Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
As I just mentioned, we now know that the Northern
Territory Police have arrested a thirty five year old woman
in relation to the domestic violence incident that occurred on
the weekend. Now we've been contacted by a number of
listeners about this, So and Katie, we understand that there's
been another stabbing in the city, or certainly another serious
incident in the city. This was over the weekend, but
(00:20):
yesterday starting to get those phone calls, the Northern Territory
Police then confirming that there was indeed a domestic violence
incident where a bottle was allegedly thrown. They've now arrested
this thirty five year old woman in relation to what
they've described as a domestic violence incident that occurred. The
woman was arrested this morning by detectives from Strikeforce Lira,
where she currently remains in custody, expected to be charged
(00:43):
with multiple domestic violence offenses later today. Now, unfortunately not
the only incredibly serious incident that we are talking about,
because we know the Northern Territory Police are continuing to
investigate the stabbing death of a man in the city
in the early hours of Saturday morning. A thirty six
year old man was stabbed in the stomach outside Willworths
(01:05):
in the city. Paramedics conveyed the victim to Royal Dalen
Hospital in a critical condition, but he died as a
result of his injuries. Major crime detectives are continuing to
investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and a calling for
anybody with information to come forward.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Now, joining me in the.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Studio as she does most Tuesday mornings, is the Opposition
leader Leah fanocchi are O.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Good boarding to you, Leah.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Good morning Katie, and to your listeners.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Now, Leah, what.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Was your reaction when you learned that a man had
been stabbed in the city and indeed died as a
result of those injuries.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
It's another tragedy, Katie, and it's terrifying for people who
work and live and use the city. It's incredibly distressing
for all the people related to this man, to all
of the friends and family to buystanders.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
I mean, this.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Should just not be had. It's the fourth public stabbing
death we've had this year in the territory, Katie, and
ultimately government's rhetoric around never put more money in it
ever before, and having a knife crime strategy and having
a BOW strategy is falling flat. It's not delivering the
outcome people want, which is to have a safer community.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Now, obviously I've just touched on the fact that we've
had for very public deaths. There is a lot of
detail which is still not known following the most recent stabbing,
but what we do know is that a man has.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Passed away as a result of this file and attack.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
A lot of people are really questioning at this point
how many lives are going to be lost at the
hands of an offender with a knife before the government
commits to some more serious change.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
I actually don't think that this government is going to
implement any additional change. They have not only shown through
their actions and their words that they are not going
to make anything different. They're not going to strengthen the law,
but they're actually demonstrating they're totally unwilling to do so
as well.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
And that's a big difference.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
There's things you can do and then there's whether or
not you have any inclination to do them, and this
government has shown that it is. You know, It's Bow
review came out and after six months it didn't make
any You.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Think that they are resisting. Why do you think that
they're resisting to making more serious change here? It's what
the community is absolutely screaming for. So Leah, why do
you think that they're not doing it? Is it because
the jails are already so full that they can't afford
to have more people arrested, or they can't afford to
have more people going into jail.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
I think they can't admit that they have failed. I mean,
this is the government that came in immediately watered down bail,
disempowered our police to deal with alcohol and youth offenders,
systematically dismantled a whole range of laws that were there
to protect the community. And I think they're just too
proud and too arrogant to actually do what's required to
(04:00):
make people safe. But Katie, the impact is profound, not
just on loss of life, on personal safety, but on
our business community. Staff feel unsafe to go to work.
People are leaving the territory, people are not coming to
the territory.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
People are shutting down.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Their businesses, closing their doors, operating behind locked glass, you
know whis you name it, roller shutters. This is not
normal and that's what Labor and Natasha fhals are doing.
They are trying to normalize this behavior. But a stabbing
death in a CBD is not normal, and it's not
(04:37):
normal to find giant pools of blood.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
None of this is normal, Katie.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Now, the man's death comes less than two months after
the Northern Territory government passed the laws allowing police to
want people for knives and other weapons. The legislation was
tabled in response to the stabbing deaths of Deckland Lavity
as we all know. Do you think that the wanding
would have helped in this situation? No?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
I don't explain very clearly why this wandering legislation is
very restrictive and limiting on police. There are a number
of criteria and thresholds that police have to jump through
the hoops of to be able to wand someone. Now,
if police have reasonable suspicion, they have their normal ordinary powers.
But in terms of wanding in a public place where
(05:21):
police just want to do that preventative work that government
is trying to make this sound like it is, it's
just not true. There are numerous hurdles, it's very complicated,
and ultimately I don't know that the result would have
been any different and certainly wanding is one tool, but
is not enough.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
So at this point in time, you really feel as
though the various announcements that they have made are not enough.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
They are not enough. They are literally that just announcements.
Declan Lavity was killed and government came out and said
we'll have a bail review and a knife crime strategy.
Well we're six months down the road, Katie, and the
bow review didn't make any changes to bow laws, and
the knife crime strategy still hasn't been implemented, and our
police have highly restrictive use of wand so it's not
(06:10):
going to be enough. What we need is stronger laws,
more cobs and consequences for offending. That's what needs to
be done, and this government is totally unwilling to do that.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Unfortunately. You know, this is not the first incident, as
I've already touched on. There was that domestic violence incident
as well on Mirr and Bina Street which saw a
bottle thrown at a woman resulting in lacerations to her legs.
We now know that the Northern Territory Police have made
an arrest on that. We spoke to debin pine Land
yesterday who said that a woman she knows had a
key stolen and her car taken on Saturday in broad daylight.
(06:44):
Rick called us yesterday after his daughter's car was damaged
in Palmerston, and we also know that two youths were
assaulted at the Palmerston bus exchange on Friday morning. Leah,
do you think that the government is ignoring the calls
of locals.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Right now when it comes to crime.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
It's more than ignoring, Katie, it's willfully tracking forward with
an ideologically driven agenda that is not delivering for the
very people that this government are elected to protect. Any
government's first responsibility it is to its community to create
a safe environment to live, work and enjoy your life.
And none of those are happening for any territory, no
(07:25):
matter where they live right now. And yet this government
has no plans to address that, no political will to
deal with it, and absolutely no care for the trauma
that this is inflicting.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
We've had twenty who.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Think needs to happen, because again I will say to you,
and I've said this to you on so many occasions,
at the moment, people are absolutely fitter, they're feeling unsafe,
they're feeling like the territory that they know and love
has been lost. They're feeling like things are out of control,
but they're also they're feeling as though the opposition is
being just that an opposition and being netive about everything
(08:01):
and not coming forward with other solutions. Now, I know
you've spoken us through different solutions that you've got, but
what do you think needs to immediately happen here? Because
it's fine to throw stones, but what do you reckon
needs to immediately happen so that we see things cleaned
up on the streets.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Katie immediately.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
If I was Chief Minister, I would immediately strengthen bow laws.
We need to stop criminals getting bail. That is a
number one important thing. The second thing we need to
do is have compulsory alcohol treatment so that chronically affected
alcoholics are not our destroying themselves and the others that
they love and our community.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
We've got a question from one of our listeners about
this last week, and they said to me, Katie, last
time that those mandatory alcohol rehabilitation that that was in place,
that people were still just leaving the rehab center, so
it wasn't a situation where they're actually being forced to stay.
So that listener was saying, you know this is a
(08:58):
bit of bs that that it's not actually going to work.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Well, you know at the start of that program that
was happening.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
By the end it wasn't.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
And we haven't said we're doing a cookie cutter replay
of the previous version.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
It will be different.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
But ultimately we have to get chronically affected alcoholics treated
for the actual root cause of their offending and destructive behavior.
We also need our policy is to empower police when
it comes to dealing with alcohol and youth offenders, because
we know that labor have totally stripped the guts out
(09:33):
of the laws that allow our police to deal with it. So,
in a nutshell, Katie, our policies are around stronger laws,
more police and consequences for offending. We can do that
through a range of legislative reforms that we already have
ready to go. Will you come out to building a
bigger jial If that's what's needed, so be it, Katie.
I mean, ultimately, yet you would have to that's what
(09:55):
governments have to do. I mean people are saying to
me constantly, but Leah, the prisons are full. Well, I
challenge everyone who says that to me. Do you want
to have a full prison or do you want to
have criminals out on the street, Because that's the choice
labor and making for you, and that is why this
community is so unsafe.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
The government will go you want that. They're going to say,
you know, you.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Know, your solution here is to build bigger jails rather
than tackle.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
This issue at the root.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Course, you have to tackle it at the root cause,
and there are policies to deal with that. But right
now tomorrow, people want to live in safety and that
means there needs to be less criminals on the street.
I do not and will never subscribe to leaving criminals
out to reoffend and destroy people's lives because we have
an infrastructure problem out at the prison that is not okay.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Leah Gella from Stompshoes joined us on the show yesterday.
She said she wants both sides of politics to get
together and sort this issue out.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
That is the.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Sentiment with a lot of people at this point. Would
you commit to doing that?
Speaker 4 (10:59):
We have that so many times, Katie. This is not
an issue with the COLP. It is with the government.
Even just two or three weeks ago, we brought legislation
into the parliament so that serious violent offenders start with
a position of no bail and labor just turn their backs.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
And the command.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
So obviously there's different things that you've tried to do.
The government's got their side of things that they're trying
to do. Is there any option here where both of
you actually go, do you know what? We need to
sit down and we actually need to sort this out
because the community is hurting.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Can I just say this is not an issue with us.
We are always offering solutions. We are always trying because.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
You're not prepared to waver on any of your fame
as the government's not prepared to waive.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
That's totally not true. There are many things in Parliament
we have supported. We only don't support things that we
see not working through feedback from the community. So we
have supported many things this government has done, but we
will not stand by and let them continue to destroy
the territory. Ultimately, they have stopped parliamentary committees that could
(12:04):
deal with this from going ahead. They've stopped debate on legislation,
they stop everything because they are arrogant and out of
touch and they have lost the will to govern. They
are not dealing with the issues that people care most
about and that's to be safe. And as a result,
they are destroying the territory little by little every single day.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
So at this point, you know what is to happen
in the Northern Territory until we limp along to an election.
You know, we've got a government that's standing firm on
what they're doing. You know, we've got you saying that
you're prepared to work with them, but you're saying that
they're arrogant and out of touch, which aren't really cooperative words.
So what do we do now at this point? Because
(12:44):
the community has had an absolute gutful. It's not about
cooperative words.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
The opportunities for cooperation are in the Parliament, they're laid
out and they are rejected by this government. Ultimately, what
we know is this government are not going to change
their ways. They that through their actions and their words,
the only way to have a safe and strong territory
is to vote for the COLP at the next election.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Katie. Quite honestly, this government has packed its bags.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
And again say what happens in the meantime because the
community keep people suffering, And so I get that you
and the government have got your slogans for being elected
next time round. But what people want right now is
for the Parliament to work together and sort this out.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
But the parliament can't if government won't. The government hold
the numbers in the Parliament, the government control the public service,
the government control all of the resources. If the government
is unwilling, then Territorians will absolutely continue to suffer. And
it is a disgrace and it breaks my heart, Katie,
because I was born here, my father was born here,
(13:48):
my children are born here, and I love this place
and I wake up every day to fight for a
better territory. And if Labour want to squander the opportunity
and destroy people's lives, then Territorians have to show them
a lift and add the ballot box in August Lea.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
I do just want to ask you very quickly about
the announcement that was made yesterday around public housing at
Shars Street. Now we know that the Northern Territory Government
have announced that they've now awarded the tender for the
construction and demolition well to demolish and remediate the public
housing complex on Shares Street. Of no doubt that to
people who live within proximity of that public housing complex
(14:26):
that they're probably pretty pleased that this has happened.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
However, you know, taking a look through.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
The wait times when you go on the Northern Territory
Public Housing website, you know you are literally looking at
in Alice Springs for a one bedroom, a one bedroom
house or a unit six to eight years. When you
go to Palmerston for a one bedroom home or unit
(14:53):
eight to ten years, the numbers are astronomical.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Yeah, and we're talking about vulnerable people, families with children, Katie,
I think absolutely people in the narrows are going to
welcome sheer streets flats being knocked down. It's something when
I was a local member that I was certainly fighting for,
so I know that issue well. But ultimately those weight
times are totally unacceptable and what we need to be
(15:18):
ensuring is that there is that suite of housing right
across the territory for all neats. So families who need
that support, seniors who need support, people transitioning into work,
all of those areas need to be looked at. And
when government doesn't have a plan to deal with weight list,
this is exactly what happens. I mean, it's no different
(15:39):
to victims of crime waiting four years for compensation. You know,
weight lists are too long right across the board because
this government isn't dealing with the issues at hand.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Even when you look at the applications for public housing
compared to vacant public housing homes right now, the total
number around the Darwin region is two thousand, five hundred
and thirty two people on that wait list, seventy three
homes a vacant Yeah, this happens astronomical.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
It happens a lot.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
People tell you all the time they've got vacant public
housing and yet the weight list is huge. Something I've
been working on with the Jinglely community who are very
angry about some of the terrible antisocial behavior around public housing.
They're really angry because the rules aren't being enforced. So
you have people who have that opportunity to have public
(16:29):
housing and that important support provided by the taxpayer, and
they squander that opportunity.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
And so we need it.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
We need to get a bit tougher we do the government.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
It's not about being tough, it's about having the right
tendency supports in place.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
But it's also about drawing a line in the sand.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
You know, when there is total mass destruction of housing
and people aren't changing their ways despite support. We need
to be moving those people on and letting the families
and the seniors who need it the most take that
opportunity and have that housing.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Where do they go though?
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Then, you know, if you're kicking people out on the street,
does that just sort of make the situation works.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
I don't disagree with you, like I do think.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
If there are if there are seniors that are on
weight list that need to get into a home, and
there's people that are not doing the right thing and
you're not actually respecting a property, I think you do
need to sort of have a closer look at that.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
But then the.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Argument would always be if they're out on the street,
it's going to be worse and there's going to be more,
you know, bad behavior as a consequence.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
Sure, Katie, But ultimately, you know, we have public housing
is something paid for and supported by the taxpayer, and
there are many thousands of people who desperately need it,
value that opportunity and respect it, and then they are
a handful who do not, And ultimately you cannot let
entire communities suffer because of that. You have to deal
(17:48):
with the people who are doing the wrong thing well.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Leah Fanocchiaro, the opposition leader, always appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Thanks very much for joining us in the studio.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Thank you, take care everyone.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Thank you.
As I just mentioned, we now know that the Northern
Territory Police have arrested a thirty five year old woman
in relation to the domestic violence incident that occurred on
the weekend. Now we've been contacted by a number of
listeners about this, So and Katie, we understand that there's
been another stabbing in the city, or certainly another serious
incident in the city. This was over the weekend, but
(00:20):
yesterday starting to get those phone calls, the Northern Territory
Police then confirming that there was indeed a domestic violence
incident where a bottle was allegedly thrown. They've now arrested
this thirty five year old woman in relation to what
they've described as a domestic violence incident that occurred. The
woman was arrested this morning by detectives from Strikeforce Lira,
where she currently remains in custody, expected to be charged
(00:43):
with multiple domestic violence offenses later today. Now, unfortunately not
the only incredibly serious incident that we are talking about,
because we know the Northern Territory Police are continuing to
investigate the stabbing death of a man in the city
in the early hours of Saturday morning. A thirty six
year old man was stabbed in the stomach outside Willworths
(01:05):
in the city. Paramedics conveyed the victim to Royal Dalen
Hospital in a critical condition, but he died as a
result of his injuries. Major crime detectives are continuing to
investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident and a calling for
anybody with information to come forward.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Now, joining me in the.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Studio as she does most Tuesday mornings, is the Opposition
leader Leah fanocchi are O.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
Good boarding to you, Leah.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Good morning Katie, and to your listeners.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Now, Leah, what.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Was your reaction when you learned that a man had
been stabbed in the city and indeed died as a
result of those injuries.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
It's another tragedy, Katie, and it's terrifying for people who
work and live and use the city. It's incredibly distressing
for all the people related to this man, to all
of the friends and family to buystanders.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
I mean, this.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
Should just not be had. It's the fourth public stabbing
death we've had this year in the territory, Katie, and
ultimately government's rhetoric around never put more money in it
ever before, and having a knife crime strategy and having
a BOW strategy is falling flat. It's not delivering the
outcome people want, which is to have a safer community.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Now, obviously I've just touched on the fact that we've
had for very public deaths. There is a lot of
detail which is still not known following the most recent stabbing,
but what we do know is that a man has.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
Passed away as a result of this file and attack.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
A lot of people are really questioning at this point
how many lives are going to be lost at the
hands of an offender with a knife before the government
commits to some more serious change.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
I actually don't think that this government is going to
implement any additional change. They have not only shown through
their actions and their words that they are not going
to make anything different. They're not going to strengthen the law,
but they're actually demonstrating they're totally unwilling to do so
as well.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
And that's a big difference.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
There's things you can do and then there's whether or
not you have any inclination to do them, and this
government has shown that it is. You know, It's Bow
review came out and after six months it didn't make
any You.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Think that they are resisting. Why do you think that
they're resisting to making more serious change here? It's what
the community is absolutely screaming for. So Leah, why do
you think that they're not doing it? Is it because
the jails are already so full that they can't afford
to have more people arrested, or they can't afford to
have more people going into jail.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
I think they can't admit that they have failed. I mean,
this is the government that came in immediately watered down bail,
disempowered our police to deal with alcohol and youth offenders,
systematically dismantled a whole range of laws that were there
to protect the community. And I think they're just too
proud and too arrogant to actually do what's required to
(04:00):
make people safe. But Katie, the impact is profound, not
just on loss of life, on personal safety, but on
our business community. Staff feel unsafe to go to work.
People are leaving the territory, people are not coming to
the territory.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
People are shutting down.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Their businesses, closing their doors, operating behind locked glass, you
know whis you name it, roller shutters. This is not
normal and that's what Labor and Natasha fhals are doing.
They are trying to normalize this behavior. But a stabbing
death in a CBD is not normal, and it's not
(04:37):
normal to find giant pools of blood.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
None of this is normal, Katie.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Now, the man's death comes less than two months after
the Northern Territory government passed the laws allowing police to
want people for knives and other weapons. The legislation was
tabled in response to the stabbing deaths of Deckland Lavity
as we all know. Do you think that the wanding
would have helped in this situation? No?
Speaker 4 (04:59):
I don't explain very clearly why this wandering legislation is
very restrictive and limiting on police. There are a number
of criteria and thresholds that police have to jump through
the hoops of to be able to wand someone. Now,
if police have reasonable suspicion, they have their normal ordinary powers.
But in terms of wanding in a public place where
(05:21):
police just want to do that preventative work that government
is trying to make this sound like it is, it's
just not true. There are numerous hurdles, it's very complicated,
and ultimately I don't know that the result would have
been any different and certainly wanding is one tool, but
is not enough.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
So at this point in time, you really feel as
though the various announcements that they have made are not enough.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
They are not enough. They are literally that just announcements.
Declan Lavity was killed and government came out and said
we'll have a bail review and a knife crime strategy.
Well we're six months down the road, Katie, and the
bow review didn't make any changes to bow laws, and
the knife crime strategy still hasn't been implemented, and our
police have highly restrictive use of wand so it's not
(06:10):
going to be enough. What we need is stronger laws,
more cobs and consequences for offending. That's what needs to
be done, and this government is totally unwilling to do that.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Unfortunately. You know, this is not the first incident, as
I've already touched on. There was that domestic violence incident
as well on Mirr and Bina Street which saw a
bottle thrown at a woman resulting in lacerations to her legs.
We now know that the Northern Territory Police have made
an arrest on that. We spoke to debin pine Land
yesterday who said that a woman she knows had a
key stolen and her car taken on Saturday in broad daylight.
(06:44):
Rick called us yesterday after his daughter's car was damaged
in Palmerston, and we also know that two youths were
assaulted at the Palmerston bus exchange on Friday morning. Leah,
do you think that the government is ignoring the calls
of locals.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Right now when it comes to crime.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
It's more than ignoring, Katie, it's willfully tracking forward with
an ideologically driven agenda that is not delivering for the
very people that this government are elected to protect. Any
government's first responsibility it is to its community to create
a safe environment to live, work and enjoy your life.
And none of those are happening for any territory, no
(07:25):
matter where they live right now. And yet this government
has no plans to address that, no political will to
deal with it, and absolutely no care for the trauma
that this is inflicting.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
We've had twenty who.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
Think needs to happen, because again I will say to you,
and I've said this to you on so many occasions,
at the moment, people are absolutely fitter, they're feeling unsafe,
they're feeling like the territory that they know and love
has been lost. They're feeling like things are out of control,
but they're also they're feeling as though the opposition is
being just that an opposition and being netive about everything
(08:01):
and not coming forward with other solutions. Now, I know
you've spoken us through different solutions that you've got, but
what do you think needs to immediately happen here? Because
it's fine to throw stones, but what do you reckon
needs to immediately happen so that we see things cleaned
up on the streets.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Katie immediately.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
If I was Chief Minister, I would immediately strengthen bow laws.
We need to stop criminals getting bail. That is a
number one important thing. The second thing we need to
do is have compulsory alcohol treatment so that chronically affected
alcoholics are not our destroying themselves and the others that
they love and our community.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
We've got a question from one of our listeners about
this last week, and they said to me, Katie, last
time that those mandatory alcohol rehabilitation that that was in place,
that people were still just leaving the rehab center, so
it wasn't a situation where they're actually being forced to stay.
So that listener was saying, you know this is a
(08:58):
bit of bs that that it's not actually going to work.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
Well, you know at the start of that program that
was happening.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
By the end it wasn't.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
And we haven't said we're doing a cookie cutter replay
of the previous version.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
It will be different.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
But ultimately we have to get chronically affected alcoholics treated
for the actual root cause of their offending and destructive behavior.
We also need our policy is to empower police when
it comes to dealing with alcohol and youth offenders, because
we know that labor have totally stripped the guts out
(09:33):
of the laws that allow our police to deal with it. So,
in a nutshell, Katie, our policies are around stronger laws,
more police and consequences for offending. We can do that
through a range of legislative reforms that we already have
ready to go. Will you come out to building a
bigger jial If that's what's needed, so be it, Katie.
I mean, ultimately, yet you would have to that's what
(09:55):
governments have to do. I mean people are saying to
me constantly, but Leah, the prisons are full. Well, I
challenge everyone who says that to me. Do you want
to have a full prison or do you want to
have criminals out on the street, Because that's the choice
labor and making for you, and that is why this
community is so unsafe.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
The government will go you want that. They're going to say,
you know, you.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Know, your solution here is to build bigger jails rather
than tackle.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
This issue at the root.
Speaker 4 (10:23):
Course, you have to tackle it at the root cause,
and there are policies to deal with that. But right
now tomorrow, people want to live in safety and that
means there needs to be less criminals on the street.
I do not and will never subscribe to leaving criminals
out to reoffend and destroy people's lives because we have
an infrastructure problem out at the prison that is not okay.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
Leah Gella from Stompshoes joined us on the show yesterday.
She said she wants both sides of politics to get
together and sort this issue out.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
That is the.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Sentiment with a lot of people at this point. Would
you commit to doing that?
Speaker 4 (10:59):
We have that so many times, Katie. This is not
an issue with the COLP. It is with the government.
Even just two or three weeks ago, we brought legislation
into the parliament so that serious violent offenders start with
a position of no bail and labor just turn their backs.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
And the command.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
So obviously there's different things that you've tried to do.
The government's got their side of things that they're trying
to do. Is there any option here where both of
you actually go, do you know what? We need to
sit down and we actually need to sort this out
because the community is hurting.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Can I just say this is not an issue with us.
We are always offering solutions. We are always trying because.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
You're not prepared to waver on any of your fame
as the government's not prepared to waive.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
That's totally not true. There are many things in Parliament
we have supported. We only don't support things that we
see not working through feedback from the community. So we
have supported many things this government has done, but we
will not stand by and let them continue to destroy
the territory. Ultimately, they have stopped parliamentary committees that could
(12:04):
deal with this from going ahead. They've stopped debate on legislation,
they stop everything because they are arrogant and out of
touch and they have lost the will to govern. They
are not dealing with the issues that people care most
about and that's to be safe. And as a result,
they are destroying the territory little by little every single day.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
So at this point, you know what is to happen
in the Northern Territory until we limp along to an election.
You know, we've got a government that's standing firm on
what they're doing. You know, we've got you saying that
you're prepared to work with them, but you're saying that
they're arrogant and out of touch, which aren't really cooperative words.
So what do we do now at this point? Because
(12:44):
the community has had an absolute gutful. It's not about
cooperative words.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
The opportunities for cooperation are in the Parliament, they're laid
out and they are rejected by this government. Ultimately, what
we know is this government are not going to change
their ways. They that through their actions and their words,
the only way to have a safe and strong territory
is to vote for the COLP at the next election.
Speaker 3 (13:07):
Katie. Quite honestly, this government has packed its bags.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
And again say what happens in the meantime because the
community keep people suffering, And so I get that you
and the government have got your slogans for being elected
next time round. But what people want right now is
for the Parliament to work together and sort this out.
Speaker 4 (13:26):
But the parliament can't if government won't. The government hold
the numbers in the Parliament, the government control the public service,
the government control all of the resources. If the government
is unwilling, then Territorians will absolutely continue to suffer. And
it is a disgrace and it breaks my heart, Katie,
because I was born here, my father was born here,
(13:48):
my children are born here, and I love this place
and I wake up every day to fight for a
better territory. And if Labour want to squander the opportunity
and destroy people's lives, then Territorians have to show them
a lift and add the ballot box in August Lea.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
I do just want to ask you very quickly about
the announcement that was made yesterday around public housing at
Shars Street. Now we know that the Northern Territory Government
have announced that they've now awarded the tender for the
construction and demolition well to demolish and remediate the public
housing complex on Shares Street. Of no doubt that to
people who live within proximity of that public housing complex
(14:26):
that they're probably pretty pleased that this has happened.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
However, you know, taking a look through.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
The wait times when you go on the Northern Territory
Public Housing website, you know you are literally looking at
in Alice Springs for a one bedroom, a one bedroom
house or a unit six to eight years. When you
go to Palmerston for a one bedroom home or unit
(14:53):
eight to ten years, the numbers are astronomical.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
Yeah, and we're talking about vulnerable people, families with children, Katie,
I think absolutely people in the narrows are going to
welcome sheer streets flats being knocked down. It's something when
I was a local member that I was certainly fighting for,
so I know that issue well. But ultimately those weight
times are totally unacceptable and what we need to be
(15:18):
ensuring is that there is that suite of housing right
across the territory for all neats. So families who need
that support, seniors who need support, people transitioning into work,
all of those areas need to be looked at. And
when government doesn't have a plan to deal with weight list,
this is exactly what happens. I mean, it's no different
(15:39):
to victims of crime waiting four years for compensation. You know,
weight lists are too long right across the board because
this government isn't dealing with the issues at hand.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Even when you look at the applications for public housing
compared to vacant public housing homes right now, the total
number around the Darwin region is two thousand, five hundred
and thirty two people on that wait list, seventy three
homes a vacant Yeah, this happens astronomical.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
It happens a lot.
Speaker 4 (16:07):
People tell you all the time they've got vacant public
housing and yet the weight list is huge. Something I've
been working on with the Jinglely community who are very
angry about some of the terrible antisocial behavior around public housing.
They're really angry because the rules aren't being enforced. So
you have people who have that opportunity to have public
(16:29):
housing and that important support provided by the taxpayer, and
they squander that opportunity.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
And so we need it.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
We need to get a bit tougher we do the government.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
It's not about being tough, it's about having the right
tendency supports in place.
Speaker 3 (16:43):
But it's also about drawing a line in the sand.
Speaker 4 (16:45):
You know, when there is total mass destruction of housing
and people aren't changing their ways despite support. We need
to be moving those people on and letting the families
and the seniors who need it the most take that
opportunity and have that housing.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Where do they go though?
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Then, you know, if you're kicking people out on the street,
does that just sort of make the situation works.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
I don't disagree with you, like I do think.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
If there are if there are seniors that are on
weight list that need to get into a home, and
there's people that are not doing the right thing and
you're not actually respecting a property, I think you do
need to sort of have a closer look at that.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
But then the.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Argument would always be if they're out on the street,
it's going to be worse and there's going to be more,
you know, bad behavior as a consequence.
Speaker 4 (17:27):
Sure, Katie, But ultimately, you know, we have public housing
is something paid for and supported by the taxpayer, and
there are many thousands of people who desperately need it,
value that opportunity and respect it, and then they are
a handful who do not, And ultimately you cannot let
entire communities suffer because of that. You have to deal
(17:48):
with the people who are doing the wrong thing well.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
Leah Fanocchiaro, the opposition leader, always appreciate your time.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Thanks very much for joining us in the studio.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Thank you, take care everyone.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
Thank you.
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