International Women’s Day - 8 March 2006

Speech given at the IWD Dinner in Darwin by Statehood Steering Committee Co-Chair Sue Bradley

Thankyou for the invitation to speak tonight.

According to its website, International Women’s Day is about inspiring women to reach their full potential.

It is about equality and using our collective power for our own benefit.

This is an extraordinary coincidence!

Statehood is about inspiring Territorians to reach their full potential as equal citizens within the federation of Australia. Statehood is about equality and about using our collective power to ensure a strong future for us and our children on the basis of guaranteed rights.

Some may recall the failed referendum of 1998. There were many reasons for the failure. It failed because it was rushed, complicated and the people were not sure what they were voting for.

I believe I am being accurate, but perhaps a little unkind, when I observe that all the main players at the time were men!

Has anything changed?

In 2006, we have a female chief minister, opposition leader and speaker of the parliament. Two female ministers cover a range of portfolios. We have a female federal senator, a female under treasurer, a female co- chair on the statehood steering committee which has 7 female members out of 15.

Women are still not equally represented in all key areas of decision making but we have come some distance

With the support of women, using our collective power – with our common sense- with sufficient will- we can achieve Statehood for the NT.

What is statehood? Statehood is all about growing up

From the wider AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVE it is becoming a complete NATION with citizens with equal rights.

Anticipating Federation, (our first Prime Minister, Edmund) Barton said “For the first time in history we have a nation for a continent and a continent for a nation”.

However, the Australian Constitution does not apply equally throughout Australia and has not done so for the past 95 years- since 1911 when SA gave the NT back to the Commonwealth.

History is fascinating but it will have to wait for another time,

From a TERRITORY PERSPECTIVE Statehood is about standing on its own feet- taking responsibility for own actions and at a time of increasing economic activity - achieving certainty in contracts etc

Neil Conn in “Restoring the Federation” – pointed out his concerns when he was Under Treasurer about the status of the Northern Territory Government based solely on an ordinary act of the Australian Parliament.

What’s the difference between a State and a Territory?

The basis for NT government is the Self Government Act – an act of the Federal Parliament which can be amended or repealed at any time. We are only permitted representation in that Federal Parliament by the grace of parliament- not as of right like the original States.

States are governed on the basis of their constitutions. The Australian Constitution is an example of one that can only be changed by the people. Within the Federation of Australia, the states have clear areas of responsibility – the Commonwealth cannot interfere in those areas (although it tries)

  1. The responsibility for Territory laws, if we were a State, so long as they were valid laws, would remain here and not be subject to the possibility of
    • Withholding assent by the Administrator or;
    • Disallowance by the Governor General within 6 months of assent or;
    • Being overturned by the Australian Parliament.
  2. Guaranteed representation. The extent of that representation is something for you to take up.
  3. The Commonwealth can acquire property in the NT without payment of compensation.
  4. Ownership of uranium.
  5. Voting rights in national referenda.
  6. National parks
  7. Secure boundaries

Neil Conn quite rightly stated - : “Good self government in the NT can be seriously compromised by bad interference from outside the NT and the peculiar deals and trade offs that can sometimes occur during such episodes. Only Statehood can provide us with a guarantee against capricious intervention in local legislation.”

What are some examples of current absurdities?

For example - Who is Ted Egan’s boss??

Our Administrator is appointed by the Governor General and reports to the Federal Minister for Territories. Does anyone know who the Minister for Territories – Ted Egan’s boss – is?

Mr Jim Lloyd, a representative for the Federal seat of Robertson on the central coast of NSW, also Minister for Roads and Local Government.

It is his government in Canberra that appoints our Administrator. Only by convention does the Territory Chief Minister get a say – in the past this has not always happened. Under the Self Government Act it is the absolute prerogative of the Commonwealth.

What relationship does the Member for Menzies have to the NT?

The member for the Federal seat of Menzies (in Victoria), Kevin Andrews sponsored a private members bill in the Commonwealth Parliament that overturned Territory law and inserted a provision; section 50A into the Self Government Act, which prevents the Territory from making any law allowing for voluntary euthanasia.

Whether you agreed with that particular Territory law or not, you need to ask “What do this Territory’s laws have to do with a member of the Commonwealth Parliament in his capacity representing a seat in Victoria? “

A past Chief Minister, Marshall Perron in a recent letter to me advised “ individual Federal ministers, on a number of occasions threatened to overturn NT legislation if we did not respond to their demands”

With Statehood, we have an opportunity

An opportunity to ensure as many people as possible get a say on how they want this place we live in to be governed and to become a State.

It is a chance for people to understand government and to make an informed decision.

It is about looking at what we want in a constitution; that document which binds the parliament about how things must be run on behalf of all Territorians.

Of particular interests to those here tonight may the issue of a bill of rights. Many have suggested that such a set of rights should be fundamental to a constitution for the NT. What do you think?

It is an opportunity to establish practical relationships with the commonwealth rather than a continuation of the duplication or neglect reported from time to time.

Here is an opportunity for our representatives to come to better agreements about administration and responsibility as we agree on the terms and conditions of Statehood for the Northern Territory.

It is also an opportunity for communities to come together to build relationships with each other as we talk about Statehood issues. Talk about land, talk about water, talk about our future growth and development together.

We are a unique population, young, dynamic, adventurous and with a high proportion of Aboriginal Territorians as well as citizens coming from other countries. We can show the six States what can be achieved through communities coming together to talk about our future as a State.

I am often asked the question,” Is the territory population too small?”

I refer to our published Fact Sheet 11.

There is no reason why our population should prevent us being a State. Tasmania and Western Australia had smaller populations when they became States. It has been suggested that they were proportionally larger at the time, yet even in 1901 both had less than 5% of the Australian population. The NT currently has 1% of the total Australian population.

Malta is a member of the EU alongside France, Germany etc with a population of 390,000 less than 0.1% of population of the EU.

Iceland with a total population of 297,000 is a full member of the UN!

Population is no barrier to partnership in a political and economic union.

Admission as other than an original State has never been achieved before – there is no clear path for us to follow and the path will not be easy.

We will need to demand Statehood with a loud and unified voice.

What are five things you can do NOW to work towards achieving statehood?

  1. Become educated – read the Fact Sheets and other materials to understand your disadvantage.
  2. Educate your children, friends and partners- our surveys show that people do not understand the issues. Raise the issue in conversation at every opportunity.
  3. Arrange a forum or a Statehood speaker to address your interest groups- the Statehood Steering Committee is here to help.
  4. Put the sticker in your fact pack on your car or mail box or wheelie bin – to continually remind you of your disadvantage.
  5. Write to your Senator and Member of the House of Representatives and let them know you want to make their position permanent and as of right - they are currently in danger of retrenchment with a simple change to a Federal law.

And finally I would like to share some pictures I have of contributions by women to Statehood in the past year