Mr HAMPTON - 2008-02-21
The announcement of the comprehensive new plan to tackle antisocial behaviour across Darwin is great news. The government has also been hard at work in Alice Springs to crack down on crime and antisocial behaviour. Can you inform the House what this government has done to make the streets of Alice Springs safer?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Stuart for his question, because he is a great advocate for Central Australia and Alice Springs, and certainly spends a lot of time lobbying ministers on behalf of residents in Central Australia.
Crime and antisocial behaviour is unacceptable. We have been debating that all week. When you talk to police in Alice Springs, they will tell you that around 85% of the work that they do, and the incidents that they have to respond to, are alcohol related. Again, that is unacceptable.
We have introduced the Alcohol Management Plan and it is starting to take effect. We have mentioned already a 10% reduction in pure alcohol being consumed in Alice Springs. We have introduced restrictions on the purchase of cask and fortified wines. There are more police on the beat in Alice Springs than ever before. The mounted police patrols have been introduced permanently for the first time in Alice Springs ...
Mr Mills: Violent crime is up 36%
Mr HENDERSON: I did not notice the mounted police patrol when the CLP were in government.
We have invested $4.6m in additional short-term accommodation, an extra 94 beds. There are more bush bus services, again, advocacy from the members for Stuart and Macdonnell, who very strongly support those bush bus services …
Ms Lawrie: And Barkly.
Mr HENDERSON: And the member for Barkly around the Cabinet table, to help with the Return to Country program and CCTV. There is $3.5m in additional rehabilitation and treatment services, structured case management services, Day Patrol services and the Return to Country program.
This is not a one-shot-in-the-locker approach, but a comprehensive approach in Alice Springs, as in Darwin, Katherine, and Tennant Creek. The question is: is it working? Some people with a bit of a memory of Alice Springs agree. Some people who have lived in Alice Springs for a long time, who are very proud of their town, who are real advocates for their town and in positions of leadership in Alice Springs agree.
I advise the House that David Koch, a current Alice Springs Town Council Alderman, who has announced his candidacy for mayor, is also I believe, President of the CLP Branch of Alice Springs and he failed for preselection. I believe he sought preselection for the seat of Greatorex, and the member for Greatorex’s friend and colleague, the member for Araluen, managed to get him into the seat ahead of David Koch. It certainly must have been a pretty bruising preselection battle in the local Alice Springs branch.
Anyway, David Koch is well known and respected in Alice Springs, and this is what he said about antisocial behaviour at the town council meeting on 11 February, 10 days ago. I am quoting from the alderman, mayoral candidate and President of the CLP Alice Springs Branch. Basically, he said one thing we do have to remember is:
Mr Koch went on to say:
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: That was under the CLP, not the Australian Labor Party. He went on to say that it was not much better 10 years ago, and that five years ago it was improving:
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: That was the Labor government, not the CLP government that ruled the Territory 15 years ago. We can play politics all we like in this House, but it is great to see a bipartisan approach from the CLP, recognising that a comprehensive approach to dealing with these problems, being up-front about them, and working with the community, can deliver results. It is great to have the endorsement from Mr David Koch, and I wish him well with his campaign for mayor because, obviously, if he was elected, he is somebody that we could work with.
Yesterday, we heard from the member for Greatorex. He agreed that the CLP had done nothing for police …
Members interjecting.
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, the challenge again is to make the member for Greatorex the shadow Police minister, because he recognised that the CLP did nothing for police when they were in government. We now have a CLP past president in Alice Springs recognising things are much better in Alice Springs than they were four, five, six years ago. That is testament to this government not putting its head in the sand, nor denying there are problems around the Northern Territory, and really working with communities with a comprehensive approach. We are not saying we have it solved.
We know we have big problems out there. We have intergenerational change that needs to occur in education, employment, and economies in business communities. We will work with the federal government and communities around the Northern Territory to really start delivering on those important issues. However, it is good to see some acknowledgement from a very important person in the Alice Springs community that things are better than what they were four, five and six years ago, and that, 15 years ago when the CLP were in government, the place was a war zone.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Stuart for his question, because he is a great advocate for Central Australia and Alice Springs, and certainly spends a lot of time lobbying ministers on behalf of residents in Central Australia.
Crime and antisocial behaviour is unacceptable. We have been debating that all week. When you talk to police in Alice Springs, they will tell you that around 85% of the work that they do, and the incidents that they have to respond to, are alcohol related. Again, that is unacceptable.
We have introduced the Alcohol Management Plan and it is starting to take effect. We have mentioned already a 10% reduction in pure alcohol being consumed in Alice Springs. We have introduced restrictions on the purchase of cask and fortified wines. There are more police on the beat in Alice Springs than ever before. The mounted police patrols have been introduced permanently for the first time in Alice Springs ...
Mr Mills: Violent crime is up 36%
Mr HENDERSON: I did not notice the mounted police patrol when the CLP were in government.
We have invested $4.6m in additional short-term accommodation, an extra 94 beds. There are more bush bus services, again, advocacy from the members for Stuart and Macdonnell, who very strongly support those bush bus services …
Ms Lawrie: And Barkly.
Mr HENDERSON: And the member for Barkly around the Cabinet table, to help with the Return to Country program and CCTV. There is $3.5m in additional rehabilitation and treatment services, structured case management services, Day Patrol services and the Return to Country program.
This is not a one-shot-in-the-locker approach, but a comprehensive approach in Alice Springs, as in Darwin, Katherine, and Tennant Creek. The question is: is it working? Some people with a bit of a memory of Alice Springs agree. Some people who have lived in Alice Springs for a long time, who are very proud of their town, who are real advocates for their town and in positions of leadership in Alice Springs agree.
I advise the House that David Koch, a current Alice Springs Town Council Alderman, who has announced his candidacy for mayor, is also I believe, President of the CLP Branch of Alice Springs and he failed for preselection. I believe he sought preselection for the seat of Greatorex, and the member for Greatorex’s friend and colleague, the member for Araluen, managed to get him into the seat ahead of David Koch. It certainly must have been a pretty bruising preselection battle in the local Alice Springs branch.
Anyway, David Koch is well known and respected in Alice Springs, and this is what he said about antisocial behaviour at the town council meeting on 11 February, 10 days ago. I am quoting from the alderman, mayoral candidate and President of the CLP Alice Springs Branch. Basically, he said one thing we do have to remember is:
- … the town is much safer and much better than it was five years ago, 10 years ago, and 15 years ago.’
Mr Koch went on to say:
- Fifteen years ago it was a …
… war zone.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: That was under the CLP, not the Australian Labor Party. He went on to say that it was not much better 10 years ago, and that five years ago it was improving:
- To be honest, our town has improved …
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: That was the Labor government, not the CLP government that ruled the Territory 15 years ago. We can play politics all we like in this House, but it is great to see a bipartisan approach from the CLP, recognising that a comprehensive approach to dealing with these problems, being up-front about them, and working with the community, can deliver results. It is great to have the endorsement from Mr David Koch, and I wish him well with his campaign for mayor because, obviously, if he was elected, he is somebody that we could work with.
Yesterday, we heard from the member for Greatorex. He agreed that the CLP had done nothing for police …
Members interjecting.
Ms Carney interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, the challenge again is to make the member for Greatorex the shadow Police minister, because he recognised that the CLP did nothing for police when they were in government. We now have a CLP past president in Alice Springs recognising things are much better in Alice Springs than they were four, five, six years ago. That is testament to this government not putting its head in the sand, nor denying there are problems around the Northern Territory, and really working with communities with a comprehensive approach. We are not saying we have it solved.
We know we have big problems out there. We have intergenerational change that needs to occur in education, employment, and economies in business communities. We will work with the federal government and communities around the Northern Territory to really start delivering on those important issues. However, it is good to see some acknowledgement from a very important person in the Alice Springs community that things are better than what they were four, five and six years ago, and that, 15 years ago when the CLP were in government, the place was a war zone.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016