Mr MITCHELL - 2001-06-05
My question relates to the Night Patrol service in Darwin, and my electorate in particular. I understand tenders are to close tomorrow on that service. I ask the minister if he can provide details on the tender and what the future holds for the service.
ANSWER
That is a very good question, Mr Speaker. I know that the member for Millner is very close to issues relating to the Night Patrol on a couple of accounts. Primarily, that the sobering-up shelter is in his electorate and also that he has had extensive talks with community members of Bagot who are very concerned about people coming on to Bagot and Kulaluk and drinking illegally and causing disruptions. Also because of his connection with many of the Larrakia people in this community. I thank him for the question on those counts.
The Night Patrol tender will close tomorrow and THS is looking forward with some hope, I might add, to be able to hand the service over to an appropriate provider. There has been discussion recently about the methodology of the Night Patrol here in Darwin, the make-up of it, whether there should be more Aboriginal involvement in it and issues of that type. I welcome the question on the basis that it gives me the opportunity to put on the public record some of those issues.
There has been some discussion, for instance on the radio even yesterday, about the Night Patrol’s methodology and an example of how they used a sobriety test. I should point out that data from merely January to March indicates that 5375 client interventions took place, a substantial number of people to talk to. That is an average of 69 per day. Of those, over 2600 clients were moved on from trouble spots. That is a Night Patrol, a citizen, convincing another citizen who was exhibiting antisocial behaviour to move on. This is a very difficult thing for them to do on the basis that it is not legislatively underpinned at the moment, and the intention of some of the legislation we will be seeing in this House is to do that.
A few other points: ATSIC Northern Zone Commissioner Kim Hill was on the radio airing some concerns about involving ATSIC in the tendering process, and he has written to me on this issue as well. But for the benefit of the members, he said yesterday, ‘Where ATSIC itself is a peak indigenous organisation that represents and advocates on behalf of Aboriginal people, we are not consulted. We have not been consulted in regards to the tendering of Palmerston, Darwin night service, so it is a real concern not just to myself but to elected members’.
I would point out that this tender has been not only advertised in the paper and debated extensively, but ATSIC does not make 1 in contribution. I think that in the event that ATSIC wishes to become involved they have got a policy decision to make first, and that is, ‘is this a matter for ATSIC?’ Having made that policy decision I for one would welcome them at the table as a contributor with funds, because this is a problem that has some precursors that I think all governments are grappling with, particularly the Commonwealth and Territory governments, about why people are moving from communities, why they are living in town, options for them in terms of their accommodation, and certainly options for them in terms of their antisocial behaviour that they might exhibit.
But blanket calls by ATSIC for the Larrakia Nation to run the service smack of a bit of a dictatorial attitude of ATSIC. It was interesting that on that very same program that a member of the Larrakia Nation put that issue to bed and said:
… this huge emphasis coming from ATSIC and people like Kim Hill trying to put responsibility of social issues that are happening around town onto Larrakia people.
I agree with that particular speaker because it is essential that we are all seeing ourselves as partners in this problem. We are certainly partners.
There are some million dollars of Territory funding going to antisocial behaviour attaching to the clients seen by the Night Patrol. We would like to increase this money. We would like to increase the night patrols and I think there is some capacity for us to do that. Some of the players that are involved could contribute, put their hands in their pocket in a tangible way.
I have received a letter from Kim Hill and he has asked me in relation to a federal inquiry into night patrols and I quote from his letter:
I understand the National Audit on Night Patrols is presently underway, with the review team visiting the Territory next week. It is disappointing that THS did not initiate contact with ATSIC and make arrangements for the team to visit Aboriginal communities.
The sad fact is that this Professor Harry Blakes of the Crime Research Centre of the University of WA was commissioned by the Attorney-General’s Department and ATSIC. This particular commission had absolutely nothing to do with us. We were quite happy to present evidence to it and we did. And we did see some specious evidence presented in Alice Springs in relation to renal patients living in the Todd.
What I am saying is that I think the issue of antisocial behaviour, the issue of itinerants, the reactions from the Northern Territory government, the very good work done by the Night Patrol, has to be put in context and I would see ourselves as all being partners in this big problem.
Mr PALMER (Leader of Government Business): Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper.
ANSWER
That is a very good question, Mr Speaker. I know that the member for Millner is very close to issues relating to the Night Patrol on a couple of accounts. Primarily, that the sobering-up shelter is in his electorate and also that he has had extensive talks with community members of Bagot who are very concerned about people coming on to Bagot and Kulaluk and drinking illegally and causing disruptions. Also because of his connection with many of the Larrakia people in this community. I thank him for the question on those counts.
The Night Patrol tender will close tomorrow and THS is looking forward with some hope, I might add, to be able to hand the service over to an appropriate provider. There has been discussion recently about the methodology of the Night Patrol here in Darwin, the make-up of it, whether there should be more Aboriginal involvement in it and issues of that type. I welcome the question on the basis that it gives me the opportunity to put on the public record some of those issues.
There has been some discussion, for instance on the radio even yesterday, about the Night Patrol’s methodology and an example of how they used a sobriety test. I should point out that data from merely January to March indicates that 5375 client interventions took place, a substantial number of people to talk to. That is an average of 69 per day. Of those, over 2600 clients were moved on from trouble spots. That is a Night Patrol, a citizen, convincing another citizen who was exhibiting antisocial behaviour to move on. This is a very difficult thing for them to do on the basis that it is not legislatively underpinned at the moment, and the intention of some of the legislation we will be seeing in this House is to do that.
A few other points: ATSIC Northern Zone Commissioner Kim Hill was on the radio airing some concerns about involving ATSIC in the tendering process, and he has written to me on this issue as well. But for the benefit of the members, he said yesterday, ‘Where ATSIC itself is a peak indigenous organisation that represents and advocates on behalf of Aboriginal people, we are not consulted. We have not been consulted in regards to the tendering of Palmerston, Darwin night service, so it is a real concern not just to myself but to elected members’.
I would point out that this tender has been not only advertised in the paper and debated extensively, but ATSIC does not make 1 in contribution. I think that in the event that ATSIC wishes to become involved they have got a policy decision to make first, and that is, ‘is this a matter for ATSIC?’ Having made that policy decision I for one would welcome them at the table as a contributor with funds, because this is a problem that has some precursors that I think all governments are grappling with, particularly the Commonwealth and Territory governments, about why people are moving from communities, why they are living in town, options for them in terms of their accommodation, and certainly options for them in terms of their antisocial behaviour that they might exhibit.
But blanket calls by ATSIC for the Larrakia Nation to run the service smack of a bit of a dictatorial attitude of ATSIC. It was interesting that on that very same program that a member of the Larrakia Nation put that issue to bed and said:
… this huge emphasis coming from ATSIC and people like Kim Hill trying to put responsibility of social issues that are happening around town onto Larrakia people.
I agree with that particular speaker because it is essential that we are all seeing ourselves as partners in this problem. We are certainly partners.
There are some million dollars of Territory funding going to antisocial behaviour attaching to the clients seen by the Night Patrol. We would like to increase this money. We would like to increase the night patrols and I think there is some capacity for us to do that. Some of the players that are involved could contribute, put their hands in their pocket in a tangible way.
I have received a letter from Kim Hill and he has asked me in relation to a federal inquiry into night patrols and I quote from his letter:
I understand the National Audit on Night Patrols is presently underway, with the review team visiting the Territory next week. It is disappointing that THS did not initiate contact with ATSIC and make arrangements for the team to visit Aboriginal communities.
The sad fact is that this Professor Harry Blakes of the Crime Research Centre of the University of WA was commissioned by the Attorney-General’s Department and ATSIC. This particular commission had absolutely nothing to do with us. We were quite happy to present evidence to it and we did. And we did see some specious evidence presented in Alice Springs in relation to renal patients living in the Todd.
What I am saying is that I think the issue of antisocial behaviour, the issue of itinerants, the reactions from the Northern Territory government, the very good work done by the Night Patrol, has to be put in context and I would see ourselves as all being partners in this big problem.
Mr PALMER (Leader of Government Business): Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Question Paper.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016