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

I rise to ask a question for my electorate. Why is the Department of Defence destroying small business and education in the seat of Solomon? Are they happy now that the first of these businesses—the Winnellie newsagent—closes its doors at the end of the month? And will they be happy when the supermarket at the same location closes its doors, possibly before the end of the year?

The House has heard me talk about this issue before. I am referring to the Save Eaton campaign and the RAAF base houses in Winnellie. Last week I took Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Defence Force and Defence Support, Senator Ian Macdonald, for a tour of the houses so that he could see for himself the ridiculous situation that has unfolded. We then had a meeting with the Save Eaton campaign committee, which was formed by concerned community members. The newsagent, Andrew Snodgrass, and the supermarket owner, Allan Morris, both sit on the committee. Also present were Michael Purcell, the chairman of the Ludmilla Primary School, Mark Wynn, the local service station owner and Toni Vine Bromley from the Northern Territory Shelter as well as the Northern Territory Shadow Minister for Defence Liaison, Ross Bohlin MLA.

The issue is straightforward. The Department of Defence is relocating people out of Eaton and as a result over the next three to five years 400 houses will be either demolished or left vacant. Right now there are 125 houses sitting there vacant. I have written to all of the relevant government minister and not one has agreed to meet on the subject—including, would you believe, the Minister for Defence Personnel, the member for Lingiari and a fellow Territorian himself, the Hon. Warren Snowdon. I have, however, managed to get a meeting with two of the Independents of the six in this House and I am very grateful and thank them for that.

I want these houses made available to Territorians, including Defence Force families, or to other community members or other organisations. Until that occurs, the Defence department is killing small business and will kill off the school that has for several decades had at least a 25 per cent Defence family enrolment. In fact, they built a footbridge across the Bagot Road so that Defence children could walk safely to the Ludmilla Primary School. The coalition policy is to excise this land and assist in solving the appalling housing crisis in the seat of Solomon. Let me quote to you a text in the Northern Territory News on Saturday, 13 November 2010 so you can understand the desperation of these people in my electorate seeking affordable housing in Solomon: ‘Wondering if anyone knows of any cheap units to rent. It is silly that rent is going up all the time.’ It is signed: ‘Homeless single mum.’ Taxpayers fund the Department of Defence and they are appalled at the waste that is continuing right before their very eyes. It is time to end the waste and make these houses available to Territorians. (Time expired)