Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining me on the line right now is the CEO
of Hospitality here in the Northern Territory, Alex Bruce. Good morning, Alex,
Good morning, key Alex. A bit to get through this morning. Obviously,
the government made the announcement yesterday they've committed an additional
or or a further eight million dollars over the next
two years for funding to be used to maintain the
transit safety officers on the bus network. But as that
(00:23):
announcement was being made yesterday, some were questioning where are
things that with our security guards on bottle shops being
able to use OC spray.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yeah, and you might remember, tragically after declan Levity's pasting
last year more than a year ago now, it was
part of the measures that the government announced in that
following week. The latest update that we've been provided by
Minister Potter is that we think we might be ready
(00:55):
to start seeing some of them rolled out end of
this month's early next month. We would have liked to
be sooner rather than later, but it is what it is.
We are seeing a lot of edged weapons, so you know,
we'd always have a bit of an influx over the
wet season and weather, rest spite and more people from
other parts of the territory coming into Darwin, and now
(01:18):
that the weather's improving in the road opening up, they
clear back out again and it might calm down a
little bit, But definitely this season has just been many,
many incidents and near misses with with edged weapons and
our bottle shop network particularly, So you know, we're all
a little bit on tenor hooks and we do think,
you know, there is no one thing, but there are
(01:41):
all these little punks that are putting themselves on TikTok,
you know, gown the police in our suburbs and towns
or whatever. Well let's get some footage of spraying them
in the eyes of the OC spray and put that
on TikTok instead.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I reckon others would agree with you on that one, Alex.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Particularly you know, when you've got people out there breaking
the law, it just makes me wild when you think
then they're sharing that on TikTok, they're sharing that on
other platforms and seemingly getting away with doing so. But
with so with the OC spray with the security officers.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
So I mean.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
This month or early next month, Alex, that seems like
a very long time to wait. Following on from the
absolute tragedy that we we are all very well aware
of from early last year.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Look, there's been hurdles put up within the bureaucracy on
this one, and you know, the the decisions taken from
from from cabinet and the ministers. But then you know
it's sent to people whose job it is to say
no to most things. So you know, it had been
slow moving legislative change that was required. The government did
(02:50):
put through at the end of last year, which is good,
but yeah, you know, is it le galant you can
carry this around themselves? Yeah, right, Like we wrap ourselves
up into whether this is putting us on the path
of second tier policing, and we respect the police and
their association have a very strong role to say in
(03:13):
all of that. But when we just can't get the
boots on the ground, we need to be able to
protect our staff and our security.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
So you're saying that in Western Australia, every day people
can carry around their oc spray, but here we're sort
of concerned about whether a security guard.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Can have it or not.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
We have a coboard in our community that's carrying around
weapons and the rest of us aren't allowed to. So yeah,
it is what it is.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Oh, look, I think it will be a good thing
once they're able to actually use that. It's not going
to be, you know, the answer to every issue we've got.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
We all understand that.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
But it does just mean that there is a tool
in the belts of security guards and they need to
be trained properly obviously to use it. But all of
that work is what is going to happen, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
That's it. And at the moment, you know, I've seen
too many incidences not to name any of them on
the CCTV footage, and the guards, the staff, they're standing
back as they're trained to do when there's too big
of mob boarders, you know, edge weapons or scissors being
filled around and moving away from the till, moving away
from the counters of spirits or whatever, and they're still
(04:22):
getting lunched at. So we're not we're not happy where
we are. We'd hate hates that to be any worse
incidence than to occur in their space. And yeah, we
just think as appropriate with the right training and all
the other framework that's getting put around it. But a
couple of these mongrel kids that it might change their behavior.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Alex let me ask you.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
I know that that we have now received a copy
of a letter that went from the Northern Territory Police
two different licensed takeaway licensed premises in Alice Springs saying
that as of tomorrow basically that training commitments the recruit
constables are going to see duties in Alice Springs on Wednesday.
(05:05):
Post this dage, there's going to be a revision of
the all that's going to be a reversal to the
hybrid Pouse operation which was in place prior to the
twenty ninth of March. The operation is going to provide
well ongoing assessments at takeaway alcohol licensed premises. It's also
going to meet a collaboration with Licensing and Tea to
(05:26):
ensure compliance with the Liquor Act and enhanced Alcohol Policing
Unit staffed by constables supporting this hybrid operation. Wash are
those takeaway licensed premises in Alice Springs saying to you
this morning, Well, we.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Were down supporting the Alice Cup on the weekend and
it was cracking day out of the track and yesterday
we had the Central Australian liquor record in Alice Springs,
so it was very well attended from the licensees and
then the police and Licensing mt. That communication was discussed.
The subject to the final announcement of what was happening
(06:04):
with the curfew was discussed. So it was quite a
productive meeting. The little outlets, I think, have made their
views known about the impact on them when they don't
get full coverage. The large outlets in the CBD particularly,
we understand are still going to maintain full coverage, and
(06:26):
it's definitely the police and government's view that the smaller
ones that are restricted in the volume that they can
sell at that twenty five percent cap that you're aware of,
that does act as yet another limited We were already
rightly or wrongly what you think about that policy. But
we're already seeing those small stores having to close or
see service in their stores towards the end of the month.
(06:48):
So they're suddenly not going to materialize additional grocery store
sales to offset any additional alcohol volumes. Sound is relying
on that as a bit of a limit.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
I appreciate that those stores are concerned of being mobbed,
and then how do they put on the security and
the additional cost and everything else to try and to
deal with the law in order.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I mean, is it fair like is it fair really
that the big guys continue to get that coverage and
the little guys don't.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Ah, I might just leave that one there, the accord
in our springs and even in Catherine as well wrote
into the government before the changes happened earlier this year.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Generally it is our view that if you don't achieve
full coverage in a town, it just displaces activity between
outlets and we're not sure you get the right outcome
when that happens. But you know, the police outline yesterday
quite succinctly just that challenge they have at the moment
actually getting boots on the ground.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Well, look, we are going to talk more about it
throughout the morning. Alex Bruce. We always appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Thank you very much for having a chat with me today.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Thank you. That is Alex Bruce.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
There the sea of hospitality here in the Northern Turret
Joining me on the line right now is the CEO
of Hospitality here in the Northern Territory, Alex Bruce. Good morning, Alex,
Good morning, key Alex. A bit to get through this morning. Obviously,
the government made the announcement yesterday they've committed an additional
or or a further eight million dollars over the next
two years for funding to be used to maintain the
transit safety officers on the bus network. But as that
(00:23):
announcement was being made yesterday, some were questioning where are
things that with our security guards on bottle shops being
able to use OC spray.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Yeah, and you might remember, tragically after declan Levity's pasting
last year more than a year ago now, it was
part of the measures that the government announced in that
following week. The latest update that we've been provided by
Minister Potter is that we think we might be ready
(00:55):
to start seeing some of them rolled out end of
this month's early next month. We would have liked to
be sooner rather than later, but it is what it is.
We are seeing a lot of edged weapons, so you know,
we'd always have a bit of an influx over the
wet season and weather, rest spite and more people from
other parts of the territory coming into Darwin, and now
(01:18):
that the weather's improving in the road opening up, they
clear back out again and it might calm down a
little bit, But definitely this season has just been many,
many incidents and near misses with with edged weapons and
our bottle shop network particularly, So you know, we're all
a little bit on tenor hooks and we do think,
you know, there is no one thing, but there are
(01:41):
all these little punks that are putting themselves on TikTok,
you know, gown the police in our suburbs and towns
or whatever. Well let's get some footage of spraying them
in the eyes of the OC spray and put that
on TikTok instead.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
I reckon others would agree with you on that one, Alex.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Particularly you know, when you've got people out there breaking
the law, it just makes me wild when you think
then they're sharing that on TikTok, they're sharing that on
other platforms and seemingly getting away with doing so. But
with so with the OC spray with the security officers.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
So I mean.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
This month or early next month, Alex, that seems like
a very long time to wait. Following on from the
absolute tragedy that we we are all very well aware
of from early last year.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Look, there's been hurdles put up within the bureaucracy on
this one, and you know, the the decisions taken from
from from cabinet and the ministers. But then you know
it's sent to people whose job it is to say
no to most things. So you know, it had been
slow moving legislative change that was required. The government did
(02:50):
put through at the end of last year, which is good,
but yeah, you know, is it le galant you can
carry this around themselves? Yeah, right, Like we wrap ourselves
up into whether this is putting us on the path
of second tier policing, and we respect the police and
their association have a very strong role to say in
(03:13):
all of that. But when we just can't get the
boots on the ground, we need to be able to
protect our staff and our security.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
So you're saying that in Western Australia, every day people
can carry around their oc spray, but here we're sort
of concerned about whether a security guard.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Can have it or not.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
We have a coboard in our community that's carrying around
weapons and the rest of us aren't allowed to. So yeah,
it is what it is.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Oh, look, I think it will be a good thing
once they're able to actually use that. It's not going
to be, you know, the answer to every issue we've got.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
We all understand that.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
But it does just mean that there is a tool
in the belts of security guards and they need to
be trained properly obviously to use it. But all of
that work is what is going to happen, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
That's it. And at the moment, you know, I've seen
too many incidences not to name any of them on
the CCTV footage, and the guards, the staff, they're standing
back as they're trained to do when there's too big
of mob boarders, you know, edge weapons or scissors being
filled around and moving away from the till, moving away
from the counters of spirits or whatever, and they're still
(04:22):
getting lunched at. So we're not we're not happy where
we are. We'd hate hates that to be any worse
incidence than to occur in their space. And yeah, we
just think as appropriate with the right training and all
the other framework that's getting put around it. But a
couple of these mongrel kids that it might change their behavior.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Alex let me ask you.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
I know that that we have now received a copy
of a letter that went from the Northern Territory Police
two different licensed takeaway licensed premises in Alice Springs saying
that as of tomorrow basically that training commitments the recruit
constables are going to see duties in Alice Springs on Wednesday.
(05:05):
Post this dage, there's going to be a revision of
the all that's going to be a reversal to the
hybrid Pouse operation which was in place prior to the
twenty ninth of March. The operation is going to provide
well ongoing assessments at takeaway alcohol licensed premises. It's also
going to meet a collaboration with Licensing and Tea to
(05:26):
ensure compliance with the Liquor Act and enhanced Alcohol Policing
Unit staffed by constables supporting this hybrid operation. Wash are
those takeaway licensed premises in Alice Springs saying to you
this morning, Well, we.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Were down supporting the Alice Cup on the weekend and
it was cracking day out of the track and yesterday
we had the Central Australian liquor record in Alice Springs,
so it was very well attended from the licensees and
then the police and Licensing mt. That communication was discussed.
The subject to the final announcement of what was happening
(06:04):
with the curfew was discussed. So it was quite a
productive meeting. The little outlets, I think, have made their
views known about the impact on them when they don't
get full coverage. The large outlets in the CBD particularly,
we understand are still going to maintain full coverage, and
(06:26):
it's definitely the police and government's view that the smaller
ones that are restricted in the volume that they can
sell at that twenty five percent cap that you're aware of,
that does act as yet another limited We were already
rightly or wrongly what you think about that policy. But
we're already seeing those small stores having to close or
see service in their stores towards the end of the month.
(06:48):
So they're suddenly not going to materialize additional grocery store
sales to offset any additional alcohol volumes. Sound is relying
on that as a bit of a limit.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
I appreciate that those stores are concerned of being mobbed,
and then how do they put on the security and
the additional cost and everything else to try and to
deal with the law in order.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I mean, is it fair like is it fair really
that the big guys continue to get that coverage and
the little guys don't.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Ah, I might just leave that one there, the accord
in our springs and even in Catherine as well wrote
into the government before the changes happened earlier this year.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Generally it is our view that if you don't achieve
full coverage in a town, it just displaces activity between
outlets and we're not sure you get the right outcome
when that happens. But you know, the police outline yesterday
quite succinctly just that challenge they have at the moment
actually getting boots on the ground.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Well, look, we are going to talk more about it
throughout the morning. Alex Bruce. We always appreciate your time.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Thank you very much for having a chat with me today.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Thank you. That is Alex Bruce.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
There the sea of hospitality here in the Northern Turret
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