Mr MILLS - 2008-02-20
The September quarter 2007 crime statistics make disturbing reading. Comparing the September quarter with the previous year, the rate of violent assaults increased in Darwin by 107%, Palmerston by 88%, Alice Springs by 36%, Katherine by 26% and across the Territory by 55%. Your government has offered a variety of excuses for the surge in violent assaults since Labor came to office. We have heard assaults have risen because police reporting methods have changed, or because of the introduction of Domestic Violence Units, or even as a result of having more police. All excuses aside, is it not the ugly truth that violent assaults in the Territory have increased alarmingly and your government is clueless about how to deal with it?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. We have debated these statistics in this House extensively over the years, and there is absolutely no doubt that those figures do reflect an increase in assaults that are reported to police. As I have said before, this is a direct result of the police focusing in on domestic violence. The creation of Domestic Violence Units in Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Darwin are giving women a lot more confidence in reporting domestic violence and assaults to the police, because they know that the police will prioritise these reports and that they do follow up on them. We have given police the capacity to issue domestic violence restraining orders. There has been a significant increase but, if you talk to anybody who actually works in the field of domestic violence, increased reporting is directly a result of increased confidence in the police to investigate, to apply restraining orders and also to investigate breaches of restraining orders.
From 1 July to 31 September 2007, there were 1279 restraining orders initiated by police, with the powers that this parliament and government gave them – an 18% increase compared to the previous period. There were 979 offences recorded for failing to comply with a domestic violence restraining order – a 36% increase. When these orders are actually issued by police or the courts, women have the confidence, if they are breached, to go to police knowing that the police will act. Very significantly, this is what is leading to the increase in these statistics.
As Chief Minister and Police minister, I am not going to put my head in the sand and deny that there is no other violence being perpetrated across the Northern Territory apart from domestic violence. However, the rise in numbers that you can see in the reports are a direct result of increased police activity, police focus, and confidence in women across the Northern Territory in reporting these offences to police that did not exist prior to the Domestic Violence Units being put in place right across the Northern Territory.
We are also aware - and anybody who lives in the Territory will know this - that a large number of random acts of assaults and violence across the Northern Territory are a direct result of over-consumption of alcohol and the trauma that alcohol problems across the Northern Territory cause. We have debated, again uphill and down dale, the measures we are putting in place to combat alcohol-related violence in the Northern Territory. Then we have separate issues regarding Mitchell Street that the police are focusing on as well.
These figures are related to a complex set of issues. They are not related at all to an enormous epidemic of random violence that is increasing across the Northern Territory; they are very specifically related to the good work that the police are doing in really focusing in on domestic violence, with dedicated resources are being put to that; increased confidence of women across the Northern Territory to report; the capacity for police to issue their own orders; and the confidence that women have in police in that, if there are breaches of those orders, to report those breaches to police and for police to take action - a 36% increase.
That is the story around the statistics ...
Mr Mills: That is your story.
Mr HENDERSON: The Leader of the Opposition would try and paint another picture, but these are the facts. Domestic violence certainly is a scourge on our society. It is not tolerated by this government. A large amount of it is alcohol fuelled. We will continue to take a very proactive, public policy approach to deal with the issues of violence and excessive alcohol consumption right across the Northern Territory.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. We have debated these statistics in this House extensively over the years, and there is absolutely no doubt that those figures do reflect an increase in assaults that are reported to police. As I have said before, this is a direct result of the police focusing in on domestic violence. The creation of Domestic Violence Units in Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Darwin are giving women a lot more confidence in reporting domestic violence and assaults to the police, because they know that the police will prioritise these reports and that they do follow up on them. We have given police the capacity to issue domestic violence restraining orders. There has been a significant increase but, if you talk to anybody who actually works in the field of domestic violence, increased reporting is directly a result of increased confidence in the police to investigate, to apply restraining orders and also to investigate breaches of restraining orders.
From 1 July to 31 September 2007, there were 1279 restraining orders initiated by police, with the powers that this parliament and government gave them – an 18% increase compared to the previous period. There were 979 offences recorded for failing to comply with a domestic violence restraining order – a 36% increase. When these orders are actually issued by police or the courts, women have the confidence, if they are breached, to go to police knowing that the police will act. Very significantly, this is what is leading to the increase in these statistics.
As Chief Minister and Police minister, I am not going to put my head in the sand and deny that there is no other violence being perpetrated across the Northern Territory apart from domestic violence. However, the rise in numbers that you can see in the reports are a direct result of increased police activity, police focus, and confidence in women across the Northern Territory in reporting these offences to police that did not exist prior to the Domestic Violence Units being put in place right across the Northern Territory.
We are also aware - and anybody who lives in the Territory will know this - that a large number of random acts of assaults and violence across the Northern Territory are a direct result of over-consumption of alcohol and the trauma that alcohol problems across the Northern Territory cause. We have debated, again uphill and down dale, the measures we are putting in place to combat alcohol-related violence in the Northern Territory. Then we have separate issues regarding Mitchell Street that the police are focusing on as well.
These figures are related to a complex set of issues. They are not related at all to an enormous epidemic of random violence that is increasing across the Northern Territory; they are very specifically related to the good work that the police are doing in really focusing in on domestic violence, with dedicated resources are being put to that; increased confidence of women across the Northern Territory to report; the capacity for police to issue their own orders; and the confidence that women have in police in that, if there are breaches of those orders, to report those breaches to police and for police to take action - a 36% increase.
That is the story around the statistics ...
Mr Mills: That is your story.
Mr HENDERSON: The Leader of the Opposition would try and paint another picture, but these are the facts. Domestic violence certainly is a scourge on our society. It is not tolerated by this government. A large amount of it is alcohol fuelled. We will continue to take a very proactive, public policy approach to deal with the issues of violence and excessive alcohol consumption right across the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016