Mr GUNNER - 2014-03-26
Your Attorney-General has talked about the CLP’s new legislation to enforce tough penalties on offenders caught smuggling dangerous drugs into remote communities. He has said:
After a four year history with the NT Police Remote Community Drug Desk program, achieving nationally recognised arrest and convictions statistics targeting illegal drugs in remote communities, we have heard from police on the ground you have cut the staff from one sergeant and six members to one sergeant and three members, with plans to disband the unit in July 2014. This will effectively reduce screening operations at NT airports, bus routes and in communities. How does this cost cutting for frontline police services support the Attorney-General’s new legislation for community safety in regional and remote Indigenous communities?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I do not accept the premise of the question. Every question you come here with is a leading question and we can find holes in every one, whether it is the suggestion by Labor about damming the Elizabeth River, talking about selling the port, or any other matter you come here with.
A 4% CPI increase on power; completely wrong once again, but we will draw another hole in this. It was the Country Liberals who committed to putting more police on the beat in the Northern Territory. We went to the election with a commitment of 120 additional police and we have already put on around 60 of the 120 contingent; they have already been engaged. I will get the exact figure for you later today or tomorrow. We have already started rolling out those additional police and regarding who works in which squad, they are operational matters for the Police Commissioner. We do not ring up the police and say, ‘This many people in the drug squad and this many people in the dog squad’. We know, as do you, police make the decisions about their operational requirements.
Having said that, I have asked the Commissioner to focus on drug or grog running, especially into communities. We had a Cabinet meeting on Groote Eylandt last year - I cannot think of the exact month - and were sitting with the Anindilyakwa Land Council; they were talking about the prevalence of marijuana finding its way into Groot Eylandt. We discussed it at length and asked that great emphasis be put on marijuana trafficking to Groote Eylandt. I had a chat with the police about it the day we came back from Groote Eylandt and they have commenced operations. I do not talk about what happens in those particular cases …
Ms Fyles interjecting.
Mr GILES: Drugs going into Aboriginal communities is quite a concern …
Ms Fyles: Find out, you do not know the answer.
Mr GILES: Do you ever listen and be quiet during Question Time, member for Nightcliff?
As I have said, operational matters are for the police to determine where they put their resources. There is no change to focusing on drugs getting into Aboriginal communities, and it will not change …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was about the cut to the Remote Community Drug Desk. If the Chief Minister does not have the answer, could he commit to coming back to the House with the answer on cost cutting?
Madam SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has the call.
Mr GILES: We will continue to maintain the focus on reducing the prevalence of drugs getting into Aboriginal communities.
- These changes will see drug traffickers caught at airports or on highways entering communities charged to the full extent of the law.
After a four year history with the NT Police Remote Community Drug Desk program, achieving nationally recognised arrest and convictions statistics targeting illegal drugs in remote communities, we have heard from police on the ground you have cut the staff from one sergeant and six members to one sergeant and three members, with plans to disband the unit in July 2014. This will effectively reduce screening operations at NT airports, bus routes and in communities. How does this cost cutting for frontline police services support the Attorney-General’s new legislation for community safety in regional and remote Indigenous communities?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I do not accept the premise of the question. Every question you come here with is a leading question and we can find holes in every one, whether it is the suggestion by Labor about damming the Elizabeth River, talking about selling the port, or any other matter you come here with.
A 4% CPI increase on power; completely wrong once again, but we will draw another hole in this. It was the Country Liberals who committed to putting more police on the beat in the Northern Territory. We went to the election with a commitment of 120 additional police and we have already put on around 60 of the 120 contingent; they have already been engaged. I will get the exact figure for you later today or tomorrow. We have already started rolling out those additional police and regarding who works in which squad, they are operational matters for the Police Commissioner. We do not ring up the police and say, ‘This many people in the drug squad and this many people in the dog squad’. We know, as do you, police make the decisions about their operational requirements.
Having said that, I have asked the Commissioner to focus on drug or grog running, especially into communities. We had a Cabinet meeting on Groote Eylandt last year - I cannot think of the exact month - and were sitting with the Anindilyakwa Land Council; they were talking about the prevalence of marijuana finding its way into Groot Eylandt. We discussed it at length and asked that great emphasis be put on marijuana trafficking to Groote Eylandt. I had a chat with the police about it the day we came back from Groote Eylandt and they have commenced operations. I do not talk about what happens in those particular cases …
Ms Fyles interjecting.
Mr GILES: Drugs going into Aboriginal communities is quite a concern …
Ms Fyles: Find out, you do not know the answer.
Mr GILES: Do you ever listen and be quiet during Question Time, member for Nightcliff?
As I have said, operational matters are for the police to determine where they put their resources. There is no change to focusing on drugs getting into Aboriginal communities, and it will not change …
Mr GUNNER: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Standing Order 113: relevance. The question was about the cut to the Remote Community Drug Desk. If the Chief Minister does not have the answer, could he commit to coming back to the House with the answer on cost cutting?
Madam SPEAKER: The Chief Minister has the call.
Mr GILES: We will continue to maintain the focus on reducing the prevalence of drugs getting into Aboriginal communities.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016