Mr ELFERINK - 1998-08-13
Australian Democrat Senator Lyn Allison has lodged a complaint with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission against the Northern Territory Police. Senator Allison claims that Territory police have been mistreating protestors at the Jabiluka mine site. What is the Police Minister’s response to Senator Allison and her attack on the integrity of the Northern Territory Police?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, my response is one of shame really in relation to the comments, not only by Senator Allison but also by the shadow spokesman on police in this Chamber, the member for Stuart. I will give some evidence of the comments, which were both unkind and unnecessary, that were made in relation to the actions of Northern Territory Police, who have been very tolerant in dealing with ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Stuart!
Mr REED: ... the protestors.
Overall, the relationship between the police and the protest organisers has been quite good. Unfortunately, however, there have been some elements among the protestors to whom I referred - and I do not withdraw the remark – as the great unwashed and the ferals, because that is precisely what they were. Their behaviour both demonstrated and proved that. I think there have been sufficient media reports for people to make up their own minds in relation to those actions, and the appropriate response of Northern Territory Police to deal with a very difficult matter ...
A member interjecting.
Mr REED: You may not want to hear the answer, but police and other people in the Territory, listening to this broadcast, would be more interested in the answer to this question and the efforts of Northern Territory Police to maintain law and order, than they would be in your inane remarks.
I rise in the defence of Northern Territory Police. I find it astounding that a member of parliament and, in this case, a Senator, should make comments and take the trouble to lodge a reference with the Human Rights Commission, having heard only one side of the argument. Clearly, she has received advice only from some objectors. She has not taken the opportunity to ring my office, as Minister for Police, or the office ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr REED: You laugh, but police officers will not be laughing. They will not share your humour in relation to this, and they will be aware of your response and your frivolity in relation to these matters.
If the good Senator did not want to speak to me or someone in my office, she could well have phoned the Commissioner for Police and obtained information on other aspects of the story, on a factual basis, before she lodged a complaint.
On the one hand, she admits that she has never been to the Northern Territory, and I will quote her comments, broadcast on ABC radio on 6 August 1998:
Allison: They need to take into account human rights abuses much more than they have done in the past.
She is referring there to the Northern Territory Police.
I am told that the culture of the police force there needs to be improved dramatically. Now, I do not know if that is just a few officers or whether the whole force there needs to correct its ways.
Thus, notwithstanding that she has not been here, notwithstanding that she has not checked the facts with anyone else, she is making the assumption that what she has been told by 1 or 2 protesters should be accepted at face value. Of course, those protestors are here simply to push their own cause in relation to uranium and opposition to the mine. She accepted that and moved on to lodge a complaint with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission. I think that is a great shame and I do not think that it portrays an appropriate level of responsibility on the part of the Senator.
She went on to say:
I am not up there at present. In some ways, I wish I was and I was a firsthand observer to it.
Had she been, of course, she would have realised the effectiveness and the professionalism of, and the appropriateness of the actions taken by, Northern Territory police in relation to these matters.
She continued:
I can only go on the reports that I receive and that is why we have passed those on.
She can only go on the reports, but she took them from only one source, did not question them, proceeded immediately to lodge a complaint and have this matter investigated and, in so doing, has denigrated the Northern Territory Police and their good and professional conduct.
As if that was not bad enough, the member for Stuart, as opposition spokesperson on police, then similarly denigrated Northern Territory Police, drawing into question their professionalism. On ABC radio on 3 July 1998 the honourable member ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr REED: I will quote back to you what you said. You will probably deny it.
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Stuart.
Mr REED: The member for Stuart ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Stuart.
Mr REED: ... as the opposition spokesperson on police said: ‘This is really getting to the point where you have got to say, is this starting to be the agenda of the CLP being acted through the police’. He was suggesting that the police had not acted in a way that was appropriate and had not applied their judgement at the scene, but had been political in relation to the way that they had undertaken their duties.
I hope that, when the Leader of the Opposition addresses the Police Association in a couple of weeks time, she will take the trouble to extend an apology to all police in the Northern Territory Police Service for her police spokesperson suggesting that police do not go about their duties in a responsible way, and that they impose a political colour to their actions in the application of their duties. I hope that, when ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: ... she does that she will take the opportunity ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: ... to condemn her spokesperson’s remarks, and recognise that the police have done an excellent job at Jabiluka in extremely difficult circumstances.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Stuart, I need to warn you. You have been interjecting continually this morning, which is unlike you. Usually, you maintain a much higher standard of parliamentary behaviour.
Mrs HICKEY: There was provocation, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: I do not think he was provoked at all. He was not listening.
I call the member for Goyder.
Members interjecting.
Mr Stirling: A point of order, Madam Speaker, you have given 3 questions to them in a row.
Madam SPEAKER: No, I have not. I called the Leader of the Opposition, the member for MacDonnell and now I have called the member for Goyder. You will be next.
Members interjecting.
Mr Bailey: Their members were not even on their feet when they got the call.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! That is enough from you, member for Wanguri. Under standing order 240A, I direct the member for Wanguri to withdraw from the House for 1 hour.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, my response is one of shame really in relation to the comments, not only by Senator Allison but also by the shadow spokesman on police in this Chamber, the member for Stuart. I will give some evidence of the comments, which were both unkind and unnecessary, that were made in relation to the actions of Northern Territory Police, who have been very tolerant in dealing with ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Stuart!
Mr REED: ... the protestors.
Overall, the relationship between the police and the protest organisers has been quite good. Unfortunately, however, there have been some elements among the protestors to whom I referred - and I do not withdraw the remark – as the great unwashed and the ferals, because that is precisely what they were. Their behaviour both demonstrated and proved that. I think there have been sufficient media reports for people to make up their own minds in relation to those actions, and the appropriate response of Northern Territory Police to deal with a very difficult matter ...
A member interjecting.
Mr REED: You may not want to hear the answer, but police and other people in the Territory, listening to this broadcast, would be more interested in the answer to this question and the efforts of Northern Territory Police to maintain law and order, than they would be in your inane remarks.
I rise in the defence of Northern Territory Police. I find it astounding that a member of parliament and, in this case, a Senator, should make comments and take the trouble to lodge a reference with the Human Rights Commission, having heard only one side of the argument. Clearly, she has received advice only from some objectors. She has not taken the opportunity to ring my office, as Minister for Police, or the office ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr REED: You laugh, but police officers will not be laughing. They will not share your humour in relation to this, and they will be aware of your response and your frivolity in relation to these matters.
If the good Senator did not want to speak to me or someone in my office, she could well have phoned the Commissioner for Police and obtained information on other aspects of the story, on a factual basis, before she lodged a complaint.
On the one hand, she admits that she has never been to the Northern Territory, and I will quote her comments, broadcast on ABC radio on 6 August 1998:
Allison: They need to take into account human rights abuses much more than they have done in the past.
She is referring there to the Northern Territory Police.
I am told that the culture of the police force there needs to be improved dramatically. Now, I do not know if that is just a few officers or whether the whole force there needs to correct its ways.
Thus, notwithstanding that she has not been here, notwithstanding that she has not checked the facts with anyone else, she is making the assumption that what she has been told by 1 or 2 protesters should be accepted at face value. Of course, those protestors are here simply to push their own cause in relation to uranium and opposition to the mine. She accepted that and moved on to lodge a complaint with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission. I think that is a great shame and I do not think that it portrays an appropriate level of responsibility on the part of the Senator.
She went on to say:
I am not up there at present. In some ways, I wish I was and I was a firsthand observer to it.
Had she been, of course, she would have realised the effectiveness and the professionalism of, and the appropriateness of the actions taken by, Northern Territory police in relation to these matters.
She continued:
I can only go on the reports that I receive and that is why we have passed those on.
She can only go on the reports, but she took them from only one source, did not question them, proceeded immediately to lodge a complaint and have this matter investigated and, in so doing, has denigrated the Northern Territory Police and their good and professional conduct.
As if that was not bad enough, the member for Stuart, as opposition spokesperson on police, then similarly denigrated Northern Territory Police, drawing into question their professionalism. On ABC radio on 3 July 1998 the honourable member ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Mr REED: I will quote back to you what you said. You will probably deny it.
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Stuart.
Mr REED: The member for Stuart ...
Mr Toyne interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Stuart.
Mr REED: ... as the opposition spokesperson on police said: ‘This is really getting to the point where you have got to say, is this starting to be the agenda of the CLP being acted through the police’. He was suggesting that the police had not acted in a way that was appropriate and had not applied their judgement at the scene, but had been political in relation to the way that they had undertaken their duties.
I hope that, when the Leader of the Opposition addresses the Police Association in a couple of weeks time, she will take the trouble to extend an apology to all police in the Northern Territory Police Service for her police spokesperson suggesting that police do not go about their duties in a responsible way, and that they impose a political colour to their actions in the application of their duties. I hope that, when ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: ... she does that she will take the opportunity ...
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr REED: ... to condemn her spokesperson’s remarks, and recognise that the police have done an excellent job at Jabiluka in extremely difficult circumstances.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Stuart, I need to warn you. You have been interjecting continually this morning, which is unlike you. Usually, you maintain a much higher standard of parliamentary behaviour.
Mrs HICKEY: There was provocation, Madam Speaker.
Madam SPEAKER: I do not think he was provoked at all. He was not listening.
I call the member for Goyder.
Members interjecting.
Mr Stirling: A point of order, Madam Speaker, you have given 3 questions to them in a row.
Madam SPEAKER: No, I have not. I called the Leader of the Opposition, the member for MacDonnell and now I have called the member for Goyder. You will be next.
Members interjecting.
Mr Bailey: Their members were not even on their feet when they got the call.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! That is enough from you, member for Wanguri. Under standing order 240A, I direct the member for Wanguri to withdraw from the House for 1 hour.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016