The Week That Was – 18th August 2023

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are listening to Mix one oh four nine. It
is indeed the week that was, and well an all
mail line up this morning. We've got Jared Mayley from
the COLP good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
To you, Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners from.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
The Northern Territory News, Cam Smith's good morning to you,
Cam Morning Katy with me, and we've also got Duran
Young from the Labor Party, good morning.

Speaker 4 (00:19):
To you, Good morning Katie, and our good morning. Two
of the good people out there in the rural area
listening in.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yeah, there will be plenty, no doubt, I know that
they all enjoy the show. Now, Cam, I might just
move your mic up quickly, mate, well before we get
into it so I can hear you nice and loudly
and clearly this morning, because there is plenty to discuss now.
First off this morning, we know that unfortunately there has
been some incidents overnight. As I understand it, there was

(00:45):
a castle and overnight in Coconut Grove from what I
can gather, So we will have some further detail for
you on that throughout this morning, but also this week.
It does seem as though it seems to be kicking
off at this point in time. We know that there
was an incident in the city. Screaming and smashing could
be heard from the streets of Darwin CBD as several

(01:07):
people fought one another and through objects on Thursday afternoon.
So the NT News obtained some vision witnesses sharing that
vision showing about thirty people, a mix of kids.

Speaker 3 (01:18):
As young as eight and adults.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Starring rocks and bottles at one another at about four
o'clock on Wednesday. We do know now that the Northern
Territory Police have charged a youth in relation to robbery
and assault in Darwin City. So just before four point thirty,
police received report of a robbery at a retail outlet
store on Kavanagh Street.

Speaker 3 (01:37):
A fourteen year.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Old had stolen a bow and arrows and fled that location.
The offender was then cited by security guards outside Saint
Mary's Cathedral.

Speaker 3 (01:47):
He attempted to engage.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
The youth, at which point the youth allegedly fired one
arrow in the direction of the security guard. No injuries
were reported, but it's look, it is pretty worrying to
see that vision and to see what was going on,
that brawl that was happening in the city. But then
when you think somebody's got in their hands on a
bow and arrow and is running through the streets of
the CBD. I mean honestly, if that was happening in

(02:10):
any other capital city, the nation will be going what
is going on?

Speaker 5 (02:14):
Well, I think the problem is here, Katie, is this
seems to become the norm. There's crime right across the
Northern Church. It doesn't matter where you are. You can
be an Alice Springs Tenant Creek Catherine in the rural
area for example, Themhouse Spring Shopping Cwn. It got broken
into two days ago where they broke in and they
stole alcohol and some cigarettes and a small amount of cash. Unfortunately,
it just seems to become the norm that we live

(02:34):
with this crime. But it's not the norm.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Having thirty or.

Speaker 5 (02:37):
Forty people run around the street yelling and screaming arm
with a bar and arrow.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
That could have been really really bad for.

Speaker 5 (02:43):
The children who were doing it, and also for the
public walking past.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
Shot at that security game.

Speaker 5 (02:49):
So I imagine that arrow when it hit some person
just doing the shopping or driving pass and there's a
car crash. It just seems to become the norm. Because
unfortunately labor government had dropped the ball in relation to
crime and the cost of this is you look at this,
you know, these security cards and drive around. That's costing money.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
You know.

Speaker 5 (03:04):
The people getting cast on cost their money. Businesses get
broken into, it cost them money. It's just the flow
on effects. So you've got the crime and then you've
got the economic cost off that crime.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Which is affecting businesses. And what about tourism.

Speaker 5 (03:16):
You know, with all these tourists come up here and
they see that, you think they're going to go back
downs out and say, oh.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
Look, go to darl and it's great. It's a great location.
They're going to go. Don't go up there, it's dangerous.

Speaker 6 (03:26):
I was contacted from the point of perspective of a
business in Coconut Grove yesterday and the description of the
sort of level of lawlessness amongst the mainly young kids
in Coconut Grave and its effect on business was it
was really very damaging and it's it's back again. Apparently

(03:48):
the people of Coconut Grave, the traders around there, said
it went away for a month or two.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
There are a couple of months, but it has returned.

Speaker 6 (03:54):
So I guess it's that cyclical nature of the of
the of the incidents that are happening as well, and
the fact that their young kids obviously begs a question
too that they're not at school, which is a separate
issue that obviously needs to be addressed.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
But it's affecting everybody.

Speaker 6 (04:08):
You know, as I said, the call I got was
from businesses, but you know it's affecting householders people.

Speaker 5 (04:14):
Week similar people are leaving the charity. We're hearing businesses
ago enough enough, they're going to go. You know, we're
talking about all the labors trying to talk about you know,
how good economy is going to be in a forty
billion dollar economy, it's just not going to happen.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
It can happen on your own figure.

Speaker 3 (04:26):
You've got to get the crime under control. That's you know,
it has to happen.

Speaker 5 (04:30):
You know, that's how flag Staff policy. We've got to
make the streets safe. Bring back that so where you
can have a normal way of life and it feels
safe and you can go shopping. Like I said before,
people are coming out to cooling the central out and
how it's rings because it's too and from the northern
suburbs because there's two names to go shopping at cash
Arena that is not normal, Duran.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
I mean the Labour Party have announced a number of
different initiatives and policies, but at this point in time,
can you say they're working.

Speaker 4 (04:58):
Yes, I believe they are, and these take years to
get right, you know.

Speaker 7 (05:03):
And a great example is in Grood Island.

Speaker 4 (05:06):
We implemented a local decision making agreement there back in
twenty eighteen, so that was around restorative justice. We looked
at transitioning housing over to the Griod Island Doubrigual Community
Control sector. So we've got to look at it as
a holistic approach. And the reason I say it takes
time to work is, like I said, those implementations happened

(05:30):
in twenty eighteen. Groot Island had the highest incarceration rate
per capita in the Northern Territory at that time. What
we're seeing now five years later is that that reduction
has gone down by nearly ninety percent. So that does
take time to implement their programs, but we have to
back them in and that is time time, and we're

(05:51):
starting to do that.

Speaker 3 (05:52):
In a place like Groute.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
But you know what about whatever for example, we're in
your electric we're earlier in the week we'd had the
Police Association come on and they'd actually seen a stolen
vehicle that had been stolen from Darwin taken out to
What Air. It's in the compound out there, and then
the compound gets broken into. Those officers out there telling
the association that they're not feeling safe.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yep.

Speaker 4 (06:14):
So what we're doing in What Air is at the
moment the Thummer Development Corporation looking at a regional development
plan for What Air itself. We have twenty two clan
groups living in What Air itself, so we are starting
to work on a local decision making agreement, but that
takes time and consultation with the community, which a Thummer

(06:35):
Development Corporation are doing now.

Speaker 7 (06:37):
I know the police in What Air, We've just recently.

Speaker 4 (06:40):
Had a new senior sergeant out there, Erica Gibson, who's
doing an amazing job. She's making sure oh she's getting
her police officers out on the ground and working with
the community, really building that rapport and those relationships with
the community. And what I'm seeing now is there's a
lot of trust amongst the community and the police, which

(07:02):
means that the police can get on top of a
lot of issues, a lot earlier because people will go
and speak for the police.

Speaker 1 (07:07):
I mean, is it trust though then when you like,
when your cars are being stolen from.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
The compounds, I think, and I think it's happened five times.

Speaker 5 (07:13):
I heard a story where the police actually took the
wheel off and the battery off a car, and someone
broke in and stole another battery, put it in another
wheel and put it on it and then smashed out
through the barrier again. You know, imagine the cost of
going through that whole fence. This is just the whole
economic cost of crime. And so these cars come from
Dahn remember, And I had another story where a fellow
got his car stolen out there.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
They brought it back, got.

Speaker 5 (07:35):
Into the mechanic shop, we got stolen again, and then
we were back down again, and he showed me some
photos of his car with about ten or fifteen youths
on it standing all over it, half bogged in a creek.

Speaker 1 (07:47):
Look, I do I want to talk about as well,
like as part of this discussion, because I think, you know,
we speak about crimes so often. Unfortunately it continues to
be a discussion point, Like I wish it wasn't to
the degree that it is. But it continues to be
discussion point and earlier in the week, and we actually
touched on this last week. Also, we have a situation
now where at the Alice Springs School principal and Alice

(08:08):
Springs School Principal Gavin Morris, as we know from Yipper
in your school, well, he said that students have been
crying out for help after they stole a school bus
just days before stealing a car which crashed into a tree.
He was up at the hospital with them throughout the week.
We spoke to him again on the show yesterday. You know,
three times in a week that we've had him on

(08:30):
the show, not because, you know, because we love having
gave on, but because unfortunately they're in a situation where,
you know, where like you've got kids under the age
of twelve that are seriously seriously putting their own lives
at risk and the lives of others on the roads.
But like he said to me, Katie, I just feel

(08:50):
like we're one incident away from a kid's life being lost.

Speaker 3 (08:54):
Like to me, that was what.

Speaker 1 (08:56):
Hit home because I have got kids set at that
age and I thought it is absolutely tragic to think
that that could happen. I don't know what all the
answers are here, I really don't. But he's saying, you know,
we need this spoorting facility at the school so that
we can keep kids safe if that's where they choose
to stay and that's where they choose to live.

Speaker 3 (09:14):
That is what his school community is calling for.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
So it's not him, he said, it's not me as
the white school principal calling for that. It's the Aboriginal
people that are obviously at that school that are part
of that community.

Speaker 5 (09:25):
Because we don't have years to wait, I don't know.
Dran said, well, you know, we've got these programs to
take years. This labor government himself have been in power
for the last seven odd years or five or six years,
wherever it might be. And then remember the labor of
being in power in the Northern territory for about the
last eighteen years of the last twenty. So ultimately, how
long do you have to wait? Territories are out there
are screaming right now. People are hurting, families are hurting,

(09:46):
businesses are hurting, and yet we hear the same old
story it takes time, it's a generational thing. Well, unfortunately,
I think that people have talked to me. That just
doesn't come anymore. We just government have been to me finish.
The government have been in power now for all my
seven years, and yet these programs aren't working. And it
just really goes around and around a circle because people

(10:06):
are hurting right now. The crime out there is right
across the territory and for the governments will take time,
we'll fix it, but it just doesn't cut the mustard anymore.

Speaker 4 (10:16):
Unfortunately, I did give you the examples of grid Island
was the reason I excuse me. I'll let you finish,
so you allow me to finish too. But I did
give you the example of grid Island that twenty eighteen
when those implementation plans happened around the reinvestment in justice,
around the housing program, around education, around health, looking at

(10:37):
it as a holistic approach that gives people purpose in life,
which we know people are less likely to then touch
the justice system. So that does take time to put
into place. But it also you know, we're wanting the
communities to get on board with the local decision making
agree we're not going in there and forcing this on people.

(10:57):
So you know, communities like have the right to go
through it, and whether they would like to consider what
their ambitions are for the community to make.

Speaker 7 (11:06):
Sure that we do get it right.

Speaker 4 (11:07):
Now we're starting to see a lot of those local
decision making agreements starting to roll out, and it will
take three to four years to see those results start.

Speaker 7 (11:17):
Jared to say it's not.

Speaker 1 (11:18):
I guess the question is going to be sorry, I'll
just cut in for a moment. I guess the question
for a lot of people is going to be because
we are, like, as of this weekend, we're twelve months
out from a election. So I suppose the battle lines
are being drawn really were You've got the Labor Party saying,
you know, we have got to have community lead changes
and we've got to make sure that it is community
lead and that we are going to have to be

(11:39):
a little bit patient.

Speaker 3 (11:40):
You've got the COLP going, well, we're.

Speaker 1 (11:42):
Going to need to get tougher here and something needs
to get sorted out. I suppose it's going to be
up to the community to decide. Cam you and I
report on this kind of stuff very very often. It's
going to be an interesting twelve months. But certainly, you know,
very differing tax as well, I think from both sides
of parliament well, that's.

Speaker 6 (12:01):
Right, Katie, and we'll also bring in a question other
issues that are around in twelve months time as well.
Laura and order it's a perennial issue, it's always there,
but ultimately, when it comes to elections, I question how
much it actually changes the result of elections. Ultimately, the
two thousand and one election swung to Labor for the

(12:21):
first time, and that it was on a law and
order issue, but that was a tough on crime, the
mandatary sentencing issue, if you recall so so an election,
a tough on crime election actually swung to the Labor
Party and subsequent elections, crime and Laura in order has
always been an issue. Two thousand and eight, when the
Labor Party had almost lost the election of the country
was almost wanted, it was a big issue then, but

(12:42):
it still didn't swing the election. So there'll be other
issues that will come in obviously between now and next
August that will decide the election. I still question that
law and order massive factor that it is may not
be the one that sort of swings the result.

Speaker 5 (12:56):
Because Laura already goes into the economy. People are hurting,
the cost of living is going through the roof and
this labor government, people aren't coming to the territory tourism.
If people aren't coming here, it's hard to get a
job here.

Speaker 2 (13:09):
I don't know why, because the job everywhere.

Speaker 5 (13:10):
But people don't want to work and it's just it's
really goes around in circles because this labor government of
soft on crime basically, and it'd heard in the economy
across all levels of the economy.

Speaker 3 (13:21):
Well, look, we are going to have to take a
very short break.

Speaker 1 (13:23):
There is a lot to cover off and we are
going to sort of stick to this discussion, but more
so talking about police resources because we know that the
Police Association's annual conference it's kicking off well pretty much
as we speak. If you've just joined us in the
studio this morning for the week that was, we've got
Duran Young, we've got Camden Smith, and we've also.

Speaker 3 (13:42):
Got Jared Mayley. Now it is going to be a
busy day.

Speaker 1 (13:46):
We know that the president of the Northern Territory Police Association,
Nathan Finn, he is set to deliver his speech this
morning to the annual police conference that happens every year.
Obviously it's annual, but he is going to be saying
that the Northern Territory police are stretched beyond breaking points.
So the conference is underway. He's going to use that

(14:07):
address to call for more resources for the force, claiming
that the government and police executive are risking lives through
in action. He is expected to say there are at
least thirty five thousand calls to the Joint Emergency Call
Center every month. That's more than doubled in the past decade,
yet our resourcing level has barely changed. He is also

(14:29):
expected to say our police force needs an additional two
hundred members, which could fill thirty vans right across the
territory every single day just to cope with our call business.
There are twenty nine frontline vacancies in the Greater Darwin
region alone. So look, you know, he has been saying

(14:49):
for a while, and he has spoken to us on
the show. On Monday, he was on the show and
said they the police are absolutely stretched, and he'd spoken
about the TRG having to sort of, you know, to
step in and do some of the daily policing roles
last weekend because there were not enough general duties officers.
I think we have, you know, like it's another one

(15:10):
of those things that we've spoken a lot about the
police resourcing, but it continues to come up as an issue.
And when you have the Police Association talking in this
way saying, you know those numbers of calls, I mean
thirty five thousand calls to the Joint Emergency Call Center
every month, that is like, that's crazy.

Speaker 2 (15:29):
It's just an amazing amount of calls. But you look
at this.

Speaker 5 (15:31):
There's been in my time in government, there's been two
surveys of the police, the first one and then the
second one. The first one was damning for the labor government,
and you'd think that they would read that report and
fix it.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
So but then there was like a year or a
year and.

Speaker 5 (15:43):
A half goes past and there's another survey and it's
even more damning. So it just goes to show these
labor governments not listening to the police. And the police
are out there doing a great job. And everyone knows
that my dad was a policeman and I've seen it
firsthand of how how they do over in a barbie,
you know, doing extra hours and just really to say
that they do a great job. But unfortunately the government
just seemed to throw them under the bus and don't

(16:06):
resource them. And you see the late survey, we're not
ninety seven percent feels not supported by the labor government
and they will have exit strategies. This is a massive
warning sign that the territory labor government are just ignoring
the police and it's time to do something about it.
And I know Duran probably going to say, oh, this
takes time, it takes years, But we had two surveys,
both of them damning. In fact, the second was even worse,

(16:27):
and nothing happened in the middle to fix that. It
should the labor government should have read the writing on
the wall and go we've got a damning report, let's
fix it. Instead, they're gone the other way and it's
gone downhill.

Speaker 4 (16:36):
Well, to say that we don't resource it, first, that's
what the that's what the police said, and that's what
the police. I'm going to say, Jared, is that we've
put in one hundred and twenty million dollars more than
when seal P were in government between twenty twelve and
twenty sixteen. To say, to say that we don't resource it,
that's incorrect. And you know that goes into police officers

(16:57):
on the ground, It goes into police don't police.

Speaker 7 (17:01):
I'm not insulting the police.

Speaker 4 (17:03):
I'm giving you the facts of what the budget we're
giving the police. You know, I highly respect the police,
and I work very closely with the police out in
the communities. Like I said, with Erica Gibson that's out
there and who's a new senior sergeant, met with her
in a number of times. I went to pepper Manati,
we gone to water, seen her in Daily River. We
have excellent police officers out there on the ground that

(17:25):
work hard every day and they're doing a lot of
work with the community and doing that community engagement work
which helps reduce crime because when you have trust in
the police from the community, that will help reduce crime
because people were more likely to go and speak to
the police before an incident happens. And we're starting to
see that out in those areas, are you, Sue.

Speaker 1 (17:47):
We've got though at the moment, I mean, just a
couple of weeks ago, we spoke to the female jockey
who'd been allegedly assaulted and who had called police and
wasn't able to get somebody out there.

Speaker 3 (17:57):
You know, we do get.

Speaker 1 (17:58):
Calls on the show as well at different times, people
saying that they're calling the police and that they're not
able to actually get officers out there. And that's not
a criticism of the police. That is a situation where
they are stretched. You know, we hear as well from
the Police Association that at different times there is one
van out on the road responding to, you know, to
various different incidents, and then you've got things like we

(18:20):
saw on Wednesday afternoon kicking off in the city where
somebody's got a bow and arrow.

Speaker 3 (18:25):
And yes, the police did go out.

Speaker 1 (18:26):
There, there is no disputing that, and they were able
to apprehend that young bloke who was doing the wrong thing.
But the fact is there does seem to be more
happening on the streets. There does seem to be more
kicking off and more crime around the place, and a
feeling from the community that the police aren't able to
respond in the way that they maybe had in previous

(18:48):
years because they're being called out to so much and
because the policy settings are changing, and this is something
that the Association had spoken to us about as well,
that the policy settings are changing in such a way
that it is meaning that there's more responsibility on the
police as well.

Speaker 5 (19:03):
And remember it's when Duran saying he's saying resourcing the police.
So I'm not sure if gran is calling the police
union liars or what he's talking about, but they're the
one that's saying it's not coming out.

Speaker 3 (19:11):
I'm just I don't think he said that's definitely.

Speaker 2 (19:14):
What I'm saying.

Speaker 5 (19:15):
Is he calling the Police Association also saying is less police?
Now there was ten years ago, so you know, Durana
say he put all this money in, but that's what
the Police Assoization is saying, what do we.

Speaker 1 (19:28):
Do at this point when you've got you know, when
you've got the association saying we need an.

Speaker 3 (19:33):
Additional two hundred members.

Speaker 1 (19:35):
So they're like they've put a figure to They've literally
put a number to it of what they think that
they need to be able to deal with the crime.
And you know, this isn't just you know, some like
some crew calling for you know, additional resources.

Speaker 3 (19:48):
It's the actual Police Association.

Speaker 7 (19:50):
It's not a name but.

Speaker 6 (19:51):
Claim as you say, it's a defined figure. It's actually
a modest figure, two hundred extra police. It actually doesn't
sound that unobtained. Clearly that's the issue is actually the recruitment.
It just must be so incredibly complicated with another you know,
five six jurisdictions also trying to recruit police. But they've
given us a number two hundred. How many of those

(20:11):
will be remote, how many of those will be in
the sounds, But it's a it's a really good target.

Speaker 2 (20:16):
Now that they've said how.

Speaker 5 (20:17):
Many are leaving the nutrition rate, I understand it's like
an eleven percent, you know.

Speaker 6 (20:20):
I mean, Jerry, that's always been an issue with Katie.
You know that too, That the numbers game that's played,
it's a number.

Speaker 1 (20:28):
I literally remember being on the phone to Labor Party staff,
as you know, when the CELP was in power, saying
we'll fee the numbers are low.

Speaker 3 (20:35):
You know, they've said that it's this.

Speaker 1 (20:37):
Meanwhile, in the annual report it says this, it's always
an argument. But I've never seen I don't think a
situation where the association, you know, is going we are desperate,
like we are stretched beyond our breaking point.

Speaker 6 (20:51):
Just with char restaurant shutting its doors in September that
because of Laura and order issues. One of the stories
that came out of that, and it's a again, it's
a number. It's part of this numbers game. But the
third day we're told on one night when the police
were called it. There are only three patrol cards for
all of Darwin and Parmeston. It doesn't sound like many,

(21:11):
you know, given sounds or the level of lawlessness that's
around at night.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
Yeah, particularly you.

Speaker 5 (21:16):
Can remember the Labor gunment voted down the man presenting
for assault on police.

Speaker 2 (21:20):
So we put that up. They voted it down.

Speaker 5 (21:22):
So when you say the Labor government is supporting police,
there was an opportunity for them to support the police.
They voted it down. The police are saying there is
less numbers. Police morale is like police are leaving. It's
a real issue and it needs to be addressed. And
unfortunate Labor government seem sorry that.

Speaker 7 (21:35):
Was a rushed legislation that you rushed it through.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
Follow the process. Just can't follow the process.

Speaker 4 (21:42):
And then hand in try and put through legislation without
going through a considered process. You know, it does take
time to make sure you get all the facts right
otherwise you have those unintended consequences.

Speaker 7 (21:52):
Jared and you may you may want to come in
and in.

Speaker 1 (22:00):
We are talking about parliament and some of what goes
on in parliament. The COLP leader Lea Fanoccuiaro has called
on the Chief Minister Natasha Fhiles to name the date
and time for an open debate of Samara Lavity's twenty
six thousand strong petition. It is obviously the petition for
Justice for Deckland Lavity and we did ask the Chief

(22:23):
Minister about this yesterday on the show. She said that
it is something that would be provided, that that date
and time would be provided. She hasn't given that date
and time at this point. But why do you think
that this why do you think that this is needed?

Speaker 5 (22:38):
Jared, Well, Ultimately, you can see there's been people rallying,
crying out for change on the front steps of Parliament House. Now,
this poor fellow was illegally murdered by someone out on
bail at his place of work. So you know, a
young person goes to work thinking they're going to come
home and he doesn't come home. That is just an
absolutely traumatic event for that family and right across the

(22:59):
territory and people got up an arm. There's twenty six
thousand people that signed this and yet there's going to
be a sixteen minute debate at some time. Throughout the
labor the Labor government needs to listen to territories, listen
to what's going on in the community and let this
be an open debate. Let's talk about it, because that's
what people in the community are talking to me about.
And I am sure people in the community are going

(23:20):
into all the electoral officers and all the Labor members
and COLP members and the independent saying crime is out
of control.

Speaker 2 (23:26):
We need to talk about it. Can you do something
about it?

Speaker 5 (23:28):
And it's time for the Labor government to listen not
only on the crime effect but also on the economic
cost of crime, because it's hurting businesses and it's hurting families.

Speaker 7 (23:35):
Well to say that when not listening is incorrect.

Speaker 4 (23:40):
The petition was put, was tabled in Parliament and then
went through the Parliamentary Accounts Committee which was them passed
to be debated.

Speaker 7 (23:49):
So we will be debating on this.

Speaker 4 (23:52):
And you know that will come in in time with
one of the sitting dates in the future.

Speaker 1 (23:56):
Are you going to commit though, to it being more
than sixteen minutes? I know that that is obviously the
way that it works. It was explained to us, you know,
Kesier period had explained that is you know, that's part
of the parliamentary business.

Speaker 3 (24:07):
Is that's how long that debate.

Speaker 1 (24:08):
Will happen, and that's not a rule that Labour's decided,
but would Labor actually go all right, we can see
that this is something that's a huge issue in the
community at the moment, more than twenty six thousand people
signing this petition. Let's actually debate this for longer.

Speaker 7 (24:22):
Yeah, well, look that's the parliamentary process. It is only
sixteen minutes.

Speaker 4 (24:26):
It doesn't matter for what what petition is put forward.
So you know, I can't change that. It's probably a
question for mister Speaker how that that that could be changed,
but it would be changed in the parliamentary processes.

Speaker 3 (24:41):
Do you reckon it? Hulda, I can tell you not
just asked around. Do you reckon it?

Speaker 4 (24:45):
Should be Look, it's going to be debated. We have
debated this top of the before as we also we
you know, the opposition have a day in Parliament where
they've brought you reckon.

Speaker 1 (24:57):
They should have to they should have to to do
that rather than you lie, rather than being a government that.

Speaker 7 (25:03):
The reality is, it's actually hindsight.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
It's a really direct question that the community is saying,
like there's twenty six thousand people that as signed this
petition and I acknowledge that some of them might be
from interstate. But you've got the community saying we want
this to be debated.

Speaker 3 (25:19):
We want it to have the.

Speaker 1 (25:21):
Actual you know, like the justice that it deserves and
the discussion that it deserves. Why not when you guys,
like for both of you on both sides of Parliament,
it's your job to listen to the community. Why not
listen to the community and why not go do you
know what, let's put our parliamentary differences aside, or our
political differences aside, and let it actually make sure that
this gets debated in the way that the community expects

(25:43):
and deserves.

Speaker 7 (25:44):
We are listening. You know, we've already tightened the bail laws.
We've tightened laws.

Speaker 1 (25:48):
Around two thousand extra people sign that petition after you
made that announcement.

Speaker 2 (25:54):
Six months.

Speaker 5 (25:56):
There's no change. That's the recommendation. Ten thousand people signed
it after that. It's just you've got to listen to that.

Speaker 7 (26:07):
Parliament.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
We wanted to debate this petition for as long as possible.

Speaker 5 (26:11):
We'd be happy to vote yes yes, four A to
debate it for as long as we could. And it's simple.
When now Durant said that it's up to the Speaker.
That's not quite correct. It's up to the members of Parliament.
Anyone in Parliament can suspend standing orders and the Labor
government do all the time. They've got the numbers, so
if they wanted, they can stand up and then Tasha
Files could stand up on Tuesday Wednesday. We have Parliament
suspend standing orders to be able to have this and

(26:33):
open debate for as long as it goes, as long
as every twenty five Members could speak on that if
she wanted to. But it's up to her and she's
got the power to do it, and they do it
all the time. Because this last week we did Matters
an urgency where the Tasha.

Speaker 7 (26:45):
File spend sittings last mornings.

Speaker 2 (26:49):
Where she suspended the standing orders. That can happen.

Speaker 5 (26:51):
It happens on a regular basis, so there is a process,
it can be done and the Labor government have got
an opportunity to do it and will be interesting to.

Speaker 6 (26:59):
Say about I don't think governments want to talk law
in order for two much longer than sixteen minutes at
the most.

Speaker 2 (27:05):
Katie Territory isn't asking any government.

Speaker 1 (27:09):
Yeah that's right, Well, all right, we are going to
take a very short break coming your way next. Well,
there is a lot to discuss, but eleven thousand homes
over the next five years. Can the Northern Territory government
do it? In the studio with us this morning, we
have got Labours Duran Young, we've got cam Smith from
the NT News and we've got the.

Speaker 3 (27:26):
Colp's Jared Maylee.

Speaker 1 (27:27):
Now, yesterday we got some further detail from the Northern
Territory Chief Minister following on from the National Cabinet meeting.
So the National Cabinet will announce that they are set.
The Prime Minister said that Australia is set to build
one point two million new homes in the space of
five years as part of this new plan agreed to
at the National Cabinet aimed at tackling the nation's housing crisis.

Speaker 3 (27:50):
Now, I will just play for you a bit of.

Speaker 1 (27:52):
What the Chief Minister, Natasha Files had to say on
the show yesterday.

Speaker 8 (27:56):
From the Northern Territory perspective, we're focused on ensuring and
release for new homes to be built, as well as
going back and looking at where we can infill with homes.
Our numbers is ambitious. We're hoping to build eleven thousand
homes over five years. That is a stretch target, but
we absolutely need to make sure we have homes for

(28:16):
territorians now and people that we want to become territory in.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
Chief Minister, where are they going to be? Where is
that land really is.

Speaker 3 (28:23):
Going to be?

Speaker 8 (28:24):
So katie across the territory. So in the top end
we've got Holts and Kowandi land as well as I
just mentioned some infield sites. We've got Kilgarriff in Central Australia.
So there is locations where government is working to ensure
that we can develop land for housing. And what the
Commonwealth announced yesterday was incentive payments for homes that are

(28:44):
built as well as investment into supporting the headworks for projects,
so seeings such as water and sewerage and that works.
That's vitally important to get more land for homes.

Speaker 1 (28:56):
Online, Chief Minister, I know you said eleven thousand homes
over the next five years is the target.

Speaker 3 (29:03):
How many have we built over the last five years?

Speaker 8 (29:06):
Okatye, we don't have the five years figure in front
of me. We average around one thousand homes a year,
but we did during the IMPEX construction phase extend up
to close to two thousand homes a year. There is,
of course worker shortages and the infrastructure to build homes
is a factor. But we're determined as a government to

(29:26):
do what we can do to boost supply so that
we have those homes right across the territory.

Speaker 3 (29:31):
How on earth?

Speaker 1 (29:32):
So we're going to build eleven thousand if the most
we've ever built in a year is too.

Speaker 8 (29:37):
So Katie, that's over five years at eleven thousand year.

Speaker 3 (29:40):
Yeah, but how are we going to do it when
we've got to work for shortage?

Speaker 8 (29:43):
So Katie, we're determined as a government to boost that supply.
It's vital to grow our economy and for jobs to territories,
so there is incentives and there was also support from
the Commonwealth around those headworks that allow the projects to
come online.

Speaker 3 (29:56):
So what do you reckon? Can we do it?

Speaker 7 (29:59):
Of course we can.

Speaker 2 (30:04):
Build up the economy.

Speaker 3 (30:07):
Can we build it?

Speaker 4 (30:08):
Yes? This is very welcome news that came out of
National Cabinet in Brisbane.

Speaker 7 (30:15):
Was it yesterday or the day before?

Speaker 4 (30:16):
A couple of years ago, so you know, the territory
Labor government, we do welcome this news which as we
heard that we're looking at eleven thousand homes over the
next five years, so you know that gives surgerty for
jobs for our businesses that are in that industry. But
you know, we'll be seeing forty four million dollar headworks

(30:36):
for Holts, twenty six million dollars headworks for subdivisions in
Catherine Eese, thirty one point six million dollars in Kilgarriff
down in Central Australia. So that will alleviate some of
the pressures that we have with people in the housing industry.

Speaker 1 (30:52):
We do though, like industry insiders have said to me
that we've currently we're currently building about four hundred and
fifty private homes a year and another two hundred odd
each year, so that is six hundred and fifty you know.

Speaker 3 (31:05):
Sort of at best, how we going to how are
we going to do it with the workforce we've got.

Speaker 5 (31:09):
The figures I've got is that there was six hundred
and eight dwelling starts last year, so a few times
that out to the numbers, it's like about three thousand,
so we're seven thousand short over five years, that's seven
thousand houses. We already know that there's a crisis in
relation to trying to keep tradees here. Unfortunately, I think
this is like Labour's forty billions dollar economy.

Speaker 2 (31:30):
It's just going to be a pipe dream. I'd love
to be able to get it here. No problems in this.

Speaker 3 (31:33):
There should have been a.

Speaker 5 (31:33):
Graphic example if labor would have started Widell which is
out in near Nunama.

Speaker 2 (31:37):
You know there's the area out there.

Speaker 5 (31:38):
Instead they're doing his infells around and holes in Kwundi
and then that sort of stuff. But if they're going
to have those real numbers of those that amount of houses,
and they should have started planning Wodell years ago and
they had the opportunity to do that, and they have
just dropped the ball again.

Speaker 4 (31:51):
Well I'm sorry, but like we have been successful in
our housing program and a good exam to get seven.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
Thousand miles in five years.

Speaker 4 (31:58):
When you look at our government where we're built the
remote housing in Abiginal communities, I think between twenty twelve
and twenty sixteen you built one house in Abriage Keys.
We're building one house every two days, So we do
have a track record of.

Speaker 1 (32:12):
How many have been built over the last year. Like
out in the remote regions.

Speaker 4 (32:17):
I don't have those exact figures. I'd have to get
that from a housing minister. But like I said, we're
building it's on average about one house every two days.

Speaker 1 (32:23):
Because I tell you, wash Cam and I have both
worked as political stuff as over the years, and I
worked for the Minister for Housing when we were delivering
sea hip and if there is one thing that you
don't do, it's you don't say exactly how many houses
you're going to build because you never live up to it.
And it's unfortunate, but it's one of those things where
it never bloody happens. You say I'm going to build,

(32:44):
you know, two thousand houses over this period of time,
and you have a terrible wet season, you can't get
the staff, you have, this happen, you have that happen.
And it is all great in theory if everything goes beautifully,
but so often it doesn't. But like I think it's
great to have an ambitious target. I think it's excellent
to think we need to try and solve this housing

(33:06):
crisis that we've got around the nation. But I just
really wonder how it's going to happen. You know, if insiders,
industry insiders are currently saying, well, hang on a second,
this is a lot more than what we've done previously.

Speaker 5 (33:18):
You're talking about these houses remoter and done remote regional areas.
Talk about how many houses have been actually destroyed and replaced,
So we're not talking about, you know, two thousand new houses.
We're talking about houses have been replaced. So there might
be you know, a three bedroom replaced by a four bedroom.

Speaker 2 (33:32):
House, and I fully accept that.

Speaker 5 (33:34):
But when you're talking about brilliant news houses, you should
also say, well, we're actually replacing houses, so we're not
actually making the housing stock bigger. We're just actually making
these houses livable for these communities.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
That's one thing.

Speaker 5 (33:44):
And the second thing is, even if you try and
get these people to come here to build houses in
the centers like Catherine and Alice Springs and Tennant and Darwin,
how are you going to get the people to come
up here and work when they're going to be victim
of crime? And if people are going to come up
here and be trades which would love to them up here,
are they going to come up when they know the
car is going to get stolen, or they can't go
shopping at cash arena, or they see thirty forty people

(34:05):
in the in the main street of Done it having
essentially a riot and someone armed with the barrow.

Speaker 1 (34:10):
You know, I think you've got to keep like, you've
got to have a vision and you've got to keep
working towards it.

Speaker 3 (34:14):
There is no doubt about that. And there's going to
be issue.

Speaker 1 (34:17):
There's going to be issues no matter what you you know,
no matter what you do, or no matter which town
you're in, there's going to be different issues. I think
the biggest, you know, like the biggest concern for me
is you talk about how many homes have built. All
the chiefiness have touched on how many homes are built
during the IMPEX construction phase, and the workforce was booming,
the town was booming, you know, like there was so

(34:37):
much happening around the place. But we're not there at
the moment. So I do think trying to entice a
workforce into the Northern Territory right now, Like, I just
don't know how we'll go.

Speaker 3 (34:48):
CAM.

Speaker 1 (34:48):
I know you write a lot in this space, you know,
talking about business and the population and that kind of thing.

Speaker 3 (34:53):
What are your thoughts?

Speaker 6 (34:54):
Well, I was out at Elko a few weeks ago,
and how was it out there, still being replaced from
the cyclone A decade go. Wow, it's a slow, slow,
slow process. Obviously great to have a target eleven thousands.
It's again it's an ambition out there. But and the
benefits from it would obviously be enormous, the economic benefits
coming from it as well, more jobs, more people in town,

(35:16):
you know, just diffusing some of the some of the activity.

Speaker 2 (35:19):
But I'm still smarting.

Speaker 6 (35:22):
I mean, we can't even get a lead point project
lead point just a legitimately good residential project. Just we
can't even get that off the ground. So many external factors.
It's not to do with the NT government, that's to
do with external factors. But it's just incredibly difficult. Great
to have a target or seeing five years again, if
the figures are presented openly and transparently, we'll find any

(35:45):
five years time the Chief Center target.

Speaker 3 (35:48):
It's going to be interesting, it always is. But look,
we are going to take a very quick break.

Speaker 1 (35:52):
You are listening to Mix one O four nine's three sixty.

Speaker 3 (35:55):
It is the week that was.

Speaker 1 (35:56):
And I tell you what, we cannot finish this morning
without talking about the Matilda's. They are indeed set to
play again tomorrow night. I think everybody was feeling a
little bit disappointed, maybe even devastation might have been the
word at my place, maybe a few tears after they
lost against England, but we know that it was an

(36:16):
unbelievable game. There's no other way to put it. I mean,
what's going to happen though on Saturday night? Are they
going to come third? But I hope they do.

Speaker 2 (36:26):
I hope they do.

Speaker 5 (36:26):
And you want to look on the bright side of this,
you know, the influx of people trying to play soccer.
And I've got a close example of my daughter who's thirteen, Well,
sears me up the game, daddy, I want.

Speaker 2 (36:36):
To go and play soccer.

Speaker 3 (36:37):
She joined my daughter's team, so she so now you know.

Speaker 2 (36:41):
That's just one in my family.

Speaker 5 (36:42):
So imagine people across Australia who've got the same sort
of situations here where you know, these kids watched her
go Now I want to go and do that, and
it gives them, you know, someone to look forward to.

Speaker 2 (36:52):
And I'm really proud of my daughters. They don't want
to go and do that.

Speaker 5 (36:54):
So she's one in gymnastics at the moment and that's
her sport that she now wants to play soccer.

Speaker 3 (36:58):
And it is so good. It's such a good sport and.

Speaker 4 (37:01):
I couldn't agree more with Jared, you know, the way
it's inspired young people to get involved in soccer. You know,
I've got two young nieces that are four and three,
so you know, and I know they loved watching every
second of the soccer.

Speaker 7 (37:14):
And you know, my family they're.

Speaker 4 (37:15):
Big rugby rugby league family as well, So for them
to be inspired, to be able to look up to
our heroes is something you know, that that as a
nation we should be proud of.

Speaker 7 (37:27):
And just you know, the way they played. You know,
I want to give a special I think no one
really touched on it, but Mackenzie Arnold, our goalkeeper, she's incredible.

Speaker 4 (37:34):
I felt like she played a huge part in getting
us to the semi finals. The amount of goals she
saved leading up to the semi finals. I think that
really got us across the line. I know, you know,
we also talk about Sam Kerr and Fowler as well
being a big part of it, but I strongly believe
that McKenzie Arnold played a huge role in that as well.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
Some of those girls like honestly that, I mean, they're
incredible and I watched it with both, like with both
my kids, And I've got a little girl and little
boy and there was no you know, like both the kids,
it doesn't matter what gender you are. They just think
that this team is absolute superstars. You know, my daughter
went to soccer on Monday night with her hair like

(38:14):
Mary Fowlers.

Speaker 4 (38:15):
You know.

Speaker 1 (38:15):
Like the kids are just loving, like loving it, loving
how well the Australian team is going. But what I
reckon has been really interesting to hear as well is
that Channel seven brought the rights to play the you know,
the games obviously to show the games, to televise them.
That's a word I'm looking for for I think like
five million dollars, you know when you look at that now,
oh there is such a minute amount of money considering

(38:39):
the viewers that have obviously watched these games right around
the nation million.

Speaker 3 (38:46):
It's incredible, you know.

Speaker 1 (38:47):
But then the other interesting part's that sort of happened
over the last couple of days as well. And Jared
you spoke about you know, your daughter going, I'd love
to play soccer. What an influx of kids are we
going to see wanting to play soccer right around the
Northern Territory, right around Australia And now you've got these
calls from the likes of you know of Curse and

(39:08):
Curse saying well, hang on, we've got to actually see
some investment into infrastructure as.

Speaker 3 (39:12):
Well in this sport around the nation.

Speaker 1 (39:15):
And I believe that one of the other soccer legends
has said, well, Albow, we're keeping the receipts made all
the times that you've said.

Speaker 3 (39:22):
How well the Matildas have done.

Speaker 1 (39:23):
We want to see some investment now into the sport
and into the junior side of the sport, because you
look at some of the other countries and how much
effort they put into to their juniors in this sport,
it is pretty different to what we do here in
the territory and in the like right around the nation.

Speaker 5 (39:39):
Yeah, I think is some of those, especially some of
those probably third world country sport is just everything if
you're a good sportsman, matter you could be some of
those Brazilian on fighters a USC or are you know
they are superstars yep, because and saying same with soccer
and like football no matter what sport.

Speaker 1 (39:54):
Like.

Speaker 5 (39:54):
Another inspirational team is a litle Feel rugby league team
out there, Litch Feel Bears. They go a great sign
in the soccer and and the cricket out at Fred's pass.
Is so much happening in sport right across the territory
briefly right across Australia that you know, it's trying to
put some money into and if we can.

Speaker 3 (40:08):
Well this is the thing.

Speaker 1 (40:09):
And you know, I do think it's going to be
a discussion that they have to have nationally, you know,
with the Prime Minister.

Speaker 3 (40:14):
It is going to sort of it's going to come up.

Speaker 1 (40:17):
There is going to be different, you know, different sporting clubs,
particularly your soccer club's going We'll hang on a second.
We don't even have toilets at our facility, or we
don't even have a training you know, somewhere where the
kids can train. So as we see these influx of
kids wanting to take part in the sport, there are
going to be some you know, some other sort of
pushes I guess associated with it. But tomorrow afternoon, as

(40:38):
we know, Matilda's are going to take on Sweden, so
at six pm, as I understand it, at Brisbane sun
Corpse Stadium, pushing the footy aside, by the sounds of it,
pushing the league aside.

Speaker 3 (40:49):
And yeah, always.

Speaker 1 (40:51):
Lots happening on the weekend when it comes to sport, Jared,
you're playing what are you playing.

Speaker 5 (40:55):
On the lase this weekend for the for the Litchfield
Pola cross team. Hopefully we go all right, we got
in last weekend, so I'm not sure it's going to go,
but you go to take the good into bad.

Speaker 3 (41:04):
Ah good stuff. Well, we are going to wrap up
for the morning.

Speaker 1 (41:07):
It is always wonderful to have you all in the studio.
Jared Mayley from the Coop, thanks so much for your time.

Speaker 2 (41:13):
Thank you, Thank you listeners.

Speaker 1 (41:14):
Cam Smith from the NT News, thanks so much for
your time this morning.

Speaker 3 (41:18):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (41:19):
And Doran Young of course from the Labor Party and
also the member for Daily, thank you for your time.

Speaker 4 (41:24):
Yes, thank you. And I'm looking forward to Sunday to
getting out to the c w A I t down
at Mary and Rogers Place.

Speaker 7 (41:30):
Is that for everybody or just for You've got to
buy your tickets. You need to buy a ticket to
be able to attend.

Speaker 4 (41:36):
But I'm really looking forward to getting out there and
supporting such a great event for the McGrath Foundation.

Speaker 7 (41:42):
Brownie, I think I think.

Speaker 4 (41:46):
Rogers apparently Roger's a very good cook and he's got
the cakes going.

Speaker 7 (41:50):
I might bring a cake. I am a bit of
a cook.

Speaker 1 (41:55):
I tell you, if there's one group of people that
I'd be scared to display my baking skill was in
front of it's the c.

Speaker 3 (42:01):
W A because.

Speaker 2 (42:04):
There was some good, some nice food out there.

Speaker 1 (42:05):
And I assure you, oh, it is wonderful to have
you all in the studio this morning.

Speaker 3 (42:10):
Thank you so much for your time.