the time of the Commonwealth being formed and the arguments that we would need to ensure there is a political balance that runs right through the House of Reps and the Senate before you get politicians in Canberra agreeing to Statehood, has anyone given you any feedback about what you’ve proposed?
CROSSIN: Not particularly, I’ve had a few e-mails from people who have said that of all of the suggestions they thought mine increased representation and gave us a little bit more over time that would increase with our population, but can I just say Daryl this is gonna be a pretty difficult one for the other States to come across…to get a handle of really or to agree to, two things – the number of Senators you have is linked to the number of people you have in the House of Representatives and even going to 4 Senators immediately would give us about 3 or 4 more House of Representative seats, you see we can’t do this in isolation, I did actually say that perhaps if my colleagues in NSW or Victoria thought they were gonna get more House of Reps seats they might agree to this pretty quickly (laughs).
MANZIE: I saw that, I think there’s a lot of people thought, yes (laughs).
CROSSIN: And we do have an anomaly, I mean Tasmania’s got a population of about 480,000 people, they’ve got 5 House of Representative members of 12 Senators and I mean really, that’s a hangover from when of course Federation was created and then you’ve got my poor colleagues in the ACT who have a population of 480,000, 3 House of Reps members…oh sorry 2 House of Reps members and only 2 Senators so they are hugely underrepresented in the Federal Parliament.
MANZIE: Actually I think someone put to the um…it might have been Justice Mildren, someone put that there is no need to have the 5 House of Reps members here in the Territory and in fact as you pointed out, they could be spread around the country, NSW and VIC and that would enable that balance to be maintained politically but would still enable us to grow our Senators.
CROSSIN: I actually think one of the hardest questions that people are going to have to confront nationally, I mean I think in the Territory we’d cop whatever what was decided, whether we get 4 now or whether we get 12 now, I don’t think people in the Territory actually would have a positive view about that one way or the other, I think if we got a grant of Statehood, I reckon people would be pretty happy with that, but I think it’s gonna come down to what the other States and Territory perceive is fair in relation to what they’ve got and I think the representation of the Senate is going to be one of the hardest questions I think we’ll have to tackle.
MANZIE: Well I think you put forward a pretty workable arrangement, certainly a great basis for debate and I thank you for talking to us this morning Trish and I hope that you continue with your colleagues and actually it’s a bipartisan type approach and I just hope you continue the hard work you’ve been putting in on this one.
Stateline - The Path to Statehood
ABC Television Northern Territory 17 November 2006
Reporter: Melinda James
SUE BRADLEY - Statehood Steering Committee:
It really irks me that if I want to have equal rights I have to move out of the Territory.
STEVE HATTON - Chief Minister, 1986-1988:
I find it repugnant that we as Australians find ourselves excluded from the Australian constitution for no other reason than the fact that we happen to reside in this particular geographic area of Australia.
MELINDA JAMES - Reporting:
Every year on the first of July, Territorians celebrate the anniversary of self-government. It's usually a loud and proud display of what it means to be a Territorian. But are we in fact second-class citizens? This flag raising in 1978 represented the start of a new-found autonomy and self-determination for Territorians
The full transcript of this program is available on the ABC website. An interview with Professor Gerorge Williams on the same program discussing constitutional issues is also on the site.
Report on Hearings by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs Hearings in Darwin
ABC TV News reported on Thursday 16 November that: The Northern Land Council has today fired its first shots in the Statehood debate. Saying even if the Territory becomes Australia’s 7th State the NT Aboriginal Land should remain under Commonwealth control. The Land Council says the Territory government let Indigenous people down by supporting recent changes to the Aboriginal Land Rights Act and has described Clare Martin's government as immature and not to be trusted.
RICK HINDE - This morning the Chief Minister was confident she had Federal backing for the Territory’s move towards Statehood.
CHIEF MINISTER - The last time I spoke to John Howard about Statehood he was very supportive, so was Kim Beazley.
RICK HINDE - But there’s one powerful group that’s bitterly opposed.
JOHN DALY(NLC) - How can Aboriginal people trust this government? I put it to you people. How can we trust the government of today, when they’ve shown us nothing but bad faith all the way?
RICK HINDE - John Daly slammed the government for backing last minute changes to the land rights act in August but extinguished some claims that have already been won in court. It’s a sore point for Barbara McCarthy the Chair of the Statehood steering Committee. Her family’s claim over intertidal zones in the Gulf Country was knocked back under the changes.
BARBARA McCARTHY(Chair Statehood Steering Committee) - I certainly know from a personal point of view the concerns that are being raised by the Northern Land Council in regards to land across the Northern Territory.
Statehood on Channel 9 News
15 November 2006
The debate on whether the Territory should become a state is growing. A Federal Government committee met in Darwin today to discuss the issue, but it seems the success or otherwise of statehood lies in the detail.
CAMDEN SMITH (Reporter): Just as it was when Territorians voted no to statehood in 1998, the devil of any future poll on the issue will be in the detail.
PETER SLIPPER (Chair House of Representatives Committee): Whether the land rights legislation should be patriated to the Northern Territory Assembly, issues of industrial relations, clearly issues of uranium, issues of representation of the Australian Parliament.
CAMDEN SMITH: This time though, the Government wants a model for statehood in place before it holds a referendum.
SYD STIRLING (Minister for Statehood): We think an important gap last time was the failure to come to terms with what the terms and conditions of statehood would be from the Commonwealth.
CAMDEN SMITH: The Commonwealth Government’s ability to override Territory legislation as it did with euthanasia and the nuclear waste dump as well as our exclusion from Commonwealth referenda behind the renewed push for statehood.
SYD STIRLING: The States are there, we’re still down here. Now we’d like to be up there and be affected the same as all the rest of them.
CAMDEN SMITH : As to when a referendum might be held.
SYD STIRLING: Simply wouldn’t put a date on it and it takes as long as it takes.
CAMDEN SMITH : The CLP’s Terry Mills says the Commonwealth Government must also commit itself to supporting Territory statehood otherwise talk fests such as today’s will be a monumental waste of time and money.
TERRY MILLS (Shadow Minister for Statehood): At the end of the day, the issue rests with the Commonwealth.
CAMDEN SMITH: When asked for comment today on whether they would make a cast iron commitment on supporting Territory statehood, three Canberra heavyweights were anything but supportive. Prime Minister John Howard, PM in waiting Peter Costello and Opposition Leader Kim Beazley all declining to comment
High Court of Australia - Ruling on the Scope of the Corporations Power in relation to the Commonwealth's Industrial Relations Legislation - various stories
On 14 November 2006 the High Court handed down this important decsion which has implications for the future control of workplace laws in a State.
- ABC News On Line - High Court Dismisses Workplace Law Challenge
- The Age - Canberra's Power Knows No Limit By Michelle Grattan
- A simple web search for 'High Court corporations power 2006' will reveal many more articles on this issue.
Premier calls for Constitutional Convention
The Australian Newspaper 11 October 2006
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has called for a constitutional convention to overhaul federal-state relations. Mr Beattie told the State Parliament today the Senate, traditionally known as the states' house, had failed the states, and the Howard Government had taken interference in state maters to an extreme. The report can be seen here
Proposed National Education Model
The Age Newspaper 7 October 2006
A national curriculum would ensure uniformly high standards in schools and benefit children who move interstate, Prime Minister John Howard says. This report follows from an announcement by the Commonwealth Minister for Education the Hon Julie Bishop MP that the Commonwealth may seek to introduce a national curriculum taking this responsibility away from the states and territories. Interested readers can see the full story here.
South Australia and Euthanasia
The Age Newspaper 4 July 2006
The Commonwealth is heading for a showdown with South Australia over plans to introduce a voluntary euthanasia bill before the end of the year.
A decade ago, the Federal Government overturned Northern Territory legislation allowing euthanasia. But Canberra does not have the same power over states as it does over territories. Interested readers can see the full story here.
Cooperative Federalism
ABC Radio News Report on 3 July 2006
The Federal Treasurer has called for a change in the fundamental relationships between the Commonwealth and the States. Reports on this issue can be seen here.
Norfolk Island Self Government
Norfolk Island is an Australian Territory. It has had a Legislative Assembly since 1979, a year after the Northern Territory obtained Self Government. The population and economy are very different to ours but the situation in Norfolk Island is comparable to the Northern Territory because the Commonwealth can decide how it is administered. The Commonwealth is making significant changes to the governance of Norfolk Island. Follow this link to learn more.
Civil Union Laws in the ACT
A number of Media outlets reported on the recent decision by the Commonwealth to disallow a law made by the democratically elected government of the Australian Capital Territory. An ACT Senator did not support his Commonwealth Government's intervention in Territory affairs - Any step which takes away from the ACT the capacity to execute decisions based on the democratic process is a very serious, very regrettable step, Senator Humphries said. A report on this issue can be found here.
Nuclear Power
ABC Radio News Report on 26 May 2006
The ACT Chief Minister, John Stanhope, says a nuclear power plant will most likely end up in the Northern Territory or the ACT. The Prime Minister has called for a national debate on nuclear power and the left wing think tank, the Australian Institute, has already published a list of possible coastal locations for a reactor. Mr Stanhope says the likelihood of strong resistance from the states, plus the Federal Government’s ability to use its Commonwealth powers, mean the two Territories could be targets for a plant.
STANHOPE: That’s why the ACT needs to engage in this debate because if John Howard, you know, does pursue it and we get all gung-ho and we decide this is the future - a nuclear power station in Australia will be located in either the Northern Territory, the ACT or Jervis Bay. And that might not be, if the decision’s taken, where it should go. ENDS.
Commonwealth Power in the Northern Territory
ABC TV Lateline Program on 16 May 2006
MAL BROUGH: (Minister for Indigenous Affairs) I would first and foremost want to work with the elected government of the Territory. If that fails to produce what I think are the only workable solutions, which is good governance and law and order, then we shouldn't close our minds to any alternative that is possible to the Federal Government. The full transcript can be seen on the ABC Lateline website here.
Proposed Radioactive Waste Facility
ABC Radio AM Program on 28 April 2006
BRENDAN NELSON: (Former Minister for Science, current Minister for Defence) If the people of Sydney can comfortably live with a nuclear reactor that conducts research and produces isotopes for industry and for medical use, why on earth can't people in the middle of nowhere have low level and intermediate level waste? The full transcript can be seen on the ABC Radio website here.