Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, as we learned yesterday, transit safety and public housing
(00:04):
officer roles are set to be scrapped, with new officers
transitioning to a stream of police dedicated to tackling anti
social behavior, the fifty six strong police Public Safety Officer Unit,
the PbSO it's going to focus on public housing, buses,
shopping centers, bottle shops, events and other public areas. They're
(00:26):
going to be retrained at the Police College, they're going
to wear a police uniform and they'll be authorized, it's
reported to carry guns. Now, joining us on the line
to talk a little bit more about this is the
independent member for Ara lun She is indeed also the
Speaker of the Northern Territories Legislative Assembly. Robin Lambley. Good
morning to you, Robin.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Good morning Katie.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Robin, lovely to have you on the show. What do
you make of this announcement?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well, I wasn't aware that the government was going down
this track, but from my perspective, I think it was
always going to happen that these positions were upgraded. We
saw just a few years back the police outside of
bottle shops they were upgraded to constable police constable positions
(01:16):
and even going back further, there was a lot of
controversy around those powllies they call them having guns. So
I think the fact that our world has become crazier,
more violent, the incidents of crime has increased. I think
it was only a matter of time that transit safety
(01:39):
and public housing safety offices were upgraded to police too.
It's about the safety of the community, but it's also
about the safety of these workers. I years ago, I
used to go out with the public housing safety offices
fairly regularly, and even in those days, the situations they
walked into were were insane. I just remember going onto
(02:03):
a town camp years ago and it was like walking
into a war zone, potentially very very dangerous, explosive situations.
So I'm not surprised they've done it.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, and I guess you know, we have got so
many issues with crime, anti social behavior, that public drunkenness
around the Northern Territory. Robin, do you know if there's
going to be a dedicated team in Alice Springs as well,
or what the situation will be for Alice at this point.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Look, I only know what I've read in the media.
I haven't been briefed on it yet. I'll get a
briefing as soon as I can, but i'd imagine that
Alice Springs would be a priority for these positions. We've
had public housing safety offices since twenty eleven. I remember
when both positions were created. I just came on board
(02:50):
as a member. And originally they were kind of like
welfare offices sent out to public housing complexes, town camps.
A lot of their work was to de escalate problems
in a fairly non police way. But I think just
because things have got so difficult and more intense, and
(03:14):
there's a greater level of crime and perhaps even a
greater severity in crime, I just think it makes sense
to upgrade these positions. They can still have a welfare
sort of negotiating role, but they have to be safe,
and I think we all need to be safer on
our streets. I think that's the sad reality of where
(03:36):
we live now.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, it's real. It's a real shame, isn't it. That
that's you know, that's the point that we've reached. But
I think that you know, we already see security officers
patrolling the area sort of everywhere around Darwin and Palmerston.
I'm not sure how it is in Ella Springs, but
it's sort of become the norm.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
It has become the norm. I think people will be
concerned about these officers carrying guns, but like what I
described with the Powis, the police outside of bottle shops
years ago, it just made sense for them to have
a gun on them. I don't think Powis have ever
(04:16):
used a gun, ironically, But you know, even when they
a couple of years ago, when the former Labor government
introduced capsican spray to the transit safety officers, there was
a lot of concern then about the training that these
officers would have using a potentially dangerous weapon like capsican spray.
(04:37):
So we're kind of evolving, Katie, to a point where
we accept reluctantly that people working in these areas of
security and safety need to have these things to protect
themselves and to protect the public. I think it's just realistic,
sadly but realistic.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
How are things going in Alice Springs at the moment.
I mean, we've you know, we've spoken in recent weeks
about the issues that have unfolded there. How are things
going at the moment.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Look, we still have an unacceptable level of crime, Katie,
We always have and we always will. It's a little
bit hard to gauge if there has been a reduction.
The crime stats are coming out on Friday for April,
so we'll get to see if there has been a
reduction since the new government has come in. But it
(05:35):
still feels like we're living in fear. We're tentative. I
think what happened with Cooman J. White in Coal's that
sort of put us all on high alert. It's it
hasn't changed a great deal, but I still hold out home.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Katie Robert, I don't know whether you've got any info
on these or not, and so feel free to, you know,
to tell me no. But you know, it had been
widely reported as well that there'd been an assault allegedly
on a woman holding her baby in the lead into
that event and then the tragic death of coleman Ji White.
(06:12):
Do you know if that woman is all right? Do
you know has there been a lot of discussion about
that in Central Australia.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Not that I'm aware of, Katie, but I do know
a woman who was assaulted by someone in the leader
to what happened to Pumen J. White. Now, I'm not
going to speculate on who the offender was. It happened
in a short space of time before what happened in Cole's,
(06:42):
so people can extrapolate and speculate and all that sort
of thing. But I do know the woman involved reasonably well.
That's why I know that it happened, because you know,
I've got a fairly good relationship with her and her husband,
and so I do know that she was a sol
by someone out in the front of the Commonwealth Bank on
(07:04):
that same day, and she's okay, But she was holding
her little baby, who's only a couple of months old.
So I can't say anything else. But I can confirm
that she's okay and she was assaulted, but I haven't
really I'm not in any position say anything more broadly, Katie.
(07:26):
Those things are still happening in Alice Springs all the time.
You know, people are getting pushed and shoved and assaulted,
and there's theft going on. You know, to walk around
Alice Springs at any time of the night or day
is still something you have to take very seriously. Long
gone of the days and you're probably your listeners up
(07:48):
here in dar and are probably nodding their heads. Long
gone are the days where you can just jump out
of the car and not even sort of think too
much and wander around the streets of your town. You
just have to be on high alert. You have to.
You know, I walk around with my handbag across across
my body now, which is something I never used to do,
(08:09):
and I have my you know, a hand sort of
placed on my bag. I don't feel necessarily threatened, but
you have to protect yourself from our vigilance. Like the
changes to the transit and public housing safety officers, we
all have to change and step up and modify our
(08:29):
behavior to this increased level of threat and violence in
our community. And that's the sad state of affairs. But
that is the reality.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Robin. What have the people of Ellis Springs thought about
the announcement of OC spray being able to be utilized
if required as well, If that's you know, if that's
what you choose to do potentially from September.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Well, I don't know that it's sunk in particularly that
was that was last week's announcement, wasn't it. So I
think we're trying to get our heads around it. Peculiar
thing in Alice Springs is to buy this OC spray,
this low level OC spray. It will as we've been
told that they will be sold out of firearms dealers shops.
(09:14):
But we don't have shop fronts for firearms in Alice
Springs anymore, which I didn't know, so you can't just
walk into a shop and buy a gun anymore in
Alice Springs, So to get the OC spray, which most
of us will be eligible to buy. The only exclusion
from what I was told is if you've got a
history of committing serious violent offenses. So most of us
(09:39):
will be eligible to get an OC spray to use
under this trial, But for people in Alice Springs will
have to order it online I think, and then make
an appointment to go and pick it up from the
back door of the local dealer that in our rows front.
Something wrong. Yeah, yeah, Well it's a bit seedy, doesn't it.
(10:03):
It will be interesting to see what the takeup is,
Will people wander down and get an OC spray. I
even got the the cost, the approximate cost of these sprays.
I think the smaller ones around forty dollars and the
next one up is about fifty or fifty five dollars,
so they're not exactly cheap, but I guess. But if
(10:26):
people want to get an OC spray to make them
feel safer, then it's probably you know, a good use
of your money.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
That's something you can do it.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yeah, it'll just be fascinating to see what the take
up is and how many people actually use the spray,
and yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
I'll be interested. I'll be interested to see how it folds,
how it unfolds. Hey, Robin, before I let you go,
obviously with your hat on as the Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly. Of course, budget estimates have been going on
for the last sort of almost two weeks. What's the
what's the sort of end process now with estimates?
Speaker 2 (11:02):
So it all wraps up at one thirty. I'm on
between twelve thirty and one thirty for the Department of
Legislative Assembly, and I get one hour and then we
go back into Parliament at two thirty. There'll be no
question time. It will be the only debate will be
on the appropriation Bill, the budget and the maximum amount
(11:26):
of time that that will go on for a five hours,
So we go in at two thirty at the most
we'll finish that debate at seven point thirty and I'd
say we'll be out of here by eight thirty at
the latest. Well, it's a different day to half a day.
And then we don't come back to Parliament until the
end of July.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
End of July, all right, Well, it'll be interesting to
see how it all goes today. It's always interesting to
watch estimates as well. I mean, look, some aspects a
little bit boring. Some aspects, you know, a few interesting
bits of info, Robin, you never know what going to guess.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Look, I find it fascinating, but you and I obviously
political tragic, so the average person probably still rather watch
paint dry.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I reckon, you're right.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I reckon, you're right.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Robin Lamley, thank you so much for your time this morning.
Much appreciated.
Now, as we learned yesterday, transit safety and public housing
(00:04):
officer roles are set to be scrapped, with new officers
transitioning to a stream of police dedicated to tackling anti
social behavior, the fifty six strong police Public Safety Officer Unit,
the PbSO it's going to focus on public housing, buses,
shopping centers, bottle shops, events and other public areas. They're
(00:26):
going to be retrained at the Police College, they're going
to wear a police uniform and they'll be authorized, it's
reported to carry guns. Now, joining us on the line
to talk a little bit more about this is the
independent member for Ara lun She is indeed also the
Speaker of the Northern Territories Legislative Assembly. Robin Lambley. Good
morning to you, Robin.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Good morning Katie.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Robin, lovely to have you on the show. What do
you make of this announcement?
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Well, I wasn't aware that the government was going down
this track, but from my perspective, I think it was
always going to happen that these positions were upgraded. We
saw just a few years back the police outside of
bottle shops they were upgraded to constable police constable positions
(01:16):
and even going back further, there was a lot of
controversy around those powllies they call them having guns. So
I think the fact that our world has become crazier,
more violent, the incidents of crime has increased. I think
it was only a matter of time that transit safety
(01:39):
and public housing safety offices were upgraded to police too.
It's about the safety of the community, but it's also
about the safety of these workers. I years ago, I
used to go out with the public housing safety offices
fairly regularly, and even in those days, the situations they
walked into were were insane. I just remember going onto
(02:03):
a town camp years ago and it was like walking
into a war zone, potentially very very dangerous, explosive situations.
So I'm not surprised they've done it.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Yeah, and I guess you know, we have got so
many issues with crime, anti social behavior, that public drunkenness
around the Northern Territory. Robin, do you know if there's
going to be a dedicated team in Alice Springs as well,
or what the situation will be for Alice at this point.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Look, I only know what I've read in the media.
I haven't been briefed on it yet. I'll get a
briefing as soon as I can, but i'd imagine that
Alice Springs would be a priority for these positions. We've
had public housing safety offices since twenty eleven. I remember
when both positions were created. I just came on board
(02:50):
as a member. And originally they were kind of like
welfare offices sent out to public housing complexes, town camps.
A lot of their work was to de escalate problems
in a fairly non police way. But I think just
because things have got so difficult and more intense, and
(03:14):
there's a greater level of crime and perhaps even a
greater severity in crime, I just think it makes sense
to upgrade these positions. They can still have a welfare
sort of negotiating role, but they have to be safe,
and I think we all need to be safer on
our streets. I think that's the sad reality of where
(03:36):
we live now.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, it's real. It's a real shame, isn't it. That
that's you know, that's the point that we've reached. But
I think that you know, we already see security officers
patrolling the area sort of everywhere around Darwin and Palmerston.
I'm not sure how it is in Ella Springs, but
it's sort of become the norm.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
It has become the norm. I think people will be
concerned about these officers carrying guns, but like what I
described with the Powis, the police outside of bottle shops
years ago, it just made sense for them to have
a gun on them. I don't think Powis have ever
(04:16):
used a gun, ironically, But you know, even when they
a couple of years ago, when the former Labor government
introduced capsican spray to the transit safety officers, there was
a lot of concern then about the training that these
officers would have using a potentially dangerous weapon like capsican spray.
(04:37):
So we're kind of evolving, Katie, to a point where
we accept reluctantly that people working in these areas of
security and safety need to have these things to protect
themselves and to protect the public. I think it's just realistic,
sadly but realistic.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
How are things going in Alice Springs at the moment.
I mean, we've you know, we've spoken in recent weeks
about the issues that have unfolded there. How are things
going at the moment.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Look, we still have an unacceptable level of crime, Katie,
We always have and we always will. It's a little
bit hard to gauge if there has been a reduction.
The crime stats are coming out on Friday for April,
so we'll get to see if there has been a
reduction since the new government has come in. But it
(05:35):
still feels like we're living in fear. We're tentative. I
think what happened with Cooman J. White in Coal's that
sort of put us all on high alert. It's it
hasn't changed a great deal, but I still hold out home.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Katie Robert, I don't know whether you've got any info
on these or not, and so feel free to, you know,
to tell me no. But you know, it had been
widely reported as well that there'd been an assault allegedly
on a woman holding her baby in the lead into
that event and then the tragic death of coleman Ji White.
(06:12):
Do you know if that woman is all right? Do
you know has there been a lot of discussion about
that in Central Australia.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Not that I'm aware of, Katie, but I do know
a woman who was assaulted by someone in the leader
to what happened to Pumen J. White. Now, I'm not
going to speculate on who the offender was. It happened
in a short space of time before what happened in Cole's,
(06:42):
so people can extrapolate and speculate and all that sort
of thing. But I do know the woman involved reasonably well.
That's why I know that it happened, because you know,
I've got a fairly good relationship with her and her husband,
and so I do know that she was a sol
by someone out in the front of the Commonwealth Bank on
(07:04):
that same day, and she's okay, But she was holding
her little baby, who's only a couple of months old.
So I can't say anything else. But I can confirm
that she's okay and she was assaulted, but I haven't
really I'm not in any position say anything more broadly, Katie.
(07:26):
Those things are still happening in Alice Springs all the time.
You know, people are getting pushed and shoved and assaulted,
and there's theft going on. You know, to walk around
Alice Springs at any time of the night or day
is still something you have to take very seriously. Long
gone of the days and you're probably your listeners up
(07:48):
here in dar and are probably nodding their heads. Long
gone are the days where you can just jump out
of the car and not even sort of think too
much and wander around the streets of your town. You
just have to be on high alert. You have to.
You know, I walk around with my handbag across across
my body now, which is something I never used to do,
(08:09):
and I have my you know, a hand sort of
placed on my bag. I don't feel necessarily threatened, but
you have to protect yourself from our vigilance. Like the
changes to the transit and public housing safety officers, we
all have to change and step up and modify our
(08:29):
behavior to this increased level of threat and violence in
our community. And that's the sad state of affairs. But
that is the reality.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Robin. What have the people of Ellis Springs thought about
the announcement of OC spray being able to be utilized
if required as well, If that's you know, if that's
what you choose to do potentially from September.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Well, I don't know that it's sunk in particularly that
was that was last week's announcement, wasn't it. So I
think we're trying to get our heads around it. Peculiar
thing in Alice Springs is to buy this OC spray,
this low level OC spray. It will as we've been
told that they will be sold out of firearms dealers shops.
(09:14):
But we don't have shop fronts for firearms in Alice
Springs anymore, which I didn't know, so you can't just
walk into a shop and buy a gun anymore in
Alice Springs, So to get the OC spray, which most
of us will be eligible to buy. The only exclusion
from what I was told is if you've got a
history of committing serious violent offenses. So most of us
(09:39):
will be eligible to get an OC spray to use
under this trial, But for people in Alice Springs will
have to order it online I think, and then make
an appointment to go and pick it up from the
back door of the local dealer that in our rows front.
Something wrong. Yeah, yeah, Well it's a bit seedy, doesn't it.
(10:03):
It will be interesting to see what the takeup is,
Will people wander down and get an OC spray. I
even got the the cost, the approximate cost of these sprays.
I think the smaller ones around forty dollars and the
next one up is about fifty or fifty five dollars,
so they're not exactly cheap, but I guess. But if
(10:26):
people want to get an OC spray to make them
feel safer, then it's probably you know, a good use
of your money.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
That's something you can do it.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Yeah, it'll just be fascinating to see what the take
up is and how many people actually use the spray,
and yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
I'll be interested. I'll be interested to see how it folds,
how it unfolds. Hey, Robin, before I let you go,
obviously with your hat on as the Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly. Of course, budget estimates have been going on
for the last sort of almost two weeks. What's the
what's the sort of end process now with estimates?
Speaker 2 (11:02):
So it all wraps up at one thirty. I'm on
between twelve thirty and one thirty for the Department of
Legislative Assembly, and I get one hour and then we
go back into Parliament at two thirty. There'll be no
question time. It will be the only debate will be
on the appropriation Bill, the budget and the maximum amount
(11:26):
of time that that will go on for a five hours,
So we go in at two thirty at the most
we'll finish that debate at seven point thirty and I'd
say we'll be out of here by eight thirty at
the latest. Well, it's a different day to half a day.
And then we don't come back to Parliament until the
end of July.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
End of July, all right, Well, it'll be interesting to
see how it all goes today. It's always interesting to
watch estimates as well. I mean, look, some aspects a
little bit boring. Some aspects, you know, a few interesting
bits of info, Robin, you never know what going to guess.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Look, I find it fascinating, but you and I obviously
political tragic, so the average person probably still rather watch
paint dry.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
I reckon, you're right.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I reckon, you're right.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Robin Lamley, thank you so much for your time this morning.
Much appreciated.
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