Mr CONLAN - 2011-03-29
So, no show, your government circulated this flyer headed ‘Workshops for development’ …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, just remove that comment, thanks.
Mr CONLAN: Okay, I will withdraw ‘no show’, no matter how true it is.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Member for Greatorex!
Mr CONLAN: Your government has circulated this flyer headed, ‘Workshops for developments of the Community Action Plan for Alice Springs’. The first paragraph of the document states:
This summarises your government’s approach to the tsunami of crime we have seen in Alice Springs - you only respond when there is considerable publicity, as always. Why do you not admit Labor’s response to the crime wave has come far too late, and will you apologise to the Alice Springs community for your bungled, pathetic response to the community’s pleas for help?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the member for Greatorex really is quite facile. We have continued to acknowledge crime throughout the Northern Territory, not just in Alice Springs. Before the ads even appeared on the television, my colleague, the Deputy Chief Minister, announced on 27 January a number of significant initiatives to target Alice Springs and make Alice Springs safer. Those initiatives included the establishment of a new juvenile detention facility for Alice Springs which, I am advised, is open today, to provide options for the courts to remand juveniles committing crime to a Correctional facility in Alice Springs; a new offence for breach of bail that we will be discussing in these sittings – that legislation was introduced in the last sittings – to ensure that, if people do breach their bail provisions, it is an offence, and a very significant penalty is attached; a Return to Country blitz for getting kids back to school; increased police patrols; the commencement of a new patrol coordinator to coordinate the Tangentyere patrols, the shire patrols, the police patrols in Alice Springs; we announced juvenile safe houses, which will be operational very soon, in order to give police somewhere safe to take young people off the streets at night where they are at risk themselves, and also at risk of committing offences; and we also announced expanded juvenile alcohol and other drugs facilities.
All those things were announced prior to the television campaign and the broader political campaign around these issues. That demonstrates our absolute commitment to improving the situation in Alice Springs, as opposed to the empty vessels opposite who have not put forward one single proposal, apart from more grog – apart from let us sell alcohol for four more hours every single day …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister has a duty of honesty to the people of Alice Springs. We ask him to …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, that is not a point of order. Do not rise again on a point of order like that!
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, about as intimidating and threatening as a balloon on a stick. Really, that was appalling. We had an opportunity …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin!
Mr HENDERSON: No solutions, no proposals …
Mr Tollner: Tell the truth.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fong Lim!
Mr HENDERSON: … the only solution they have is open the bottle shops for four more hours. Even Tony Abbott does not support them.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Greatorex, just remove that comment, thanks.
Mr CONLAN: Okay, I will withdraw ‘no show’, no matter how true it is.
Madam SPEAKER: Thank you. Member for Greatorex!
Mr CONLAN: Your government has circulated this flyer headed, ‘Workshops for developments of the Community Action Plan for Alice Springs’. The first paragraph of the document states:
- Over the past few weeks, there has been considerable publicity about crime and antisocial problems in Alice Springs.
This summarises your government’s approach to the tsunami of crime we have seen in Alice Springs - you only respond when there is considerable publicity, as always. Why do you not admit Labor’s response to the crime wave has come far too late, and will you apologise to the Alice Springs community for your bungled, pathetic response to the community’s pleas for help?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, the member for Greatorex really is quite facile. We have continued to acknowledge crime throughout the Northern Territory, not just in Alice Springs. Before the ads even appeared on the television, my colleague, the Deputy Chief Minister, announced on 27 January a number of significant initiatives to target Alice Springs and make Alice Springs safer. Those initiatives included the establishment of a new juvenile detention facility for Alice Springs which, I am advised, is open today, to provide options for the courts to remand juveniles committing crime to a Correctional facility in Alice Springs; a new offence for breach of bail that we will be discussing in these sittings – that legislation was introduced in the last sittings – to ensure that, if people do breach their bail provisions, it is an offence, and a very significant penalty is attached; a Return to Country blitz for getting kids back to school; increased police patrols; the commencement of a new patrol coordinator to coordinate the Tangentyere patrols, the shire patrols, the police patrols in Alice Springs; we announced juvenile safe houses, which will be operational very soon, in order to give police somewhere safe to take young people off the streets at night where they are at risk themselves, and also at risk of committing offences; and we also announced expanded juvenile alcohol and other drugs facilities.
All those things were announced prior to the television campaign and the broader political campaign around these issues. That demonstrates our absolute commitment to improving the situation in Alice Springs, as opposed to the empty vessels opposite who have not put forward one single proposal, apart from more grog – apart from let us sell alcohol for four more hours every single day …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! The Chief Minister has a duty of honesty to the people of Alice Springs. We ask him to …
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Port Darwin, that is not a point of order. Do not rise again on a point of order like that!
Mr HENDERSON: Madam Speaker, about as intimidating and threatening as a balloon on a stick. Really, that was appalling. We had an opportunity …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Port Darwin!
Mr HENDERSON: No solutions, no proposals …
Mr Tollner: Tell the truth.
Madam SPEAKER: Order! Member for Fong Lim!
Mr HENDERSON: … the only solution they have is open the bottle shops for four more hours. Even Tony Abbott does not support them.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016