Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining me on the line is the Independent Member for
Ara Lewin. She's also the Speaker of the Northern Territories
Legislative Assembly. Robin Lamley, good morning to you, Hello, Katie. Robin.
Quite a bit to cover off, so try and keep
it quick. In news that has broken overnight, the Australian
newspaper is reporting that the five year old girl allegedly
(00:21):
murdered in Alice Springs was the subject of six child
protection reports since mid March and was living in a
dangerous environment. That is what sources familiar with the case
have told The Australian Now. According to this report by
Liam Mendes, police made the most will made the last
notification to the Northern Territories Department of Children and Families
(00:44):
two days before she went missing in Alice Springs on
April twenty five. That report was in relation to an
alleged assault on the mother at the Old Timers camp
on April twenty two. Robin, this seems like a serious
fail from the department to not follow this up.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yes, Katie, it's gut wrenching stuff. I read that article
at about four thirty this morning and yeah, it's not
a great way to start the day. Look, there will
be time for these things to be investigated, and perhaps
they'll be inquiries and reviews into child protection, the state
(01:29):
of the town camps in Alice Springs, all those issues
are arising as we speak. I personally believe, though, Katie,
that even though the media are doing us a great
service by covering these things, they're also pushing things a
(01:51):
little bit too far too soon for the likes of
me and probably most people in Alice Springs. We know
that those things happen. You know that there's failures within
the child protection system. There always has been. There's inadequate
funding and resources, and as a result, from time to time,
kids fall through the cracks. And you hope that what
(02:13):
happened to little baby Cooman Jay won't happen, but you know,
in this case it has. So Look, I just think
we're in for a whole of more pain in the
near future when these things are investigated. But for the
time being, I just feel like we need time to
(02:34):
process this, Katie, And that's really really difficult for most
people that I know to get their head around this.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Robin, how from your perspective, how is the community of
Alice Springs going you and I spoke on Friday, it
was shocked, and then it was further shock as a
result of the riotous behavior as police have described it
outside the hospital and at the servo. You know, how
is the sentiment in Alice at the moment? I know
(03:02):
you're here in Darwin for sittings.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Though, I think most people are truly and genuinely deeply
affected by this, and that comes out of Islam in
lots of different ways. Sadness, anger, confusion, frustration. I mean,
it just makes some people want to pack up and
(03:24):
leave because it's all too hard. But at the end
of the day, we have to keep going and we
have to, as I said before, process what's happened this
roller coaster ride that we've been on for a week?
A little bit over a week. I mean, she went
(03:45):
missing Sunday morning. Sunday morning, I looked into the sky
and thought, that's weird. Why are all the why is
a helicopter going up and down and up and down
the river just adjacent to my house? And then it
all sort of unfolds. Every minute, every hour, every day
seem to present something more horrific and disturbing. But there
(04:10):
were high points in that too. You know the fact
that people were coming together in unity and love and
genuine care to try and find little common Jay. So look,
it's just been horrific and there's more to come, we
know that, but it will take time for Alice Springs
(04:31):
to be ready to be a part of a bigger
and more critical debate around what needs to be fixed.
We've been there before, We've had the Little Children a
sacred report back in two thousand and six. I was
an elected member then when the intervention kicked off as
a result of that, that included a great analysis and
(04:55):
concentration on normalizing and upgrading the town can and it
was all around the vulnerability and the abuse and neglect
of children, Aboriginal children in remote areas and on the
town camps of Alice Springs. So we're familiar with this, Katie.
This is a dark chapter of who we are and
(05:19):
what we are that just doesn't go away. So people
are right to want to talk about it, but I
just think give us a couple of couple more days
to get through this, you know, to mourn, and you know,
I'm not really one to sort of drag these things
out and procrastinate, but I just truly think we need
(05:43):
to to honor this little girl, you know, and the family,
and obviously the family has problems, the community has problems,
Alice Springs has problems. Stating the obvious. Get to that.
We will get to that, and hopefully, through common sense
(06:05):
and good leadership, some good things will come about.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Robin, let's take a real step in another direction and
talk about the budget. What was in it for the
people of Alice Springs. From what you've read through.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Well, Katie, this was a very prudent and conservative budget,
which I'm all in favor of. You just can't keep
spending money you haven't got, and I think the whole
country has reached a bit of a crossroads here. We're
going to get smashed with the federal budget, I think
next week. But the Northern Territory budget that Bill Yann
(06:40):
brought down yesterday was fiscally responsible. I think it's not
a cash splash, it's not what we've seen in previous years.
I think it's a sensible budget. Yes, people are deeply
unhappy because they're not getting the usual treats that they
were given un the former labor government. But as Bill said,
(07:03):
that was all at all at the expense of the
deficit and this enormous amount of money we have to
pay every day, every week, every month to service that.
So you know, this government has made no secret of
their intentions. They're going to reduce crime. And I sound
(07:23):
like a Seal supporter, but I am aligned with this
fiscal approach. I am. I'm not going to pretend i'm not.
They said they were going to reduce crime, so they've
put more money into police and prisons, and they said
they were going to reduce the debt, and that means
not spending money that they don't have. So I support that,
(07:47):
you know, I don't support the fact that Alice Springs
it has amenities that are old and aging and tired
and pathetic. Catherine Tenant Creek, Alice Springs, Noulham, Boy. We're
all in the same. So how all the money gets
spent in Darwin? I'm sick to death with that.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
The spoil. You know, we're like the spoilt child.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
You guys get it all up here and it's beautiful
and lovely, but it's like living in a parallel universe.
How many times have I said that? You know, drive
fifty k's out of town and you think, am I
on the same planet, you know, like is it the
same government or is it a different government? That continues,
you know, the unfair distribution of government money to Darwin
(08:34):
at the expense of everywhere else will continue because all
the politicians were half of them, three quarters of and
whatever live here in Darwin. So you guys get it
all and we just are thankful and humbled to get
whatever we get. But the problem is, Katie, that we've
had now over a decade of being sadly neglected in
(08:56):
the regions and it's showing. You know. So if you
talk aboutism, as long as they stay in flashy Darwin
and enjoy the beautiful amenities up here, everyone's going to
be happy. But once they get out of town, the
tourists are going to say, well, what's going on here?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Yeah, you need some of that investment there as.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Well, you know, starving the regions of money, which you
know has happened for a long time under labor and
it seems under the COLP we're not going to get
much either. It's at the expense the whole of the territory.
And you can talk up all these things that are
going to you know, buoy the economy in the Northern Territory,
(09:37):
but very little of it seeps down filters down to
the places like Alice Springs and Tenet Creek. So we
will continue to do it tough and we're thankful for
what we're getting. That there's very little new money for
Alice Springs. I think the only new money is more
money in going to the Alice Springs Jail, the Alice
(09:58):
Springs Correction Center. Money has been shaved off a few
other infrastructure projects, but we do appreciate the reduction in
crime and I personally think it makes sense to address
this terrible debt that we've got and I can see
what they're doing there and that can only benefit territories
(10:18):
in the long run. That's if they survive the next election.
I mean, people don't like not having the cash splash
and the you know, the lolly jar full of treats.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
We like to we do like to.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Be Territorians have to remember that whilst they're not getting
all the treats that they got under the former labor government,
what they are getting is hopefully a safer community. And
I haven't been paid and it's not sponsored by the COLP.
This is Robin Lanley, Conservative woman who doesn't spend much money.
(10:54):
You know, I watch where all my personal money goes.
And you know, when I was Treasurer for five minutes,
I'm made some pretty extreme decisions around cuts and trying
to bring the dead in and it is at the
expense of you politically quite often because people don't like it.
But this is a prudent, sensible budget.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Well, Robin Lamley, I reckon you've given a few jabs
out on both sides there, not just to one.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
So I always don't like anyone, Katie. So I don't
have any friends in politics in the class functored by
anyone just by what some people think. So I would
say what I think and go back to Alice Springs.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Robin Lambley, it is always so good to talk to you.
I appreciate your time this morning. As always, I'll let
you get into the chamber.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
We'll do thank you,
Joining me on the line is the Independent Member for
Ara Lewin. She's also the Speaker of the Northern Territories
Legislative Assembly. Robin Lamley, good morning to you, Hello, Katie. Robin.
Quite a bit to cover off, so try and keep
it quick. In news that has broken overnight, the Australian
newspaper is reporting that the five year old girl allegedly
(00:21):
murdered in Alice Springs was the subject of six child
protection reports since mid March and was living in a
dangerous environment. That is what sources familiar with the case
have told The Australian Now. According to this report by
Liam Mendes, police made the most will made the last
notification to the Northern Territories Department of Children and Families
(00:44):
two days before she went missing in Alice Springs on
April twenty five. That report was in relation to an
alleged assault on the mother at the Old Timers camp
on April twenty two. Robin, this seems like a serious
fail from the department to not follow this up.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yes, Katie, it's gut wrenching stuff. I read that article
at about four thirty this morning and yeah, it's not
a great way to start the day. Look, there will
be time for these things to be investigated, and perhaps
they'll be inquiries and reviews into child protection, the state
(01:29):
of the town camps in Alice Springs, all those issues
are arising as we speak. I personally believe, though, Katie,
that even though the media are doing us a great
service by covering these things, they're also pushing things a
(01:51):
little bit too far too soon for the likes of
me and probably most people in Alice Springs. We know
that those things happen. You know that there's failures within
the child protection system. There always has been. There's inadequate
funding and resources, and as a result, from time to time,
kids fall through the cracks. And you hope that what
(02:13):
happened to little baby Cooman Jay won't happen, but you know,
in this case it has. So Look, I just think
we're in for a whole of more pain in the
near future when these things are investigated. But for the
time being, I just feel like we need time to
(02:34):
process this, Katie, And that's really really difficult for most
people that I know to get their head around this.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Robin, how from your perspective, how is the community of
Alice Springs going you and I spoke on Friday, it
was shocked, and then it was further shock as a
result of the riotous behavior as police have described it
outside the hospital and at the servo. You know, how
is the sentiment in Alice at the moment? I know
(03:02):
you're here in Darwin for sittings.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Though, I think most people are truly and genuinely deeply
affected by this, and that comes out of Islam in
lots of different ways. Sadness, anger, confusion, frustration. I mean,
it just makes some people want to pack up and
(03:24):
leave because it's all too hard. But at the end
of the day, we have to keep going and we
have to, as I said before, process what's happened this
roller coaster ride that we've been on for a week?
A little bit over a week. I mean, she went
(03:45):
missing Sunday morning. Sunday morning, I looked into the sky
and thought, that's weird. Why are all the why is
a helicopter going up and down and up and down
the river just adjacent to my house? And then it
all sort of unfolds. Every minute, every hour, every day
seem to present something more horrific and disturbing. But there
(04:10):
were high points in that too. You know the fact
that people were coming together in unity and love and
genuine care to try and find little common Jay. So look,
it's just been horrific and there's more to come, we
know that, but it will take time for Alice Springs
(04:31):
to be ready to be a part of a bigger
and more critical debate around what needs to be fixed.
We've been there before, We've had the Little Children a
sacred report back in two thousand and six. I was
an elected member then when the intervention kicked off as
a result of that, that included a great analysis and
(04:55):
concentration on normalizing and upgrading the town can and it
was all around the vulnerability and the abuse and neglect
of children, Aboriginal children in remote areas and on the
town camps of Alice Springs. So we're familiar with this, Katie.
This is a dark chapter of who we are and
(05:19):
what we are that just doesn't go away. So people
are right to want to talk about it, but I
just think give us a couple of couple more days
to get through this, you know, to mourn, and you know,
I'm not really one to sort of drag these things
out and procrastinate, but I just truly think we need
(05:43):
to to honor this little girl, you know, and the family,
and obviously the family has problems, the community has problems,
Alice Springs has problems. Stating the obvious. Get to that.
We will get to that, and hopefully, through common sense
(06:05):
and good leadership, some good things will come about.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Robin, let's take a real step in another direction and
talk about the budget. What was in it for the
people of Alice Springs. From what you've read through.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Well, Katie, this was a very prudent and conservative budget,
which I'm all in favor of. You just can't keep
spending money you haven't got, and I think the whole
country has reached a bit of a crossroads here. We're
going to get smashed with the federal budget, I think
next week. But the Northern Territory budget that Bill Yann
(06:40):
brought down yesterday was fiscally responsible. I think it's not
a cash splash, it's not what we've seen in previous years.
I think it's a sensible budget. Yes, people are deeply
unhappy because they're not getting the usual treats that they
were given un the former labor government. But as Bill said,
(07:03):
that was all at all at the expense of the
deficit and this enormous amount of money we have to
pay every day, every week, every month to service that.
So you know, this government has made no secret of
their intentions. They're going to reduce crime. And I sound
(07:23):
like a Seal supporter, but I am aligned with this
fiscal approach. I am. I'm not going to pretend i'm not.
They said they were going to reduce crime, so they've
put more money into police and prisons, and they said
they were going to reduce the debt, and that means
not spending money that they don't have. So I support that,
(07:47):
you know, I don't support the fact that Alice Springs
it has amenities that are old and aging and tired
and pathetic. Catherine Tenant Creek, Alice Springs, Noulham, Boy. We're
all in the same. So how all the money gets
spent in Darwin? I'm sick to death with that.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
The spoil. You know, we're like the spoilt child.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
You guys get it all up here and it's beautiful
and lovely, but it's like living in a parallel universe.
How many times have I said that? You know, drive
fifty k's out of town and you think, am I
on the same planet, you know, like is it the
same government or is it a different government? That continues,
you know, the unfair distribution of government money to Darwin
(08:34):
at the expense of everywhere else will continue because all
the politicians were half of them, three quarters of and
whatever live here in Darwin. So you guys get it
all and we just are thankful and humbled to get
whatever we get. But the problem is, Katie, that we've
had now over a decade of being sadly neglected in
(08:56):
the regions and it's showing. You know. So if you
talk aboutism, as long as they stay in flashy Darwin
and enjoy the beautiful amenities up here, everyone's going to
be happy. But once they get out of town, the
tourists are going to say, well, what's going on here?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Yeah, you need some of that investment there as.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Well, you know, starving the regions of money, which you
know has happened for a long time under labor and
it seems under the COLP we're not going to get
much either. It's at the expense the whole of the territory.
And you can talk up all these things that are
going to you know, buoy the economy in the Northern Territory,
(09:37):
but very little of it seeps down filters down to
the places like Alice Springs and Tenet Creek. So we
will continue to do it tough and we're thankful for
what we're getting. That there's very little new money for
Alice Springs. I think the only new money is more
money in going to the Alice Springs Jail, the Alice
(09:58):
Springs Correction Center. Money has been shaved off a few
other infrastructure projects, but we do appreciate the reduction in
crime and I personally think it makes sense to address
this terrible debt that we've got and I can see
what they're doing there and that can only benefit territories
(10:18):
in the long run. That's if they survive the next election.
I mean, people don't like not having the cash splash
and the you know, the lolly jar full of treats.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
We like to we do like to.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Be Territorians have to remember that whilst they're not getting
all the treats that they got under the former labor government,
what they are getting is hopefully a safer community. And
I haven't been paid and it's not sponsored by the COLP.
This is Robin Lanley, Conservative woman who doesn't spend much money.
(10:54):
You know, I watch where all my personal money goes.
And you know, when I was Treasurer for five minutes,
I'm made some pretty extreme decisions around cuts and trying
to bring the dead in and it is at the
expense of you politically quite often because people don't like it.
But this is a prudent, sensible budget.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Well, Robin Lamley, I reckon you've given a few jabs
out on both sides there, not just to one.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
So I always don't like anyone, Katie. So I don't
have any friends in politics in the class functored by
anyone just by what some people think. So I would
say what I think and go back to Alice Springs.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Robin Lambley, it is always so good to talk to you.
I appreciate your time this morning. As always, I'll let
you get into the chamber.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
We'll do thank you,
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