LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY COUNCIL OF TERRITORY CO-OPERATION ANNUAL REPORT YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2010 AUGUST 2010 Presented and ordered to be printed by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory August 2010 COUNCIL OF TERRITORY COOPERATION ANNUAL REPORT YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2010 MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE as at 30 June 2010 Mr Gerry Wood, MLA, Member for Nelson – Chair Ms Marion Scrymgour, MLA, Member for Arafura Ms Lynne Walker, MLA, Member for Nhulunbuy (from 18 March 2010) Mr Willem Westra Van Holthe, MLA, Member for Katherine Mr David Tollner, MLA, Member for Fong Lim (from 18 June 2010) Ms Alison Anderson, MLA, Member for Macdonnell Previous Membership Mr Michael Gunner, MLA, Member for Fannie Bay (to 18 March 2010) Mr John Elferink, MLA, Member for Port Darwin (to 18 June 2010) COMMITTEE SECRETARIAT as at 30 June 2010 Ms Helen Campbell – Secretary (from 6 April 2010) Ms Jan Whitehead – Principal Research Officer Mr Simon Flavel – Research Officer (from 11 June 2010) Ms Karen Turner – Adminstration Officer (from 1 April 2010) Ms Kim Cowcher – Committee Support Assistant Previous Committee Staff Ms Pat Hancock – Secretary (to 1 April 2010) Mrs Kay Parsons – Administration Officer (to 31 March 2010) Council of Territory Co-operation Department of the Legislative Assembly GPO Box 3721 DARWIN NT 0801 Telephone: (08) 8946 1464 Fax: (08) 8999 6603 Email: [email protected] Internet: http://www.nt.gov.au/lant/parliament/committees/comm/comm.shtml i COUNCIL OF TERRITORY COOPERATION ANNUAL REPORT YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2010 CONTENTS MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE............................................................................................. I COMMITTEE SECRETARIAT.................................................................................................... I CHAIR’S LETTER TO MADAM SPEAKER.............................................................................. III 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COUNCIL OF TERRITORY CO-OPERATION .............................................. 1 CTC INQUIRY PROCESSES ....................................................................................................... 1 CTC REPORTS AND GOVERNMENT RESPONSE .......................................................................... 2 COMMITTEE SECRETARIAT ....................................................................................................... 2 2. CTC WORK PROGRAM.................................................................................................... 4 OVERVIEW OF THE CTC FUNCTIONS ......................................................................................... 4 SELF -REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 4 PUBLIC HEARINGS AND MEETINGS ............................................................................................ 4 CTC REPORTS AND GOVERNMENT RESPONSES ........................................................................ 5 CTC EXPENDITURE TO 30 JUNE 2010 .................................................................................. 7 APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................. 9 APPENDIX B ........................................................................................................................... 21 APPENDIX C ........................................................................................................................... 24 ii COUNCIL OF TERRITORY COOPERATION ANNUAL REPORT YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2010 CHAIR’S LETTER TO MADAM SPEAKER NORTHERN TERRITORY LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE COUNCIL OF TERRITORY CO-OPERATION Telephone: 08 89461408 GPO Box 3721 Fax: 08 8999603 Darwin NT 0801 Email: [email protected] The Hon. J. Aagaard MLA Speaker Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory GPO Box 3721 DARWIN NT 0801 Dear Madam Speaker On behalf of the Council of Territory Co-operation and in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 7 of the Council’s terms of reference, I submit this Annual Report on the Council’s activities, staffing and operations from establishment as a Sessional Committee on 14 October 2009 to 30 June 2010. Yours sincerely GERRY WOOD Chair 6 August 2010 www.nt.gov.au/lant/parliament/parliament.shtml iii COUNCIL OF TERRITORY COOPERATION ANNUAL REPORT YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2010 1. INTRODUCTION Establishment of the Council of Territory Co-operation On 14 August 2009 the Independent Member for Nelson, Mr Gerry Wood MLA and the Chief Minister, the Hon Paul Henderson MLA entered into an agreement that included provision for the establishment of a Council of Territory Co-operation. Under the terms of the Agreement, a Council of Territory Co-operation’s role was to examine government decision making, in consultation with opposition and other members of the Legislative Assembly. See Appendix A for a copy of the Agreement. On 14 October 2009 the Legislative Assembly resolved to establish a Sessional Committee to be known as ‘The Council of Territory Co-operation’ (CTC or the Council). See Appendix B for a copy of the Council’s full terms of reference. The CTC is comprised of up to six members including two government members, two opposition members and at least one independent member, with Mr Wood appointed as Chairman. The CTC’s purpose is to facilitate: (a) greater levels of collaboration in the governance of the Northern Territory; (b) enhance parliamentary democracy by providing a stronger role for members of the Legislative Assembly who are not members of the Executive – particularly on matters of common concern; (c) expand involvement in important Northern Territory initiatives and projects; (d) provide new avenues for Territorians to have input through the Legislative Assembly into the governance of the Northern Territory; and (e) provide a roadmap for tackling some specific issues currently facing the Northern Territory. CTC Inquiry Processes Meetings of the CTC usually follow one of the following formats: Public Hearings/Inquiry These hearings are open to the public, including the media. The media may report any public session of the CTC, unless otherwise ordered by the CTC. Transcripts of the proceedings are produced and made publicly available on the CTC’s internet site. The CTC’s findings from an inquiry or public hearing are collated into a report which is tabled in parliament and is therefore made a public document, accessible either through the Parliamentary Table Office or the CTC’s internet site. Deliberative Meetings Deliberative meetings are private meetings of the CTC where confidential matters and the proceedings of the CTC are discussed, together with general administrative business. Deliberative meetings are minuted, recorded and transcribed, however the transcript and minutes are for the Council’s use only and are not public documents. 1 COUNCIL OF TERRITORY COOPERATION ANNUAL REPORT YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2010 Briefings Briefings are a tool used by the CTC to gain information on particular issues either from the public sector and/or the public and are usually of a confidential nature. They take place before, during or after a public hearing and are used to gather general background information, or learn about established policies and programs. Briefings may be recorded and it is the right of the CTC to decide if the transcripts of briefings are made public or not. This is usually determined from the nature of the material discussed and the preference of the person/s providing the briefing. Taking of Evidence Like all parliamentary committees, the CTC’s effectiveness is essentially reliant on the type and quality of information developed, gathered or submitted during its deliberations. The source and content of information received by the CTC, in written and oral submissions, can be of a professional and specialist nature on specific subjects, or the promotion and presentation of particular attitudes, trends and ideas. Generally, evidence taken from written submissions or at oral hearings will be made public in support of the CTC’s findings. However, evidence may be deemed to be in camera if it is of a sensitive, personal or confidential manner or if it is a third party document to which parliamentary privilege may not apply. Submissions The Council welcomes submissions both in writing or presented orally. Submissions do not have to be long or detailed and can set out a community’s, organisation’s or an individual’s concerns in dot points and can be emailed or posted to the Secretariat. CTC Reports and Government Response The CTC is required to report to the Legislative Asssembly, as per the terms of reference (Appendix B), on an annual basis as well as providing specific reports from time to time to report on its proceedings and evidence taken. The Council has committed to regularly provide information on its activities and findings through the Legislative Assembly and as broadly as possible through the media. It reports regularly to the Legislative Assembly on matters of public importance detailed in the terms of reference. The Northern Territory Government is required to respond to a CTC report, as per the terms of reference, within three months from the date a report is received. Committee Secretariat Staffing for the CTC is provided by the Department of the Legislative Assembly. The CTC