Mr BURKE - 1995-03-02
In this Assembly last week, the minister detailed the success of a 3-month trial of altered nightclub trading hours and associated measures. The minister mentioned the Labor Party's policy on nightclubs and some of the proposals contained in that. Would these proposed measures decrease violence on the streets or is this stand by the Labor Party yet another attempt at policy formulated on the run?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the policy of the ALP is a classic example of policy formulated as a result of the political events of the day or, as the honourable member said, of `policy formulated on the run'. In the middle of the nightclub trial period, in fact on 9 December last year, the ALP issued a document entitled, Territory Labor Policy on Nightclubs. It included the following statement: `The document is intended to apply only to Darwin nightclubs at this stage'. This policy advocated, inter alia, such measures as deregulating the nightclub hours, abolishing a compulsory cover charge and requiring nightclubs to make a contribution towards the cost of police supervision. In general terms, I do not have any argument with the other items apart from the last which was to establish `a mobile police capacity' that could be used in hotspots in the nightclub precinct. I guess that was a change from establishing caravans or mobile police posts to providing them all with roller skates or something similar.
Mr Ede: Will you table it?
Mr POOLE: I am happy to table the policy when I finish.
Mr Ede: Do you have the covering letter?
Mr POOLE: Mr Speaker, I do not have the covering letter.
Page 488
Members interjecting.
Mr POOLE: Mr Speaker, it is strange that, on the one hand, we had a brand new ALP policy that proposed the deregulation of nightclubs yet, at the same time, it issued a press release on 7 November that stated that `closing time trials were not working and there was still a very high level of street violence'. There is no consistency in anything the ALP has said in relation to nightclub violence. Not only were the Leader of the Opposition's press releases at the time very inflammatory, they were based on baseless allegations and untruths.
Mr Ede: Wrong!
Mr POOLE: Mr Speaker, after issuing a press release in November stating that we should not `ignore clear evidence that shows the measures are not helping reduce street violence', on the same day, he stated on the ABC's Drive Time program that 3 fights had continued on the one block in Cavenagh Street at the same time. In actual fact, police reports indicate that there was not one fight that night in the central business area and that there was a substantial presence on the streets. Indeed, the Leader of the Opposition must be a clairvoyant because he happened to be in Alice Springs over that weekend. He was not even in Darwin. It is quite incredible. I consider those to be fairly deliberate scare tactics designed to fit in with the politics of the day. It is a tragedy because the trial period did not conclude until the end of January. He could have waited until it was over before commenting on the trial period. However, he felt compelled to issue a policy statement that completely contradicted the trial itself.
In relation to the deregulation of nightclub hours, in a debate on Tuesday 30 August, the member for Barkly stated in this Assembly: `Should we be closing the nightclubs earlier? Definitely'. Is `closing the nightclubs earlier' what the opposition means by `deregulating' nightclub hours? It sounds most peculiar to me.
In support of the government's attitude, I quote Superintendent George Owen, who said on 22 November, roughly a week or 10 days after this ALP draft policy document appeared: `6 o'clock closing is just too long. People are becoming intoxicated'. The Labor Party draft policy is to `abolish the compulsory cover charge'. Why should we abolish the compulsory cover charge when there is ample evidence that it has been a very successful measure in keeping migration between clubs to a minimum? It is discouraging people ...
Mr Ede: Rubbish!
Mr POOLE: The honourable member should speak to Mr Sallis, the spokesperson for the nightclub industry. He says that the cover charge, in particular, has been successful in `limiting the movement on the streets'. The Leader of the Opposition knows better, but I suggest that he has not walked around to observe what is happening with the nightclubs. To cap it all off, he turns around and says that the nightclubs should pay the cost of having police drive past their front doors. It is clearly ridiculous. Mr Speaker, I table the document.
Page 489
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the policy of the ALP is a classic example of policy formulated as a result of the political events of the day or, as the honourable member said, of `policy formulated on the run'. In the middle of the nightclub trial period, in fact on 9 December last year, the ALP issued a document entitled, Territory Labor Policy on Nightclubs. It included the following statement: `The document is intended to apply only to Darwin nightclubs at this stage'. This policy advocated, inter alia, such measures as deregulating the nightclub hours, abolishing a compulsory cover charge and requiring nightclubs to make a contribution towards the cost of police supervision. In general terms, I do not have any argument with the other items apart from the last which was to establish `a mobile police capacity' that could be used in hotspots in the nightclub precinct. I guess that was a change from establishing caravans or mobile police posts to providing them all with roller skates or something similar.
Mr Ede: Will you table it?
Mr POOLE: I am happy to table the policy when I finish.
Mr Ede: Do you have the covering letter?
Mr POOLE: Mr Speaker, I do not have the covering letter.
Page 488
Members interjecting.
Mr POOLE: Mr Speaker, it is strange that, on the one hand, we had a brand new ALP policy that proposed the deregulation of nightclubs yet, at the same time, it issued a press release on 7 November that stated that `closing time trials were not working and there was still a very high level of street violence'. There is no consistency in anything the ALP has said in relation to nightclub violence. Not only were the Leader of the Opposition's press releases at the time very inflammatory, they were based on baseless allegations and untruths.
Mr Ede: Wrong!
Mr POOLE: Mr Speaker, after issuing a press release in November stating that we should not `ignore clear evidence that shows the measures are not helping reduce street violence', on the same day, he stated on the ABC's Drive Time program that 3 fights had continued on the one block in Cavenagh Street at the same time. In actual fact, police reports indicate that there was not one fight that night in the central business area and that there was a substantial presence on the streets. Indeed, the Leader of the Opposition must be a clairvoyant because he happened to be in Alice Springs over that weekend. He was not even in Darwin. It is quite incredible. I consider those to be fairly deliberate scare tactics designed to fit in with the politics of the day. It is a tragedy because the trial period did not conclude until the end of January. He could have waited until it was over before commenting on the trial period. However, he felt compelled to issue a policy statement that completely contradicted the trial itself.
In relation to the deregulation of nightclub hours, in a debate on Tuesday 30 August, the member for Barkly stated in this Assembly: `Should we be closing the nightclubs earlier? Definitely'. Is `closing the nightclubs earlier' what the opposition means by `deregulating' nightclub hours? It sounds most peculiar to me.
In support of the government's attitude, I quote Superintendent George Owen, who said on 22 November, roughly a week or 10 days after this ALP draft policy document appeared: `6 o'clock closing is just too long. People are becoming intoxicated'. The Labor Party draft policy is to `abolish the compulsory cover charge'. Why should we abolish the compulsory cover charge when there is ample evidence that it has been a very successful measure in keeping migration between clubs to a minimum? It is discouraging people ...
Mr Ede: Rubbish!
Mr POOLE: The honourable member should speak to Mr Sallis, the spokesperson for the nightclub industry. He says that the cover charge, in particular, has been successful in `limiting the movement on the streets'. The Leader of the Opposition knows better, but I suggest that he has not walked around to observe what is happening with the nightclubs. To cap it all off, he turns around and says that the nightclubs should pay the cost of having police drive past their front doors. It is clearly ridiculous. Mr Speaker, I table the document.
Page 489
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016