February 29, 2024 • 46 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This time for the week that was, and in the
studio with us this morning, Well Live.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
She's here from Catherine.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
It is Joe Hersey, the member for Katherine for the COLP.
Good morning to you, Joe.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners. And a big shout
out to Catherine South Primary School this morning who have
announced their school captains.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
So well done to those students.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
All wonderful stuff. I've just come from Stuart Park Primary School.
A big shout out to them where they were announcing
their house captains. Where some great kids, including one of mine,
getting their their little badgers, so I know it's an
exciting day for all the kids when that happens. We
have got the well the Independent member for going to
Kezia Puric.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Good morning to you.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
Morning Katie, Morning Bush people.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Lovely to have you on the show. We've got labours.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Joel Bowden, Good morning to you, Joel, the Member for Johnson.
Speaker 6 (00:44):
Hell O Katie.
Speaker 7 (00:45):
And a shout out to Bert's Coffee at Northflake Shopping
where I just got a coffee if doing the school
drop up. It was magnificent double shot late love coffee.
Speaker 6 (00:56):
Bert.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
I've got a dog called Bert, don't you how many dogs.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Have you got kids? Maybe don't tell us because you
like get in trouble with the council.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Look, it has been such a busy week. I say
that every single week, but I think as as the
election draws nearer, we know that it is always going
to be politically busy. But I have to tell you
this week the thing that really made headlines well yesterday
in fact, was the fact that Northern Territory Police say
that they have arrested three youths aged twelve and thirteen
(01:28):
over a wild crime spree yesterday morning, with further arrests expected.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
It's alleged a group of youths stole two cars during
a break in at Fanny Bay, dumped one of the
vehicles in Nightcliff, using the other to ram.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
A police car.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
They're further accused of multiple break ins at homes and
businesses in Casarina and Fanny Bay. Now, Strikeforce Trident's Senior
will Detective Senior Sergeant Dale Matter Barnard had joined us
on the show yesterday and said that the trio were
deliberately targeting police. Well, the horrifying part is that they
were all on bail, is what we're told. So it's
(02:06):
you know, this whole situation I think is horrible for
so many reasons. I mean, the fact is you've literally
it's at a time of the day where most families
are getting their kids off ready.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
To school, you're heading off to work.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
We'd actually been first contacted about it yesterday morning by
Matt Cunningham, who witnessed it happening around the Nightcliff area
around Casarina Drive.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
We'd spoken to him then.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
As those details sort of started to flow through, and
we spoke to Dale Martter Barnard, who said that the
police cars had been deliberately targeted.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
I think that's.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Quite a horrifying aspect of it. Then when you learn
that they're twelve and thirteen, just unbelievable.
Speaker 6 (02:43):
It is.
Speaker 7 (02:44):
And one, it's good that they've got them and that
they've now been detained, but it's outrageous that kids are
doing this, especially at that time. Right we all know
that we're going around between you know, seven thirty and
eight thirty dropping.
Speaker 6 (02:54):
Our kids off.
Speaker 7 (02:55):
The streets are busy, everyone's heading to work, so it's
really really dangerous, just bloody unacceptable.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Also, Katie, the alarming thing is that all these kids
were on bail, and yet again there's this revolving door
of bail and no consequences, the fact that youth are
being returned home.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
To a responsible adult.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
And I know year last week you had a conversation
about what a responsible adult is. Well, a responsible adult
is not someone that is not going to have a
consequence for their child and let them go out and
repeatedly do the same thing again.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
But Joel, when the lady from I think.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
It was a nightcliff sports club, the elderly senior was
attacked there, you said that it was just kids acting out, Like,
that's not kids acting out. Kids acting out is I
don't want to eat my vegetables, But that is not
kids acting out. You know, when when youth are stealing cars,
they are ramming into police cars, which is totally unacceptable
(03:54):
any car, least of all the police who are out
there working extremely much.
Speaker 6 (03:59):
Joe awful at the law.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
But why are they being returned home to a responsible adult.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Why aren't they.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Doing in this instance, I think being kept in custody
in this instance.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
But totally last week.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
That was what we'd spoken about, Joe, where they had
been returned to a responsible adult, and that was definitely
the conversation that we were quite concerned with at that
point in time. But nonetheless, I think the question that
then sort of you know that then continues to be asked,
is well, how come people are being bailed when they Well,
this is that the legislation allows it.
Speaker 5 (04:31):
And I know that. I think the colp have got
Oh they've talked about changing the bail such this kind
of situation doesn't happen. But the fact remains. As a
police officer, you had a senior fellow, you had a
week or so ago.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
He Martin Dole.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Martin Dole said, the police can only act within the parameters.
Speaker 5 (04:47):
They've got a piece of legislation that they work with.
Like any piece of legislation, it's drafted, its past, it's debated.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
That's what the law is and we know that. So
they're going within the law.
Speaker 5 (04:57):
So these kids do offend, get charged, a bracelet put
on them, It looks pretty and then they know they're
going to get out of bail. And why would they
change their behavior?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Why because.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Time? Like is it time for the government. I know
you've got this review underway, but that ending at the
end of this year. I just I don't think it's
in line with the community's expectations. At the moment, I
think the community expects and they want the government to
take some further action. Now there they're saying, this isn't
good enough. We don't expect that if a child, you know,
no matter what age they are, whether you're talking about
(05:29):
a seventeen year old, whether you're talking about a thirteen
year old, if they're a repeat offender and they're ramming
a police vehicle, and from what from what the sergeant
had said to me yesterday, the senior sergeant had said
to me yesterday, also he said that, you know, filming
like that, he would be very he'd be very surprised
if that hadn't already gone either Facebook, live or live somewhere.
Like to me, there's so many aspects of this where
(05:52):
it's just so wrong. Everybody understands that you've got kids
that are growing up in a very different environment to
what the kids in my home might be or the
kids in any of our homes might be. But it
doesn't give you a right to do whatever you like, Absolutely.
Speaker 7 (06:05):
Not, and you have to abide by the law and
you can't take the law into your own hands. Now,
this group have been detained in a raman and I
think you said there's going to be further arrests to that,
as the Chief Minister, Evilaula has said that there will
be a real view into this. We are getting to
the very pointy end of the cycle, right, and I
think we looked at it the other day. There's only
(06:27):
four or five weeks left of parliament now and then
we're go into caretaker mode.
Speaker 6 (06:31):
So August is rapidly approaching that you could.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Literally call back parliament tomorrow, right, you could call it
back and go we urgently need to make some change
in this space.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
And that's where the community is.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
At, rightly or wrongly, whether we want to believe it
or not, that's where the community is at. And I
mean then when you see these figures come out to
written questions, I believe that the COLP had asked Joe
where this issue of repeat offending is now on the record.
With this new data revealing that seventeen alleged you defender
aged under twelve were bailed one hundred times during the
(07:04):
twelve months to the thirtieth of September twenty twenty three,
so among them, nine were rearrested while out on bail.
Further stats have shown that six hundred and forty six
youths aged twelve were granted bail, with over two hundred
of them being rearrested while on bail. That data uncovered
through written inquiries to the Minister for Police Brent Potter.
(07:25):
Now I've got a kid that's twelve, Joel, I reckon,
you probably do. Yeah, you know, like we've literally got
kids that at this age.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
The thing is, Katie, the time for review is over
and in ten days time we are going back to
Parliament and if the government was serious about things, they
can change the legislation so there is not this revoltailed.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
You know, someone needs to happen here. I mean, is
that what needs to happen here?
Speaker 5 (07:52):
For my recollection and understanding, Yes, the BARLAC needs to
be I mean I think there has been a review,
but whether that resulted in any changes just looked at it.
But yes, I think the BAILAC needs to be seriously
looked at.
Speaker 6 (08:03):
And it's also within the Youth Justice Actor as well.
Speaker 7 (08:07):
To be clear, there's a Youth Justice and there's also
the BAILAC and the presumption against all full bail depending
on the level of offense.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
And these children, these young people are not going they're
not getting any what's the word, they're not addressing the issues, like,
they're not going into any programs.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Well, I'm literally being told that they're saying to the cops,
you can't do anything to me.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
And that's exactly what I'm hearing Katie as well in Catherine.
And I know there's youth in Catherine that one youth
in particular has at least forty charges, and I know
he's breached his bail three times, he's got an ankle bracelet,
he's attempting to be re engaged back in school.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
And I would say, where is the support?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
No one wants to see these kids be thrown in
don Dale, but where is the support? You know, they
don't just turn up at ten as a criminal. That
there is you know, from birth and from when they
get to school even they will be monitored, whether it
by the attendance officers, which we will bring back truancy officers.
So there will be consequences for parents that do not
(09:07):
send their children to school, because we know that that
is actually law that you send your children to school.
Speaker 6 (09:11):
How many truth there needs to be? How many?
Speaker 5 (09:14):
I think you should bring back the school based constables.
Speaker 7 (09:16):
How many where across the entire Nolan territory you bring back?
How many truant the officers.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
Well, that's something that we will look at.
Speaker 7 (09:23):
But surely you've done the numbers. Sure you've got a
padded paper in front of you. Surely you've got the
number of how many truancy officers you will bring back.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Charl What we're talking about is the lack of consequences.
Speaker 6 (09:33):
You've just said truancy officers.
Speaker 7 (09:34):
Just tell how many truancy officers you will bring back
and which regions.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Well, look, I think you know at the end of
the day, the CLP you are going to have to
start answering some of those questions. You know. It's it's
all fine and will to sort of make announcements of
what will and will not be done. But that is
something that the CLP is absolutely going to have to
work through, particularly as we each closer and closer to
an election. But the fact is right now, Joel, you
guys are in power and people are fed up.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
They've had enough.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
If I've got any chance of being re elected, the
government has to make some serious, serious change when it
comes to the issues that we're seeing with crime. I know,
I'm sure that when you're out talking to people, it's
something that they're raising with you. I can't walk into
a shop without people raising it with me. I can't
go the soccer fields without people raising.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
It with me.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
I literally cannot go anywhere without people raising it with me.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
And I'm not a politician.
Speaker 7 (10:23):
Yes, Katie and I've just been in our springs. We've
been doing some business summit. So it was in Catherine
the week before Joe came along. Thank you Joe for
attending our business summit. And it is it's art Zeppelent
and it is a very very hot topic and we
do have to do more. I think the corresponding the
model that was released last time was on the show.
I talked about it without announcing it because the police
minister had to announce it. The corresponding model has tried
(10:44):
to help in the level of the reasonable.
Speaker 6 (10:47):
Person or the adult or the parent or guardian.
Speaker 7 (10:49):
And so if you go to an example like a
young person is arrested and taken home or to their
residence and there's no one there who's responsible, that young
person now goes into the care of territory families under
Nari Kit the minister.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
Where do they get pulled.
Speaker 6 (11:03):
They go to territory families. Within the care of territory families.
Speaker 5 (11:06):
I've got to live some time and it didn't have enough.
Speaker 7 (11:09):
And then territory families work through that. So that's that
coresponding model, which is which we brought in to try
and address that issue of kids going home and then
going straight back out.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
And look, it's the key there Farmerston and Alice Springs
where you've got those models, But what about Tenant Creek,
what about Catherine. You know, it's not like we don't
have those problems control, so we don't have that co
responder model. And you were down there at the business
meetings in Catherine, and you know on the Monday night,
every one of the issues that was raised were band
(11:42):
aid measures instead of dealing with the root cause of
the crime, which is what people brought up with me afterwards.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Katie.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
One of the things my constituents have told me, of
a couple who sort of work in this area broadly,
is that the police don't want to actually deal with
juveniles too much because I know nothing will happen. They
of course they do their.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Job absolutely they do, but they very good.
Speaker 5 (12:05):
They prefer not to deal with the juvenile issues because
they know nothing will happen. So the police are getting
frustrated because they know the kid's done something wrong. They've
stolen cars, they've crashed them, they've beaten up people, they've
feed they've robbed them, well quite audiately. But if it's
an adult, yeah, Joel or I do something wrong, they
know there's a dead set consequence. We get arrested, we
either get bail or we don't get bail. We end
up in court, we get found guilty or not found guilty.
(12:27):
So they are consequences. But what I'm hearing is that
the police are getting super frustrated because they know nothing
will happen to this part. Well, we're picking them up
time and time again.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Something has to change, and it's got to change really quickly.
I think that what we've got in the Northern Territory
right now is you've got a group of people, group
of young people who think that they can get away
with anything.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
Arrested undred times. But address when you.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Look at it like that, and when you look at
it like that, you go, how can we not get
a group on this group of kids that are misbehaving
or breaking the law. How can we not get a
group on it right? Look, we can seriously make some
inroads here and I tell you what, if we can,
the place is going to prosper like it's the biggest
thing that people are raising as an issue. But look,
(13:13):
we are going to have to take a very quick break.
You're listening to Mix one O four nine's three sixty.
It is the week that was if you've just joined
us in the studio this morning. We have got the
Minister for Business, Jobs and Planning, Joel Bowden. We've also
got the Independent Member for Goiter Kesier Puric, and the
colp's Joe Hersey, the Member for Catherine and Shadow for Education.
But look, I do want to go to the explosive
(13:34):
claims that were made by former Northern Territory Police Constable
Zachary Rolf at the Coronial Inquest into the death of
Kumenjai Walker now earlier this week. He claims that the
Northern Territory Police Force has an ingrained culture of racism.
He told the court that racist language was commonplace throughout
the force. He said, I haven't seen a lot of
racist behavior, but racist language was normalized in the Northern
(13:58):
Territory Police Force. He went on to say in the
muster room, I could hear something racist every day. Racist
language is used everywhere now. He went on to claim
that the Tactical Response Group held an annual party where
they issued an award. I'm not even going to say
the word because it's quite honestly not something I would
(14:19):
ever say. But we now know that members of the
Northern Territories TRG, Tactical Response Group and the force's top
brass have refuted those claims that the unit handed out
that award. While apologizing for any offense caused. They said
it comes after he'd made those claims. Of course, Zack
Roff making those claims and in a statement they tended
(14:40):
to the inquest. In response yesterday, Senior Sergeant Meacham King,
one of the three officers named at that in quest,
had said the prize was one of a number of
awarded for members' biggest stuff ups. He said a member
of the He was a member of the TRG between
twenty three and twenty twenty three, and said the award
(15:01):
recognized an outstanding lack of excellence in either hygiene or behavior.
It was called something else from what he had said. Look,
I don't know exactly wash has or has not been said,
but what I do know is that yesterday when I
spoke to Nathan Finn, the president of the Northern Territory
Police Association, he said that the comments that had been made,
(15:22):
the claims that had been made, had caused a great
deal of upset to Indigenous members of the police force
over the last you know, like what had been claimed
over the last couple of days.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
He said that as far as.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
He was aware, it was not you know, like, that
was not the kind of language that is used within
the Northern Territory Police Force, and there is not an
issue of systemic racism. Look, I want to say right
from the get go, I do not condone racist language
to anybody of any kind of you know, whatever your
culture is, no matter what your background is. I find,
(15:56):
you know, some of the language that was used really
quite horrendous, and I think that you know, most people
would agree.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
I mean, what did everybody make of it throughout the way?
Speaker 5 (16:05):
Well, I'd be interested to know what there were the
questions put to Zach Rolf by whomever that prompted him
to give this answer. So I guess we'd have to
look at the transcript from the book to know what
was asked of him.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
I think also we need to realize that, you know,
our police are out there on the front line every
day doing you know, hard work, and we have to
respect the work that they do. And you know, there's
been claims of racism and it's appropriate that they be investigated.
Speaker 7 (16:36):
I think Michael Murphy, Police Commissioner has already stated that
that there'll be an investigation.
Speaker 6 (16:41):
Katie.
Speaker 7 (16:41):
I grew up in our springs in the eighties and
nineties and you know, heard a lot of stuff as
a kid that I would have liked to unhear. And
what's being put before the coronial and he's a coronial
at the moment, So I don't want to go to it.
But it is confronting and it's really hard to listen
to and take that in.
Speaker 6 (16:59):
But quite simply, racism shouldn't be tolerate.
Speaker 7 (17:02):
We live in a wonderful, multicopt community and just go
to propt markets or rapid Greek markets and just see
how it manifests in our markets, in our people and
our friendships and.
Speaker 6 (17:13):
All throughout our community.
Speaker 7 (17:15):
So I just think we need to stamp this out
let that mister Murphy the police commissioner to do an investigation.
But if this is one step towards stamping it out,
then that might be a positive outcome.
Speaker 5 (17:26):
I think. I mean, if the allegations are correct, then
there's an issue. There's a serious issue with it.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
I mean, the officers have come out and strongly refused
what he's claimed.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Well, how is it that one person says this is
what happens because I was part of it, and yet
others might not have been privy to it because they
could be. I mean, the police force is a very
big organization, so they might not have been privy to
that kind of information because they weren't at the front line.
So maybe it is an issue with people police officers
who are at the front line, the ones who are
having to go out under the street every day and
(17:58):
suffer just as much. Race has been alleged in this situation,
because racist attitude and behavior has a two way street.
From my observations here in the territory, I personally have
not been called anything untoward by anyone other than any nationality,
aboriginal person, ethnics, whatever. But I do know a lot
of my constituents have come to me and they have
(18:19):
been abused and called all sorts of things, caurding White Sea.
So it may be existing in there, but I think
there's a bigger issue within our community in Northern Territory
slash Australia.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Well, look, there has been so much go on this
week and as you rightly said, their Joel, we know
that the coronial is well today's the last day, but
there is going to be findings come out of that,
so we'll no doubt see and hear more from that.
But I do want to take you across to another
announcement that was made throughout this week. The Government say
that they're focused on supporting our frontline police to ensure
that they have what they need to do their job,
(18:54):
and staffing is one of the most significant challenges facing police,
as the government is examined ways that they can fast
track training to thirty two police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors, providing
them with an accelerated.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Pathway to become constables.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
So those palies that are currently working in Alice Springs,
Tenant Creek and Catherine with the sole duty of reducing
alcohol related harm by providing direct support to liquor outlets,
including enforcing the new powers provided to police to place
individuals onto the Banned Drinkers Register. This accelerated pathway is
going to mean that palis with well, they've got greater
(19:29):
career opportunities, development opportunities. In turn, it's going to improve retention,
is what the government said during the week. It's not
always well, it's more that the Association had said to me, Katie.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
What we're concerned is.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
It's going to mean is that when the palies go
on their training in March, that's right, that they're off
those bottle shops and that they're quite concerned about the
impact that that may have.
Speaker 5 (19:54):
What about palies who don't want to become a constable, Well,
do I have to don't?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
That's your choice, your choice.
Speaker 7 (20:00):
This is a transition. If you're if you're currently a pally,
then you can transition with training, suitable training, into being
a constable.
Speaker 6 (20:06):
There will still be paleis on.
Speaker 7 (20:07):
Bottle shops, Alice rings Catherine coming from so as they're training,
they can do dual roles.
Speaker 6 (20:13):
So that's a good thing about this.
Speaker 7 (20:14):
I'll be able to actually transition while they're doing their
current role and transitioning to become able.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
You're more police that's going on the palis will still
be on the bottle shops because that's my concern for
the likes of Tenant Creek, Allison.
Speaker 6 (20:28):
So it will still will doing that job. Tennant Creek is.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Going to be comfortable so many so it's fast track
training of thirty two. Now. My understanding from what we
were told yesterday by Nathan Finn and I am remembering this,
I don't have the nights in front of me, but
my understanding was that we've got twenty eight in Alice.
His worry was that if they're all then going off
and training and then actually move into that constable role,
(20:53):
that we don't have them on bottle shops.
Speaker 7 (20:55):
As recruiting in the police, yeah, it takes time. So
the recruiting is now being enhanced by the opportunity for Pelice.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
So you don't reckon there's going to be any period
of time where there'll be where there will be a
short fall.
Speaker 7 (21:09):
Well, we have a shortfall in police currently, which is
why we're trying to transition to Palie to Cossles. The
Police Commissioner and the Police Minister, Brent Potter have have
assured me and and others that there will still be
palis on bottleshops.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
He said yesterday there would only be two palis left
in Alice Springs.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
So in Catherine, I can give you an example. There
are not palis all the time on bottle shops. I
went to a liquor record meeting a couple of weeks ago.
I know there are not palis all the time on
bottle shops. And in actual fact, there is a WhatsApp
group where people actually say where the palis are not
is actually where you can go?
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Yeah, and that is.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
A concern because you know, if we don't if we
don't have a pali on the bottle shop, that's you know,
unless they're on the band drinking register.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
You can go and buy whatever you like. So you know,
for the for the community, that's not correct.
Speaker 7 (22:05):
If you can't go and buy whatever you like, that's
that's the way we know that you can't do that.
So you just said that that's not.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
Bottom is not and there is not on the bottle shops.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
The police commissioner has said, I'm telling you firsthand, you
don't live there, Joe.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Really get to the bottom of this though, literally the
police Association are the ones saying to us that there
is going to be only two palis left in Alice
Springs with this, with this pathway from Palis to Constables.
So that in itself praises a concern, right if there
is going to be a drawback of those palies. And
I get that you want to give people career pathways.
I think that that's a fabulous idea, absolutely, but you
(22:53):
do want to make sure that you've also got others
sort of filling those roles, particularly in a week where
we've got the likes of Tourism Central Australia calling for
those alcohol bands to be.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
Lifted all the time.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
But all that's going to take time, right, All that's
going to take time. While at the same time you've
got the head of Tourism Central Australia after the Tourism
Body wrote to the government requesting the alcohol restrictions implemented
last year be relaxed. So he told us on the
show yesterday that it is having quite a large impact
on different businesses that Monday, as we know, Mondays and
(23:24):
Tuesdays and limited trading hours then on from three to
seven on the other days. He said that it is
having an impact that it is one of the biggest issues.
The biggest is still crime in terms of the reduction
in those tourism in tourism numbers. Now, Joel, that's your
portfolio now, I mean, how do you juggle this right?
When you when I get what the government's trying to
(23:45):
do to provide that pathway for our palies to constables.
But then if you don't have those palis or you
don't have enough on the bottle shops, how do you
then even look back, like look at drawing back those
alcohol restrictions in any way.
Speaker 7 (23:57):
So it's a very difficult balancing you're doing here on radio. Okay,
you've got your hands going up and down. I mean
the listeners probably, that's right. We're trying to balance it,
you know, Brent Potters, the minut for Alcohol and the
Cabinet is working together to try and balance all these
competing interests. Of Now there's a police review that's going
to come out very soon. It will be no surprise
if it comes out and says we need more resources,
(24:18):
because I think and what we're trying to do is
create more resources through an existing stream, which is the
palice who can transition to constables and that's a career
progression and also a retention while we train. I did
meet with Tourism Central Australia while I was in Al
Springs earlier this week and they've put forward their position.
So then we balance it up because we know alcohol
(24:39):
fueled violence, alcohol fueled disadvantage and disruption in the community
is one of our biggest issues. So we're trying to
balance all that up and have a look at it now.
My father in the early eighties and nineties was dealing
with alcohol fuel violence and disadvantage in our spries. We're
still dealing with it and it is that balancing act
that we're trying to get.
Speaker 6 (24:58):
Right around the decade as best wea You have to.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Say those things have escalated over the last couple of years,
Like I think if you live in Ella Springs right now,
you would say that things have escalated over the eighties.
And it was there in the early two thousands and
it wasn't.
Speaker 5 (25:12):
Like this, no more than any other town around the
country that getting back to the palis not being on
the bottle shops.
Speaker 6 (25:18):
They will be on the model sheep there members they
will be on.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
This is what Nathan fin say to.
Speaker 4 (25:25):
Going to be.
Speaker 6 (25:26):
Commissioner responsible for the shop.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
My understanding, My understanding is that what had actually been
said during the week is that there will be licensing,
that there will actually be licensing people that go on
to some of those bottle strips.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
And I'm happy to be corrected from.
Speaker 7 (25:43):
The commission part of the Police Minister will be on
this program Monday. I believe the Police Commissioner has already
said there will be palis on bottle shops.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
Where are you?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Where are they coming from?
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Though, that's the thing that the train and existing palis that.
Speaker 6 (25:58):
We exist for last run.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
We have been getting told though I will I'm going
to step up here because we've been getting told by
the Police Association for quite some time that we don't
have enough palies.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Right, so if we don't have enough palies.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
And again I will say, I think it's a good
move to have them moving into the constable roles, but
you've got to replace them if you're going to keep
these alcohol restrictions in place, or if you're going to
keep things you know, calm.
Speaker 7 (26:23):
You got, So we've got to recruit more and then
we're transitioning.
Speaker 6 (26:26):
And then it's also a retention.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Are you worried though, that there is going to be
a period of time where we do not have the
level of palis that are required.
Speaker 7 (26:35):
I have great faith in the Police Commissioner, mister Murphy,
and he has said that there will be palis on
bottle shops. Now he and his team run the rostering
system for police. I'm going to trust the Police Commissioner.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Well. Look, I think though, what I'm starting to see
from the Northern Territory government is announcements made that impact
the police, but not necessarily you know, like then a
kind of a bit of a it feels like sometimes
a bit of a thawing them under the bus, you know,
like even at the end of last year when we
saw the changes to.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
The concept, well the changes government.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
A yeah, well that's you know, they're the questions I
suppose that need to be to be.
Speaker 6 (27:09):
Out throughout consultation with all But even last.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Mirror's thing, ooh, Katie, because Joel's sitting here saying we're
going to have palis on bottle shops, I'm telling you categorically,
and Catherine, we do not have palis on bottle shops
all the time. So the question is if it is
going to be licensing inspectors there. They don't have the
same powers as the Pali.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Look, I think it's a fair question to ask, and
we have got the Minister for Police on the show
on Monday morning, so we'll certainly put that to him.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Let's take a really quick break when we come back.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
There's still a lot to cover off on middle school
changes as well as the latest shares fiasco.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Plenty to cover off on this morning.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Right here on Mix one O four nine's three sixty
you are listening to the week that was in the
studio this morning. We have got Joe Hersey, Keesyer, Puican,
Joel Bowden and well there just what I thought the
shares scandal was behind us. It was revealed earlier in
the week that Brent Potter is the latest to defend
his shareholding in a company behind a major prawn farm
(28:06):
project in the territory. He bought eight seven hundred shares
in Sea Farms in June twenty twenty one while working
for the then Aquaculture Minister Nicole Madison, claiming that he
declared them after being elected as the Member for Fanny Bay.
Now he says he sold them in November last year
upon becoming minister and denies that he had knowledge of
(28:26):
the Northern Territory government's fifty six million dollar investment in
Rhodes to support the project.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Now, somebody had.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Said to me throughout the week, Okadie, if he had
any knowledge, he may not have purchased those shares. But
you know, who knows exactly what the thinking was he did.
Speaker 5 (28:42):
From what I understand what I've read, Yes, he got elected,
Yes he declared, because that's what we do, you know,
we declare our financial interests. But he was in the
minister's office and so he would have been aware when
you know, the company approached the territory. He wanted to
do what the company did. But having said that, because
he worked in the minister's office doesn't mean he was
(29:02):
pacifically privy to commercial in confidence discussions with the minister.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
It never looks good, though, right, It never looks good
and it does make people sort of go, well, what
did you know?
Speaker 2 (29:13):
What else did you know?
Speaker 1 (29:15):
And again, well, one of our listeners actually raised the
point earlier in the week, and I thought it was
an interesting one.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
They were like Katie, sometimes seeing.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Your bureaucrats as well, will know different bits of information
I mean as anybody keeping an eye on those kinds
of shares.
Speaker 5 (29:26):
Okay, do you look at look at mining shares. You know,
you mining shares. You got your industrials, all right, So
mining companies come, they report their results of expiration to
the government.
Speaker 7 (29:35):
The government knows to report to the AX, right, so
all listed companies have to report to the AX.
Speaker 5 (29:40):
So you could say people within the Broader Minds Department
know intimately how well companies are doing on the ground.
But you're right, bureaucrats at higher levels could also be
privy to, you know, special information from industry or companies
or whatever.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
And it's just interesting they have another week and integrity crisis,
you know, when they actually came government saying that, you know,
they were going to be the Party of Integrity.
Speaker 7 (30:05):
And he did declare him as a ministerial adviser. Now
I've never been a ministerial advisor, but I wouldn't have
even thought about that, that you had to declare all
your holdings as an advisor.
Speaker 6 (30:19):
But he did that.
Speaker 7 (30:20):
When he was an advisor. He sold him off and
as we've seen, it's public didn't make a cracker out
of it. Like that's that's the other part lost lost
pretty much all of them.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
But the point is that doesn't you know, like that's
neither here nor there is it, you know, whether you're
making like it's a perception. You know, Barrio Farrell fell
on his sword many years ago the New Southwest because
he didn't declare a.
Speaker 6 (30:42):
Bottle of bottle of grain.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
You know, it was an expensive bottle of wine, but
it was a bottle of wine.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
You know, we saw we saw Files, well.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
We saw Natasha Files obviously fall on her sword, you know,
towards the end of last year. And but what's been
interesting is that the then the tact from the others
has been so different. You know, like she's obviously gone
all right, and I get that there was different reasons
behind it, and that there was the Shared scandal and
then there was the Second Shares scandal, but she'd sort
of treated it very differently and said all right, well
(31:12):
this is it.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
You know, she also in a higher level, she wasn't
the Chief Minister of the Northern or yeah, a higher
level of expectation.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
But I don't know, like I don't know, do we
just sort of go okay, well we accept that.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
You know that both Chancey and Brent had these.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Shares, they sold them off, They've declared them, they've sold
them off, whether there was discussions made in front of them,
you know. With Chancey, I think there is still those
questions about whether he actually declared it during or before
any cabinet meetings. But there is still this, you know,
this dark cloud over these issues, whether people sort of
want to believe it or not. I can see it
on the text line every day. People are going, I
(31:45):
don't believe it. It's dishonest.
Speaker 6 (31:47):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (31:47):
What evil Al has implemented is a Kathleen Robinson thorough
forensic review to have a look at all these things.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
Another review.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
Here we go, We're eight years in another review, a
review of a review.
Speaker 6 (32:00):
What seriously he's doing.
Speaker 7 (32:01):
And she's looking at the fact that you have to
report and declared to three different bodies, and I've done.
When I came into the cabinet, I had to write out,
like my family members, my daughter, the relationship between myself
and my daughter who works at Ken's Crapes.
Speaker 6 (32:15):
I have to declare that.
Speaker 7 (32:16):
So if I go to Ken's Crapes down at East
Point on a Sunday morning, which is beautiful, if.
Speaker 6 (32:22):
My daughter gives me a free crepe. Do I need
to declare that? Do you know what I mean? That's
to the minu Sure, And it's.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Really tough, right, I get it, because there's a fine
line between wanting people that you know, that are savvy
with their finances and that are you know, doing these
kinds of things to enter politics. But the really fine line,
I think is if there are decisions being made where
you've got any kind of inside knowledge, that is when
it potentially becomes an issue. Or if there are decisions
(32:51):
being made that your you know, your decision making process
may be impacted in any way, shape or form because
you have shares.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
In an organization pilate.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Sector is illegal.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Well yeah, absolutely, yeah, And look, I'm not saying that,
you know, I don't know to what degree anyone's known
anything at this point, but I guess you know, the
thing is that there is still this cloud over all
of the shares, Katie.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
That's why you know, we have been very vocal on
divesting of shares. We are not in decision making in opposition,
but you know, should we have the privilege of being
in government. In August, we have gone into the process
of divesting all shares to make sure that it is
clear cut and we're ready to go.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Look, let's move along to another topic. Now, this was
one that sort of fell under the radar to some
degree early yesterday, and that is the fact that a
review into secondary education is actually recommended replacing middle schooling
with a more comprehensive secondary school model. So the Northern
Territory government said that it's accepted all fifteen recommendations of
the review, conducted by Deloitte and Charles Dalwin UNI. A
(33:55):
secondary school model is pitched to increase support, improve attendance
and boost the number of students completing year twelve. So
the review also suggests regional support for schools to provide
pathways to work, experience and vocational education and training. It
is an interesting one. I mean, middle school. It doesn't
seem like it doesn't happen anywhere else. I don't think
(34:17):
every time I'm in Queensland or whenever I'm somewhere else,
some location. Yeah it is country, but you know it is.
I suppose it's something that I found quite funny in
the territory. After growing up in Queensland, where I thought, oh,
middle school, I didn't realize that there was you know
that there was sort of such a thing.
Speaker 5 (34:32):
I've never fully understood the educational merits and benefits of
a middle school. I mean, yeah, primary school one to seven,
high school one to five was what we all probably
went through, you know, and a whole generation has gone
through that system and it seemed to work. Okay. Sure,
there's people who will fall through the cracks for lots
of reasons, you know, system failures, you know, school failures, whatever. Yeah,
(34:54):
but the bulk of people came out of that system
quite okay. We're all sitting here a product of that system.
And middle school what year seven, So you've got about
twelve year old to a fifteen sixteen year old? Fifteen
sixteen year olds so terrible.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
I'm told it's a difficult age, right, you're putting them
in charge of It's a difficult age, and it's a
difficult age to not have those older role models I
think above you as well, like in year eleven and
year twelve.
Speaker 7 (35:21):
That's interesting because I've got a fifteen year old boy
and he will hate for me for talking about him already,
but fortunately fortunately he's at school, he's out of lock
and Catholic College and they go seven to twelve. So
at fifteen years old in year ten, he's got two
classes above him, and he has to model himself around
those older kids in the school, and they've all got
(35:43):
height and weight and size on him just for a
physical part. They've all got more learning, more understanding experience,
and so he's managed himself as a fifteen year old
boy going through the changes in his body and his
brain and everything.
Speaker 6 (35:55):
He's in that environment. So I'm actually for this.
Speaker 7 (36:00):
It's a good idea time as a transition. It won't
be too bumpy. There'll be a transition over the next
few years, and we'll go back back to the model
that the Keysy is talking about, back to a model,
but that's a model that's also existing here at the
moment with my kids college.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
How long do you reckon it's going to take, though,
to sort of transition from the middle school and high
school model that we've currently got to it all just
being cohesive together.
Speaker 6 (36:21):
I think a few years.
Speaker 7 (36:23):
So I'm not across the total is because some schools
will be different to the others, right, So our school
in let's say, Alice Springs will be different to a
school in Dawen, just depending on their makeup and how
they can transits.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
The government anticipated that it's going to be a costly
exercise to transition it.
Speaker 6 (36:37):
That way, not at this stage, right.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
So I don't think it's going to be expensive to do.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
I think the infrastructure is probably okay.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Yeah, well that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
I mean, you've got all you would suspect that you've
got all the infrastructure. We know how many kids we've got,
But it's more I guess just making sure that transitions Katie.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
You know again this just goes back to at the
time in two thousand and six when Clare Martin boarded in.
We seal p did not agree with that at the time.
We've now had Eva Lawla who is now the Chief Minister.
She was the Education Minister. Now we've got Mark Monaghan
and you know we've seen declining attendance, we've seen declining
nap land that I would give the Chief Minister a
(37:18):
big f on her report card of education.
Speaker 6 (37:23):
So the thing you agree with the changing and bringing
them in.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
There years to become a journeys.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
Have lots of.
Speaker 7 (37:29):
Questions motherhood's statements reading off a powder paper that she's
got pre stuff and won't answer a question and.
Speaker 6 (37:35):
Maybe I will become a journalist later.
Speaker 7 (37:37):
But if the member for Catherine can't answer a question,
just makes do support the changes from middle school going back.
Speaker 1 (37:43):
Into so that you guys have like that, there's been
some areas where there are some serious concerns in education at.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
That it's fair enough to raise it.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
And charing in high school.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
Now, many years ago, when my oldest son who's now
twenty eight went to school, he went to seven, eight nine,
there was a middle school there I can't remember how
many years ago that was disassembled and you know it's
just integrated into the broader school now. So obviously at
Catherine High School they realized that it wasn't working. Then
what we've seen is over the last eight years, I'm
(38:17):
pretty sure you didn't need a review to work that out.
There's been you know, I've heard yesterday there was teachers
in education that so that she wouldn't have done it
to start off with, what's.
Speaker 6 (38:31):
Your position now? Disagree?
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Well, the thing is what we have said is that schools,
those kids need to see the role models that we've
spoken about, so there needs to be better support in
getting kids to school. We would bring back truancy offices.
So that then there would be in the school based.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
Costs a very how much would cost So I'm not
giving you the numbers here right now.
Speaker 8 (38:58):
Still, well, let's be respect please, actually, let's make sure
that we are respectful towards each other, because it's starting
to get a bit lucky to be honest.
Speaker 5 (39:11):
Easier otherwise, you know what happens on farms. People are naughty.
All I was going to comment on was the feedback,
the and the engagement I have with teachers, which is
to mim in because that's the only place no saplas
middle school sort of is they're not really comfortable with
middle school because that's where they get locked into, you know,
and so that's the only area they teach. Whereas if
(39:32):
you had a comprehensive you back to the one you know,
you one to year five whatever is, the teachers can
spread across, you know, the five years of secondary school
and engaged with students who really do want to learn.
I mean, let's be honest. Half some schools, you know,
any class, we've all been through it. You know, there's
students who just want to learn, they just want to
get on and whatever, and then there's those who don't.
(39:52):
But they can be dealt with, but the teachers are
the ones that have been frustrated in the middle school system.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Yeah, look, it's a good thing.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
I do think it's a good thing to go back
to in my opinion, for the reasons that we've spoken
about in terms of having those older role models. I've
even been told though at different schools as well in
middle school that sometimes the kids are not even really
wanting to put their hands up to be captains and
things like that because it's quite a difficult age, I suppose.
So I do think that it's potentially a good thing.
Speaker 5 (40:18):
What what I've observed it to me. Man, you know,
you get the kids who they're probably some might be
eleven or twelve, yeah, mostly twelve, but they're very young
and they're put into a big campus with big kids.
And as Joel said, you know, if you're looking at
the boys, you know they're strong. They sure some of
them are just look like adults, especially the young fellows.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
The other thing, Katie, we need.
Speaker 5 (40:40):
To look at it that has that can have potential
implications for social engagement. That's the positive and also the negative.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Yeah, so we've got I mean, we've got to make
sure we get it right.
Speaker 3 (40:52):
I think, Katie, when I'm talking to teachers. You know,
in my community, there's the curriculum needs to be decluttered.
We need to get back to basics of reading, writing,
and you know, marimatics, arithmetic, yes, casier, you know, So
making sure that we get the basics so that these
children go on to become better learners, leave school knowing
(41:14):
the basics, to be able to get a job and
be you know, upstanding members of society and get a job.
Speaker 4 (41:21):
You know that that's the most important thing.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Absolutely, you want people to leave school and be able
to flourish.
Speaker 2 (41:26):
Hopefully, we are going.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
To have to take a bit of a break when
we come back, keen to talk about all these candidates
that have been announced over the last week that's coming
your way right here on mix. If you've just joined us,
well you've missed out on quite a cracking hour. Joel
Boden Kesi Apurican Joe Hersey in the studio.
Speaker 2 (41:44):
But look, before I let you all go, there has.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
Been quite a few announcements made this week when it
comes to candidates who are going to be running at
the August election.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
And we know that there's now.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
Going to be an independent running in the seat of
goid A stad Wilyn Nicolestad.
Speaker 5 (42:01):
Yes, I think she's a good candidate. She's prepared to
put her hand up to run for public office, so
good for her and I'm happy to support her. I
think she'll do well for the rule there with her
you know, her background and just the way she goes
about life.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
Well, she's not the only one we know that there is,
there's members, you know, there's obviously plenty of people putting
their hands up. The Greens have announced a couple as
well or a few. Suki Duras Walker is going to
be running in Fanny Bay. Kat macnamara a vying for Nightcliffe.
I'd tell it Nightcliff's going to be interesting for the
former Chief Minister.
Speaker 5 (42:32):
I'll win, should be hard to beat there.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
You know, she won I think with the largest majority
at the last election. But I do think it's going
to make things interesting with with Helen secretary and also
of course with the Greens candidate.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
It's going to be.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
Strong candidate, you know.
Speaker 3 (42:50):
Yeah, there's a lot good group of diverse people can
hand up.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Yeah, Robin's a very impressive person, very impressive in the
different roles that she said I mean there's plenty of
Like there is quite a few people Joel who's running
for Port Darwin do we know yet?
Speaker 2 (43:05):
For the Labor Party.
Speaker 6 (43:06):
Who don't know yet, But I can make one announcement.
I'm running for Johnston. Joel out for Johnston.
Speaker 7 (43:13):
Was in one glory And I want to commend anyone
who will put their hand into because it's not for everyone.
Speaker 6 (43:19):
And a lot of people look at it and they
go get a bit dewey, don't dewey, and they get
they recoil and sort of walk out the back door.
Speaker 7 (43:27):
And it is. It is a really fulfilling life. But
it can be hard work and it can be tough,
and you have to do things like this. You have
to put yourself out there and you have to have
people go through whatever it is that you've got in
your life like we've seen recently and be uh scrutinized
and ridiculed my whole life.
Speaker 2 (43:47):
Yeah, we all.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
I think it's an incredibly important thing to do. And
I would actually encourage anybody, you know, if you're out
there listening, think that's right.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (43:59):
And I've had a couple of well actually i've had
a couple of two fellas contact me and one came
in to have a chat because he's semi interested in
what's happening. And it's I expect probably apart from the
major parties COLP and Labor Party putting up candidates and
Belinda as an independent, I'll be expecting about another two
to three independence because it's no incumbency.
Speaker 4 (44:19):
Yeah, you know, it's the.
Speaker 5 (44:20):
Same as perhaps in Onenguri, although that's a different demographics.
But where there's no incombency Port Darwin, that's where people
think I can.
Speaker 1 (44:27):
Have a guy.
Speaker 5 (44:28):
This is because I'm not competing against the sitting member,
but am with you Katie. Like if people are prepared
to have a go and they are genuinely interested rather
than just full of self ego or ego and self confident,
knockdown real fast, especially out in the rural area.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
I think it's really I think it's really exciting connection.
I think it's going to be tight, and we're as
in opposition, are out there working hard and it was
really great to see a diverse group of candidates come
forward and be pre selected and I really look forward
to working with them out on the ground.
Speaker 2 (45:01):
It's going to be an interesting year. There is no
doubt about that goal.
Speaker 5 (45:05):
But I've still got my money on the sealp to win.
Even though the odds of the bookies are still with
you guys to win.
Speaker 4 (45:13):
I'm still putting my money on the seal.
Speaker 7 (45:14):
I'm going to say this because you don't bet, never bet,
because the house always wins. Keep your money in your podcast,
don't waste it on gambling.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
I have one politic more responsibly.
Speaker 5 (45:24):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (45:27):
We are going to have to wrap up for the morning.
Speaker 1 (45:29):
Joe Hersey, the COLPS member for Catherine, thank you so
much for your time this morning.
Speaker 4 (45:34):
Thanks Katie, and thanks Catherine.
Speaker 2 (45:36):
And Kisi Puic, the member for Goider.
Speaker 5 (45:38):
Thanks Katie, thanks so much. Good weekend for Bush people.
I hope for everybody they're mowing your lawns, paddicks about them.
Speaker 2 (45:47):
The Minister for Well for Business, Jobs and Planning, and
the member for Johnson, thank you.
Speaker 6 (45:51):
Can I just say congratulations the keys you.
Speaker 7 (45:53):
I may not see you again on the week that
was fantastic career politics, maybe not in this setting you
ladies and gentlemen, boy and girls. The footy finals are
on ETFL this weekend. Get down to the Marara Saturday Sunday.
There will be Footy finals on weekend. The biggest game
of the night is Saturday Night Night Tigers versus Saints.
Speaker 6 (46:11):
Let's see how it goes.
Speaker 7 (46:13):
Tigers will win, Joseph, Tigers will come, They will clall
their way to victory.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
You have been listening to the week that was
This time for the week that was, and in the
studio with us this morning, Well Live.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
She's here from Catherine.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
It is Joe Hersey, the member for Katherine for the COLP.
Good morning to you, Joe.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners. And a big shout
out to Catherine South Primary School this morning who have
announced their school captains.
Speaker 4 (00:16):
So well done to those students.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
All wonderful stuff. I've just come from Stuart Park Primary School.
A big shout out to them where they were announcing
their house captains. Where some great kids, including one of mine,
getting their their little badgers, so I know it's an
exciting day for all the kids when that happens. We
have got the well the Independent member for going to
Kezia Puric.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Good morning to you.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
Morning Katie, Morning Bush people.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Lovely to have you on the show. We've got labours.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Joel Bowden, Good morning to you, Joel, the Member for Johnson.
Speaker 6 (00:44):
Hell O Katie.
Speaker 7 (00:45):
And a shout out to Bert's Coffee at Northflake Shopping
where I just got a coffee if doing the school
drop up. It was magnificent double shot late love coffee.
Speaker 6 (00:56):
Bert.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
I've got a dog called Bert, don't you how many dogs.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Have you got kids? Maybe don't tell us because you
like get in trouble with the council.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Look, it has been such a busy week. I say
that every single week, but I think as as the
election draws nearer, we know that it is always going
to be politically busy. But I have to tell you
this week the thing that really made headlines well yesterday
in fact, was the fact that Northern Territory Police say
that they have arrested three youths aged twelve and thirteen
(01:28):
over a wild crime spree yesterday morning, with further arrests expected.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
It's alleged a group of youths stole two cars during
a break in at Fanny Bay, dumped one of the
vehicles in Nightcliff, using the other to ram.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
A police car.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
They're further accused of multiple break ins at homes and
businesses in Casarina and Fanny Bay. Now, Strikeforce Trident's Senior
will Detective Senior Sergeant Dale Matter Barnard had joined us
on the show yesterday and said that the trio were
deliberately targeting police. Well, the horrifying part is that they
were all on bail, is what we're told. So it's
(02:06):
you know, this whole situation I think is horrible for
so many reasons. I mean, the fact is you've literally
it's at a time of the day where most families
are getting their kids off ready.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
To school, you're heading off to work.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
We'd actually been first contacted about it yesterday morning by
Matt Cunningham, who witnessed it happening around the Nightcliff area
around Casarina Drive.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
We'd spoken to him then.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
As those details sort of started to flow through, and
we spoke to Dale Martter Barnard, who said that the
police cars had been deliberately targeted.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
I think that's.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Quite a horrifying aspect of it. Then when you learn
that they're twelve and thirteen, just unbelievable.
Speaker 6 (02:43):
It is.
Speaker 7 (02:44):
And one, it's good that they've got them and that
they've now been detained, but it's outrageous that kids are
doing this, especially at that time. Right we all know
that we're going around between you know, seven thirty and
eight thirty dropping.
Speaker 6 (02:54):
Our kids off.
Speaker 7 (02:55):
The streets are busy, everyone's heading to work, so it's
really really dangerous, just bloody unacceptable.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
Also, Katie, the alarming thing is that all these kids
were on bail, and yet again there's this revolving door
of bail and no consequences, the fact that youth are
being returned home.
Speaker 4 (03:13):
To a responsible adult.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
And I know year last week you had a conversation
about what a responsible adult is. Well, a responsible adult
is not someone that is not going to have a
consequence for their child and let them go out and
repeatedly do the same thing again.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
But Joel, when the lady from I think.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
It was a nightcliff sports club, the elderly senior was
attacked there, you said that it was just kids acting out, Like,
that's not kids acting out. Kids acting out is I
don't want to eat my vegetables, But that is not
kids acting out. You know, when when youth are stealing cars,
they are ramming into police cars, which is totally unacceptable
(03:54):
any car, least of all the police who are out
there working extremely much.
Speaker 6 (03:59):
Joe awful at the law.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
But why are they being returned home to a responsible adult.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
Why aren't they.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Doing in this instance, I think being kept in custody
in this instance.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
But totally last week.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
That was what we'd spoken about, Joe, where they had
been returned to a responsible adult, and that was definitely
the conversation that we were quite concerned with at that
point in time. But nonetheless, I think the question that
then sort of you know that then continues to be asked,
is well, how come people are being bailed when they Well,
this is that the legislation allows it.
Speaker 5 (04:31):
And I know that. I think the colp have got
Oh they've talked about changing the bail such this kind
of situation doesn't happen. But the fact remains. As a
police officer, you had a senior fellow, you had a
week or so ago.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
He Martin Dole.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Martin Dole said, the police can only act within the parameters.
Speaker 5 (04:47):
They've got a piece of legislation that they work with.
Like any piece of legislation, it's drafted, its past, it's debated.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
That's what the law is and we know that. So
they're going within the law.
Speaker 5 (04:57):
So these kids do offend, get charged, a bracelet put
on them, It looks pretty and then they know they're
going to get out of bail. And why would they
change their behavior?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Why because.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
Time? Like is it time for the government. I know
you've got this review underway, but that ending at the
end of this year. I just I don't think it's
in line with the community's expectations. At the moment, I
think the community expects and they want the government to
take some further action. Now there they're saying, this isn't
good enough. We don't expect that if a child, you know,
no matter what age they are, whether you're talking about
(05:29):
a seventeen year old, whether you're talking about a thirteen
year old, if they're a repeat offender and they're ramming
a police vehicle, and from what from what the sergeant
had said to me yesterday, the senior sergeant had said
to me yesterday, also he said that, you know, filming
like that, he would be very he'd be very surprised
if that hadn't already gone either Facebook, live or live somewhere.
Like to me, there's so many aspects of this where
(05:52):
it's just so wrong. Everybody understands that you've got kids
that are growing up in a very different environment to
what the kids in my home might be or the
kids in any of our homes might be. But it
doesn't give you a right to do whatever you like, Absolutely.
Speaker 7 (06:05):
Not, and you have to abide by the law and
you can't take the law into your own hands. Now,
this group have been detained in a raman and I
think you said there's going to be further arrests to that,
as the Chief Minister, Evilaula has said that there will
be a real view into this. We are getting to
the very pointy end of the cycle, right, and I
think we looked at it the other day. There's only
(06:27):
four or five weeks left of parliament now and then
we're go into caretaker mode.
Speaker 6 (06:31):
So August is rapidly approaching that you could.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Literally call back parliament tomorrow, right, you could call it
back and go we urgently need to make some change
in this space.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
And that's where the community is.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
At, rightly or wrongly, whether we want to believe it
or not, that's where the community is at. And I
mean then when you see these figures come out to
written questions, I believe that the COLP had asked Joe
where this issue of repeat offending is now on the record.
With this new data revealing that seventeen alleged you defender
aged under twelve were bailed one hundred times during the
(07:04):
twelve months to the thirtieth of September twenty twenty three,
so among them, nine were rearrested while out on bail.
Further stats have shown that six hundred and forty six
youths aged twelve were granted bail, with over two hundred
of them being rearrested while on bail. That data uncovered
through written inquiries to the Minister for Police Brent Potter.
(07:25):
Now I've got a kid that's twelve, Joel, I reckon,
you probably do. Yeah, you know, like we've literally got
kids that at this age.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
The thing is, Katie, the time for review is over
and in ten days time we are going back to
Parliament and if the government was serious about things, they
can change the legislation so there is not this revoltailed.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
You know, someone needs to happen here. I mean, is
that what needs to happen here?
Speaker 5 (07:52):
For my recollection and understanding, Yes, the BARLAC needs to
be I mean I think there has been a review,
but whether that resulted in any changes just looked at it.
But yes, I think the BAILAC needs to be seriously
looked at.
Speaker 6 (08:03):
And it's also within the Youth Justice Actor as well.
Speaker 7 (08:07):
To be clear, there's a Youth Justice and there's also
the BAILAC and the presumption against all full bail depending
on the level of offense.
Speaker 5 (08:13):
And these children, these young people are not going they're
not getting any what's the word, they're not addressing the issues, like,
they're not going into any programs.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Well, I'm literally being told that they're saying to the cops,
you can't do anything to me.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
And that's exactly what I'm hearing Katie as well in Catherine.
And I know there's youth in Catherine that one youth
in particular has at least forty charges, and I know
he's breached his bail three times, he's got an ankle bracelet,
he's attempting to be re engaged back in school.
Speaker 4 (08:42):
And I would say, where is the support?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
No one wants to see these kids be thrown in
don Dale, but where is the support? You know, they
don't just turn up at ten as a criminal. That
there is you know, from birth and from when they
get to school even they will be monitored, whether it
by the attendance officers, which we will bring back truancy officers.
So there will be consequences for parents that do not
(09:07):
send their children to school, because we know that that
is actually law that you send your children to school.
Speaker 6 (09:11):
How many truth there needs to be? How many?
Speaker 5 (09:14):
I think you should bring back the school based constables.
Speaker 7 (09:16):
How many where across the entire Nolan territory you bring back?
How many truant the officers.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
Well, that's something that we will look at.
Speaker 7 (09:23):
But surely you've done the numbers. Sure you've got a
padded paper in front of you. Surely you've got the
number of how many truancy officers you will bring back.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
Charl What we're talking about is the lack of consequences.
Speaker 6 (09:33):
You've just said truancy officers.
Speaker 7 (09:34):
Just tell how many truancy officers you will bring back
and which regions.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Well, look, I think you know at the end of
the day, the CLP you are going to have to
start answering some of those questions. You know. It's it's
all fine and will to sort of make announcements of
what will and will not be done. But that is
something that the CLP is absolutely going to have to
work through, particularly as we each closer and closer to
an election. But the fact is right now, Joel, you
guys are in power and people are fed up.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
They've had enough.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
If I've got any chance of being re elected, the
government has to make some serious, serious change when it
comes to the issues that we're seeing with crime. I know,
I'm sure that when you're out talking to people, it's
something that they're raising with you. I can't walk into
a shop without people raising it with me. I can't
go the soccer fields without people raising.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
It with me.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
I literally cannot go anywhere without people raising it with me.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
And I'm not a politician.
Speaker 7 (10:23):
Yes, Katie and I've just been in our springs. We've
been doing some business summit. So it was in Catherine
the week before Joe came along. Thank you Joe for
attending our business summit. And it is it's art Zeppelent
and it is a very very hot topic and we
do have to do more. I think the corresponding the
model that was released last time was on the show.
I talked about it without announcing it because the police
minister had to announce it. The corresponding model has tried
(10:44):
to help in the level of the reasonable.
Speaker 6 (10:47):
Person or the adult or the parent or guardian.
Speaker 7 (10:49):
And so if you go to an example like a
young person is arrested and taken home or to their
residence and there's no one there who's responsible, that young
person now goes into the care of territory families under
Nari Kit the minister.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
Where do they get pulled.
Speaker 6 (11:03):
They go to territory families. Within the care of territory families.
Speaker 5 (11:06):
I've got to live some time and it didn't have enough.
Speaker 7 (11:09):
And then territory families work through that. So that's that
coresponding model, which is which we brought in to try
and address that issue of kids going home and then
going straight back out.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
And look, it's the key there Farmerston and Alice Springs
where you've got those models, But what about Tenant Creek,
what about Catherine. You know, it's not like we don't
have those problems control, so we don't have that co
responder model. And you were down there at the business
meetings in Catherine, and you know on the Monday night,
every one of the issues that was raised were band
(11:42):
aid measures instead of dealing with the root cause of
the crime, which is what people brought up with me afterwards.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Katie.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
One of the things my constituents have told me, of
a couple who sort of work in this area broadly,
is that the police don't want to actually deal with
juveniles too much because I know nothing will happen. They
of course they do their.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
Job absolutely they do, but they very good.
Speaker 5 (12:05):
They prefer not to deal with the juvenile issues because
they know nothing will happen. So the police are getting
frustrated because they know the kid's done something wrong. They've
stolen cars, they've crashed them, they've beaten up people, they've
feed they've robbed them, well quite audiately. But if it's
an adult, yeah, Joel or I do something wrong, they
know there's a dead set consequence. We get arrested, we
either get bail or we don't get bail. We end
up in court, we get found guilty or not found guilty.
(12:27):
So they are consequences. But what I'm hearing is that
the police are getting super frustrated because they know nothing
will happen to this part. Well, we're picking them up
time and time again.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Something has to change, and it's got to change really quickly.
I think that what we've got in the Northern Territory
right now is you've got a group of people, group
of young people who think that they can get away
with anything.
Speaker 6 (12:48):
Arrested undred times. But address when you.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Look at it like that, and when you look at
it like that, you go, how can we not get
a group on this group of kids that are misbehaving
or breaking the law. How can we not get a
group on it right? Look, we can seriously make some
inroads here and I tell you what, if we can,
the place is going to prosper like it's the biggest
thing that people are raising as an issue. But look,
(13:13):
we are going to have to take a very quick break.
You're listening to Mix one O four nine's three sixty.
It is the week that was if you've just joined
us in the studio this morning. We have got the
Minister for Business, Jobs and Planning, Joel Bowden. We've also
got the Independent Member for Goiter Kesier Puric, and the
colp's Joe Hersey, the Member for Catherine and Shadow for Education.
But look, I do want to go to the explosive
(13:34):
claims that were made by former Northern Territory Police Constable
Zachary Rolf at the Coronial Inquest into the death of
Kumenjai Walker now earlier this week. He claims that the
Northern Territory Police Force has an ingrained culture of racism.
He told the court that racist language was commonplace throughout
the force. He said, I haven't seen a lot of
racist behavior, but racist language was normalized in the Northern
(13:58):
Territory Police Force. He went on to say in the
muster room, I could hear something racist every day. Racist
language is used everywhere now. He went on to claim
that the Tactical Response Group held an annual party where
they issued an award. I'm not even going to say
the word because it's quite honestly not something I would
(14:19):
ever say. But we now know that members of the
Northern Territories TRG, Tactical Response Group and the force's top
brass have refuted those claims that the unit handed out
that award. While apologizing for any offense caused. They said
it comes after he'd made those claims. Of course, Zack
Roff making those claims and in a statement they tended
(14:40):
to the inquest. In response yesterday, Senior Sergeant Meacham King,
one of the three officers named at that in quest,
had said the prize was one of a number of
awarded for members' biggest stuff ups. He said a member
of the He was a member of the TRG between
twenty three and twenty twenty three, and said the award
(15:01):
recognized an outstanding lack of excellence in either hygiene or behavior.
It was called something else from what he had said. Look,
I don't know exactly wash has or has not been said,
but what I do know is that yesterday when I
spoke to Nathan Finn, the president of the Northern Territory
Police Association, he said that the comments that had been made,
(15:22):
the claims that had been made, had caused a great
deal of upset to Indigenous members of the police force
over the last you know, like what had been claimed
over the last couple of days.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
He said that as far as.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
He was aware, it was not you know, like, that
was not the kind of language that is used within
the Northern Territory Police Force, and there is not an
issue of systemic racism. Look, I want to say right
from the get go, I do not condone racist language
to anybody of any kind of you know, whatever your
culture is, no matter what your background is. I find,
(15:56):
you know, some of the language that was used really
quite horrendous, and I think that you know, most people
would agree.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
I mean, what did everybody make of it throughout the way?
Speaker 5 (16:05):
Well, I'd be interested to know what there were the
questions put to Zach Rolf by whomever that prompted him
to give this answer. So I guess we'd have to
look at the transcript from the book to know what
was asked of him.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
I think also we need to realize that, you know,
our police are out there on the front line every
day doing you know, hard work, and we have to
respect the work that they do. And you know, there's
been claims of racism and it's appropriate that they be investigated.
Speaker 7 (16:36):
I think Michael Murphy, Police Commissioner has already stated that
that there'll be an investigation.
Speaker 6 (16:41):
Katie.
Speaker 7 (16:41):
I grew up in our springs in the eighties and
nineties and you know, heard a lot of stuff as
a kid that I would have liked to unhear. And
what's being put before the coronial and he's a coronial
at the moment, So I don't want to go to it.
But it is confronting and it's really hard to listen
to and take that in.
Speaker 6 (16:59):
But quite simply, racism shouldn't be tolerate.
Speaker 7 (17:02):
We live in a wonderful, multicopt community and just go
to propt markets or rapid Greek markets and just see
how it manifests in our markets, in our people and
our friendships and.
Speaker 6 (17:13):
All throughout our community.
Speaker 7 (17:15):
So I just think we need to stamp this out
let that mister Murphy the police commissioner to do an investigation.
But if this is one step towards stamping it out,
then that might be a positive outcome.
Speaker 5 (17:26):
I think. I mean, if the allegations are correct, then
there's an issue. There's a serious issue with it.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
I mean, the officers have come out and strongly refused
what he's claimed.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
Well, how is it that one person says this is
what happens because I was part of it, and yet
others might not have been privy to it because they
could be. I mean, the police force is a very
big organization, so they might not have been privy to
that kind of information because they weren't at the front line.
So maybe it is an issue with people police officers
who are at the front line, the ones who are
having to go out under the street every day and
(17:58):
suffer just as much. Race has been alleged in this situation,
because racist attitude and behavior has a two way street.
From my observations here in the territory, I personally have
not been called anything untoward by anyone other than any nationality,
aboriginal person, ethnics, whatever. But I do know a lot
of my constituents have come to me and they have
(18:19):
been abused and called all sorts of things, caurding White Sea.
So it may be existing in there, but I think
there's a bigger issue within our community in Northern Territory
slash Australia.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
Well, look, there has been so much go on this
week and as you rightly said, their Joel, we know
that the coronial is well today's the last day, but
there is going to be findings come out of that,
so we'll no doubt see and hear more from that.
But I do want to take you across to another
announcement that was made throughout this week. The Government say
that they're focused on supporting our frontline police to ensure
that they have what they need to do their job,
(18:54):
and staffing is one of the most significant challenges facing police,
as the government is examined ways that they can fast
track training to thirty two police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors, providing
them with an accelerated.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
Pathway to become constables.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
So those palies that are currently working in Alice Springs,
Tenant Creek and Catherine with the sole duty of reducing
alcohol related harm by providing direct support to liquor outlets,
including enforcing the new powers provided to police to place
individuals onto the Banned Drinkers Register. This accelerated pathway is
going to mean that palis with well, they've got greater
(19:29):
career opportunities, development opportunities. In turn, it's going to improve retention,
is what the government said during the week. It's not
always well, it's more that the Association had said to me, Katie.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
What we're concerned is.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
It's going to mean is that when the palies go
on their training in March, that's right, that they're off
those bottle shops and that they're quite concerned about the
impact that that may have.
Speaker 5 (19:54):
What about palies who don't want to become a constable, Well,
do I have to don't?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
That's your choice, your choice.
Speaker 7 (20:00):
This is a transition. If you're if you're currently a pally,
then you can transition with training, suitable training, into being
a constable.
Speaker 6 (20:06):
There will still be paleis on.
Speaker 7 (20:07):
Bottle shops, Alice rings Catherine coming from so as they're training,
they can do dual roles.
Speaker 6 (20:13):
So that's a good thing about this.
Speaker 7 (20:14):
I'll be able to actually transition while they're doing their
current role and transitioning to become able.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
You're more police that's going on the palis will still
be on the bottle shops because that's my concern for
the likes of Tenant Creek, Allison.
Speaker 6 (20:28):
So it will still will doing that job. Tennant Creek is.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Going to be comfortable so many so it's fast track
training of thirty two. Now. My understanding from what we
were told yesterday by Nathan Finn and I am remembering this,
I don't have the nights in front of me, but
my understanding was that we've got twenty eight in Alice.
His worry was that if they're all then going off
and training and then actually move into that constable role,
(20:53):
that we don't have them on bottle shops.
Speaker 7 (20:55):
As recruiting in the police, yeah, it takes time. So
the recruiting is now being enhanced by the opportunity for Pelice.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
So you don't reckon there's going to be any period
of time where there'll be where there will be a
short fall.
Speaker 7 (21:09):
Well, we have a shortfall in police currently, which is
why we're trying to transition to Palie to Cossles. The
Police Commissioner and the Police Minister, Brent Potter have have
assured me and and others that there will still be
palis on bottleshops.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
He said yesterday there would only be two palis left
in Alice Springs.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
So in Catherine, I can give you an example. There
are not palis all the time on bottle shops. I
went to a liquor record meeting a couple of weeks ago.
I know there are not palis all the time on
bottle shops. And in actual fact, there is a WhatsApp
group where people actually say where the palis are not
is actually where you can go?
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Yeah, and that is.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
A concern because you know, if we don't if we
don't have a pali on the bottle shop, that's you know,
unless they're on the band drinking register.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
You can go and buy whatever you like. So you know,
for the for the community, that's not correct.
Speaker 7 (22:05):
If you can't go and buy whatever you like, that's
that's the way we know that you can't do that.
So you just said that that's not.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
Bottom is not and there is not on the bottle shops.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
The police commissioner has said, I'm telling you firsthand, you
don't live there, Joe.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Really get to the bottom of this though, literally the
police Association are the ones saying to us that there
is going to be only two palis left in Alice
Springs with this, with this pathway from Palis to Constables.
So that in itself praises a concern, right if there
is going to be a drawback of those palies. And
I get that you want to give people career pathways.
I think that that's a fabulous idea, absolutely, but you
(22:53):
do want to make sure that you've also got others
sort of filling those roles, particularly in a week where
we've got the likes of Tourism Central Australia calling for
those alcohol bands to be.
Speaker 6 (23:02):
Lifted all the time.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
But all that's going to take time, right, All that's
going to take time. While at the same time you've
got the head of Tourism Central Australia after the Tourism
Body wrote to the government requesting the alcohol restrictions implemented
last year be relaxed. So he told us on the
show yesterday that it is having quite a large impact
on different businesses that Monday, as we know, Mondays and
(23:24):
Tuesdays and limited trading hours then on from three to
seven on the other days. He said that it is
having an impact that it is one of the biggest issues.
The biggest is still crime in terms of the reduction
in those tourism in tourism numbers. Now, Joel, that's your
portfolio now, I mean, how do you juggle this right?
When you when I get what the government's trying to
(23:45):
do to provide that pathway for our palies to constables.
But then if you don't have those palis or you
don't have enough on the bottle shops, how do you
then even look back, like look at drawing back those
alcohol restrictions in any way.
Speaker 7 (23:57):
So it's a very difficult balancing you're doing here on radio. Okay,
you've got your hands going up and down. I mean
the listeners probably, that's right. We're trying to balance it,
you know, Brent Potters, the minut for Alcohol and the
Cabinet is working together to try and balance all these
competing interests. Of Now there's a police review that's going
to come out very soon. It will be no surprise
if it comes out and says we need more resources,
(24:18):
because I think and what we're trying to do is
create more resources through an existing stream, which is the
palice who can transition to constables and that's a career
progression and also a retention while we train. I did
meet with Tourism Central Australia while I was in Al
Springs earlier this week and they've put forward their position.
So then we balance it up because we know alcohol
(24:39):
fueled violence, alcohol fueled disadvantage and disruption in the community
is one of our biggest issues. So we're trying to
balance all that up and have a look at it now.
My father in the early eighties and nineties was dealing
with alcohol fuel violence and disadvantage in our spries. We're
still dealing with it and it is that balancing act
that we're trying to get.
Speaker 6 (24:58):
Right around the decade as best wea You have to.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Say those things have escalated over the last couple of years,
Like I think if you live in Ella Springs right now,
you would say that things have escalated over the eighties.
And it was there in the early two thousands and
it wasn't.
Speaker 5 (25:12):
Like this, no more than any other town around the
country that getting back to the palis not being on
the bottle shops.
Speaker 6 (25:18):
They will be on the model sheep there members they
will be on.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
This is what Nathan fin say to.
Speaker 4 (25:25):
Going to be.
Speaker 6 (25:26):
Commissioner responsible for the shop.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
My understanding, My understanding is that what had actually been
said during the week is that there will be licensing,
that there will actually be licensing people that go on
to some of those bottle strips.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
And I'm happy to be corrected from.
Speaker 7 (25:43):
The commission part of the Police Minister will be on
this program Monday. I believe the Police Commissioner has already
said there will be palis on bottle shops.
Speaker 4 (25:51):
Where are you?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Where are they coming from?
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Though, that's the thing that the train and existing palis that.
Speaker 6 (25:58):
We exist for last run.
Speaker 1 (26:02):
We have been getting told though I will I'm going
to step up here because we've been getting told by
the Police Association for quite some time that we don't
have enough palies.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Right, so if we don't have enough palies.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
And again I will say, I think it's a good
move to have them moving into the constable roles, but
you've got to replace them if you're going to keep
these alcohol restrictions in place, or if you're going to
keep things you know, calm.
Speaker 7 (26:23):
You got, So we've got to recruit more and then
we're transitioning.
Speaker 6 (26:26):
And then it's also a retention.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
Are you worried though, that there is going to be
a period of time where we do not have the
level of palis that are required.
Speaker 7 (26:35):
I have great faith in the Police Commissioner, mister Murphy,
and he has said that there will be palis on
bottle shops. Now he and his team run the rostering
system for police. I'm going to trust the Police Commissioner.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Well. Look, I think though, what I'm starting to see
from the Northern Territory government is announcements made that impact
the police, but not necessarily you know, like then a
kind of a bit of a it feels like sometimes
a bit of a thawing them under the bus, you know,
like even at the end of last year when we
saw the changes to.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
The concept, well the changes government.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
A yeah, well that's you know, they're the questions I
suppose that need to be to be.
Speaker 6 (27:09):
Out throughout consultation with all But even last.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Mirror's thing, ooh, Katie, because Joel's sitting here saying we're
going to have palis on bottle shops, I'm telling you categorically,
and Catherine, we do not have palis on bottle shops
all the time. So the question is if it is
going to be licensing inspectors there. They don't have the
same powers as the Pali.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Look, I think it's a fair question to ask, and
we have got the Minister for Police on the show
on Monday morning, so we'll certainly put that to him.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Let's take a really quick break when we come back.
Speaker 1 (27:39):
There's still a lot to cover off on middle school
changes as well as the latest shares fiasco.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
Plenty to cover off on this morning.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Right here on Mix one O four nine's three sixty
you are listening to the week that was in the
studio this morning. We have got Joe Hersey, Keesyer, Puican,
Joel Bowden and well there just what I thought the
shares scandal was behind us. It was revealed earlier in
the week that Brent Potter is the latest to defend
his shareholding in a company behind a major prawn farm
(28:06):
project in the territory. He bought eight seven hundred shares
in Sea Farms in June twenty twenty one while working
for the then Aquaculture Minister Nicole Madison, claiming that he
declared them after being elected as the Member for Fanny Bay.
Now he says he sold them in November last year
upon becoming minister and denies that he had knowledge of
(28:26):
the Northern Territory government's fifty six million dollar investment in
Rhodes to support the project.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Now, somebody had.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Said to me throughout the week, Okadie, if he had
any knowledge, he may not have purchased those shares. But
you know, who knows exactly what the thinking was he did.
Speaker 5 (28:42):
From what I understand what I've read, Yes, he got elected,
Yes he declared, because that's what we do, you know,
we declare our financial interests. But he was in the
minister's office and so he would have been aware when
you know, the company approached the territory. He wanted to
do what the company did. But having said that, because
he worked in the minister's office doesn't mean he was
(29:02):
pacifically privy to commercial in confidence discussions with the minister.
Speaker 1 (29:08):
It never looks good, though, right, It never looks good
and it does make people sort of go, well, what
did you know?
Speaker 2 (29:13):
What else did you know?
Speaker 1 (29:15):
And again, well, one of our listeners actually raised the
point earlier in the week, and I thought it was
an interesting one.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
They were like Katie, sometimes seeing.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Your bureaucrats as well, will know different bits of information
I mean as anybody keeping an eye on those kinds
of shares.
Speaker 5 (29:26):
Okay, do you look at look at mining shares. You know,
you mining shares. You got your industrials, all right, So
mining companies come, they report their results of expiration to
the government.
Speaker 7 (29:35):
The government knows to report to the AX, right, so
all listed companies have to report to the AX.
Speaker 5 (29:40):
So you could say people within the Broader Minds Department
know intimately how well companies are doing on the ground.
But you're right, bureaucrats at higher levels could also be
privy to, you know, special information from industry or companies
or whatever.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
And it's just interesting they have another week and integrity crisis,
you know, when they actually came government saying that, you know,
they were going to be the Party of Integrity.
Speaker 7 (30:05):
And he did declare him as a ministerial adviser. Now
I've never been a ministerial advisor, but I wouldn't have
even thought about that, that you had to declare all
your holdings as an advisor.
Speaker 6 (30:19):
But he did that.
Speaker 7 (30:20):
When he was an advisor. He sold him off and
as we've seen, it's public didn't make a cracker out
of it. Like that's that's the other part lost lost
pretty much all of them.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
But the point is that doesn't you know, like that's
neither here nor there is it, you know, whether you're
making like it's a perception. You know, Barrio Farrell fell
on his sword many years ago the New Southwest because
he didn't declare a.
Speaker 6 (30:42):
Bottle of bottle of grain.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
You know, it was an expensive bottle of wine, but
it was a bottle of wine.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
You know, we saw we saw Files, well.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
We saw Natasha Files obviously fall on her sword, you know,
towards the end of last year. And but what's been
interesting is that the then the tact from the others
has been so different. You know, like she's obviously gone
all right, and I get that there was different reasons
behind it, and that there was the Shared scandal and
then there was the Second Shares scandal, but she'd sort
of treated it very differently and said all right, well
(31:12):
this is it.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
You know, she also in a higher level, she wasn't
the Chief Minister of the Northern or yeah, a higher
level of expectation.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
But I don't know, like I don't know, do we
just sort of go okay, well we accept that.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
You know that both Chancey and Brent had these.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Shares, they sold them off, They've declared them, they've sold
them off, whether there was discussions made in front of them,
you know. With Chancey, I think there is still those
questions about whether he actually declared it during or before
any cabinet meetings. But there is still this, you know,
this dark cloud over these issues, whether people sort of
want to believe it or not. I can see it
on the text line every day. People are going, I
(31:45):
don't believe it. It's dishonest.
Speaker 6 (31:47):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (31:47):
What evil Al has implemented is a Kathleen Robinson thorough
forensic review to have a look at all these things.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
Another review.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
Here we go, We're eight years in another review, a
review of a review.
Speaker 6 (32:00):
What seriously he's doing.
Speaker 7 (32:01):
And she's looking at the fact that you have to
report and declared to three different bodies, and I've done.
When I came into the cabinet, I had to write out,
like my family members, my daughter, the relationship between myself
and my daughter who works at Ken's Crapes.
Speaker 6 (32:15):
I have to declare that.
Speaker 7 (32:16):
So if I go to Ken's Crapes down at East
Point on a Sunday morning, which is beautiful, if.
Speaker 6 (32:22):
My daughter gives me a free crepe. Do I need
to declare that? Do you know what I mean? That's
to the minu Sure, And it's.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
Really tough, right, I get it, because there's a fine
line between wanting people that you know, that are savvy
with their finances and that are you know, doing these
kinds of things to enter politics. But the really fine line,
I think is if there are decisions being made where
you've got any kind of inside knowledge, that is when
it potentially becomes an issue. Or if there are decisions
(32:51):
being made that your you know, your decision making process
may be impacted in any way, shape or form because
you have shares.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
In an organization pilate.
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Sector is illegal.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Well yeah, absolutely, yeah, And look, I'm not saying that,
you know, I don't know to what degree anyone's known
anything at this point, but I guess you know, the
thing is that there is still this cloud over all
of the shares, Katie.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
That's why you know, we have been very vocal on
divesting of shares. We are not in decision making in opposition,
but you know, should we have the privilege of being
in government. In August, we have gone into the process
of divesting all shares to make sure that it is
clear cut and we're ready to go.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Look, let's move along to another topic. Now, this was
one that sort of fell under the radar to some
degree early yesterday, and that is the fact that a
review into secondary education is actually recommended replacing middle schooling
with a more comprehensive secondary school model. So the Northern
Territory government said that it's accepted all fifteen recommendations of
the review, conducted by Deloitte and Charles Dalwin UNI. A
(33:55):
secondary school model is pitched to increase support, improve attendance
and boost the number of students completing year twelve. So
the review also suggests regional support for schools to provide
pathways to work, experience and vocational education and training. It
is an interesting one. I mean, middle school. It doesn't
seem like it doesn't happen anywhere else. I don't think
(34:17):
every time I'm in Queensland or whenever I'm somewhere else,
some location. Yeah it is country, but you know it is.
I suppose it's something that I found quite funny in
the territory. After growing up in Queensland, where I thought, oh,
middle school, I didn't realize that there was you know
that there was sort of such a thing.
Speaker 5 (34:32):
I've never fully understood the educational merits and benefits of
a middle school. I mean, yeah, primary school one to seven,
high school one to five was what we all probably
went through, you know, and a whole generation has gone
through that system and it seemed to work. Okay. Sure,
there's people who will fall through the cracks for lots
of reasons, you know, system failures, you know, school failures, whatever. Yeah,
(34:54):
but the bulk of people came out of that system
quite okay. We're all sitting here a product of that system.
And middle school what year seven, So you've got about
twelve year old to a fifteen sixteen year old? Fifteen
sixteen year olds so terrible.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
I'm told it's a difficult age, right, you're putting them
in charge of It's a difficult age, and it's a
difficult age to not have those older role models I
think above you as well, like in year eleven and
year twelve.
Speaker 7 (35:21):
That's interesting because I've got a fifteen year old boy
and he will hate for me for talking about him already,
but fortunately fortunately he's at school, he's out of lock
and Catholic College and they go seven to twelve. So
at fifteen years old in year ten, he's got two
classes above him, and he has to model himself around
those older kids in the school, and they've all got
(35:43):
height and weight and size on him just for a
physical part. They've all got more learning, more understanding experience,
and so he's managed himself as a fifteen year old
boy going through the changes in his body and his
brain and everything.
Speaker 6 (35:55):
He's in that environment. So I'm actually for this.
Speaker 7 (36:00):
It's a good idea time as a transition. It won't
be too bumpy. There'll be a transition over the next
few years, and we'll go back back to the model
that the Keysy is talking about, back to a model,
but that's a model that's also existing here at the
moment with my kids college.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
How long do you reckon it's going to take, though,
to sort of transition from the middle school and high
school model that we've currently got to it all just
being cohesive together.
Speaker 6 (36:21):
I think a few years.
Speaker 7 (36:23):
So I'm not across the total is because some schools
will be different to the others, right, So our school
in let's say, Alice Springs will be different to a
school in Dawen, just depending on their makeup and how
they can transits.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
The government anticipated that it's going to be a costly
exercise to transition it.
Speaker 6 (36:37):
That way, not at this stage, right.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
So I don't think it's going to be expensive to do.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
I think the infrastructure is probably okay.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
Yeah, well that's the thing.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
I mean, you've got all you would suspect that you've
got all the infrastructure. We know how many kids we've got,
But it's more I guess just making sure that transitions Katie.
Speaker 3 (36:54):
You know again this just goes back to at the
time in two thousand and six when Clare Martin boarded in.
We seal p did not agree with that at the time.
We've now had Eva Lawla who is now the Chief Minister.
She was the Education Minister. Now we've got Mark Monaghan
and you know we've seen declining attendance, we've seen declining
nap land that I would give the Chief Minister a
(37:18):
big f on her report card of education.
Speaker 6 (37:23):
So the thing you agree with the changing and bringing
them in.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
There years to become a journeys.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
Have lots of.
Speaker 7 (37:29):
Questions motherhood's statements reading off a powder paper that she's
got pre stuff and won't answer a question and.
Speaker 6 (37:35):
Maybe I will become a journalist later.
Speaker 7 (37:37):
But if the member for Catherine can't answer a question,
just makes do support the changes from middle school going back.
Speaker 1 (37:43):
Into so that you guys have like that, there's been
some areas where there are some serious concerns in education at.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
That it's fair enough to raise it.
Speaker 4 (37:53):
And charing in high school.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
Now, many years ago, when my oldest son who's now
twenty eight went to school, he went to seven, eight nine,
there was a middle school there I can't remember how
many years ago that was disassembled and you know it's
just integrated into the broader school now. So obviously at
Catherine High School they realized that it wasn't working. Then
what we've seen is over the last eight years, I'm
(38:17):
pretty sure you didn't need a review to work that out.
There's been you know, I've heard yesterday there was teachers
in education that so that she wouldn't have done it
to start off with, what's.
Speaker 6 (38:31):
Your position now? Disagree?
Speaker 3 (38:34):
Well, the thing is what we have said is that schools,
those kids need to see the role models that we've
spoken about, so there needs to be better support in
getting kids to school. We would bring back truancy offices.
So that then there would be in the school based.
Speaker 4 (38:52):
Costs a very how much would cost So I'm not
giving you the numbers here right now.
Speaker 8 (38:58):
Still, well, let's be respect please, actually, let's make sure
that we are respectful towards each other, because it's starting
to get a bit lucky to be honest.
Speaker 5 (39:11):
Easier otherwise, you know what happens on farms. People are naughty.
All I was going to comment on was the feedback,
the and the engagement I have with teachers, which is
to mim in because that's the only place no saplas
middle school sort of is they're not really comfortable with
middle school because that's where they get locked into, you know,
and so that's the only area they teach. Whereas if
(39:32):
you had a comprehensive you back to the one you know,
you one to year five whatever is, the teachers can
spread across, you know, the five years of secondary school
and engaged with students who really do want to learn.
I mean, let's be honest. Half some schools, you know,
any class, we've all been through it. You know, there's
students who just want to learn, they just want to
get on and whatever, and then there's those who don't.
(39:52):
But they can be dealt with, but the teachers are
the ones that have been frustrated in the middle school system.
Speaker 2 (39:57):
Yeah, look, it's a good thing.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
I do think it's a good thing to go back
to in my opinion, for the reasons that we've spoken
about in terms of having those older role models. I've
even been told though at different schools as well in
middle school that sometimes the kids are not even really
wanting to put their hands up to be captains and
things like that because it's quite a difficult age, I suppose.
So I do think that it's potentially a good thing.
Speaker 5 (40:18):
What what I've observed it to me. Man, you know,
you get the kids who they're probably some might be
eleven or twelve, yeah, mostly twelve, but they're very young
and they're put into a big campus with big kids.
And as Joel said, you know, if you're looking at
the boys, you know they're strong. They sure some of
them are just look like adults, especially the young fellows.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
The other thing, Katie, we need.
Speaker 5 (40:40):
To look at it that has that can have potential
implications for social engagement. That's the positive and also the negative.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Yeah, so we've got I mean, we've got to make
sure we get it right.
Speaker 3 (40:52):
I think, Katie, when I'm talking to teachers. You know,
in my community, there's the curriculum needs to be decluttered.
We need to get back to basics of reading, writing,
and you know, marimatics, arithmetic, yes, casier, you know, So
making sure that we get the basics so that these
children go on to become better learners, leave school knowing
(41:14):
the basics, to be able to get a job and
be you know, upstanding members of society and get a job.
Speaker 4 (41:21):
You know that that's the most important thing.
Speaker 1 (41:23):
Absolutely, you want people to leave school and be able
to flourish.
Speaker 2 (41:26):
Hopefully, we are going.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
To have to take a bit of a break when
we come back, keen to talk about all these candidates
that have been announced over the last week that's coming
your way right here on mix. If you've just joined us,
well you've missed out on quite a cracking hour. Joel
Boden Kesi Apurican Joe Hersey in the studio.
Speaker 2 (41:44):
But look, before I let you all go, there has.
Speaker 1 (41:47):
Been quite a few announcements made this week when it
comes to candidates who are going to be running at
the August election.
Speaker 2 (41:53):
And we know that there's now.
Speaker 1 (41:55):
Going to be an independent running in the seat of
goid A stad Wilyn Nicolestad.
Speaker 5 (42:01):
Yes, I think she's a good candidate. She's prepared to
put her hand up to run for public office, so
good for her and I'm happy to support her. I
think she'll do well for the rule there with her
you know, her background and just the way she goes
about life.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
Well, she's not the only one we know that there is,
there's members, you know, there's obviously plenty of people putting
their hands up. The Greens have announced a couple as
well or a few. Suki Duras Walker is going to
be running in Fanny Bay. Kat macnamara a vying for Nightcliffe.
I'd tell it Nightcliff's going to be interesting for the
former Chief Minister.
Speaker 5 (42:32):
I'll win, should be hard to beat there.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
You know, she won I think with the largest majority
at the last election. But I do think it's going
to make things interesting with with Helen secretary and also
of course with the Greens candidate.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
It's going to be.
Speaker 4 (42:47):
Strong candidate, you know.
Speaker 3 (42:50):
Yeah, there's a lot good group of diverse people can
hand up.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Yeah, Robin's a very impressive person, very impressive in the
different roles that she said I mean there's plenty of
Like there is quite a few people Joel who's running
for Port Darwin do we know yet?
Speaker 2 (43:05):
For the Labor Party.
Speaker 6 (43:06):
Who don't know yet, But I can make one announcement.
I'm running for Johnston. Joel out for Johnston.
Speaker 7 (43:13):
Was in one glory And I want to commend anyone
who will put their hand into because it's not for everyone.
Speaker 6 (43:19):
And a lot of people look at it and they
go get a bit dewey, don't dewey, and they get
they recoil and sort of walk out the back door.
Speaker 7 (43:27):
And it is. It is a really fulfilling life. But
it can be hard work and it can be tough,
and you have to do things like this. You have
to put yourself out there and you have to have
people go through whatever it is that you've got in
your life like we've seen recently and be uh scrutinized
and ridiculed my whole life.
Speaker 2 (43:47):
Yeah, we all.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
I think it's an incredibly important thing to do. And
I would actually encourage anybody, you know, if you're out
there listening, think that's right.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (43:59):
And I've had a couple of well actually i've had
a couple of two fellas contact me and one came
in to have a chat because he's semi interested in
what's happening. And it's I expect probably apart from the
major parties COLP and Labor Party putting up candidates and
Belinda as an independent, I'll be expecting about another two
to three independence because it's no incumbency.
Speaker 4 (44:19):
Yeah, you know, it's the.
Speaker 5 (44:20):
Same as perhaps in Onenguri, although that's a different demographics.
But where there's no incombency Port Darwin, that's where people
think I can.
Speaker 1 (44:27):
Have a guy.
Speaker 5 (44:28):
This is because I'm not competing against the sitting member,
but am with you Katie. Like if people are prepared
to have a go and they are genuinely interested rather
than just full of self ego or ego and self confident,
knockdown real fast, especially out in the rural area.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
I think it's really I think it's really exciting connection.
I think it's going to be tight, and we're as
in opposition, are out there working hard and it was
really great to see a diverse group of candidates come
forward and be pre selected and I really look forward
to working with them out on the ground.
Speaker 2 (45:01):
It's going to be an interesting year. There is no
doubt about that goal.
Speaker 5 (45:05):
But I've still got my money on the sealp to win.
Even though the odds of the bookies are still with
you guys to win.
Speaker 4 (45:13):
I'm still putting my money on the seal.
Speaker 7 (45:14):
I'm going to say this because you don't bet, never bet,
because the house always wins. Keep your money in your podcast,
don't waste it on gambling.
Speaker 2 (45:21):
I have one politic more responsibly.
Speaker 5 (45:24):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (45:27):
We are going to have to wrap up for the morning.
Speaker 1 (45:29):
Joe Hersey, the COLPS member for Catherine, thank you so
much for your time this morning.
Speaker 4 (45:34):
Thanks Katie, and thanks Catherine.
Speaker 2 (45:36):
And Kisi Puic, the member for Goider.
Speaker 5 (45:38):
Thanks Katie, thanks so much. Good weekend for Bush people.
I hope for everybody they're mowing your lawns, paddicks about them.
Speaker 2 (45:47):
The Minister for Well for Business, Jobs and Planning, and
the member for Johnson, thank you.
Speaker 6 (45:51):
Can I just say congratulations the keys you.
Speaker 7 (45:53):
I may not see you again on the week that
was fantastic career politics, maybe not in this setting you
ladies and gentlemen, boy and girls. The footy finals are
on ETFL this weekend. Get down to the Marara Saturday Sunday.
There will be Footy finals on weekend. The biggest game
of the night is Saturday Night Night Tigers versus Saints.
Speaker 6 (46:11):
Let's see how it goes.
Speaker 7 (46:13):
Tigers will win, Joseph, Tigers will come, They will clall
their way to victory.
Speaker 2 (46:19):
You have been listening to the week that was
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