Ms CARTER - 2000-08-17
He informed honourable members last week of the consultation process under way to involve the community in the government’s new crime prevention initiative, NTsafe. Does he have any feedback on how this consultation process is progressing and what response there has been to the concept of a whole-of-government approach to crime prevention?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, only yesterday afternoon I met with the NTsafe committee. That comprises the Police Commissioner and representatives of six principal agencies of the government, those that are particularly involved in delivering services to the community and to Aboriginal communities. The advice that they give is that the community meetings that they have had thus far have had a very positive response.
I know that the member for Jingili’s group, the Amsterdam Circuit people with the Wagaman Residents’ Group, have warmly welcomed the NTsafe concept. They did not seem to demonstrate any difficulties that are being incurred by members opposite. We intend, through a partnership between government agencies, local government councils and other community organisations, to achieve results like those experienced by the Wagaman Residents’ Group, right across the Northern Territory.
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr REED: The cackling from the member for Nhulunbuy is interesting, particularly in relation to his comments earlier this week when he said NTsafe was window-dressing. I ask him when he goes home after these sittings to Nhulunbuy to slip out to Yirrkala and ask the people there what they think of NTsafe. That is the community that has embraced it more than anyone else thus far, and I think the response is very encouraging.
You might laugh about it, but the people of Yirrkala are serious about this issue. They have indicated that they want to establish their own local crime prevention committee under the auspices of the Northern Territory government’s initiative, NTsafe. While the member for Nhulunbuy is at Yirrkala next week, if he happens to get energetic enough to get out there, I ask him to express his view that NTsafe is just window-dressing to his constituents. I think he will get a response a bit different to what he might expect to the flippant and derogatory remark that he made.
The committee is travelling across the Northern Territory. They are going to communities in the Top End, the Barkly and the southern region during August and September. The responses have been very positive. Communities are looking forward to the opportunity to put a structure in place. Some communities have basic structures already for community safety themselves. The Katherine community example, working with the Mayor of Katherine, has embraced these matters in recent times with some local initiatives which have been very successful. NTsafe will enable us to strengthen those committees and those community groups who are working to make their particular communities a safer place.
In addition to the structure of NTsafe and the support that it will provide, there is $250 000 for a grants program for like organisations in different communities to be able to undertake and trial programs that they think will be to the benefit of the community.
Ms Martin: How much did your television campaign cost?
Mr REED: The Leader of the Opposition warbles on, but people listening are interested. The overall program is in excess of $5m.
Ms Martin: How much of that is ...
Mr REED: The Leader of the Opposition invites a response to her interjections. It was the Leader of the Opposition who alleged that law programs – I will use her words – were ‘under-funded, under-resourced and lacking in continuing evolution’. NTsafe is just that - a continuing evolution. It is an evolution of the Living With Alcohol program which has operated very successfully for a decade. It has been so successful it has won praise and the highest merit awards from national assessment bodies. They have considered the Living With Alcohol program to be one that has led the way in this country. Now it is evolving to broaden, to capture community safety programs and bring them under one umbrella of NTsafe, and to work in conjunction with the domestic violence strategies that this government has put in place in coordination with the Living With Alcohol program.
The opposition’s interjections and their noise, their background warblings, clearly demonstrate that they are not even interested. It is a shame that they are here to represent Territorians and they cannot even demonstrate a level of support for community programs that are going to help make the Territory a safer place. That is why this government has progressed this NTsafe initiative.
I applaud the work of the committee and I applaud and very much welcome the responses from communities like Yirrakala who want to make their communities a better place. Isn’t it a great shame that their local member is not prepared to get in and work with them? Instead of helping them, he says that what his constituents are going to do in embracing NTsafe and making it work in their community is nothing more than window-dressing. He needs to be more committed to his job than that.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, only yesterday afternoon I met with the NTsafe committee. That comprises the Police Commissioner and representatives of six principal agencies of the government, those that are particularly involved in delivering services to the community and to Aboriginal communities. The advice that they give is that the community meetings that they have had thus far have had a very positive response.
I know that the member for Jingili’s group, the Amsterdam Circuit people with the Wagaman Residents’ Group, have warmly welcomed the NTsafe concept. They did not seem to demonstrate any difficulties that are being incurred by members opposite. We intend, through a partnership between government agencies, local government councils and other community organisations, to achieve results like those experienced by the Wagaman Residents’ Group, right across the Northern Territory.
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr REED: The cackling from the member for Nhulunbuy is interesting, particularly in relation to his comments earlier this week when he said NTsafe was window-dressing. I ask him when he goes home after these sittings to Nhulunbuy to slip out to Yirrkala and ask the people there what they think of NTsafe. That is the community that has embraced it more than anyone else thus far, and I think the response is very encouraging.
You might laugh about it, but the people of Yirrkala are serious about this issue. They have indicated that they want to establish their own local crime prevention committee under the auspices of the Northern Territory government’s initiative, NTsafe. While the member for Nhulunbuy is at Yirrkala next week, if he happens to get energetic enough to get out there, I ask him to express his view that NTsafe is just window-dressing to his constituents. I think he will get a response a bit different to what he might expect to the flippant and derogatory remark that he made.
The committee is travelling across the Northern Territory. They are going to communities in the Top End, the Barkly and the southern region during August and September. The responses have been very positive. Communities are looking forward to the opportunity to put a structure in place. Some communities have basic structures already for community safety themselves. The Katherine community example, working with the Mayor of Katherine, has embraced these matters in recent times with some local initiatives which have been very successful. NTsafe will enable us to strengthen those committees and those community groups who are working to make their particular communities a safer place.
In addition to the structure of NTsafe and the support that it will provide, there is $250 000 for a grants program for like organisations in different communities to be able to undertake and trial programs that they think will be to the benefit of the community.
Ms Martin: How much did your television campaign cost?
Mr REED: The Leader of the Opposition warbles on, but people listening are interested. The overall program is in excess of $5m.
Ms Martin: How much of that is ...
Mr REED: The Leader of the Opposition invites a response to her interjections. It was the Leader of the Opposition who alleged that law programs – I will use her words – were ‘under-funded, under-resourced and lacking in continuing evolution’. NTsafe is just that - a continuing evolution. It is an evolution of the Living With Alcohol program which has operated very successfully for a decade. It has been so successful it has won praise and the highest merit awards from national assessment bodies. They have considered the Living With Alcohol program to be one that has led the way in this country. Now it is evolving to broaden, to capture community safety programs and bring them under one umbrella of NTsafe, and to work in conjunction with the domestic violence strategies that this government has put in place in coordination with the Living With Alcohol program.
The opposition’s interjections and their noise, their background warblings, clearly demonstrate that they are not even interested. It is a shame that they are here to represent Territorians and they cannot even demonstrate a level of support for community programs that are going to help make the Territory a safer place. That is why this government has progressed this NTsafe initiative.
I applaud the work of the committee and I applaud and very much welcome the responses from communities like Yirrakala who want to make their communities a better place. Isn’t it a great shame that their local member is not prepared to get in and work with them? Instead of helping them, he says that what his constituents are going to do in embracing NTsafe and making it work in their community is nothing more than window-dressing. He needs to be more committed to his job than that.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016