Territory FM - The Coalition has no plans to dam the Daly River
PETER PERRIN:
[Robert Knight] was going crook about no dams being built in the Northern Territory, particularly the Daly, it was going to finish off fishing, recreational activities, et cetera, et cetera. Well, perhaps he was stretching the point, shall we say? Well, so says Senator Nigel Scullion, who joins me on the phone now. Good morning, Senator how are you?
NIGEL SCULLION:
Yeah, good thanks Peter, how’s yourself mate?
PETER PERRIN:
I’m okay. He was pretty red-hot about this, but you reckon it was a beat-up?
NIGEL SCULLION:
Well, it’s more than a beat-up mate. At best, it’s disingenuous. Whether he can read or not, I’m not quite sure? But quite clearly, if you read the article that he took this all from, yes the word dam is in it, and yes the word Daly River is in it, but it’s a big article. You know, they’re probably inches away from each other.
PETER PERRIN:
This was the Sid Maher article?
NIGEL SCULLION:
That’s right.
PETER PERRIN:
In the Australian, wasn’t it?
NIGEL SCULLION:
And he specifically talks about the Coalition developing dams, there’s no doubt about it. And there’s specifically, in far north Queensland, on the Gilbert and Flinders Rivers. You see the words Gilbert and Flinders doesn’t even sound like Daly to me. So, this is just a ridiculous beat-up. And it’s a lesson that you can’t get away with just making stuff up. You know, we know the Labor Party just do that, and certainly the Northern Territory Labor Government have been caught out by me a couple of times now, just simply making stuff up. Whether it’s about the refurbishments of the housing and the way they’ve tried to put the spin on it, they get caught every time. But sadly this is emblematic of a government that is so desperate – I mean, what Robert Knight has got to do is actually get out there in his electorate. I’m out there quite often. I mean they never hear from him. They think he’s an awful local member. But instead of that he’s got to hang around Darwin and try to sort of make stuff up so he can be a hero and save the Daly River from a threat that’s not even there. It’s completely ridiculous.
PETER PERRIN:
It’s interesting that it got as much traction. And I suppose that’s to testimony to how many fishers – I mean you’re no stranger to that industry either?
NIGEL SCULLION:
No indeed mate, as I’m one myself. And of course if you say to the fishing population, and not just the fishing population but people who are just generally concerned that we are going to put a monstrous great dam across the Daly … well of course, you’d have me up in arms. That is never going to happen. For starters, it’s just geologically impossible and financially unfeasible. We’ve all decided that isn’t ever going to happen. So, to then say that this is happening, he’s a fool. And it’s an embarrassment to have a fool who is a member of our parliament in the Northern Territory. But anyway, that’s the way it is. Bring on the next election, I reckon.
PETER PERRIN:
Succinctly put. Senator Nigel Scullion, thankyou for your time this morning and your five-cents worth on this particular issue.
Upgrade your flash player to play the audio
