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December 12, 2023 • 13 mins

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
But as I said, there is certainly a lot to
cover off this morning. And joining me on the line
right now is the Opposition leader Leah Fanocchiaro.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Good morning to you, Leah, Good.

Speaker 3 (00:11):
Morning Katie and to your listeners.

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Now Leah, first off, I want to take you across
to this story in the INNT News and I've seen
the email that Robin Lambley, the Independent Member for Arara
Luhn has sent myself to the She's sent it to
Brent Potter, the Minister for Police, and we know that
she's forced police to release details of a child rape investigation.

(00:34):
The Independent Member for Our Luhn released a statement to
the media on Tuesday reflecting the deep concern of Central
Australian residents worried at the information void around two incidents
over the past ten days. In this report, it says
one involved an alleged sexual assault in Ara Luhn on
December four, which police announced in a media release that day.

(00:56):
We know that somebody has been apprehended in relation to that.
But she says I'm informed of a second allegation of
the rape of a young child in Tenant Creek in
recent days, and she says I'm informed the child was
transferred to the Alice Springs Hospital for treatment. Leah, what, firstly,
what is your reaction to this?

Speaker 3 (01:18):
Well, it's horrific, and of course we've seen violent sexual
offending increase across the territory and we have a labor
government totally incapable of making the decisions that it needs
to make to put the rights of people to be
safe above the rights of criminalism. So it's highly disturbing

(01:38):
that we continue to see this type of escalation in offending,
particularly violent and sexual offending, and ultimately, the community expects
better from its government in being able to give police
the resources they need.

Speaker 1 (01:52):
Well, hang on a second, let's take a step back,
because the question here that's being raised, and yes, I
get what you're saying about the Northern Territory government, but
the question here that is being raised is not about
what the Northern Territory government is releasing or isn't releasing.
It's about the fact that this has happened and the
public haven't been informed. That's not the government, that's the
Northern Territory police.

Speaker 3 (02:13):
Well, I genuinely question the influence of this government is
trying to put on our police, Katie. I think there's
been a number.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
So you think the government's telling them to not release
this info.

Speaker 3 (02:25):
I think there would absolutely be pressure coming down from
the top of government saying that we need to as
best we can keep a lid on crime and what's
being put out into the public. Now it's up to
police how they respond to that, but ultimately, the community
want to know about things happening right across the territory.

(02:45):
They have a right to know, particularly when they're a
dangerous offenders not in police custody, and this is just
another example of people losing confidence in the government's ability
to keep them safe.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
So let me get this straight.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
So you are saying that you do you feel the
Northern Territory government would absolutely be putting pressure on the
Northern Territory Police Force right now to limit what they're
releasing to the public.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
I don't know if it's that explicit, Katie, but I
absolutely believe that this government is putting pressure on our
police in a number of ways to keep them silent
and to try and keep a lid on the crime crisis.
I mean, we know just through the crimes we see
reported every day, Katie, we know there are hundreds, if
not thousands, more crimes happening across the territory that we

(03:31):
never ever learn about. Now, I'm sure police have some
sort of criteria on when they release information and when
they don't, but this isn't a new thing. This has
been failing the community expectation and pub tests for a
very very long time. And ultimately, the community have a
right to be safe, to know what's going on across
the territory. And this government can be as desperate as

(03:52):
it wants and trying to shut that down, but ultimately
it all comes to the surface.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, look, it's something that I have spoken to the
police on the show about before. In previous situations where
there has terribly been sexual assaults, things happen that then
the public have not been made aware of. So look,
I don't know where the breakdown is happening, but I
do know that the expectation from the community, whether you're

(04:18):
talking about Tenant Creek or whether you're talking about up
here in Darwin, no matter where you're talking about around
the territory, people have an expectation that they know and
that they are told if there is a dangerous offender
out on the streets. And I don't know whether like
I said, I don't know where the communication is broken
down here, but if we have got a situation where

(04:39):
a child has been sexually assaulted in Tenant Creek and
the public has not been made aware of it, and
that is you know, that is the accusation that's being
made by Robin Lamley.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
I don't think that's good enough.

Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, and that's exactly right, Katie. And of course police
have many considerations. So perhaps on occasion it's about protecting
the identity of the people involved, particularly around sexual assault cases,
but it's about a level of transparency that the community required.
Because the territory is a small place, Katie, a lot

(05:12):
of these things come to the surface one way or
the other and it's best that the government be upfront
from the start about it.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:19):
Hey, I want to ask you about another story which
has just broken, this time on the ABC Online. It's
been reported that will Mark Turner, as we know, a
former Labor government MLA. He's released a statement yesterday saying
that he's received confidential legal advice in the wake of
the lack of response from the Northern Territory Cabinet to

(05:40):
alleged serious issues. He's referred to matters relating to the
Chief Minister and her office to the Northern Territory's I CACK.
So part of his referral to the I CACK, he
said related to Jared Richardson's consultancy position as a political
advisor to the Chief Minister Natasha Files. Now, mister Chardson,

(06:00):
as we know, I was the co owner of consultancy
firm Brookline Advisory, which has listed gas company tambor On
Resources as one of its clients on the Federal Lobbyist
Register since November eight. Now, according to this report by
the ABC, mister Richardson deregistered himself as a lobbyist for
Brookline Advisory on October twenty three. Tamboran, as we know,

(06:22):
has got a major stake in large scale gas export
projects in the Beaterloo Basin and the Middle Arm Industrial Precinct.
Mister Turner says in this statement, I've written to the
Aykak Commissioner urging him to consider investigating this matter and
to liaise with the Commissioner of Police if he deems appropriate. LEA,
do you think that needs to happen?

Speaker 3 (06:45):
Well, clearly there are answers. There are questions that people
have that aren't being answered. So of course we had
the Shares saga, and now we've got this connection with
a senior advisor in the Chief Minister's office and it
just continues to reinforce him people's mind, this issue of integrity,
the fact that Natasha Files has got form in misleading

(07:06):
territorians around a range of issues. You think back to
the floods earlier this year and the flood victims being
at Howard Springs and the Chief Minister trying for weeks
to tell territories that was just wear and tear. You've
got the issue of the Order to General finding Natasha
File's guilty on two counts of misleading territorians when it

(07:26):
came to their bail reform. So all of these issues
just continue to reinforce that labor can't be trusted, that
they're willing to say and do anything to save faith
and to manage the optics around what they're doing as
a government. But these are serious issues which now the
Aykak will have to take into consideration.

Speaker 1 (07:46):
I mean, should you guys, should the opposition have referred
this to the Iyekak.

Speaker 3 (07:51):
Well, we've been raising questions about the Chief Minister's integrity
for a very long time on.

Speaker 1 (07:57):
This issue, like on the shares issue and also on
the issue with Jared Richardson and that consultancy.

Speaker 3 (08:06):
Well, clearly Mirke Turner has felt that that's where he
sees the issue having to go and now that it's there,
that will take its course.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
Is it where you see the issue though, going?

Speaker 3 (08:16):
Well, we see this as an integrity issue, a clear
integrity issue which the Chief Minister and her cabinet have
failed to respond to, and we believe that Territorians are
at the point where they would judge them on these issues. Accordingly,
we're less than nine months out from an election, Katie,
and if Labor are going to continue to treat Territorians
like fools, they'll be the ones who have to answer

(08:38):
to that at the ballot box.

Speaker 2 (08:40):
Do you reckon?

Speaker 1 (08:41):
I mean, you know, like just sort of looking at
this from a different perspective, but looking at the fact
that they've got this consultancy firm that is helping the
government with various different things, I'm not sure exactly what
I'm assuming, and I guess this is a question that
I've got. Well, I wonder whether they're being paid by
the Labor Party or whether he is a consultancy firm

(09:01):
that's being paid by the Northern Territory taxpayer dollar.

Speaker 3 (09:06):
Oh well, I don't know the answer to that, Katie.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
What do you think is appropriate?

Speaker 1 (09:10):
Do you think it is appropriate if it is the
taxpayer paying for the consultancy firm.

Speaker 3 (09:15):
Well, my understanding is that it was. But you've raised
a really good question. I don't know the answer to that,
and it's a good one to put to the Chief Minister.
I think a lot of this gas issue that we're
talking about as well comes back to the fact that
labor are actually split.

Speaker 2 (09:31):
On this issue.

Speaker 3 (09:31):
You've got an enormous opportunity here in the territory to
have a really a much cleaner renewable not renewable, but
a much cleaner energy source, which will of course provide
that underpinning for our renewable sector, and yet you have
a labor party not supporting it. Then you've got the
Labor government trying to create optics like they do support

(09:54):
the industry, despite the fact that all of their actions
have been to the contrary. So I think this place
is part of a much bigger picture where you've clearly
got labor members unhappy with the arrangement with mister Richardson.
You've got a conflicted Chief Minister who is predominantly from
a Green seat, and then you've got overarching the importance

(10:15):
of this overarching government policy to grow our economy. So
I think this is part of a much bigger picture
which labor are desperately trying to manage and absolutely failing out.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
All right, Lea, We had planned to have you on
to talk about a raft of other things, but obviously
this news all just sort of breaking this morning. I
do want to ask you though, we know that the
first day of the takeaway hours at bottle shops being reduced,
well that happened on Monday. Have I mean, what has
been your take Have you spoken to anyone in those
bottle shops or industry in recent days and what are
they saying to you?

Speaker 3 (10:47):
Well, I know the golf clubs are pretty upset, and
of course coming into Christmas, people have got a lot
more time they might have been wanting to go out
and play with their friends and they can't even get
takeaway from the Gold Club right going out onto the course,
you know, So it's just ridiculous things like that. You know,
if there's four friends wanting to grab a stick pack

(11:08):
each and hit the golf course for eighteen holes, spend
most of the day out there. They're not going to
be driving back at twelve o'clock to come you meet
these times. I mean, it's just practically ridiculous. We know
the real people who are going to lose other workers.
I mean they've lost twelve hours a week in shifts
at a time when cost of living is through the
roof Christmas adds a massive dent to everyone's wallet's Katie,

(11:31):
and it's not going to drive down alcohol fuel harm.
I mean, this is a game the government targeting the
wrong people. This is about punishing everyone instead of dealing
with problem alcoholics. And that's why the Colp's plan couldn't
be more different. We're about focusing on alcohol fueled violence,
getting to the bottom of people's demand for alcohol, and

(11:54):
that's why mandatory treatment and measures like providing our police
greater power to deal with public drinking are an important
part of our plan.

Speaker 2 (12:02):
God, just another quick one before I let you go.

Speaker 1 (12:04):
I know that the opposition has come out pretty hard
on the Northern Territory government regarding you know, this co
responder model that they've announced for both Alice Springs and
also Darwin when it comes to territory families workers then
being able to well being on twenty four to seven,
I know that you guys are really questioning where the
staff are coming from.

Speaker 2 (12:25):
Why are you concerned about that? Have we got a
shortage of staff?

Speaker 3 (12:29):
This is again an integrity issue for this government. You've
got Brent Potter, the new police Minister, coming out talking
a big game, saying the things that Territorians want to hear,
when he knows full well he can't deliver them. So
first he promised that Territory Families would be there twenty
four to seven to support the youth justice response because
it's labor who took police's power away to deal with youth.

(12:53):
Now we find out that there is thirty percent reduction
in staff and Territory families they don't have the man
power they need to be able to provide the response.
The response is no longer going to be twenty four
to seven. So in a few short weeks he's proved
himself to not only be misleading territories, but that he's
willing to say and do anything to try and rewrite

(13:15):
history effectively. Katie, But this is a chronic issue. We're
yet to hear from the Territory Families Minister about how
they're going to support police, and it all comes back
to weak laws, a broken system, and a government that
continues to put the rights of offenders above the rights
of victims.

Speaker 1 (13:34):
Lea f and Occhiaro, We are going to have to
leave it there. Thank you very much for your time
this morning, and i'd say we'll possibly talk to you
before Christmas.

Speaker 3 (13:42):
Yeah, I'm around. I'm working right through so I'll be
on whenever you want.

Speaker 1 (13:46):
Katie, no worries it all. Thank you very much for
your time this morning. Much appreciated.

Speaker 2 (13:50):
Thank you, pag
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