Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you've been listening to the show in recent days,
you'll know there shall we, along with everybody else across
the Northern Territory, has been utterly appalled with some of
what has come out of Alice Springs. We spoke yesterday
to the dad of the baby whose skull was fractured
in the home invasion last week. Now joining me on
the line is local member and independent for Aralu and
(00:22):
Robin Lamley. Good morning to you, Robin, Hello Katie, Robin,
lovely to have you on the show. How are things
going in Alice Springs over the last couple of days
following what can only be described as a horrendous week
last week?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Katie, I was just thinking about that. What does it
feel like in town and what are people thinking? And
it's hard to tell, Katie, it's just the impact of
what happened last week, last Wednesday, when that mother and
child were assaulted, that just took the win out of
(01:00):
everyone's sale. Everyone was as flat as attack, angry, distress, traumatize,
every word like that you can think of. A week later,
almost a week later, I think people are just really
tentative and it's been extremely hot here, Katie. That's the
(01:21):
weather context to what's happened. So we had a forty
three degree day yesterday, so not a lot happens on
days like that in Alice. So there's all these sort
of other factors coming into play. But I guess people
are hopeful. I guess that the new government will make
some changes. There were some promises made last week by
(01:43):
the Chief Minister, so I guess we're all hoping that
the new government delivers. But on the other hand, we
are also mindful that these problems are long standing and
it's going to take more than a few more cops
on the street and some new policies to turn things around.
(02:04):
So it's really just more of the saying that you
know that really shoved a sideways last week, Katie. It
was just awful.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
It was horrifying, I think for everybody across the Northern Territory, Robin,
because you think to yourself, you know, when you've got
a situation where a home is invaded and a mum's
at home with her four small children and during the day,
two thirty in the afternoon and you've got somebody breaking
two people breaking in who have allegedly and reportedly also
(02:40):
got you know, a prior rap sheet with more than
three hundred offenses combined and then been bailed thirty five times.
People are seriously scratching their heads, going things are absolutely broken.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And this is what we've all been talking about for years,
and this is what the new government hell band on changing,
this revolving door of bail and offending. So I think
they're on to it. And obviously we saw law's new
(03:16):
laws and amendments to laws made back in October when
we first sat. But god, we've got such a long
way to go. In Cater what happened to that mother
and child could have happened hundreds of times over in
Alice Springs and Catherine and TANet Creek and even in Darwin.
You know, we're almost lucky that it doesn't happen more often.
(03:40):
I mean, just.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
People are people are quite perplexed and kind of and
I don't even know what the right word is anymore, Robin,
because we're all just we're well and truly over it.
But when something like that happens to a mum, and
then we spoke to her husband, Marlin yesterday on the show,
and he just seems like the loveliest man. And you know,
(04:04):
the loveliest dad, and he was still upbeat. He was
so kind of heartened by the way in which the
Northern Territory communities jump behind him, raising fifty two thousand
dollars on that go fund me page. Like, to me,
we've been bought well and truly to our knees a
(04:24):
hundred times over in the end, t But then the
wonderful thing is the way that the territory rallies behind
each other and helps each other. We just wish we
didn't bloody have to.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Well, that's right, Katie. The Alice Springs community really stepped up,
and that's the only probably positive in the story is
that this family will be supported. And I heard an
interview with him today and he was upbeat and very positive.
And I just wonder when the reality of what's happened
to him and his family hit, maybe when they have
(04:57):
to come back to Alice Springs and get back to
their life again. But you know, there's so many things
that are broken, Katie. And something that struck me last
week was the fact that we've got a judicial system
that is restricted in what it can do. But you know, obviously,
(05:18):
over eight years of labor, we've had judges appointed to
the judiciary that are left leaning, labor friendly and have
gone along with this very permissive policy of allowing bail
for most offenders, particularly youth. That has to change too
(05:38):
with the new government. The new government has to make
sure that future appointments to the judiciary are more conservative
and more aligned with consequences for criminal behavior like this
is just another area that needs to be fixed. You know,
people are losing patients with the COOP already, but the
(05:59):
mag magnitude of the work ahead of them and what
they have to do is enormous. You know, eight years
of going down this track of basically holding people's hands
and being soft on crime, a term we don't like
to use these days because it's not PC. But you know,
this has to be turned around to a sensible point
(06:20):
where the judiciary are on board and not letting these
kids out and adults out forever, like we saw with
these these two alleged offenders in our springs last week
that I guess, yes, it's a mammoth job ahead and
people are losing patients down here that you know, people
(06:42):
are just fed up outer less than four months. They're
putting pressure on the CLP. What are you doing you
promised this, that and the other, why having you delivered.
I'm still very mindful. And even before I was appointed
a speaker, you know, I was saying this government will
need sick to twelve months to really make changes. And
I think that is still very much the case.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Katie. Yeah, and you did say that you have been
saying that for quite some time, that it is going
to take time to sort this issue. Robin, it's beyond broken.
I mean, when you've got a situation where a mother
is at home trying to defend her home and protect
her children in the way in which that mum had to,
but also when you've got a woman the weekend prior
(07:29):
who is asleep in her bed and is allegedly sexually
assaulted while she sleeps, I mean, it's beyond broken. There
are so many areas that need to be looked at,
and it is going to take time. But what do
you make of these changes that the Chief Minister has
come out on the weekend and said could be included
(07:52):
with the federal government's help. Things like center Link payments
being made on current takeaway alcohol free days, the reintroduction
of compulsion through work or training programs with fortnightly reporting
obligations to center link our recipients, ensuring that those royalty
distributions are made in communities, not in Alice Springs, the
(08:13):
conducting of a performance audit of federally funded programs. I mean,
they're just some of them, and then you look at
the others, like implementing the one hundred percent income management
for parents of youth offenders and accepting the Northern Territory
government's referral to the federal government for parents who neglect
their children, enabling additional income management. Do you think those
(08:36):
could work?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Absolutely, they're great ideas, They're not most of them aren't
new ideas. Some of them we've been there before and
they've been disposed of, and that they see here proposing
that they be introduced. Look, these are all sensible ideas.
It's back to the future almost the use of sendling payments,
(09:00):
you know, the timing of sendling payments. You know, Katie,
I remember when people on the doll or the pension
used to get a check in the mail and if
you came from Yundermou or Papunya, your check went out
to the post office at Yundermu and Papuna and if
you didn't happen to be there to get your check,
you didn't get your money, and that was a way
(09:20):
of keeping people connected to their community and accountable. These days,
you can go over to the Gold Coast and get
your money. You could be anywhere. There's no way of
holding people responsible for working and contributing to their community
and being just accountable generally as a citizen, and I
(09:45):
think we need to return to something like that. Obviously,
checks are a thing of the past, but I remember
when that changed, Katie, and the difference that made to
people's ability to live anywhere and do anything and basically
not turn up for work and take their kids willy
nilly everywhere and not send them to school. I mean,
in some ways you could almost mark that as one
(10:07):
of the big changes that mark the decline of how
things used to work.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Well, So, Robin, by the sounds of it, I mean,
you do think that all of those changes could have
a positive impact. You also, you know, you are saying
that realistically the judicial system needs are looking into and
that the colp need to have a look at the
judges that have been appointed. Some of them, you know,
I could be seen as being labor friendly There's been
(10:37):
a lot of discussion as well about whether we need
a greater police presence. We know that the Northern Territory
police are working bloody hard. Do they need some federal support?
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Well, I think they do. But I think I think
if I was, if I had any say in the matter,
I would I would leave that to the the last minute,
so to speak. Just so, you've given every opportunity for
the local police to step up and do things differently,
which they promised to late last week after that incident.
(11:14):
Just streamlining and putting in better systems in place was
what was described to me by a couple of coppies
I had a briefing with late last week. So I
think that always has to be on the table, and
I was pleased to see that the Chief Minister has
done that. It has just parked it to the side
of her desk, waiting to use at the you know,
(11:37):
at a point in which things completely unravel if you
can imagine them unraveling anymore. But what we do know
historically in our springs and in other parts of the
territory is that by the end of January things are
worse than ever. You know, we're mid December barely and
things are worse than ever. So, you know, I don't
(11:58):
want to be pessimistic, but I'm totally realistic. I've lived
in this town for more than thirty years. That's just
what happens. So by late January early to mid February,
people have are just stretched to the max in terms
of the heat and the lawlessness, and that's probably the
(12:19):
point that considering federal boots on the ground would be
the best time, I would think. But look, you know,
I guess having said that things changed, maybe now is
the time. But I think all those things that the
Chief Minister suggested around sendling payments and accountability around where
(12:42):
royalties are distributed and when they're distributed, and looking at
an ordered around federally funded programs. I mean, those things
are just no brainers that we've been talking about for
a long long time. And I think that the federal
government has to step up. And you know, if there's
an elections soon and the Coalition get in, which could
(13:04):
be the case, I think we could see some really
big changes for the Northern territory if Dunton becomes the
Chief Minister, gets the Prime Minister gets on board with
our Northern Territory Chief Minister Leafanocchiaro and implements these common sense,
(13:24):
conservative but totally accountable approaches to how we throw around
government funding, how we make people accountable for center link payments,
get them back to work, get them working for their dole,
whatever you like to call it. CDP. That was successful
for a period, and for some reason that is beyond
(13:46):
my comprehension, it was thrown out. You know, we have
to get back to that. You can't keep doing the
same things and thinking that thing change. Isn't that the
definition of madness?
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Well, that's exactly right. It feels that way at the moment.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Changes. I look forward to big changes with a potential
change in federal government, and yeah, might at the end
of the tunnel, but it's going to take some time
and some courage on behalf of our leaders.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Robin, before I let you go, I mean, what do
you say to those people in Ellice Springs who who
are feeling like they're still being let down at this point?
You know, despite the change in government, those that are
that are really feeling like we'll hang on. I thought
that that more might have changed by this point with
the CLP and.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Power give them more time, give them, just cut them
a bit of slack, try and be a little bit
more rational about your expectations. But having said that, Katie,
if you've just been robbed or as if you're going
to be rational about anything, like, you know, it's it's
(15:00):
all very well for me to say that, But look
what I will say to people, particularly if they're listening
from Alice Springs and the other sort of areas around
the territory. If you're going away, make sure your house
is secure, get a house sitter, do everything you can
to make your home secure. And if you can't take
(15:21):
your precious things with you, because you know, the chances
of your getting broken into and having to bolt back
to town and clean up a mess and try and
to count for things that are stolen is very very high.
And that's the world we live in at the moment,
regardless of who's in government. That's just a reality of
(15:43):
life in Alice Springs and beyond and the other frustrated
saying to people, take your car keys to bed with you.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Oh goodness, yeah, but then what if someone bloody tries
to flog you in bed for them? That's the scary part, Robert.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, shove them in your undies or something.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Oh Robin, well, it is really good to speak to
you this morning. I really appreciate your time. Thank you
so much for all your time.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Throughout the year.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Have a lovely Christmas, and we'll talk to you again
in the new year. Thank you, thanks so much. Thanks Robin.
If you've been listening to the show in recent days,
you'll know there shall we, along with everybody else across
the Northern Territory, has been utterly appalled with some of
what has come out of Alice Springs. We spoke yesterday
to the dad of the baby whose skull was fractured
in the home invasion last week. Now joining me on
the line is local member and independent for Aralu and
(00:22):
Robin Lamley. Good morning to you, Robin, Hello Katie, Robin,
lovely to have you on the show. How are things
going in Alice Springs over the last couple of days
following what can only be described as a horrendous week
last week?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Katie, I was just thinking about that. What does it
feel like in town and what are people thinking? And
it's hard to tell, Katie, it's just the impact of
what happened last week, last Wednesday, when that mother and
child were assaulted, that just took the win out of
(01:00):
everyone's sale. Everyone was as flat as attack, angry, distress, traumatize,
every word like that you can think of. A week later,
almost a week later, I think people are just really
tentative and it's been extremely hot here, Katie. That's the
(01:21):
weather context to what's happened. So we had a forty
three degree day yesterday, so not a lot happens on
days like that in Alice. So there's all these sort
of other factors coming into play. But I guess people
are hopeful. I guess that the new government will make
some changes. There were some promises made last week by
(01:43):
the Chief Minister, so I guess we're all hoping that
the new government delivers. But on the other hand, we
are also mindful that these problems are long standing and
it's going to take more than a few more cops
on the street and some new policies to turn things around.
(02:04):
So it's really just more of the saying that you
know that really shoved a sideways last week, Katie. It
was just awful.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
It was horrifying, I think for everybody across the Northern Territory, Robin,
because you think to yourself, you know, when you've got
a situation where a home is invaded and a mum's
at home with her four small children and during the day,
two thirty in the afternoon and you've got somebody breaking
two people breaking in who have allegedly and reportedly also
(02:40):
got you know, a prior rap sheet with more than
three hundred offenses combined and then been bailed thirty five times.
People are seriously scratching their heads, going things are absolutely broken.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And this is what we've all been talking about for years,
and this is what the new government hell band on changing,
this revolving door of bail and offending. So I think
they're on to it. And obviously we saw law's new
(03:16):
laws and amendments to laws made back in October when
we first sat. But god, we've got such a long
way to go. In Cater what happened to that mother
and child could have happened hundreds of times over in
Alice Springs and Catherine and TANet Creek and even in Darwin.
You know, we're almost lucky that it doesn't happen more often.
(03:40):
I mean, just.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
People are people are quite perplexed and kind of and
I don't even know what the right word is anymore, Robin,
because we're all just we're well and truly over it.
But when something like that happens to a mum, and
then we spoke to her husband, Marlin yesterday on the show,
and he just seems like the loveliest man. And you know,
(04:04):
the loveliest dad, and he was still upbeat. He was
so kind of heartened by the way in which the
Northern Territory communities jump behind him, raising fifty two thousand
dollars on that go fund me page. Like, to me,
we've been bought well and truly to our knees a
(04:24):
hundred times over in the end, t But then the
wonderful thing is the way that the territory rallies behind
each other and helps each other. We just wish we
didn't bloody have to.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Well, that's right, Katie. The Alice Springs community really stepped up,
and that's the only probably positive in the story is
that this family will be supported. And I heard an
interview with him today and he was upbeat and very positive.
And I just wonder when the reality of what's happened
to him and his family hit, maybe when they have
(04:57):
to come back to Alice Springs and get back to
their life again. But you know, there's so many things
that are broken, Katie. And something that struck me last
week was the fact that we've got a judicial system
that is restricted in what it can do. But you know, obviously,
(05:18):
over eight years of labor, we've had judges appointed to
the judiciary that are left leaning, labor friendly and have
gone along with this very permissive policy of allowing bail
for most offenders, particularly youth. That has to change too
(05:38):
with the new government. The new government has to make
sure that future appointments to the judiciary are more conservative
and more aligned with consequences for criminal behavior like this
is just another area that needs to be fixed. You know,
people are losing patients with the COOP already, but the
(05:59):
mag magnitude of the work ahead of them and what
they have to do is enormous. You know, eight years
of going down this track of basically holding people's hands
and being soft on crime, a term we don't like
to use these days because it's not PC. But you know,
this has to be turned around to a sensible point
(06:20):
where the judiciary are on board and not letting these
kids out and adults out forever, like we saw with
these these two alleged offenders in our springs last week
that I guess, yes, it's a mammoth job ahead and
people are losing patients down here that you know, people
(06:42):
are just fed up outer less than four months. They're
putting pressure on the CLP. What are you doing you
promised this, that and the other, why having you delivered.
I'm still very mindful. And even before I was appointed
a speaker, you know, I was saying this government will
need sick to twelve months to really make changes. And
I think that is still very much the case.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Katie. Yeah, and you did say that you have been
saying that for quite some time, that it is going
to take time to sort this issue. Robin, it's beyond broken.
I mean, when you've got a situation where a mother
is at home trying to defend her home and protect
her children in the way in which that mum had to,
but also when you've got a woman the weekend prior
(07:29):
who is asleep in her bed and is allegedly sexually
assaulted while she sleeps, I mean, it's beyond broken. There
are so many areas that need to be looked at,
and it is going to take time. But what do
you make of these changes that the Chief Minister has
come out on the weekend and said could be included
(07:52):
with the federal government's help. Things like center Link payments
being made on current takeaway alcohol free days, the reintroduction
of compulsion through work or training programs with fortnightly reporting
obligations to center link our recipients, ensuring that those royalty
distributions are made in communities, not in Alice Springs, the
(08:13):
conducting of a performance audit of federally funded programs. I mean,
they're just some of them, and then you look at
the others, like implementing the one hundred percent income management
for parents of youth offenders and accepting the Northern Territory
government's referral to the federal government for parents who neglect
their children, enabling additional income management. Do you think those
(08:36):
could work?
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Absolutely, they're great ideas, They're not most of them aren't
new ideas. Some of them we've been there before and
they've been disposed of, and that they see here proposing
that they be introduced. Look, these are all sensible ideas.
It's back to the future almost the use of sendling payments,
(09:00):
you know, the timing of sendling payments. You know, Katie,
I remember when people on the doll or the pension
used to get a check in the mail and if
you came from Yundermou or Papunya, your check went out
to the post office at Yundermu and Papuna and if
you didn't happen to be there to get your check,
you didn't get your money, and that was a way
(09:20):
of keeping people connected to their community and accountable. These days,
you can go over to the Gold Coast and get
your money. You could be anywhere. There's no way of
holding people responsible for working and contributing to their community
and being just accountable generally as a citizen, and I
(09:45):
think we need to return to something like that. Obviously,
checks are a thing of the past, but I remember
when that changed, Katie, and the difference that made to
people's ability to live anywhere and do anything and basically
not turn up for work and take their kids willy
nilly everywhere and not send them to school. I mean,
in some ways you could almost mark that as one
(10:07):
of the big changes that mark the decline of how
things used to work.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Well, So, Robin, by the sounds of it, I mean,
you do think that all of those changes could have
a positive impact. You also, you know, you are saying
that realistically the judicial system needs are looking into and
that the colp need to have a look at the
judges that have been appointed. Some of them, you know,
I could be seen as being labor friendly There's been
(10:37):
a lot of discussion as well about whether we need
a greater police presence. We know that the Northern Territory
police are working bloody hard. Do they need some federal support?
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Well, I think they do. But I think I think
if I was, if I had any say in the matter,
I would I would leave that to the the last minute,
so to speak. Just so, you've given every opportunity for
the local police to step up and do things differently,
which they promised to late last week after that incident.
(11:14):
Just streamlining and putting in better systems in place was
what was described to me by a couple of coppies
I had a briefing with late last week. So I
think that always has to be on the table, and
I was pleased to see that the Chief Minister has
done that. It has just parked it to the side
of her desk, waiting to use at the you know,
(11:37):
at a point in which things completely unravel if you
can imagine them unraveling anymore. But what we do know
historically in our springs and in other parts of the
territory is that by the end of January things are
worse than ever. You know, we're mid December barely and
things are worse than ever. So, you know, I don't
(11:58):
want to be pessimistic, but I'm totally realistic. I've lived
in this town for more than thirty years. That's just
what happens. So by late January early to mid February,
people have are just stretched to the max in terms
of the heat and the lawlessness, and that's probably the
(12:19):
point that considering federal boots on the ground would be
the best time, I would think. But look, you know,
I guess having said that things changed, maybe now is
the time. But I think all those things that the
Chief Minister suggested around sendling payments and accountability around where
(12:42):
royalties are distributed and when they're distributed, and looking at
an ordered around federally funded programs. I mean, those things
are just no brainers that we've been talking about for
a long long time. And I think that the federal
government has to step up. And you know, if there's
an elections soon and the Coalition get in, which could
(13:04):
be the case, I think we could see some really
big changes for the Northern territory if Dunton becomes the
Chief Minister, gets the Prime Minister gets on board with
our Northern Territory Chief Minister Leafanocchiaro and implements these common sense,
(13:24):
conservative but totally accountable approaches to how we throw around
government funding, how we make people accountable for center link payments,
get them back to work, get them working for their dole,
whatever you like to call it. CDP. That was successful
for a period, and for some reason that is beyond
(13:46):
my comprehension, it was thrown out. You know, we have
to get back to that. You can't keep doing the
same things and thinking that thing change. Isn't that the
definition of madness?
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Well, that's exactly right. It feels that way at the moment.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Changes. I look forward to big changes with a potential
change in federal government, and yeah, might at the end
of the tunnel, but it's going to take some time
and some courage on behalf of our leaders.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
Robin, before I let you go, I mean, what do
you say to those people in Ellice Springs who who
are feeling like they're still being let down at this point?
You know, despite the change in government, those that are
that are really feeling like we'll hang on. I thought
that that more might have changed by this point with
the CLP and.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Power give them more time, give them, just cut them
a bit of slack, try and be a little bit
more rational about your expectations. But having said that, Katie,
if you've just been robbed or as if you're going
to be rational about anything, like, you know, it's it's
(15:00):
all very well for me to say that, But look
what I will say to people, particularly if they're listening
from Alice Springs and the other sort of areas around
the territory. If you're going away, make sure your house
is secure, get a house sitter, do everything you can
to make your home secure. And if you can't take
(15:21):
your precious things with you, because you know, the chances
of your getting broken into and having to bolt back
to town and clean up a mess and try and
to count for things that are stolen is very very high.
And that's the world we live in at the moment,
regardless of who's in government. That's just a reality of
(15:43):
life in Alice Springs and beyond and the other frustrated
saying to people, take your car keys to bed with you.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Oh goodness, yeah, but then what if someone bloody tries
to flog you in bed for them? That's the scary part, Robert.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
Yeah, shove them in your undies or something.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Oh Robin, well, it is really good to speak to
you this morning. I really appreciate your time. Thank you
so much for all your time.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
Throughout the year.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Have a lovely Christmas, and we'll talk to you again
in the new year. Thank you, thanks so much. Thanks Robin.
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