Mrs HICKEY - 1997-02-20
The McAulay/Bowe report on the police said that, in the Northern Territory, there are high rates of crime, low reporting rates for some crimes and evidence of a general upward trend in crime and disorder. Will the Chief Minister admit that, despite this, over the Christmas period only 26 out of 42 Darwin Criminal Investigation Branch staff were on duty? Those who were on entitled leave were not replaced. This week, the CIB is still down 7 staff. What effect does this loss of personnel have on crime detection in Darwin and on crime prevention across the Northern Territory?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I welcome this question from the Leader of the Opposition if for no other reason than that it affords the government the opportunity to deal with the facts rather than the fiction and the hysteria that is being generated by the Labor opposition in our community.
Mrs Hickey: The McAulay/Bowe report is hysteria?
Mr Ah Kit: Not only are they whingeing and whining, they are hysterical as well.
Mr STONE: If members opposite would stop interjecting, they might hear some of the facts. I am aware that the Leader of the Opposition is writing extensively to members of the community, making calls for an increase in police resources ...
Mr Bailey: Yes.
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri confirms that. I gather this is some kind of election material because her letter ends with a postscript urging people to give the government a big shake-up. It is obviously an election ploy or tactic. The Leader of the Opposition is nodding. What I find fascinating is that she is doing it on the taxpayers' tab. We will deal with that another day. I understand that 30 000 of these letters are being printed at the expense of the Northern Territory taxpayer, and she is using them for election purposes. As I said, we will come back to that another day. When Chief Ministers write to the public in an election mode in relation to these matters, it is material printed and paid for ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr STONE: ... by the CLP. Well, if it is not an election letter, why do you have a postscript about ...
Mr Stirling: You are the one who calls elections.
Mr STONE: Why are you using taxpayers' money to promote ALP policy in an election mode that you have put yourself into? You will have a chance to explain to Territorians why you have used taxpayers' money in this way, not only on this little exercise but on a couple of others. You have your snout right in the trough and it will be ...
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Mr BELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The Chief Minister has been in this Assembly long enough after 6 years to know that, if he wants to make comments like that about the Leader of the Opposition, under standing order 62, he has to do so by way of a substantive motion.
Mr SPEAKER: There is a point of order.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the allegation that the Leader of the Opposition has her snout in the trough, but I do not withdraw the allegation ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Mr Speaker! He should withdraw unreservedly.
Mr STONE: I have withdrawn. I do not withdraw the allegation that she has been using taxpayers' money for party political purposes. I know people listening to this broadcast are interested to know ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: It is pretty hard to get started again when the member for Wanguri continually interjects.
The Leader of the Opposition would have Territorians believe that there is some sort of crime wave sweeping their suburbs. I take the view that there is an unacceptable level of break-ins and thefts in our community ...
Mr Bailey: You finally accept it!
Mr STONE: Are you going to let me provide the answer or not?
This CLP government has moved decisively to deal with people who continually offend against the property of others. We have introduced truth in sentencing and shortly you will see the gazettal of the legislation that provides for mandatory sentencing. This is the fundamental difference between the Labor Party and the CLP in the Territory. The ALP is essentially soft on crime. The ALP is more concerned with the offenders than it is with the victims. That is why ...
Mr Bailey: Parental responsibility provisions have never been used. You are a hypocrite.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri will withdraw that remark.
Mr BAILEY: I will withdraw it if you request it.
Mr STONE: Look at the crime statistics that have been collated on a month-by-month basis. In 1995-96, there were 738 fewer offences than had occurred in the previous year. That did not happen just because someone waved a magic wand.
Mr Bailey: People gave up reporting them because nothing was being done.
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Mr STONE: That is an absolute insult to all our hardworking policemen and women in the Northern Territory. You cannot demonstrate that that is the case.
I will tell you why crime is down in the Territory. It is because this CLP government took the initiative of setting up the special task force called Surf. Since its commencement, it has achieved the arrest and summonsing of some 648 persons for some 3804 offences. The member for Wanguri should not come into this Chamber and make the allegation that the only reason that crime is down is because people are not reporting it. Crime is down because we have dedicated, hardworking police officers out there doing their job. They have been resourced to do a specific job and they are doing it. The last thing they need is the member for Wanguri talking up crime in the Territory, in the same way that he tries to talk down the economy and in the way that he came here on Tuesday and described all Territorians in terms of being rednecks, racists and bigots and purported to apologise for Territorians. If he has a cringe about Territorians, why doesn't he pack up his bag and go south to join his mates? They enjoy bagging the Territory, and he is becoming pretty good at it.
To come back to these very dedicated people who have achieved a remarkable breakthrough in the number of property offences and theft-related matters in the Territory. The member should applaud them. In terms of staffing numbers, anybody listening to this broadcast ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr STONE: If the Leader of the Opposition would stop interjecting, people at home might hear what I am about to say.
In every organisation, at any one time, people go on leave, people fall sick and people go on training programs. I challenge the Leader of the Opposition to show me a single organisation where, at any one time, the establishment is completely filled. People are off on leave, are on training programs or undertaking other activities. She can go on about this as much as she likes. She can write these letters to the public. She is asking for an extra 100 police, although she has chopped and changed on that. One day, she is on the radio asking for 100 police and, the next day, she is on television saying she is not really sure. The facts are that she would not have any idea how many police officers are in service at this time. She would not have any idea of the recruit programs that are in operation for police officers and for auxiliaries. Why doesn't she take the time ...
Mrs Hickey: You do not care about people.
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition says that we do not care about people. We do care. We are concerned about these dirty little grubs who come into people's houses, break up their homes, defecate in their beds and steal personal property, most of it of sentimental value. This CLP government will send those people to jail. Those people opposite - the Labor opposition, the ALP in the Territory - say we are too hard. These are the same people who elicited advice on law and order issues by writing to convicted murderers at the Darwin prison. That is where they got their advice.
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I am here to tell the Labor Party in the Territory that we will not be soft on these sentencing options. We will continue to implement the findings of the McAulay/Bowe report as we have done, and we will continue to support our police. There is a sticker that says: `Stand Up for Police or Stand Up for Yourself'. It is time the opposition got the message.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I welcome this question from the Leader of the Opposition if for no other reason than that it affords the government the opportunity to deal with the facts rather than the fiction and the hysteria that is being generated by the Labor opposition in our community.
Mrs Hickey: The McAulay/Bowe report is hysteria?
Mr Ah Kit: Not only are they whingeing and whining, they are hysterical as well.
Mr STONE: If members opposite would stop interjecting, they might hear some of the facts. I am aware that the Leader of the Opposition is writing extensively to members of the community, making calls for an increase in police resources ...
Mr Bailey: Yes.
Mr STONE: The member for Wanguri confirms that. I gather this is some kind of election material because her letter ends with a postscript urging people to give the government a big shake-up. It is obviously an election ploy or tactic. The Leader of the Opposition is nodding. What I find fascinating is that she is doing it on the taxpayers' tab. We will deal with that another day. I understand that 30 000 of these letters are being printed at the expense of the Northern Territory taxpayer, and she is using them for election purposes. As I said, we will come back to that another day. When Chief Ministers write to the public in an election mode in relation to these matters, it is material printed and paid for ...
Mr Bailey interjecting.
Mr STONE: ... by the CLP. Well, if it is not an election letter, why do you have a postscript about ...
Mr Stirling: You are the one who calls elections.
Mr STONE: Why are you using taxpayers' money to promote ALP policy in an election mode that you have put yourself into? You will have a chance to explain to Territorians why you have used taxpayers' money in this way, not only on this little exercise but on a couple of others. You have your snout right in the trough and it will be ...
Page 1921
Mr BELL: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The Chief Minister has been in this Assembly long enough after 6 years to know that, if he wants to make comments like that about the Leader of the Opposition, under standing order 62, he has to do so by way of a substantive motion.
Mr SPEAKER: There is a point of order.
Mr STONE: Mr Speaker, I withdraw the allegation that the Leader of the Opposition has her snout in the trough, but I do not withdraw the allegation ...
Mrs HICKEY: A point of order, Mr Speaker! He should withdraw unreservedly.
Mr STONE: I have withdrawn. I do not withdraw the allegation that she has been using taxpayers' money for party political purposes. I know people listening to this broadcast are interested to know ...
Members interjecting.
Mr STONE: It is pretty hard to get started again when the member for Wanguri continually interjects.
The Leader of the Opposition would have Territorians believe that there is some sort of crime wave sweeping their suburbs. I take the view that there is an unacceptable level of break-ins and thefts in our community ...
Mr Bailey: You finally accept it!
Mr STONE: Are you going to let me provide the answer or not?
This CLP government has moved decisively to deal with people who continually offend against the property of others. We have introduced truth in sentencing and shortly you will see the gazettal of the legislation that provides for mandatory sentencing. This is the fundamental difference between the Labor Party and the CLP in the Territory. The ALP is essentially soft on crime. The ALP is more concerned with the offenders than it is with the victims. That is why ...
Mr Bailey: Parental responsibility provisions have never been used. You are a hypocrite.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wanguri will withdraw that remark.
Mr BAILEY: I will withdraw it if you request it.
Mr STONE: Look at the crime statistics that have been collated on a month-by-month basis. In 1995-96, there were 738 fewer offences than had occurred in the previous year. That did not happen just because someone waved a magic wand.
Mr Bailey: People gave up reporting them because nothing was being done.
Page 1922
Mr STONE: That is an absolute insult to all our hardworking policemen and women in the Northern Territory. You cannot demonstrate that that is the case.
I will tell you why crime is down in the Territory. It is because this CLP government took the initiative of setting up the special task force called Surf. Since its commencement, it has achieved the arrest and summonsing of some 648 persons for some 3804 offences. The member for Wanguri should not come into this Chamber and make the allegation that the only reason that crime is down is because people are not reporting it. Crime is down because we have dedicated, hardworking police officers out there doing their job. They have been resourced to do a specific job and they are doing it. The last thing they need is the member for Wanguri talking up crime in the Territory, in the same way that he tries to talk down the economy and in the way that he came here on Tuesday and described all Territorians in terms of being rednecks, racists and bigots and purported to apologise for Territorians. If he has a cringe about Territorians, why doesn't he pack up his bag and go south to join his mates? They enjoy bagging the Territory, and he is becoming pretty good at it.
To come back to these very dedicated people who have achieved a remarkable breakthrough in the number of property offences and theft-related matters in the Territory. The member should applaud them. In terms of staffing numbers, anybody listening to this broadcast ...
Mrs Hickey interjecting.
Mr STONE: If the Leader of the Opposition would stop interjecting, people at home might hear what I am about to say.
In every organisation, at any one time, people go on leave, people fall sick and people go on training programs. I challenge the Leader of the Opposition to show me a single organisation where, at any one time, the establishment is completely filled. People are off on leave, are on training programs or undertaking other activities. She can go on about this as much as she likes. She can write these letters to the public. She is asking for an extra 100 police, although she has chopped and changed on that. One day, she is on the radio asking for 100 police and, the next day, she is on television saying she is not really sure. The facts are that she would not have any idea how many police officers are in service at this time. She would not have any idea of the recruit programs that are in operation for police officers and for auxiliaries. Why doesn't she take the time ...
Mrs Hickey: You do not care about people.
Mr STONE: The Leader of the Opposition says that we do not care about people. We do care. We are concerned about these dirty little grubs who come into people's houses, break up their homes, defecate in their beds and steal personal property, most of it of sentimental value. This CLP government will send those people to jail. Those people opposite - the Labor opposition, the ALP in the Territory - say we are too hard. These are the same people who elicited advice on law and order issues by writing to convicted murderers at the Darwin prison. That is where they got their advice.
Page 1923
I am here to tell the Labor Party in the Territory that we will not be soft on these sentencing options. We will continue to implement the findings of the McAulay/Bowe report as we have done, and we will continue to support our police. There is a sticker that says: `Stand Up for Police or Stand Up for Yourself'. It is time the opposition got the message.
Page 1924
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016