Mr ELFERINK - 1998-11-25
Will the Chief Minister give a commitment that the CLP government will stand firm on mandatory sentences?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question from the member for MacDonnell, in the light of the announcement by Senator Bob Brown that he intends to introduce legislation into the Commonwealth parliament with a view to overturning the legislation. I listened with some interest to what the shadow Attorney-General, the member for Nhulunbuy, had to say on radio this morning. While he would profess to take the position that Labor will not support Senator Brown, it is obvious that Labor remains opposed to mandatory sentencing.
Mr Bailey: Absolutely.
Mr STONE: ‘Absolutely’ they all chant, and I hope that Territorians listening to this broadcast recognise the difference between the Labor Party in the Territory and the CLP when it comes to law and order issues.
What is even more interesting is that the member for Nhulunbuy uses the same terminology in his interviews as does Senator Bob Brown, almost word for word. While he is talking out of both sides of his mouth - and this is what Territorians need to know – it is obvious that Labor does not have the courage to stand up for what they really believe. Yet, they walk around bagging legislation that has produced significant reductions in crime in the Northern Territory. They just cannot accept that mandatory sentencing works and, in fact, all the law and order policies and strategies that have been implemented by the CLP government are working.
Mr Ah Kit: Where are your figures?
Mr STONE: The member for Arnhem asks where are our figures. I will give you figures, and they are from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It is clearly set out that in 1997, of the 14 major offence groupings, the Northern Territory achieved decreases in reported crime across 12 of the groupings. This is the only place in Australia where crime is going south, because it’s working.
The member for Nhulunbuy went on the morning program – and while I’m about it – where is the video, Syd? This is your big chance. Where’s your confidential report? That was a fortnight ago, and now we’re waiting for the video. It is day 2 of the sittings and you still haven’t produced it. But back to the answer.
He made the claim on radio that we’re spending all this money on jails and our prison population is going through the roof. Untrue! If you compare the figures for August this year with the figures for August last year, there are less people in Territory jails and this is for 2 reasons. Firstly, people are getting the message that if you break into someone’s home or steal their car, you will go to jail. Secondly, we are containing the core of people who recommit these offences over and over again.
So, don’t fall for the Labor lies – that’s my message to Territorians. The Labor lies about mandatory sentencing, the Labor lies about the number of people in prison, and the Labor lies about your so-called confidential report and your video – more Labor lies!
Madam SPEAKER: I really don’t think we have to shout quite so loudly from either side. We can all hear well, so could we all keep our voices down a little. Goodness knows what the people out there listening to the broadcast are hearing.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question from the member for MacDonnell, in the light of the announcement by Senator Bob Brown that he intends to introduce legislation into the Commonwealth parliament with a view to overturning the legislation. I listened with some interest to what the shadow Attorney-General, the member for Nhulunbuy, had to say on radio this morning. While he would profess to take the position that Labor will not support Senator Brown, it is obvious that Labor remains opposed to mandatory sentencing.
Mr Bailey: Absolutely.
Mr STONE: ‘Absolutely’ they all chant, and I hope that Territorians listening to this broadcast recognise the difference between the Labor Party in the Territory and the CLP when it comes to law and order issues.
What is even more interesting is that the member for Nhulunbuy uses the same terminology in his interviews as does Senator Bob Brown, almost word for word. While he is talking out of both sides of his mouth - and this is what Territorians need to know – it is obvious that Labor does not have the courage to stand up for what they really believe. Yet, they walk around bagging legislation that has produced significant reductions in crime in the Northern Territory. They just cannot accept that mandatory sentencing works and, in fact, all the law and order policies and strategies that have been implemented by the CLP government are working.
Mr Ah Kit: Where are your figures?
Mr STONE: The member for Arnhem asks where are our figures. I will give you figures, and they are from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It is clearly set out that in 1997, of the 14 major offence groupings, the Northern Territory achieved decreases in reported crime across 12 of the groupings. This is the only place in Australia where crime is going south, because it’s working.
The member for Nhulunbuy went on the morning program – and while I’m about it – where is the video, Syd? This is your big chance. Where’s your confidential report? That was a fortnight ago, and now we’re waiting for the video. It is day 2 of the sittings and you still haven’t produced it. But back to the answer.
He made the claim on radio that we’re spending all this money on jails and our prison population is going through the roof. Untrue! If you compare the figures for August this year with the figures for August last year, there are less people in Territory jails and this is for 2 reasons. Firstly, people are getting the message that if you break into someone’s home or steal their car, you will go to jail. Secondly, we are containing the core of people who recommit these offences over and over again.
So, don’t fall for the Labor lies – that’s my message to Territorians. The Labor lies about mandatory sentencing, the Labor lies about the number of people in prison, and the Labor lies about your so-called confidential report and your video – more Labor lies!
Madam SPEAKER: I really don’t think we have to shout quite so loudly from either side. We can all hear well, so could we all keep our voices down a little. Goodness knows what the people out there listening to the broadcast are hearing.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016