Ms CARNEY - 2007-04-17
Four hundred or 500 local business owners, mums and dads, and residents of Alice Springs assembled at the front of parliament today to protest against your government ignoring law and order problems in Alice Springs. Their view is that you have failed them by not making the town safe for them. Many business owners say that the lawlessness is the worst that they have ever seen. Your preferred line is that anyone who would protest is talking down the town and that criticism of you and your government is unfounded. Are these people who protested outside parliament this morning wrong; are they talking down the town? Do you accept that you have failed them?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question from the Opposition Leader. It is important when you are asking a question in parliament that you actually base it on facts. I never said that anyone raising issues about Alice Springs was talking down the town or was not right about those issues …
A member interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: It is a very different issue – I will deal with that one later – about what the Opposition Leader does and her hypocrisy about the things she does. That is a totally separate issue and what I want to talk about while I am in Alice Springs.
There is no doubt, as I said this morning, it is tough going to a protest where you get booed; I do not like it. However, I certainly accept the rights of every Alice Springs resident to make their point known about some of the difficult issues that we face in the community of Alice Springs - quite rightly, absolutely. There is no doubt that in some areas of Alice Springs there is an unacceptable level of antisocial behaviour, violence and crime - no doubt about it, and I have never denied that. What this government is doing is working with the community using our government resources to tackle it.
I say quite honestly: we have a long way to go. I have never said to the community of Alice Springs: ‘Your concerns are unjustified’. Therefore, it is important that the Leader of the Opposition actually reflects accurately what I have said.
It gives me an opportunity to talk about what government is doing - not dismissing the issue of what we are doing in policing on the streets; an absolutely critical issue for Alice Springs. It is important to talk about what we are doing to tackle the issues of antisocial behaviour - I wrap them broadly into antisocial behaviour - for Alice Springs. While we need to look at what we are doing, that does not mean we cannot do more, we cannot do differently, and tackle the issues that are here.
We have been working in a systematic way, particularly over the last 18 months to two years, to tackle some of the issues that face Alice Springs and are endemic here. We have been working in a successful partnership, I believe - sometimes a little difficult - with the Australian government and also very productively with the Alice Springs Town Council. I thank Alice Springs Town Council for the productive way that you have worked with us.
Through the Alcohol Task Force and the Town Camps Task Force, some of the things that have happened are: the alcohol supply restrictions that came into place in October last year; the alcohol courts that have been in place since June last year; the legislation for dry areas in public places, for which the Alice Springs Town Council has put an application before the Liquor Commission - that has been heard and a decision is being made which is an important component of dealing with the alcohol problems in Alice Springs; and exciting initiatives like the Clontarf Academy - and I pay tribute to the Education minister – coming to town to link school attendance with sport, a program that has a great track record; and, of course, the Alice Springs Town Camps Task Force and standardisation.
There is no doubt about it: town camps in Alice Springs are some of the sources of the antisocial behaviour that happens in this community. We are determined, working with the federal government - and there is $80m on the table as a starter - to change town camps into suburbs of Alice Springs. It is very important for those who live there and for the community of Alice Springs. I would hate to think that there is not support from that side of the House for that very important initiative. Also, the provision of properly managed visitor accommodation into Alice Springs. The Opposition Leader called the properly managed visitor accommodation an act of bastardry, Madam Speaker ...
Members interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: The member for Araluen calls it an act of bastardry …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Leader of the Opposition!
Ms MARTIN: However, she has not talked to the member for Greatorex, who thinks it is a great idea. They are supporting that …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: … visitors can come to Alice Springs, and properly managed short-term accommodation is an important part of that.
Another key issue is police presence and, in talking to the delegation of people protesting outside today, we talked about the key issue of police numbers. I say to the Alice Springs community: police numbers are at the capacity they should be now. I am pleased, and I know the community is pleased, that over the past few weeks, there have been the addition of 15 members coming to Alice Springs. There is capacity and resources to tackle any issues that apply to Alice Springs. Over last couple of weeks, we have seen a real refocus by our police about tackling the issues raised by the community and I congratulate them for their responsiveness.
They are some of the things we are doing. What we have to ask ourselves is: are these steps, when they are implemented - some have not been implemented yet, of course, like the change to town camps - enough to tackle the issues of antisocial behaviour, and make Alice Springs a safe community?
In the last couple of weeks, there have been calls for a summit. This year, it came from William Tilmouth, the head of Tangentyere Council, supported by the Minister for Local Government and Minister for Central Australia, Elliot McAdam, and by Richard Lim, the member for Greatorex. We have a forum this Friday which has been organised by …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: We have a forum this Friday which has been organised by the Mayor, Fran Kilgariff, to discuss what is currently happening and to get some ideas locally for a response to that. I will be part of that, as will other ministers. However, while I am committing to this summit, because this issue is bigger than Alice Springs, it is about Central Australia, what we need to do, once the Liquor Commission has made a decision about those dry public areas, is to have a summit that calls in regional and local leadership to look at some of the issues we face. They can then take different steps or further steps in the future. That is an important summit. That is a possibility in this summit to be held towards the end of May.
Maybe there are going to be proposals. The delegation I met with this morning asked me about further alcohol restrictions. I said: ‘Put it on the table’. It may look at policing strategies, look at what kind of support is needed for the dry areas legislation if it comes into place ...
Mrs BRAHAM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This is Question Time, not ministerial statement time.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Braitling, resume your seat. There is no point of order.
Ms MARTIN: I say to the Alice Springs community, usually we try to keep answers to questions pretty short, but this is a major issue.
Mrs Braham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Braitling, cease interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: I will be quick, but I believe it needed a full answer, Madam Speaker. We will have the summit, and I will certainly commit our government, as we have been doing, to working closely with the people of Alice Springs community to make a safe and prosperous community.
A final thing while I am on my feet, Madam Speaker, is the issue of CCTV. The Alice Springs Council has put $100 000 towards that. They applied to the federal government for another $150 000. I say to Alice Springs Town Council today, we will grant you that money right now.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: The mall is a key area. If the recommendation is that CCTV is going to make that a safer place to be, the $150 000 is there.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I welcome the question from the Opposition Leader. It is important when you are asking a question in parliament that you actually base it on facts. I never said that anyone raising issues about Alice Springs was talking down the town or was not right about those issues …
A member interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: It is a very different issue – I will deal with that one later – about what the Opposition Leader does and her hypocrisy about the things she does. That is a totally separate issue and what I want to talk about while I am in Alice Springs.
There is no doubt, as I said this morning, it is tough going to a protest where you get booed; I do not like it. However, I certainly accept the rights of every Alice Springs resident to make their point known about some of the difficult issues that we face in the community of Alice Springs - quite rightly, absolutely. There is no doubt that in some areas of Alice Springs there is an unacceptable level of antisocial behaviour, violence and crime - no doubt about it, and I have never denied that. What this government is doing is working with the community using our government resources to tackle it.
I say quite honestly: we have a long way to go. I have never said to the community of Alice Springs: ‘Your concerns are unjustified’. Therefore, it is important that the Leader of the Opposition actually reflects accurately what I have said.
It gives me an opportunity to talk about what government is doing - not dismissing the issue of what we are doing in policing on the streets; an absolutely critical issue for Alice Springs. It is important to talk about what we are doing to tackle the issues of antisocial behaviour - I wrap them broadly into antisocial behaviour - for Alice Springs. While we need to look at what we are doing, that does not mean we cannot do more, we cannot do differently, and tackle the issues that are here.
We have been working in a systematic way, particularly over the last 18 months to two years, to tackle some of the issues that face Alice Springs and are endemic here. We have been working in a successful partnership, I believe - sometimes a little difficult - with the Australian government and also very productively with the Alice Springs Town Council. I thank Alice Springs Town Council for the productive way that you have worked with us.
Through the Alcohol Task Force and the Town Camps Task Force, some of the things that have happened are: the alcohol supply restrictions that came into place in October last year; the alcohol courts that have been in place since June last year; the legislation for dry areas in public places, for which the Alice Springs Town Council has put an application before the Liquor Commission - that has been heard and a decision is being made which is an important component of dealing with the alcohol problems in Alice Springs; and exciting initiatives like the Clontarf Academy - and I pay tribute to the Education minister – coming to town to link school attendance with sport, a program that has a great track record; and, of course, the Alice Springs Town Camps Task Force and standardisation.
There is no doubt about it: town camps in Alice Springs are some of the sources of the antisocial behaviour that happens in this community. We are determined, working with the federal government - and there is $80m on the table as a starter - to change town camps into suburbs of Alice Springs. It is very important for those who live there and for the community of Alice Springs. I would hate to think that there is not support from that side of the House for that very important initiative. Also, the provision of properly managed visitor accommodation into Alice Springs. The Opposition Leader called the properly managed visitor accommodation an act of bastardry, Madam Speaker ...
Members interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: The member for Araluen calls it an act of bastardry …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order, order! Leader of the Opposition!
Ms MARTIN: However, she has not talked to the member for Greatorex, who thinks it is a great idea. They are supporting that …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: … visitors can come to Alice Springs, and properly managed short-term accommodation is an important part of that.
Another key issue is police presence and, in talking to the delegation of people protesting outside today, we talked about the key issue of police numbers. I say to the Alice Springs community: police numbers are at the capacity they should be now. I am pleased, and I know the community is pleased, that over the past few weeks, there have been the addition of 15 members coming to Alice Springs. There is capacity and resources to tackle any issues that apply to Alice Springs. Over last couple of weeks, we have seen a real refocus by our police about tackling the issues raised by the community and I congratulate them for their responsiveness.
They are some of the things we are doing. What we have to ask ourselves is: are these steps, when they are implemented - some have not been implemented yet, of course, like the change to town camps - enough to tackle the issues of antisocial behaviour, and make Alice Springs a safe community?
In the last couple of weeks, there have been calls for a summit. This year, it came from William Tilmouth, the head of Tangentyere Council, supported by the Minister for Local Government and Minister for Central Australia, Elliot McAdam, and by Richard Lim, the member for Greatorex. We have a forum this Friday which has been organised by …
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: We have a forum this Friday which has been organised by the Mayor, Fran Kilgariff, to discuss what is currently happening and to get some ideas locally for a response to that. I will be part of that, as will other ministers. However, while I am committing to this summit, because this issue is bigger than Alice Springs, it is about Central Australia, what we need to do, once the Liquor Commission has made a decision about those dry public areas, is to have a summit that calls in regional and local leadership to look at some of the issues we face. They can then take different steps or further steps in the future. That is an important summit. That is a possibility in this summit to be held towards the end of May.
Maybe there are going to be proposals. The delegation I met with this morning asked me about further alcohol restrictions. I said: ‘Put it on the table’. It may look at policing strategies, look at what kind of support is needed for the dry areas legislation if it comes into place ...
Mrs BRAHAM: A point of order, Madam Speaker! This is Question Time, not ministerial statement time.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Braitling, resume your seat. There is no point of order.
Ms MARTIN: I say to the Alice Springs community, usually we try to keep answers to questions pretty short, but this is a major issue.
Mrs Braham interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Member for Braitling, cease interjecting.
Ms MARTIN: I will be quick, but I believe it needed a full answer, Madam Speaker. We will have the summit, and I will certainly commit our government, as we have been doing, to working closely with the people of Alice Springs community to make a safe and prosperous community.
A final thing while I am on my feet, Madam Speaker, is the issue of CCTV. The Alice Springs Council has put $100 000 towards that. They applied to the federal government for another $150 000. I say to Alice Springs Town Council today, we will grant you that money right now.
Members interjecting.
Madam SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: The mall is a key area. If the recommendation is that CCTV is going to make that a safer place to be, the $150 000 is there.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016