Mr STYLES - 2011-11-29
Last week, a resident of The Narrows phoned ABC radio and sent in a number of photos highlighting antisocial behaviour at a children’s playground near her home. Some of the issues she raised include drinking, swearing, fighting, unacceptable levels of noise, and empty bottles of alcohol and dirty nappies littered the park. It seems your tough talk on alcohol is not being heard by those residents. What assurances can you give Territorians that you will put an end to the antisocial behaviour that has become such a problem for residents in Darwin and across the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Madam Deputy Speaker, I welcome the question. It gives me the opportunity to point out that if the CLP had its way there would be no tools for the police to effectively put those problem drinkers …
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Ms LAWRIE: … who are engaging in unacceptable antisocial behaviour - the CLP would rip those tools out from the police, the tools the police say are the most effective tools they have ever been given by any government, tools that are the toughest in the nation. It goes to show that the CLP truly does not understand the Enough is Enough alcohol reforms. In the past, all that happened to people who were drinking and defecating in the park was that the alcohol was tipped out. If they were lucky they were taken to a sobering-up shelter, or put through the rinse through of protective custody.
Now they are put on the Banned Drinker Register, they are turned off tap and are mandated into treatment. We have 1800 people on the BDR, we have a …
Members interjecting.
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! They are not just put on the Banned Drinker Register. You are encouraging people to break in and steal alcohol so there is more crime across the Territory. They are the failures you are creating. Get out and look in a park anywhere.
Madam DEPUTYSPEAKER: Member for Braitling, there is no point of order.
Mr Giles interjecting.
Madam DEPUTYSPEAKER: Order! Resume your seat and be silent, please. You do not have the call.
Ms LAWRIE: In just three months of the reforms - it is early days - we have seen a 22% reduction …
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling!.
Ms LAWRIE: … in alcohol-related incidents. The incidents the resident of The Narrows is talking about have dropped by 22%. It is early days. The figures come directly out of the police PROMIS data system. None of us are pretending …
Mrs Lambley: I will pretend.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen!
Ms LAWRIE: … that this is a problem we can change overnight. We know there were unacceptable levels of antisocial behaviour in public places in all the towns in the Territory. We took the tough action to bring in the Banned Drinker Register that the CLP fundamentally opposed, would rip out, would take away from the police the toughest tools they have ever had, and would break that important link between turning people off tap and putting them into mandatory treatment. The member for Braitling has suggested his answer to the drinking hours of takeaway in Alice Springs …
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Ms LAWRIE: … is to close the bottle shops earlier in the afternoon …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, please pause.
Mr Giles: I would ask …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have not given you the call, member for Braitling. Member for Braitling, is this a point of order?
Members interjecting.
Ms LAWRIE: No, it is not. And I did not use those words ...
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Please pause, minister.
Mr Giles: Madam Deputy Speaker, this is the minister who declared her own electorate a war zone and who had a riot in her own electorate. What is the BDR doing for …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling, resume your seat!
Ms LAWRIE: You are lying to the House again. I withdraw.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, please pause. Thank you for withdrawing. Member for Braitling, you are on a warning! I ask you to think very carefully about the next point of order you may choose to make. Minister, you have the call.
Ms LAWRIE: The CLP would put those problem drinkers back on tap. We would see the assaults that have dropped by 15% - early days - the antisocial behaviour that has dropped by 22% - early days - …
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: … turn around and skyrocket again.
ANSWER
Madam Deputy Speaker, I welcome the question. It gives me the opportunity to point out that if the CLP had its way there would be no tools for the police to effectively put those problem drinkers …
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Ms LAWRIE: … who are engaging in unacceptable antisocial behaviour - the CLP would rip those tools out from the police, the tools the police say are the most effective tools they have ever been given by any government, tools that are the toughest in the nation. It goes to show that the CLP truly does not understand the Enough is Enough alcohol reforms. In the past, all that happened to people who were drinking and defecating in the park was that the alcohol was tipped out. If they were lucky they were taken to a sobering-up shelter, or put through the rinse through of protective custody.
Now they are put on the Banned Drinker Register, they are turned off tap and are mandated into treatment. We have 1800 people on the BDR, we have a …
Members interjecting.
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker! They are not just put on the Banned Drinker Register. You are encouraging people to break in and steal alcohol so there is more crime across the Territory. They are the failures you are creating. Get out and look in a park anywhere.
Madam DEPUTYSPEAKER: Member for Braitling, there is no point of order.
Mr Giles interjecting.
Madam DEPUTYSPEAKER: Order! Resume your seat and be silent, please. You do not have the call.
Ms LAWRIE: In just three months of the reforms - it is early days - we have seen a 22% reduction …
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling!.
Ms LAWRIE: … in alcohol-related incidents. The incidents the resident of The Narrows is talking about have dropped by 22%. It is early days. The figures come directly out of the police PROMIS data system. None of us are pretending …
Mrs Lambley: I will pretend.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member for Araluen!
Ms LAWRIE: … that this is a problem we can change overnight. We know there were unacceptable levels of antisocial behaviour in public places in all the towns in the Territory. We took the tough action to bring in the Banned Drinker Register that the CLP fundamentally opposed, would rip out, would take away from the police the toughest tools they have ever had, and would break that important link between turning people off tap and putting them into mandatory treatment. The member for Braitling has suggested his answer to the drinking hours of takeaway in Alice Springs …
Mr GILES: A point of order, Madam Speaker!
Ms LAWRIE: … is to close the bottle shops earlier in the afternoon …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, please pause.
Mr Giles: I would ask …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have not given you the call, member for Braitling. Member for Braitling, is this a point of order?
Members interjecting.
Ms LAWRIE: No, it is not. And I did not use those words ...
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Please pause, minister.
Mr Giles: Madam Deputy Speaker, this is the minister who declared her own electorate a war zone and who had a riot in her own electorate. What is the BDR doing for …
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Braitling, resume your seat!
Ms LAWRIE: You are lying to the House again. I withdraw.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Minister, please pause. Thank you for withdrawing. Member for Braitling, you are on a warning! I ask you to think very carefully about the next point of order you may choose to make. Minister, you have the call.
Ms LAWRIE: The CLP would put those problem drinkers back on tap. We would see the assaults that have dropped by 15% - early days - the antisocial behaviour that has dropped by 22% - early days - …
Members interjecting.
Madam DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Ms LAWRIE: … turn around and skyrocket again.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016