ESTIMATES COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS – 17 JUNE 2010
Primary Industry? Who decided to change its name to something that clearly does not, I believe,
promote primary industry?
Mr VATSKALIS: It is a semantic. Primary industry has resources; it has renewable resources.
Fisheries are
a resource, a renewable resource, and minerals are a resource, non-renewable. So
resources covers the whole sector.
Mr WOOD: Minister, I plugged Department of Resources into my computer and all I got was natural
resources. I could not find any place in the world that had a Department of Resources. Do you not
think that by calling that, we are actually downplaying the importance
of what we should be playing
up; that is, the department of Primary Industries in the Northern Territory should be something that we
should promote, and the naming it Department of Resources is actually playing it down?
Mr VATSKALIS: It was through the Administrative Orders that the name was given. It was not that
decision by the minister.
Mr WOOD: What does the Administrative Orders mean? Where does that come from?
Mr VATSKALIS: It is the information we put when portfolios are allocated and designed.
Mr WOOD: So who designs portfolios?
Mr VATSKALIS: The Chief Minister does them.
Mr WOOD: So we need to ask him.
Mr VATSKALIS: The Department of Chief Minister always does it.
Mr WOOD: The department should …
Mr VATSKALIS: This is the …
Mr WOOD: Okay, we might do that, because I just feel that does not go well with what we should be
doing promoting …
Mr VATSKALIS: What is important is what the department does, not what the department’s name is.
Mr WOOD: Well, that is what sells the department. Okay, that is my very global question.
Madam DEPUTY CHAIR: The committee will now proceed to consider the
estimates and those
expenditure contained in Appropriation Bills 2010-11 as they relate to the Department of Resources.
Agency Specific (Whole of Government Related Questions)
Budget and Fiscal Strategies
Madam DEPUTY CHAIR: I call on questions relating to Agency Specific (Whole-of-Government
Related Questions), Budget and Fiscal Strategies.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Thank you, Madam Deputy Chair. Just a few questions on this, minister,
and these were not answered in the questions on notice that we received just a couple of days ago.
First, how much was spent on
consultants this year, and for what projects? If there were any reviews
or reports, how many were undertaken, and how many have been finalised and made public? I am
happy to put that on notice if you do not have it.
ESTIMATES COMMITTEE PROCEEDINGS – 17 JUNE 2010
Mr VATSKALIS: A total of $1.3m was spent on consultants in 2008-09 for the 11 months to 31 May
2009. A total of $1.086m was spent on consultants in 2009-10 for the 11 months to 31 May 2010. In
2008-09, there were 23 interstate and Northern Territory consultancies. In 2009-10, there were 18
interstate and Northern Territory consultancies.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Any reviews or reports arising from those consultancies?
Mr VATSKALIS: We are happy to table a list of all the consultancies, if necessary.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: That would
be appreciated, thank you. Next one. What was the cost of
media monitoring and transcription services for the department so far this year?
Mr VATSKALIS: What was it specifically?
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Media monitoring and transcription services.
Mr VATSKALIS: We do not have any media monitoring and transcription services.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Okay, thank you.
Mr VATSKALIS: We read the newspaper ourselves.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Sorry?
Mr VATSKALIS: We read the newspaper ourselves, we do not employ someone to do it for us.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: You do not employ someone to do it for you? Excellent. Minister, I
realise the broader detail have been provided in those question on notice around departmental travel.
There is just one specific question.
What was the cost of intra-state - within the
Northern Territory - travel, including airfares,
accommodation and incidentals for your CEO this financial year?
Mr GALTON: I can give you the travel expenses broken down by TA, accommodation, and airfares
over the past 12 months.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Those three figures will be acceptable.
Mr GALTON: Travel allowance was $7000 from 1 July to 31 May this year; accommodation was
$5000; and airfares were $15 899.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: $15 899.
Mr GALTON: Sorry, and other, including taxis, was $5059, which is a total of $33 000.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: Sorry the last figure? Five thousand ...
Mr GALTON: $5059.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: No problem, thank you. No further questions for me on the non-specific.
Madam DEPUTY CHAIR: Member for Nelson, do you have
any questions, or do you want to check at
this stage, questions as to which output, if you have any queries?