The Centre for Democratic Institutions

FIFTH PACIFIC PARLIAMENTARY RETREAT DARWIN, 24-28 NOVEMBER 2003

INTRODUCTION

The fifth Pacific Parliamentary Retreat took place in Darwin from 24-28 November 2003. As with previous years, the Retreat was co-funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) as part of their commitment to good governance in Pacific Island nations. Letters of invitation were addressed to the Speakers of the parliaments of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu inviting three members of each parliament to attend the Pacific Parliamentary Retreat. CDI encouraged at least one member of the opposition from each country to attend and also encouraged the participation of women.

This year was the first time the Retreat has been held in Darwin. The first two Retreats were held in Canberra and the third and fourth Retreats were held in Brisbane. The Northern Territory Parliament was extremely generous with their time and resources, allowing the use of the Litchfield Room within the Parliament for seminars and presentations. The Honourable Loraine Braham MLA, Speaker of the Parliament, hosted the Retreat participants for a lunch and reception and the program saw the inclusion of all Members of the Legislative Assembly during the four days. The Speaker issued a press release noting the presence of the Pacific parliamentarians and the Parliament’s pleasure at hosting CDI’s fifth Pacific Parliamentary Retreat.

As experienced in previous years, the uncertainties of politics meant that a number of parliamentarians could not attend. A cabinet reshuffle within the Government of Vanuatu meant that the three Ni-Vanuatu participants were unable to leave Vila. The Parliament of Papua New Guinea was voting on a constitutional amendment and the three parliamentarians from PNG were unable to attend. Two participants from the Solomon Islands were also absent. One was involved the passing of the annual budget in the same week. The other participant was unable to leave his province due to unexpected flight changes. The Retreat benefited from the attendance of the following participants:

Fiji Hon. Ted Young Hon. Kamlesh Arya Hon. Senator Mitieli Bulanauca

Papua New Guinea Mr John Balagetuna, Parliamentary staff member

1 Samoa Hon. Sua Atonio Lemi Hon. Tofilau Tauvaga Hon. Niko Lee Hang

Solomon Islands Hon. Simeon Bouro

The Retreat was fortunate to have the expertise of Mr Greg Urwin, who acted as the resource person during the Retreat. Between 1971 and 2001, Greg worked for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) specialising in Pacific affairs and governance issues. During his career with DFAT, Greg was the High Commissioner to Samoa and Vanuatu, Deputy High Commissioner to New Zealand, then High Commissioner to Fiji, Tuvalu and Nauru. Between postings Greg worked for DFAT in a range of positions that related to the Pacific. Greg was a permanent representative to the Forum Secretariat from 1995 to 1999. In his retirement Greg has remained actively involved in Pacific governance issues including with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). He is a Visiting Fellow at the Research School of Asian and Pacific Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra and has been operating a consultancy service specialising in Pacific affairs in Samoa, where he now resides. In January 2004, Greg will take up the position of Secretary-General to the South Pacific Forum. Greg Urwin drew from his extensive experience and knowledge of the Pacific to provide valuable insight into discussions and presentations held during the Retreat in Darwin.

CDI provided Retreat participants with a compilation of published articles, conference reports, speeches, resolutions as well as information from the NT Legislative Assembly. The information ranged from parliamentary procedures and conduct to issues of democracy, ethics, good governance, accountability and corruption. The table of contents from the reading material is attached at the end of this report. Four broad themes ran through the Pacific Parliamentary Retreat program and discussions: parliamentary issues, land management, Australian indigenous society and Pacific society. The Retreat program is also attached.

PARLIAMENTARY ISSUES

The Northern Territory and its Legislative Assembly presented an interesting and relevant model for participants to compare with the Pacific and their parliaments. The Northern Territory has a large indigenous population living in remote rural areas. The Legislative Assembly has only one chamber, a small number of members and represents a diverse population with multiple dialects. Mr Ian McNeill, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, welcomed the delegation to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly and provided a comprehensive overview of the state’s parliamentary system. This helped to lay the groundwork for a broader appreciation of the discussions and presentations that took place during the Retreat. The Northern Territory parliament holds the power for most decision making within the Territory however the Commonwealth Government maintains certain residual powers including over Aboriginal land rights, national parks

2 and uranium mining. The Northern Territory Government is also limited by the Commonwealth Government’s ability to disallow legislation in the Northern Territory within six months after it has been passed. This power was demonstrated in the case of the Northern Territory’s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act with the Commonwealth Parliament, in effect, vitiating the Northern Territory Act. The Northern Territory Legislative Assembly comprises 25 members currently divided between: 13 Australian Labor Party members, 10 members and 2 independents. The Labor Party has been in government for the past two years. Prior to this, the Country Liberal Party was in power for 23 years. The Retreat took place two weeks after Mr. Terrence Mills was elected as the new Leader of the Opposition. Parliament sits for 33-36 days of the year and during the Retreat, the Legislative Assembly was in its final sitting for the calendar year.

Parliamentary committees play an important role as an extension of parliament, undertaking those tasks not well suited to the full Chamber. Rick Gray, Executive Officer of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, gave a comprehensive overview of the roles and responsibilities of parliamentary committees and their members. There are three types of committees: standing committees which are permanent, sessional committees which are created for the term of parliament and select committees which are formed when the need arises to assist with particular inquiries. These committees are tasked to obtain information from individuals, organisations and government agencies relating to inquiries. Committees promote public awareness and provide a public forum for debate and discussion.

During the Retreat a working lunch was held with committee members from four committees within the Legislative Assembly: the Public Accounts Committee, the Substance Abuse Committee, the Legal and Constitutional Committee and the Environmental and Sustainable Development Committee. This provided the opportunity to compare committees in the Pacific and the Northern Territory and discuss current issues and inquiries being debated in the Northern Territory. Len Keily, Chair of the Public Account Committee, discussed the reasons behind the Northern Territory’s move to accrual accounting and the roles and responsibilities of a committee. Ms. Marion Scymagour, Chair of the Substance Abuse Committee, spoke about government concerns of alcohol consumption (as well as kava, common in the Pacific Islands), cannabis and petrol sniffing. Significantly, in mid December 2003 Marion Scymagour was appointed Minister for Tourism and is the first Aboriginal woman cabinet Minister in Australia.

Mr. Elliot McAdam, Chair of the Legal and Constitutional Committee, noted the committee’s interest in issues of indigenous governance and statehood in the Northern Territory. Mr. McAdam spoke about customary laws relating to marriage, land and water management in the Northern Territory. Ms. Delia Lawrie, Chair of the Environmental and Sustainable Development Committee, spoke about the progressive entry into the Northern Territory of cane toads and whether the government should implement an environment protection authority. Currently the Northern Territory is the only state or territory in Australia without an environment protection authority.

3 The Pacific parliamentarians were interested to learn about the formation and strength of committees in Australia. Committees in the Solomon Islands were noted to be weak, partly because members have to travel great distances and at great cost to attend meetings in Honiara. In Fiji, the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee must be a member of the opposition. In the Northern Territory a Committee Chair is normally from the government but can also be an independent. The Pacific parliamentarians questioned whether the Chair of a committee could prevent scrutiny of the government during an inquiry if they were from the government. This is a fair criticism but Committees usually work by consensus to limit partisanship. Parliamentary committees can only make recommendations which the government is not required to accept.

In his presentation, CDI Director Roland Rich outlined the different interests and groups a parliamentarian represents: the individual the family interest groups the political party they belong to constituents parliamentary committees they may be involved in the Parliament the national interest the international community their spiritual master In a parliamentary career it is likely that issues raising conflicting interests will arise and a parliamentarian will have to decide which loyalty can be honoured and which loyalty cannot.

Looking more broadly at the Pacific, Greg Urwin reflected on the current state of parliaments and stability in the Pacific region. While noting that the situation in the Solomon Islands and hopefully Papua New Guinea (PNG) is improving, instability remains a problem. Establishing stable parliaments and strong political parties within the Pacific will be a long term process and there is no generic model. The parliamentary models that were adopted from colonial powers are not fully appropriate and over the years difficulties have arisen. People switch party affiliation regularly creating uncertainty in governing arrangements. With the aim of promoting stability within the parliament, legislation in Papua New Guinea prevents parliamentary members from shifting party allegiance during a parliamentary term.

Drawing on issues of representation raised by Roland Rich, Greg Urwin argued that members’ obligations to their constituents often constrain them from acting in a ‘national’ way to assist the development of the nation. Pacific island states have been good at carrying through achievements made in the region and there is a higher level of regional integration than previously experienced in the Pacific particularly in areas of education, policing and transport. However, nations experience difficulties translating regional issues to the national level. Some argue that problems in the Pacific are a result of the colonial era, however Greg stressed that there is little point in merely shifting the

4 blame. More work needs to be done internally to strengthen the governing institutions of these nations. Strengthening parliaments and the skills of MPs in the Pacific requires better access to information, the development of legislation drafting skills, the development of the role of the Speaker, stronger committee systems, enhanced accountability processes and greater financial and budgetary independence.

During the Retreat, participants viewed two sessions of question time in parliament gaining insight into current issues being debated in the Northern Territory and the tactics and strategies within parliament. The Pacific parliamentarians were able to view the debates and criticism often leading to rowdy banter between politicians. Question time gives the opposition an opportunity to ask the government questions in an attempt to expose weaknesses in the government’s actions.

LAND MANAGEMENT

Population growth is an increasing problem in the Pacific. The constraints of a limited land mass places pressure on the economy, the environment and the availability of resources. Land management is a difficult aspect of governance, particularly in the Pacific, and was therefore a theme of this year’s Retreat. Debates relating to land management during the Retreat focused on parks and reserves, tourism, the problem of litter in urban and rural areas, fisheries and pest management. During the Retreat seven bills came before parliament relating to land management. These included the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Bill, the Mining Amendment Bill and the Container Deposit Bill.

Land management and cultural heritage was discussed in more detail during the Retreat with Professor David Carment from Charles Darwin University. Professor Carment spoke about aboriginal land rights, native title and the government, multicultural heritage and legislation, the National Trust, education and research. Until the late 1970s heritage places in Australia were poorly protected and managed. Today, the Parks and Wildlife Commission manages conservation and tourism for 100 parks in the Territory. Uluru and Kata Tjuta remain under the management of the Commonwealth. The establishment of the National Trust in 1976 saw political recognition of the economic value of cultural heritage in the Northern Territory and the development of tourism in this area. In the 1990s heritage objects became registered and the government developed heritage trails, a museum and art gallery. The National Trust is the main non-government organisation dealing with issues of cultural heritage. The Trust manages properties as well as acting as a public advocate and professional advisor on cultural heritage.

Popular interest in cultural heritage is growing in Australia and the Pacific parliamentarians were interested to discuss the prevalence of conflict between traditional and modern ideals with heritage management. Within Australia some conflict exists in traditional areas where development is not always welcomed by a community. The parliamentarians also discussed the importance of education programs on cultural heritage. During the Retreat the Pacific parliamentarians visited the Administrator’s

5 Residence where they were able to witness a committee meeting in session planning the restoration of historic buildings.

Fisheries management in the Northern Territory was of particular interest to the Pacific parliamentarians. Mr. Ray Clarke, Advisor to the Minister for Fisheries, presented an overview of the operation of fisheries in the Northern Territory. During the Retreat, the Commercial Fisheries Legislation was passed in parliament increasing penalties for breaching fishing laws in the Territory. In the Northern Territory, 84% of the coast line is indigenous owned and the government recognises certain indigenous fishing rights. The Pacific parliamentarians were interested to discuss arrangements for dispute settlements of traditional sea rights, how boundaries were marked and the procedures for claiming sea rights. The application process was noted to be the same as claims to native title. Fish farms in the Northern Territory focus on barramundi, prawns and crayfish. The Pacific parliamentarians were particularly interested in new initiatives being developed in the Territory such as sponge farming by the indigenous population as an income generating activity. The Pacific parliamentarians were also interested in Australia’s code of conduct for fisheries. The Northern Territory has developed an extensive program for aquatic pest management inspecting all vessels in Australian ports and cleaning, free of charge, those suspected of carrying dangerous organisms. The Pacific parliamentarians were also interested to learn about control of illegal fishing in the Northern Territory which was noted to be both a community and government responsibility at the federal and territory level.

Dr. David Ritchie provided an informative overview of the history of land management and national parks in the Northern Territory. Darwin is located on Larrakia land and the government respects the significance of this land to its traditional owners. The parks of the Northern Territory are governed under the Wildlife and Parks Conservation Act. Dr. Ritchie also outlined the history of native title and legislation noting the Gove Land Rights Case in 1963 as the first land claim made in the courts. The Aboriginal Land Rights of the Northern Territory Act was established in 1976 under the Whitlam Government and the Office of the Land Commissioner was established to hear evidence from indigenous people wishing to claim native land. The Mabo Case in 1992, led to the establishment of the Native Title Act in 1993, and was significant because it overturned the legal doctrine that Australian land was terra nullius (belonging to no one) prior to British settlement. Native title rights are now recognised under Australian law. Today 47% of land in the Northern Territory is inalienable freehold land held by Australian Aboriginals.

Discussions about land management and national parks focused on government processes for the transition from pastoral leases to freehold land, national park management and the creation of jobs for indigenous Australians through tourism opportunities. Dr. Ritchie’s presentation on national parks took place the day after the Northern Territory Parliament passed the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Bill. The focus of the Bill is on education and the recreational needs of the Northern Territory; protecting the biodiversity of the region; and protecting and enhancing traditional cultural values of the

6 Territory. It is hoped that this Bill will help to act as a vehicle for regional growth through eco-tourism and cultural tourism.

Dr. Patricia Bourke, from the Centre for Indigenous Natural and Cultural Resource Management, spoke to the Pacific parliamentarians about her study that aims to locate traditional aboriginal sites and identify what traditional owners wish to do with land open to tourism. The main aim of this research is to give indigenous people control over their land and decision making processes and to preserve their cultural identity and indigenous knowledge. In the study, indigenous sites are assessed in terms of their sustainability for tourism reviewing the commercial, economic and social viability of sites and maintenance of the environment.

In the Northern Territory there is little education about indigenous Australian culture, language and history and this may be lost over time. Tourism is one means of promoting and passing on this culture and tradition. Dr. Bourke’s research also looks at indigenous Australian’s resistance to developing tourism in certain areas. The study reviews the benefits of tourism such as employment opportunities, income generation to community groups, the transmission of knowledge of indigenous culture and empowering local groups. These are weighed against detrimental effects such as the unequal distribution of economic benefits, the physical degradation of cultural sites, loss of hunting and fishing grounds and tourism fatigue.

AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS SOCIETY

The relationship between indigenous populations and the government was discussed in detail during the Retreat. Participants discussed the situation of indigenous Australians with Lorraine Williams, a Larrakia woman working at the Centre for Indigenous Natural and Cultural Resource Management. Ms. Williams spoke about the history of her people as traditional owners of Larrakia land where the city of Darwin is situated. While it is possible to re-claim certain areas of land, over time some of these areas such as the shellfish hunting grounds, have been destroyed and can no longer be used for traditional hunting and gathering. Furthermore, indigenous people often feel intimidated by government formalities in claiming land; having to face lawyers in an adversarial court process.

Ms. Williams also identified education in remote areas as a problem. Many children are reluctant to attend school because some have to travel long distances, they are not taught in their native tongue and they do not feel comfortable with the classroom structure. Village communities continue to educate their children about traditional land use, how to hunt and gather food and about the dreamtime. As many children are not taught the ‘white man’s’ way Ms. Williams believes this creates restrictions in the political sphere, especially when indigenous people wish to claim native title or voice their opinion.

The Australian government invests a large amount of money and resources into indigenous education. Batchelor Institute, supported by the Australian government, offers

7 approximately 30 higher education, vocational education and training courses to indigenous Australians. During the Retreat, participants visited Batchelor Institute located 100 kilometres south of Darwin. Approximately 1900 students are enrolled at the Institute, a majority are mature aged students (between 30 and 45 years) and about 70% are women. The Institute also has a Curriculum Research Centre publishing books in indigenous languages and collecting indigenous artwork for curating.

Degrees at Batchelor Institute comprise intensive short courses, usually covering a two- week period with accommodation and living expenses provided by the campus. Students are only away from their community for short periods of time and the courses are relevant to their indigenous culture and ways of life. The Retreat participants met mature age students from the Mamadawerre outstation and Manmoyi outstation in Arnhemland undertaking the Conservation and Land Management Course. This course provides training to allow local people to play an active role in the preservation and management of cultural and natural resources. In their communities, local people continue to hunt and gather food and the course trains them to preserve and protect this land. Education units also include information on pest management and control of natural disasters such as bush fires. Retreat participants were also interested to discuss and compare indigenous Australian customs and beliefs with Pacific cultures especially conflict management, marriage, food, power relations and decision-making processes within their community.

PACIFIC ISSUES

Discussions and presentations on Australian indigenous culture and society inevitably led to lively discussions on Pacific culture and society. Discussions focused on the importance of civic education, protecting indigenous culture, political processes and greater community participation and voting behaviour. In the Pacific, a difficult task the government faces is how to effectively engage all community groups in political processes when they are isolated geographically, politically or socially (through a lack of literacy skills). Greg Urwin noted that a study on local knowledge of the government and political processes in the Pacific showed while most of the population understood some aspects of the role of a Member of Parliament, very few were able to state what actually took place in parliament. The Pacific parliamentarians agreed with this finding. At the community level in Fiji, people accept that elected representatives are in power to make decisions and therefore do not question government decisions. For example, in an attempt to engage the community in the formation of the 1997 Constitution, the Fijian government made the Reeve’s Commission Report ‘reader friendly’ by providing a summarised version available for people at the village level.

Engagement in political processes is limited in the Pacific in part because, at the village level, there is limited understanding of democratic concepts of accountability, transparency and good governance. In the Pacific where society is strong, the political structures have to fit the social structures. This is made problematic because families and villages in the Pacific are based on traditional values and structures where as the nation state is a modern concept requiring a different way of behaving. Democratic ideals may

8 not necessarily fit family and village ideals but the ‘nation state’ is a prerequisite for modern democracy.

In the Pacific democratic change will only occur gradually. In Fiji, the education system is gradually introducing issues of government accountability, transparency and good governance in to their curriculum in an attempt to instigate change in public engagement and awareness of political processes. This however will take time because in Fiji democratic methods are challenged if they conflict with tradition. The parliamentarians from Samoa believed that even with civic education programs promoting democracy, Samoan tradition is strong and will inevitably prevail. During elections Samoans vote according to their allegiances and, as is common in other Pacific nations, a village will agree to vote for the one candidate.

Disseminating information to the public about the workings of government can be facilitated through a number of avenues. The most common being the media through print, radio and television. In the Pacific, while many village and urban areas receive radio coverage, some communities do not have such access and simply broadcasting parliamentary proceedings does not teach civics. In Vanuatu, civic education has been conducted through theatrical plays by a local group, Won Smal Bag. CDI, in association with the Asia Pacific Bureau for Adult Education (ASPBAE), has been involved in developing educational material to be used in learning circles.

Discussions on civic education linked closely to discussions on voting behaviour and election campaigning. Tanin, an SBS documentary on an Enga Province election in the Highlands in PNG, was shown during the Retreat. The documentary showed the impact of tradition on modern politics during an election campaign. Elected candidates were Big Men who are expected to provide goods to their voting constituency in the same way that a Big Man provides for his village. Traditions of reciprocity were transferred to election campaigns. Election candidates were given money and traditional gifts, such as pigs, in exchange for the promise of delivery of roads, schools as well as jobs and beer. Conflict during an election campaign was resolved with fighting including in one scene, the destruction of a rival’s property.

Tanin illustrated that during election campaigns in the Highlands, social ceremonies adopt a political tone. A wedding uniting two families became an opportunity to secure votes for a particular candidate. The tribal politics behind the bonding of the two families focused on power and wealth. The Pacific parliamentarians from other Pacific nations regarded the election in the Enga Province and the outbreak of violence as extreme. However the documentary did reflect voting behaviour in the Pacific and the parliamentarians agreed that people tend to vote for what a candidate can deliver for themselves and their village rather than for political ideals. In the Solomon Islands first past the post system is used and people focus on gaining as many votes as possible. Common to the Pacific there is, in reality, no secret ballot in the Solomon Islands and people are not prepared to vote against village consensus. This problem was highlighted in Tanin, where some people would mark the ballot slips for their whole village. In Samoa, if a candidate is wealthy with a high matai title they have a greater chance of

9 being elected. Educational background and experience in policy formation is not valued as much as chiefly title.

During the Retreat, there was much debate within the Northern Territory about the current amendments to the Gender Equality Legislation and lowering the age of consent to sixteen for boys, as in the case for girls, thus allowing for boys of 16 and 17 to engage in any legal sex including homosexual acts. This became a topic of discussion amongst the Pacific parliamentarians. The debate focused on human rights and traditional views prompting the question of whether the rights of an individual are more important than the rights of a society. Within the Pacific religion plays an important role in dictating what is acceptable within society. The debate moved to the role of religion in influencing legislation and the difficulties of separating religion from legislation when a large proportion of decision makers in the Pacific are overtly religious.

CONCLUSION OF THE RETREAT

Participant feedback on the Retreat was positive. The Pacific parliamentarians commented that the information sessions were relevant to their work back home and the themes in the program stimulated interesting discussions between the Pacific and Australian parliamentarians. The Northern Territory Legislative Assembly presented a useful and relevant model for Pacific parliamentary work and presented both contrasts and similarities to political systems in the Pacific. The Retreat was seen as a valuable opportunity for Pacific parliamentarians to come together and discuss issues of common interest and concern in the region at the same time as learning about the state parliament in the Northern Territory and creating networks with Australian parliamentarians. The discussions on civic education, indigenous culture, good governance, and representation obligations of a parliamentarian were seen as particularly interesting and the input and expertise of all those involved was highly valued. The Retreat program concluded with a sunset cruise and dinner on a yacht that began in Cullen Bay and journeyed along the Darwin Harbour. Participants were able to relax on the boat and watch the sun set over the city of Darwin. Certificates were given to the parliamentarians for their participation in the Retreat.

10 Reading Material for Pacific Parliamentary Retreat Table of Contents

Northern Territory Legislative Assembly: Welcome from the Speaker Parliament in Action in the Northern Territory Committee Structure Draft Members’ Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards Draft Registration of Members’ Interest

Pacific: First Pacific Regional Conference on Governance for Parliamentarians First Pacific Island Speakers Forum- Communique Regional Action Plan for Forum Island Countries’ Legislatures Guiding Principles of Best Practice The Pacific Islands Forum’s Eight Principles of Accountability “Biketawa” Declaration

Inter-Parliamentary Union: Human Rights Development: Economic Growth and Democracy The Organisation and Functioning of Democracy and the Expression of Ethnic Diversity Parliament Action to Fight Corruption and the Need for International Co- operation in this field Ensuring Lasting Democracy by Forging Close Links between Parliament and the people Universal Declaration on Democracy The Prevention of Military and other Coups against Democratically elected governments and against the free will of the people

Commonwealth Secretariat: Commonwealth Freedom of Information Principles Cape Town Principles for an Informed Democracy How can Parliaments best re-engage the public?

Published Articles: ‘Democracy as a Universal Value’ by Amartya Sen ‘The Quality of Democracy in the Pacific’ by Roland Rich ‘Reviewing Democracy in the Pacific Participation and Deliberation ’ by Roland Rich ‘The Parliamentarian Representing the People’ by Roland Rich

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Retreat Program

MONDAY 24 NOVEMBER

0930 Presentation at the Territory Perspective The Esplanade

1000 Mr Ian McNeil, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly welcomed the delegation to Parliament House and gave a briefing on parliamentary procedures and the layout of the NT Chamber.

1030 Welcome & Introductions Roland Rich

1045 Representing the People Roland Rich

1130 Legislatures and Good Government Greg Urwin, SG-designate, South Pacific Forum Resource Person

1230 Video ‘Tanin’ Discussion

1330 Lunch at the Speaker’s Corner, Parliament House

TUESDAY 25 NOVEMBER

900 Civic Education in the Pacific Litchfield Room

1015-1100 Address Mr Len Kiely MLA, (Northern Territory’s delegate 15th Regional CPA Conference – Samoa and , September 2003)

1200 LUNCH – hosted by Madam Speaker, The Honourable Loraine Braham, MLA. Dining Room, Parliament House Briefing on Question Time, Madam Speaker Photograph with Madam Speaker

1400 Question time

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WEDNESDAY 26 NOVEMBER

0930-1015 Overview of Committees Structure Mr Rick Gray, Executive Officer, Legal & Constitutional Affairs Committee

1030 Fisheries Management in the Northern Territory Mr. Ray Clarke, Advisor to the Minister for Fisheries

1200-1300 WORKING LUNCH in the Litchfield Room In attendance: Mr. Len Keily, Chair, Public Accounts Committee Mr Elliot McAdam MLA, Chair, Legal & Constitutional Committee Ms. Delia Lawrie, Chair, Environment and Sustainable Development Committee Ms. Marion Scymagour MLA, Chair, Substance Abuse Committee Mr. Terry Hanley, Secretary, Public Accounts Committee

1400 Question Time

1630-1800 Reception, Speaker’s Suite, Parliament House

THURSDAY 27 NOVEMBER

900 Northern Territory Parks & Reserves Framework for the Future and the New Parks Master Plan Dr David Ritchie, Northern Territory Dept of Infrastructure Planning & Environment

1015 Management of Cultural Heritage Places in the NT Professor David Carment, Charles Darwin University

1100 Tourism and Protecting Indigenous Life Dr Patricia Bourke &Lorraine Williams Centre for Indigenous Natural & Cultural Resource Management

1200 Discussion with Presenters

1330 LUNCH - FREE

1700 SUNSET CRUISE with dinner

13 FRIDAY 28 NOVEMBER

0900-1000 Meet Administrator of the NT The Honourable Mr Ted Egan, AM Government House

1015 Visit Batchelor Institute . Tour of facility . Briefing on structure and management . Lunch . Discussion with Sonia Tideman, Head Land Management School and Indigenous students.

1900 BBQ Dinner at the home of Rick Gray with friends from the Pacific living in the NT

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