LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY ESTIMATES COMMITTEE

(1)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY ESTIMATES COMMITTEE

REPORT

Monday 7 December 2020 Tuesday 8 December 2020 Wednesday 9 December 2020 Thursday 10 December 2020 Friday 11 December 2020

The Estimates Committee examined the estimates of proposed expenditure contained in the Appropriation Bill (2020-2021) and the Statements of Corporate Intent 2020-2021 for the Power and Water Corporation, Jacana Energy and Territory Generation. Questions were raised by some Members on the following issues:

PORTFOLIO AREAS OF QUESTIONING

Chief Minister (Independent

Officers)

Auditor-General

• Resource constraints and impact on audit capacity

• Superannuation underpayment and overpayment audit

• Recovery of superannuation overpayments

• Impact of machinery of government changes on audit program

• Impact of COVID-19 on audit program NT Electoral Commission

• Funding to cover additional election costs associated with COVID- 19 compliance

• Number of complaints received about 2020 General Election

• Impact of COVID-19 on voter turnout in remote communities

• Extended early voting service for remote communities

• Utilisation of translation services

• Engagement with remote voters in language

• Voter engagement on homelands

• Resourcing and staffing in Central Australia

• Delays in receiving postal votes

• Strategy to increase voter enrolment

• Review of 2020 General Election ICAC

• Increase to budget allocation and future necessity for Treasurer’s Advances

• Recovery of misappropriated funds as a consequence of ICAC investigations

• Number of separations as a consequence of ICAC investigations

• Propensity for conflict of interest in the Northern Territory

• Breakdown of types of reports received and investigations

• Education programs provided to the public service

(2)

Chief Minister (Independent

Officers)

• ICAC’s role in monitoring COVID-19 grants

• Number of completed investigations referred to DPP or back to the agency

• Amendments to the ICAC Act regarding possession of seized material

• Development of MOU with DPP

• Powers of ICAC versus Ombudsman Ombudsman

• Victim of Crimes compensation cases

• Review of Victims of Crime Assistance scheme

• Funding for Victims of Crime Assistance scheme

• Report on Darwin Correctional Centre riot

• Granting of FOI requests

• Comparative figures for refused in full FOI applications

• FOI request refusals by agency

• Validity of FOI applications

• FOI complaints referred to NTCAT

• COVID-19 impacts on Ombudsman’s Office

• Relationship between the Ombudsman and ICAC Office Community education programs and processes

Treasurer

• Financial data in annual reports

• Deficit management

• Revenue streams

• Public sector wages policy

• Increasing crime

• Budget delays

• Economic and fiscal strategies

• COVID-19 budget allocation and expenditure to date

• Surplus forecasts

• Revenue improvements

• Current economic outlook

• A Plan for Budget Repair Report

• Accountability and transparency of expenditure of federal funding for Indigenous Territorians

• Infrastructure program

• Borrowing rates and interest expenses

• Capacity to finance debt

• Daily borrowings and interest per day

• Anticipated borrowing over the forward estimates

• Truncated format of budget papers

• Timeframe for next budget

• Debt forecast

• Debt ceiling

• Fiscal strategy panel membership

• Mineral royalties

(3)

Treasurer

• Underlying assumptions for forward estimates expenditure growth

• Credit rating

• Charter of Budget Discipline

• Treasurer’s Advance for Darwin Correctional Centre riot

• Sanctions to CEOs for budget over-expenditure

• CEO budget accountability

• Alternative savings strategies to wages policy

• Public service FTE

• Public service staffing caps

• Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission

• Investment in regional areas

• Population forecasts

• COVID-19 repatriation

• Home Owner Discount extension

Chief Minister

• Communication of messaging for COVID-19

• NT Independent

• Howard Springs quarantine facility funding

• Centre for National Resilience

• Shenzhen statement

• Referral of Darwin Turf Club Grant to ICAC

• Terra-bit Territory initiative

• Machinery of government changes

• Red tape strategies

• Efficiency dividend

• Budget overspend

• International borders and seasonal workers

• Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission cost, implementation and impact

• Expenditure on Boundless Possible campaign

• Population increase as a consequence of boundless possible campaign

• Darwin City Deal

• Future of Jabiru and Kakadu National Park

• Major project delivery and status

• Cost of ‘Team NT’ and outcomes

Education

• Budget repair savings measures and achievements

• ICT service provision to non-government schools

• Costs of COVID-19 restrictions and measures, and geographic allocation of funding

• Boarding students enrolled during COVID-19 and support provided

• Costs for expanding employee assistance services during COVID- 19

• Recruitment, retirement, termination and redundancy of principals

• Schools with current vacancies for principals in 2021

(4)

Education

• Executive, permanent and temporary contracts of principals

• Pay freeze of principals on executive contracts

• Recruitment and loss of school counsellors

• Average time of counsellor vacancies

• Recruitment, retirement, redundancy and termination of teachers in Katherine

• Circumstances of teachers leaving Katherine High School

• Katherine High School issues

• Multiple recruitments of Palmerston regional counsellor position

• Retention rate of teachers

• Teacher employee housing in Katherine

• Allowances for teachers in remote regions

• Costs arising when teachers do not complete contract

• Back on Track program and Palmerston Youth Skills Centre

• Generational change policy platform

• KITES school program

• School attendance compliance officers

• Transportable classrooms

• School infrastructure needs assessment

• Comparison of urban, regional and rural attendance rates

• Bloomfield School

• Acoustic upgrades in schools

• Repairs and maintenance funding

• Installation of rooftop solar panel on schools

• Katherine High School 10 year plan funding

• Funding for Homeland schools to support infrastructure

• Engagement with at-risk students

• Home quarantine for interstate boarding school

• Subsidised cost for NBN for students in isolation

• Subsidised cost for private tutors for students in isolation

• Program to increase bilingual education in schools

• Local decision making for bilingual education in schools

Police, Fire and Emergency

Services

• Number of assaults on police, charges laid and court outcomes

• Access to aircraft following serious events

• Ministerial travel on Air Wing police plane

• Number of police stationed at airports, biosecurity checkpoints and facilities

• Australian Federal Police deployment for COVID-19 response

• Number of COVID-19 compliance checks, breaches and infringement notices

• Police role in NT quarantine facilities

• Operation of Strike Force Viper in Alice Springs

• Number of apprehensions as a result of Strike Force Viper

• Operation of Lunar and Orion cross agency response initiative

• Number of police diversions

(5)

Police, Fire and Emergency

Services

• Youth diversion process and programs

• Youth arrest, apprehension, charge and prosecution data

• Resourcing for police diversion in Alice Springs

• Breaches of bail

• Apprehensions for prescribed offences under the Youth Justice Act

• Prosecution files

• Use of electronic monitoring for youths on bail

• Police separations and exit interviews

• Police recruitment

• Family and domestic violence related incidents in Alice Springs

• Trends in violent offending and alcohol related assaults

• Secondary supply of alcohol in remote communities as a consequence of COVID-19

• Incidence of criminals carrying or using weapons

• Temporary closure of Mitchell Street watch house

• Capacity for police to take leave due to additional duties as a consequence of COVID-19

• Number of patrols operating in the greater Darwin area

• Wadeye riots

• Police resources in remote communities and Commonwealth commitment

• Police stations without a permanent presence in Central Australia

• Deployment of tactical response group in Alice Springs

• Number of drones operational in Alice Springs

• Access to police leave entitlements

• Aboriginal liaison officers

• Community meetings regarding law and order

• Rationale for remote community closures due to COVID-19

• Police presence in Alice Springs CBD

• Removal of mounted police in Alice Springs

• Construction and operation of Nightcliff police station

• Recruitment of females to the fire service

• Attrition rates for fire fighters

• New fire station at Palmerston

• Arson investigation Agribusiness and

Aquaculture Mining and

Industry Northern Australia and

Trade

• Rationale for creation of new Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade

• Capacity for single agency to adequately cover core industry sectors

• Executive and reporting structure

• Working from home arrangements during COVID-19

• International travel by agency staff

(6)

Agribusiness and Aquaculture

Mining and Industry Northern Australia and

Trade

• Geographical location of staff in the department

• Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission Report

• Access to seasonal workers given travel constraints

• Development of cotton industry

• Research and development of cattle industry

• Planned road infrastructure upgrades

• Research farms across the Territory

• Focus of new Minerals Development Strategy

• Seismic survey of Barkly tablelands and potential for region

• Regulatory reform and streamlining approval processes

• Development of mine management plans

• Strategies to improve NT’s mining investment attractiveness

• McArthur River Mine

• Change in primary industries outputs

• Non-pastoral use permits

• Blue Mud Bay permit free fishing

• Review of Fisheries Act

• Direct and indirect financial assistance for Project Sea Dragon

• Role of chief veterinary officer in cattle industry

• Actual expenditure for research industry development services output in 2019-20

• Regulatory reform and streamlining approval processes

• Mining royalties

• Exploration licence timeframes

• Mine management plans and policies

• Fraser Institute Survey

• Ammaroo phosphate project

• Merlin Diamond Mine liquidation

• Chandler Salt Mine

• Arafura Project

• TMG Project

• Actual expenditure for mines services output 2019-20

• Number of mines on major projects list

• Extractive mineral permits KPI

• Legacy mine appropriation and expenditure

• Rehabilitation of Rum Jungle mine site

• Onshore gas projects on major projects list

• Number of wells currently being drilled in the Beetaloo Basin

• Petroleum exploration expenditure

• Average timeframe for granting of petroleum exploration permits

Renewables and Energy

• Modelling for 50% renewables target by 2030

• Alice Springs future grid

• Solar arrays and grid stability

• Battery storage grant schemes for homes and businesses

• Northern Territory Energy Report

(7)

PORTFOLIO AREAS OF QUESTIONING Renewables and

Energy

• Territory Generation investment in solar power

• Solar rollout in remote communities

Infrastructure, Planning and

Logistics

• Repairs and maintenance funding for remote communities

• Staffing cuts and staff required to streamline services

• Commonwealth infrastructure funding

• National Partnership Agreement

• Project revotes

• Water security

• Garramilla Boulevard tender

• Cavenagh Street bus stop

• New NT drivers’ licence

• Anzac Oval acquisition

• State Square underground carpark and landscaping

• Palmerston Police Station

• Use of community hall at Palmerston Police Station

• Purchase of land on Stevens Road, Knuckey Lagoon

• Upgrade of Central Arnhem Road

• Upgrade of Arnhem link road

• Number of tenders awarded to Arnhem businesses

• Number of infrastructure jobs generated for Indigenous workers

• Use of Motorsports House

• Infrastructure works at Zuccoli Primary School

• Completion of playground at Myilly Point

• Tender for Little Mindil Beach footpath

• Construction of Ngukurr and Maningrida Police Stations

• Status of upgrades to Tennant Creek town centre and Patterson Street

• Status of town entrance way projects

• Alparulun and Elliott police stations

• Status of Hilda Street Park

• BRADAAG Alcohol rehabilitation project

• Status of Nyinkka Nyunyu Arts and Culture Centre

• Upgrades to Alekarenge School

• Public housing project in Borroloola

• John Stokes Square redevelopment project

• Ongoing maintenance costs of Cavenagh Street shade structure

• Darwin City heat mitigation project

• Departmental project management staff

• Reason for increase in land development budget

• Development of Katherine Logistics and Agribusiness hub

• Warrego Road transport and logistics hub

• Land development at Gunn Point and Glyde Point

• Cost of managing weeds on crown land

• Cost of releasing crown land for Kilgariff estate development

(8)

PORTFOLIO AREAS OF QUESTIONING Infrastructure,

Planning and Logistics

• Progression of land claims

• Update on development of City of Weddell

• Flight Path Road, Berrimah North industrial development

• Planning reform and reducing red tape

• Operation of Tennant Creek MVR office

• Sealing of remote airstrips Environment

Water Security

• Budget for Gamba Army Project

• Weed management plans

• KPIs for eradication of Gamba

• Extent of bush fires fuelled by Gamba

• Average timeframes for environmental and petroleum approvals

Health National Resilience

• Integrated health services

• COVID-19

• NDIS

• Provision of health services in rural and remote areas

• Aboriginal community controlled health services

• Consultation with Central Australian Health Advisory Committee

• Cost savings through integrated health services

• Calculation of quarantine costs to individuals

• Cost to government of quarantine facilities and services

• Cost of international arrivals in Howard Springs quarantine facilities

• Commonwealth provision of funding for international quarantine at Howard Springs

• Invoices issued for quarantine fees

• Hardship applications for quarantine fees

• Invoices paid for quarantine fees

• Rollout of vaccinations in the NT

• COVID-19 preparedness for remote communities

• Recovery of quarantine fees from non-compliant debtors

• Armband monitoring of clinical vital signs in international quarantine facility

• Telehealth services in remote communities

• Satellite services in remote communities to deliver telehealth

• $30m funding for mental health services

• Investment in mental health services in Central Australia

• Suicide prevention

• Funding agreements for NGOs

• Funding reduction for community services output

• Renal treatment provided in rural and remote areas

• Early child development plan

• NT maternal early childhood sustained early visit program

• Funding reduction for disease prevention output

• Vaccination program and costs

(9)

Health National Resilience

• 2014 Disease cluster investigation in Kakadu – cancer and foetal deaths

• Funding reduction for alcohol and other drug treatment

• Effectiveness of minimum floor price

• Alcohol treatment data

• Alcohol and other drug residential rehabilitation beds

• Successful completion of alcohol and other drug treatment

• Evaluations of alcohol treatment programs

• FASD strategy

• Funding reduction for COMMIT program

• FASD and trauma

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy treatment

• Overtime costs for clinical staff at the five NT hospitals

• Planned upgrades to emergency departments at Darwin and Alice Springs hospitals

• Bed capacity in emergency departments

• Aboriginal health workers

• Aeromedical tender and contract

• Hospital staffing and vacancies

• Private investment in aged care facilities

• Public speech pathology services

• Nightcliff Renal Unit

• Alan Walker Cancer Care Centre

• Alcohol and other drug treatment in remote communities

• Repairs and maintenance funding for Alice Springs hospital

• Aged care facilities

• Aged care patients in continuous care hospital wards

Tourism and Hospitality Major Events Racing, Gaming

and Licensing

• Intra-Territory and interstate holiday visitors

• Categories of tourists

• Payments to Tourism Research Australia

• Visitor arrivals since NT borders opened

• Comparative data tourist arrivals from previous year

• Wet season forecasted tourism numbers

• Tourism Rebound Taskforce status

• Budget allocation to interstate and overseas contractors

• Allocation of staff dedicated to bringing tourists into the NT

• Arrangements with travel journalists and Instagram influencers to promote the NT

• Funding to operate Battery Hill Mining Centre

• Small business roadhouse to recovery

• Promotion of tourism attraction and parks opening and closure times

• Promoting opening and closing NT parks

• Tourism promotion of Darwin Turf Club grandstand

• Tourism budget variations

(10)

Tourism and Hospitality Major Events Racing, Gaming

and Licensing

• Mount Gillen marketing

• Road Transport Hall of Fame in Alice Springs

• NT Government support to tourism small businesses

• 2019-20 budget and actual expenditure for major events

• NTMEC review and logo costs

• NTMEC brand strategy review costs

• Bruce Monroe Tropical Lights exhibition total costs

• Red Centre Nats event costs

• Beteasy Darwin triple crown and Supercars events

• Alice Springs Masters games future funding allocation

• Costs to secure AFL games

• Digital IDs

• Liquor licences and applications

• Frequency of Liquor Commission meetings

• Liquor licence application advertising requirements

• Amendments to liquor licences approved in the last 12 months

• Approval processes for liquor license amendments

• Infringements notices and warnings directed to liquor licensees

• Harm minimisation measures and audits

• Risk based licensing

• Suspicious transaction reporting in Central Australia

• Banned drinker register funding

• Plans for increased liquor restrictions

• Re-approval of refused applications

• Codes of Practices for gaming venues

• Convenience store lottery arrangements

• Liquor Commission members and vacant positions

• Review of racing and betting legislation

• Current cap on community gaming machines

• Suspension of liquor licences

Attorney-General and Justice

• Report on Darwin Correctional Centre riot

• Ringleader legislation

• Review of penalties for property offences

• Youth offender arrest

• Youth bail

• Youth bail refusals

• Youth arrested for new offending while on bail

• Electronic and manually captured data

• Youth sentenced to boot camps

• Youth sentenced to victim conferencing

• Youth offenders by sentencing categories

• Youth convictions

• Age of criminal responsibility

• Status of consultation on abolishing mandatory sentencing

• Policy on mandatory sentencing

(11)

• Convictions for assaults on police and sentences

• Aboriginal Justice Agreement

• Funding increase for legal policy output

• Machinery of government changes and associated budget variations

• Variation in FTE staffing

• Funding extension for COMMIT program

• Absence of Judge at Katherine Court

• Plans to reduce red tape in the agency

• Outstanding applications for victim support and compensation

• Legal proceedings against the NT government, department or employees.

• Number of administrative law actions brought against the government in the past financial year

• Number of actions pending against the government regarding Minerals Royalties Act

• Actions pending against the government regarding the Petroleum Act

• Legal proceedings against NT Government regarding citrus canker

• National Redress Scheme claims against NT Government

• Total amount paid to date by NT Government for National Redress Scheme claims

• Timber Creek Native Title compensation claim payment

• Outsourcing of legal work to private law firms

• Legal work outsourced to legal firms outside of the NT

• Proceedings against the Government by former detainees

• Cost of defending actions and compensation payments

• Wadeye racial discrimination case costs

• Whole of government justice framework

• Number of submissions received on Aboriginal Justice Agreement

• Funding allocated to the development of the Aboriginal Justice Agreement

• Funding committed to Groote Eylandt cultural rehabilitation program

• Review of legislation as a consequence of Aboriginal Justice Agreement

• Timeframes for reviews of Anti-Discrimination Act, Victims of Crimes legislation and Residential Tenancies Act and other legislation

• Review of the Anti-Discrimination Act – principal changes

• Publication of submissions on draft Aboriginal Justice Agreement

• Timeframe for legislative reviews related to Aboriginal Justice Agreement

(12)

• Timeframe to finalise victims of crime applications

• Number of victims of crime applications finalised

• Victims of crime compensation costs to NT Government

• Victims of crime register

• Recovery proceedings for offenders

• Expenditure for criminal justice research and statistics output

• Crime statistics website

• Criminal justice research and statistics unit training

• Criminal justice research projects

• Odyssey case management system

• Cost per prisoner per day

• Custodial services budget

• Correctional industries budget

• Prisoner numbers in Alice Springs and Darwin

• Prisoner to staff ratio

• Darwin Correctional Centre capacity

• Alice Springs Correctional Centre capacity

• Cost to repair damage from Darwin Correctional Centre riot

• Cost of review into Darwin Correctional Centre riot

• Recommendations from review into Darwin Correctional Centre riot

• Changes to community corrections

• Community corrections performance indicator

• Impact of COVID-19 on prisoner employment programs and strategy to reengage with employers

• Low participation in prisoner employment programs

• Life Skills Camp for Aboriginal women

• Programs available in correctional centres

• Comparison of offenders granted parole

• Electronic monitoring of parolees

• Parole conditions breached

• Frequency of parolee random alcohol and drug testing

• Consequence for parolee drug or alcohol breach

• COMMIT program expenditure

• Reoffending of COMMIT program participants

• Number of offenders enrolled in COMMIT program

• Parole Board members and breakdown by profession

• Parole Board output expenditure

• Number of matters before Parole Board

• Supreme Court Justice in Alice Springs

• Video link services in courts

• Name and Shame outstanding fine register

• Total fines outstanding to NT Government

• Fines recovery processes

• Expenditure for the Director of Public Prosecutions output

(13)

PORTFOLIO AREAS OF QUESTIONING Attorney-General

and Justice

• Director of Public Prosecutions staffing

• NT WorkSafe review

• Industrial manslaughter offence

• Bootu Creek Mine workplace incident Treaty and Local

Decision Making Aboriginal Affairs

• Treaty Commission Office staffing and budget

• Treaty Commission discussion paper

• NT Truth Telling Institute

• Role of Office of Aboriginal Affairs and budget

• Blue Mud Bay Implementation Plan

• Local Decision Making Agreements entered into 2019-20

Local Government

• Restructure in output group for local government due to machinery of government changes

• Actual and budgeted expenditure

• Local government grants budget

• Local government administrative expenses

• Employee expenses

• Infrastructure expenditure

• Efficiency dividends

• Amended Cemeteries Act

• Impact of 3% reduction in grants

• Additional income received

• ‘Other’ administrative expenses

• Tiwi Island Regional Council loan

• LGANT grant

• Belyuen Community Government Council grant

• COVID-19 grants available to local governments

• Rate relief to residents during COVID-19

• Complaints referred to compliance team

• Southport water supply

• Costing to supply town water to Southport

• Proposed separation of Grooyte Eylandt from Tiwi Island Council

• Amalgamation of regional councils

• Mandatory training for counsellors

• Funding for animal management in remote areas

• Territory wide animal management plan

• Shoal Bay waste facility

• Unincorporated land policy

• Compulsory land acquisition of Anzac Hill in Alice Springs

• Local Decision Making Agreements

• Amalgamation of local government department into the Department of Chief Minister and Cabinet

• Staff input into restructure of the department

• Job losses due to restructures

• Filling of vacant positions

(14)

Remote Housing and Town Camps

• Aboriginal employment in remote housing program

• Homeland job grants

• Aboriginal Business Enterprises

• Remote housing KPIs

• Repairs and maintenance in remote communities and homelands

• Repairs and maintenance officers in remote communities

• Construction of houses completed

• Federal funding for remote housing

• Room to Breathe program

• Remote housing budget allocation underspends

• Additional rooms through Room to Breath

• Houses built for local government employees

• Housing agreements for homelands

• Appropriate housing to address complex issues in the bush

• House ‘open days’ in remote communities

• Aboriginal people employed in Mulka electorate

• Accredited training taking place to take keep skills and take them back to remote communities

• Contract monitoring for government work

• Aboriginal employees in Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities

• Hermannsburg housing schedule

• Subcontracting costs for management of housing program

• Public housing waitlists in remote community

• Quarterly reporting on housing outcomes

• Housing on town camps

• Overcrowding

• Wadeye new housing allocations

• Total costs of building 8 new houses in Wadeye

• Displaced people while houses are being rebuilt

• Alternative accommodation arrangements while houses being rebuilt

• Current costs of delivering a new residence to remote communities including demolishing of existing house

• Modular designs of houses for changing needs of households

• Costs of refurbishing residences

• Homelands policy review consultancy contract and cost

• Establishment of a visitor park in Katherine region

• Service provision at White Gate community

Territory Families and Urban

Housing

• Court order youth diversion

• Types of youth diversion conferences

• Victim offender conferencing

• Evaluating effectiveness of youth diversion programs

• Family offender conferences

• New case management system – CARE

(15)

Housing

• Victim conferencing data

• Police referring youth offenders to diversion

• Establishment of community work program

• Distinction between apprehension and arrest

• Conditions of bail

• Additional staff to increase compliance checking for youth bail

• Funding for financial relief of victims

• Family Responsibility Agreements

• Police Conferencing

• Expansion of Back on Track program

• Establishment of community accountability boards

• Number of youth offender boot camps

• Reoffending by boot camp attendees

• Data on youth offenders and repeat offenders

• Electronic monitoring of repeat offenders

• Bail support and accommodation

• Age of criminal responsibility

• Police real time access to electronic monitoring

• New electronic monitoring system

• Review of prescribed and non-prescribed offences under the Youth Justice Act

• NGO funded bus services operating in Alice Springs

• Senior and Leader elders in Mulka electorate working with Territory Families

• Bus services funded through Territory Families in Alice Springs

• Notification processes and follow up involved when youths are picked up on the streets

• Out of home care

• Night youth patrols

• Reduction in number of young people in out of home care

• Conference services provided by the Jesuits

• Removal of Yolgnu children and placement of kinship care

• Territory Families role in quarantine facilities

• Cost of contracts associated with Howard Springs quarantine facility

• Children under the age of one in the care of Territory Families

• Funding for youth camps on country

• Managing youth justice on country

• Healing and discipline camps in Arnhem Land

• Expenditure for Family Support 2019-20

• Family support services specifically targeting the first 1,000 days of a child’s life

• Number of families supported in the past financial year

• Cost of outsourced family services

• Data on cases referred to non-government organisations

(16)

Housing

• Expenditure for child protection 2019-20

• Child protection notifications 2018-19 and 2019-20

• Average caseload per case manager

• Average caseload by region

• Children in out of home care apprehended by police

• Foster care applications

• Number of children reunifications with families

• Saltbush program

• Expenditure 2019-20 for family support output

• Family support services

• Families supported in the last financial year

• Child protection notifications

• Young people in care attending school

• Crimes committed by youth in care

• Youths arrested whilst in care

• Supported bail

• Youth successful completion of bail

• Total number of young people in care of Territory Families

• Escapes from secure detention facilities

• Youth outreach and re-engagement officers

Small Business Jobs and Training

• Small business categorisation

• Dan Murphy’s licence application

• Amendments to the Liquor Act 2019

• CEO performance management

• Business, innovation and workforce budget

• Functions of former department transferred to current department

• FTE staffing for business and innovation

• Reporting structure in new department

• Number of executives in business and innovation division

• Overlap of Ministerial responsibilities

• Home Improvement Scheme contractor payment timeframes and reasons for delays in payment

• Complaints about implementation of Home Improvement Scheme

• Businesses registered for Home Improvement Scheme

• Home Improvement Scheme voucher redemption

• Small business legislation reform

• Reducing red tape

• Home Business Battery Scheme

• Average cost of home battery system

• Small Business Champions FTE staffing

• Performance management and assessment of small business champions

• Boundless Possible campaign expenditure

(17)

• Welcome to the Territory incentive

• Territory Business Centre interactions and KPI’s

• Data regarding business closures

• Projected increase in Gross State Product

• Burgeoning industries in the Northern Territory

• Breakdown of small, medium and large businesses in the Territory

• Classification for size of businesses

• Dan Murphys licence application

• Rationale for amendment to Liquor Act 2019

• Number of FTE’s compared to previous Department of Trade, Business and Innovation

• Agency reporting structure

• Number of executives in the Business and Innovation division

• Payment guidelines for Home Improvement Scheme

• Complaints about the implementation of the Home Improvement Scheme

• Number of businesses registered for the Home Improvement Scheme

• Redemption statistics for Home Improvement Scheme

• Small business champions

• Digital portal approval system

• Mechanisms to reduce red tape and timeframe for implementation

• Home and business battery scheme

• FTE’s allocated to the small business champions program

• Position levels of small business champions

• Performance management and assessment of small business champions

• Expenditure on Boundless Possible campaign

• Number of people that moved to the Territory as a consequence of the Welcome to the Territory incentive

• Discontinuation of the Welcome to the Territory incentive

• Territory Business Centre interactions and KPI’s

• Data regarding business closures

• Projected increase in gross state product

• Burgeoning industries in the Northern Territory

• Strategies to grow small business

• Support offered to regional and remote businesses

• Business Growth Grants awarded to Indigenous businesses

• Role of small business champions

• Biz Secure grant applications

• Total spend for Biz Secure grants in the past financial year

• Post works completion surveys of Biz Secure grant recipients

(18)

• Business Re-secure Program

• Power and Water hardship register for businesses

• Business Hardship Register

• System to administer small business boot-up program

• Small business survival funding

• Administration of Study NT

• Support for apprentices and trainees

Public Employment

• Public service employment survey outcomes and highlights

• Public sector employee numbers

• Breakdown of the types of employment

• Reduction in number of executive contract officer positions

• Additional public sector employees attributable to COVID-19

• Langoulant report recommendations regarding cap on public sector employment

• Recognition of the work of the public sector

• Public sector pay freeze and $1000 bonus

• Industrial relations modelling regarding pay freeze

• Voluntary redundancies

• Publication of quarterly employment figures

• Current average public sector turnover rate

• Timeframe for politician and executive officer pay freeze

• Strategies to increase Aboriginal employment rate

• Roles not covered by special measures

Power and Water Corporation

• $84m increase in operating expenditure

• Forecasted increase in personnel costs

• Total controllable operating expenditure and budget

• Sanctions for non-compliance with Statement of Corporate Intent

• Executive officer pay rates

• Total net debt

• Projected borrowings

• Sanctions for accountable officers failing to adhere to budget

• Australian Energy Regulator distribution determination

• Sustainable dividends over forward estimates

• Outcomes from transformation program

• Financial viability of Power and Water Corporation

• Percentage of solar into the grid

• Impact of solar on grid stability

• 2019 Alice Springs system black event report recommendations

• Cost to keep Ron Goodin power station in operation

• Measures to improve solar forecasting

• Gas usage and excess gas

• Gas sales

• Gas strategy

• Sustainability of aquifers

(19)

Power and Water Corporation

• PFAS water treatment plant in Katherine progress, original estimated costs and expected completion timeframe

• Katherine emergency water treatment plant capacity

• Quantity of bottled water stocked in Katherine in preparation for a black water event

• Procedures for distribution of bottled water in Katherine

• Faulty water meters

Jacana Energy

• Cost to serve customers

• Savings from paperless billing system

• Accounting for increased cost to serve customers

• Community service obligations

• Employment freeze and staffing cap

• Staff and executive wage costs

• Consultants employed and location while employed

• Jacana FTE staffing

• Intra-Territory and interstate consultants

• Staff turnover rate

• CEOs in the last four years

• Customers not billed

• Cumulative amount of debt written off due to non-billing

• Impact of Sun Cable entering into supply agreement with another retailer

• Supply negotiation with Sun Cable

• Generator performance standards and impact on power costs

• Katherine solar farm

• Purchase of renewable energy in the future

• Consultation on reduction in solar feed-in tariff

• Consultation on COVID-19 hardship relief for businesses

• Profit return for large customers and residential households

• Office refurbishment costs

Territory Generation

• Modelling on impact of 50% renewables commitment

• Total capital contribution paid by NT Government to Territory Generation

• Budget and actual expenditure

• Cost of increased solar to Territory Generation

• Requirement for spinning reserve

• Battery energy storage system

• Forecasted savings from installation of battery system

• Grid stability

• Generator performance standards

• Cost to keep Ron Goodin power station in operation

• Operating costs of Owen Springs power station

• Cost of a new 40 megawatt generator

• Replacement of generators at Channel Island power station

(20)

Territory Generation

• Gas supply interruptions to power station

• Channel Island power supply capacity

• Repairs and maintenance expenditure

• Capital projects forecasted expenditure

• Hydrogen generator

• Tennant Creek spinning reserve

• Cost of capital revised down

Chief Minister (Speaker)¹

• Improvements to Hansard functionality

• Efficiency divided

• Building management services budget decrease

• Additional staff for legislative scrutiny committees

• Independent research service

• Actual expenditure for Assembly services output

• Actual expenditure for building services output

• Additional operational expenditure in response to COVID-19

• Executive contract officers and cost

• Cost savings from ECO pay freezes

• ICT replacements or upgrades

Mr Joel Bowden MLA CHAIR

1Under the Administrative Arrangements Order responsibility for the Department of the Legislative Assembly lies with the Chief Minister. However, the Speaker appeared before the Committee to take questions regarding the Department.