Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Property Council of Australia's latest crime survey has been
released and reveals alarming statistics that underscore the persistent and
escalating issue of property crime and anti social behavior right
across the Northern Territory. The Property Council of Australia's Northern
Territory Executive Director Ruth Palmer said that with participation from
(00:20):
over two hundred businesses, the twenty twenty four survey paints
a grim picture of the challenges faced by the commercial sector.
Ruth Palmer joins me on the line live from Alice Springs.
Good morning to you, Ruth. Good morning Katie, Thanks so
much for your time this morning. Now, Ruth, more than
two hundred businesses took part. What did the participants flag
(00:42):
as their biggest concerns?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, thanks Katie. Yeah, So this is the second year
that we've run the survey and this time we've sort
of we kept the exact same question as we had
last year so we can track the data. But this
time we actually had some political questions just because we
are leading into an election, so we just did we
had some questions at the end, but also put in
sort of what electorate people lived in or what electorate
(01:08):
people's businesses are located in. So that gives us the
ability now to cut the data and to provise specific
information to the local MLAs around what's happening specifically in
their electorate. But a couple of the big the big things,
you know, like when we always ask what behaviors you've witnessed,
you know, there's that your thirty eight percent of people
(01:29):
being fat on, sixty one percent of people had damage
to their commercial property. You know, fifty eight percent of
people were seeing you know, people sleeping rough at the premises.
But you know eighty percent of people had to clean
up humination and pc. Like that's just like so not on,
you know, like every day having to go and do that.
But forty percent of people had witnessed the use of
(01:51):
weapons or other dangerous items at their commercial prevates. So
these are things that are really concerning, especially like physical abuse,
verbal views, and being threatened. You know, will use up
at eight sixty five percent of people being threatened. Needs
are really big concerns around, you know, when we're looking
at safety. But if we're looking at safety as your customers,
(02:13):
but you know, then people wanting to invest further in
their property they're just not going to do it. Seventy
two percent of people said that this rising issue and
the ongoing issue have changed their commercial decisions, with sixty
nine percent of people saying that they want to leave
in all the territories. So, you know, we're really going
to start looking at this and taking it seriously. Because
we've been on this issue since twenty seventeen. We did
(02:37):
have years of me just sort of saying crime wasn't
an issue, there was no problem. So you know, now
we just need to see everyone banding together and our
leaders being a united front and really winning the war
on this crime, like standing it out, like get up
together and just lead the issue.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
So rouse in terms of you know, the participants, I
know that a number of them participants who took part
last time as well, have they do they believe that
there's been any kind of improvement since they last died
this survey.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
No, no, and so eighty one percent have said that
it has again worsened in the last twelve months. So
last year we did actually ask a question of do
you believe there's a turning point? So can this turn around?
Seventy three percent of people last year said that it
can now this year, that sentiment's gone down to forty
two percent, So only forty two percent of people think
(03:30):
that we can curb this issue, and that you know,
it's just changed so much in just twelve months alone,
from seventy three percent to forty two percent, I guess,
a really big drop.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
It's a huge drop. So like, what are people saying
in terms of and I don't know exactly what questions
you asked, but what are participants or those surveyed saying
in terms of the policies and some of the ideas
that our government have got in the ways to deal
with this and also with the COLP.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, so we have a question in there this time.
Do you feel about Labour's doing a good job on
this issue or do you think that the CLP's promise
of tougher laws and police powers it's going to work
as well. It's interesting that both of those answers didn't
really gain a lot of positive responses. So people are
(04:21):
a little bit cautious around the CELP promise, you know,
wanting to see more policy, wanting to see more detail,
and you know, having that experience around it and with Labors,
a lot of people are sort of saying, well, had
you asked me earlier, I would have said no. But
Eva's doing a good job. So people are sort of
coming around to the work that Eva's doing, but still
(04:44):
not impressed with sort of what's been done with time.
So it's quite interesting to read the comments that people
have put around sort of where people are at. It's
very mixed on both of those responses around that they're
just not come with either either not even but you know,
it's just yeah, So it really is quite interesting to
(05:07):
read people's views and people's responses.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
And I can see, look, so fifty percent of saying
that they believe the CLP policy has better. However, it
appears not much confidence towards the CLP's policy on tougher
laws or stronger powers.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, so that's right, and so this is where people
wanting to see more detail around those policies. But also
there's that skepticism around their experience. So you know, labor
has been in for quite some time now, so there
are experience within the ministers. So I think people are
sort of feeling a bit well, what do we do,
(05:44):
you know later feeling for a while, we're kind of
liking what's now being happening, or you know, there seems
to be some leadership there through the Chief Minister. So
it's quite mixed in those responses, but people are still
looking at the CLP as the third government because one
of the things we did ask is if you voted
labor in the last election, yeah, has your voter intention changed,
(06:08):
And sixty set of people who voted labor have said yes,
their voter.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Intentions well yeah, and then I can see they're that's
seventy nine percent believing the Chief Minister is not doing
a good job to reduce crime. And the really tough
thing here is, look, I know it's you know, it
is only some people listening. Might be like, okay, well
it's only two hundred participants, but it's two hundred business
owners across the Northern Territory and they're people that have
done this before. And I think the biggest concern that
(06:34):
we've probably had over the last you know, since, like
you said, since about twenty seventeen when we all started
talking about this, is that the main issue people have
had is that they don't feel as though they're being
listened to on these very serious issues.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Yeah, and that's right, and you've got to remember that
these two hundred businesses have staffed, so it's not just
the you know the impact of the business owner, it's
the impact on staff, the staff going home and feeling
that same sentiment, probably because they're the ones that are
at the forefront of this behavior. And you know, when
you look at over two years, over four million dollars
(07:10):
being spent and this is just the businesses we've you know,
got the survey from four million dollars to sort of think,
well that four million dollars could be better used in
growing the workforce, growing our population, getting people in to
sort of Central Australia or Darwin because you know, chatting
with all people yesterday down here in Alice, the huge
(07:31):
Things workforce and you know, I had a board meeting
up in Darwin with my guys, Huge Thing workforce like
having to outsource stuff because we can't get workers and
it's because the liverability piece is just not there. That's
the struggle. So you know, I'm on the ground today
and back to back meetings all day with members and
local members and stakeholders, so pretty keen sort of get
(07:54):
more of an understanding of how people are feeling, what
we can do, how we can support these guys as
much as what we can, you know, because we want
to see things turn around, like coming into our thingsas
like oh this place is just so amazing, like it's beautiful.
The win it's great, but you know, just we need
to change the narrative around it and we need to
make sure that, you know, the territory is on the
(08:16):
map for all the right reasons. And that's where we
need our leaders to get together, be united, come together
and win the war on crime. Like you know, we
need to see that leadership on from all levels of government,
but as a united front, like no more back and forth.
We need to be together on this and show the
community that it's the priority.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
It's easier said than done though at the moment, right
because you've got sort of labor you know, saying that
what we're doing right now, they're on that track. They
have got their increased budget for police, they're taking what
their words are, a common sense approach. But then you've
got the COLP right now saying well, we need to
be tougher in this space. If people are breaking the law,
(08:56):
and if they're breaching they're bail, then they shouldn't be
given the opportunity need to be out on the streets.
So I guess it's a really like it's tough to
try and bring them together when fundamentally at the moment
it seems like they're their objectives are the like, you know,
the objective of reducing crime is the same, but the
ways to get there they feel very differently about them.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeah, but I think it's really about showing the community
right that is the priority and we can work together
because you want to be able to have your leaders
are the strength of sort of what is how the
territory is going to survive, So you know, it can
be leadership on all levels of government. So you know,
if if it's the federal government, if it's our counsels,
(09:37):
if it's the territory government. You know, we need to
be able to show that we are united on this
and you know it, and you're you're absolutely right. When
you look at traditional policing or community policing, they're two
very different things. You know, that's different at law enforcement
or the preventative measures before there's that law enforcement, but
you know there's that conversation of we can look at
(09:57):
both because we do need to have the community. Police
think in our community to put in those preventative measure measures.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
So Ruth, where to from here with this survey? I
mean obviously going to be presenting it to both of
the political parties, I would imagine.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah, So we've done that. So it has gone to
every single MLA, say twenty five MLAs, also the federal
members and also the Council. So it has gone to
those and I have spoken to people about it and
obviously down Nollie today, I'll be going through it with
no Robin, Bill, Josh, you know, all the people that
are down here and Matt Patterson at the Council because
(10:36):
and like I said, there's got to be that like
we don't want to be known for this, but unfortunately
we are. So you know, there has to be something
that's going to make it change. And you know, as
you know, Katie, we've put forward countless recommendations. We've put
forward a lot of ideas, you know, following from previous
trips down to Alice Springs and a calling for that
(10:56):
independent coordinator, and you know, changes to the legislation around
those drinking rules, many many things to know, ram raid
sentencing rules. You know, there's there's so many recommendations. It's
just around, you know how, we sort of push those
further and with the election, we just we just don't know.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
So well, Ruth, we are going to have to leave
it there. Always appreciate your time. Thank you very much
for having a chat with me this morning.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Thanks lot, Katie appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Thank you.
The Property Council of Australia's latest crime survey has been
released and reveals alarming statistics that underscore the persistent and
escalating issue of property crime and anti social behavior right
across the Northern Territory. The Property Council of Australia's Northern
Territory Executive Director Ruth Palmer said that with participation from
(00:20):
over two hundred businesses, the twenty twenty four survey paints
a grim picture of the challenges faced by the commercial sector.
Ruth Palmer joins me on the line live from Alice Springs.
Good morning to you, Ruth. Good morning Katie, Thanks so
much for your time this morning. Now, Ruth, more than
two hundred businesses took part. What did the participants flag
(00:42):
as their biggest concerns?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, thanks Katie. Yeah, So this is the second year
that we've run the survey and this time we've sort
of we kept the exact same question as we had
last year so we can track the data. But this
time we actually had some political questions just because we
are leading into an election, so we just did we
had some questions at the end, but also put in
sort of what electorate people lived in or what electorate
(01:08):
people's businesses are located in. So that gives us the
ability now to cut the data and to provise specific
information to the local MLAs around what's happening specifically in
their electorate. But a couple of the big the big things,
you know, like when we always ask what behaviors you've witnessed,
you know, there's that your thirty eight percent of people
(01:29):
being fat on, sixty one percent of people had damage
to their commercial property. You know, fifty eight percent of
people were seeing you know, people sleeping rough at the premises.
But you know eighty percent of people had to clean
up humination and pc. Like that's just like so not on,
you know, like every day having to go and do that.
But forty percent of people had witnessed the use of
(01:51):
weapons or other dangerous items at their commercial prevates. So
these are things that are really concerning, especially like physical abuse,
verbal views, and being threatened. You know, will use up
at eight sixty five percent of people being threatened. Needs
are really big concerns around, you know, when we're looking
at safety. But if we're looking at safety as your customers,
(02:13):
but you know, then people wanting to invest further in
their property they're just not going to do it. Seventy
two percent of people said that this rising issue and
the ongoing issue have changed their commercial decisions, with sixty
nine percent of people saying that they want to leave
in all the territories. So, you know, we're really going
to start looking at this and taking it seriously. Because
we've been on this issue since twenty seventeen. We did
(02:37):
have years of me just sort of saying crime wasn't
an issue, there was no problem. So you know, now
we just need to see everyone banding together and our
leaders being a united front and really winning the war
on this crime, like standing it out, like get up
together and just lead the issue.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
So rouse in terms of you know, the participants, I
know that a number of them participants who took part
last time as well, have they do they believe that
there's been any kind of improvement since they last died
this survey.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
No, no, and so eighty one percent have said that
it has again worsened in the last twelve months. So
last year we did actually ask a question of do
you believe there's a turning point? So can this turn around?
Seventy three percent of people last year said that it
can now this year, that sentiment's gone down to forty
two percent, So only forty two percent of people think
(03:30):
that we can curb this issue, and that you know,
it's just changed so much in just twelve months alone,
from seventy three percent to forty two percent, I guess,
a really big drop.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
It's a huge drop. So like, what are people saying
in terms of and I don't know exactly what questions
you asked, but what are participants or those surveyed saying
in terms of the policies and some of the ideas
that our government have got in the ways to deal
with this and also with the COLP.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, so we have a question in there this time.
Do you feel about Labour's doing a good job on
this issue or do you think that the CLP's promise
of tougher laws and police powers it's going to work
as well. It's interesting that both of those answers didn't
really gain a lot of positive responses. So people are
(04:21):
a little bit cautious around the CELP promise, you know,
wanting to see more policy, wanting to see more detail,
and you know, having that experience around it and with Labors,
a lot of people are sort of saying, well, had
you asked me earlier, I would have said no. But
Eva's doing a good job. So people are sort of
coming around to the work that Eva's doing, but still
(04:44):
not impressed with sort of what's been done with time.
So it's quite interesting to read the comments that people
have put around sort of where people are at. It's
very mixed on both of those responses around that they're
just not come with either either not even but you know,
it's just yeah, So it really is quite interesting to
(05:07):
read people's views and people's responses.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
And I can see, look, so fifty percent of saying
that they believe the CLP policy has better. However, it
appears not much confidence towards the CLP's policy on tougher
laws or stronger powers.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, so that's right, and so this is where people
wanting to see more detail around those policies. But also
there's that skepticism around their experience. So you know, labor
has been in for quite some time now, so there
are experience within the ministers. So I think people are
sort of feeling a bit well, what do we do,
(05:44):
you know later feeling for a while, we're kind of
liking what's now being happening, or you know, there seems
to be some leadership there through the Chief Minister. So
it's quite mixed in those responses, but people are still
looking at the CLP as the third government because one
of the things we did ask is if you voted
labor in the last election, yeah, has your voter intention changed,
(06:08):
And sixty set of people who voted labor have said yes,
their voter.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Intentions well yeah, and then I can see they're that's
seventy nine percent believing the Chief Minister is not doing
a good job to reduce crime. And the really tough
thing here is, look, I know it's you know, it
is only some people listening. Might be like, okay, well
it's only two hundred participants, but it's two hundred business
owners across the Northern Territory and they're people that have
done this before. And I think the biggest concern that
(06:34):
we've probably had over the last you know, since, like
you said, since about twenty seventeen when we all started
talking about this, is that the main issue people have
had is that they don't feel as though they're being
listened to on these very serious issues.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Yeah, and that's right, and you've got to remember that
these two hundred businesses have staffed, so it's not just
the you know the impact of the business owner, it's
the impact on staff, the staff going home and feeling
that same sentiment, probably because they're the ones that are
at the forefront of this behavior. And you know, when
you look at over two years, over four million dollars
(07:10):
being spent and this is just the businesses we've you know,
got the survey from four million dollars to sort of think,
well that four million dollars could be better used in
growing the workforce, growing our population, getting people in to
sort of Central Australia or Darwin because you know, chatting
with all people yesterday down here in Alice, the huge
(07:31):
Things workforce and you know, I had a board meeting
up in Darwin with my guys, Huge Thing workforce like
having to outsource stuff because we can't get workers and
it's because the liverability piece is just not there. That's
the struggle. So you know, I'm on the ground today
and back to back meetings all day with members and
local members and stakeholders, so pretty keen sort of get
(07:54):
more of an understanding of how people are feeling, what
we can do, how we can support these guys as
much as what we can, you know, because we want
to see things turn around, like coming into our thingsas
like oh this place is just so amazing, like it's beautiful.
The win it's great, but you know, just we need
to change the narrative around it and we need to
make sure that, you know, the territory is on the
(08:16):
map for all the right reasons. And that's where we
need our leaders to get together, be united, come together
and win the war on crime. Like you know, we
need to see that leadership on from all levels of government,
but as a united front, like no more back and forth.
We need to be together on this and show the
community that it's the priority.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
It's easier said than done though at the moment, right
because you've got sort of labor you know, saying that
what we're doing right now, they're on that track. They
have got their increased budget for police, they're taking what
their words are, a common sense approach. But then you've
got the COLP right now saying well, we need to
be tougher in this space. If people are breaking the law,
(08:56):
and if they're breaching they're bail, then they shouldn't be
given the opportunity need to be out on the streets.
So I guess it's a really like it's tough to
try and bring them together when fundamentally at the moment
it seems like they're their objectives are the like, you know,
the objective of reducing crime is the same, but the
ways to get there they feel very differently about them.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeah, but I think it's really about showing the community
right that is the priority and we can work together
because you want to be able to have your leaders
are the strength of sort of what is how the
territory is going to survive, So you know, it can
be leadership on all levels of government. So you know,
if if it's the federal government, if it's our counsels,
(09:37):
if it's the territory government. You know, we need to
be able to show that we are united on this
and you know it, and you're you're absolutely right. When
you look at traditional policing or community policing, they're two
very different things. You know, that's different at law enforcement
or the preventative measures before there's that law enforcement, but
you know there's that conversation of we can look at
(09:57):
both because we do need to have the community. Police
think in our community to put in those preventative measure measures.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
So Ruth, where to from here with this survey? I
mean obviously going to be presenting it to both of
the political parties, I would imagine.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah, So we've done that. So it has gone to
every single MLA, say twenty five MLAs, also the federal
members and also the Council. So it has gone to
those and I have spoken to people about it and
obviously down Nollie today, I'll be going through it with
no Robin, Bill, Josh, you know, all the people that
are down here and Matt Patterson at the Council because
(10:36):
and like I said, there's got to be that like
we don't want to be known for this, but unfortunately
we are. So you know, there has to be something
that's going to make it change. And you know, as
you know, Katie, we've put forward countless recommendations. We've put
forward a lot of ideas, you know, following from previous
trips down to Alice Springs and a calling for that
(10:56):
independent coordinator, and you know, changes to the legislation around
those drinking rules, many many things to know, ram raid
sentencing rules. You know, there's there's so many recommendations. It's
just around, you know how, we sort of push those
further and with the election, we just we just don't know.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
So well, Ruth, we are going to have to leave
it there. Always appreciate your time. Thank you very much
for having a chat with me this morning.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Thanks lot, Katie appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Thank you.
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