Mr MITCHELL - 2000-08-10
I was concerned yesterday at an issue brought up by the member for Wanguri regarding one of his constituents. I hope it wasn’t just to grab a cheap political point. Does the minister have any information regarding the efforts of police to deal with the issues raised by the member for Wanguri’s constituent?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the member for Millner is obviously aware, as I am, that the member for Wanguri and others opposite do have a bit of a record for gilding the lily, as it were, and stretching the truth. So I did make some inquiries, and the question from the member for Millner is quite pertinent.
The member for Wanguri on 20 January wrote to me seeking advice on the matter that he raised yesterday in relation particularly to Mrs Kittel. He did that quite legitimately. But it is worth looking at what happened subsequent to that letter.
On 8 February, Mr Henderson received a briefing from the Assistant Commissioner, Crime, John Daulby, and Dr Shirley Hendy for the Chief Health Officer in respect of Schedule 8 drug law enforcement and ancillary Territory Health Services controls with regard to Schedule 8 drugs. It was a comprehensive briefing, one that afforded the member every opportunity to become fully conversant with the issues in terms both of the practices adopted by Health and of the work done by police.
That was followed up by a meeting with Mrs Kittel which was arranged at the office of Mr Henderson on 8 April this year. I won’t go into the details of that meeting because it would not be appropriate with regard to Mrs Kittel, but I understand that she did state that she was not dissatisfied with the police inquiries at that time and she was understanding of the difficulties police faced in investigating doctor-shopping and related matters.
Given that Mrs Kittel was satisfied in that regard, one has to ask, firstly, why has it taken since April for the member for Henderson to dwell on such matters and raise them yesterday? And why did the opposition find it necessary to use the tragic circumstances of a grieving mum to push their particular line for methadone programs to be introduced in the Northern Territory, and also, of course, taxpayer-funded heroin clinics? That is the real issue we are debating here.
Of particular interest is the fact that it was noted at that meeting of 7 April that Mr Henderson alleged that he had done his best to reassure Mrs Kittel of the effectiveness of police investigations, and the …
Mr Burke: You’re a liar.
Mr REED: … and the Deputy Police Commissioner …
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! He has been here long enough to know that he can’t do that.
Mr SPEAKER: Yes, there is a point of order. The Chief Minister will withdraw that comment.
Mr BURKE: I will withdraw it.
Mr REED: So the question to the member for Wanguri is this. If he was indeed, as he expressed at the meeting, satisfied with the effectiveness of police investigations and the difficulty police faced in arresting people even given information, why then is he now not satisfied? The answer is, he is using this matter …
Ms Martin: You are an incompetent Minister for Police. You are not doing the job.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, the Leader of the Opposition!
Mr REED: He is using this matter, and so too is the Leader of the Opposition, as a very convenient political vehicle to promote their desire to introduce methadone programs into the Northern Territory funded by the taxpayer, drug-dependence programs, and in addition to that, of course, taxpayer-funded heroin-injection rooms. Well, this government won’t have anything to do with either of those.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, member for Wanguri!
Mr REED: We are hitting a nerve, I suspect. Just to put down the accusation of lack of action and the need for more resources, the fact is …
Mr Henderson: That is what I was told in the briefing.
Mr REED: Oh, right! Okay, that is what you were told. Well, if the member was told that, why did he say that he was satisfied with the briefing and the position that the police gave him on that occasion? You were either satisfied or you weren’t satisfied.
Let us look at the circumstances in relation to police funding and his call for additional resources. Leading up to the last election they were promising an extra 100 police. This government committed to an additional 150 police, and we will meet that commitment well within this parliamentary term.
Funding for the Northern Territory Police Force under this CLP government since 1995-96 - that is, over the last five or six financial years - has gone up over 45.5%. Police funding has been increased by this government by 45.67%. Police numbers will have been increased by 150 before the end of this parliamentary term.
Drug Squad resources have likewise been increased. But I must explain a couple of subtleties to the honourable member. Primarily, the policing of drug-related matters and crime is not a matter of resources but very much a matter of intelligence. You will find that there has been a marked increase in the number of drug apprehensions during the course of the last financial year. That is both because of the increased effort that the Drug Squad have put into those areas and the additional resources in terms of more police that they have received.
It all adds up to the fact that the police are doing a good job. They are being successful. From the point of view of outcomes, drug-related crime has not increased. It would, however, increase if we had the Labor Party’s policies in place, of methadone programs and heroin-injection rooms. You would get every druggie coming from interstate to spend their holidays here because they knew they could maintain their habit and whatever other nefarious actions they might be up to, under taxpayer-funded programs. That is Labor Party policy. What this is all about is methadone programs and heroin-injection rooms. You are disgracefully using a grieving mother to promote that policy and you owe Territorians an apology.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the member for Millner is obviously aware, as I am, that the member for Wanguri and others opposite do have a bit of a record for gilding the lily, as it were, and stretching the truth. So I did make some inquiries, and the question from the member for Millner is quite pertinent.
The member for Wanguri on 20 January wrote to me seeking advice on the matter that he raised yesterday in relation particularly to Mrs Kittel. He did that quite legitimately. But it is worth looking at what happened subsequent to that letter.
On 8 February, Mr Henderson received a briefing from the Assistant Commissioner, Crime, John Daulby, and Dr Shirley Hendy for the Chief Health Officer in respect of Schedule 8 drug law enforcement and ancillary Territory Health Services controls with regard to Schedule 8 drugs. It was a comprehensive briefing, one that afforded the member every opportunity to become fully conversant with the issues in terms both of the practices adopted by Health and of the work done by police.
That was followed up by a meeting with Mrs Kittel which was arranged at the office of Mr Henderson on 8 April this year. I won’t go into the details of that meeting because it would not be appropriate with regard to Mrs Kittel, but I understand that she did state that she was not dissatisfied with the police inquiries at that time and she was understanding of the difficulties police faced in investigating doctor-shopping and related matters.
Given that Mrs Kittel was satisfied in that regard, one has to ask, firstly, why has it taken since April for the member for Henderson to dwell on such matters and raise them yesterday? And why did the opposition find it necessary to use the tragic circumstances of a grieving mum to push their particular line for methadone programs to be introduced in the Northern Territory, and also, of course, taxpayer-funded heroin clinics? That is the real issue we are debating here.
Of particular interest is the fact that it was noted at that meeting of 7 April that Mr Henderson alleged that he had done his best to reassure Mrs Kittel of the effectiveness of police investigations, and the …
Mr Burke: You’re a liar.
Mr REED: … and the Deputy Police Commissioner …
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! He has been here long enough to know that he can’t do that.
Mr SPEAKER: Yes, there is a point of order. The Chief Minister will withdraw that comment.
Mr BURKE: I will withdraw it.
Mr REED: So the question to the member for Wanguri is this. If he was indeed, as he expressed at the meeting, satisfied with the effectiveness of police investigations and the difficulty police faced in arresting people even given information, why then is he now not satisfied? The answer is, he is using this matter …
Ms Martin: You are an incompetent Minister for Police. You are not doing the job.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, the Leader of the Opposition!
Mr REED: He is using this matter, and so too is the Leader of the Opposition, as a very convenient political vehicle to promote their desire to introduce methadone programs into the Northern Territory funded by the taxpayer, drug-dependence programs, and in addition to that, of course, taxpayer-funded heroin-injection rooms. Well, this government won’t have anything to do with either of those.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, member for Wanguri!
Mr REED: We are hitting a nerve, I suspect. Just to put down the accusation of lack of action and the need for more resources, the fact is …
Mr Henderson: That is what I was told in the briefing.
Mr REED: Oh, right! Okay, that is what you were told. Well, if the member was told that, why did he say that he was satisfied with the briefing and the position that the police gave him on that occasion? You were either satisfied or you weren’t satisfied.
Let us look at the circumstances in relation to police funding and his call for additional resources. Leading up to the last election they were promising an extra 100 police. This government committed to an additional 150 police, and we will meet that commitment well within this parliamentary term.
Funding for the Northern Territory Police Force under this CLP government since 1995-96 - that is, over the last five or six financial years - has gone up over 45.5%. Police funding has been increased by this government by 45.67%. Police numbers will have been increased by 150 before the end of this parliamentary term.
Drug Squad resources have likewise been increased. But I must explain a couple of subtleties to the honourable member. Primarily, the policing of drug-related matters and crime is not a matter of resources but very much a matter of intelligence. You will find that there has been a marked increase in the number of drug apprehensions during the course of the last financial year. That is both because of the increased effort that the Drug Squad have put into those areas and the additional resources in terms of more police that they have received.
It all adds up to the fact that the police are doing a good job. They are being successful. From the point of view of outcomes, drug-related crime has not increased. It would, however, increase if we had the Labor Party’s policies in place, of methadone programs and heroin-injection rooms. You would get every druggie coming from interstate to spend their holidays here because they knew they could maintain their habit and whatever other nefarious actions they might be up to, under taxpayer-funded programs. That is Labor Party policy. What this is all about is methadone programs and heroin-injection rooms. You are disgracefully using a grieving mother to promote that policy and you owe Territorians an apology.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016