2015-09-15
Madam Speaker Purick took the Chair at 10 am.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of students from Girraween Primary School. On behalf of honourable members, I extend a warm welcome to you and I hope you enjoy your time here.
I would also like to draw your attention to some guests in the Speaker’s Gallery. I welcome Denise and Bruce Morcombe from Queensland, and we have the late arrival of the former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Marshall Perron, and his wife, Cherry Perron. Welcome to Parliament House.
Members: Hear, hear!
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, on 10 September 2015 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of Australia and her other realms and territories, head of the Commonwealth, celebrated a significant milestone. After first visiting the Territory 52 years ago, Her Majesty celebrated becoming Britain’s and Australia’s longest reigning monarch. I ask honourable members to join me in thanking Her Majesty for her dedicated service.
Looking back on her reign it is hoped that the Queen will fondly remember her first Territory visit in 1963, which included Alice Springs and Darwin.
Ten-year-old Julie Kelly from Warrabri travelled 300 km to Alice Springs to meet the Queen and handed her a bouquet of Territory flowers. Thousands flocked to Darwin Airport to greet the Queen, who had already visited Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine.
There were bucking broncos and savage bulls at the twelfth Darwin Show, where there was a display called Constitutional Motor Show, highlighting our early aspirations towards statehood for the Northern Territory. Of particular note was an official luncheon hosted by the Administrator, Roger Knott, where Colonel Rose boldly informed those attending to shut up so the Administrator could address the gathering.
Her Majesty has seen the Territory in both sombre and booming times. In 1974 Her Majesty hosted a dinner on board HMY Britannia; nine months later, Cyclone Tracy arrived. The royal couple returned to Darwin in 1977 to commemorate the victims of Cyclone Tracy and saw the rebuilding process across the Darwin region.
Significantly, some would argue, in 1977 the Northern Territory AFL grand final was an enthralling and tough contest. The match was between St Marys and Waratahs. St Marys are green and yellow, Waratahs are red and white. The Queen arrived and hopped out of the car in a red and white outfit. The late, great Billy Roe said the St Marys football team’s hearts collectively sank. Under the gaze of Her Majesty, St Marys were suitably flogged by Waratahs. However, folklore has it when the Queen did a lap around the oval and went past the Waratahs end, she was loudly cheered. When she went around the St Marys end, she was loudly booed. It is probably the only time during her reign when she has been booed.
Other folklore has it that Vic Ludwig – who was the president of St Marys at the time – and Sadie Ludwig could sit with the Queen because they were married. The president of the Waratahs was supposedly in a de facto relationship, and he and his partner could not sit with the Queen. How times have changed.
In 1982 Her Majesty presented a medal for bravery to Peta Mann for rescuing her friend from a crocodile attack while visiting Darwin. She also opened the Darwin Navy base at Larrakeyah.
The Queen’s most recent visit was on a hot day in Alice Springs in 2000, where her Majesty met half of Alice Springs while walking down the Todd Street Mall. A visit to the School of the Air will hopefully stand out as another highlight from the Queen’s long reign.
Honourable members, today we congratulate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for over 63 years of service to the Northern Territory of Australia. God save the Queen.
Members: Hear, hear!
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 89, I move to reorder the conduct of business today to allow me to immediately give notice of a bill to fulfil the government’s commitment to the Morcombe family concerning convicted child sex offenders, and that otherwise the routine of business remains as programmed to allow for all other notices to be given today at 2 pm.
Honourable members will note that Bruce and Denise Morcombe are sitting in the Speaker’s Gallery. They have lobbied for a number of years; in fact, I think the Morcombe Foundation has just celebrated its 10th anniversary after the murder of Daniel Morcombe by Brett Peter Cowan.
In deference and as a courtesy to the Morcombe family, I seek the reordering of business specifically so they can hear the second reading of this speech. This speech does not see the bill passed today, if it passes at all. It merely enables the Morcombes to hear the second reading speech. The passage of this bill will otherwise follow normal processes.
Motion agreed to.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to immediately present the bill.
Leave granted.
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to establish a legal framework for a public website listing details of child sex offenders and child homicide offenders in the Northern Territory. On 15 October 2014 I was proud to announce that the Northern Territory will be the first jurisdiction in the country to introduce a publicly-accessible website, featuring details and locations of convicted child offenders. In memory of Daniel Morcombe, who was a victim of a child sex offender and also a murder victim, the legislation is to be known as ‘Daniel’s Law’. This bill delivers on that commitment and the government’s ongoing commitment to protect those who are vulnerable in our community, and putting victims first.
The bill provides for the establishment of a public website to list convicted child sex offenders and child homicide offenders in the Northern Territory. The website will be a basic user-friendly and searchable public website that is open and accessible to all. The website will provide families with an additional tool to protect their children. The website will list serious offenders, being life and 15-year reportable offenders under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Registration) Act. These offenders are serious child sex offenders and those convicted of the murder or manslaughter of children.
The website will also include other reportable offenders who have absconded and whose whereabouts are unknown, and offenders who come to the Northern Territory from other jurisdictions and have a previous equivalent conviction in that jurisdiction.
The website will be maintained by the Commissioner of Police. The website will publish general information about an offender, including their name, a photograph and a general description of relevant offences the person has been convicted of and the offender’s general location. Exact addresses of offenders will not be published.
Offenders who are children will not have their details published on the website. Children are not reportable offenders under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Registration) Act unless, in the most serious cases of offending, a special application is made and an order is given by the court.
The bill establishes a panel which will have the role of determining if an offender’s details should be published on the website. The panel will consist of the Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner of Correctional Services and the Chief Executive Officer of the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice.
The bill sets out criteria that applies when the panel is considering whether to publish an offender’s details. A person’s details will not be published in circumstances where it would contravene a court suppression order, cause significant harm to a victim that would outweigh the public benefit in publishing the details, or there are other valid reasons not to publish the offender’s details. These are all measures intended to protect victims of child sexual abuse.
The process in considering publication of offender’s details on the website will commence by notifying the offender, in most cases prior to when they are released from custody. Victims will also be notified where they are listed on the Victims Register or make specific requests to be informed. There will be no ‘cold calling’ of victims to ensure their privacy is respected. Contact details for the NT Police will be widely published so that victims who wish to be involved in the process can be kept informed. The panel has powers to request information from other government bodies to assist in the decision-making process. Victims have a choice to be part of this process but they are not compelled to provide information should they decline to do so.
The panel, upon reaching its decision, is required to provide reasons for its decision to a victim who has requested to be informed of the outcome. Where the panel decides to publish the details of an offender on the website, written reasons will also be provided to that offender.
The bill requires the panel to reconsider a decision where a victim so applies. The bill provides the ability for the panel to reconsider its decisions on its own initiative. Affected parties have a statutory right of review to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal to review the panel’s decision.
This initiative is intended as an additional tool for Territory families to protect their children. The website will exist for members of the public to access the information and it is expected people will use this in an informative and measured way.
I have been clear since the announcement of this policy that vigilante behaviour will not be tolerated. We do not want people taking the law into their own hands and for this reason the bill contains an offence which will apply where the person promotes abuse towards an offender or members of the offender’s immediate family. A further offence exists where a person publishes or displays an offender’s details from the website without prior permission from the minister to do so.
I also draw members’ attention to the existence of other potentially relevant offences in the Criminal Code Act and the Summary Offences Act which may apply should people decide to take the law into their own hands and act as vigilantes.
Work continues on the development of the website through a cross-agency working group. The website development is being led by the Child Protection Offender Registry within the Northern Territory Police. There are currently over 200 reportable offenders being managed by that registry who could be eligible to be published on the website.
Work will commence shortly to initiate the process of notification to those offenders and, where appropriate, their victims about the potential publication of the offender’s details on the website. Life reportable offenders will be the immediate focus for consideration of publishing their details on the website. I expect the website will go live early in the new year.
I have previously stated that unfortunately the world is not a perfect place and that child predators do exist. However, with the use of an additional tool such as the information to be contained on this website, a parent is in a much better position to protect their child.
I commend this bill to honourable members and I table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
Continued from 17 February 2015.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, what we have seen with the second reading today by the Attorney-General of the Northern Territory is just one of the success stories of the Country Liberals government in the Northern Territory. That is an opportunity of pursuing matters to keep our streets safe in the Northern Territory, an opportunity for us to pursue community interests of not only having a well-performing economy and well-performing, confident culture but also continuing to keep our streets safe.
The active pursuit of our desire to bring in legislation known as Daniel’s Law is a reflection of the philosophical approach of the Country Liberals government. Country Liberals is a party that wants to drive the utmost levels of protection for Territorians, particularly our children. There were tragic circumstances behind Bruce and Denise Morcombe’s family’s loss, but what they had to pursue through many years – the Attorney-General spoke about their 10-year push for governments to better protect children in Australia – should be applauded. Presenting that bill today is a reflection of the pursuit of trying to keep our streets safe in the Northern Territory, but it does not end there.
Whether it is the consumption of alcohol in the Northern Territory, domestic violence, property crime, assaults or motor vehicle theft, we are continually seeing crime levels come down. This is as a result of hard work by our police and work by government to ensure police have more resources. We have a mantra of crime being at its lowest level since the 1990s and the same for alcohol consumption.
In today’s newspaper I read a story partly supported by NTCOSS which illustrates that the cost of living is now at its lowest level since 1998. When you hear reports about the performance of this government there is a common theme: the best-performing outcomes since the 1990s on a regular occurrence. You must be asking what was occurring in the 1990s that can be relevant to today. The similarity between the 1990s and 2015 is that there was a Country Liberals government in the 1990s and there is a Country Liberals government now.
When you talk about debt levels continuing to come down, forecast to be $5.5bn and now down to $2.2bn, roughly speaking, we are seeing strong economic performance. When you read newspaper reports of two or three weeks ago talking about a forecast surplus of around $100m you start to see performances attuned to the 1990s when the Country Liberals were last in government – good economic managers. When you see figures such as 4.2% unemployment, the lowest in the country, you are seeing good performances not seen since the 1990s. When you see figures such as 76.3% labour force participation – people looking for a job, in a job or in training – you see figures not seen since the 1990s. Again, what was it in the 1990s that is similar to today? A Country Liberals government.
On all economic measures we are performing. Yesterday I was at the port talking about trade figures. Live cattle exports are up by 51% on last year, 121% on two years ago. We carry 613 000 head of cattle, making Darwin the largest port for live export in the southern hemisphere. That achievement should be credited to the hard work of the Country Liberals. My Deputy Chief Minister should be congratulated for his hard work in the cattle industry and working with cross-border governments, particularly Queensland and Western Australia.
We also work with international jurisdictions, namely Indonesia but also Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand – the countries continue because we have re-established the live cattle trade. There are markets emerging as we continue to cherish and nurture our historical markets. Cattlemen now have greater opportunities in the Territory.
We are seeing our port face rising demands, costs and opportunities. We are meeting the growing needs of the protein demands of Asia. We are now setting ourselves up for the next position because it is not just about cattle, but northern Australia, agribusiness, horticulture, mining and development. We acknowledge our port – with 782 m of quay line and minimal amounts of hardstand – and its hard-working people will need support to grow and prosper so there will be more hardstand and more quay line for bigger ships in the future.
There will be more reefer points so refrigerated containers can be stored at the port so projects such as Seafarms, which wants to produce 100 000 tonnes of aquaculture farmed prawns, can distribute product throughout the Australian market and the Asian market. We need to have that infrastructure established through a supply chain of logistical processes to meet those demands.
That is why our approach to the port is so important. We need to grow our port – unlike Labor with its ‘do nothing’ approach, the approach where they privatised part of the port with the Marine Supply Base but in parliament say they do not support private investment there. Now they are saying they will borrow money to build the port. That will only get government back into debt. They should have the private sector support the emergence, increase in size and capacity of the port to meet the future demands of the Territory. They are some of the challenges we see as a Country Liberal government, a government reaching economic and law and order performance levels not seen since the 1990s.
That is the direction we are taking the Northern Territory. Whether it is what we are doing structurally with the port or in the pastoral sector, or the changes we have made to support the developing agribusiness sector, these changes are all in the same direction.
I speak about the changes to the Pastoral Act we made some 18 months ago. That now says around 30% of each pastoral property, which make up roughly 50% of the Northern Territory’s land mass, can be used for non-pastoral activities for 30 years. This now means instead of only having cattle in the Top End, generally Brahman cattle further south for the Australian market, you can grow watermelons, poppies, bananas, or develop aquaculture or farm barramundi. Whatever it may be you want to get involved in, there are now economic opportunities.
We changed the legislation to make that happen. Not only have we changed that, but we are now issuing water licences so you can grow things.
We are freeing up the land, making water available and encouraging economic investment. We have paid back our debt and we have more investment strategies regarding land and resource management. We are studying the capabilities of land and what can be grown on it. We are working with government to ensure we have better access to trade and markets. We are now investing in infrastructure such as the port, as well as our roads infrastructure, with a $1.4bn budget to make sure we gain access to markets.
The other thing we are doing in opening up markets is supporting free trade agreements.
Ms Fyles: Wait for it.
Mr GILES: I hear the jibe from the member for Nightcliff on the other side of the Chamber, criticising the Chinese. Our biggest trading partner at the port is China; 48% of all trade through our port is with China.
The federal government is working on its free trade agreement between Australia and China to open up more markets. This comes on the back of other free trade agreements that have been negotiated and the continuing negotiations around the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, to ensure we have better access to markets. We have 48% of all of our exports at a growing port going to China.
The federal government is setting up a free trade agreement in a jurisdiction of the Northern Territory where 4800 of the people are Chinese or of Chinese heritage, where many have Malaysian, Timorese, Indonesian or Taiwanese backgrounds. Yet we have the Labor Party and its union mates running a xenophobic agenda and fighting trade opportunities for the Northern Territory. It is appalling.
The Country Liberals’ pathway is to set up economic opportunities, open the framework, remove the red and green tape and allow business to happen so we can have jobs for the Territory’s future. It is not like Labor’s at all. Labor is now jumping on this bandwagon of not supporting gas development in the Northern Territory.
It is interesting that between 2001 and 2012 Labor approved 33 gas wells in the Northern Territory. They are now saying they do not support wells. They do not talk about how, since 1967, there has been fractured gas in the Northern Territory. They do not talk about the great Australian company Santos, South Australia Northern Territory Oil Search, putting its first wells in the ground in Mereenie in 1967, producing natural gas for this nation and the Northern Territory.
They are not talking about how, for many decades, the Northern Territory was powered on gas from Mereenie up until the point where, around ten years ago, gas started coming out of Blacktip through a company called Eni. I am a supporter of Eni, but let us give this discussion some reality.
Santos is an Australian publicly-listed company, which has been producing gas in Mereenie for many a long year. Frack gas started in 1967.
When we transitioned to Blacktip gas from the Bonaparte Basin, roughly 10 years ago, through Eni, half of the Northern Territory remained on Central Australian gas; the other half went through offshore gas. This still requires a form of fracking to utilise. Now the top half of the Northern Territory, Darwin and Katherine in particular, is being powered by gas from an offshore company, Eni. It is a great corporate partner state-owned by the Italian government. I understand it is the number one company in Italy now running power for the top half of the Territory, while the bottom half is supported through both Santos and Central Petroleum.
However, we need to keep some reality here. Labor is calling for frack gas not to be used. Are they really saying, ‘Turn the lights off in Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Yulara’? We need to be fair and reasonable in what we are talking about, because this has been going on in the Northern Territory for a long time.
I will agree with one thing: it is important we have the right regulatory environment for environmental practices and safety. They have been operating for a long time; they are operating today as we speak. We have commissioned the Hawke report to try to improve those practices. We are working through a process to ensure community consultation so we have an even stronger environmental, regulatory and safety system put in place for the future. That forms part of the direction of government.
For all the successes we have had to date, we are now working on our next load of successes. That revolves around agribusiness, horticulture, aquaculture and a range of other elements. It works on building our infrastructure and supporting jobs in regional and remote parts of the Northern Territory, but it also supports gas development.
I know the member for Barkly is opposed to the gas pipeline being built between the Northern Territory and the eastern seaboard. He is opposed to gas development in the Northern Territory. He is even going so far as saying, ‘Stop fracking in the Northern Territory right now’, so that people living in Tennant Creek and the Barkly will not have any lights because there will be no gas. The same is true for Alice Springs and Yulara.
We need to be very careful with some of our conversations about this. We need to make sure we have level heads and drive debate sensibly to protect jobs, the economy, our culture and environment in the Northern Territory. We will not shy away from that; it is part of our plan.
We are heading in the right direction regarding this statement. Our results to date in a three-year time frame have been outstanding, whether it is the unemployment rate, labour force participation, or growth expectations with four years growth-on-growth going ahead. This is where we are heading. Later we can look at what we have done to finalise our economic plans for the future.
A few weeks ago I launched this report called Our Plan for Economic Development in the Northern Territory. It comes on the back of our approach to what I would call framing the future, that is, a support for economic, social, cultural and environmental management, working on putting forward a plan in the public domain and communicating how we are on track as government, particularly focusing on key deliverables. The economic development we have for the Northern Territory focuses on some key industries. I will run through them. Energy resources I have just spoken about. No doubt everybody would understand minerals. We are at a cyclical turndown in minerals development right now. As a jurisdiction we are heavily in the supply and service phase and we need to continue in that area. We are working to penetrate more in to Defence and how Darwin can be best utilised as a servicing point for that sector, particularly for vessels. We are expanding into new areas in international education and training, and taking that to a higher level.
I have spoken about agribusiness but I have not spoken about tourism. Tourism and the hospitality industry employ around 17% of all Territorians. In the future, tourism and hospitality will get bigger and better. That is why, in the budget, we put so much emphasis on tourism infrastructure. To quote previous politicians, we have to make sure we have new rides in the Northern Territory, that they are continually shiny and we have the best levels of infrastructure. That is why we have invested $25m in the Mereenie Loop Road, $40m in the Litchfield Park Road, including the bridge over the lower Finnis, and $10m into new parks and reserves. We continue to put more emphasis on tourism infrastructure.
There is a $50m marketing budget for tourism in the Northern Territory, supporting intrastate, interstate and international marketing so we can get people back here. We are getting the highest tourist numbers we have seen since the change of government. It is a fantastic outcome. There is much more to be done, but our investment in tourism infrastructure is part of our plan for the future. Whether it is the $1.3m tourism infrastructure fund we had last year to support reinvestment in tourism product, both established and new, or this year’s budgetary contribution of $4.75m for new, established, redeveloped or emerging tourism products, the CLP is supporting our tourism industry. Whether it is about attracting new airlines, five-star hotels, investment or building rides or redeveloping rides in the Northern Territory, we are setting the Territory up for the future.
So when we have the construction of INPEX tapering off and more accommodation available, we will have the tourism industry set just right to take off and rise to great heights in the Northern Territory.
The framework and structure of our economic plan in the Northern Territory is second to none and the envy of many jurisdictions. The South Australian Premier, Jay Weatherill, and I met to talk about how we can work together to support NT tourism positively effecting South Australian tourism. They know we have a plan for the Northern Territory.
Our credentials to date on all parts of governance, whether it is investing in culture, in law and order, in strong societies or balancing environmental protection with our economic agenda, are good. There have been successes across the board, highly supported by a fantastic and growing public service. The public service has been very keen to implement the government’s agenda. It has been very keen to see positive results and effects, and see a renewal of leadership around development in the Northern Territory. This is seeing very fruitful outcomes for all Territorians.
Finally, my message is that government is delivering better jobs, services and opportunities in the Northern Territory. We have been achieving it to date. We will continue achieving it. I thank the Northern Territory for its support in this three-year period. It has been challenging but we have delivered some results. Today’s story in the NT News about the lowest cost-of-living increases since 1998 is another nail in Labor’s coffin of deceit, debt and negative economic outcomes. That is what they achieved in their eleven-and-a-half years of government as compared to what we have done in just three years.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, now that there is no question before the Chair, I move that the following committee membership changes be adopted.
The member for Greatorex is discharged from the Public Accounts Committee and the member for Arafura be appointed.
Motion agreed to.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Pillars of Justice
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I rise today to update the Assembly on the progress of an all-encompassing government strategy conceived to make the Northern Territory a safer and more pleasant place to live, a place where justice serves the interests of the commonwealth of the Northern Territory. I am reminded of the Shakespearian lines:
This comprehensive policing justice and correction strategy titled Pillars of Justice is no short-term populist fix. It represents three years of constant work on matters that were not often politically sexy but were overlooked and in need of remediation. It is a plan to improve the protection of all Territorians – men, women and children, and especially families – while at the same time placing expectations on the shoulders of those convicted of crimes in our community. The plan aspires to employ firmness and direction that will raise expectations amongst our criminal class and lead them to expect more of themselves than they had ever believed possible.
On 16 May 2013 the Chief Minister addressed the Legislative Assembly on the Pillars of Justice framework and noted:
Pillars of Justice was, and remains, an ambitious plan to rationalise our criminal justice system from the point of arrest to the end of parole. The principal aim of the strategy is to deliver strengthened coordinated responses to target repeat offending, the rehabilitation of offenders, violent offending, alcohol-related crime and community safety. The strategy focuses on all aspects of the criminal justice system, from early intervention and diversion through to release on parole and through care. There are five fundamental pillars. The police powers reform is pillar one, the court law reform is pillar two, youth justice is pillar three, corrections reform is pillar four and victims of crime is pillar five. Statute and law reforms support all those pillars.
As the lead minister on this multi-portfolio initiative I express my gratitude to the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice, which has led the implementation of this strategy in collaboration with the Department of Correctional Services and Northern Territory Police.
The statement is intended to inform the Legislative Assembly of the outcomes under each pillar and their associated strategies, and to inform the Assembly of work that is currently being undertaken. The results of this initiative will take some time to be completely evident, although we have already seen some heartening results.
Pillar one focuses on empowering police with resources and law enforcement tools, including strengthening legislation with a view to providing an effective swift service to the community. This pillar also focuses on enhancing the preventive policing capabilities of Northern Territory Police. To support the government’s policy on mandatory alcohol treatment, the Alcohol Protection Orders Act 2013 was introduced to enable police to issue an order to prevent a person from possessing or consuming alcohol on licensed premises other than for work or place of residence. On 27 July 2015, 859 Alcohol Protection Orders were in force. These orders, together with a range of other legislative tools and operational initiatives, including temporary beat locations, have provided a targeted response to alcohol misuse in the Northern Territory.
Amendments to the Police Administration Act have created a streamlined simple arrest process for prescribed criminal offences that may be dealt with through the issue of an infringement notice. These powers allow police officers to focus on policing rather than paperwork and when they arrest somebody for a prescribed offence.
I note there has been criticism of this process since its introduction. I say to those critics that nothing has changed since the introduction of the system. No new offences have been created, no new system of custody involved. Police are still seized of the same duties and responsibilities when exercising their powers of arrest, custody is still a consequence of the arrest, and with the provision of bail, a person is released soon after arrest unless bail is refused. The allegation can be tested in a court of law. All that has changed is the amount of paperwork attended to by arresting police officers. I urge those who have an issue with the policy to pause for more sober reflection, rather than generating unreasonable fear around this policy. This is subject to an application before the High Court in Australia at the moment, and it is under consideration there. We will await their pronouncements.
This government made an election commitment to place 120 police officers on the beat. Recruitment is continuing to deliver on this commitment by 30 June next year, and funding has been approved for this purpose. This government also undertook to pursue innovative technological solutions to target serious and repeat offenders. The introduction of electronic monitoring devices has allowed for the tracking of adult and young offenders who are the subject of court and parole orders, and has provided an additional supervisory tool to the court when considering bail applications and sentencing options. The Department of Correctional Services is the lead agency for the implementation of this program.
In 2014 this government provided $1m for the implementation of electronic monitoring in the Northern Territory. The electronic monitoring system consists of a personal device worn by the offender, a base device placed in the home, place of employment or court-specified location, and a tracking device on the personal computers of supervising Community Corrections officers. Electronic monitoring is currently being utilised in community and custodial settings. There are currently 58 prisoners at the Barkly Work Camp and 60 community-based offenders subject to electronic monitoring.
The Department of Correctional Services commenced a live trial of secure continuous remote alcohol mandatory sentencing in June this year, with parolee leave now being successfully monitored. The Department of Correctional Services has successfully established an electronic monitoring program at Venndale Rehabilitation Centre near Katherine following installation of appropriate telecommunication technology. A prisoner participating in rehabilitation programs, released under the general leave permit, is now required to wear an electronic monitoring device. This will serve as another mechanism to manage the strict conditions of the permit.
The Parole Board has directed the use of electronic monitoring on 31 released prisoners with restricted movement conditions. Administrative home detention has contributed to the further usage of electronic monitoring, with a total of eight prisoners released under the program since October 2015. There have been 194 new community-based offenders connected and managed under the electronic monitoring system. The Department of Correctional Services is committed to utilising this technology in remote communities, and successful testing continues to be carried out in many remote communities, including Borroloola, Beswick and Peppimenarti.
Technology is evolving at an incredible pace and the government, through its agencies, is monitoring opportunities to improve and initiate services across all departments. The government is also committed to increasing emergency call centre services for the community through improvements to the operating processes, staffing and infrastructure of the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre. Funding was granted in the 2013-14 budget for this project. Civilian call taker recruitment, training, infrastructure review and work submission was completed in December 2013, with infrastructure works approval completed in June last year. The refurbishment of the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre has been under way for some time and is expected to be completed within the next few months.
I am proud to announce the 2014-15 financial year was the first time in the history of the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services that call service levels for 000 and 131444 calls had not met expected targets.
The NT has taken the lead on the development and implementation of the ownership of the Community Safety Action Plans across the Northern Territory. The plans focus on four key goals: promoting mutual respect and working partnerships; reducing domestic and family violence; reducing substance abuse; and improving community immunity.
There are 49 action plans in operation. Furthermore, in July 2013 a public safety unit was created with Northern Territory Police to ensure an integrated community engagement focus on key programs, including Junior Police Rangers, Neighbourhood Watch, Youth Diversion and Early Intervention.
I thank our police force on behalf of this House. The Territory police are held in very high regard by our community, a reputation they have deservedly earned.
Pillar two relates to court law reform: it relates to court procedure reform; court infrastructure improvements; minimum sentences for violent offenders; and additional sentencing options.
The aim of this pillar is to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system, enhance public access to justice and deliver fair, swift and robust justice outcomes. One of the key elements of this pillar is to improve our court facilities in the Northern Territory. I am pleased to report that the new Supreme Court justice precinct in Alice Springs will provide increased capacity and help decrease waiting periods for trials.
In addition, this government provided $350 000 in the 2013-14 budget for the creation of separate youth justice holding cells in Alice Springs to address the issue of youth offenders being housed in cells adjacent to adult offenders whilst they were awaiting trial. Renovations are soon to begin to fit out the new youth justice court at the TCG Building in Mitchell Street, which will be operational in December this year. The Department of the Attorney-General and Justice is investigating options for a Court of Summary Jurisdiction to be located permanently in the Palmerston area.
This pillar also incorporates a number of sentencing options. On 14 February 2013 the Legislative Assembly passed the Sentencing Amendment (Mandatory Minimum Sentences) Act 2013, which incorporated a graduated mandatory minimum sentencing regime for violent offenders.
The new Correctional Services Act implemented an Administrative Home Detention Scheme that allows the Commissioner of Correctional Services to manage a qualifying offender through home detention. Prisoners on the scheme are subject to electronic monitoring and are required to support themselves; therefore it is highly likely that they will be involved in the Sentenced to a Job program. A range of supported accommodation options for prisoners on this scheme are also being implemented.
The Traffic Offender Implementation Program was designed to raise awareness about road safety matters with the aim to reduce the likelihood of offenders committing further driving-related offences. The Department of Correctional Services and the Department of Transport worked in collaboration to deliver this program. A total of 75 programs were delivered across the Northern Territory to a total of 755 participants, and a total of 133 participants successfully obtained a driving licence following completion of the program. The program ceased on 30 June 2014 due to the low number of applications and the successful attainment of court orders relating to driving programs.
A review of prehearing summary criminal procedures was undertaken with a view to making pre-contest procedures more transparent and efficient, and resulted in the Justice Legislation Amendment (Summary Procedure) Act 2015, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly on 16 June this year. That act is expected to commence at the end of September 2015 and will provide for a fair and efficient case management regime in the Court of Summary Jurisdiction. The key measures introduced by this act include new preliminary briefs of evidence, court-directed directions hearings, sentence indications and limited defence disclosure requirements. The act implements the most far-reaching changes ever to occur in summary court procedures in the Northern Territory. I thank all stakeholders, the profession and members of the judiciary and public servants who played their part in this reform.
I have asked the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice to review possible improvements to public access to justice through enhanced use of technology, such as live web streaming of court hearings. The Department of the Attorney-General and Justice has also undertaken a review of the Justice Legislation Amendment (Committals Reform) Act 2010. The report on the review is now publicly available.
I also place on the record my thanks to the Chief Magistrate for his guidance and suggestions along the way, particularly for the summary procedures legislation.
Finally, the project to civilianise the police prosecutions has also been completed, and transferred the functions of summary prosecutions to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions from the Northern Territory Police.
There is a fine line between expectations of the general community when it comes to sentencing and the treatment of criminals and what is justice is. I believe that with the help and advice of my department, the judiciary and the legal profession has struck the right balance.
I place on the record my congratulations to Justice Kelly for the decision to allow cameras into her court yesterday for the sentencing of a person for a homicide. As they say, justice must not only be done, but it must be seen to be done.
Pillar three is about youth justice reform. The purpose of this pillar is to reduce reoffending and risk of offending by young people through a coordinated and collaborative approach between the Northern Territory government, community and the non-government sector.
The underlying basis for this pillar is the development of the Youth Justice Framework 2015-20. The framework will provide for a coordinated and comprehensive cross-agency and non-government organisation response to the youth justice issues with coordinated program and service delivery to young people at risk of entering, and to those young people already in, the youth justice system.
I am pleased to announce that the Youth Justice Framework was endorsed by the government in May 2015.
As part of the government election commitments the Youth Turn initiative has introduced boot camps as an early intervention strategy. The early intervention youth boot camps are therapeutic camps essentially designed to challenge young people at risk of entering the youth justice system both emotionally and physically.
The camp is followed by up to three months of case management delivered by non-government organisations. The pilot program was delivered in both Alice Springs and South Australia, and in 2014-15, 77 young people participated in the program.
On 8 June 2015 I opened the Early Intervention Youth Boot Camp Program outside of Alice Springs with traditional owners from Loves Creek and the camp’s operators. Some 22 young people from Darwin, Katherine and the surrounding areas attended the first camp at this site. Operation Flinders is working with the YMCA in Darwin and Katherine to deliver case management in Alice Springs. The last camp was held on 24 August 2015. I visited it and was encouraged that we are doing the right thing and are on the right track.
The guidelines for the Sentenced Youth Boot Camp Program are being finalised in partnership with a consultant and a range of stakeholders. A site for the camp has been identified.
A review of the detention centre operations has also taken place. The Youth Detention System Report, known as the Vita review, has made 16 recommendations, all of which have been endorsed by this government. The Youth Detention Reform Advisory Group has been established to oversee the implementation of these recommendations and consists of both government and non-government members.
Nine recommendations have been implemented, six of these nine – recommendations two, eight, 10, 12, 13 and 16 – require ongoing action. Three recommendations have been completed: four; 14; and 15.
The remaining seven recommendations will be implemented by the end of August 2015. Community Corrections and youth justice divisions have also committed to establish and implement a youth specific service delivery model for young people on community-based orders.
It is known as the community-based youth supervision model project. Train-the-trainer packages have been delivered to key staff to implement core components of the new model. The Youth Level Service/Case Management Inventory is an assessment tool to be used across correctional services, as is the Changing Habits and Reaching Targets evidenced-based offence-specific behaviour change program.
A Community Corrections youth training package is under development to ensure staff can provide services within a strengths-based trauma-informed practice framework.
Through an action and research approach, Community Corrections is reviewing current policy practice and procedures to inform the new model. The approach has already been strengthened in collaboration with the key intra-and inter-agency stakeholders to improve the quality of pre-sentence reports provided to the Youth Justice Court.
Following training and development of the new policy, practice and procedures will be tied to the new community-based youth supervision model that will be implemented across the Northern Territory over the 2015-16 calendar year. There are many reasons why some youths head down the path to criminality, and one cannot but be sympathetic to many of these kids and the circumstances they find themselves in. Nevertheless, some youths have displayed such antisocial behaviour that they have to be treated in a firmer manner to protect the community and corrections staff.
We have not given up on these difficult youths. The government is continuing to investigate innovative programs to help at-risk youths re-enter the community and lead productive lives. What is clear is that many have to be given structure that has not been present in their lives.
Pillar four is centred on corrections reform. The aim of the corrections reform pillar is to provide a contemporary correctional services system that seeks to reduce recidivism through targeted prisoner training, education and employment, supported accommodation, regional work camps and community partnerships. The primary objective of this pillar is to provide prisoners with a pathway to reintegration and to reduce reoffending.
The first corrections reform strategy relates to the establishment of regional work camps. A mobile work camp commenced on the Gulkula site in July 2013, undertaking work for the Yothu Yindi Foundation, which involved setting up and dismantling infrastructure for the Garma Festival. A decision was made to locate the work camp permanently in Nhulunbuy. On 2 September 2014 the work camp was transferred to a permanent location on the outskirts of Nhulunbuy and has been called the Datjala Work Camp. The camp has a permanent staffing component and a designated community consultative committee. The camp accommodates open-rated male prisoners who undertake to work in the local community, assisting the local community with approved projects, clean up post-cyclone work, work at local businesses and both the setting up and dismantling of infrastructure for local events.
The second strategy relates to the establishment of regional partnerships. External and internal communications have been and are being undertaken with key stakeholders at Borroloola, the Tiwi Islands and the greater Katherine east and west areas to ascertain the viability of work camps or other correctional alternatives operating in these areas.
The Elders Visiting Program has adopted a regional model which includes the Katherine region, saltwater gulf region and the Barkly central region, and has developed regional business plans to assist with reducing reoffending. The aim of the Elders Visiting Program is to provide a link to the local community in each region and identify and address reintegration road blocks to assist with readdressing offending. The Elders Visiting Program also assists with developing local solutions by linking with local government departments, non-government organisations and elders in consultation with the Department of Correctional Services to support an holistic and integrated outcome for successful transition to the community by prisoners. The Department of Correctional Services also develops local capabilities through partnerships with elders and community interests, as well as developing local capabilities through microeconomic and business opportunities to provide openings for prisoners on release to their community.
Strong community partnerships are essential to ensure the successful rehabilitation of offenders and their transition back into the community. The Elders Visiting Program and the Official Visitors Program are essential components to this. Government remains keen to pursue the mentor program in the future.
The aim of the meeting is to visit the scope of services for the mentor program to ensure that it has all the correct elements included in the document. Following endorsement of the scope of services, a pilot mentor program will be implemented followed by an evaluation and further roll-out of the program to other areas.
The Sentenced to a Job strategy is seeing a multitude of benefits to prisoners and the wider community, and is working collaboratively with the Correctional Industries Advisory Council. There have been many benefits from this strategy including:
providing prisoners with training and skills to enable them to retain their position upon release or find other employment
giving prisoners an opportunity to integrate and adjust to community life prior to their release
teaching prisoners good work ethics and boosting their self-esteem
assisting prisoners to renew their community ties, make new social relationships and take responsibility for their own behaviour through privileges associated with the program
assisting the prisoner to financially support his or her family and dependents
assisting a prisoner with the payment of fines and levies.
Money earned by prisoners benefits the local community owing to the prisoners residing in the area upon release. Prisoners pay a levy to Victims of Crime NT as a measure of repatriation back to the community, and prisoners also pay tax in the same way they would if they were working in a real life environment, because essentially they are.
I am also very pleased to report that the recidivism rate for prisoners who are involved in this program is under 20%. This is in contrast to recidivism rates for prisoners released during 2011-12, with 51.7% of these prisoners returning to prison within two years. That is a very encouraging result, and I have suggested to both Menzies and CDU that there is a doctorate to be developed about these promising results.
Building upon early access indicators from the Sentenced to a Job program, the Department of Correctional Services has modified the approach for the use of the Community Corrections environment known as the Orders to Work program. This program involves the co-location of an employment consultant through a job active provider in the Community Corrections office. The aim of the program is to work intensively with offenders on community-based supervision orders to actively seek employment or, where necessary, engage with work readiness training programs.
The service commenced in March 2015 from the Katherine, Alice Springs and Darwin offices as a short-term trial. It has shown promising signs and will be continued in those regions. I noticed on Facebook that some of these job provision programs are being advertised.
As at 28 July 2015 there were 93 prisoners who were in paid employment and a further 63 prisoners undertaking volunteer employment. A business development manager will be recruited to expand this project – in fact, I understand has been recruited – which will include expanding through-care opportunities for employment. It remains less than what I want it to be, but we continue, nevertheless, to press on.
The Department of Correctional Services has also undertaken a significant amount of work in the work readiness area. The low levels of literacy and numeracy amongst prisoners has meant that literacy and numeracy education is required so prisoners are able to learn new skills, leading to paid employment. There are two programs currently being used to assist prisoners: Quicksmart, a program developed by the University of New England; and Foundation Skills, a program delivered by the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. I acknowledge the work of the former Corrections minister, the member for Barkly, with this initiative.
The Quicksmart program aims at addressing the need for basic skills in literacy and numeracy. This specialised program involves training prisoners to act as tutors to deliver the sessions to other prisoners, and there is also a prisoner mentoring program. Assistance is given by staff lecturers. The Department of Correctional Services will review the most recent proposal by the University of New England and provide feedback regarding the delivery of Quicksmart.
The Telstra Workspace X Project is also being developed, and an I-talk library and stories are being developed for prisoners to access and participate in story development.
In the area of working in correctional centres, Darwin and Alice Springs Correctional Centres have extensive industry self-sustainable areas where prisoners are provided with training and work experience in a number of fields, including metal fabrication, creative work, maintenance, horticulture, construction, carpentry, textiles, concreting, food services and laundry. Once skills are acquired, prisoners with the required security levels can then be placed in paid employment.
Whilst the number is not official, I spoke to the superintendent of the Alice Springs gaol the other day and we have 76% employment inside the Alice Springs gaol, which I find very encouraging in terms of training and skills development.
In August 2014, the Department of Correctional Services entered into a partnership with the Department of Housing for prisoners and community work offenders to be involved in the refurbishment of public housing properties. Overseen by Community Corrections, it is an important initiative that provides benefit to both agencies. Prisoners and offenders are provided with practical skills in the building and construction industry. This complements the objectives of the Sentenced to a Job program in linking prisoners and offenders to real job opportunities in the community, as the construction industry in the Territory remains strong, providing ongoing employment opportunities. For the Department of Housing, of course, there are benefits from reducing the time and cost of refurbishments and teaching prisoners how to be better tenants.
Employer symposiums are held on a regular basis in Darwin and Alice Springs to promote opportunities available to the private sector through the Sentenced to a Job program and Northern Territory Correctional Industries. These symposiums stress the message that the Department of Correctional Services will work with, and not in competition with, businesses in the Northern Territory. I attended such a symposium in Lyons last week.
A database of employers is maintained and updated as officers regularly visit businesses in all locations. It is expected that this database will grow when additional resources are provided, including the recruitment of a business development manager. The strategies have contributed to the success of the Sentenced to a Job program by producing a skilled, reliable workforce for the private sector. The employer symposiums have educated local businesses that the program is not a threat to their businesses, but rather a means for them to increase their capacity. As employers are gaining confidence in the program, the number of prisoners in paid employment continues to increase.
The Department of Correctional Services is holding a peer listener scheme, which involves engaging appropriate professionals to train and supervise the work of suitable prisoner candidates to become peer listeners. The peer listener would provide help for prisoners who are trying to adapt to prison and associated issues such as stress, relationship breakdown, loss and grief, etcetera. The peer listener scheme allows for services outside the normal clinician working hours and provides a trust mechanism for prisoners.
The Motor Trades Association has also become involved in providing training and opportunities for prisoners. The association recognises that most of the potential participants will have had little or no automotive experience and the training that they are providing will not only provide an opportunity to embed the foundation skills early on, but will also allow numeracy and literacy skills to be assessed. The association mentors prisoners to gain the best outcomes from their learning experience, which is translated into a basis for ongoing development in this area.
I pause to place on the record my thanks to Peter Donovan for his passion. He is a credit to the Motor Trades Association. If other industry groups were this engaged, there would not be an unemployed prisoner in our gaols.
The volunteer program is being piloted in the Darwin Correctional Centre, with Alice Springs Correctional Centre to follow. Procedures are being refined at Darwin Correctional Centre to ensure that seamless processes are followed by the relevant staff in the facilities. Ongoing volunteer information sessions will be held for members of the public who are interested in being volunteers in the correctional services.
The Department of Correctional Services has also been involved in developing a through-care management model. The outcome of this strategy has been the development of a robust through-care model to enable prisoners to achieve a collaborative outcome that meets their requirements in, for example, education. An overarching through-care management framework has been developed and each of the adult correctional institutions has facilitated their individual management models, which marry up to the framework. The Darwin Correctional Centre has held a number of workshops to ensure that all elements have been included in the model and that staff are aware of their roles. The overarching through-care framework is to be revisited and finalised in consultation with key stakeholders.
There are two initiatives within Community Corrections that support the through-care framework being undertaken within the corrections environments. The first is the contracting of beds in alcohol and other drugs residential rehabilitation centres for pre-release prisoners. These beds provide an opportunity for prisoners to undertake a residential rehabilitation program prior to their release that helps them to understand the factors that motivate drug use. The impact of their drug use upon their own and their family’s lives provides them with the tools to make better decisions in the future regarding alcohol and other drug use.
It is not uncommon for prisoners to have a condition on a suspended sentence or other order requiring them to complete a residential rehabilitation program. These beds provide prisoners with an opportunity to complete the rehabilitation before entering the Sentenced to a Job program, allowing them to keep their employment at the completion of their sentence.
Secondly, Community Corrections funds the operation of pre- and post-release supported accommodations in the community, including a six-bed facility for men in Alice Springs and a 10-bed facility for women in Darwin. These programs are important as they provide case management and traditional accommodation to people as they exit the custodial setting. It is a time of vulnerability for prisoners as they move from the highly-structured environment of prison back to the freedoms and liberties outside.
The program offered at these centres includes a range of life skills such as money management, parenting, relationships, jobs skills and employment, alcohol programs and assistance with other government agencies. The Department of Correctional Services has advertised an expression of interest to operate a larger 25-bed facility for men in the Darwin region.
Further education and training programs are also being developed. Under the recently-signed service level agreement with the Batchelor Institute, the institute will be responsible for the majority of education and training for the Department of Correctional Services, using the Jumpstart concept that focuses on integration of literacy and numeracy with vocational skills. A total of 57 prisoners have received their qualifications and statements of attainment. I am very proud to attend those graduations.
The Department of Correctional Services has developed a suite of Indigenous language resources to be used by offenders and their families to give them a better understanding of the criminal justice system. Community Corrections has worked in collaboration with Creative Territory and the Aboriginal Interpreting Service to undertake a project to design and implement the suite of educational resources that are available in plainly written English and, once completed, will be available in nine Indigenous languages in audio. These resources will be utilised by Community Corrections staff using an iPad application. I can inform the House that we are now rolling that out.
The project encompasses three separate pieces of work, including 16 common conditions of court and parole orders plus picture icons and a wallet card. There are two e-stories on display on the iPad about court and parole orders, as well as 12 fact sheets that provide information on each order that Community Corrections supervises and the roles of a few key positions.
Extensive consultation and testing of resources has been conducted and, following the official launch in July 2015, the resources will be implemented operationally. It is hoped with a clearer understanding of the order and conditions, offenders will better appreciate their responsibilities and the repercussions of not complying, and ultimately this may reduce breaches and re-offending. An evaluation of resources will be conducted following the implementation to measure their impact on both a level of understanding amongst offenders and the breach rate.
Underpinning these operational matters was the drafting of the new Correctional Services Act. The Prisons (Correctional Services) Act, the Prisons (Correctional Services) Regulations and the Prisons (Correctional Services) (Community Orders) Regulations were reviewed and rewritten to ensure that they allowed for a contemporary correctional services system. The Prisons (Correctional Services) Act was over 30 years old and was antiquated and not appropriate for managing a 21st century corrections system, particularly the one which this government has built. Upwards of some 30 other acts and regulations have also been amended, and their commencement coincided with the opening of the new corrections precinct at Holtze.
The Correctional Services Act 2014 delivered on the government’s commitment to provide an improved and robust foundation for the administration of sentences and management of offenders in the Northern Territory.
The new act provides a modern foundation for the delivery of correctional services in the Northern Territory with a greater focus on accountability and effective offender reintegration into society through employment and education. Changes in the new legislation include:
additional provisions that enable prisoners to engage in work
the ability for prisoners to financially contribute to their own learning programs where they have sufficient funds in their accounts
provisions to recover costs from prisoners in the event they destroy or damage custodial property, a monitoring device, or any other equipment provided to them
the concept of leave of absence has been reframed to clarify the circumstances in which the Commissioner of Correctional Services may issue a leave permit and the conditions that may be attached to such a permit
although previously a condition of employment, the act now specifically allows for the Commissioner of Correctional Services to drug and alcohol test employees at any time and check their criminal history for current spent records
the ability for the Commissioner of Correctional Services to release a qualifying prisoner on administrative home detention towards the end of their sentence on strict conditions, which generally include a condition to wear an electronic monitoring device and be engaged in paid or volunteer employment.
In decades gone by there has been a rack and stack, or warehousing, model for prisoner management. The model is antiquated and does very little to improve the lives and rehabilitative prospects of prisoners and hence does little to curb offending and repeat offending. The new Correctional Services Act, combined with other government policies and infrastructure developments contained within the pillar, allow a greater focus on education, employment and rehabilitative initiatives in an effort to reduce the rate of reoffending and make the community safer. The Darwin Correctional Precinct also assists in this regard, as it is not only a significant program of capital works but also the foundation of a new framework for the future of offender management.
The Department of Correctional Services, the Northern Territory Police, the Department of Health and the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice have also been involved with the project to transfer the responsibility for in-custody and in-court custody management at the Darwin Magistrates Court to the Department of Correctional Services. This occurred in December 2013.
The Department of Correctional Services is working with the Northern Territory Police and the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice regarding the costs and benefits of the Department of Correctional Services taking over the responsibility of in-custody and in-court custody management in Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek.
The government is pursuing other exciting strategies. These strategies will enhance our existing Sentenced to a Job program, and will also give at-risk youths a chance to develop in a normal environment devoid of criminal elements.
You can see just how much work our incredible public service is putting into this strategy. It is not unfair to ask our prisoners to be more than what they have become. It is about saying to them that we do have expectations of them, as society has expectations of all its citizens. It is about saying to people they can be more than what they are whilst understanding they may not believe it themselves. It is about corrections, and ultimately it is about rehabilitating these men and women, and giving them a chance and, in turn, making our community a safer place.
Pillar five is Victims First and seeks to champion the rights of victims in the criminal justice system and to ensure that there is a coordinated network of support to victims of crime in the Northern Territory.
The first project under this pillar is the Safe at Home program. The program will assist victims of residential property crime to feel safe in their homes by:
ensuring victims of residential property crime and potential victims are supported to feel safe in their homes
providing immediate enhanced safety and security measures to Territorians who are the victims of violent residential property crime
ensuring the emotional wellbeing of victims of residential property crime is addressed
aligning the policy with existing and complementary policy frameworks, for example the Safe Streets Audit.
The program is underpinned by funding of $1m per financial year. Victims of Crime NT began implementation of the program in July 2015, with the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice being responsible for the strategic management of the program.
This government made an election commitment to undertake a Safe Streets Audit to examine the report on the safety status of the NT’s major urban communities and inform crime prevention strategies.
The audit was conducted in 2013 and has been published on the Australian Institute of Criminology website. A key element of this pillar is the Northern Territory Domestic and Family Violence Reduction Strategy 2014-2017: Safety is Everyone’s Right.
The Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy is a whole-of-government initiative, of which I am particularly proud. It has done much and will continue to do much to protect the vulnerable in our community.
Lead agencies implementing the strategy are the Northern Territory Departments of the Attorney-General and Justice, and Local Government and Community Services, and the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services.
The Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy is funded by the Northern Territory government and the Australian government. The Northern Territory government has committed $12m over the life of the strategy. The Australian government, through the Commonwealth Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, has provided support of $6m over two years.
The Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy aims to:
increase the safety of victims and their children
reduce the rates of intergenerational trauma caused by exposure to domestic and family violence
increase the accountability of perpetrators
establish an integrated service delivery system that is sustainable and adaptable.
The whole-of-government approach was informed by consultation with stakeholders and is based on the widespread support for a government-led integrated response to domestic and family violence with more specialised support services for victims and effective perpetrator rehabilitation programs.
The Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy is aligned with the objectives and priority areas of action in the Framing the Future blueprint and the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022. It builds on the international best practice principles to address domestic violence. The five action areas to produce change are:
prevention
The key to the Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy is an integrated response that addresses the negative impact of service fragmentation on vulnerable persons. The integrated response is being led by the Northern Territory government through the establishment of the Domestic Violence Directorate, which is tasked with the coordination and support of the implementation strategy.
As part of this strategy, local implementation reference groups have been established in Alice Springs, Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek to ensure local expertise informs the implementation of the strategy. The groups include representatives from the Northern Territory government departments, local government and non-government organisations that meet on a monthly basis.
The key components of the Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy are:
1. government leadership through the establishment of the Domestic Violence Directorate to lead the government integrated response
2. the roll-out of SupportLink – which is frustratingly slow at the moment, but we are working on it – to key government departments to ensure victims are referred to appropriate support services. The implementation of the integrated services framework has been embraced by the Northern Territory Police and other government and non-government agencies to better target vulnerable persons and assist agencies to work together. As at 30 June 2015, 92 agencies across the Northern Territory had been signed up to receive referrals through SupportLink, including 33 domestic violence services.
3. the roll-out of the Family Safety Framework to Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek with the purpose of protecting high-risk victims and their families from further harm. The Family Safety Framework focuses on protecting high-risk victims from further harm and homicide by sharing information across core government and non-government agencies. Key aspects of the Family Safety Framework include consistent risk assessment tools, information sharing and fortnightly family safety meetings where agencies plan immediate actions and jointly monitor safety improvements for each referral. The Family Safety Framework has now been implemented in Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek, and the family safety meetings are now being held in these locations as well as Alice Springs.
4. a sum of $3m has been invested in providing specialised support services for victims and their children to protect and help the victims rebuild their lives
5. on 9 July 2015 the Domestic Violence Critical Intervention Outreach Service for the Barkly region was officially launch at Tennant Creek Women’s Refuge. The aims of the Domestic Violence Critical Intervention Outreach Services are:
7. non-government organisations in Darwin and Alice Springs have also been contracted to deliver Domestic Violence Critical Intervention Outreach Services in their regions. These services will be officially launched in the coming months
8. the Alice Springs Men’s Behaviour Change Program is delivered by a consortium of non-government service providers compromising Tangentyere Council, Jesuit Social Services and the Alice Springs Women’s Shelter. The Men’s Behaviour Change Program commenced accepting referrals in October 2014 and is currently running a full program with high-risk perpetrators
9. an investment of $385 000 for Indigenous Men’s Leadership Grants that prevent, respond and speak out against violence towards women and children.
The Department of the Attorney-General and Justice is currently undertaking a review of the Domestic and Family Violence Act and is also reviewing the recommendations made by the joint report on domestic violence undertaken by the New South Wales Law Reform Commission and the Australian Law Reform Commission in late 2010.
The joint report recommendations cover the entire gamut of the criminal justice response concerning domestic violence, from police procedures and prosecution procedures to offences, rules of evidence, behaviour change programs and support mechanisms for both victims and perpetrators. Over 90 stakeholders have been invited to make submissions on the act and joint report recommendations.
As part of this domestic violence strategy the government is also considering policies that have been implemented in other countries. This includes Clare’s Law, a policy recently implemented in England that allows police officers, upon request for a party and after having conducted a risk assessment, to release details of domestic violence-related criminal history to an applicant and to escalate support mechanisms for the at-risk person.
Domestic violence is a scourge in our community, and this government will do everything within its power to ensure the policing and criminal justice response is strong and that victims of domestic violence receive appropriate support.
I finish my comments with an observation on the relationship between domestic violence legislation, which is state based, and its operation within boundaries of the Family Law Act. Whilst only anecdotal, it has reached my ears that domestic violence orders are being sought by lawyers as leverage in subsequent family law applications. I would say to any lawyer who did so that they should not. Domestic violence orders are, and always have been, a shield. They should never be a sword, for were they to become one then these orders would become a part of the violence they seek to protect victims from. After speaking to judges of the Federal Court on this matter, I am satisfied that any lawyers who seek to use these orders in such a fashion do their clients no service.
Victims of Crime NT, as a member of the Crime Victims Advisory Committee, is undertaking a survey of service providers to look at options to expand the availability of victims’ services in remote and regional parts of the Northern Territory. This survey is currently being completed and will be provided to the committee and then to me upon its completion.
The Crime Victims Advisory Committee is also looking at ways of expanding the use of victim offender conferencing in certain matters. I have asked the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice to look at expanding the role the Witness Assistance Service plays in criminal matters, in particular providing greater support to victims of domestic violence and ensuring that victims are made aware of the victim impact statement process.
I can also advise that the Crime Victims Advisory Committee is currently drafting a new charter of victims’ rights and a guide for media on reporting of criminal matters to promote awareness in the media on the potential impact of their reporting on victims of crime. It is an ongoing legislative responsibility of the committee and the Crime Victims Services Unit to promote the rights of victims under the Victims of Crime Rights and Services Act and it is an important body of work.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, the Department of Correctional Services, the Crime Victims Services Unit and the Witness Assistance Services are working together to promote input by victims when offenders are being considered for parole. Community corrections are being assisted by the NT Victims Register to locate victims where possible in order to seek their input into decisions being made by the parole board.
I can also advise that in early July this year a memorandum of understanding was provided to the Department of Correctional Services to grant the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice access to the Victims Register module in the Integrated Offender Management system. This will allow the Victims of Crime Services Unit to transition from the current Victims Register to the Integrated Offender Management System’s module, which will provide increased functionality and improve the unit’s responsiveness to registered persons regarding offenders.
At a national level the Tasmanian Justice department, with the support of the Northern Territory Justice department, has been leading a project regarding national uniform legislation concerning the mutual recognition of domestic violence orders. Currently, a domestic violence order taken out in the Northern Territory can only be enforced in another state or territory if the victim physically registers that order within the jurisdiction. The legislation will ensure that as soon as an order is taken out in one jurisdiction, it is automatically applicable in all states and territories of Australia, thus providing immediate protection throughout Australia.
This project is now a Council of Australian Governments’ priority item, and CRIMTRAC is running a pilot program in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania to ensure the systems are fit for purpose. The matter will be placed before all state and territory’ Attorneys-General and Police ministers later this year.
The final matter in this pillar relates to the publicly accessible sex offender website arising out of Daniel’s Law. A bill has now been presented to this House and has been developed to provide a structure to the website, including what type of offenders are eligible, what information is contained on the website and who has the discretion to place an eligible person on the site. An intergovernmental committee consisting of members of the Northern Territory Police Force, the Department of Correctional Services and the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice will implement the reform. The NT Police will host the website and are currently undertaking a business case.
The purpose of statute law reform underlying the Pillars of Justice framework is to ensure the Northern Territory criminal justice legislation is robust, targeted, integrated and contemporary, and meets the expectations of the community.
Since August 2013 there have been a number of amendments made to the Criminal Code under the Pillars of Justice scheme. These amendments ensure our criminal offences procedures are contemporary and include:
introduction of offences relating to match fixing passed in August 2013 and commenced in October 2013
amendments regarding female genital mutilation passed in October 2013 and commenced on 4 December 2013
amendments regarding the destruction of child abuse material passed in February 2014 and commenced on 2 April 2014
amendments regarding the ordering of medical and psychiatric testing of accused persons in court proceedings passed in February 2014 and commenced on 2 April 2014
introduction of identity theft offences which was passed in March 2014 and commenced April 2014
amendments relating to the presumption of joint trials where an offender is charged with sexual offences against multiple complainants passed in May 2014 and commenced July 2014
introduction of a police pursuit offence passed in August 2014 and commenced October 2014
a bill allowing for the remission of resentencing passed in February 2015 and commenced March 2015
the ongoing project of converting all existing criminal offences in the Northern Territory to wording consistent with Part IIAA of the Criminal Code. The redrafting of sexual offences has been prioritised with the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice developing proposals to reform non-sexual, non-fatal offences and property offences as the next priority. This project is a large and complicated task and relates to all existing new offences and will take approximately two to three years to complete.
The government is also currently reviewing policies regarding the criminal procedure, in particular double jeopardy and subsequent appeals.
The introduction of a Serious Sex Offenders Act was the primary initiative under the sexual assault framework of the Pillars of Justice. The act commenced on 1 July 2013 and provides additional protection to victims of serious sex offenders and the general community. The act provides for the Attorney-General to apply to the Supreme Court for an order relating to the continuing rehabilitation, care and treatment of serious sex offenders. The orders are in the form of continuing detention or supervised release.
A Serious Sex Offender Referral Committee has been created and assesses serious sexual offenders to the Attorney-General. The committee consists of members of the Departments of Correctional Services, Health and the Attorney-General and Justice. There is currently one offender subject to a continuing supervision, and the Supreme Court is considering an application in relation to another person.
In the area of organised crime, the Criminal Property and Forfeiture Act and associated regulations have been amended to address concerns raised by the courts to ensure the mutual recognition provisions are up to date. There are currently a number of matters that are being considered at a national level; however, these matters are in their infancy. These matters include reciprocal access to unexplained wealth schemes, regulation of precursor chemicals, and enhanced information-sharing to allow police to access tax and Centrelink information more easily in proceeds of crime applications. Preliminary discussions have also taken place at officer level on whether national crime control legislation would provide greater assistance to law enforcement in tackling cross-jurisdictional organised crime.
I have a word of advice to those involved with organised crime: do not think you can operate in the Northern Territory. It is just not worth it. We will identify you and deal with you accordingly.
A number of reforms to the Bail Act were passed in the Legislative Assembly in February this year. These reforms were consistent with the government’s election commitment to ensure it was more difficult for repeat serious offenders, persons who repeatedly breached bail, and people who repeatedly breached domestic violence orders to be bailed. The amendments also simplify the structure of the act and provide additional criteria for the court to consider when ascertaining whether bail should be granted.
These amendments will be introduced into the Legislative Assembly shortly to allow a Youth Justice Court to consider issuing electronic monitoring for a youth on bail. Currently, the Youth Justice Court is not given the power to even consider issuing such a device.
In 2012 the Summary Offences Act and associated regulations were the subject of a review, and legislation to modernise the act and incorporate contemporary offences and penalties is currently being drafted.
The Police Administration Act has been the subject of a review and, as already discussed, amendments relating to paperless arrests and directed interviews were passed in November 2014. A separate bill was passed in February this year relating to special investigative and other powers. A number of other amendments to the act are being considered to ensure it is fit for purpose in today’s environment and allows police to utilise their powers effectively and efficiently.
Finally, the Victims Crime Assistance Act is also under review.
I have detailed the extraordinary lengths to which this government is demonstrating its commitment to helping the less fortunate in our society – the criminals, prisoners and at-risk youth. But let me make something very clear, my first sympathies lie and always will lie with the victims of crimes, that is, those innocent members of our community whose lives can be shattered in an instant by an uncaring thug. It is obvious that if the victim of a crime believes the perpetrator has been inappropriately dealt with, too lightly dealt with, then the victim is, in a sense, further traumatised.
There is a difficulty in balancing such issues. We have a dedicated and highly professional judiciary that has my full support and admiration. Together, I hope that we can get the balance right between the punishment of the criminal, but more importantly, showing consideration to the victims and their families.
I thank the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice; the Department of Correctional Services; Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services; and all other government departments that have worked so diligently on this strategy to date.
I also thank all the stakeholders who have given time out of their busy schedules to provide input to the individual strategies. I commend this statement to the House and move that the Assembly takes note of the statement.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for bringing this statement before the House. I am pleased a new sessional order was adopted in the last sittings and we, on this side of the House, received this statement shortly before 5 pm under new rules yesterday. We had an opportunity to read it, think about it and respond to it in a more considered fashion than we have had the opportunity to do in the past.
That said, I confess I was a little distracted yesterday afternoon and evening, like the rest of the country, watching events unfold in Canberra, which have delivered a new Prime Minister to Australia. A 51-page ministerial statement is something to absorb. I will not deliver a 51-page response, far from it. There is plenty to talk about, but such is the life of an opposition member with the limited resources and competing priorities we juggle.
The reason we have a ministerial statement of this size is probably more about trying to fill some parliamentary time in a week where we have no legislation for debate, unless the government can convince the majority of the House the bill should be debated on urgency. I cannot remember a week, other than a couple of years ago, where we had no bills to debate. How extraordinary it is, in the week where the minister wants to talk about the Pillars of Justice, we have no legislation to debate. That is unless an urgency motion is supported by a member from this side of the House, and without that it sounds to me like the Pillars of Justice might be crumbling. Such is life for a minority government.
I am losing count, but I think this is the third ministerial statement we have had from the government on the Pillars of Justice. The first one in May 2013 was delivered by the Chief Minister. There was another one in August 2013 and I am sure there has been another one since then, at which time somebody else had shadow responsibility for Attorney-General and Justice and perhaps I missed it.
Again, I thank the minister for bringing this statement before the House because law and order, the safety of Territorians, our communities, men, women and children, no matter where they live, are important issues for governments and all members of this House.
Over the three years of the CLP government, the approach to law and order – and I do not think I am alone in thinking this – has seen a clear theme dominate. Perhaps the hint of that theme came in the lead up to the last election with election promises. The entire government’s strategic response to the Territory’s problems is simply this: arrest people and lock them up. If you need rehabilitation to address your alcohol addiction issue, go to gaol. If you want a job, go to gaol. If you are in need of remedial education and training, go to gaol. If you want some respite, go to gaol.
This is a government which, time and time again, tells us it knows best. The minister knows best because he is an ex-policeman and he holds a law degree, and he has been served some of life’s challenges, which, to his credit, he has overcome. The minister is very passionate; there is no doubt about that. He is very passionate about his portfolios. He is a hard worker and, being the first law officer of the Northern Territory, there is no doubt he takes his role very seriously. But, it is true; this government’s answer to the Territory’s problems with law and order is to lock people up – straight to gaol every time.
God forbid if anyone dares to mention terms like ‘justice reinvestment’, as I did in the last sittings, or if anyone calls for an evidence base to support the success or otherwise of their law reform agenda.
One would think, in listening to this 51-page statement that has taken the Attorney-General more than an hour to deliver, that all the problems in the Northern Territory have gone away. That is not so at all. This statement and the rhetoric we hear from the government shows it is incredibly limited in the way of results. It has the huge reform agenda the Attorney-General has talked about but is limited in the way of results. We do not hear or see a commitment to review and monitor changes in place or to conduct an independent review into things like alcohol mandatory treatment. We see more and more powers handed to police through legislation and more intrusion into the privacy of Territorians’ lives.
For all of the reforms the Attorney-General has talked about, crime is still a huge issue in the Northern Territory, especially in places like Darwin and Palmerston. Our prisons are overflowing and it is alarming that we continue to see children at risk and children in child protection interface with the criminal justice system. Let us face it, statistics have only become worse for Aboriginal Territorians, who are overwhelmingly overrepresented in them.
The CLP government’s approach contrasts to Territory Labor’s children first approach, which supports children and drives for generational change. We simply cannot continue to keep going down the same flawed path as the CLP. We have to embark on change.
I will quote the first couple of paragraphs from the Leader of the Opposition’s opening statement to the paper we launched a number of weeks ago about early childhood investment:
All of those things are the determinants of successful people. In that opening statement, the Leader of the Opposition went on to say:
This has to be the starting point for government. It is the starting point for Territory Labor should we be privileged enough to be the next government in the Northern Territory. We have to take a long-term, considered view and informed evidenced-based approaches to governing the Northern Territory. This includes not just children but pertains to the justice system as well.
We are engaging with experts and listening to what they say. This is in stark contrast to the CLP, which so frequently in the law and order arena has dismissed the views of experts, the judiciary, legal peak bodies and health and social justice specialists.
I note under pillar one, police powers reform, the minister raised Alcohol Protection Orders. APOs are flawed and bad law, as summed up by NAAJA, the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Association:
That is the advice to the CLP government and our community from NAAJA on APOs. There is an unintended consequence around APOs as well, in that an Alcohol Protection Order will prohibit a person from possessing or consuming alcohol, or from entering or being in licensed premises.
Many local supermarkets in the Northern Territory are licensed premises because they sell takeaway alcohol, so in some cases the APO means that subject to those orders an individual on an APO cannot go to their local supermarket to shop for their family’s food. These unintended consequences are crazy.
Debate suspended.
The Assembly suspended.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a petition not conforming with standing orders from 145 petitioners, including 14 electronic petitioners, relating to conserving the green belt of Farrar. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read.
Mrs FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a petition not conforming with standing orders from 1076 petitioners relating to swimming and water safety lessons as part of the primary school program. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read.
MOTION
Note Statement – Pillars of Justice
Continued from earlier this day.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I had been talking about APOs. We just heard the Chief Minister in Question Time saying how wonderful the APOs and paperless arrests are. Clearly, this is a sign that he does not listen to expert advice. This is particularly true of paperless arrests.
The minister, who is surely the master of understatement, said of paperless arrests:
Seriously, minister? There has been serious criticism of the paperless arrest laws. The outrage over paperless arrests sees a challenge to these laws currently before the High Court, with a decision expected to be handed down before the end of year …
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Ms WALKER: In the meantime, following a coronial inquiry into the death of – I know I have hit a raw nerve there, minister, because you think you are always right …
Mr Elferink: When was the last serious assault on Mitchell Street?
Ms WALKER: You can wrap in debate when you are ready, but it is my turn now.
Minister, I will quote your prison numbers in a minute too. We have an update on those, which will be fascinating for you I am sure.
In the meantime, following a coronial inquiry into the death of a man who had done nothing wrong by having a quiet drink with his family in Darwin but then found himself locked up, and he subsequently died, has the minister noted the criticism provided by the Coroner himself in describing the laws as ‘retrogressive’ and ‘manifestly unfair’? He warned that an increase in the numbers of Indigenous people in custody was likely to lead to a proportionate increase in the numbers dying in custody. He said in his findings:
The Attorney-General went further to say:
Further the Attorney-General said:
How many people have been taken into custody, to this minute, under paperless arrests? The Police Commissioner about a month ago, when this was a very topical issue, said the figure was around 1800 who had been taken into custody.
An additional 1800 people have been taken into custody under paperless arrest laws. With that increase, have we seen a corresponding increase in watch house resources to care for these people who may be intoxicated, or who may have other health issues, as well?
Speaking of police resources, I note the reference to TBLs, temporary beat locations, as part of the tools to address alcohol misuse in the ministerial statement. Yes, they are making a difference; I have said that. People see it where they exist, in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek, and they are making a difference, but they are not sustainable.
It is incredibly costly for our hard-working, well-trained police officers to be working as security guards on bottle shop doorsteps. Labor has supported TBLs in the past. The challenge for the current government is that the moment they withdraw TBLs crime goes through the roof and alcohol misuse issues return. As long as we have well-trained police officers out the front of bottle shops, they are not on the beat in their communities, trying to get on top of crime or keeping communities safe. How long can the government sustain TBLs? They are temporary beat locations. What are the plans; to make them permanent beat locations? Everybody can recognise, except the government, that this is not a sustainable use of police resources.
When will this government, which we know has a complete aversion to evidence-based and cost-effective approaches, realise the Banned Drinker Register was an effective tool in dealing with problem drinkers? Police at the time said it was the best tool that they had in their toolbox in dealing with problem drinkers.
The Banned Drinker Register, apart from the initial investment of software and hardware at bottle shop locations, where we know 70% of the Territory’s liquor is sold, does not require a person to be there. It is an electronic system.
Many people and bodies, including a Senate inquiry into alcohol misuse in the Northern Territory, the Northern Territory Police Association, and health and welfare experts, have called for the return of the Banned Drinker Register. This government axed the Banned Drinker Register as a populist election commitment, even though people could see it was working effectively. You only have to look at the crime stats to see in the 12 months between having axed the Banned Drinker Register and trying to put measures in place, crime went through the roof.
The government knows that it cannot sustain TBLs and police presence in every bottle shop in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine, and it certainly cannot sustain it in Darwin and Palmerston.
We do not have TBLs in Nhulunbuy. We have what is effectively the forerunner of the Banned Drinker Register. It is not a silver bullet, but it has worked remarkably well as a harm minimisation tool.
As I said, with all our police on bottle shop duties, crime is out of control in other parts of the Northern Territory. Vehicle thefts have been very newsworthy in the last couple of weeks. Vehicle thefts and break-ins between Darwin and Palmerston are through the roof.
One of our hard-working police officers from Elcho Island – in fact, he was Police Officer of the Year last year – after several years living on Elcho Island where he was an amazing community police officer, has relocated with his family to Alice Springs. I warned him that the fishing would not be anywhere near as good in Alice Springs as it was at Elcho Island and that the nature of his duties would change quite dramatically.
What is the photograph that I saw posted on Facebook by his wife, who is a Facebook friend, just the other day? Tim standing out the front of the bottle shop for a day. This is an officer who has skills in being a community policeman, dealing with positive community relations, working with communities in a culturally appropriate manner, assisting the victims of domestic violence, helping with the prevention of crime through proactive community policing by being amongst the community, and doing proactive things like fun runs that he, police and other families organise. But now he does not get to do any of that. He is stuck on shift in Alice Springs, the former home of the Chief Minister. You have to ask yourself if that is an effective use of police resources.
It is beholden upon all of us to find effective measures to deal with alcohol, which is the biggest issue in the Northern Territory. It is not ice; it is alcohol. Yes, ice is an emerging issue but everybody, from police through to the AMA and people in the Territory, know alcohol is the biggest issue we deal with.
The government made an election promise to reduce crime by 10% a year in the Territory and then realised there was no way it could do that, especially when crime was going in the opposite direction, and changed it to be 10% over four years. Let us not forget, on the subject of election promises, they also promised an extra 120 police, another broken promise.
But worse is their bungling over managing the recruitment. A month ago we heard the Chief Minister and the Police minister completely at odds with one another, contradicting one another in the space of one day, a few hours, as to whether or not 120 police had been recruited. This is symptomatic of a government and a Cabinet that are dysfunctional. They are not a team and do not work together or communicate with one another.
We had two different statements on the one day between the Chief Minister and the Police minister. What the Chief Minister said about the 120 police on Mix FM radio on 17 August was:
That is interesting. I am sure the Police minister knew what he was talking about. The Chief Minister was determined to contradict him, though. This was not unlike him with his woeful answer to a question about youth funding in Alice Springs. He simply could not answer where and how much money had been spent, and to which service providers it had been provided. He seems to think that if you can duck and weave and say anything, you will get by.
On the same day when the two different versions of the recruitment of 120 police officers were apparent and they were trying to clarify this, a statement came from the Police minister’s office. This is what the statement said as reported by the NT News.
That is way short of 120. We will continue to see disagreements between Cabinet ministers and figures that do not stack up because the government is in such disarray. It is so chaotic.
Unlike the CLP government, the Labor opposition listens to police and their views. We have made a commitment to bring back welfare officers. When the Leader of the Opposition addressed the NT Police Association – he is also the shadow Police minister and has a great working relationship with our police – he committed to bringing back welfare officers to support police and their families. Welfare officers are important to support police in the incredibly hard, often difficult and confronting work they do in caring for Territorians and their families. In this past week with our horrific road accidents, I have thought not only of the families and loved ones of those who have been killed or injured in these accidents, but I have thought of the frontline services from police, fire and emergency services, which have to attend and deal with the carnage. Of course, they need the support of welfare officers.
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I request the member be granted an extension of time.
Motion agreed to.
Ms WALKER: We have committed to a review of police resourcing to get more officers on the front line to do the job they need to do. There may well be a place for TBLs, but they cannot be permanent beat locations. We just cannot afford to continue the current volume of police on bottle shop duty.
During this statement I noted the reference to the Barkly Work Camp. I thank the foresight of the former Labor government’s commitment to work camps and the establishment of the Barkly Work Camp for low-level offenders by none other than the member for Barkly, who was the Corrections minister in the former Labor government. I heard the minister acknowledge some of the work done by the member for Barkly during his time. Let us not forget that the Barkly Work Camp model was launched under this government. It is a great model. It goes to pillar four of the statement.
We had plans afoot to develop the next work camp in northeast Arnhem land. It had been operating as a temporary work camp at the Garma Festival site, as the minister has outlined in his statement. I tell you what we would not have done. We would have progressed a mobile work camp to a permanent camp, but we would not have closed down a functioning, purpose-built health facility without any consultation. This was working effectively as a residential alcohol and other drugs treatment facility. It was converted into a prison at a time when Nhulunbuy was in an incredible downturn. We still have 150 empty houses and many vacant commercial properties. We would have welcomed the Datjala Work Camp but we wanted to keep our AOD facility.
If you need residential treatment now, you have to be flown to Darwin, and it is only because we are lucky that we have managed to retain the sobering up shelter. It is not the sobering up shelter we had, but there has been a conversion so we have eight beds available.
We would have supported a Datjala Work Camp, but it would not have come at the cost of an important health treatment facility for people with addiction issues. We would have consulted with the community. With such proximity to the town, one of the fears was resisting humbug. If people stepped out of the camp, we could not be sure where they might go. The Tennant Creek facility is some distance out of Tennant Creek. As a result of consultation, community people said they wanted a facility some distance away. The risk of being so close to the township of Nhulunbuy was highlighted in July. I was travelling at the time, but there was news about two correctional officers who had lost their jobs because they had taken a couple of prisoners to the pub. What a crazy thing to be happening. I wonder if that would have been the case if the facility had been moved a little further out of town.
I acknowledge the good work that continues to happen in work camps. We are pleased to see the government continue to work with that model because we know it is effective. I am incredibly supportive of the Elders Visiting Program and know the two women in northeast Arnhem Land, Djapirri and Dhanggal, who have been part of the visitors program for a number of years. I know they provide really good support when they come into town to visit family members who are in prison and to offer them wise council.
I congratulate the minister on building the Supreme Court in Alice Springs. Let us hope it does not take as long as Palmerston Regional Hospital. I wanted to ask him about youth detention. Housing kids in adult prisons is clearly not on and really needs to be addressed.
On the issue of courts, it was a huge disappointment that without an evidence-based approach this government shut down the SMART Court, which dealt successfully with the core of offending behaviour for people with substance abuse issues. There was evidence to show it was working and, importantly, it gave people an opportunity to turn their lives around. It kept people out of prison. As a result, the Northern Territory is now the only jurisdiction in the country to no longer have this therapeutic jurisprudence option. This is a great shame and all thanks to the arrogant Country Liberal Party government, which is intent on driving the Territory backwards. It was dismantled with no review or assessment, and for the Attorney-General to have actively ignored the advice of experts in this field, including the former Chief Magistrate, is simply astonishing. Territorians deserve much better than that.
I want to mention pillar three, youth justice reform. Youth justice, like road accidents, has made the news quite a bit in the last few months. Obviously, that is deeply concerning. The minister spoke about the Vita reports which were commissioned into youth justice. He outlined what has been implemented and what is yet to be implemented, but I note one thing in the Vita report that the author spoke about glowingly was the Family Responsibilities Program set up by Labor. It is incredibly important. Early intervention is about dealing with kids at risk and cutting them off at the pass before they get into trouble and interface with the justice system. This goes to the heart of our approach I was talking about at the outset of this statement. Working with families before things escalate, wherever you can, is critical.
In the interface between child protection and youth justice, I note a comment in the Children’s Commissioner’s Child Death Review Report 2013-14 and quote from page 35:
I would love to hear from the minister about what he is planning to do around these family responsibility centres to provide early intervention services to families at risk.
I know we have had several statements on the Pillars of Justice, and because the minister has responsibility for child protection as well as children and families, and had committed to an annual statement, we look forward to hearing an update on what is happening. We have not had one this year. Perhaps that is just around the corner. It would be good to hear what is happening in that area. There is no doubt that investing in our children up front is critical, but not at the cost of having to withdraw investment in the healthcare of our elderly and dying.
I am pleased the minister addressed domestic and family violence. I know it is a subject close to all of our hearts. Everybody in this Chamber sees and hears the shocking news, not the least of which was Justice Kelly last night sentencing a man and allowing cameras into her court to personalise the shocking case around the death of Terasita Bigfoot. She was a 29-year-old woman who died at the hands of her partner after hours of brutal bashing.
It is simply unacceptable. We cannot continue to turn our backs on domestic and family violence. We cannot just keep talking about it. We need to deal with and reduce it. We need a bipartisan approach. I wonder if the Chief Minister, the Attorney-General and perhaps the Minister for Women’s Policy would consider joining the NT Leader of the Opposition and me, as federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has called for an urgent national summit to address domestic violence. We trust other leaders from other jurisdictions from all sides of the political divide will attend.
I would love to hear from the Attorney-General whether he has acted on the recommendations on the appointment of judicial officers. We have not heard that yet, but I have come to the end of my time. I thank the minister for this statement and look forward to hearing other contributions in this debate.
Mr STYLES (Business): Madam Speaker, it is interesting listening to the opposition. When we were in opposition I used to listen to the previous Labor government talk about a range of things. I found it easy to ask questions of the former government simply because things were not going well for them. When you were looking for questions during Question Time, and when they formed a response, it was very easy.
Before I say what I want to say, I want to deal with a number of things the member for Nhulunbuy said in response to the Attorney-General’s statement. The one I have the biggest asterisk next to is her claim that the Territory is going backwards. I recall that while I was in opposition, crime, alcohol consumption and the wait lists on homes were going up, availability of blocks of land was going down, debt was spiralling out of control, and the economy was not running well, nor were jobs.
It is interesting. The member for Nhulunbuy says the Territory is going backwards; let us look at some of the things occurring. Crime levels are going down, alcohol consumption is down to the lowest levels since the 1990s, debt is about half of what Labor predicted, and the economy and jobs are on the up. If you listen to what is going on in the Northern Territory, in the last quarter we have increased the number of people in jobs. The number of full-time and part-time jobs went up. The Northern Territory has the lowest unemployment rate in Australia at 4.2%. In Darwin it is 1%.
If that is going backwards, I do not know what their values and criteria are for assessing success. Where I come from – and I go into the community talking to people – having rising crime, increased alcohol consumption, debt spiralling out of control, an economy that is not balanced and jobs not happening as they should is going backwards. Going forwards is about fixing all the things I have just talked about.
I have made some points, as I often do when the member for Nhulunbuy speaks, because sadly she tries to rewrite history and she does not quite remember what was going on when she was part of the government on this side of the Chamber.
I must admit, when I was in opposition I thought things were going badly for the government. I felt for them a bit as I am a compassionate person and thought it must be really bad. When things are not going well and are just getting worse, and everything you try is not making a difference, it must be a pretty depressing place to be. But even more depressing is when you are in opposition and another party comes in, as we have, and starts to fix everything.
I will mention them again for those listening and for those sitting across the Chamber. Crime is down to the lowest level since the 1990s, alcohol consumption is down, debt is down, the economy is starting to run very well and jobs are up. These are the things that are relevant to Territorians and to those listening. I ask you to consider what you would rather have – crime going up, alcohol consumption going up, debt going up, the economy not performing as well as it should? What do people want? Do they want those things going up or do they want them going down.
I do not know who the opposition talks to, but the people I talk to – people whose doors I knock on, the businesses I consult with and the people I listen to – want crime to go down, alcohol consumption to go down, the debt down, the economy to function well and they want a job.
I will relate a conversation I had with a constituent of mine last Saturday. I knocked on his door and said, ‘How is it all going? How is your street? Is everything going all right?’ He said, ‘Mate, it is fantastic. I have lived in this house for 15 years. It was pretty bad here a few years ago, but in the last couple of years it has been pretty good.’ I asked him, ‘Mate, what has changed?’ He said, ‘Well, I do not know. The grass is green in the park over there. I do not know what has changed.’
I said, ‘You had a change of government three years ago. The way we deal with crime and people has changed.’ He said, ‘Yes, you are right’. I will not relay the complete conversation we had. But there was a major change in the powers and support we give police. On this side of the Chamber – it is my belief and the belief of many people – we support the police in a far greater capacity than the Labor Party does. Sadly, they are soft on crime. We take a different approach.
Another point the member for Nhulunbuy made was that this is the third statement we have had on this. One of the criticisms of the Labor Party opposite is that we do not consult people, do not communicate with them and do not do it very well at all. Then they say this is the third time we have come into this Chamber with a similar statement on the Pillars of Justice.
If giving good news to the people watching and listening to debates in this Chamber about where this community is going is a crime or a problem for Labor – and we know they do not like good news – then I feel sorry for those members opposite. It must not be a nice place.
The CLP, they say, just wants to lock people up. The policies we have brought in have led to a reduction in the prison numbers Labor projected. I heard the member for Nhulunbuy say to the member for Port Darwin, the Attorney-General, ‘I am going to give you some figures about prisoners, and it is all out of control’. Everything, if you listen to the member for Nhulunbuy, is out of control at the moment. If getting crime to go down is out of control, that is a good way to be out of control. If reducing alcohol consumption is out of control, maybe it will go down even more. If getting debt down is out of control, I look forward to the day when we have zero debt.
We have currently incarcerated in the Northern Territory 400 fewer people than Labor predicted we would have by June 2015. It would cost $25m. for the extra people. The worst case scenario is about 600. They predicted the worst case scenario would have us well over 2000. We are 600 fewer. From the number they predicted we are 400 fewer. What part of that is not working?
Labor, when in government, said, ‘That it is all terrible and it is not going to work’. Our government is producing results. I ask people watching and listening to not listen to the rhetoric from the Labor party. Look at the results. Look at the facts and figures you can get from public documents. That is why I said at the beginning of this that I feel sorry for the Labor Party. If I was sitting over there, I would feel quite depressed. If I was part of the Labor Party I would be thinking, ‘When I was in government, we messed it all up, but then the CLP came in and they fixed it all’. That is not a very good place to be, so I feel for them.
The member for Nhulunbuy says the prisons are overflowing, but the figures I have just given clearly put that claim to rest. It is nonsense. She made statements like, ‘This is the same flawed path of the CLP’. I do not know what part of our actions is flawed. When you have 400 fewer people in prison and have people doing constructive things, I do not know what is flawed. She said the CLP just wants to lock people up. The member for Nhulunbuy also said, ‘If we are lucky enough to get into government, then the ALP policy would be caring for children and families’.
Let us talk about early intervention, another term the member for Nhulunbuy used. One of my favourite topics is school-based policing. It was a fantastic program that was basically watered down under the previous Labor government. In 2001 I saw a letter signed by the then minister for Police, who was also the then Minister for Education, the former member for Nhulunbuy, Syd Stirling, that gave instructions to the police to get rid of the school-based policing program. Here was a drug education program that was world-renowned. The school-based policing program was building confidence in kids and doing a whole lot of things I could probably spend the next 45 to 50 hours talking about. I should push the off button on that.
This program was axed by Labor. Labor might like to say, ‘We are the party for the people’. Where were you for the kids of the Northern Territory then? Where are you on early intervention? We are the ones supporting early intervention.
I will talk about another one of my favourite topics: neighbourhood activity centres. Neighbourhood activity centres are something I worked on for many years. In the 1990s I was working on neighbourhood activity centres as a new and innovative program. We have not seen anything quite like this in the world. It is innovative. I finally got it going, and a pilot program has already started at Sanderson Middle School. In the early 2000s I knew Labor. I knew many people there. I would see them at the post office and the shops, and talk to them about youth, seniors, and the complete engagement process. I could not get things off the ground. I could not get a hearing with them. They were not interested in an holistic program that would benefit the entire community.
That program will go to Alice Springs. This government stands proudly by the Pillars of Justice program and the social elements it covers, keeping kids out of courts and older people engaged. We will make sure it works. People listening and watching this debate can consider the Sanderson Neighbourhood Activity Centre as a pilot program to get this larger program off the ground. Once we get the nuts and bolts sorted out we will take this program to other schools in the Northern Territory – middle schools, senior schools or composite schools – and introduce the program so kids across the Territory can benefit from a total community engagement package.
What a great thing. It is a joint initiative between the Northern Territory government and the community, and we will roll it out over the next three years. Once we get 2016 out of the way, hopefully in 2017 we will still be in government, given we will have the runs on the board, and we will utilise other schools in the Territory. The young people, the seniors, the multicultural community and everyone who is not a working taxpayer has the choice to go there and engage in a multitude of activities that do not cost an arm and a leg. It is a whole-of-community initiative that will encourage greater engagement between young people, senior Territorians and everyone else.
I am also a great supporter of boot camps. I am sure that members on this side, and I hope members on the other side, would be well aware of the boot camp reality programs that have been on television over the last few years. They have achieved remarkable results. Last year 57 Northern Territory youths who were identified as at risk of becoming engaged in the youth justice system completed boot camp programs, and it is estimated that a further 125 youths will benefit from boot camp programs in 2015. What a great initiative.
I will address some of the points the member for Nhulunbuy raised. She said that early intervention would be in stark contrast to what the CLP has done and that we dismissed the view of experts. It is really interesting because in axing the school-based policing program the previous government did not listen to the people. They tried to axe it in 2001, and finally watered it down because the community complained bitterly about losing that service. They continued to water it down, and one of my missions is to reinstate that program into schools. I have to consult with my fellow team members in the CLP to get that reinstated, but we are working on it.
Once we get neighbourhood activity centres running – and I would like to congratulate the police in relation to that. They have done a fantastic job in working with us to interact with the community through neighbourhood activity centres. Once we get this model right, you will see an innovation in this type of engagement that we have not seen anywhere in the world. I am hoping that people will beat a path to our door to find out how we did it.
Terry O’Connell, who wrote the Real Justice program used throughout the world in major organisations, would tell people if you want to look at community engagement, school-based policing and drug education, if you want best practice, go to the Northern Territory. That was before 2001 when the then Labor government came into power and axed it. Labor wanted to get rid of it. What a shame.
The member for Nhulunbuy said something about criticism around our policies. I do not understand what criticism she is on about. I will take something from an interjection by the member for Port Darwin; if you go back in time and look at the number of serious assaults on Mitchell Street when Labor was in government, it was a war zone. Our challenge to those opposite, and my challenge to the member for Nhulunbuy, is to tell us when the last major assault was on Mitchell Street. How many are there now compared to Labor’s last year of government?
Common statistics show a 53% reduction in crime in Tennant Creek, which is massive. Member for Nhulunbuy, do you want to see that go back up? The policies in place have been positive for the Territory and you say you want to undo them. I am stunned and amazed that they want to get rid of these things that are working.
Our good friend, Dr John Boffa in Alice Springs, about five or six months ago, made a statement that TBLs were working. We were seeing far fewer presentations at hospitals for serious assaults and bashings. That is a fairly big statement for John Boffa because he has always been a critic of this side of politics, which is fine. He is working in the community and entitled to his view. When he supported us I found it refreshing.
Mr Elferink: The Criminal Lawyers Association said the same thing.
Mr STYLES: I will pick up on that interjection that the Criminal Lawyers Association has said the same thing.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I seek an extension of time for the member pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STYLES: I might not get to all the things I wanted to say because I find some of these statements made by the member for Nhulunbuy amazing. She talks about TBLs and says while police officers are there, they are not out on the beat. I think what you are missing, member for Nhulunbuy, is a really basic thing; prevention is better than a cure.
As a former police officer, and even talking to police officers recently, there is a thing that sits on the sleeve of every police officer’s uniform, a badge. It says, ‘To serve and protect’. That is about serving and protecting people, and keeping people safe from themselves. What better way to stop people from getting bashed, robbed, run over or even killed where they consume too much alcohol and cross roads. What better way to do that than prevention?
One of the worst things that happens to police officers is dealing with people who are intoxicated, either through alcohol or other drugs. It can be a very messy business. Most police officers I know would prefer not having to deal with those people. That is common. If the member for Nhulunbuy does not know that, she should talk to some real police officers and ask them what their views are. I am sure the three ex-police officers on this side would agree with me.
Prevention is better than cure. The TBLs are preventing all this stuff from occurring. The member for Nhulunbuy also made a statement that the best tool the police ever had was the Banned Drinker Register. I will not go into a lot about this because we have said it time and time again. I do not know what part of it those opposite in the Labor Party do not understand. The Banned Drinker Register failed. Sadly, they spent about $18.5m putting machines in, but it failed.
There are a couple of great anecdotes I have in relation to the BDR. One is about websites. The Grey Nomads Australia websites would be saying, ‘When you go to Darwin and the Northern Territory, you better bring all your alcohol with you because you cannot buy it, depending on what type of driver’s licence you have’. Establishments were telling me when the Banned Drinker Register was in that they would only accept a passport or an Australian driver’s licence. I remember listening to the member for Karama saying in this Chamber that there would be 186 different forms of identification you could use. Sadly, that did not work.
Then there are the stories from business people who would ask someone for a driver’s licence. They would put the driver’s licence in and it would not work, so the customer would pull out of their pocket a whole bunch of driver’s licences, with different photos and say, ‘No, no, that is this name and that is my other name’. People would be saying, ‘I have a whole lot of different names and a whole lot of different driver’s licences’.
The backpackers had a ragingly successful program going where they would go around early in the morning and say, ‘What do you want for the day? As soon as the bottle shop is open we will go and get it. It is $100 for a slab of beer’, or whatever it was for a bottle of spirits. They would go and buy it and pocket the profits. That is how they were getting their petrol money to make a trip to Katherine or the next town. It was amazing. There was a guy running around with a pushbike towing one of those little children’s trolleys with two bicycle wheels on it, enclosed …
Ms Fyles: Did you report it to the police?
Mr STYLES: I pick up on the interjection asking if I reported it. Yes, I did. I gave a lot of information to police and I still do. How many phone calls have you made to the police in the last week?
Mr Vowles: I made two. Drunks out the front of my office.
Mr STYLES: Drunks out the front of your office. Right. That is interesting. I will ask my colleague, the minister for Police, to get those statistics on what sort of problem you have. How often do you need to do that? Do you need to do that very often? Now you may want to tell me that you have to do that every day. That is very interesting. We will have a look at that.
The Banned Drinker Register was an abysmal failure. I know the member for Nhulunbuy likes to say that they spoke to the Police Association and to police, but I have spoken to numerous police officers and businesses that were struggling because of the arguments it caused when people would be standing in line for a while, and when asked for identification had to go. My colleague, the member for Port Darwin, had to wait 22 minutes in line to get a drink at one place because people did not have a form of identification that worked. It created many issues.
TBLs in Tennant Creek have brought the crime rate down 53%. For police officers to put together briefs and files and go through the court process takes an enormous amount of time and resources. In Tennant Creek, a 47% reduction in crime means an enormous amount of time the police are not tied up sitting behind a desk preparing files or sitting in a courtroom waiting to be called as a witness. As a former police officer, I know when you go to court it might be your day off. You are there at 8 30 am. At 8 am, you have to meet the prosecutors and talk with them. Then you sit there all day. You might not get called at all. You might have to come back the next time. The overtime costs and resources burn up.
The member for Nhulunbuy said that when you are on TBLs you are not on the beat. Because the TBLs are there, we have police officers who are not tied up sitting behind desks, and that is a good thing. Most police officers I know find it far more palatable to deal with people when they are reasonably sober at a bottle shop than trying to get people who are busted, bent and broken into ambulances, the back of a police vehicle or some other vehicle to get them to hospital, a sobering up shelter or back to police cells. If that is a problem for the government and that is what they want, they can take that policy to the next election. The people can decide whether they want TBLs or people who are bent and broken because of their alcohol addiction.
We, on this side, are about making individuals accountable. Then we help individuals get over their addiction. That is what alcohol mandatory treatment is about. I stipulate for people reading this, under the Banned Drinker Register, mandatory alcohol treatment was optional. I do not know how you use those two words in the same sentence, but the Labor party had that in its policy.
It is amazing what they try to get the public to swallow. On this side we are about making people accountable for their actions. If you cannot control your actions in public, we will give you a helping hand. If you still choose to do that and commit offences, then we will try to give you some more help, but, at the end of the day, you are accountable for your actions. It is really important.
The other thing the member for Nhulunbuy said was in relation to welfare officers. She said Labor would support welfare officers in the police force. For the member for Nhulunbuy’s edification, we have reintroduced those welfare officers. You can make it a policy of yours, but we have actually done it. Many things you say we are not doing, we have done. We are on the ball.
In relation to the juvenile detention centre, I am interested to hear if they will build one because the account is about $100m to $150m.
Many things the Pillars of Justice system brings are beneficial to our community. It will be sad if Labor wants to take us back to the dark ages.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, we have debated Pillars of Justice and all those sorts of things many times in this House, but it is always worth coming back for a refresher. There are many good things in this report and the minister has highlighted a range of things the government has done. I do not agree with everything in here, but overall there are some great initiatives.
The member for Sanderson carried on about the BDR. It annoys me. I did not support the BDR until I felt it had time to be tested. I had concerns about the secondary supply of alcohol to people. It amazes me that anybody who deals with statistics would claim something failed after it had nine months to operate. I do not care whether you do not like the BDR but if you look at any program, even growing tomatoes, you need a couple of years to find out whether that variety was any good. There was a trial of GM cotton in Katherine. It went for seven years and then they wrote a report. We had a trial of the BDR for nine months and it was condemned the day it was introduced into this parliament.
I do not mind people disagreeing with the BDR, but to say it did not work is unfair. This is not supporting the Labor policy; I am dealing with statistics. This BDR was lined up to be defeated as soon as the government got into power, and that is exactly what it did and then they said it failed.
How can you say it failed if it had only been going for nine months? It is not fair from any point of view. You might have not liked it so say you did not like it. ‘We got rid of it and we introduced our own scheme.’ You also have to understand that the BDR was part of a bigger package and the government got rid of that as well – the SMART Court.
The member for Sanderson made some jocular remarks. The SMART Court gave people an option to either start changing their life or end up in gaol. That was a good approach. Did it really have time to get off the ground? As soon as the government got in, it was scrapped. The BDR was not a policy on its own. A couple of other things went with it but we do not discuss those. For the sake of political popularity, we say the BDR caused 20 people to stand in a line.
I live next to two outlets 20 m apart. One is at the tavern and one is at the supermarket, and although I might have received the odd objection, I did not get e-mails or abuse. Most people got used to it. You need to do the same thing when you go to the airport. You have to wait in a queue and then show ID. It is not much different.
Whether it worked or not, whether it was a practical way of doing things, we could argue the toss. Sometimes history needs to be put as it was, not as we want it to sound.
The TBLs are obviously working, there is no doubt about that, and that is good. However, the Police Association has asked, ‘Why are police tied up? Why is this not being done by somebody else? Is the liquor industry helping fund this?’ Taxpayers’ money is funding a policeman to stand in the bottle shop to make sure people do not take grog to where they are not supposed to.
Where is the responsibility of the liquor industry to pay for some of that? It is still making plenty of money because people go to the pub anyway and drink at the bar. Has it made a difference to the overall profits of these establishments? It would be interesting to see the figures, but it is not our responsibility to have police standing in bottle shops late on a Monday night when probably two people turn up, as can happen, doing something that could be done by security officers.
We have transport inspectors and housing inspectors. Maybe you need liquor inspectors who have the power to stop people purchasing alcohol, funded by the liquor industry, or at least partially by the liquor industry. Our police can do other things besides becoming security officers outside liquor establishments.
We need to keep things in perspective in relation to alcohol. It is still a major problem regardless of all the issues. Was anything mentioned about TBLs in Darwin? I am not sure they exist in Darwin. They exist in other places, so how is the issue being tackled in Darwin?
The minister has written about youth justice reform. One thing that has hit home to me recently is the number of people being involved in fatalities, car chases and stealing cars in the Darwin region. It is worrying that we have young people putting their lives at risk probably by following other people, sometimes adults. They put themselves in situations where they can be injured or harmed. People in the rural area – I think the member for Goyder would have been approached as well – have told me, ‘Our concern is that some of these young people are not being dealt with seriously enough in relation to some of the offences’.
The minister said in his reading, and it is a good statement:
It is a great statement. As much as we might get annoyed and want to throttle them, we still have to try to turn their lives around. That does not mean we do not discipline them, or that they should not be punished, but we need to get that balance and say, ‘We do not want you back here again. We want you to do something useful with your lives.’
In line with that, the minister spoke about the Youth Turn initiative. I have not seen the boot camp at Loves Creek; I would like to get there when I get a chance.
Mr Elferink: Let me know and at the next one we will get you there.
Mr WOOD: Okay. I like the idea of youth boot camp, but not necessarily that word because it conjures up what I used to see on television. I hope it is a bit more intelligent than that because you need to be smart as well as strict. I am interested to see how it operates.
Mr Elferink: I do not think you will be disappointed.
Mr WOOD: Diversionary programs, I do not see a mention of that here. I am interested to know what your diversionary programs are, because police have the option of grabbing a kid and saying, ‘Young fella, here is a chance for you. You will go to a diversionary program now.’ One program I have not heard much about, but I visited a couple of years ago, is Wongabilla. I have raised this before. Kids sometimes might not have much of a life at home, no one to hug or love, but sometimes if they have an animal they can get some sort of …
Mr Elferink: I have this mental picture of a kid taking a horse home.
Mr WOOD: No, no. When I was at Wongabilla, they told me that every kid who had been through the course had not reoffended. They had learnt to take responsibility for that horse. They had come to find that the horse did not put up with them. Do you know what I mean? It is a bit like a dog; it puts up with us, but it still wants a pat.
I think the importance of using animals as part of a diversionary program is important. I raised the issue here before; when is a chook shed going to Don Dale? When will those kids go out in the morning to collect eggs? Sometimes we have to use some of these programs. There is no quick fix, but I am going on what people told me at Wongabilla. When those kids learnt to ride, look after and care for horses, they had something they could concentrate on in their lives. They cared for their horses. I am just going on what I was told. The kids who went through the program did not reoffend.
We need more of those sorts of programs, but I did not see anything mentioned about diversionary programs here. You turned to some extent to diversionary programs, but it was about a boot camp. ‘Diversionary’ is slightly different. You can go home, but it is before you get into major trouble.
In Alice Springs there is St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre, and there is one in Malak. They are important. They are giving kids in Alice Springs who have dropped out of the system a chance to get enough of an education to get a job. If you get a kid a job, there is a fair chance they will not get into trouble because they will start to take responsibility for their life. They will know they can get some money for working, but to get there, in many cases, they need some basic education. Education through flexible learning centres is an area the government needs to make sure is adequately funded and supported.
There was talk about moving the flexible centre in Alice Springs from Anzac Hill to some other site, which was miles smaller. That would be a mistake. My understanding is that will not happen now, at least in the short term.
I am interested to know what the future of Don Dale is. What is the future of the old Berrimah gaol? There was talk that it would be sold at one stage; it would help recover the costs involved in the new correctional precinct. I do not know what the future of that is. It is now being used for mandatory alcohol rehabilitation. The adult section of the prison is now being used as a youth correctional centre. We know that has had problems although the government has spent a lot of money. I am interested to know what the long-term policy is in relation to that land. Will the government build a purpose-built Don Dale centre or will it retain what it is using now? Will the mandatory alcohol rehabilitation continue in what was the low-security section of that prison? Considering the government wants to put suburbs right next door, I am interested to know how these plans fit.
The minister also spoke about mobile work camps. I have been a fan of work camps for years. I went to Wyndham and Kununurra many years ago to look at the one they have near the race track. I was sold on the concept when I saw it. We have one in Tennant Creek and one at Nhulunbuy. The government is talking about having some at other places. One of its promises when it came to government was to have a prison farm and a work camp in Katherine. I am interested to hear how far that has advanced because obviously that is a good option for that area.
I would also like to see a mobile work camp. Again, when I was in Western Australia they had the option of taking a kitchen, showers and toilets out behind a truck. They could go to a cattle station or to national parks. We have national parks in the Territory that have issues with weeds, feral animals or whatever. There is opportunity for some of these people to work in those areas and do something beneficial to help stop the spread of weeds in some of our national parks. That is an opportunity the government should take up.
The advantage of going to some of these national parks is you get away from many of the distractions many young people run into. They get a chance to clear their head out. I noticed the minister also said there are discussions with people at Borroloola and the Tiwi Islands. It would be great if we look at work camps in both those communities.
The minister also talked about recidivism rates for those who are involved in this program. I am talking now about the Sentenced to a Job strategy. The minister talked about the importance of this strategy, which I believe is a great strategy. Once again, I refer to the member for Barkly, who was also part of the reason this program came into existence. The recidivism rates are fantastic. If you can keep up 20% recidivism, that is fantastic, but you have to keep things in perspective. The minister said there were 93 prisoners in paid employment and a further 63 prisoners undertaking voluntary employment. That is great, but it is only a relatively small percentage of the whole population. We need to make sure that when we are talking about statistics we look at the recidivism rate for the whole prison population, considering the majority of people are not outside working.
However, it is a start and the government should be commended for it. Fewer people coming back into prison means fewer people in prison and less cost to society for looking after them. Hopefully, there will be a better future for those people who have learnt a trade and who will be able to continue with that when they get out of prison.
The minister also mentioned that in the Darwin and Alice Springs Correctional Centres they have extensive industry self-sustainability areas where prisoners are provided with training and work experience in a number of areas, including metal fabrication, creative work, maintenance, horticulture, construction, carpentry, textiles, concreting, food services and laundry. Once skills are acquired, prisoners with the required security levels can then be placed in paid employment.
I know the government has always disliked the new prison because of the cost. They call it the Taj Mahal, but I can guarantee you would not have that range of services in the old prison. One of the reasons I supported the prison was because it increased the opportunities for prisoners inside. I have outside the front of my electoral office a rocking horse, bought at the Royal Darwin Show, built by the prisoners. You might say it is only a rocking horse, but I have every kid and an occasional adult sit on it and try it out. It might just be a rocking horse to some people, but it shows you the skills some people have in our correction facilities. It is as good as you will get anywhere. It was perfectly made by someone with artistic and carpentry skills.
They did that within the walls of our Holtze prison. It is great that prisoners can improve their skills, find ways of moving on and use some of those skills when they get out of prison.
I noticed the new prison has just had a large amount of land cleared. I asked whether the land they cleared was the best piece of land, but I am told they are going to grow pineapples. It will be interesting to see how that new garden goes. It will be important for the running of the prison. In Western Australia quite a few people are involved in their prison farms producing fruit, vegetables and meat. One of the prisons in Western Australia produces meat for all the other prisons. They have an abattoir and their own cattle. We can do things within our correctional centres that will improve the lives of people and hopefully change their lives once they get out.
It is mentioned here that the Department of Correctional Services entered into a partnership with the Department of Housing for prisoners and community work offenders to be involved in the refurbishment of public housing properties. That is great. My question is how that works if there is already a company doing maintenance on those orders.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I request an extension of time for the member.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WOOD: I thought it was good to see the Department of Correctional Services introducing a peer listening scheme. My understanding from reading this is we get suitable prisoners within the system to help prisoners having a hard time, who might be under stress or having a relationship breakdown. You are creating a peer system where prisoners can help each other. That is very similar to what I saw in Marysville in Ohio some years ago. There was a centre where they used therapeutic philosophy to influence each person to help each other. That is a really important part of trying to help prisoners who are having problems with their life. I welcome that program the department is running.
There is another issue related to prisoners getting ready to leave. The minister said the program offered at these centres, known as transitional accommodation centres, includes a range of life skills such as money management, parenting and relationships, job skills and employment, alcohol programs and assistance with other government agencies. The minister said the Department of Correctional Services had advertised an expression of interest to operate a larger 25-bed facility for men in the Darwin region. Does the minister know where that facility might go? The minister would know there was an attempt to put a facility at Bees Creek. The community there believed that was an inappropriate area for it, so where is it going? It is an important part of getting prisoners ready to go back to the outside world. Does the minister have any idea where that facility might be?
There are places around the rural area which would probably be suitable. We found an area for a facility near Foundation Road some years ago that was to be at Bees Creek and now has been set up in the Holtze area.
The minister also said how, in decades gone by, there had been a ‘rack and stack’ or ‘warehousing’ model for prisoner management. That is another reason I supported changing from Berrimah to the Holtze precinct. I know what it was like in that medium security section – terrible. It was rack and stack and in a cage. It was not appropriate that we kept facilities like that. That is part of the reason I supported a change.
The minister has raised a number of issues and has put a lot of information into this. I have tried to concentrate on youth and what happens to them. It is an issue that many people are concerned about. When they see accidents like the one we saw on the Stuart Highway recently, or the other accident at Humpty Doo, people are concerned about the future of some of our youth. They are not worried about all of them because there are plenty of good kids around. I see them at Taminmin, Good Shepherd or other schools in my area. There is a lot of concern that some people need a reasonable amount of discipline. They need to take responsibility for their actions, but as the minister said, we cannot let go of them altogether. I will repeat what he said:
Although we are looking at how we can discipline kids and how you deal with kids who have caused problems in our society, the other side of the equation is how we can stop it occurring in the first place. Can we put more money into helping families, teaching young people how to look after their kids and securing early intervention? As has been said before, the dollar you spend now will save $20 when looking after someone in prison. We need to look at that area as well.
The Pillars of Justice framework is good, but hopefully it is broader than just prison. It needs to be a range of things. I thank the minister. I do not agree with everything, but the minister has put out some good ideas and I thank him for his statement.
Mr CHANDLER (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Mr Deputy Speaker, I am extremely proud to be the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services. It is pleasing to note the Attorney-General recognised the Northern Territory Police Force, as he rightly pointed out in his ministerial statement, as being held in high regard. Minister Styles also backed that claim, and I also offer my vote of thanks for the work the Northern Territory Police Force does.
Our troops across the tri-service work hard every day to ensure the safety of all Territorians. Police on the front line do an outstanding job in very challenging circumstances, dealing with a vast array of very unique situations that can bring out the very best and the worst in people.
Territorians can trust the Country Liberals to take law and order, and safety for all Territorians seriously. Our policies are delivering. We are driving down crime, cutting alcohol consumption, strengthening our borders and empowering our officers to enforce the letter of the law to the level the community would expect.
We are resourcing our police adequately and enhancing their powers through contemporary law reforms. The Pillars of Justice law and order reform strategy is delivering real results for Territorians through strengthening police, justice and correctional systems to ensure we have a coordinated approach to driving down crime.
Under the Country Liberals, the Territory has seen property crime figures drop to some of the lowest levels since current records began. Highlights this year, in regard to assaults in the year ending July 2015 compared to the year ending January 2014 – 9% less Territory-wide, 26% less in Alice Springs, 11% less in Katherine and 59%, less in Tennant Creek. Highlights in regard to alcohol-related assaults in the year ending January 2015 compared to the year ending January 2014 – 70% less Territory-wide, 32% less in Alice Springs, 17% less in Katherine, 60% less in Tennant Creek and 5% less across the Northern Territory. That is the balance.
Other stats worth commenting on – in Darwin commercial break-ins are down by 18%. In Alice Springs total offences are down by 9%, house break-ins are down by 12% and motor vehicle theft and related offences have dropped by 10%. In Tennant Creek total property offences are down by 33%, house break-ins have dropped by 36%, commercial break-ins have dropped by 19%, theft other than of motor vehicles and related offences are down by 31%, and property damage has dropped 41%, the lowest in a 12-month period in more than a decade.
I could go on with more stats, but what you will hear from the opposition – and sometimes the perception of the community – is we are not doing enough. We agree; there are always things we can do better, but the facts are the facts. The Country Liberal government is not like Labor – soft on crime – and the stats speak for themselves. The problem is when you talk about police stats you can be guaranteed tonight, or tomorrow, someone’s house will be broken into, someone’s car will be stolen or someone will be assaulted.
Any time you talk about the fact crime is on the way down in the Territory, the very next day in the papers you will find somebody who says, ‘That cannot be right; I have just been broken into’, or, ‘My car was stolen yesterday’, or, ‘I was assaulted’. These events will continue to happen not only in the Northern Territory, but right across Australia, in fact, right across the world. But you cannot say that this government is not focusing on doing all it can to bring those statistics down and make the Northern Territory a safe place to live.
This morning the Chief Minister spoke about many other positive things we have seen in the Territory, the best results since the 1990s. How can you sit there and say this is not a government which is working hard? If that was right, you would see stats going in the opposite direction, not in the direction we are seeing at the moment.
The Pillars of Justice system is delivering results for Territorians and, as I just said through those stats, you can clearly see it is working. As the Attorney-General has already outlined, the five fundamental pillars under the strategy are police, courts, youth justice, correctional services and victims. These will be supported by an overarching sixth pillar, which is about statute reform. Pillar one ensures that police have access to the tools they need to effectively respond to incidents, investigate matters and keep crime down in the community.
Alcohol Protection Orders are issued to those who commit a serious crime while under the influence of alcohol, banning them from buying, consuming or possessing alcohol and entering licensed premises. APOs are just one tool in the toolkit designed to reduce alcohol-related offending. I note the member for Nhulunbuy called APOs a flawed law, or a bad law. The member for Nhulunbuy believes that we should not ban people from drinking if they commit a crime whilst under the influence of alcohol.
Let me work through this. This is Labor’s way of thinking. You can financially afford to get yourself so intoxicated that you can barely scratch yourself, you make the decision to get behind the wheel of your car, and are detected as a high-range drink-driver, but we should not issue you with an APO as you will not be able to buy your bread and milk from Coles? Is that how you are thinking? Would the member for Nhulunbuy have us stand by and do nothing? Ridiculous!
Indeed, it was not the intent of the legislation that some licensed premises have had blanket licences issued. This government is working with licensing to identify these administrative anomalies that have arisen due to the nature of some liquor licences. The matter is being addressed. In fact, Woolworths in Alice Springs has already had its liquor licence amended to reflect the liquor area only identified on the licence, meaning people issued with an APO can shop at Woolies in Alice Springs. Coles and two other IGAs with mapping anomalies are currently having the relevant amendments made to their licences.
At what point does society agree that it is acceptable to get behind the wheel of a vehicle so intoxicated that when you do come to the attention of police – hopefully before you have had a serious accident or, God forbid, kill someone – you register a high-range reading? When does society believe this is acceptable? When does the community expectation equate to calling any deterrent to this offending a flawed law or a bad law?
Temporary beat locations are another tool under pillar one which involves stationing police officers outside bottle shops to target problem drinkers who buy takeaway alcohol with the intent of consuming it in restricted areas. TBLs remain an important tool police use to respond to public issue orders. TBLs are an effective tool that has proven to be successful in reducing violent crime. The bottom line is TBLs work in driving down crime and cutting alcohol consumption.
Labor agrees that TBLs work, and the evidence is very hard to ignore. I have heard members from the other side praising TBLs; I have heard members saying they would get rid of TBLs. One does not really know where they fit in regard to that policy, but in certain circumstances, TBLs are one of the most and best practical ways that police can be proactive in their duties.
Of course, there will always be an argument that having police outside bottle shops is an expensive option. But I argue quite strongly that if you took one moment to consider the downstream savings to the community of preventing just one person being stabbed, glassed, assaulted or killed, it is a small price to pay to have sworn police officers outside bottle shops. The many jobs they can do – even just talking to the community is very beneficial to Territorians. People you talk to say that community engagement with police is extremely important to them and their community.
The truth is that people I have spoken to in Alice Springs feel safer today walking to Woolies, Coles, IGA or anywhere because they know there is a bottle shop with a police officer present. They feel safer. Crime is on the downturn, particularly around areas where there are police officers stationed.
Is it an expensive option? Yes, if you just focus on what the cost of a police officer is. But let us, for one moment, think about if somebody purchases alcohol – whether it be in Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, anywhere TBLs are operating – and then gets so drunk they smash a bottle or pick up a knife and stab someone in the river bed in Alice Springs. The police are called. Two, three or four officers are there dealing with an incident involving a very drunk person who could be dangerous or armed, and has already injured somebody. The next minute an ambulance is called. Ambulance officers turn up. They treat the victim with first aid, then transport that person to hospital. By this stage police have taken somebody into custody and started the process that will end in a prosecution. This will end up taking a lot of court and police time. Meanwhile the victim is in hospital being treated by nurses and doctors. It could be a small or large incident. It could be something that takes months of rehabilitation.
Start to add the cost of that one person who was injured because someone was drunk and took a knife or a bottle to them. What are the costs to the community, their families and government services? How in the world can somebody argue having a police officer outside a bottle shop is costly? I put it to you, the real cost of having to deal with that injured person and processing the offender through the court system is far more than the cost of an officer outside a TBL.
However, are they costly? Yes, they are. From a purely police and budgetary point of view, yes, it is an expensive option. This government is taking it seriously and looking at how we can make sure this is sustainable. How we do that is something we are working on at the moment. The mayor of Katherine, Fay Miller, has written to me and spoken to me on a number of occasions almost demanding TBLs be made a permanent fixture for Katherine because of the difference they have made there.
Even the member for Barkly must admit the changes in Tennant Creek have been dramatic. I was in Alice Springs for the Red CentreNATS, and the place was abuzz. There were mums, dads and families walking around the streets. It was a different place to what it was three or four years ago. TBLs have been a major factor to the change in that town. Yet, the opposition criticises the use of TBLs and the approach of this government. I have just outlined some very clear facts about it making a huge difference to those localities.
Is the system flawed? Perhaps, but that does not mean the government cannot look at ways to build on TBLs, and how technology can be used as well. How can we improve the system? How can we make it long term? What officers do we need? Do we need sworn officers there? Can we have authorised officers? Could we have, for instance, auxiliary police officers doing the same job? Perhaps auxiliaries could be doing our transit security and our housing safety officer program.
These are things we are working on to make these roles sustainable, interesting careers for people to choose. Is it doable? Absolutely. But it takes a committed government like you have with the Giles government, committed to making the Territory the very best and safest place to live in Australia.
CCTV cameras are a further cornerstone of pillar one with around 180 CCTV cameras installed across the Northern Territory. This expanded network is monitored 24 hours per day, seven days per week to catch people in the act of committing a crime. Our suite of alcohol management programs has resulted in alcohol-related assaults dropping by 15% across the Territory over the past year. They are down by over 19% in Alice Springs, 18% in Katherine and by a whopping 55% in Tennant Creek. People are still saying they would take away these programs and policies if they were elected. These are working. It does not make sense.
The Giles government has the runs on the board when it comes to driving down crime. Paperless arrests are another initiative of the Country Liberals government, a government committed to adequately resourcing our police and driving down crime. Much has been said about the 120 police officers. When we came to government in 2012 we said we would have them by this year. In this year’s budget there is an extra $8.9m to ensure we have that additional 120 officers. However, not only will this government have 120 extra police officers, through policies such as paperless arrests we have more police than ever on the front line. That is the difference. You can argue all you like whether it is 80, 90 or 100 police today, the truth is on the front line there are far more police than were ever on the front line under the previous Labor government. Why is that? It is because policies like paperless arrest help get police back out on the beat where the community expects them to be, wants them to be and knows they are under this government. They are not buried under bureaucracy or paperwork sitting behind a desk. They want the officers on the beat, and to know they are there. They feel a lot safer.
This legislative amendment around paperless arrests provides police with an additional post-arrest option that enables police, after having arrested an offender for an infringement offence, to detain the offender and release them with an infringement notice. The difference this makes to a place like Mitchell Street will be reported because these are big changes in that part of Darwin. This post-arrest option allows police to deal with the offender more expeditiously than if brought before a court while still allowing for them to be removed from a potentially volatile situation. The police have the chance to deal with someone before they become a problem, not after. The paperless arrest law is an effective tool to protect our community.
The Country Liberals government abolished the Banned Drinker Register. We introduced ground-breaking alcohol mandatory treatment programs, Alcohol Protection Orders, temporary beat locations and paperless arrests. We bolstered and continued to grow our CCTV capability, and we have a proven track record of maintaining our commitment to keep Territorians safe at home, work and around the community.
Our CCTV capability is flourishing with the establishment of additional CCTV cameras in Palmerston, and more are coming. These additional cameras, along with the new mobile units, allow police to be directed to crimes and other incidents as they occur in real time, and will have significant impact on improving crime detection and prevention that will assist in the prosecution of offenders. The mobile units have been extremely successful, giving the police a wonderful tool to put in places where they have had known problems before. The differences in those places have been quite remarkable.
When we first rolled them out, I was a bit worried about vandalism, but I can report that none have been damaged. Sorry, that is not quite right; one has been damaged by a bird; we had a bird strike. I do not know if that was worked into the planning, but they are working extremely well.
Mr Elferink: A frozen or a cooked one?
Mr CHANDLER: I have no further information on that, Attorney-General.
Cutting-edge facial recognition technology will make it harder for criminals to escape the law. This new facial recognition software has already helped police identify or eliminate suspects. The introduction of this new crime-fighting technology is proof that the Country Liberals are committed to keeping Territorians safe at home, work and around the community.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I request an extension of time for the member.
Motion agreed to.
Mr CHANDLER: I thank the member for Katherine, who knows the difference this government is making to the crime rate in Katherine.
Territorians can trust this government to introduce legislation that works to resource our police adequately and reduce crime. Domestic violence is a big agenda for this government and we are facing it head on. I am not shying away from it, but facing it head on. We are ensuring victims are protected and supported. The Pillars of Justice law and order reform strategy encompasses the Domestic and Family Violence Reduction Strategy. This is a comprehensive strategy to address, reduce and prevent the unacceptably high level of domestic and family violence in the Northern Territory.
In early 2015 the existing Northern Territory Police Force domestic and family violence strategy, Project Respect, was reviewed. A new strategy directly aligned to the objective and priority areas of action in the Framing the Future blueprint, the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022, and the Northern Territory government’s Domestic and Family Violence Reduction Strategy 2014-17, is to be drafted in line with the new Police, Fire and Emergency Services strategic plan.
Together the strategies aim to increase the safety of victims and their children, reduce the rates of intergenerational trauma caused by exposure to domestic and family violence, hold offenders accountable for their actions, establish integrated service delivery systems that improve information sharing amongst agencies, and substantially impact on the lives of those in need.
The Alice Springs Cross Borders Domestic Violence Intelligence Desk has been in operation since January 2013. In that time, there have been significant improvements in information sharing and intelligence held on high-risk domestic violence offenders, as well as relationships between police from the tri-states and external service providers.
SupportLink, a single referral gateway to a platform of registered service providers, coordinates a secondary response after initial police attendance, whereby mandated reports are made to government agencies, and referrals for members of the public can be made to support agencies for a range of issues. This one body will simplify things, because for too long the public have been suffering due to bureaucracy and complications. They have not known where to go or what to do. This one strategy alone will make it far less complicated for people. SupportLink has been expanded across the NT, with 96 agencies currently involved, and work continues with the community to identify gaps in service delivery.
Contrary to what the member for Nhulunbuy thinks, we are not just talking about it. This government is making a difference. In response to the national blueprint framework and plans, the NT Department of the Attorney-General and Justice created the Domestic Violence Directorate, a cross-government directorate to coordinate the Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy to reduce domestic and family violence.
The Family Safety Framework is a pivotal outcome of this strategy, and is an integrated response of government and non-government agencies which aims to increase the safety of women and children, and improve accountability of men who commit domestic and family violence by supporting them to change their behaviours.
The FSF is a crisis response initiative which brings together ten government departments, the Commonwealth government and as many as 35 local support agencies. The FSF is now operating in Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek, with Yuendumu and the Tiwi Islands identified as communities selected for the remote trial of the FSF. Ongoing FSF training and project planning for implementation in remote areas is supported by the Domestic Violence Directorate and the NT Police Force.
FSF meetings are now occurring fortnightly in Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, chaired by the officer in charge of the domestic and family violence unit in each location. It is true that our police are held in high regard.
In addition to being the first police jurisdiction in the country to attain White Ribbon accreditation, the Northern Territory Police Force is the lead agency for the White Ribbon Committee, with the membership of other government agencies, the Australian Defence Force and non-government organisations. The White Ribbon ball held on 28 August 2015 raised over $42 000, which will contribute both to the national and local initiatives. The committee is now planning the White Ribbon run in Darwin and Alice Springs, and White Ribbon Day on 25 November 2015.
The Northern Territory Police are leaders in the fight against domestic violence, and this government is committed to reducing and supporting our police force to ensure a strong and resilient Northern Territory.
There are many things this government has done differently to the previous government, yet we have not criticised everything the previous government did. Many of the programs continue today because they were good programs. Any program that stacks up or is based on common sense usually works. Whether it is a Labor government or a Country Liberal government, if it is a good program, it will be supported.
There are many changes we have introduced that have had a dramatic and positive effect on the Northern Territory, but these are continually trashed by the Labor opposition. They can clearly see the results and how these programs are working, but for whatever reason – call it politics – they are against them. There are many programs we have taken away or reviewed that were the previous government’s policies. However, I put to you that the ones that stood up, stacked up and worked still exist today, whether it is in Education, Police, Justice or any of the portfolios we are responsible for.
I commend the Attorney-General for bringing forward this statement today. Many of the programs we introduced as a government have made, and will continue to make, a positive difference to Territorians.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for delivering this statement the night before debating it. With 51 pages, it was very logical to deliver it to other members of this House the night before. However, it is important to note that it took the Labor opposition and the Independents dragging this government kicking and screaming to get to the point where they will deliver statements. But thank you, minister, because it is important information to debate and I am honoured to be providing a contribution.
I must make a brief comment, though, on the Dorothy Dixers in Question Time today from the CLP government that sought to lay the trail of the CLP old chestnut of an election campaign around being tough on crime. The minister lost a bit of ground there. I was sorry to see that he was deflected by an interjection. It was good to get him back on track to try to stick to the real story, the truth, and get away from the old chestnut of a CLP election campaign, tough on crime.
I was very interested and wanted to hear more from the minister about the reduction in recidivism rates for prisoners in the Northern Territory who have participated in, essentially, the new era of a corrections initiative that has been continued by the CLP government and is now called Sentenced to a Job. Essentially, they are the same experts we have both had the privilege to work with, and the same philosophy and ideology. I have always congratulated the minister and given credit where credit is due.
It is fantastic to read in this statement that from 2012 this new ideology formulated around a specific cohort of offenders in the Northern Territory, representing low-socioeconomic, disadvantaged people, worked. The majority of the cohort were imprisoned over motor traffic and alcohol offences. They were perfect to use to change the system. I congratulate you that you are now seeing those recidivism numbers start to drop below the national average. As the minister told us, the completely unacceptable figure when this process started, over 50%, is today 20%. That is a real, great outcome.
I live in town and represent the great people of Tennant Creek and the Barkly. Most of the numbers quoted in this House about Sentenced to a Job come from Tennant Creek, and that makes me proud to be part of this process. We get up in the morning in Tennant Creek and see the mobilisation of the Barkly Work Camp and all the work they do. When we go to regional events or festivals, look at the work going on in the streets, shop at our supermarkets or change a set of tyres at the tyre service. This is real. The people of Tennant Creek witness this and they thank you, minister, and acknowledge the Barkly Work Camp.
I am pleased to hear that Nhulunbuy also had the opportunity of a community-based program such as a work camp. Of course, Katherine was screaming out for one, and I encourage you to continue to work towards providing one in Katherine, particularly in partnership with the Charles Darwin University, as was all arranged under the previous Labor government with the agreements in place. However, things change when a new government and a new management take over.
It is fabulous and pleasing. I did not leak it, minister. I kept it under lock and key, but I am sending it home today as soon as I can sit down. I can send this home and get people talking about this because it is a good outcome. It shows a cohort that represents a lower-socioeconomic, disadvantaged element of our community can be treated fairly and justly. They can have honour in terms of the correctional services applied to address offending behaviour.
I go back to one of the elements of that new era in corrections we were moving down. It was bitterly attacked by the current Attorney-General and the CLP opposition. This was the driver education centre. We were building this purpose-built infrastructure on the correctional service precinct in Alice Springs to specifically address driver offending as part of the driver education program.
The driver education centre was going to look at the fundamentals of Sentenced to a Job. That is, 99% of jobs in the Northern Territory or elsewhere in the country require a driver’s licence. It is almost in every essential selection criteria you read. When you looked at a cohort of up to 60% of offenders in our correctional services facilities who had alcohol- and motor-related traffic offences, you saw this was a road to go down.
This was bitterly attacked. There was some very good politics played by the member for Port Darwin as the shadow minister for Justice. He tried to convince the Territory that I was going to give back licences and I was soft on crime. He claimed there was no accountability with this. It was a good initiative, minister.
It was a great stimulus package for the Alice Springs building industry alone. It offered an incredible opportunity to engage prisoners at Alice Springs correctional precinct to get involved in that project, like we did with building the Defence of Darwin Experience. I still tell that story.
When you have teams of eight prisoners working every day with world-class contractors delivering world-class high-tech infrastructure and they sweep the red carpet before the Governor General and the Chief Minister walk down it to open that facility, that is an outcome.
I remember two of those prisoners who were taken by that construction company to work on an expansion of a casino. I love telling that story around the camp fire, I can assure you. The driver education centre should be revisited and looked at because it will deliver very specific outcomes in an innovative way. It would allow the offenders to regain their licence and to have that tick in the box of their selection criteria. Do not forget that first stage of regaining your driver’s licence was only applicable if you were on the work site. It did not relate to recreation time. It was purely aligned to going to work and producing an outcome for your employer.
As I kept working through this statement, I picked up on the principle of justice reinvestment. The driver education centre could be tagged to this concept. It is a leading practice around the world and I encourage the minister, who has a background in law and knows what the streets are like as an ex-police officer. It is a challenge for any government, but the justice reinvestment principle is something that makes us stop the bus and really talk. We have to think and make budget appropriations that reflect this principle of the best Pillar of Justice we will ever have.
If we are not focusing on the kids before anybody commits a crime, then we are behind the game. If you look around the globe, as we were doing when we were in government, you make sure justice reinvestment is at the forefront of your policy development and budget appropriation. Really, we are behind the game.
There are some incredible opportunities to research this. The minister has already toured America quite extensively. I am sure he was aware of this and saw working models. I encourage the government to really look at the principle of justice reinvestment and where we can apply that because, once again, when talking about a cohort of socially and economically disadvantaged people, and low-level offending that escalates into terms of imprisonment, this is where justice reinvestment can seriously kick some goals. This is where we can see reductions in offender rates and in recidivism.
The minister referenced the youth advisory framework, the framework applied around the department and the minister’s work. They will back this concept, give examples of how justice reinvestment works and advise government how appropriations into justice reinvestment will reduce the financial burden of funding offenders down the track. It all makes sense but politically it is hard, particularly when you have a conservative crew like this in the cage now; they are like a caged cat in minority. There is a group around them with green sticks poking through that wire and they are flying out of the cage with tough on crime rhetoric again. It is the same old chestnut. It is difficult to have a reasonable debate, but let us have that debate. If we have this new bipartisanship, which has been forced upon one and handed to the other by an exodus of CLP members across the floor, then let us talk about it. Let us talk about where we can get some agreements to look at where justice reinvestment in Palmerston, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, or wherever, can be applied.
Let us go to the community-based youth supervision model the minister mentioned in the statement – one paragraph in 51 pages. I am interested, minister, in what that is and how that will work. I am sure you will bring that back to the House and talk about it in the future. Let us see what is happening there. Does it really engage with the principle of justice reinvestment? I am not sure. There was only one paragraph and it was a bit of a political promise. Let us see what happens there.
However, there was more substance around boot camps. Boot camps are something I am talking about all over my electorate and the other electorates I visit. I really want to challenge the idea of boot camps. People are very interested in talking about them because the minister, at his fingertips, has significant resources he can appropriate to boot camps.
I first saw boot camps on Channel 9’s A Current Affair. It has a large strike rate when you think about it over the years. Channel 9’s A Current Affair has obviously influenced many ministers in the Northern Territory who have appropriated millions and millions of taxpayers’ dollars into this new policy. I have also done some research into boot camps, and boot camps are boot camps. People in the regions are telling me, particularly Indigenous traditional owners who have access to infrastructure in regional and remote areas – some abandoned, some active, many communities wanting to be involved – that regional solutions with a justice reinvestment model will deliver far better outcomes than boot camps.
One of the reasons they say boot camps will never be truly efficient in addressing offending behaviour is that the minister takes at-risk youths out of dysfunctional environments. They are put through this program with a lot of energy and resources expended on them. Then they are brought home and placed back into that dysfunctional environment. That is a fact of life, and it is very difficult to deal with. However, the constituency tells me the missing link is that the parents and significant adults in the life of the youth at risk have not been involved. They wave goodbye and welcomed that young person back, but they take no responsibility in the middle part of that process. To me that made a lot of sense.
We have talked about a model that will engage the parents as significant adults and, as the minister talked about in his statement, the elders. You say some of these youths at risk do not fit this model so we will bang them up and send them to maximum security. We have seen what you mean with the images on television and the incidents around the correctional facilities for youth throughout the Territory. Do not be continually blinded by investment into razor wire. As a Territorian, an ex-police officer, a law enforcement officer and a family man, think about the concept of surrounding at-risk youths with sandstone escarpments. What that means is using regional infrastructure to get these kids out of town and surrounding with people of significance who will work with them, including the family.
I want to see opportunities. I would love something in the Barkly, but the minister can choose wherever he likes. He has talked briefly about Borroloola and a work camp. I strongly encourage you to take a step back. I have discussed this in Borroloola and the gulf country. Let us try to influence the minister to step back and do something in a regional context with youth. Let us look at a regional opportunity where we can engage parents and significant adults with young people at risk.
We will not need razor wire. There are plenty of sandstone escarpments. I lived at the base of the China Wall for four years. That is a perfect example on the Nicholson River Land Trust, with much of that infrastructure now abandoned. There is one very strong family still living and operating in the south of that block, which is interested in supporting this type of justice reinvestment.
That is a complete difference in priority and policy. The minister has the appropriation at his fingertips. The opposition has the opportunity to debate, but I ask, in this forum, for serious consideration. Take a step back, embrace the principles of justice reinvestment, look at either some abandoned or functional infrastructure in regional and remote areas, and start a trial. I am not talking about Mount Theo or Hamilton Downs; I am talking about something new. The difference will be in the operational procedures of engaging the significant adults, parents, extended family and elders to make the story real for these young people.
Having much experience in the correctional services area over four years, I am amazed that with increases in security, razor wire and the tough on crime rhetoric applied to these high-risk young people, they are still breaking out, assaulting people, and creating havoc for the taxpayer and the minister. Most importantly, they are causing havoc for themselves and their families. We need to look at something different.
There is a good link in the examination of what is occurring in this place, and that is Labor’s early childhood policy. Let us look at that as a policy that simply embraces the concept of justice reinvestment in an abstract way, but is also a serious attempt to shift taxpayers’ investment back down the line to look at the early childhood area. That policy aims to get things right before they go horribly wrong.
This is what we need to take on. If you are serious about it, this is where the debate will go. If you want to play politics and continually run the old chestnut and ridiculous metaphor of the Mr Whippy van from the Chief Minister, you guys will continue to go round in circles. You will need to be seriously in touch with the razor wire suppliers and fitters.
Based on this statement, there is some good evidence at the correctional services level to take this back and look at these regional solutions, work camps, employment and training. Let us go back and deconstruct that and look at the specifics like driver education and targeting specific offending behaviour. Then in the youth justice area, let us take a risk. Take that quantum leap and identify some regional areas. I will offer up the Barkly. I have had many conversations about this. I know people who will put up their hands. I know the youth justice network within the Territory will be able to manage this.
Thank you, minister, for the opportunity because it is good to talk about opportunities. It is good to challenge what needs to be challenged. It is good to give credit where credit is due. But let us face it, we are all in this together. It is about our young people. I have children and grandchildren. If we do not change the game, we will be chasing our tail.
I have not gone anywhere near talking about appropriations in Correctional Services and how much they cost the taxpayer, or how much it costs to have a prisoner banged up for a year. Let us take a risk in this new House of bipartisanship and see what the minister can do.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Deputy Chief Minister): Mr Deputy Speaker, it gives me great pleasure this afternoon to support the Pillars of Justice statement by my colleague, the Justice minister, John Elferink.
Safety is the right of every Territorian, and that is why the Country Liberals government introduced the Pillars of Justice law and order reform strategy. We are seeing real results for Territorians through strengthening our police, justice and correctional systems. Under the Country Liberals government there is a coordinated approach to driving down crime, and coordination is a very important point. We are protecting the most vulnerable in our society. The six Pillars of Justice are supporting our cross-agency commitment to ensure our justice system is both contemporary and fair.
Let us talk about pillar one, the police. It is the police who are on the front line of securing safety in every community. They are the ones risking their lives, day in, day out, to keep our community safe. As a former police officer, I cannot stress to the House just how important it is for the police to have the tools they need to effectively respond to incidents, investigate matters and keep crime down in the community.
I am pleased to say that the Country Liberals government is giving the police the tools they need through initiatives such as Alcohol Protection Orders issued to those who commit a serious crime while under the influence of grog, banning them from buying, consuming or possessing alcohol and entering licensed premises.
Much has been said about the temporary beat locations this afternoon, stationing police officers outside bottle shops to target problem drinkers who buy takeaway alcohol with the intent of consuming it in restricted areas. Before I leave that, it would be remiss of me if I did not say what enormous differences TBLs have made in my community of Katherine. When they commenced, I think on 23 December last year, within a day or it was like turning off a light switch; it was that instant. The prevalence of antisocial behaviour and alcohol-related problems, those that are so normally visible on the streets of Katherine, disappeared. I had people coming up to me saying, ‘Willem, my goodness me, you can now go to Woolies and not be harassed, spat at, sworn at, or humbugged for your trolley. You can go there and do your shopping in peace.’ It was that marked I cannot begin to tell you the positive effect it has had on our community.
There are CCTV cameras. There are soon to be 180 CCTV cameras across the Northern Territory. This expanded network is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to catch people in the act of committing a crime. It is wonderful to see CCTV installed in Katherine as well, to give the police the tools to monitor the community and make sure they have opportunities to gather evidence to investigate crimes and offences when they occur.
The latest crime statistics are testament to the fact these initiatives are working. Katherine alone has seen a 15% decrease in offences against the person in the last 12 months. Katherine also continues to experience a reduction in offences against the person with a 15% decrease compared to last year; 15% is huge. There has been a significant decrease in assault offences, which are down by 17%. These reductions are in part due to Operation Veto which saw those TBLs at takeaway liquor outlets. There has been a significant decrease in assault offences, which can clearly be attributed to this government’s establishment of the TBLs at takeaway liquor outlets.
The TBLs are an outstanding crime reduction tool and have been particularly effective in reducing alcohol-related violence and antisocial behaviour. It is through these measures that TBLs have also contributed to improving the amenity of the town. They are serving to protect the Katherine community as they are the communities of Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. By employing a high visibility, preventative approach at the town’s main takeaway grog outlets, assaults and other violent acts have been reduced, and these impressive results can be attributed to our hard-working police.
The TBLs have helped police tackle the cause of the trouble rather than just dealing with the aftermath. It is about preventing public drunkenness, which so often leads to criminal offending. I hark back to my experiences as a police officer. It was particularly noticeable in Alice Springs but also in Katherine when I worked there. In terms of prevention, I remember travelling up and down the Todd River in 602, the River Queen. The River Queen was a Toyota Landcruiser four-wheel drive fitted with sand tyres and a cage on the back. We used to drive up and down the Todd River. The Minister for Justice knows this only too well having served in Alice Springs and has no doubt experienced the River Queen many times.
We used to get in early. We are talking about preventing problems before they start. The more grog you could tip out under the old 2 km law before the trouble started, before it got dark, you knew without a shadow of a doubt that the evening shift was going to be much quieter. Subsequently, the night shift was also going to be quieter. The less grog that people consumed necessarily led to a decrease in antisocial behaviour, violent offending and, in fact, in all kinds of offending. The night shift used to be terribly grateful to the evening shift that got in early and tipped out lots of grog. That was true in Katherine. You cannot overstate the importance of these types of preventative measures being applied in everyday policing.
It is also about the protection of women and children in Katherine and other places who are too often the victims of violence that flows from alcohol abuse. This preventative approach is increasingly supported by health advocates across the Territory. Katherine and other places now have reductions in presentations at the A&E department at the hospital. St John Ambulance is far less busy now than it was before the TBLs started. This policy is having a real and marked effect on the community and behaviour around alcohol.
Unfortunately, only the opposition now remains stubbornly opposed to this highly effective tool that has helped drive assaults down Territory-wide. Members of the Territory Labor Party – including, I believe, the member for Nhulunbuy – are on record as saying the TBLs are a stupid policy. I quote:
They are wrong and the statistics prove it. The Country Liberals government is winning the war on grog but there is still more to do.
Pillar two – the courts. The courts are another extremely important pillar of justice being reformed by the Country Liberals government. We are streamlining the court system to create a more efficient and effective process. Initiatives include mandatory minimum sentencing, where serious violent offenders now face a three-month mandatory minimum gaol sentence for the first offence, or 12 months for repeat offenders; and community work orders that see serial fine defaulters who owe in excess of $10 000 and do not enter into payment arrangements with the Fines Recovery Unit possibly being sentenced to community work to repay their debt.
Mr Elferink: Wheel clamps will be out shortly.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I will pick up on the interjection. Wheel clamps will be out shortly based on legislation traversing this House, and a person who fails to comply with a community work order will be sent to a correctional centre.
We are improving court facilities. Construction of a new, state-of-the-art Supreme Court facility in Alice Springs will be completed shortly, as well as the introduction of new technology in Northern Territory courts.
Each and every one of these initiatives is reforming the Northern Territory court system, making it more effective and streamlined. Every effort to do so is extremely important. The Northern Territory’s Court of Summary Jurisdiction is an exceptionally busy place, with over 11 000 criminal files processed across the Territory in a single year. If these criminal files could be resolved and finalised with only one appearance before the court, we would still be dealing with over 40 files on any single sitting day of the Northern Territory’s Court of Summary Jurisdiction.
However, the reality is that a court file will inevitably be mentioned and adjourned a number of times before it is finally disposed of. This means that our lower courts are dealing with a very high volume of files each and every day of sittings. This obviously poses various challenges for our court system and the stakeholders appearing before it. That is why the Country Liberals government has introduced reform in the form of Swift Justice. This reform frees up the precious time of magistrates, our police, our prosecutors and legal practitioners. It will speed up any matters victims of crime and witnesses to crimes have to attend to in order for justice to be delivered.
The reforms will also reduce the inconvenience and costs for people from remote locations having to attend court in major centres. As a former police officer who served in Katherine, Alice Springs and Darwin, along with several regional and remote postings, while on the job a lot of my time was spent filling out paperwork and travelling to and waiting around in courts to be called to give evidence.
I remember my colleagues complaining bitterly on many occasions about court appearances, particularly after a nightshift, where they would sit around waiting in court only to be told to go home because they were not required. Moving through the Swift Justice reforms means fewer police officers will have to sit around waiting for court appearances only to be told to go home. That is a good thing for them and their families. It also saves money.
The other side of that is by freeing up police officers it means they can get back out on the road and do the thing they do best, and that is police our communities. The reform court system is integral to the Pillars of Justice framework and is just another example of how we are delivering for Territorians.
Pillar three is youth justice reform. We know that many repeat offenders in the Territory are young people. The Northern Territory government is committed to changing the offending behaviour of youth in the community through a raft of measures.
Firstly, early intervention youth boot camps for those at risk of entering the youth justice system will address their at-risk behaviour. The youth justice strategy framework will guide and coordinate a comprehensive response to youth justice issues to reduce offending and reoffending by young people.
Pillars of Justice is a comprehensive package of work specifically formulated and focused on our youth, recidivists and victims of crime. It offers solutions that are embraced by a community fed up with people who break the law.
This Country Liberals government’s comprehensive criminal law reform strategy stretches beyond arrest to beyond parole. It is wide-ranging, solutions-based and, most importantly, it has tangible targets. We are seeing tangible results.
The underlying basis for this pillar is the development of the Youth Justice Framework 2015-2020. The framework will provide for a coordinated and comprehensive cross-agency and non-government organisation response for youth justice issues, with coordinated program and service delivery to young people at risk of entering, and those already in, the youth justice system. If we can stop people offending from a young age, their life-path will be entirely different. It is our responsibility to help them.
Pillar four – correctional services. The Country Liberal government is also committed to changing the offending behaviour of prisoners through programs, training, education and employment to reduce the Northern Territory’s high reoffending rate.
Electronic monitoring provides real-time information of an offender’s movements, location and compliance with curfew conditions, enabling a timely response to defiant behaviour.
Sentenced to a Job – what a wonderful initiative that is. It is a prisoner employment program that gives prisoners the skills they need to be job-ready upon release. Education and employment are the keys to driving down reoffending rates. This program is already delivering a reduction in the recidivism rate, as the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice has pointed out.
Work gangs – offenders are giving back to the community by undertaking work for community groups and non-profit organisations that would not otherwise have been completed due to a lack of funds or capacity. In that light, my Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries supports the Sentenced to a Job program through secondment of prisoners at the Arid Zone Research Institute, or AZRI. Up to three inmates work at AZRI on rotation at any one time, where they do horticultural jobs on the farm to gain training and learn valuable new skills. The work can vary from general maintenance or yard building, right through to mustering. It gives inmates the skills to be job-ready once they leave prison.
I reiterate the statistics given by the Minister for Justice: recidivism rates for prisoners who were, or are, involved in this program is below 20%. That is in stark contrast to recidivism rates for prisoners released during 2011-12. A total of 51.7% of these prisoners returned to prison within two years. By skilling people for the future we are reducing their rates of recidivism and giving them a shot at a successful future.
Pillar five – the victims. This pillar is at the heart of everything we do, keeping Territorians safe. It cannot be underestimated how important it is that victims of crime are protected and supported. The Domestic and Family Violence Reduction Strategy is a comprehensive strategy to address, reduce and prevent the unacceptably high level of domestic and family violence in the Northern Territory.
Keeping serious sex offenders locked up – serious sex offenders who pose a high risk to the community will now continue to be locked up or monitored indefinitely. But this is not a talk fest. The program is underpinned by funding of $1m per financial year. The Northern Territory government is working in partnership with Victims of Crime NT to ensure this program is as effective as it possibly can be. A key element of this pillar is the Northern Territory Domestic and Family Violence Reduction Strategy 2014-17.
Safety is Everyone’s Right is a whole-of-government initiative, which means all agencies are working together with a common goal. Lead agencies implementing the strategy are the Northern Territory Departments of the Attorney-General and Justice, and Local Government and Community Services, and Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services. I am proud to be part of a government that is leading this important reform to give victims all the assistance and support they require.
Pillar six, statute reform, supports pillars one to five. It is the driver, ensuring the Northern Territory criminal justice legislation is robust, targeted, integrated and contemporary to meet the expectations of the community. Key initiatives within the pillar include: reforming the Police Administration Act to modernise the legislation with a series of key reform areas, including a proposal to amend police powers to strengthen responses to summary offences; reforming the Summary Offences Act to modernise the legislation and reflect appropriate maximum penalties for certain offences; reforming the Bail Act; reforming the NT Criminal Code Act including the amendments for female genital mutilation, identity theft, destruction of child abuse material and the ordering of medical and psychiatric testing in court proceedings; reviewing the Victims of Crime Assistance Act to ensure targeted support to victims of crime; introducing the serious sex offender legislation …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! I seek an extension of time for the member, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: … to enhance protection and safety of victims of serious sex offenders and the general community by allowing for the continued detention or supervised release of offenders who pose a serious threat to the community; repealing and replacing the Prisons (Correctional Services) Act with the Correctional Services Act 2014 to allow for contemporary management of prisoners in correctional centres and offenders on community-based orders, including the use of electronic monitoring in the Northern Territory.
The Country Liberal government’s comprehensive criminal law reform strategy is solutions-based. It has tangible targets, all sadly lacking from the prior government’s lack of attention to detail and mismanagement of law and order issues and, most certainly, their soft approach to crime.
This comprehensive package of work includes policies specifically formulated and focused on our youth, recidivists and victims of crime. It offers solutions to what are decades-old problems. Only the Country Liberals government is committed to growing a suite of measures to keep Territorians safe at home, at work and around the community.
The solutions that have been offered up by this government are working. I speak to many people around my community of Katherine. Over the years I have been the local member – a bit over seven – people have lamented to me a number of times that there is no solution for the antisocial problems and drunken behaviour problems we have experienced in Katherine for decades. But now we are seeing a change, a paradigm shift. The ground has moved in Katherine because of the policy of this government.
I point out one stark example of how the policies of this government are working, which is the TBLs. Yes, they are expensive and, yes, we are looking at how to make them financially less imposing as we move to a sustainable model for running them. These have made the greatest impact on my community that people can recall. There is no doubt in my mind.
I earlier said that Pillars of Justice is a coordinated approach. I hark back to a couple of years ago, probably early 2013, when Pillars of Justice became a reality. I remember what the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice said. I will paraphrase, but you will get the point. He said to the Chief Minister, ‘I want to take on all of the responsibilities for the Pillars of Justice. I want to have oversight, because I truly believe I can provide a coordinated approach, which is so sorely and desperately needed, in order to make the criminal justice system in the Northern Territory work.’
What we see today is that all coming to fruition. I thank the Chief Minister for giving the Minister for Justice the imprimatur to go ahead and do that. It was cross-agency. It was not necessarily normal for a minister to take responsibility for what goes on in another minister’s portfolio. But on this occasion, under these circumstances and with the Pillars of Justice, it has worked. The Minister for Justice should be highly commended not only by my colleagues on this side of the House but the entire Northern Territory parliament for how well this is rolling into the Northern Territory community. It is making an enormous difference. I am proud to be part of the government that has made such a difference to the lives of Territorians over the course of the last three-and-a-bit years since we have been in power.
I thank the Minister for Justice for bringing this statement to the House and the opportunity to make comments on it.
Mrs PRICE (Local Government and Community Services): Mr Deputy Speaker, I speak on the Pillars of Justice strategy in making the Northern Territory a safer and more pleasant place to live, where justice serves the interests of all Territorians. The sad thing is, the great majority of the victims of violent crime are my people: Aboriginal people.
These are my relatives I speak about. They are people who need support. They are crying out to get support from whoever listens to them, whoever is willing to take on the sorrow and hardship my people carry. They want help. They have needed help for years.
The principal aim of the strategy is to deliver, strengthen and coordinate responses to target repeat offending, the rehabilitation of offenders, violent offending and alcohol-related crime and community safety. The strategy focuses on all aspects of the criminal justice system, from early intervention and diversion through to release on parole and continued care under four pillars.
As the Minister for Women’s Policy I am pleased this government has taken an integrated response to tackling domestic violence, with great success. In accordance with that policy framework, Safety Is Everyone’s Right is a key strategy. The Northern Territory Police have taken the lead on the development, implementation and ownership of Community Safety Action Plans across the Territory. I was at one of those meetings in Nyirripi, where the whole community came together and put their trust in me and the policeman there. I spoke about how they could best work to prevent all these issues our people, my people, have to deal with every day. It was a good meeting and had a great outcome.
This is what this government wants to see in these communities. We can all work together to prevent all these issues that have been there from day one for my people. These people who I have to deal with when I go back home or when I am here or wherever – just a phone call away. Someone ringing me to tell me someone has been beaten up, someone is in hospital because of illnesses created by alcoholism, or some of my relatives have been taken into custody – this is an everyday thing for me. I do not go home and close the door. These problems are there every day for me. I am surrounded by my family who keep wanting help. That is why we are here.
The plan is focusing on four key goals: mutual respect and working partnerships; reducing domestic and family violence; reducing substance abuse; and improving community amenity. Forty-nine action plans are currently in operation. These help my people. The Public Safety Division created them with the Northern Territory Police to ensure an integrated community engagement focus on key programs has been successful and welcomed throughout the Northern Territory.
Pillar two is court law reform. The new Correctional Services Act implemented a home detention scheme that allows the Commissioner of Correctional Services to manage a qualifying offender through home detention. Prisoners on this scheme are subjected to electronic monitoring and are required to support themselves and, therefore, it is highly likely they will be involved in the Sentenced to a Job program. A range of supported accommodation options for prisoners on this scheme are also being implemented. Through the Sentenced to a Job program the reduced figure to less than 20% recidivism is evidence of the Sentenced to a Job program being a success. I know many confident and happy people from my electorate who have come through this program. It has given them a sense of worth.
Pillar three is Youth Justice Reform. Early intervention of youth crime is essential, and if you talk to anyone in Central Australia they will know of a young person who may be at risk. The Youth Justice Framework 2015-2020 is focused on supporting our youth, with early prevention being the key focus. Our election commitment of a Youth Turn initiative, introducing boot camps, is exactly what my people have been telling us will work. This government has listened, and I commend the Attorney-General for doing so. We will not give up on our youth, particularly now that we have the added stimulus and influence of ice leaking into our communities.
The Pillars of Justice looks at a whole approach rather than a fragmented one, as we know the importance of an integrated approach to reducing criminal activity. There are many circumstances that result in a person ending up behind bars.
Pillar five is victims first. As the Minister for Women’s Policy I am pleased to join the Attorney-General in leading the Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy, aligning with the directives and priority areas of action in the Framing the Future blueprint and the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-22. It builds on international best practice principles to address domestic violence. The five areas for action to produce change are: prevention; early intervention; safety for victims; rebuilding the lives of victims and survivors; and accountability and positive change for perpetrators.
I commend and support the Attorney-General for his great work in developing the Pillars of Justice framework. We have only just begun.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Mr Deputy Speaker, I have listened carefully to what many speakers had to say and am heartened by much of what I have heard. The speech I am probably most critical of is the shadow Attorney-General’s. I do not want to make this a Labor-bashing exercise, but it is very difficult not to in some respects. Basically what we heard from the shadow Attorney-General was that what we have done with Don Dale is wrong. Don Dale, even in its current manifestation, is not ideal but is affordable.
The solution the shadow Attorney-General offers us is a somewhere between $100m and $150m correctional institution aimed at juveniles, of which we have about 40 in custody at any given time, of which 30 of those 40 are in remand. So it is not possible to bring programs to kids we often will not have in custody for more than a few days or weeks. There is not much intervention you can bring to bear on somebody who is in the remand environment. We only have about 10 sentenced youth in our custodial environment in the Northern Territory and some of those sentenced youths are in the Alice Springs area, which means we have somewhere between 20 and 25 in the current Don Dale environment, which is the old Berrimah gaol.
The current Don Dale environment is 10 times better than the old Don Dale. The old Don Dale, in my opinion, was very poor and there were a number of shortcomings with it. One was that it was built for one gender only and we were housing two genders in it. The other thing was it had wooden panelling in what was then the female section, where a fluorescent light short-circuited shortly after I became the minister for Corrections. It damn near set fire to the whole place. There was a very large black scorch mark, and if it had not been for the quick thinking of some of the staff, that building may well have killed its occupants in what could have been an horrendous fire.
When the new gaol became available, I spoke to the Commissioner for Corrections and he suggested to me a good solution would be to spend $800 000 on the old maximum security section and turn it into a juvenile detention system. I agreed with him and we got that done. There was a second component that concerned me, which is why I sought the Vita review. The Children’s Commissioner, then Howard Bath, would do a review, which has been continued by the current Children’s Commissioner. It has exposed many of the issues I was concerned about, which led to the Vita review being sought. I am glad the then Children’s Commissioner, Howard Bath, gave evidence and assisted Vita in his review.
There were still problems which Vita correctly identified, which were attended to in his 16 recommendations. Some of those issues could not be fixed immediately, one of which was the quality of training of the youth justice officers in Don Dale. It was partially that training problem – which was not the fault of the youth justice officers, I hasten to add – which led to the breakouts we saw.
I spoke to the Commissioner for Corrections and asked him to place, as a matter of policy, prison officers in the old J Block area, the old maximum security section. Since that time the structure has settled the environment nicely. We have continued to use prison officers in that environment because it places structure around the inmates which they so desperately need.
We have that structure in place and we are now making certain the quality of training required by those officers is being received by those officers, with a view to making sure the whole system settles down. I visited Don Dale recently and I am pleased report to the House that the overall atmosphere of the place seems to have calmed with the introduction of greater rigour. This is not something I do happily. I would rather there were no kids in gaol at all, but we unfortunately must.
I pick up on the notions of the shadow Attorney-General, who has just spent $150m building a new juvenile detention facility, about her complaints that police officers are not using all the skills they are trained for because they are standing on TBLs. The shadow Attorney General shows her naivety in this place. What skills would she prefer the police officers to use? The skills where they are trained to use capsicum spray? I would prefer they did not use those skills. They must be trained, but I do not want them to use those skills. I would rather place them in a situation where they avoid using those skills.
Police officers are also trained to use batons. Would it be the case that the shadow Attorney-General would prefer to fine police officers in circumstances where they were using their batons training, the training on handcuffs and other forms of restraint, the training with Tasers or perhaps firearms? All of these are the sorts of training that police officers receive. They are highly-trained people; that is correct. But I would rather place them in an environment where they never have to rely on any of those forms of training at all. I would rather have them in an environment where they do not even have to use their investigative skills. Why? Because they are able to head the problem off at the pass.
I listened very carefully to the example she used of the police officer who had moved from Elcho Island to Alice Springs. This highly-trained officer was being used to work at a bottle shop. I understand the argument, but this is the other thing that many people do not understand about police work: whilst the popular press would have you believe that a police officer’s work is all frills, beers and skittles, in actual fact it is mundane, methodical and often just downright boring. I am sure the member for Katherine will recall what front counters on a midnight shift were like.
Mr Westra van Holthe: Only too well.
Mr ELFERINK: They were an exercise in tedium beyond imagination. Many other duties that police officers fulfil are tedious. But the fact is, as the member for Sanderson so rightly pointed out, on the shoulder flash of the police officer’s uniform is the motto, the vision statement of the department, To Serve and Protect. This means you have to do mundane, boring things as part of your job as a police officer. Is it fun? No, it is not, but it is necessary. We do what is necessary rather than what is fun in an effort to protect the people of the Northern Territory.
I do not want police officers to use all the things we train them for because it means they will be using their batons, capsicum spray, Tasers and firearms. This is about creating an environment which is safer from the get go.
To hear the member for Barkly being critical, or joining with the shadow Attorney-General in his criticism after a fall of crime rates by 58% in his own community, is incomprehensible. However, I pause briefly to thank the member for Barkly. One of the great things I enjoy about the member for Barkly is that he resurrects the old notion that success has 1000 fathers and failure is an orphan. Every time the member for Barkly comes here and says, ‘We were doing Sentenced to a Job in the first place. It is a rebadge of a thing we were going to do.’ I have one question for him: why were you so excruciatingly timid about it? Was there three, maybe four, people on some work release program you did not want to tell anybody about because you were very nervous about it? You should have been juiced up and gassed up, and ready to go, if you believed in what you were doing.
That is what separates members on this side of the House from that side of the House. All the other complaints aside, the government of the Northern Territory is right now prepared to take risks, go out and do stuff, and push through even unpopular things, because that is the hallmark of a government that is prepared to do things and take risks. The Giles government does it.
The former Labor government was not prepared to sell TIO despite the fact that Syd Stirling said to Cabinet, ‘You must do this. The pig is ripe, it is right for market. We have to go and sell this thing.’ Cabinet could not bring themselves to do it. This government did. Was it popular? Hell, no. Was it necessary? Hell, yes. That is the fundamental difference. As I look across the Chamber now I ask myself who would be capable of driving something like Pillars of Justice on that side of the House? Who could say, ‘I am going to push on with policies that are sometimes controversial, such as paperless arrests’? I am fully cognizant of the controversy that surrounds it. I think it is unfortunate and unwarranted for all of the arguments I have repeatedly put into the public domain, but nevertheless, we press on because Mitchell Street is safer now than it has been for a long time.
When was the last time you opened a newspaper and read a story about a serious assault in Mitchell Street? One might happen tonight, I acknowledge that, but police officers are armed with the power of arrest that they are prepared to use start to take control back of the streets. This was always the intention of this government. The former police officers who form part of this government get that. They have understood that principle from the get go. That is why I suspect I had so little trouble getting this through Cabinet. They understood the importance of taking control. That is something we as a government have been aiming to achieve through these processes. I would rather see paperless arrests not being used because people live in a civil society.
The other point is that whilst we keep talking about Aboriginal people in the custodial environment, you must understand the great unmentioned truth which the member for Stuart got entirely right. The sad unmentioned truth is that the victims of so many of those Aboriginal offenders are often Aboriginal people themselves. Yet we barely mention that great truth. We barely say we are going to protect Aboriginal Territorians in the same way we would protect anybody simply because they are a Territorian.
An Aboriginal person’s right to the protection of the law is not diminished, or should not be diminished, on the grounds that the offender is an Aboriginal person. I do not like that Aboriginal people are overrepresented in our courts and incarceration system. I am well on the record expressing why I feel that is a problem, based particularly on how passive welfare works in the community. I have always maintained we should not be so focused on Aboriginality necessarily. We should be more focused on getting people to be responsible for themselves.
This is why I respectfully disagree with the Coroner of the Northern Territory over the death of the gentleman who died in custody. He did not die because he was in custody. There is no evidence I read in that coronial report to suggest that. He died because he was not getting the medical treatment he came to Darwin to receive. He would have just as likely died in that park that night, or in a gutter nearby, anyhow. The coroner says it was his right to die a free man. He would have been liable to be arrested under the summary offences, in any instance.
The other component is our need to clean up our streets of drinkers, because when those drinkers do what they do, when they relieve themselves, they do not do it in public toilets. They do it in the same shared spaces we all visit, including Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Territorians. We do need to enforce things like the Summary Offences Act, otherwise why have one? Why bother having one if you do not feel it should be policed?
I am afraid that, from time to time, the mere issue of an infringement notice is not sufficient to meet the expectations of the public in terms of making our streets safe. I could go on for some time. The truth of the matter is that we have worked very hard as a government to attend to a number of issues in the Northern Territory. We have done it in novel ways. We have used mandatory alcohol treatment, Alcohol Protection Orders, temporary beat locations, paperless arrests and have just restructured how the summary courts will work. There will have to be pre-trial disclosures in that environment and a number of changes across the criminal justice system involving police, the courts and the corrections environment to protect Territorians.
We are now protecting victims of domestic violence more effectively than we ever have done before. Anecdotally I am hearing that, for the first time, there are occasionally free beds in refuges. That is great news and we will continue to fight to protect Territorians.
I am terrified of the Labor Party forming government and giving us a Territory that does not have Alcohol Protection Orders, effective power of arrest, TBLs, a decent domestic violence system or any number of effective on-the-street immediate responses. What they will have is a Banned Drinker Register and that will be it. They will then be swamped by a tsunami of criminal behaviour. That is unacceptable. Labor’s approach will be to remain soft on crime and the group hug will fix everything.
Not once tonight have I genuinely heard members opposite saying, ‘We’ve got to make the people who should be held accountable responsible for their actions’. This is precisely what we on this side of the House do. They will go into the public domain and say, ‘We need a group hug. Everybody gets a cuddle and good intentions will fix this.’ No, they will not.
What I am afraid of in Labor policy is that the offenders will be treated as victims and the real victims will be simply discounted as a nuisance. That would be a very poor outcome because it will not be fair. For a party that is supposedly the champions of justice, it will lead to very unjust outcomes for Territorians.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
LEAVE TO MOVE MOTION
Amend Reference to Public Accounts Committee
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to move a motion without notice to amend the reference to the Public Accounts Committee regarding the funding of rugby league facilities.
The Public Accounts Committee sat today to discuss how it would run its inquiry into the funding of rugby league facilities, as approved by the Assembly. The issue that concerned us was that we only had the words, ‘the hearings would be public’, with no option for anyone appearing before that committee to, if they wished, deal with the matters they wanted to talk to the Public Accounts Committee about in a private session when dealing with confidential matters. It is normally standard in a committee, but it was not in this committee. Otherwise, everything is heard publicly.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Mr Deputy Speaker, he is seeking leave. The way to deal with this is to suspend standing orders. There is a dissenting voice so, no, he does not get leave. He will now have to move a substantive motion to suspend standing orders.
Leave not granted.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent this Assembly moving a motion to amend the reference to the Public Accounts Committee regarding the funding of rugby league facilities.
The simple fact is this is not a difficult or controversial issue, but it was raised today in the Public Accounts Committee meeting. The Assembly’s reference says everyone who talks to the Public Accounts Committee in relation to the funding of rugby league facilities would, by the motion, not be able to talk to the committee in a private session, including matters of a confidential nature. If that is not there, everything that is said will be …
Mr Giles: What about transparency?
Mr WOOD: Wait until I finish. The motion would have the following words added to it. After ‘the hearings would be public’, we would add, ‘unless the committee agrees to a request from the witness to go into a private session to deal with a matter of a confidential nature’. We are saying it should be public. At Senate inquiries there is normally something that allows for a person to ask the committee – it does not mean they will get it – that their statement be heard in private. There may be some matters they feel are confidential. It is adding something to it which perhaps should have been put there in the first place.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Mr Deputy Speaker, the government will not oppose the motion, but this highlights an issue we have to remind ourselves of, as members of this House.
They have all embraced, with great enthusiasm on the benches opposite, minority government and thought. ‘This will be great. We have a great opportunity to stick it to government.’ With opportunity comes responsibility, and the responsibility we have as parliamentarians, now the power shift has moved from government to this House, is to get stuff right.
We had a suspension of standing orders by the member for Nelson in the not so distant past, which had to be amended on the floor of the House because we did not get it right. This is the second motion the member for Nelson has brought before this House which must be amended. If we came into this House and sought to do something in camera, we would be accused by the members opposite with, ‘What do you have to hide?’
The fact is sometimes you need to do stuff in camera. You cannot conduct a government completely in the open world. If we tried to do that as a government, the allegation would come from the members opposite that we are somehow corrupt and have something to hide. No, we do not; we govern with the best interests of Territorians at heart. We see the member for Nelson realising that point and bringing it in here, and I am grateful he has done that. It needs to be fixed because what would happen in the Public Accounts Committee while it looks at this issue is every answer will be, ‘Sorry, that is commercial in confidence’.
I imagine the Public Accounts Committee will want to speak to individual rugby clubs and will talk about their financial situations. I imagine you will talk to government departments or whatever bodies relate to the expression of interests for the proposed rectangular stadium at Richardson Park. All of that would not be spoken about in the public domain nor would you expect it to be. So, under the terms of the original motion this House passed, the answers that the Public Accounts Committee will get nine times out 10 will be, ‘Sorry, cannot talk about it, commercial-in-confidence. Sorry, cannot talk about it because we do not want to talk about our club’s financial condition in the public domain.’
The resonating message here is that if members in this parliament want to take on the duties and responsibilities of holding the government to account in a minority situation, then they will have to be a hell of a lot more careful and thoughtful about what they do. It is no longer just a case of throwing rocks at the government. The motions passed in this place carry weight and have gravity. Those motions, as a consequence, have to be much more carefully considered. To have two repair jobs in two motions indicates we are not being careful enough.
I will be frank with this House. I thought when I saw the original motion, ‘Oh, there will be problems with this’, and I let it go. I am surprised it has come back this quickly, but it has come back quickly. Guys, you have us on the ropes. You have us in that position where we are the minority government. That is cool. But the power you have now wrested through that process places a responsibility on your shoulders as parliamentarians to make sure you do your jobs correctly.
I understand what the member for Nelson is asking for. I do not think there is any reason why government would resist it. Nevertheless, it is demonstrative of the issue that as parliamentarians we have a duty to the people of the Northern Territory to make sure what we do is right the first time.
Ms FYLES (Nightcliff): Mr Deputy Speaker, speaking to the motion before the House, as a whole parliament we passed this motion in the last sittings to look into the matter of $20m of taxpayers’ money being spent on a sporting facility. That motion was passed, as I remember quite clearly, unanimously. Those opposite us supported that motion. For the Leader of Government Business to tell us we need to be ‘a hell of a lot more careful’, is peculiar. You passed that motion, Leader of Government Business.
We had a motion that was put before the Assembly at the last sittings, and unanimously – both sides, everyone in this parliament – agreed to. The Minister for Sport and Recreation at the time made some changes to that motion on the floor, which the member who put the motion agreed to. We, as a Public Accounts Committee, have quickly and actively taken on that issue. At our meeting today, without getting into details, it was discussed that because the motion read ‘for open hearings’, if anyone requested to provide us with information they thought would be important, they would not be able to do that at a closed hearing.
This is a simple step. As the member for Nelson has explained, he has done the right thing; he spoke to the government Whip. Yet those opposite are jumping up and down and carrying on as if we are doing something wrong. He has followed procedure. It is a simple request, and the Leader of Government Business could have been more pleasant about it.
I remind him that he passed the original motion. So if we need to be more careful, that onus is on him, too. He is now claiming he thought at the time that it would come up.
We support the suspension of standing orders so the Public Accounts Committee can fully investigate $20m of Territory taxpayers’ money going to something we have already had a number of debates about. A number of questions have been raised. This is the role of the Public Accounts Committee, and the opposition supports the suspension of standing orders.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Mr Deputy Speaker, I will not be opposing what Gerry is trying to do, but I will make one point to the member for Nightcliff. If you cannot get a motion right, how can you be an alternative government?
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I accept that we would not be here if that motion had those words. That is fair enough. Who has not stuffed up in this place by saying the wrong thing occasionally, or doing the wrong thing? The minister used the example of the suspension of standing orders motion last month, and the member for Katherine said I was hypocritical about it. The funny thing is it was raised because two applications were in the paper on the Friday before, which made it imperative we do something at that time. That was the only reason. I rarely bring urgency motions into this place. I do not like the idea of urgency motions. In that case, I had a good reason to do it.
Even though the minister can say I made an error, I do not believe so. The motions put forward by this side of parliament do not have to be accepted by the government. Whether there was a hospital there or a cow paddock, you could have said, ‘We might support some of it, but we will not support that’.
Relatively speaking, it did not make any difference. It was an issue that had to be brought before this parliament quickly. There were things happening I wanted the government to put a halt to. I had to do it quickly. I do not want to bring these things to parliament. If I made an error, I am willing to accept that, but this is not an error that will make a huge difference. It is something that can be fixed.
I bring it back to this parliament to improve the motion this House unanimously agreed to. No one said, ‘I will move an amendment to that’. The member for Port Darwin said he saw it but he did not say anything. Is that not doing something by omission? Why did he not move an amendment to say, ‘Member for Nelson, I think you need to put in this’?
When I come back to amend it, I get into trouble for not getting it right. As the minister said, you need to get the stuff right. I agree with him. I will try to do better the next time. I do think, though, that when the minister said, ‘I was concerned about that’, and then did nothing about it, says it all.
It is not a big deal. It just makes the affairs of the Public Accounts Committee, in relation to this issue, fairer for all those concerned who wish to put in a submission to the PAC. I hope people support this motion to suspend standing orders.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly’s reference to the Public Accounts Committee regarding the funding of rugby league facilities in Darwin, agreed to on 26 August 2015, be amended by inserting after the words ‘the hearing would be in public’, the words, ‘unless the committee agrees to a request from the witness to go into a private session to deal with a matter of a confidential nature’.
Motion agreed to.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I table the Ombudsman NT report, Let There be Light. This report highlights a number of issues relating to the repair of damaged electricity meters in the Wadeye community, particularly how the Department of Housing and the Power and Water Corporation dealt with the repairs and maintenance of damaged electricity meters in Wadeye between June and December 2013.
Wadeye had been troubled by unrest and conflict for many years. In late 2013 a large amount of criminal damage occurred to electrical meters and housing. Without doubt, the level of conflict in communities affected the ability of government to arrange and conduct repairs of the damaged meters. The Ombudsman’s report acknowledges the difficult circumstances that both agencies faced in Wadeye during the time. However, the report found that both the Department of Housing and the Power and Water Corporation had areas they needed to address insofar as the repairs and maintenance of damaged electricity meters were concerned. In particular, the Ombudsman found that there were gaps in both agencies’ policies and procedures in relation to electricity meters. For some tenants there appeared to be unreasonable delays in repairs to those meters and there was poor communication with the affected tenants.
In response, the delegated officers of both the Power and Water Corporation and the Department of Housing are meeting on an ongoing basis and have completed the following actions: the establishment of a Power and Water policy for damaged meters; establishment of a Department of Housing policy for damaged meters; and development of a policy implementation plan which includes communication with staff and tenants. The new policies now address obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act, including acknowledging a damaged power meter as an emergency repair and committing to time frames for restoration consistent with the RTA.
Agreement on the responsibility for cost recovery has already been reached and incorporated into policy terms. The two agencies have established a monthly meeting to improve the provision of information between the two agencies and progress issues. The production of a draft meter damage report has been achieved, and specifically constructed security-grade barriers and cages have been built and installed by the Department of Housing to protect the electricity meters and boards in Wadeye.
I am pleased to advise that the Power and Water Corporation and the Department of Housing have responded quickly to enact all recommendations of the Ombudsman. I understand the Power and Water Corporation is currently working on updating its customer charter and customer contacts, and is set to finalise its procedure for dealing with damaged electricity meters.
During a reoccurrence of the widespread criminal damage to housing in late 2014, both agencies were much more responsive in addressing the restoration of services to the community. The total cost to repair public housing from late 2014 criminal damage events was over $1m.
The Northern Territory government has also undertaken a range of actions to improve social and economic conditions in Wadeye. We have already implemented the following initiatives in Wadeye after consulting with community leaders: establishment of a regional director position base in Wadeye; and establishment of an annual grant program of $200 000 per annum for three years for sporting and community activities, known as the Wadeye Community Activity Grants Program.
An important element of the regional director’s role is that of relationship building to ensure optimal whole-of-government coordination. To this end, strong and positive relationships have been developed with a range of Northern Territory government agencies, including police, Correctional Services and Health.
The regional director meets most days with the Northern Territory police officer in charge. There has been a pleasing downward trend in crime statistics. The regional director has spent considerable time familiarising himself with the local social, economic and cultural situations, and meeting with Wadeye family groups, clans and gangs, and has achieved general community acceptance of him in this role. The director has begun assisting with a range of community activities that are detailed later.
Three projects have received funding in this financial year under the Wadeye Community Activity Grants Program, and they are working extremely well.
A new police precinct comprising a police station, court and police housing is to be built with completion expected to be mid-2017, at a cost of around $28m. We want local people working in that area. We are investing in sports and recreation, driver licensing and women’s programs throughout the fold. We are seeing a fantastic change through community engagement with the local community.
Many of the local Aboriginal leaders have been working together in forming local groups, particularly supporting some of the men through the engagement of ceremonial groups. This is making a valuable change within the community, empowering local young Aboriginal men in the community of Wadeye.
The Northern Territory government is committed to working in partnership with the Wadeye community to ensure it reaches its full potential, both economically and socially. The Ombudsman’s report, and the response by the Power and Water Corporation and the Department of Housing, show the cross-agency commitment to Wadeye.
I am pleased to advise the Ombudsman has written to the Power and Water Corporation and the Department of Housing to advise he is satisfied with the action taken to date.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I table nine travel reports from the members for Greatorex, Johnston, Wanguri, Arnhem, Namatjira, Arafura, Fong Lim and Goyder, pursuant to paragraph 4.12 of the Remuneration Tribunal Determination.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, I wish to talk about the NT Training Awards, which were held on Saturday 29 August. It was a fantastic event attended by in excess of 500 people. It was truly amazing.
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of some very fine members of our East African community, who are now living in Darwin, Northern Territory. Welcome to Parliament House and thank you for taking the time to come here today to view parliament.
Mr STYLES: I, too, welcome the delegation of our East African community leaders. It is great to see them in parliament and see the work they do in their community, bringing together their fellow East Africans and integrating into our fantastic multicultural community in the Northern Territory, especially Darwin. Thank you for your efforts.
This year marked the 60th year of the Northern Territory Training Awards, and provided an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the history of training and workforce development in the Northern Territory over the past 60 years. The awards recognised and rewarded the outstanding efforts of Territorians involved in vocational education and training, and provided an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate hard work, dedication and personal and organised achievements.
The 2015 awards attracted a record 89 nominations across 11 categories, and 36 of the Northern Territory’s top apprentices, trainees, vocational students, trainers, employers and registered training organisations were named as finalists. The winners of the 2015 awards were announced at the gala ball in Darwin on 29 August 2015. It was a resounding success and included tributes to many individuals by acknowledging their achievements and contributions to the VET sector over the last 60 years in the Northern Territory.
Over 500 family members, friends, employers, trainers and industry representatives attended the gala ball to support the finalists. Getting into the finals of these awards deserves recognition. It is a fantastic achievement by these people and the winners of these 11 categories deserve a special mention. They include the trainee of the year, Michael Perez; the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student of the year, Philadelphia Hughes; the vocational student of the year, Karen Rose; the school-based apprentice or trainee of the year, Raymond Fordimail; the VET in schools student of the year, Georgia Lowery from Taminmin College; the VET teacher and trainer of the year, Matthew Deveraux, also from Taminmin College; the employer of the year, Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation; the small business employer of the year, HIQA Geotechnical; the training provider of the year, Charles Darwin University; and the industry collaboration award, won by Motor Trades Association NT in collaboration with the Department of Correctional Services and the Centre for Appropriate Technology. Finally, the winner of the Austin Asche Apprentice of the Year was Taylor Fishlock. What a wonderful achievement by that person from Katherine.
The Apprentice of the Year is a hotly contested award, presented to an apprentice who has demonstrated outstanding achievement throughout their apprenticeship. This year’s winner, Taylor Fishlock, demonstrated exceptional commitment in her electrical apprenticeship with her Katherine-based employers M&K Lee Electrical Contractors. Taylor’s dedication to her studies also resulted in her winning the NECA Australian Electrical Apprentice of the Year, notably being the first woman to win the NECA Australian industrial award. She intends to continue her studies and focus on the small business skills sector, with the aim of opening her own electrical contracting business in the future. She hopes to one day employ her own apprentices to give back to her community the same opportunity she was given. Taylor and the winners of the other nine NT Training Awards categories will compete with other states and Territories at the 2015 Australian Training Awards in Hobart in November, taking their rightful place among Australia’s best vocational education and training participants and practitioners.
Participation in these national awards provides an opportunity for the winners to be nationally recognised as leaders in their field of study, training or work; develop networks within the Australian business sector; build new career opportunities; and be ambassadors for the national VET sector. The Northern Territory representatives will represent the success that is possible through the Vocational Education and Training sector in the Northern Territory, demonstrate their achievements, share their stories about training and step into the role of encouraging others to take up the challenge of training.
I wish all of the NT representatives the best for these awards and hope to hear more stories of their success.
I also recognise and thank the staff at Group Training NT for coordinating the 2015 NT Training Awards, including Wendi Masters, Dianne Fong, Sara-Jane Royle, Kaara Tweedy, Gwenda Hayes, Nichole Hamood, Leanne Campbell and Stella Parisi.
I give special recognition to Katie Connolly and Cathy Preddy, without whom the outstanding event would not have been the success it was. Katie and Cathy provided ongoing support to the finalists throughout the process, and you could see the warmth of the relationships that had developed. Their passion and enthusiasm were obvious and I thank them for all of their efforts.
Mr Deputy Speaker, once again, I congratulate all the finalists and winners of the NT Training Awards and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, on behalf of the Labor Party, I mark tonight the occasion of the retirement of Ernie Wanka. Ernie is a public servant, well known to all of us here and many Territorians. He has served numerous governments without fear or favour. He has done so with all the attributes of a true professional. Ernie is a doer, and his achievements in building and growing the Territory are significant. He is a farsighted thinker and, perhaps more importantly, Ernie Wanka is a great bloke. He is a bit of a larrikin and has a great turn of phrase. He featured in a few Bushranger stories in his journey, as well.
He will be missed. Good luck, Ernie and Sandra. Enjoy your retirement.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I pay tribute to a true Territory character and legend, Mr Noel Fullerton, king of camels and pioneer of the tourism industry, who passed away on 6 September in Quorn, South Australia.
Noel arrived in Alice Springs in the early 1960s, driving trucks. He used to do the Alice to Darwin run in a B model Mack which did 35 mph, taking a week one way. In fact, the AEC road train that is displayed at the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in Alice Springs was found by Noel in 1973 rotting in the Top End bush. He got it back to Alice and made sure the government restored the truck for display.
Noel is known for his work with camels. He learnt much from the old camel men, Sallay Mahomet, Roy Morgan, Gool Mahamot and Arthur Liddle. His skill, knowledge, affinity with and ability to quieten a wild camel, or one damaged by people, is legendary.
Noel started the Lions Alice Springs Camel Cup in 1970 when he challenged a fellow Lion and mate to a camel race to resolve a long-running feud. This first race was held in the Todd River. After trying another couple of locations, the Camel Cup is now at home at Blatherskite Park Alice Springs on a track named in Noel’s honour.
Noel supplied most of the camels for the races and won 26 Camel Cups on his favourite bull, Mereenie Mick. The main attraction of the Camel Cup for Noel was being involved in a great charity event. It was not for any reward; it was what the Lions could do with the money raised.
After a year in the Territory, Noel was joined by his wife, Isobel, and child. Noel started the Emily Gap Camel Farm in the 1970s. During the peak tourist season, Noel and his family would work from sunrise to sunset taking visitors on camel rides, giving presentations on the history of the camel and its place in the opening up of Central Australia, always being around to chat with visitors. It was not uncommon for 40 coaches, which was around 1500 visitors, to visit the farm in one day. All wanted a ride on a camel.
Noel appeared on the very first Northern Territory lottery ticket on the back of a beloved camel racing down a red sand dune with his long, grey beard flying to the side.
In the late 1970s, Noel was the character that epitomised the Northern Territory in practically all overseas advertising. His face and character can be remembered by the number of documentary films and interviews done by media.
Noel moved his camel farm from Emily Gap to Orange Creek in the late 1970s and ran camel treks from there to Palm Valley along the Finke River for anywhere from one week to one month, depending on what the client was after.
Isobel was Noel’s rock, and together they shared a great love and caring for others. Their door was always open and no one went hungry. He accepted all people for who they were. Nationality, rich or poor, black or white, it did not matter to Noel. Noel and Isobel took troubled kids in, usually from town, and gave them a home, discipline, hard work and love. A sign of affection held for Noel and Isobel was the number of those kids, who are now adults, who attended Isobel’s funeral in 2013. Noel will be remembered for his significant contribution to the tourism industry and my condolences go to his children, Jan, Colin, Donald, Terry, young Noel, Anne-Marie, Alicia and Michelle, and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
I also pay tribute to a true character of the Northern Territory, radio presenter Pete Davies. Pete lost his battle with cancer just over a week ago and the Territory will be a lesser place without him. He was a radio professional with a true passion for the Top End, its people and our lifestyle. He possessed a unique ability to capture what was on people’s minds and take politicians to task when he thought they were not listening. He was no stranger to politics, serving 16 months as an alderman on the City of Palmerston Council before retiring in March 2012.
He won the 2010 by-election to replace Natasha Griggs, who is now the federal member for Solomon. His council colleagues remember him as a passionate elected and community member who always worked with the community’s best interest at heart. It was that knowledge, experience and passion that made him a skilled media professional. I always knew I had to be on my game when I was being interviewed by Pete and to expect the unexpected. He was a skilled interviewer who has earned his place in the history of the Territory. He was a great character and a passionate advocate for the community, tackling all the issues from petrol prices to crime in our suburbs and everything in between. His friends admit that Pete got himself in plenty of trouble over the years, offending people with his passion for the issues he felt mattered. He was loath to back down from an argument if he believed he was right.
Pete was also a passionate supporter of mental health service, beyondblue, having successfully beaten depression himself. His co-host on Mix 104.9, Katie Woolf, says he managed to fight off the black dog and seek help, and then encouraged many others to do the same.
There is no doubt that Pete was an influential voice in the Top End, and while not everybody agreed with him, it was hard to fault his willingness to fight for what he believed was right. Pete was also an avid fisherman and well known in the Top End tournament scene. Friends remember him waving around fly rods and tinkering with lures and saltwater flies, and how absolutely gutted he was when he accidentally slammed a car door on the tip of a $3000 imported rod.
Old friends from Radio 2AY in New South Wales, where he worked many years ago, recall that his real passion was actually fishing, but he enjoyed radio and loved the creativity of it, and used it to entertain people. They remember Pete as a character, a good-hearted Australian larrikin and a kind hearted man, traits he carried to the very end.
Pete was interviewed by the NT News just before he started a 13-week course of chemotherapy and radio therapy for cancer of the oesophagus. He said then in some respects he was relieved because he finally knew what was going on. He said:
Pete Davies, radio personality, fisherman and father, died suddenly, surrounded by his family. I send my sincere condolences to his wife, Vicki, and his two sons, and say thank you because the Northern Territory is richer for having had Pete Davies in our lives.
Rest in peace, Pete.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I pay tribute to someone who has passed away. Denise Ann Merrigan was a wonderful person, very much loved by her family and friends, and a great Territorian.
Denise was born on 16 May 1946 and died on 9 August 2015. She was born to Vera and Leo Shulz at Footscray and spent her early years with her sister, Kaye, and brother, Russell. They lived in West Footscray, Reservoir and Williamstown.
During high school Denise was proud that she was a very good short distance runner and represented the school at sporting carnivals. At the age of 16 Denise was delighted she was pulled onto the stage by Chubby Checker at a concert and danced the twist with him, which she said was a highlight of her teenage years. Denise often talked fondly of the many hours she spent behind the bar serving drinks in her parents’ hotels. She worked at the Customs House Hotel in Williamstown where she met her first husband in 1969, then later at the Prince Albert Hotel where Michelle, her first daughter, was born in 1972.
In 1975 they moved to Melton where Leanne and Cassandra, her second and third daughters, were born. She quickly became friends with all the neighbours there. In 1983 Denise met Jeff while she was working at the Point Cook RAAF Base. Soon after they all moved to Darwin, where Denise and Jeff were married under a frangipani tree in a Parap backyard – very tropical and very Darwin.
The family moved to Northlakes in 1984, and this is where Denise met and became an adopted mother to many of the RAAF boys and probably girls as well. Denise, by her family and daughter’s admission, loved entertaining and every week there was a barbecue, a steam boat dinner or a pool party that filled the house with fun and laughter.
In 1988 they moved to Anula and the parents bought the local newsagency. The children spent many hours working and running the newsagency, which also became a place for family and friends to gather. Stocktake nights at the shop were just another excuse for a get together. In typical motherly fashion, there was always lots of food, drinks, music and laughter. Looking back, the daughters say they always questioned the accuracy of those stocktake figures.
Denise was like a second mum to so many of the girls’ friends over the years. Their home was a place where their friends would come together. Whatever day it was, no matter what time, you could turn up to 14 Snadden Street and Denise would be there ready for a cuppa and a chat. She welcomed everyone into the home and nobody left without loving her.
Denise saw the best in everyone, and I can vouch for that. She was the mother who knew all the friends of her daughters and all their teenage secrets. She thought nothing of being an after-hours taxi service for the girls’ and their friends’ nightclubbing. She was the one mother that everyone could confide in and go to for advice. Denise, being mum, was always positive and encouraging, and would help to put everything into perspective. Friends of the girls say they would often comment that their mum was cool. They would say how lucky they were to have Denise as their mother.
When the girls got married their husbands did not just get a mother-in-law, they got another mother. Some of her proudest moments were at each of their weddings, seeing the three girls getting married to wonderful men. The excitement her grandchildren gave her was immeasurable, and she loved each and every one of them so much.
Denise’s love of flowers began when she attended a course for adults at Casuarina Secondary College. The following year she was the teacher of the class. Before she knew it, she had become the happiest florist in Darwin. She worked for many florists and then for herself. She took great joy in teaching floristry classes into the late hours of the night to anyone who was interested in floral arrangement. In 1999 she placed an entry in the Royal Darwin Show for floral design. She won that entry and the following year she became the judge. Denise found her calling in floristry, and this led her to many years of dedicated service and volunteering with the Royal Darwin Show Society.
Denise certainly loved to shop, her daughters said, and that was her thing – shopping and ‘cups of chino’ as she would call them. She loved to chat and had a smile that would light up a room. Denise loved people; she loved being with people, and when the occasion arose, simply enjoyed any social event. She loved to laugh, and had a laugh she did. It would get everyone laughing even if it was completely inappropriate.
When the daughters think of their mother they say she often had a cuppa in one hand, a smile on her face, and the echo of laughter could always be heard. Denise was the most generous, giving, loving, kind and caring person. Most of all, she was an extremely positive person no matter what life threw at her, and it threw lots at her towards the end. The girls admired the way their mother navigated through life and they were very proud to call her their mother.
I also want to say that Denise – since I knew her from my involvement with the Royal Darwin Show and the Horticultural Pavilion in particular – was a really keen, avid supporter of the Royal Darwin Show, particularly the Agricultural/Horticultural Pavilion, which of course had not only the floral arrangements, but the displays and the vegetables and fruits. Denise started working at the Royal Agricultural Show as an advisory councillor 14 years before she died. She was then elected onto council as a councillor 12 years ago and to the board of management approximately 10 years ago. She served in all these positions continually, contributing until her passing in August. Denise was chairperson for the Horticultural Hall for nine years. At that time she worked alongside Wendy Flanagan and the bond was fun and amazing. Wendy said at her funeral:
Denise’s final wish was to organise the 2015 show. And with Denise as leader from her home, and with Wendy Flanagan as the runner up, they made it with the support of the committees and volunteers. Her next step was to get to the show, see the hall and show her daughter Cassandra, who lived interstate, the work she had been doing and telling her daughters about for many years. That she did, with the bagpipes playing Amazing Grace, to meet the horticulture family she had created, along with the president, members, staff and friends of the society. Denise, in her quiet determined way, was able to organise the committee and volunteers together as one big family and wanted everyone to know she cared and loved them all dearly.
Denise will be sadly missed, but will always be in the hearts of not only her family, but of the people she came in contact with.
One thing Denise wanted Wendy Flanagan to let people know – many members in here will know – was that Denise was one of the main organisers behind encouraging members of parliament to put in a floral display this year. They were so thankful for the participation of the floral arrangements and they look forward to it next year. She was very pleased so many of the members of parliament put one in.
If they do it again next year, I think we should all submit a floral display as best we can, even though I did not win – so I might not do it next year; no, I will – it will be in her memory. I send to her family, her daughters Michelle, Deanne, and Kasey, and her husband Jeff, my sincere condolences. Your mother was a lovely woman. I had a lot to do with her. I used to give her a hard time whenever I came into the show, and she would chase me away because I would call her ‘old chook’. In her daughter’s words, another angel has entered heaven. May she rest in peace.
Ms FYLES (Nightcliff): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, sadly, in 2012 approximately 14 600 Australian women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Each one of those women has their own story of and journey with breast cancer. The effect on their family and friends – their lives changed forever by the cruel diagnoses of this disease. One of those women, who in 2012 was sadly diagnosed, was a member of my electorate, a wife, and a mother of a nine-month-old baby at the time she was told she had breast cancer.
Her name was Campbel Giles and she was an intelligent, strong, passionate woman who, at 38, had her world ripped apart, and earlier this year this horrible disease took her life at just 41 years of age.
Tonight, it is a privilege to speak about Campbel, or Cambo as she was commonly known, someone I was privileged enough to call a mate. I was unable to attend her funeral earlier this year, as my own son was due for his regular MRI scan, something that anyone who lives with cancer understands only too well. Our little Henry had a good result that day, but that is the day we farewelled our dear friend, Matt’s wife, Elsie’s mum, Farlie’s sister, friend to many. An amazing woman taken too soon from us.
I first met Campbel when she came to the Territory to join Matt, her soon-to-be husband, who had scored a helicopter pilot job in Jabiru. Campbel was a journalist who, I understand, began her career in country Victoria in Shepparton with WIN Television. She then moved on to work as a media adviser in the Victorian and federal Labor governments, and then came to the Top End, following her heart, making Darwin her home where she planned to raise her family. That was shattered in September 2012 with the heartbreaking news she had breast cancer.
Campbel was passionate, enthusiastic and opinionated. As the federal member, Brendan O’Connor, who Campbel had the privilege of working for, said earlier this year in federal parliament in describing Campbel:
Campbel shared her view with you. She provoked debate even before she had arrived in the Territory. We were told a new adviser was starting. We were told it was a female, but hang on, the name was Campbel. We knew she had arrived when she came – tall, confident and gorgeous. She would become a dear friend embracing the Territory, loving the lifestyle and the opportunities. She was on maternity leave from the Department of Children and Families when she was diagnosed. I know she has many friends in Darwin who miss her dearly.
Campbel’s dear friend, Sally Findlay, has kindly given me permission to read parts of the beautiful eulogy she gave at Campbel’s funeral earlier this year. Last week at our local community event, Run with Dad, the organising committee named the ladies 4 km and 8 km trophies for the winners after Campbel Giles, the Campbel Giles Memorial Trophies, a wonderful gesture ensuring her legacy lives on and she remains in our hearts forever.
On behalf of Campbel’s family, friends and colleagues I am honoured to share her story tonight and read some parts from Sally Findlay who has kindly given me permission:
That says more about Sally’s prejudices. In a short time she was proved wrong. Campbel quickly showed she was a true believer. She had a sense of injustice that was not manufactured; it was a personally-held conviction. She never wanted to work for a minister for the prestige; she never wanted Labor to win government to simply be in government.
Campbel meant the world to little Elsie and Matt. It was especially heartbreaking that Elsie was so young when Campbel passed. Sally went on to say about Campbel and motherhood:
Sally went on to say:
Campbel was good with big secrets but hopeless with little ones. A well-phrased quote from Campbel was ‘just quietly’ or ‘between you and me and the gatepost’. Let me tell you, that gatepost went from Melbourne to Adelaide, and Canberra to Darwin.
When Campbel was diagnosed it was a heartbreaking time. The most joyous time of her life with a new baby was shattered. Campbel took to her illness with the strength and determination we knew her for, reminding Matt that she was not gone yet and he was not getting that big plasma TV.
Campbel never wanted to be defined by her illness.
As Sally said at her funeral.
It can be hard to find any positives in the diagnosis of terminal cancer, but in Campbel’s own words there were some silver linings. She was overwhelmed with the generosity of those who loved her. She had no idea until her diagnosis just how much she was truly loved and valued by her community. From friends renting a place to stay when they moved back to Darwin to an extraordinary comedy fundraiser, and to smaller but no less meaningful gestures, Campbel felt incredibly fortunate to experience this kindness and care.
Whilst we wish Campbel had been around forever, we value the time that we spent with her, her generosity and friendship in those short years. We knew how much we meant to her and she knew how much she meant to us.
Campbel was often asked, particularly towards the end, if having a terminal illness was made harder by being a mother and knowing that she would not get to see her daughter grow up. As Campbel said, her answer was always that, ‘Whether it was one year, two years or more, any time to be the mother to Elsie was better than no time at all’.
I thank Sally for allowing me to read these words in the Northern Territory parliament, a place where Campbel made her home. I spent time last week with Matt and little Elsie when they came to visit and attend the Run with Dad event. Matt presented the trophies, which was quite hilarious, because he commented on stage that he does not get out of bed for 15K and someone in the audience commented, ‘Oh, he doesn’t look like a runner’. It was lovely to see how well they are doing.
Campbel will never be forgotten. Elsie is in good hands. To our dear friends, Matt, Farlie, Jenny, Lambo, Liz, Chris, Alice, Jim, Nick, Belinda, all of Campbel’s nieces, Ireland, O’Hara, Kitty, Nell, Maud and Maggie, thank you for sharing Campbel with us. We will make sure that little Elsie always has the support of her Darwin family. She will always have a beautiful little Raw Cloth dress to wear. We look forward to watching her grow up and seeing Campbel continue to shine through little Elsie.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Speaker, tonight I touch on one of my wonderful portfolios, in this instance, Education. This government kicks goals each and every day in education, aiming at preparing the next generation to be job-ready. I love how Labor prides itself on being the only party to be in government for education. Boy, I have proved them and their union mates wrong.
You only have to look at our results. Things are improving every day. I am proud of what we are achieving in education, particularly in remote education. Yesterday, I was thrilled to visit Wagaman Primary School with my colleague, the member for Sanderson, and observe what they are doing with the $7000 grant they were awarded through the 2015-16 Artists in Schools program.
The Artists in Schools program is a joint initiative of the Department of Education and the Department of Arts and Museums, facilitated through Arts NT. I thank those departments for continuing to provide Territory students with funding, to be able to add more to students’ learning in the visual and performing arts.
Seven schools in the Territory, including Wagaman Primary School, shared in $47 000 funding from this great initiative. Those schools are Humpty Doo Primary School with $7000, Palmerston Christian School with $6300, Palmerston Senior School’s Special Education Centre with $4350, St John Catholic College with $7000, Stuart Park Primary School with $6800 and Tennant Creek Primary School with $8500. For your electorate, member for Barkly, $8500 for the Tennant Creek Primary School, and they will do a great job with it.
Hosting Artists in Schools presents a fantastic opportunity for Territory students. Previous projects have engaged students in sculpture, pottery, painting and literature. I am looking forward to the variety of exciting activities that will unfold this year. The two projects I saw at Wagaman yesterday are teaching the students not only an appreciation of the arts, but much broader skills that can be applied to everyday life, such as confidence, persistence and teamwork.
Project one is the postcard project. This is a literacy-based project involving 35 Year 5/6 students which uses images created by local artists as a stimulus for the students to create stories to match the artwork. These stories will then be published on the back of postcards featuring the artwork and displayed in the local library. It is great to see community involvement in the postcard project, with local artists supplying their works for the students to write stories and fine-tune their literacy skills.
I thank Corrugated Iron Youth Arts for their direct involvement in the two projects at Wagaman Primary School.
The second project is focused on engagement and performance via circus skills. Throughout Semester 2, all students from Years 1 to 6 participated in weekly circus skills workshops. It was encouraging to see students getting involved with art and taking the opportunity to learn from the experts.
I really enjoyed visiting all the schools across the Territory and tried to do and see as much as I could. That is how I learn. There is nothing better than meeting with the teachers, parents and school communities and witnessing the great work being undertaken. We have some great schools, teachers and, of course, students.
It was also great to see firsthand how initiatives such as the Artists in Schools program are having such a positive outcome on students’ learning.
I also want to pay tribute to Pete Davies as his local member. I am glad the Chief Minister spoke about Pete’s life tonight and threw a few statistics in. Quite strangely, when I was looking online to get a little background on Pete to talk tonight, I come across Pete Davies author, Pete Davies singer, Pete Davies songwriter and images of fine looking, young strapping lads. I thought none of those were the Pete Davies I knew. I will not repeat any of the things I found online but wanted to say, from a local member’s perspective, Pete was probably a bit harsher on me than others. I do not think he did that because he disliked me, I think he expected me, as his local member, to do as good a job as I possibly could. He was always on to me about sticking up for people and their rights and issues just as he did. I pay tribute to Pete. He was a fantastic guy. He stood for what he believed in and was not afraid of anybody. It did not matter what side of politics you came from, he would give it to you any which way.
To his beautiful wife, Vicki, your two boys and your wider family, God bless and I raise a glass to you, Pete. Rest in peace.
Mrs PRICE (Stuart): Madam Speaker, there has been a lot happening in Central Australia over the last few weeks. We have had thousands of visitors from all over Australia and the world. Three weekends ago we had the National Road Transport Hall of Fame reunion, with hundreds of trucks coming to us from all over the country. Then there was the Red CentreNATS, with hundreds of vehicles of all sorts coming into town. We also had the Alice Desert Festival, a weeklong celebration of the talents and creativity of the people of the centre. It included the Bush Bands Bash and the Desert Mob exhibition and market, which brought in artists and spectators from all the remote communities and art dealers from all over the world.
Of all the fantastic events over the last few weeks in Central Australia there is one specific to my home town of Yuendumu, in my electorate, that I would like to speak about. Firstly, I would like to congratulate the Yuendumu Magpies for winning the CAFL grand final in the second division and the Federals, who were the winners of the first division.
It is good to see the mighty Magpies back on top after all the problems of the recent past. Congratulations to the Pioneers for beating Alkamilya to take out the women’s premiership in a hard fought game. The women footballers of Central Australia take the game very seriously, and that is obvious from the bruises my daughter proudly bears after each game. She calls them her war wounds. The women are putting together a Pinktails team like the men’s Redtails to represent Central Australia. They are due to play at Adelaide University on 10 October. Go girls!
On the weekend of the football grand finals another very important event took place at Yuendumu. The renovated men’s museum was reopened to the public. This museum was built in the early 1970s. Some of the old men, including my father, wanted a safe place to keep sacred objects and paintings in the community. Warlpiri and Pintupi men at Yuendumu of my parent’s generation had come out of the desert as recently as the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1960s some of the old men, our cultural leaders, including my father, wanted a safe keeping place for some of their secret sacred ceremonial objects and images from the rock art galleries in the country they had left behind. There young men could be taught sacred knowledge without needing to travel hundreds of kilometres through the desert. My people are now concentrated in communities like Yuendumu, not spread out over the country like before. They were not as mobile as they used to be so there were limits on how much travelling they could do by foot to visit important sacred sites.
I am proud that our community raised half the money needed to build the centre. The rest came from government. I am also very proud of the fact that the same old men, including my father, involved in this project also built the first church around the same time. These two projects were connected. That church has some very important traditional designs in the stained glass windows. These old men could see the massive change that was happening and they believed somehow we had to keep up with those changes. As the years went on, the men’s museum was neglected. Sacred objects were taken out and placed back in the bush for safekeeping.
Recently the manager of Warlukurlangu art centre, Cecilia Alfonso, offered to restore the building and its paintings. The offer was taken up and work was carried out by women. Last weekend the renovated building was reopened, with many speeches, traditional dances and songs. Most of the dancing was done by women to support their men. When it was open, women were allowed to go in, if they wanted to. I asked my husband, Dave, to represent me at the opening ceremony. He had been invited in to the museum in the 1970s and it was appropriate that he was there for this occasion. I stayed in Alice Springs, where most of the population of Yuendumu were, to see the grand final. I have always done all I can to support the football teams. Football is now an extremely important part of our culture. When some of the old ladies, my relatives, asked my husband where I was, he told them I was in town looking after all the young men for them. They were very happy with that answer.
The old men have suggested that the women’s museum should now be renovated. Women’s ceremony has always been the essential other half of our ceremonial culture and our men have always recognised this. My people, the Warlpiri, are proud of our heritage, but we are happy to adapt to cope with new problems. My father was one of those inspired old men like old Darby Ross Jampijinpa, his cousin, who helped build and promote both the museum and the church. Like Jampijinpa and several other men of his generation, I knew he was a philosopher. He knew the difference between the letter and the spirit of the law. He knew about the need for wise and respectful adaptation. These old men worked hard to keep the best of a traditional culture and embrace the best of white man’s culture. I am in this place to honour my father’s wishes and to carry on his work.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Hon Adam Giles, broke his promise to provide full CLP ministerial travel details by 27 July 2015. The government received questions around ministerial travel in advance of June estimates into travel, with answers delivered minus major CLP international travel transactions. Under the CLP, public trust in government is at an all-time low, including allegations of corruption around travel being tested in court. It is no surprise Territory Labor wants a clear point of difference between us and them – Labor and the CLP.
With a defining plan, Territory Labor will restore accountability in government. Labor is committed to a continuous reforms policy titled, ‘Restoring Integrity in Government’. In relation to overseas travel in government, Territory Labor will engage rigorous evaluation from the public and private sectors about how proposed travel will benefit the Northern Territory. These assessments will be made available to the public where, prior to departure, the minister’s itinerary will be published. On return, a full parliamentary report will be provided by the minister, available to the public, including costs associated with the minister’s trip. Labor’s overseas travel policy applies immediately to shadow ministerial travel taken by Labor opposition members. Territory Labor will strive for a complete level of openness and accountability because Territorians want and deserve a government they can trust.
As a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association from 2008 to 2015, I was selected to represent the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in the United Kingdom. The small branches workshop attracted delegates from Commonwealth parliaments around the world, was held Monday 17 August to Friday 21 August 2015 and conformed to CPA rules where the association payed travel costs equivalent to the cheapest economy class airfare by the most direct route. The CPA meets accommodation and meal costs for the duration of the event at a nominated hotel, where members undertake professional development on how small jurisdictions use committees of parliament to scrutinise government.
After serving as a member of parliament and financial member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for seven years, I nominated for the first time, indicative of the sessional and select committees of parliament I represent. I also presented at the workshop my experience on the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Public Accounts, Subordinate Legislation and Publications, Environment and Sustainable Development, Legislative and Constitutional Affairs, Northern Territory Energy Futures and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Committees.
Although travel, accommodation and meal costs were met by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, under Territory Labor’s overseas travel policy I published all details of the trip prior to departure and now report to the parliament upon return. Most importantly, I look forward to sharing what I learnt and CPA networking with the Barkly constituents who elected me, investing their respected and honoured trust.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Small Branches Committee workshop in Douglas, Isle of Man from 17 to 21 August 2015 referenced effective government scrutiny by committees of parliament.
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is a unicameral parliament – one House with 25 members. The Assembly comprises two major political parties with a small number of Independents and currently a CLP minority government, the second time since 1978 an elected Northern Territory government has lost its majority during term.
The Northern Territory Legislative Assembly has an active parliamentary committee system comprising the Public Accounts Committee and long-standing committees scrutinising subordinate legislation and legal and constitutional matters. Public Accounts Committee powers of investigation go beyond public accounts, budgets and Auditor-General’s reports, considering any matters referred within the NT administration, however, having government control.
The Assembly has a long tradition of establishing select committees examining issues like the illegal drug ice, the proposed privatisation of the Port of Darwin, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and the Northern Territory’s energy future.
The Legislative Assembly holds an annual Estimates Committee, established to scrutinise the Appropriation Bill, or Northern Territory budget, essentially providing members the opportunity to question ministers about government spending and public sector operations. The Public Accounts Committee scrutiny of chief executives helps focus departmental operations, with the estimates process scrutinising government finances, providing opposition and Independent members with effective examination.
However, a perceived weakness reflects an ad hoc nature, lacking wide-ranging systemic scrutiny of government activity, policy and legislation constrained by the small number of members serving on committees.
Committee reports generally reflect a majority consensus presenting recommendations for government, with many recommendations implemented, testifying to the importance of committee research and reporting.
Traditionally, the composition of committees reflects a government majority. However, having now lost its majority, some committees face an Independent member as chair, having both a deliberative and casting vote.
At the CPA workshop on the Isle of Man I presented my experience on a number of Northern Territory Public Accounts, Subordinate Legislation and Publications, Environment and Sustainable Development, Legislative and Constitutional Affairs, NT Energy Future and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Committees.
Travel and accommodation funded by the CPA included the economy airfare, with a total cost of $3699.87, also meeting accommodation and meal costs at the Palace Hotel, Douglas, Isle of Man.
As a serving member of parliament and financial member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, I was honoured to be representing the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly and Barkly, indicative of the sessional and select committees I represent.
I seek leave to table my travel report on my travel to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Small Branches Committee Workshop, Douglas, Isle of Man, 17 to 21 August 2015.
Leave granted.
Mr KURRUPUWU (Arafura): Madam Speaker, on 4 September, I had the honour of representing the Chief Minister and the government at the state memorial of Wali Wunungmurra. I take this opportunity to place on the record the speech I made:
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I will talk about the success stories of Taylor Fishlock and Raymond Fordimail. Both of these Katherine young people have achieved amazing things in their short lives.
They are inspirations, a shining example of what can be achieved when someone puts their mind to it. Recently the 60th NT Training Awards were held. These awards recognise excellence of employers, businesses, apprentices, trainees, students, teachers, trainers and training organisations.
The awards are hotly contested, prestigious and hard won. It makes me so proud that two Katherine young people, Taylor Fishlock and Raymond Fordimail, beat stiff competition to take out the Austin Asche Apprentice of the Year and the School-Based Apprentice of the Year awards respectively.
Let me start with Taylor. After growing up on a remote cattle station in the Northern Territory, Taylor was keen to pursue a trade that she could take anywhere she wanted to go. She chose electrical work as the path to new opportunities and gained an apprenticeship with Katherine business M&K Lee Electrical Contractors.
It is no mean feat for a young woman to excel in a predominately male-dominated trade, but I am pleased to say Taylor has thrived and set the benchmark extremely high. Taylor describes herself as having a strong work ethic, drive and determination. This has been the lynchpin of her dedication to her studies and resulted in her winning the NECA Australian Electrical Apprentice of the Year. What an outstanding achievement, one which is breaking gender stereotypes. Taylor is the first female ever to win a NECA industrial award.
As well as studying her Certificate III in Electro-technology, Taylor also gained other qualifications, such as first aid. Taylor intends to continue her studies and focus on the small business skills sector with the aim of one day opening her own electrical contracting business. I am sure, if anyone can achieve her goal, it is Taylor. I wish her well in her future endeavours and, again, congratulations Taylor on winning the Austin Ashe Apprentice of the Year award. Your determination is amazing and Katherine is extremely proud of you.
The same can be said about Raymond Fordimail. Raymond is extremely passionate about his traditional Jawoyn country and sharing its beauty with visitors from all over the world. His work and studies have enabled him to develop the skills to develop with his country and culture through a successful Jawoyn-owned tourism business at Nitmiluk National Park.
It is amazing work that saw Raymond nominated for the School-Based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year Award. Raymond says his school-based apprenticeship has given him the opportunity to finish Year 12 and gain formal qualifications whilst doing a job that he loves. He has always enjoyed the peace and quiet of the Katherine River and now has the skills and confidence to talk to visitors about the significance of the area.
Raymond’s literacy and numeracy skills have been enhanced through his apprenticeship and certificate studies. His colleagues describe him as a passionate storyteller who is able to connect with people from all walks of life. He is known to be dedicated to his work and always goes beyond what is expected, even dressing up as a crocodile to teach children about water safety.
Raymond is ambitious about the future and has developed confidence in his ability as a leader. He aims to one day become the boss of Nitmiluk Tours. I look forward to the day when I can go on one of those tours with Raymond at the helm. Congratulations Raymond, again, on winning the School-Based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year Award.
I am so proud of both these young Katherine people and wish them every success in the future.
Tonight I also want to speak about a recent Northern Territory government initiative to help combat youth boredom, which we all know can easily turn into crime and antisocial behaviour. I will focus specifically on my home town of Katherine and how this government is supporting youth services initiatives. The Country Liberals government is focused on delivering a strong society which supports the most vulnerable, and ensures everyone has access to opportunities that allow them to make a meaningful and positive contribution to society.
To that end this government has committed $525 000 over the next three years for youth services initiatives that will be planned and delivered by the YMCA of Katherine. Across the Northern Territory, the YMCA has a dedicated and hard-working network of professionals who deliver outside school hours care, vacation care and the management of YMCA centres that hold gyms and swimming pools.
The YMCA is best placed to deliver this package of programs that will help keep our youth off the street and out of trouble. Following consultation with the youth service sector in the Katherine region, it was identified that engaging family support and connecting at-risk young people to after-hours services and activities are the priorities for early intervention and prevention funding.
The Northern Territory government is supporting the positive engagement of young people within their communities by listening to local needs and providing funding for local solutions. The YMCA of Katherine will recruit community development youth workers to coordinate case management and ensure effective collaboration between health, education and family focused social services.
This funding to support youth services in Katherine will build on the existing YMCA youth programs. There will be greater coordination across youth-targeted activities in Katherine, including a youth drop-in night at the YMCA and participation in community events designed to build positive relationships between youth and service providers.
There will also be an enhanced 1800 youth phone line that will provide information, personal support and have the capacity to support young visitors to Katherine who would otherwise potentially engage in high-risk behaviour which could contribute to crime and antisocial behaviour.
The YMCA will also develop and coordinate opportunities for collaborations across locally-based youth service providers in order to address a range of issues placing many young people at risk, issues such as family and domestic violence, sexual health issues, homelessness and drug and alcohol misuse.
This funding initiative to support youth services in Katherine is not a bandaid approach. The Country Liberal government initiative involved a lot of research, hard work and consultation with the experts, and collaboration across all government and non-government agencies to come up with this in-depth program designed to deliver results.
As a parent and former police officer, I have witnessed firsthand the benefits of delivering a package of works that aims to positively engage youth by listening to their needs and finding solutions for local problems.
The YMCA of Katherine has been delivering quality youth service programs within the region for over 13 years. The YMCA of Katherine has demonstrated its capacity to work collaboratively with other service providers in order to assist young people make the right choices that can inevitably help them reach their full potential. The YMCA of Katherine is definitely best placed to deliver this program of youth services initiatives.
This subject is not easy to discuss, but over the past 12 months in Katherine there have been a number of suicides by young people, which is tearing the community apart and breaking the hearts of families. Part of the youth services support that will be offered is a specific target for suicide prevention. If this funding for youth support services can help save just one life in Katherine, I consider it to be well and truly a success story. There already exists a lot of evidence to show that early intervention for young people will have flow-on effects right throughout society in the form of reduced law and order and health needs.
It gives me great pride to be part of a government that is addressing this important issue. I am particularly delighted that the YMCA has been the recipient of this funding initiative because they will do an excellent job in everything they set out to do. This is evidenced by the amazing work that the YMCA currently does with the youth drop-in on a Friday night in Katherine. With a few paid staff at the Y and many volunteers turning up on a Friday evening, those youth drop-in nights sometimes attract several hundred young people from around Katherine and nearby communities.
If anything is going to work, it will work around preventative approaches, keeping young people engaged and busy and away from the influences that could lead to a life of crime or put them in harm’s way.
It pleases me greatly to see this funding going to the YMCA in Katherine. I know they will do a fantastic job.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
VISITORS
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of students from Girraween Primary School. On behalf of honourable members, I extend a warm welcome to you and I hope you enjoy your time here.
I would also like to draw your attention to some guests in the Speaker’s Gallery. I welcome Denise and Bruce Morcombe from Queensland, and we have the late arrival of the former Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Marshall Perron, and his wife, Cherry Perron. Welcome to Parliament House.
Members: Hear, hear!
STATEMENT BY SPEAKER
Reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, on 10 September 2015 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen of Australia and her other realms and territories, head of the Commonwealth, celebrated a significant milestone. After first visiting the Territory 52 years ago, Her Majesty celebrated becoming Britain’s and Australia’s longest reigning monarch. I ask honourable members to join me in thanking Her Majesty for her dedicated service.
Looking back on her reign it is hoped that the Queen will fondly remember her first Territory visit in 1963, which included Alice Springs and Darwin.
Ten-year-old Julie Kelly from Warrabri travelled 300 km to Alice Springs to meet the Queen and handed her a bouquet of Territory flowers. Thousands flocked to Darwin Airport to greet the Queen, who had already visited Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine.
There were bucking broncos and savage bulls at the twelfth Darwin Show, where there was a display called Constitutional Motor Show, highlighting our early aspirations towards statehood for the Northern Territory. Of particular note was an official luncheon hosted by the Administrator, Roger Knott, where Colonel Rose boldly informed those attending to shut up so the Administrator could address the gathering.
Her Majesty has seen the Territory in both sombre and booming times. In 1974 Her Majesty hosted a dinner on board HMY Britannia; nine months later, Cyclone Tracy arrived. The royal couple returned to Darwin in 1977 to commemorate the victims of Cyclone Tracy and saw the rebuilding process across the Darwin region.
Significantly, some would argue, in 1977 the Northern Territory AFL grand final was an enthralling and tough contest. The match was between St Marys and Waratahs. St Marys are green and yellow, Waratahs are red and white. The Queen arrived and hopped out of the car in a red and white outfit. The late, great Billy Roe said the St Marys football team’s hearts collectively sank. Under the gaze of Her Majesty, St Marys were suitably flogged by Waratahs. However, folklore has it when the Queen did a lap around the oval and went past the Waratahs end, she was loudly cheered. When she went around the St Marys end, she was loudly booed. It is probably the only time during her reign when she has been booed.
Other folklore has it that Vic Ludwig – who was the president of St Marys at the time – and Sadie Ludwig could sit with the Queen because they were married. The president of the Waratahs was supposedly in a de facto relationship, and he and his partner could not sit with the Queen. How times have changed.
In 1982 Her Majesty presented a medal for bravery to Peta Mann for rescuing her friend from a crocodile attack while visiting Darwin. She also opened the Darwin Navy base at Larrakeyah.
The Queen’s most recent visit was on a hot day in Alice Springs in 2000, where her Majesty met half of Alice Springs while walking down the Todd Street Mall. A visit to the School of the Air will hopefully stand out as another highlight from the Queen’s long reign.
Honourable members, today we congratulate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for over 63 years of service to the Northern Territory of Australia. God save the Queen.
Members: Hear, hear!
REORDER OF BUSINESS
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 89, I move to reorder the conduct of business today to allow me to immediately give notice of a bill to fulfil the government’s commitment to the Morcombe family concerning convicted child sex offenders, and that otherwise the routine of business remains as programmed to allow for all other notices to be given today at 2 pm.
Honourable members will note that Bruce and Denise Morcombe are sitting in the Speaker’s Gallery. They have lobbied for a number of years; in fact, I think the Morcombe Foundation has just celebrated its 10th anniversary after the murder of Daniel Morcombe by Brett Peter Cowan.
In deference and as a courtesy to the Morcombe family, I seek the reordering of business specifically so they can hear the second reading of this speech. This speech does not see the bill passed today, if it passes at all. It merely enables the Morcombes to hear the second reading speech. The passage of this bill will otherwise follow normal processes.
Motion agreed to.
LEAVE TO PRESENT BILL
Sex Offender and Child Homicide Offender Public Website (Daniel’s Law) Bill
(Serial 139)
Sex Offender and Child Homicide Offender Public Website (Daniel’s Law) Bill
(Serial 139)
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to immediately present the bill.
Leave granted.
SEX OFFENDER AND CHILD HOMICIDE OFFENDER PUBLIC WEBSITE (DANIEL’S LAW) BILL (SERIAL 139)
Bill presented and read a first time.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I move that the bill be now read a second time.
The purpose of this bill is to establish a legal framework for a public website listing details of child sex offenders and child homicide offenders in the Northern Territory. On 15 October 2014 I was proud to announce that the Northern Territory will be the first jurisdiction in the country to introduce a publicly-accessible website, featuring details and locations of convicted child offenders. In memory of Daniel Morcombe, who was a victim of a child sex offender and also a murder victim, the legislation is to be known as ‘Daniel’s Law’. This bill delivers on that commitment and the government’s ongoing commitment to protect those who are vulnerable in our community, and putting victims first.
The bill provides for the establishment of a public website to list convicted child sex offenders and child homicide offenders in the Northern Territory. The website will be a basic user-friendly and searchable public website that is open and accessible to all. The website will provide families with an additional tool to protect their children. The website will list serious offenders, being life and 15-year reportable offenders under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Registration) Act. These offenders are serious child sex offenders and those convicted of the murder or manslaughter of children.
The website will also include other reportable offenders who have absconded and whose whereabouts are unknown, and offenders who come to the Northern Territory from other jurisdictions and have a previous equivalent conviction in that jurisdiction.
The website will be maintained by the Commissioner of Police. The website will publish general information about an offender, including their name, a photograph and a general description of relevant offences the person has been convicted of and the offender’s general location. Exact addresses of offenders will not be published.
Offenders who are children will not have their details published on the website. Children are not reportable offenders under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Registration) Act unless, in the most serious cases of offending, a special application is made and an order is given by the court.
The bill establishes a panel which will have the role of determining if an offender’s details should be published on the website. The panel will consist of the Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner of Correctional Services and the Chief Executive Officer of the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice.
The bill sets out criteria that applies when the panel is considering whether to publish an offender’s details. A person’s details will not be published in circumstances where it would contravene a court suppression order, cause significant harm to a victim that would outweigh the public benefit in publishing the details, or there are other valid reasons not to publish the offender’s details. These are all measures intended to protect victims of child sexual abuse.
The process in considering publication of offender’s details on the website will commence by notifying the offender, in most cases prior to when they are released from custody. Victims will also be notified where they are listed on the Victims Register or make specific requests to be informed. There will be no ‘cold calling’ of victims to ensure their privacy is respected. Contact details for the NT Police will be widely published so that victims who wish to be involved in the process can be kept informed. The panel has powers to request information from other government bodies to assist in the decision-making process. Victims have a choice to be part of this process but they are not compelled to provide information should they decline to do so.
The panel, upon reaching its decision, is required to provide reasons for its decision to a victim who has requested to be informed of the outcome. Where the panel decides to publish the details of an offender on the website, written reasons will also be provided to that offender.
The bill requires the panel to reconsider a decision where a victim so applies. The bill provides the ability for the panel to reconsider its decisions on its own initiative. Affected parties have a statutory right of review to the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal to review the panel’s decision.
This initiative is intended as an additional tool for Territory families to protect their children. The website will exist for members of the public to access the information and it is expected people will use this in an informative and measured way.
I have been clear since the announcement of this policy that vigilante behaviour will not be tolerated. We do not want people taking the law into their own hands and for this reason the bill contains an offence which will apply where the person promotes abuse towards an offender or members of the offender’s immediate family. A further offence exists where a person publishes or displays an offender’s details from the website without prior permission from the minister to do so.
I also draw members’ attention to the existence of other potentially relevant offences in the Criminal Code Act and the Summary Offences Act which may apply should people decide to take the law into their own hands and act as vigilantes.
Work continues on the development of the website through a cross-agency working group. The website development is being led by the Child Protection Offender Registry within the Northern Territory Police. There are currently over 200 reportable offenders being managed by that registry who could be eligible to be published on the website.
Work will commence shortly to initiate the process of notification to those offenders and, where appropriate, their victims about the potential publication of the offender’s details on the website. Life reportable offenders will be the immediate focus for consideration of publishing their details on the website. I expect the website will go live early in the new year.
I have previously stated that unfortunately the world is not a perfect place and that child predators do exist. However, with the use of an additional tool such as the information to be contained on this website, a parent is in a much better position to protect their child.
I commend this bill to honourable members and I table a copy of the explanatory statement.
Debate adjourned.
MOTION
Note Statement – Setting the Agenda for the Year Ahead
Note Statement – Setting the Agenda for the Year Ahead
Continued from 17 February 2015.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, what we have seen with the second reading today by the Attorney-General of the Northern Territory is just one of the success stories of the Country Liberals government in the Northern Territory. That is an opportunity of pursuing matters to keep our streets safe in the Northern Territory, an opportunity for us to pursue community interests of not only having a well-performing economy and well-performing, confident culture but also continuing to keep our streets safe.
The active pursuit of our desire to bring in legislation known as Daniel’s Law is a reflection of the philosophical approach of the Country Liberals government. Country Liberals is a party that wants to drive the utmost levels of protection for Territorians, particularly our children. There were tragic circumstances behind Bruce and Denise Morcombe’s family’s loss, but what they had to pursue through many years – the Attorney-General spoke about their 10-year push for governments to better protect children in Australia – should be applauded. Presenting that bill today is a reflection of the pursuit of trying to keep our streets safe in the Northern Territory, but it does not end there.
Whether it is the consumption of alcohol in the Northern Territory, domestic violence, property crime, assaults or motor vehicle theft, we are continually seeing crime levels come down. This is as a result of hard work by our police and work by government to ensure police have more resources. We have a mantra of crime being at its lowest level since the 1990s and the same for alcohol consumption.
In today’s newspaper I read a story partly supported by NTCOSS which illustrates that the cost of living is now at its lowest level since 1998. When you hear reports about the performance of this government there is a common theme: the best-performing outcomes since the 1990s on a regular occurrence. You must be asking what was occurring in the 1990s that can be relevant to today. The similarity between the 1990s and 2015 is that there was a Country Liberals government in the 1990s and there is a Country Liberals government now.
When you talk about debt levels continuing to come down, forecast to be $5.5bn and now down to $2.2bn, roughly speaking, we are seeing strong economic performance. When you read newspaper reports of two or three weeks ago talking about a forecast surplus of around $100m you start to see performances attuned to the 1990s when the Country Liberals were last in government – good economic managers. When you see figures such as 4.2% unemployment, the lowest in the country, you are seeing good performances not seen since the 1990s. When you see figures such as 76.3% labour force participation – people looking for a job, in a job or in training – you see figures not seen since the 1990s. Again, what was it in the 1990s that is similar to today? A Country Liberals government.
On all economic measures we are performing. Yesterday I was at the port talking about trade figures. Live cattle exports are up by 51% on last year, 121% on two years ago. We carry 613 000 head of cattle, making Darwin the largest port for live export in the southern hemisphere. That achievement should be credited to the hard work of the Country Liberals. My Deputy Chief Minister should be congratulated for his hard work in the cattle industry and working with cross-border governments, particularly Queensland and Western Australia.
We also work with international jurisdictions, namely Indonesia but also Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand – the countries continue because we have re-established the live cattle trade. There are markets emerging as we continue to cherish and nurture our historical markets. Cattlemen now have greater opportunities in the Territory.
We are seeing our port face rising demands, costs and opportunities. We are meeting the growing needs of the protein demands of Asia. We are now setting ourselves up for the next position because it is not just about cattle, but northern Australia, agribusiness, horticulture, mining and development. We acknowledge our port – with 782 m of quay line and minimal amounts of hardstand – and its hard-working people will need support to grow and prosper so there will be more hardstand and more quay line for bigger ships in the future.
There will be more reefer points so refrigerated containers can be stored at the port so projects such as Seafarms, which wants to produce 100 000 tonnes of aquaculture farmed prawns, can distribute product throughout the Australian market and the Asian market. We need to have that infrastructure established through a supply chain of logistical processes to meet those demands.
That is why our approach to the port is so important. We need to grow our port – unlike Labor with its ‘do nothing’ approach, the approach where they privatised part of the port with the Marine Supply Base but in parliament say they do not support private investment there. Now they are saying they will borrow money to build the port. That will only get government back into debt. They should have the private sector support the emergence, increase in size and capacity of the port to meet the future demands of the Territory. They are some of the challenges we see as a Country Liberal government, a government reaching economic and law and order performance levels not seen since the 1990s.
That is the direction we are taking the Northern Territory. Whether it is what we are doing structurally with the port or in the pastoral sector, or the changes we have made to support the developing agribusiness sector, these changes are all in the same direction.
I speak about the changes to the Pastoral Act we made some 18 months ago. That now says around 30% of each pastoral property, which make up roughly 50% of the Northern Territory’s land mass, can be used for non-pastoral activities for 30 years. This now means instead of only having cattle in the Top End, generally Brahman cattle further south for the Australian market, you can grow watermelons, poppies, bananas, or develop aquaculture or farm barramundi. Whatever it may be you want to get involved in, there are now economic opportunities.
We changed the legislation to make that happen. Not only have we changed that, but we are now issuing water licences so you can grow things.
We are freeing up the land, making water available and encouraging economic investment. We have paid back our debt and we have more investment strategies regarding land and resource management. We are studying the capabilities of land and what can be grown on it. We are working with government to ensure we have better access to trade and markets. We are now investing in infrastructure such as the port, as well as our roads infrastructure, with a $1.4bn budget to make sure we gain access to markets.
The other thing we are doing in opening up markets is supporting free trade agreements.
Ms Fyles: Wait for it.
Mr GILES: I hear the jibe from the member for Nightcliff on the other side of the Chamber, criticising the Chinese. Our biggest trading partner at the port is China; 48% of all trade through our port is with China.
The federal government is working on its free trade agreement between Australia and China to open up more markets. This comes on the back of other free trade agreements that have been negotiated and the continuing negotiations around the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, to ensure we have better access to markets. We have 48% of all of our exports at a growing port going to China.
The federal government is setting up a free trade agreement in a jurisdiction of the Northern Territory where 4800 of the people are Chinese or of Chinese heritage, where many have Malaysian, Timorese, Indonesian or Taiwanese backgrounds. Yet we have the Labor Party and its union mates running a xenophobic agenda and fighting trade opportunities for the Northern Territory. It is appalling.
The Country Liberals’ pathway is to set up economic opportunities, open the framework, remove the red and green tape and allow business to happen so we can have jobs for the Territory’s future. It is not like Labor’s at all. Labor is now jumping on this bandwagon of not supporting gas development in the Northern Territory.
It is interesting that between 2001 and 2012 Labor approved 33 gas wells in the Northern Territory. They are now saying they do not support wells. They do not talk about how, since 1967, there has been fractured gas in the Northern Territory. They do not talk about the great Australian company Santos, South Australia Northern Territory Oil Search, putting its first wells in the ground in Mereenie in 1967, producing natural gas for this nation and the Northern Territory.
They are not talking about how, for many decades, the Northern Territory was powered on gas from Mereenie up until the point where, around ten years ago, gas started coming out of Blacktip through a company called Eni. I am a supporter of Eni, but let us give this discussion some reality.
Santos is an Australian publicly-listed company, which has been producing gas in Mereenie for many a long year. Frack gas started in 1967.
When we transitioned to Blacktip gas from the Bonaparte Basin, roughly 10 years ago, through Eni, half of the Northern Territory remained on Central Australian gas; the other half went through offshore gas. This still requires a form of fracking to utilise. Now the top half of the Northern Territory, Darwin and Katherine in particular, is being powered by gas from an offshore company, Eni. It is a great corporate partner state-owned by the Italian government. I understand it is the number one company in Italy now running power for the top half of the Territory, while the bottom half is supported through both Santos and Central Petroleum.
However, we need to keep some reality here. Labor is calling for frack gas not to be used. Are they really saying, ‘Turn the lights off in Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Yulara’? We need to be fair and reasonable in what we are talking about, because this has been going on in the Northern Territory for a long time.
I will agree with one thing: it is important we have the right regulatory environment for environmental practices and safety. They have been operating for a long time; they are operating today as we speak. We have commissioned the Hawke report to try to improve those practices. We are working through a process to ensure community consultation so we have an even stronger environmental, regulatory and safety system put in place for the future. That forms part of the direction of government.
For all the successes we have had to date, we are now working on our next load of successes. That revolves around agribusiness, horticulture, aquaculture and a range of other elements. It works on building our infrastructure and supporting jobs in regional and remote parts of the Northern Territory, but it also supports gas development.
I know the member for Barkly is opposed to the gas pipeline being built between the Northern Territory and the eastern seaboard. He is opposed to gas development in the Northern Territory. He is even going so far as saying, ‘Stop fracking in the Northern Territory right now’, so that people living in Tennant Creek and the Barkly will not have any lights because there will be no gas. The same is true for Alice Springs and Yulara.
We need to be very careful with some of our conversations about this. We need to make sure we have level heads and drive debate sensibly to protect jobs, the economy, our culture and environment in the Northern Territory. We will not shy away from that; it is part of our plan.
We are heading in the right direction regarding this statement. Our results to date in a three-year time frame have been outstanding, whether it is the unemployment rate, labour force participation, or growth expectations with four years growth-on-growth going ahead. This is where we are heading. Later we can look at what we have done to finalise our economic plans for the future.
A few weeks ago I launched this report called Our Plan for Economic Development in the Northern Territory. It comes on the back of our approach to what I would call framing the future, that is, a support for economic, social, cultural and environmental management, working on putting forward a plan in the public domain and communicating how we are on track as government, particularly focusing on key deliverables. The economic development we have for the Northern Territory focuses on some key industries. I will run through them. Energy resources I have just spoken about. No doubt everybody would understand minerals. We are at a cyclical turndown in minerals development right now. As a jurisdiction we are heavily in the supply and service phase and we need to continue in that area. We are working to penetrate more in to Defence and how Darwin can be best utilised as a servicing point for that sector, particularly for vessels. We are expanding into new areas in international education and training, and taking that to a higher level.
I have spoken about agribusiness but I have not spoken about tourism. Tourism and the hospitality industry employ around 17% of all Territorians. In the future, tourism and hospitality will get bigger and better. That is why, in the budget, we put so much emphasis on tourism infrastructure. To quote previous politicians, we have to make sure we have new rides in the Northern Territory, that they are continually shiny and we have the best levels of infrastructure. That is why we have invested $25m in the Mereenie Loop Road, $40m in the Litchfield Park Road, including the bridge over the lower Finnis, and $10m into new parks and reserves. We continue to put more emphasis on tourism infrastructure.
There is a $50m marketing budget for tourism in the Northern Territory, supporting intrastate, interstate and international marketing so we can get people back here. We are getting the highest tourist numbers we have seen since the change of government. It is a fantastic outcome. There is much more to be done, but our investment in tourism infrastructure is part of our plan for the future. Whether it is the $1.3m tourism infrastructure fund we had last year to support reinvestment in tourism product, both established and new, or this year’s budgetary contribution of $4.75m for new, established, redeveloped or emerging tourism products, the CLP is supporting our tourism industry. Whether it is about attracting new airlines, five-star hotels, investment or building rides or redeveloping rides in the Northern Territory, we are setting the Territory up for the future.
So when we have the construction of INPEX tapering off and more accommodation available, we will have the tourism industry set just right to take off and rise to great heights in the Northern Territory.
The framework and structure of our economic plan in the Northern Territory is second to none and the envy of many jurisdictions. The South Australian Premier, Jay Weatherill, and I met to talk about how we can work together to support NT tourism positively effecting South Australian tourism. They know we have a plan for the Northern Territory.
Our credentials to date on all parts of governance, whether it is investing in culture, in law and order, in strong societies or balancing environmental protection with our economic agenda, are good. There have been successes across the board, highly supported by a fantastic and growing public service. The public service has been very keen to implement the government’s agenda. It has been very keen to see positive results and effects, and see a renewal of leadership around development in the Northern Territory. This is seeing very fruitful outcomes for all Territorians.
Finally, my message is that government is delivering better jobs, services and opportunities in the Northern Territory. We have been achieving it to date. We will continue achieving it. I thank the Northern Territory for its support in this three-year period. It has been challenging but we have delivered some results. Today’s story in the NT News about the lowest cost-of-living increases since 1998 is another nail in Labor’s coffin of deceit, debt and negative economic outcomes. That is what they achieved in their eleven-and-a-half years of government as compared to what we have done in just three years.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
MOTION
Committee Membership Changes
Committee Membership Changes
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Madam Speaker, now that there is no question before the Chair, I move that the following committee membership changes be adopted.
The member for Greatorex is discharged from the Public Accounts Committee and the member for Arafura be appointed.
Motion agreed to.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
Pillars of Justice
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Madam Speaker, I rise today to update the Assembly on the progress of an all-encompassing government strategy conceived to make the Northern Territory a safer and more pleasant place to live, a place where justice serves the interests of the commonwealth of the Northern Territory. I am reminded of the Shakespearian lines:
- We must not make a scarecrow of the law,
Setting it up to fear the birds of prey
And let it keep one shape, till custom make it
Their perch and not their terror.
This comprehensive policing justice and correction strategy titled Pillars of Justice is no short-term populist fix. It represents three years of constant work on matters that were not often politically sexy but were overlooked and in need of remediation. It is a plan to improve the protection of all Territorians – men, women and children, and especially families – while at the same time placing expectations on the shoulders of those convicted of crimes in our community. The plan aspires to employ firmness and direction that will raise expectations amongst our criminal class and lead them to expect more of themselves than they had ever believed possible.
On 16 May 2013 the Chief Minister addressed the Legislative Assembly on the Pillars of Justice framework and noted:
- It will be a root and branch reassessment of the way in which laws are administered, the scope of the legislation, and a focus on reducing the overall length of crime and antisocial behaviour in our community.
Pillars of Justice was, and remains, an ambitious plan to rationalise our criminal justice system from the point of arrest to the end of parole. The principal aim of the strategy is to deliver strengthened coordinated responses to target repeat offending, the rehabilitation of offenders, violent offending, alcohol-related crime and community safety. The strategy focuses on all aspects of the criminal justice system, from early intervention and diversion through to release on parole and through care. There are five fundamental pillars. The police powers reform is pillar one, the court law reform is pillar two, youth justice is pillar three, corrections reform is pillar four and victims of crime is pillar five. Statute and law reforms support all those pillars.
As the lead minister on this multi-portfolio initiative I express my gratitude to the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice, which has led the implementation of this strategy in collaboration with the Department of Correctional Services and Northern Territory Police.
The statement is intended to inform the Legislative Assembly of the outcomes under each pillar and their associated strategies, and to inform the Assembly of work that is currently being undertaken. The results of this initiative will take some time to be completely evident, although we have already seen some heartening results.
Pillar one focuses on empowering police with resources and law enforcement tools, including strengthening legislation with a view to providing an effective swift service to the community. This pillar also focuses on enhancing the preventive policing capabilities of Northern Territory Police. To support the government’s policy on mandatory alcohol treatment, the Alcohol Protection Orders Act 2013 was introduced to enable police to issue an order to prevent a person from possessing or consuming alcohol on licensed premises other than for work or place of residence. On 27 July 2015, 859 Alcohol Protection Orders were in force. These orders, together with a range of other legislative tools and operational initiatives, including temporary beat locations, have provided a targeted response to alcohol misuse in the Northern Territory.
Amendments to the Police Administration Act have created a streamlined simple arrest process for prescribed criminal offences that may be dealt with through the issue of an infringement notice. These powers allow police officers to focus on policing rather than paperwork and when they arrest somebody for a prescribed offence.
I note there has been criticism of this process since its introduction. I say to those critics that nothing has changed since the introduction of the system. No new offences have been created, no new system of custody involved. Police are still seized of the same duties and responsibilities when exercising their powers of arrest, custody is still a consequence of the arrest, and with the provision of bail, a person is released soon after arrest unless bail is refused. The allegation can be tested in a court of law. All that has changed is the amount of paperwork attended to by arresting police officers. I urge those who have an issue with the policy to pause for more sober reflection, rather than generating unreasonable fear around this policy. This is subject to an application before the High Court in Australia at the moment, and it is under consideration there. We will await their pronouncements.
This government made an election commitment to place 120 police officers on the beat. Recruitment is continuing to deliver on this commitment by 30 June next year, and funding has been approved for this purpose. This government also undertook to pursue innovative technological solutions to target serious and repeat offenders. The introduction of electronic monitoring devices has allowed for the tracking of adult and young offenders who are the subject of court and parole orders, and has provided an additional supervisory tool to the court when considering bail applications and sentencing options. The Department of Correctional Services is the lead agency for the implementation of this program.
In 2014 this government provided $1m for the implementation of electronic monitoring in the Northern Territory. The electronic monitoring system consists of a personal device worn by the offender, a base device placed in the home, place of employment or court-specified location, and a tracking device on the personal computers of supervising Community Corrections officers. Electronic monitoring is currently being utilised in community and custodial settings. There are currently 58 prisoners at the Barkly Work Camp and 60 community-based offenders subject to electronic monitoring.
The Department of Correctional Services commenced a live trial of secure continuous remote alcohol mandatory sentencing in June this year, with parolee leave now being successfully monitored. The Department of Correctional Services has successfully established an electronic monitoring program at Venndale Rehabilitation Centre near Katherine following installation of appropriate telecommunication technology. A prisoner participating in rehabilitation programs, released under the general leave permit, is now required to wear an electronic monitoring device. This will serve as another mechanism to manage the strict conditions of the permit.
The Parole Board has directed the use of electronic monitoring on 31 released prisoners with restricted movement conditions. Administrative home detention has contributed to the further usage of electronic monitoring, with a total of eight prisoners released under the program since October 2015. There have been 194 new community-based offenders connected and managed under the electronic monitoring system. The Department of Correctional Services is committed to utilising this technology in remote communities, and successful testing continues to be carried out in many remote communities, including Borroloola, Beswick and Peppimenarti.
Technology is evolving at an incredible pace and the government, through its agencies, is monitoring opportunities to improve and initiate services across all departments. The government is also committed to increasing emergency call centre services for the community through improvements to the operating processes, staffing and infrastructure of the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre. Funding was granted in the 2013-14 budget for this project. Civilian call taker recruitment, training, infrastructure review and work submission was completed in December 2013, with infrastructure works approval completed in June last year. The refurbishment of the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre has been under way for some time and is expected to be completed within the next few months.
I am proud to announce the 2014-15 financial year was the first time in the history of the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services that call service levels for 000 and 131444 calls had not met expected targets.
The NT has taken the lead on the development and implementation of the ownership of the Community Safety Action Plans across the Northern Territory. The plans focus on four key goals: promoting mutual respect and working partnerships; reducing domestic and family violence; reducing substance abuse; and improving community immunity.
There are 49 action plans in operation. Furthermore, in July 2013 a public safety unit was created with Northern Territory Police to ensure an integrated community engagement focus on key programs, including Junior Police Rangers, Neighbourhood Watch, Youth Diversion and Early Intervention.
I thank our police force on behalf of this House. The Territory police are held in very high regard by our community, a reputation they have deservedly earned.
Pillar two relates to court law reform: it relates to court procedure reform; court infrastructure improvements; minimum sentences for violent offenders; and additional sentencing options.
The aim of this pillar is to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system, enhance public access to justice and deliver fair, swift and robust justice outcomes. One of the key elements of this pillar is to improve our court facilities in the Northern Territory. I am pleased to report that the new Supreme Court justice precinct in Alice Springs will provide increased capacity and help decrease waiting periods for trials.
In addition, this government provided $350 000 in the 2013-14 budget for the creation of separate youth justice holding cells in Alice Springs to address the issue of youth offenders being housed in cells adjacent to adult offenders whilst they were awaiting trial. Renovations are soon to begin to fit out the new youth justice court at the TCG Building in Mitchell Street, which will be operational in December this year. The Department of the Attorney-General and Justice is investigating options for a Court of Summary Jurisdiction to be located permanently in the Palmerston area.
This pillar also incorporates a number of sentencing options. On 14 February 2013 the Legislative Assembly passed the Sentencing Amendment (Mandatory Minimum Sentences) Act 2013, which incorporated a graduated mandatory minimum sentencing regime for violent offenders.
The new Correctional Services Act implemented an Administrative Home Detention Scheme that allows the Commissioner of Correctional Services to manage a qualifying offender through home detention. Prisoners on the scheme are subject to electronic monitoring and are required to support themselves; therefore it is highly likely that they will be involved in the Sentenced to a Job program. A range of supported accommodation options for prisoners on this scheme are also being implemented.
The Traffic Offender Implementation Program was designed to raise awareness about road safety matters with the aim to reduce the likelihood of offenders committing further driving-related offences. The Department of Correctional Services and the Department of Transport worked in collaboration to deliver this program. A total of 75 programs were delivered across the Northern Territory to a total of 755 participants, and a total of 133 participants successfully obtained a driving licence following completion of the program. The program ceased on 30 June 2014 due to the low number of applications and the successful attainment of court orders relating to driving programs.
A review of prehearing summary criminal procedures was undertaken with a view to making pre-contest procedures more transparent and efficient, and resulted in the Justice Legislation Amendment (Summary Procedure) Act 2015, which was passed by the Legislative Assembly on 16 June this year. That act is expected to commence at the end of September 2015 and will provide for a fair and efficient case management regime in the Court of Summary Jurisdiction. The key measures introduced by this act include new preliminary briefs of evidence, court-directed directions hearings, sentence indications and limited defence disclosure requirements. The act implements the most far-reaching changes ever to occur in summary court procedures in the Northern Territory. I thank all stakeholders, the profession and members of the judiciary and public servants who played their part in this reform.
I have asked the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice to review possible improvements to public access to justice through enhanced use of technology, such as live web streaming of court hearings. The Department of the Attorney-General and Justice has also undertaken a review of the Justice Legislation Amendment (Committals Reform) Act 2010. The report on the review is now publicly available.
I also place on the record my thanks to the Chief Magistrate for his guidance and suggestions along the way, particularly for the summary procedures legislation.
Finally, the project to civilianise the police prosecutions has also been completed, and transferred the functions of summary prosecutions to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions from the Northern Territory Police.
There is a fine line between expectations of the general community when it comes to sentencing and the treatment of criminals and what is justice is. I believe that with the help and advice of my department, the judiciary and the legal profession has struck the right balance.
I place on the record my congratulations to Justice Kelly for the decision to allow cameras into her court yesterday for the sentencing of a person for a homicide. As they say, justice must not only be done, but it must be seen to be done.
Pillar three is about youth justice reform. The purpose of this pillar is to reduce reoffending and risk of offending by young people through a coordinated and collaborative approach between the Northern Territory government, community and the non-government sector.
The underlying basis for this pillar is the development of the Youth Justice Framework 2015-20. The framework will provide for a coordinated and comprehensive cross-agency and non-government organisation response to the youth justice issues with coordinated program and service delivery to young people at risk of entering, and to those young people already in, the youth justice system.
I am pleased to announce that the Youth Justice Framework was endorsed by the government in May 2015.
As part of the government election commitments the Youth Turn initiative has introduced boot camps as an early intervention strategy. The early intervention youth boot camps are therapeutic camps essentially designed to challenge young people at risk of entering the youth justice system both emotionally and physically.
The camp is followed by up to three months of case management delivered by non-government organisations. The pilot program was delivered in both Alice Springs and South Australia, and in 2014-15, 77 young people participated in the program.
On 8 June 2015 I opened the Early Intervention Youth Boot Camp Program outside of Alice Springs with traditional owners from Loves Creek and the camp’s operators. Some 22 young people from Darwin, Katherine and the surrounding areas attended the first camp at this site. Operation Flinders is working with the YMCA in Darwin and Katherine to deliver case management in Alice Springs. The last camp was held on 24 August 2015. I visited it and was encouraged that we are doing the right thing and are on the right track.
The guidelines for the Sentenced Youth Boot Camp Program are being finalised in partnership with a consultant and a range of stakeholders. A site for the camp has been identified.
A review of the detention centre operations has also taken place. The Youth Detention System Report, known as the Vita review, has made 16 recommendations, all of which have been endorsed by this government. The Youth Detention Reform Advisory Group has been established to oversee the implementation of these recommendations and consists of both government and non-government members.
Nine recommendations have been implemented, six of these nine – recommendations two, eight, 10, 12, 13 and 16 – require ongoing action. Three recommendations have been completed: four; 14; and 15.
The remaining seven recommendations will be implemented by the end of August 2015. Community Corrections and youth justice divisions have also committed to establish and implement a youth specific service delivery model for young people on community-based orders.
It is known as the community-based youth supervision model project. Train-the-trainer packages have been delivered to key staff to implement core components of the new model. The Youth Level Service/Case Management Inventory is an assessment tool to be used across correctional services, as is the Changing Habits and Reaching Targets evidenced-based offence-specific behaviour change program.
A Community Corrections youth training package is under development to ensure staff can provide services within a strengths-based trauma-informed practice framework.
Through an action and research approach, Community Corrections is reviewing current policy practice and procedures to inform the new model. The approach has already been strengthened in collaboration with the key intra-and inter-agency stakeholders to improve the quality of pre-sentence reports provided to the Youth Justice Court.
Following training and development of the new policy, practice and procedures will be tied to the new community-based youth supervision model that will be implemented across the Northern Territory over the 2015-16 calendar year. There are many reasons why some youths head down the path to criminality, and one cannot but be sympathetic to many of these kids and the circumstances they find themselves in. Nevertheless, some youths have displayed such antisocial behaviour that they have to be treated in a firmer manner to protect the community and corrections staff.
We have not given up on these difficult youths. The government is continuing to investigate innovative programs to help at-risk youths re-enter the community and lead productive lives. What is clear is that many have to be given structure that has not been present in their lives.
Pillar four is centred on corrections reform. The aim of the corrections reform pillar is to provide a contemporary correctional services system that seeks to reduce recidivism through targeted prisoner training, education and employment, supported accommodation, regional work camps and community partnerships. The primary objective of this pillar is to provide prisoners with a pathway to reintegration and to reduce reoffending.
The first corrections reform strategy relates to the establishment of regional work camps. A mobile work camp commenced on the Gulkula site in July 2013, undertaking work for the Yothu Yindi Foundation, which involved setting up and dismantling infrastructure for the Garma Festival. A decision was made to locate the work camp permanently in Nhulunbuy. On 2 September 2014 the work camp was transferred to a permanent location on the outskirts of Nhulunbuy and has been called the Datjala Work Camp. The camp has a permanent staffing component and a designated community consultative committee. The camp accommodates open-rated male prisoners who undertake to work in the local community, assisting the local community with approved projects, clean up post-cyclone work, work at local businesses and both the setting up and dismantling of infrastructure for local events.
The second strategy relates to the establishment of regional partnerships. External and internal communications have been and are being undertaken with key stakeholders at Borroloola, the Tiwi Islands and the greater Katherine east and west areas to ascertain the viability of work camps or other correctional alternatives operating in these areas.
The Elders Visiting Program has adopted a regional model which includes the Katherine region, saltwater gulf region and the Barkly central region, and has developed regional business plans to assist with reducing reoffending. The aim of the Elders Visiting Program is to provide a link to the local community in each region and identify and address reintegration road blocks to assist with readdressing offending. The Elders Visiting Program also assists with developing local solutions by linking with local government departments, non-government organisations and elders in consultation with the Department of Correctional Services to support an holistic and integrated outcome for successful transition to the community by prisoners. The Department of Correctional Services also develops local capabilities through partnerships with elders and community interests, as well as developing local capabilities through microeconomic and business opportunities to provide openings for prisoners on release to their community.
Strong community partnerships are essential to ensure the successful rehabilitation of offenders and their transition back into the community. The Elders Visiting Program and the Official Visitors Program are essential components to this. Government remains keen to pursue the mentor program in the future.
The aim of the meeting is to visit the scope of services for the mentor program to ensure that it has all the correct elements included in the document. Following endorsement of the scope of services, a pilot mentor program will be implemented followed by an evaluation and further roll-out of the program to other areas.
The Sentenced to a Job strategy is seeing a multitude of benefits to prisoners and the wider community, and is working collaboratively with the Correctional Industries Advisory Council. There have been many benefits from this strategy including:
providing prisoners with training and skills to enable them to retain their position upon release or find other employment
giving prisoners an opportunity to integrate and adjust to community life prior to their release
teaching prisoners good work ethics and boosting their self-esteem
assisting prisoners to renew their community ties, make new social relationships and take responsibility for their own behaviour through privileges associated with the program
assisting the prisoner to financially support his or her family and dependents
assisting a prisoner with the payment of fines and levies.
Money earned by prisoners benefits the local community owing to the prisoners residing in the area upon release. Prisoners pay a levy to Victims of Crime NT as a measure of repatriation back to the community, and prisoners also pay tax in the same way they would if they were working in a real life environment, because essentially they are.
I am also very pleased to report that the recidivism rate for prisoners who are involved in this program is under 20%. This is in contrast to recidivism rates for prisoners released during 2011-12, with 51.7% of these prisoners returning to prison within two years. That is a very encouraging result, and I have suggested to both Menzies and CDU that there is a doctorate to be developed about these promising results.
Building upon early access indicators from the Sentenced to a Job program, the Department of Correctional Services has modified the approach for the use of the Community Corrections environment known as the Orders to Work program. This program involves the co-location of an employment consultant through a job active provider in the Community Corrections office. The aim of the program is to work intensively with offenders on community-based supervision orders to actively seek employment or, where necessary, engage with work readiness training programs.
The service commenced in March 2015 from the Katherine, Alice Springs and Darwin offices as a short-term trial. It has shown promising signs and will be continued in those regions. I noticed on Facebook that some of these job provision programs are being advertised.
As at 28 July 2015 there were 93 prisoners who were in paid employment and a further 63 prisoners undertaking volunteer employment. A business development manager will be recruited to expand this project – in fact, I understand has been recruited – which will include expanding through-care opportunities for employment. It remains less than what I want it to be, but we continue, nevertheless, to press on.
The Department of Correctional Services has also undertaken a significant amount of work in the work readiness area. The low levels of literacy and numeracy amongst prisoners has meant that literacy and numeracy education is required so prisoners are able to learn new skills, leading to paid employment. There are two programs currently being used to assist prisoners: Quicksmart, a program developed by the University of New England; and Foundation Skills, a program delivered by the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education. I acknowledge the work of the former Corrections minister, the member for Barkly, with this initiative.
The Quicksmart program aims at addressing the need for basic skills in literacy and numeracy. This specialised program involves training prisoners to act as tutors to deliver the sessions to other prisoners, and there is also a prisoner mentoring program. Assistance is given by staff lecturers. The Department of Correctional Services will review the most recent proposal by the University of New England and provide feedback regarding the delivery of Quicksmart.
The Telstra Workspace X Project is also being developed, and an I-talk library and stories are being developed for prisoners to access and participate in story development.
In the area of working in correctional centres, Darwin and Alice Springs Correctional Centres have extensive industry self-sustainable areas where prisoners are provided with training and work experience in a number of fields, including metal fabrication, creative work, maintenance, horticulture, construction, carpentry, textiles, concreting, food services and laundry. Once skills are acquired, prisoners with the required security levels can then be placed in paid employment.
Whilst the number is not official, I spoke to the superintendent of the Alice Springs gaol the other day and we have 76% employment inside the Alice Springs gaol, which I find very encouraging in terms of training and skills development.
In August 2014, the Department of Correctional Services entered into a partnership with the Department of Housing for prisoners and community work offenders to be involved in the refurbishment of public housing properties. Overseen by Community Corrections, it is an important initiative that provides benefit to both agencies. Prisoners and offenders are provided with practical skills in the building and construction industry. This complements the objectives of the Sentenced to a Job program in linking prisoners and offenders to real job opportunities in the community, as the construction industry in the Territory remains strong, providing ongoing employment opportunities. For the Department of Housing, of course, there are benefits from reducing the time and cost of refurbishments and teaching prisoners how to be better tenants.
Employer symposiums are held on a regular basis in Darwin and Alice Springs to promote opportunities available to the private sector through the Sentenced to a Job program and Northern Territory Correctional Industries. These symposiums stress the message that the Department of Correctional Services will work with, and not in competition with, businesses in the Northern Territory. I attended such a symposium in Lyons last week.
A database of employers is maintained and updated as officers regularly visit businesses in all locations. It is expected that this database will grow when additional resources are provided, including the recruitment of a business development manager. The strategies have contributed to the success of the Sentenced to a Job program by producing a skilled, reliable workforce for the private sector. The employer symposiums have educated local businesses that the program is not a threat to their businesses, but rather a means for them to increase their capacity. As employers are gaining confidence in the program, the number of prisoners in paid employment continues to increase.
The Department of Correctional Services is holding a peer listener scheme, which involves engaging appropriate professionals to train and supervise the work of suitable prisoner candidates to become peer listeners. The peer listener would provide help for prisoners who are trying to adapt to prison and associated issues such as stress, relationship breakdown, loss and grief, etcetera. The peer listener scheme allows for services outside the normal clinician working hours and provides a trust mechanism for prisoners.
The Motor Trades Association has also become involved in providing training and opportunities for prisoners. The association recognises that most of the potential participants will have had little or no automotive experience and the training that they are providing will not only provide an opportunity to embed the foundation skills early on, but will also allow numeracy and literacy skills to be assessed. The association mentors prisoners to gain the best outcomes from their learning experience, which is translated into a basis for ongoing development in this area.
I pause to place on the record my thanks to Peter Donovan for his passion. He is a credit to the Motor Trades Association. If other industry groups were this engaged, there would not be an unemployed prisoner in our gaols.
The volunteer program is being piloted in the Darwin Correctional Centre, with Alice Springs Correctional Centre to follow. Procedures are being refined at Darwin Correctional Centre to ensure that seamless processes are followed by the relevant staff in the facilities. Ongoing volunteer information sessions will be held for members of the public who are interested in being volunteers in the correctional services.
The Department of Correctional Services has also been involved in developing a through-care management model. The outcome of this strategy has been the development of a robust through-care model to enable prisoners to achieve a collaborative outcome that meets their requirements in, for example, education. An overarching through-care management framework has been developed and each of the adult correctional institutions has facilitated their individual management models, which marry up to the framework. The Darwin Correctional Centre has held a number of workshops to ensure that all elements have been included in the model and that staff are aware of their roles. The overarching through-care framework is to be revisited and finalised in consultation with key stakeholders.
There are two initiatives within Community Corrections that support the through-care framework being undertaken within the corrections environments. The first is the contracting of beds in alcohol and other drugs residential rehabilitation centres for pre-release prisoners. These beds provide an opportunity for prisoners to undertake a residential rehabilitation program prior to their release that helps them to understand the factors that motivate drug use. The impact of their drug use upon their own and their family’s lives provides them with the tools to make better decisions in the future regarding alcohol and other drug use.
It is not uncommon for prisoners to have a condition on a suspended sentence or other order requiring them to complete a residential rehabilitation program. These beds provide prisoners with an opportunity to complete the rehabilitation before entering the Sentenced to a Job program, allowing them to keep their employment at the completion of their sentence.
Secondly, Community Corrections funds the operation of pre- and post-release supported accommodations in the community, including a six-bed facility for men in Alice Springs and a 10-bed facility for women in Darwin. These programs are important as they provide case management and traditional accommodation to people as they exit the custodial setting. It is a time of vulnerability for prisoners as they move from the highly-structured environment of prison back to the freedoms and liberties outside.
The program offered at these centres includes a range of life skills such as money management, parenting, relationships, jobs skills and employment, alcohol programs and assistance with other government agencies. The Department of Correctional Services has advertised an expression of interest to operate a larger 25-bed facility for men in the Darwin region.
Further education and training programs are also being developed. Under the recently-signed service level agreement with the Batchelor Institute, the institute will be responsible for the majority of education and training for the Department of Correctional Services, using the Jumpstart concept that focuses on integration of literacy and numeracy with vocational skills. A total of 57 prisoners have received their qualifications and statements of attainment. I am very proud to attend those graduations.
The Department of Correctional Services has developed a suite of Indigenous language resources to be used by offenders and their families to give them a better understanding of the criminal justice system. Community Corrections has worked in collaboration with Creative Territory and the Aboriginal Interpreting Service to undertake a project to design and implement the suite of educational resources that are available in plainly written English and, once completed, will be available in nine Indigenous languages in audio. These resources will be utilised by Community Corrections staff using an iPad application. I can inform the House that we are now rolling that out.
The project encompasses three separate pieces of work, including 16 common conditions of court and parole orders plus picture icons and a wallet card. There are two e-stories on display on the iPad about court and parole orders, as well as 12 fact sheets that provide information on each order that Community Corrections supervises and the roles of a few key positions.
Extensive consultation and testing of resources has been conducted and, following the official launch in July 2015, the resources will be implemented operationally. It is hoped with a clearer understanding of the order and conditions, offenders will better appreciate their responsibilities and the repercussions of not complying, and ultimately this may reduce breaches and re-offending. An evaluation of resources will be conducted following the implementation to measure their impact on both a level of understanding amongst offenders and the breach rate.
Underpinning these operational matters was the drafting of the new Correctional Services Act. The Prisons (Correctional Services) Act, the Prisons (Correctional Services) Regulations and the Prisons (Correctional Services) (Community Orders) Regulations were reviewed and rewritten to ensure that they allowed for a contemporary correctional services system. The Prisons (Correctional Services) Act was over 30 years old and was antiquated and not appropriate for managing a 21st century corrections system, particularly the one which this government has built. Upwards of some 30 other acts and regulations have also been amended, and their commencement coincided with the opening of the new corrections precinct at Holtze.
The Correctional Services Act 2014 delivered on the government’s commitment to provide an improved and robust foundation for the administration of sentences and management of offenders in the Northern Territory.
The new act provides a modern foundation for the delivery of correctional services in the Northern Territory with a greater focus on accountability and effective offender reintegration into society through employment and education. Changes in the new legislation include:
additional provisions that enable prisoners to engage in work
the ability for prisoners to financially contribute to their own learning programs where they have sufficient funds in their accounts
provisions to recover costs from prisoners in the event they destroy or damage custodial property, a monitoring device, or any other equipment provided to them
the concept of leave of absence has been reframed to clarify the circumstances in which the Commissioner of Correctional Services may issue a leave permit and the conditions that may be attached to such a permit
although previously a condition of employment, the act now specifically allows for the Commissioner of Correctional Services to drug and alcohol test employees at any time and check their criminal history for current spent records
the ability for the Commissioner of Correctional Services to release a qualifying prisoner on administrative home detention towards the end of their sentence on strict conditions, which generally include a condition to wear an electronic monitoring device and be engaged in paid or volunteer employment.
In decades gone by there has been a rack and stack, or warehousing, model for prisoner management. The model is antiquated and does very little to improve the lives and rehabilitative prospects of prisoners and hence does little to curb offending and repeat offending. The new Correctional Services Act, combined with other government policies and infrastructure developments contained within the pillar, allow a greater focus on education, employment and rehabilitative initiatives in an effort to reduce the rate of reoffending and make the community safer. The Darwin Correctional Precinct also assists in this regard, as it is not only a significant program of capital works but also the foundation of a new framework for the future of offender management.
The Department of Correctional Services, the Northern Territory Police, the Department of Health and the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice have also been involved with the project to transfer the responsibility for in-custody and in-court custody management at the Darwin Magistrates Court to the Department of Correctional Services. This occurred in December 2013.
The Department of Correctional Services is working with the Northern Territory Police and the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice regarding the costs and benefits of the Department of Correctional Services taking over the responsibility of in-custody and in-court custody management in Alice Springs, Katherine and Tennant Creek.
The government is pursuing other exciting strategies. These strategies will enhance our existing Sentenced to a Job program, and will also give at-risk youths a chance to develop in a normal environment devoid of criminal elements.
You can see just how much work our incredible public service is putting into this strategy. It is not unfair to ask our prisoners to be more than what they have become. It is about saying to them that we do have expectations of them, as society has expectations of all its citizens. It is about saying to people they can be more than what they are whilst understanding they may not believe it themselves. It is about corrections, and ultimately it is about rehabilitating these men and women, and giving them a chance and, in turn, making our community a safer place.
Pillar five is Victims First and seeks to champion the rights of victims in the criminal justice system and to ensure that there is a coordinated network of support to victims of crime in the Northern Territory.
The first project under this pillar is the Safe at Home program. The program will assist victims of residential property crime to feel safe in their homes by:
ensuring victims of residential property crime and potential victims are supported to feel safe in their homes
providing immediate enhanced safety and security measures to Territorians who are the victims of violent residential property crime
ensuring the emotional wellbeing of victims of residential property crime is addressed
aligning the policy with existing and complementary policy frameworks, for example the Safe Streets Audit.
The program is underpinned by funding of $1m per financial year. Victims of Crime NT began implementation of the program in July 2015, with the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice being responsible for the strategic management of the program.
This government made an election commitment to undertake a Safe Streets Audit to examine the report on the safety status of the NT’s major urban communities and inform crime prevention strategies.
The audit was conducted in 2013 and has been published on the Australian Institute of Criminology website. A key element of this pillar is the Northern Territory Domestic and Family Violence Reduction Strategy 2014-2017: Safety is Everyone’s Right.
The Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy is a whole-of-government initiative, of which I am particularly proud. It has done much and will continue to do much to protect the vulnerable in our community.
Lead agencies implementing the strategy are the Northern Territory Departments of the Attorney-General and Justice, and Local Government and Community Services, and the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services.
The Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy is funded by the Northern Territory government and the Australian government. The Northern Territory government has committed $12m over the life of the strategy. The Australian government, through the Commonwealth Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, has provided support of $6m over two years.
The Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy aims to:
increase the safety of victims and their children
reduce the rates of intergenerational trauma caused by exposure to domestic and family violence
increase the accountability of perpetrators
establish an integrated service delivery system that is sustainable and adaptable.
The whole-of-government approach was informed by consultation with stakeholders and is based on the widespread support for a government-led integrated response to domestic and family violence with more specialised support services for victims and effective perpetrator rehabilitation programs.
The Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy is aligned with the objectives and priority areas of action in the Framing the Future blueprint and the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022. It builds on the international best practice principles to address domestic violence. The five action areas to produce change are:
prevention
The key to the Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy is an integrated response that addresses the negative impact of service fragmentation on vulnerable persons. The integrated response is being led by the Northern Territory government through the establishment of the Domestic Violence Directorate, which is tasked with the coordination and support of the implementation strategy.
As part of this strategy, local implementation reference groups have been established in Alice Springs, Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek to ensure local expertise informs the implementation of the strategy. The groups include representatives from the Northern Territory government departments, local government and non-government organisations that meet on a monthly basis.
The key components of the Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy are:
1. government leadership through the establishment of the Domestic Violence Directorate to lead the government integrated response
2. the roll-out of SupportLink – which is frustratingly slow at the moment, but we are working on it – to key government departments to ensure victims are referred to appropriate support services. The implementation of the integrated services framework has been embraced by the Northern Territory Police and other government and non-government agencies to better target vulnerable persons and assist agencies to work together. As at 30 June 2015, 92 agencies across the Northern Territory had been signed up to receive referrals through SupportLink, including 33 domestic violence services.
3. the roll-out of the Family Safety Framework to Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek with the purpose of protecting high-risk victims and their families from further harm. The Family Safety Framework focuses on protecting high-risk victims from further harm and homicide by sharing information across core government and non-government agencies. Key aspects of the Family Safety Framework include consistent risk assessment tools, information sharing and fortnightly family safety meetings where agencies plan immediate actions and jointly monitor safety improvements for each referral. The Family Safety Framework has now been implemented in Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek, and the family safety meetings are now being held in these locations as well as Alice Springs.
4. a sum of $3m has been invested in providing specialised support services for victims and their children to protect and help the victims rebuild their lives
5. on 9 July 2015 the Domestic Violence Critical Intervention Outreach Service for the Barkly region was officially launch at Tennant Creek Women’s Refuge. The aims of the Domestic Violence Critical Intervention Outreach Services are:
- (a) to reduce the incidence and impact of domestic family violence
7. non-government organisations in Darwin and Alice Springs have also been contracted to deliver Domestic Violence Critical Intervention Outreach Services in their regions. These services will be officially launched in the coming months
8. the Alice Springs Men’s Behaviour Change Program is delivered by a consortium of non-government service providers compromising Tangentyere Council, Jesuit Social Services and the Alice Springs Women’s Shelter. The Men’s Behaviour Change Program commenced accepting referrals in October 2014 and is currently running a full program with high-risk perpetrators
9. an investment of $385 000 for Indigenous Men’s Leadership Grants that prevent, respond and speak out against violence towards women and children.
The Department of the Attorney-General and Justice is currently undertaking a review of the Domestic and Family Violence Act and is also reviewing the recommendations made by the joint report on domestic violence undertaken by the New South Wales Law Reform Commission and the Australian Law Reform Commission in late 2010.
The joint report recommendations cover the entire gamut of the criminal justice response concerning domestic violence, from police procedures and prosecution procedures to offences, rules of evidence, behaviour change programs and support mechanisms for both victims and perpetrators. Over 90 stakeholders have been invited to make submissions on the act and joint report recommendations.
As part of this domestic violence strategy the government is also considering policies that have been implemented in other countries. This includes Clare’s Law, a policy recently implemented in England that allows police officers, upon request for a party and after having conducted a risk assessment, to release details of domestic violence-related criminal history to an applicant and to escalate support mechanisms for the at-risk person.
Domestic violence is a scourge in our community, and this government will do everything within its power to ensure the policing and criminal justice response is strong and that victims of domestic violence receive appropriate support.
I finish my comments with an observation on the relationship between domestic violence legislation, which is state based, and its operation within boundaries of the Family Law Act. Whilst only anecdotal, it has reached my ears that domestic violence orders are being sought by lawyers as leverage in subsequent family law applications. I would say to any lawyer who did so that they should not. Domestic violence orders are, and always have been, a shield. They should never be a sword, for were they to become one then these orders would become a part of the violence they seek to protect victims from. After speaking to judges of the Federal Court on this matter, I am satisfied that any lawyers who seek to use these orders in such a fashion do their clients no service.
Victims of Crime NT, as a member of the Crime Victims Advisory Committee, is undertaking a survey of service providers to look at options to expand the availability of victims’ services in remote and regional parts of the Northern Territory. This survey is currently being completed and will be provided to the committee and then to me upon its completion.
The Crime Victims Advisory Committee is also looking at ways of expanding the use of victim offender conferencing in certain matters. I have asked the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice to look at expanding the role the Witness Assistance Service plays in criminal matters, in particular providing greater support to victims of domestic violence and ensuring that victims are made aware of the victim impact statement process.
I can also advise that the Crime Victims Advisory Committee is currently drafting a new charter of victims’ rights and a guide for media on reporting of criminal matters to promote awareness in the media on the potential impact of their reporting on victims of crime. It is an ongoing legislative responsibility of the committee and the Crime Victims Services Unit to promote the rights of victims under the Victims of Crime Rights and Services Act and it is an important body of work.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, the Department of Correctional Services, the Crime Victims Services Unit and the Witness Assistance Services are working together to promote input by victims when offenders are being considered for parole. Community corrections are being assisted by the NT Victims Register to locate victims where possible in order to seek their input into decisions being made by the parole board.
I can also advise that in early July this year a memorandum of understanding was provided to the Department of Correctional Services to grant the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice access to the Victims Register module in the Integrated Offender Management system. This will allow the Victims of Crime Services Unit to transition from the current Victims Register to the Integrated Offender Management System’s module, which will provide increased functionality and improve the unit’s responsiveness to registered persons regarding offenders.
At a national level the Tasmanian Justice department, with the support of the Northern Territory Justice department, has been leading a project regarding national uniform legislation concerning the mutual recognition of domestic violence orders. Currently, a domestic violence order taken out in the Northern Territory can only be enforced in another state or territory if the victim physically registers that order within the jurisdiction. The legislation will ensure that as soon as an order is taken out in one jurisdiction, it is automatically applicable in all states and territories of Australia, thus providing immediate protection throughout Australia.
This project is now a Council of Australian Governments’ priority item, and CRIMTRAC is running a pilot program in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania to ensure the systems are fit for purpose. The matter will be placed before all state and territory’ Attorneys-General and Police ministers later this year.
The final matter in this pillar relates to the publicly accessible sex offender website arising out of Daniel’s Law. A bill has now been presented to this House and has been developed to provide a structure to the website, including what type of offenders are eligible, what information is contained on the website and who has the discretion to place an eligible person on the site. An intergovernmental committee consisting of members of the Northern Territory Police Force, the Department of Correctional Services and the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice will implement the reform. The NT Police will host the website and are currently undertaking a business case.
The purpose of statute law reform underlying the Pillars of Justice framework is to ensure the Northern Territory criminal justice legislation is robust, targeted, integrated and contemporary, and meets the expectations of the community.
Since August 2013 there have been a number of amendments made to the Criminal Code under the Pillars of Justice scheme. These amendments ensure our criminal offences procedures are contemporary and include:
introduction of offences relating to match fixing passed in August 2013 and commenced in October 2013
amendments regarding female genital mutilation passed in October 2013 and commenced on 4 December 2013
amendments regarding the destruction of child abuse material passed in February 2014 and commenced on 2 April 2014
amendments regarding the ordering of medical and psychiatric testing of accused persons in court proceedings passed in February 2014 and commenced on 2 April 2014
introduction of identity theft offences which was passed in March 2014 and commenced April 2014
amendments relating to the presumption of joint trials where an offender is charged with sexual offences against multiple complainants passed in May 2014 and commenced July 2014
introduction of a police pursuit offence passed in August 2014 and commenced October 2014
a bill allowing for the remission of resentencing passed in February 2015 and commenced March 2015
the ongoing project of converting all existing criminal offences in the Northern Territory to wording consistent with Part IIAA of the Criminal Code. The redrafting of sexual offences has been prioritised with the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice developing proposals to reform non-sexual, non-fatal offences and property offences as the next priority. This project is a large and complicated task and relates to all existing new offences and will take approximately two to three years to complete.
The government is also currently reviewing policies regarding the criminal procedure, in particular double jeopardy and subsequent appeals.
The introduction of a Serious Sex Offenders Act was the primary initiative under the sexual assault framework of the Pillars of Justice. The act commenced on 1 July 2013 and provides additional protection to victims of serious sex offenders and the general community. The act provides for the Attorney-General to apply to the Supreme Court for an order relating to the continuing rehabilitation, care and treatment of serious sex offenders. The orders are in the form of continuing detention or supervised release.
A Serious Sex Offender Referral Committee has been created and assesses serious sexual offenders to the Attorney-General. The committee consists of members of the Departments of Correctional Services, Health and the Attorney-General and Justice. There is currently one offender subject to a continuing supervision, and the Supreme Court is considering an application in relation to another person.
In the area of organised crime, the Criminal Property and Forfeiture Act and associated regulations have been amended to address concerns raised by the courts to ensure the mutual recognition provisions are up to date. There are currently a number of matters that are being considered at a national level; however, these matters are in their infancy. These matters include reciprocal access to unexplained wealth schemes, regulation of precursor chemicals, and enhanced information-sharing to allow police to access tax and Centrelink information more easily in proceeds of crime applications. Preliminary discussions have also taken place at officer level on whether national crime control legislation would provide greater assistance to law enforcement in tackling cross-jurisdictional organised crime.
I have a word of advice to those involved with organised crime: do not think you can operate in the Northern Territory. It is just not worth it. We will identify you and deal with you accordingly.
A number of reforms to the Bail Act were passed in the Legislative Assembly in February this year. These reforms were consistent with the government’s election commitment to ensure it was more difficult for repeat serious offenders, persons who repeatedly breached bail, and people who repeatedly breached domestic violence orders to be bailed. The amendments also simplify the structure of the act and provide additional criteria for the court to consider when ascertaining whether bail should be granted.
These amendments will be introduced into the Legislative Assembly shortly to allow a Youth Justice Court to consider issuing electronic monitoring for a youth on bail. Currently, the Youth Justice Court is not given the power to even consider issuing such a device.
In 2012 the Summary Offences Act and associated regulations were the subject of a review, and legislation to modernise the act and incorporate contemporary offences and penalties is currently being drafted.
The Police Administration Act has been the subject of a review and, as already discussed, amendments relating to paperless arrests and directed interviews were passed in November 2014. A separate bill was passed in February this year relating to special investigative and other powers. A number of other amendments to the act are being considered to ensure it is fit for purpose in today’s environment and allows police to utilise their powers effectively and efficiently.
Finally, the Victims Crime Assistance Act is also under review.
I have detailed the extraordinary lengths to which this government is demonstrating its commitment to helping the less fortunate in our society – the criminals, prisoners and at-risk youth. But let me make something very clear, my first sympathies lie and always will lie with the victims of crimes, that is, those innocent members of our community whose lives can be shattered in an instant by an uncaring thug. It is obvious that if the victim of a crime believes the perpetrator has been inappropriately dealt with, too lightly dealt with, then the victim is, in a sense, further traumatised.
There is a difficulty in balancing such issues. We have a dedicated and highly professional judiciary that has my full support and admiration. Together, I hope that we can get the balance right between the punishment of the criminal, but more importantly, showing consideration to the victims and their families.
I thank the Department of the Attorney-General and Justice; the Department of Correctional Services; Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services; and all other government departments that have worked so diligently on this strategy to date.
I also thank all the stakeholders who have given time out of their busy schedules to provide input to the individual strategies. I commend this statement to the House and move that the Assembly takes note of the statement.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for bringing this statement before the House. I am pleased a new sessional order was adopted in the last sittings and we, on this side of the House, received this statement shortly before 5 pm under new rules yesterday. We had an opportunity to read it, think about it and respond to it in a more considered fashion than we have had the opportunity to do in the past.
That said, I confess I was a little distracted yesterday afternoon and evening, like the rest of the country, watching events unfold in Canberra, which have delivered a new Prime Minister to Australia. A 51-page ministerial statement is something to absorb. I will not deliver a 51-page response, far from it. There is plenty to talk about, but such is the life of an opposition member with the limited resources and competing priorities we juggle.
The reason we have a ministerial statement of this size is probably more about trying to fill some parliamentary time in a week where we have no legislation for debate, unless the government can convince the majority of the House the bill should be debated on urgency. I cannot remember a week, other than a couple of years ago, where we had no bills to debate. How extraordinary it is, in the week where the minister wants to talk about the Pillars of Justice, we have no legislation to debate. That is unless an urgency motion is supported by a member from this side of the House, and without that it sounds to me like the Pillars of Justice might be crumbling. Such is life for a minority government.
I am losing count, but I think this is the third ministerial statement we have had from the government on the Pillars of Justice. The first one in May 2013 was delivered by the Chief Minister. There was another one in August 2013 and I am sure there has been another one since then, at which time somebody else had shadow responsibility for Attorney-General and Justice and perhaps I missed it.
Again, I thank the minister for bringing this statement before the House because law and order, the safety of Territorians, our communities, men, women and children, no matter where they live, are important issues for governments and all members of this House.
Over the three years of the CLP government, the approach to law and order – and I do not think I am alone in thinking this – has seen a clear theme dominate. Perhaps the hint of that theme came in the lead up to the last election with election promises. The entire government’s strategic response to the Territory’s problems is simply this: arrest people and lock them up. If you need rehabilitation to address your alcohol addiction issue, go to gaol. If you want a job, go to gaol. If you are in need of remedial education and training, go to gaol. If you want some respite, go to gaol.
This is a government which, time and time again, tells us it knows best. The minister knows best because he is an ex-policeman and he holds a law degree, and he has been served some of life’s challenges, which, to his credit, he has overcome. The minister is very passionate; there is no doubt about that. He is very passionate about his portfolios. He is a hard worker and, being the first law officer of the Northern Territory, there is no doubt he takes his role very seriously. But, it is true; this government’s answer to the Territory’s problems with law and order is to lock people up – straight to gaol every time.
God forbid if anyone dares to mention terms like ‘justice reinvestment’, as I did in the last sittings, or if anyone calls for an evidence base to support the success or otherwise of their law reform agenda.
One would think, in listening to this 51-page statement that has taken the Attorney-General more than an hour to deliver, that all the problems in the Northern Territory have gone away. That is not so at all. This statement and the rhetoric we hear from the government shows it is incredibly limited in the way of results. It has the huge reform agenda the Attorney-General has talked about but is limited in the way of results. We do not hear or see a commitment to review and monitor changes in place or to conduct an independent review into things like alcohol mandatory treatment. We see more and more powers handed to police through legislation and more intrusion into the privacy of Territorians’ lives.
For all of the reforms the Attorney-General has talked about, crime is still a huge issue in the Northern Territory, especially in places like Darwin and Palmerston. Our prisons are overflowing and it is alarming that we continue to see children at risk and children in child protection interface with the criminal justice system. Let us face it, statistics have only become worse for Aboriginal Territorians, who are overwhelmingly overrepresented in them.
The CLP government’s approach contrasts to Territory Labor’s children first approach, which supports children and drives for generational change. We simply cannot continue to keep going down the same flawed path as the CLP. We have to embark on change.
I will quote the first couple of paragraphs from the Leader of the Opposition’s opening statement to the paper we launched a number of weeks ago about early childhood investment:
- A Territory Labor government will be defined by our commitment to the children of the Northern Territory.
…
Caring for, nurturing and protecting the youngest members of our community is the hallmark of a fair and decent society. Investing in our children and their families to support their healthy development is the hallmark of a smart society.
The evidence is unequivocal. We now know that the physical and social environment children are exposed to in their earliest months and years of life has an enormous impact on their future health, education and employment prospects.
All of those things are the determinants of successful people. In that opening statement, the Leader of the Opposition went on to say:
- We know that effective early childhood programs are beneficial to a child’s growth and development, beneficial to a community’s economic activity and development, and beneficial to a harmonious and coherent society when a healthy child matures to adulthood.
A long-term and strategic approach to planning and resourcing is essential. Every dollar spent on the development of our youngest Territorians is worthwhile. It’s the key to overcoming the disadvantage experienced by so many Territorians.
This has to be the starting point for government. It is the starting point for Territory Labor should we be privileged enough to be the next government in the Northern Territory. We have to take a long-term, considered view and informed evidenced-based approaches to governing the Northern Territory. This includes not just children but pertains to the justice system as well.
We are engaging with experts and listening to what they say. This is in stark contrast to the CLP, which so frequently in the law and order arena has dismissed the views of experts, the judiciary, legal peak bodies and health and social justice specialists.
I note under pillar one, police powers reform, the minister raised Alcohol Protection Orders. APOs are flawed and bad law, as summed up by NAAJA, the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Association:
- … ignores what health experts say about alcoholism. An alcoholic will not stop drinking because they are placed on an APO: all it will do is send more people to jail.
… police far-reaching powers usually reserved for courts. Police will be able to ban people from drinking if they have charged them with an offence involving alcohol.
- … not just serious offences, but almost all criminal offending. Qualifying offences include loitering, disorderly behaviour in a public place, or high and medium range drink driving.
… applies where a police officer believes the person was ‘affected by alcohol’ at the time of the alleged offence. ‘Affected by alcohol’ sets a very low threshold – is a person who has had a few drinks ‘affected by alcohol’?
- … allows a police officer who reasonable believes an adult is subject to an APO to search the person without a warrant. This is an unacceptably broad power.
The APO process for reconsideration and review of decisions to make an APO are inadequate.
The 3 day timeframe to make an application for is far too short, particularly given that the application must be made in writing.
That is the advice to the CLP government and our community from NAAJA on APOs. There is an unintended consequence around APOs as well, in that an Alcohol Protection Order will prohibit a person from possessing or consuming alcohol, or from entering or being in licensed premises.
Many local supermarkets in the Northern Territory are licensed premises because they sell takeaway alcohol, so in some cases the APO means that subject to those orders an individual on an APO cannot go to their local supermarket to shop for their family’s food. These unintended consequences are crazy.
Debate suspended.
The Assembly suspended.
PETITIONS
Petition No 50 – Conserving the
Green Belt of Farrar
Petition No 50 – Conserving the
Green Belt of Farrar
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan)(by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a petition not conforming with standing orders from 145 petitioners, including 14 electronic petitioners, relating to conserving the green belt of Farrar. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read.
- To the Honourable the Speaker and members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory, we the undersigned respectfully showeth your petitioners will humbly pray that the Minister for Lands and Planning undertake the following remedial action to conserve the ‘green belt’ of Farrar and annex the catchment area as community space so that no future development can be allowed and that you immediately put in place the necessary process to facilitate the above. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.
Petition No 51 – Swimming and Water Safety Lessons as part of Primary School Program
Mrs FINOCCHIARO (Drysdale) (by leave): Madam Speaker, I present a petition not conforming with standing orders from 1076 petitioners relating to swimming and water safety lessons as part of the primary school program. I move that the petition be read.
Motion agreed to; petition read.
- Royal Life Saving NT is concerned about water, swimming and safety.
We, the undersigned, call on the Northern Territory government to fund students in Years 4, 5 and 6 to have access to swimming and water safety lessons as part of their primary school program.
MOTION
Note Statement – Pillars of Justice
Continued from earlier this day.
Ms WALKER (Nhulunbuy): Madam Speaker, I had been talking about APOs. We just heard the Chief Minister in Question Time saying how wonderful the APOs and paperless arrests are. Clearly, this is a sign that he does not listen to expert advice. This is particularly true of paperless arrests.
The minister, who is surely the master of understatement, said of paperless arrests:
- I note there has been some criticism.
Seriously, minister? There has been serious criticism of the paperless arrest laws. The outrage over paperless arrests sees a challenge to these laws currently before the High Court, with a decision expected to be handed down before the end of year …
Mr Elferink interjecting.
Ms WALKER: In the meantime, following a coronial inquiry into the death of – I know I have hit a raw nerve there, minister, because you think you are always right …
Mr Elferink: When was the last serious assault on Mitchell Street?
Ms WALKER: You can wrap in debate when you are ready, but it is my turn now.
Minister, I will quote your prison numbers in a minute too. We have an update on those, which will be fascinating for you I am sure.
In the meantime, following a coronial inquiry into the death of a man who had done nothing wrong by having a quiet drink with his family in Darwin but then found himself locked up, and he subsequently died, has the minister noted the criticism provided by the Coroner himself in describing the laws as ‘retrogressive’ and ‘manifestly unfair’? He warned that an increase in the numbers of Indigenous people in custody was likely to lead to a proportionate increase in the numbers dying in custody. He said in his findings:
- Kumanjayi had the right to die as a free man and, in the circumstances, he should have done.
…
In my view, unless the paperless arrest laws are struck from the statute books, more and more disadvantaged Aboriginal people are at risk of dying in custody, and unnecessarily so.
- No court could have locked up a person for that offence for any period of time, but under the new laws police can exercise their discretion to do so for a period of up to four hours.
- Unlike serious criminals who are afforded the right to legal representation, a bail application and a court appearance within a confined period of time, there are no such protections in place for people detained under paperless arrest laws.
….
This has led me to recommend that the law should be repealed.
- ‘While Mr Cavanagh might criticise AMT and paperless arrests in respect to the Langdon and Brown matters’, he said ‘Mr Langdon should have died a free man, in truth Mr Langdon would have died a free man in the gutter, as would Ms Brown’, he said.
- ‘With my regard and respect to the Coroner, he criticised the amount of Aboriginal people in AMT and in custody without really offering a solution to the underlying problem’.
….
Mr Elferink said Mr Langdon was brought to Darwin to receive medical attention for a heart problem but instead he went on a ‘taxpayer funded binge’.
The Attorney-General went further to say:
- Over the last 50 years the Australian community has shown enormous goodwill towards Aboriginal people...
Despite enormous efforts … little has improved, with Aboriginal people over-represented in a number of areas.
Further the Attorney-General said:
- We have to call on Aboriginal people themselves to fix their own lives.
How many people have been taken into custody, to this minute, under paperless arrests? The Police Commissioner about a month ago, when this was a very topical issue, said the figure was around 1800 who had been taken into custody.
An additional 1800 people have been taken into custody under paperless arrest laws. With that increase, have we seen a corresponding increase in watch house resources to care for these people who may be intoxicated, or who may have other health issues, as well?
Speaking of police resources, I note the reference to TBLs, temporary beat locations, as part of the tools to address alcohol misuse in the ministerial statement. Yes, they are making a difference; I have said that. People see it where they exist, in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek, and they are making a difference, but they are not sustainable.
It is incredibly costly for our hard-working, well-trained police officers to be working as security guards on bottle shop doorsteps. Labor has supported TBLs in the past. The challenge for the current government is that the moment they withdraw TBLs crime goes through the roof and alcohol misuse issues return. As long as we have well-trained police officers out the front of bottle shops, they are not on the beat in their communities, trying to get on top of crime or keeping communities safe. How long can the government sustain TBLs? They are temporary beat locations. What are the plans; to make them permanent beat locations? Everybody can recognise, except the government, that this is not a sustainable use of police resources.
When will this government, which we know has a complete aversion to evidence-based and cost-effective approaches, realise the Banned Drinker Register was an effective tool in dealing with problem drinkers? Police at the time said it was the best tool that they had in their toolbox in dealing with problem drinkers.
The Banned Drinker Register, apart from the initial investment of software and hardware at bottle shop locations, where we know 70% of the Territory’s liquor is sold, does not require a person to be there. It is an electronic system.
Many people and bodies, including a Senate inquiry into alcohol misuse in the Northern Territory, the Northern Territory Police Association, and health and welfare experts, have called for the return of the Banned Drinker Register. This government axed the Banned Drinker Register as a populist election commitment, even though people could see it was working effectively. You only have to look at the crime stats to see in the 12 months between having axed the Banned Drinker Register and trying to put measures in place, crime went through the roof.
The government knows that it cannot sustain TBLs and police presence in every bottle shop in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine, and it certainly cannot sustain it in Darwin and Palmerston.
We do not have TBLs in Nhulunbuy. We have what is effectively the forerunner of the Banned Drinker Register. It is not a silver bullet, but it has worked remarkably well as a harm minimisation tool.
As I said, with all our police on bottle shop duties, crime is out of control in other parts of the Northern Territory. Vehicle thefts have been very newsworthy in the last couple of weeks. Vehicle thefts and break-ins between Darwin and Palmerston are through the roof.
One of our hard-working police officers from Elcho Island – in fact, he was Police Officer of the Year last year – after several years living on Elcho Island where he was an amazing community police officer, has relocated with his family to Alice Springs. I warned him that the fishing would not be anywhere near as good in Alice Springs as it was at Elcho Island and that the nature of his duties would change quite dramatically.
What is the photograph that I saw posted on Facebook by his wife, who is a Facebook friend, just the other day? Tim standing out the front of the bottle shop for a day. This is an officer who has skills in being a community policeman, dealing with positive community relations, working with communities in a culturally appropriate manner, assisting the victims of domestic violence, helping with the prevention of crime through proactive community policing by being amongst the community, and doing proactive things like fun runs that he, police and other families organise. But now he does not get to do any of that. He is stuck on shift in Alice Springs, the former home of the Chief Minister. You have to ask yourself if that is an effective use of police resources.
It is beholden upon all of us to find effective measures to deal with alcohol, which is the biggest issue in the Northern Territory. It is not ice; it is alcohol. Yes, ice is an emerging issue but everybody, from police through to the AMA and people in the Territory, know alcohol is the biggest issue we deal with.
The government made an election promise to reduce crime by 10% a year in the Territory and then realised there was no way it could do that, especially when crime was going in the opposite direction, and changed it to be 10% over four years. Let us not forget, on the subject of election promises, they also promised an extra 120 police, another broken promise.
But worse is their bungling over managing the recruitment. A month ago we heard the Chief Minister and the Police minister completely at odds with one another, contradicting one another in the space of one day, a few hours, as to whether or not 120 police had been recruited. This is symptomatic of a government and a Cabinet that are dysfunctional. They are not a team and do not work together or communicate with one another.
We had two different statements on the one day between the Chief Minister and the Police minister. What the Chief Minister said about the 120 police on Mix FM radio on 17 August was:
- What we have done is we have put 120 extra police into the force in the Northern Territory and that has helped us get more police on the front line.
- The goal …
… has not been achieved at the moment. That is why we have put an extra $8m-plus into this year’s budget.
That is interesting. I am sure the Police minister knew what he was talking about. The Chief Minister was determined to contradict him, though. This was not unlike him with his woeful answer to a question about youth funding in Alice Springs. He simply could not answer where and how much money had been spent, and to which service providers it had been provided. He seems to think that if you can duck and weave and say anything, you will get by.
On the same day when the two different versions of the recruitment of 120 police officers were apparent and they were trying to clarify this, a statement came from the Police minister’s office. This is what the statement said as reported by the NT News.
- Yesterday Mr Chandler’s office also provided details on the latest police numbers. His office said that since August 31, 2012 the government has added 84.83 extra police to the force.
That is way short of 120. We will continue to see disagreements between Cabinet ministers and figures that do not stack up because the government is in such disarray. It is so chaotic.
Unlike the CLP government, the Labor opposition listens to police and their views. We have made a commitment to bring back welfare officers. When the Leader of the Opposition addressed the NT Police Association – he is also the shadow Police minister and has a great working relationship with our police – he committed to bringing back welfare officers to support police and their families. Welfare officers are important to support police in the incredibly hard, often difficult and confronting work they do in caring for Territorians and their families. In this past week with our horrific road accidents, I have thought not only of the families and loved ones of those who have been killed or injured in these accidents, but I have thought of the frontline services from police, fire and emergency services, which have to attend and deal with the carnage. Of course, they need the support of welfare officers.
Mr VOWLES: A point of order, Madam Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I request the member be granted an extension of time.
Motion agreed to.
Ms WALKER: We have committed to a review of police resourcing to get more officers on the front line to do the job they need to do. There may well be a place for TBLs, but they cannot be permanent beat locations. We just cannot afford to continue the current volume of police on bottle shop duty.
During this statement I noted the reference to the Barkly Work Camp. I thank the foresight of the former Labor government’s commitment to work camps and the establishment of the Barkly Work Camp for low-level offenders by none other than the member for Barkly, who was the Corrections minister in the former Labor government. I heard the minister acknowledge some of the work done by the member for Barkly during his time. Let us not forget that the Barkly Work Camp model was launched under this government. It is a great model. It goes to pillar four of the statement.
We had plans afoot to develop the next work camp in northeast Arnhem land. It had been operating as a temporary work camp at the Garma Festival site, as the minister has outlined in his statement. I tell you what we would not have done. We would have progressed a mobile work camp to a permanent camp, but we would not have closed down a functioning, purpose-built health facility without any consultation. This was working effectively as a residential alcohol and other drugs treatment facility. It was converted into a prison at a time when Nhulunbuy was in an incredible downturn. We still have 150 empty houses and many vacant commercial properties. We would have welcomed the Datjala Work Camp but we wanted to keep our AOD facility.
If you need residential treatment now, you have to be flown to Darwin, and it is only because we are lucky that we have managed to retain the sobering up shelter. It is not the sobering up shelter we had, but there has been a conversion so we have eight beds available.
We would have supported a Datjala Work Camp, but it would not have come at the cost of an important health treatment facility for people with addiction issues. We would have consulted with the community. With such proximity to the town, one of the fears was resisting humbug. If people stepped out of the camp, we could not be sure where they might go. The Tennant Creek facility is some distance out of Tennant Creek. As a result of consultation, community people said they wanted a facility some distance away. The risk of being so close to the township of Nhulunbuy was highlighted in July. I was travelling at the time, but there was news about two correctional officers who had lost their jobs because they had taken a couple of prisoners to the pub. What a crazy thing to be happening. I wonder if that would have been the case if the facility had been moved a little further out of town.
I acknowledge the good work that continues to happen in work camps. We are pleased to see the government continue to work with that model because we know it is effective. I am incredibly supportive of the Elders Visiting Program and know the two women in northeast Arnhem Land, Djapirri and Dhanggal, who have been part of the visitors program for a number of years. I know they provide really good support when they come into town to visit family members who are in prison and to offer them wise council.
I congratulate the minister on building the Supreme Court in Alice Springs. Let us hope it does not take as long as Palmerston Regional Hospital. I wanted to ask him about youth detention. Housing kids in adult prisons is clearly not on and really needs to be addressed.
On the issue of courts, it was a huge disappointment that without an evidence-based approach this government shut down the SMART Court, which dealt successfully with the core of offending behaviour for people with substance abuse issues. There was evidence to show it was working and, importantly, it gave people an opportunity to turn their lives around. It kept people out of prison. As a result, the Northern Territory is now the only jurisdiction in the country to no longer have this therapeutic jurisprudence option. This is a great shame and all thanks to the arrogant Country Liberal Party government, which is intent on driving the Territory backwards. It was dismantled with no review or assessment, and for the Attorney-General to have actively ignored the advice of experts in this field, including the former Chief Magistrate, is simply astonishing. Territorians deserve much better than that.
I want to mention pillar three, youth justice reform. Youth justice, like road accidents, has made the news quite a bit in the last few months. Obviously, that is deeply concerning. The minister spoke about the Vita reports which were commissioned into youth justice. He outlined what has been implemented and what is yet to be implemented, but I note one thing in the Vita report that the author spoke about glowingly was the Family Responsibilities Program set up by Labor. It is incredibly important. Early intervention is about dealing with kids at risk and cutting them off at the pass before they get into trouble and interface with the justice system. This goes to the heart of our approach I was talking about at the outset of this statement. Working with families before things escalate, wherever you can, is critical.
In the interface between child protection and youth justice, I note a comment in the Children’s Commissioner’s Child Death Review Report 2013-14 and quote from page 35:
- Many of the children known to child protection services originate from families characterised by dysfunction, including domestic and family violence, alcohol, drug and volatile substance abuse, mental illness and involvement with the criminal justice system. Of the 61 child deaths known to the Department of Children and Families, 40 had siblings who at some time also had involvement in the child protection system.
I would love to hear from the minister about what he is planning to do around these family responsibility centres to provide early intervention services to families at risk.
I know we have had several statements on the Pillars of Justice, and because the minister has responsibility for child protection as well as children and families, and had committed to an annual statement, we look forward to hearing an update on what is happening. We have not had one this year. Perhaps that is just around the corner. It would be good to hear what is happening in that area. There is no doubt that investing in our children up front is critical, but not at the cost of having to withdraw investment in the healthcare of our elderly and dying.
I am pleased the minister addressed domestic and family violence. I know it is a subject close to all of our hearts. Everybody in this Chamber sees and hears the shocking news, not the least of which was Justice Kelly last night sentencing a man and allowing cameras into her court to personalise the shocking case around the death of Terasita Bigfoot. She was a 29-year-old woman who died at the hands of her partner after hours of brutal bashing.
It is simply unacceptable. We cannot continue to turn our backs on domestic and family violence. We cannot just keep talking about it. We need to deal with and reduce it. We need a bipartisan approach. I wonder if the Chief Minister, the Attorney-General and perhaps the Minister for Women’s Policy would consider joining the NT Leader of the Opposition and me, as federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has called for an urgent national summit to address domestic violence. We trust other leaders from other jurisdictions from all sides of the political divide will attend.
I would love to hear from the Attorney-General whether he has acted on the recommendations on the appointment of judicial officers. We have not heard that yet, but I have come to the end of my time. I thank the minister for this statement and look forward to hearing other contributions in this debate.
Mr STYLES (Business): Madam Speaker, it is interesting listening to the opposition. When we were in opposition I used to listen to the previous Labor government talk about a range of things. I found it easy to ask questions of the former government simply because things were not going well for them. When you were looking for questions during Question Time, and when they formed a response, it was very easy.
Before I say what I want to say, I want to deal with a number of things the member for Nhulunbuy said in response to the Attorney-General’s statement. The one I have the biggest asterisk next to is her claim that the Territory is going backwards. I recall that while I was in opposition, crime, alcohol consumption and the wait lists on homes were going up, availability of blocks of land was going down, debt was spiralling out of control, and the economy was not running well, nor were jobs.
It is interesting. The member for Nhulunbuy says the Territory is going backwards; let us look at some of the things occurring. Crime levels are going down, alcohol consumption is down to the lowest levels since the 1990s, debt is about half of what Labor predicted, and the economy and jobs are on the up. If you listen to what is going on in the Northern Territory, in the last quarter we have increased the number of people in jobs. The number of full-time and part-time jobs went up. The Northern Territory has the lowest unemployment rate in Australia at 4.2%. In Darwin it is 1%.
If that is going backwards, I do not know what their values and criteria are for assessing success. Where I come from – and I go into the community talking to people – having rising crime, increased alcohol consumption, debt spiralling out of control, an economy that is not balanced and jobs not happening as they should is going backwards. Going forwards is about fixing all the things I have just talked about.
I have made some points, as I often do when the member for Nhulunbuy speaks, because sadly she tries to rewrite history and she does not quite remember what was going on when she was part of the government on this side of the Chamber.
I must admit, when I was in opposition I thought things were going badly for the government. I felt for them a bit as I am a compassionate person and thought it must be really bad. When things are not going well and are just getting worse, and everything you try is not making a difference, it must be a pretty depressing place to be. But even more depressing is when you are in opposition and another party comes in, as we have, and starts to fix everything.
I will mention them again for those listening and for those sitting across the Chamber. Crime is down to the lowest level since the 1990s, alcohol consumption is down, debt is down, the economy is starting to run very well and jobs are up. These are the things that are relevant to Territorians and to those listening. I ask you to consider what you would rather have – crime going up, alcohol consumption going up, debt going up, the economy not performing as well as it should? What do people want? Do they want those things going up or do they want them going down.
I do not know who the opposition talks to, but the people I talk to – people whose doors I knock on, the businesses I consult with and the people I listen to – want crime to go down, alcohol consumption to go down, the debt down, the economy to function well and they want a job.
I will relate a conversation I had with a constituent of mine last Saturday. I knocked on his door and said, ‘How is it all going? How is your street? Is everything going all right?’ He said, ‘Mate, it is fantastic. I have lived in this house for 15 years. It was pretty bad here a few years ago, but in the last couple of years it has been pretty good.’ I asked him, ‘Mate, what has changed?’ He said, ‘Well, I do not know. The grass is green in the park over there. I do not know what has changed.’
I said, ‘You had a change of government three years ago. The way we deal with crime and people has changed.’ He said, ‘Yes, you are right’. I will not relay the complete conversation we had. But there was a major change in the powers and support we give police. On this side of the Chamber – it is my belief and the belief of many people – we support the police in a far greater capacity than the Labor Party does. Sadly, they are soft on crime. We take a different approach.
Another point the member for Nhulunbuy made was that this is the third statement we have had on this. One of the criticisms of the Labor Party opposite is that we do not consult people, do not communicate with them and do not do it very well at all. Then they say this is the third time we have come into this Chamber with a similar statement on the Pillars of Justice.
If giving good news to the people watching and listening to debates in this Chamber about where this community is going is a crime or a problem for Labor – and we know they do not like good news – then I feel sorry for those members opposite. It must not be a nice place.
The CLP, they say, just wants to lock people up. The policies we have brought in have led to a reduction in the prison numbers Labor projected. I heard the member for Nhulunbuy say to the member for Port Darwin, the Attorney-General, ‘I am going to give you some figures about prisoners, and it is all out of control’. Everything, if you listen to the member for Nhulunbuy, is out of control at the moment. If getting crime to go down is out of control, that is a good way to be out of control. If reducing alcohol consumption is out of control, maybe it will go down even more. If getting debt down is out of control, I look forward to the day when we have zero debt.
We have currently incarcerated in the Northern Territory 400 fewer people than Labor predicted we would have by June 2015. It would cost $25m. for the extra people. The worst case scenario is about 600. They predicted the worst case scenario would have us well over 2000. We are 600 fewer. From the number they predicted we are 400 fewer. What part of that is not working?
Labor, when in government, said, ‘That it is all terrible and it is not going to work’. Our government is producing results. I ask people watching and listening to not listen to the rhetoric from the Labor party. Look at the results. Look at the facts and figures you can get from public documents. That is why I said at the beginning of this that I feel sorry for the Labor Party. If I was sitting over there, I would feel quite depressed. If I was part of the Labor Party I would be thinking, ‘When I was in government, we messed it all up, but then the CLP came in and they fixed it all’. That is not a very good place to be, so I feel for them.
The member for Nhulunbuy says the prisons are overflowing, but the figures I have just given clearly put that claim to rest. It is nonsense. She made statements like, ‘This is the same flawed path of the CLP’. I do not know what part of our actions is flawed. When you have 400 fewer people in prison and have people doing constructive things, I do not know what is flawed. She said the CLP just wants to lock people up. The member for Nhulunbuy also said, ‘If we are lucky enough to get into government, then the ALP policy would be caring for children and families’.
Let us talk about early intervention, another term the member for Nhulunbuy used. One of my favourite topics is school-based policing. It was a fantastic program that was basically watered down under the previous Labor government. In 2001 I saw a letter signed by the then minister for Police, who was also the then Minister for Education, the former member for Nhulunbuy, Syd Stirling, that gave instructions to the police to get rid of the school-based policing program. Here was a drug education program that was world-renowned. The school-based policing program was building confidence in kids and doing a whole lot of things I could probably spend the next 45 to 50 hours talking about. I should push the off button on that.
This program was axed by Labor. Labor might like to say, ‘We are the party for the people’. Where were you for the kids of the Northern Territory then? Where are you on early intervention? We are the ones supporting early intervention.
I will talk about another one of my favourite topics: neighbourhood activity centres. Neighbourhood activity centres are something I worked on for many years. In the 1990s I was working on neighbourhood activity centres as a new and innovative program. We have not seen anything quite like this in the world. It is innovative. I finally got it going, and a pilot program has already started at Sanderson Middle School. In the early 2000s I knew Labor. I knew many people there. I would see them at the post office and the shops, and talk to them about youth, seniors, and the complete engagement process. I could not get things off the ground. I could not get a hearing with them. They were not interested in an holistic program that would benefit the entire community.
That program will go to Alice Springs. This government stands proudly by the Pillars of Justice program and the social elements it covers, keeping kids out of courts and older people engaged. We will make sure it works. People listening and watching this debate can consider the Sanderson Neighbourhood Activity Centre as a pilot program to get this larger program off the ground. Once we get the nuts and bolts sorted out we will take this program to other schools in the Northern Territory – middle schools, senior schools or composite schools – and introduce the program so kids across the Territory can benefit from a total community engagement package.
What a great thing. It is a joint initiative between the Northern Territory government and the community, and we will roll it out over the next three years. Once we get 2016 out of the way, hopefully in 2017 we will still be in government, given we will have the runs on the board, and we will utilise other schools in the Territory. The young people, the seniors, the multicultural community and everyone who is not a working taxpayer has the choice to go there and engage in a multitude of activities that do not cost an arm and a leg. It is a whole-of-community initiative that will encourage greater engagement between young people, senior Territorians and everyone else.
I am also a great supporter of boot camps. I am sure that members on this side, and I hope members on the other side, would be well aware of the boot camp reality programs that have been on television over the last few years. They have achieved remarkable results. Last year 57 Northern Territory youths who were identified as at risk of becoming engaged in the youth justice system completed boot camp programs, and it is estimated that a further 125 youths will benefit from boot camp programs in 2015. What a great initiative.
I will address some of the points the member for Nhulunbuy raised. She said that early intervention would be in stark contrast to what the CLP has done and that we dismissed the view of experts. It is really interesting because in axing the school-based policing program the previous government did not listen to the people. They tried to axe it in 2001, and finally watered it down because the community complained bitterly about losing that service. They continued to water it down, and one of my missions is to reinstate that program into schools. I have to consult with my fellow team members in the CLP to get that reinstated, but we are working on it.
Once we get neighbourhood activity centres running – and I would like to congratulate the police in relation to that. They have done a fantastic job in working with us to interact with the community through neighbourhood activity centres. Once we get this model right, you will see an innovation in this type of engagement that we have not seen anywhere in the world. I am hoping that people will beat a path to our door to find out how we did it.
Terry O’Connell, who wrote the Real Justice program used throughout the world in major organisations, would tell people if you want to look at community engagement, school-based policing and drug education, if you want best practice, go to the Northern Territory. That was before 2001 when the then Labor government came into power and axed it. Labor wanted to get rid of it. What a shame.
The member for Nhulunbuy said something about criticism around our policies. I do not understand what criticism she is on about. I will take something from an interjection by the member for Port Darwin; if you go back in time and look at the number of serious assaults on Mitchell Street when Labor was in government, it was a war zone. Our challenge to those opposite, and my challenge to the member for Nhulunbuy, is to tell us when the last major assault was on Mitchell Street. How many are there now compared to Labor’s last year of government?
Common statistics show a 53% reduction in crime in Tennant Creek, which is massive. Member for Nhulunbuy, do you want to see that go back up? The policies in place have been positive for the Territory and you say you want to undo them. I am stunned and amazed that they want to get rid of these things that are working.
Our good friend, Dr John Boffa in Alice Springs, about five or six months ago, made a statement that TBLs were working. We were seeing far fewer presentations at hospitals for serious assaults and bashings. That is a fairly big statement for John Boffa because he has always been a critic of this side of politics, which is fine. He is working in the community and entitled to his view. When he supported us I found it refreshing.
Mr Elferink: The Criminal Lawyers Association said the same thing.
Mr STYLES: I will pick up on that interjection that the Criminal Lawyers Association has said the same thing.
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Madam Speaker! I seek an extension of time for the member pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr STYLES: I might not get to all the things I wanted to say because I find some of these statements made by the member for Nhulunbuy amazing. She talks about TBLs and says while police officers are there, they are not out on the beat. I think what you are missing, member for Nhulunbuy, is a really basic thing; prevention is better than a cure.
As a former police officer, and even talking to police officers recently, there is a thing that sits on the sleeve of every police officer’s uniform, a badge. It says, ‘To serve and protect’. That is about serving and protecting people, and keeping people safe from themselves. What better way to stop people from getting bashed, robbed, run over or even killed where they consume too much alcohol and cross roads. What better way to do that than prevention?
One of the worst things that happens to police officers is dealing with people who are intoxicated, either through alcohol or other drugs. It can be a very messy business. Most police officers I know would prefer not having to deal with those people. That is common. If the member for Nhulunbuy does not know that, she should talk to some real police officers and ask them what their views are. I am sure the three ex-police officers on this side would agree with me.
Prevention is better than cure. The TBLs are preventing all this stuff from occurring. The member for Nhulunbuy also made a statement that the best tool the police ever had was the Banned Drinker Register. I will not go into a lot about this because we have said it time and time again. I do not know what part of it those opposite in the Labor Party do not understand. The Banned Drinker Register failed. Sadly, they spent about $18.5m putting machines in, but it failed.
There are a couple of great anecdotes I have in relation to the BDR. One is about websites. The Grey Nomads Australia websites would be saying, ‘When you go to Darwin and the Northern Territory, you better bring all your alcohol with you because you cannot buy it, depending on what type of driver’s licence you have’. Establishments were telling me when the Banned Drinker Register was in that they would only accept a passport or an Australian driver’s licence. I remember listening to the member for Karama saying in this Chamber that there would be 186 different forms of identification you could use. Sadly, that did not work.
Then there are the stories from business people who would ask someone for a driver’s licence. They would put the driver’s licence in and it would not work, so the customer would pull out of their pocket a whole bunch of driver’s licences, with different photos and say, ‘No, no, that is this name and that is my other name’. People would be saying, ‘I have a whole lot of different names and a whole lot of different driver’s licences’.
The backpackers had a ragingly successful program going where they would go around early in the morning and say, ‘What do you want for the day? As soon as the bottle shop is open we will go and get it. It is $100 for a slab of beer’, or whatever it was for a bottle of spirits. They would go and buy it and pocket the profits. That is how they were getting their petrol money to make a trip to Katherine or the next town. It was amazing. There was a guy running around with a pushbike towing one of those little children’s trolleys with two bicycle wheels on it, enclosed …
Ms Fyles: Did you report it to the police?
Mr STYLES: I pick up on the interjection asking if I reported it. Yes, I did. I gave a lot of information to police and I still do. How many phone calls have you made to the police in the last week?
Mr Vowles: I made two. Drunks out the front of my office.
Mr STYLES: Drunks out the front of your office. Right. That is interesting. I will ask my colleague, the minister for Police, to get those statistics on what sort of problem you have. How often do you need to do that? Do you need to do that very often? Now you may want to tell me that you have to do that every day. That is very interesting. We will have a look at that.
The Banned Drinker Register was an abysmal failure. I know the member for Nhulunbuy likes to say that they spoke to the Police Association and to police, but I have spoken to numerous police officers and businesses that were struggling because of the arguments it caused when people would be standing in line for a while, and when asked for identification had to go. My colleague, the member for Port Darwin, had to wait 22 minutes in line to get a drink at one place because people did not have a form of identification that worked. It created many issues.
TBLs in Tennant Creek have brought the crime rate down 53%. For police officers to put together briefs and files and go through the court process takes an enormous amount of time and resources. In Tennant Creek, a 47% reduction in crime means an enormous amount of time the police are not tied up sitting behind a desk preparing files or sitting in a courtroom waiting to be called as a witness. As a former police officer, I know when you go to court it might be your day off. You are there at 8 30 am. At 8 am, you have to meet the prosecutors and talk with them. Then you sit there all day. You might not get called at all. You might have to come back the next time. The overtime costs and resources burn up.
The member for Nhulunbuy said that when you are on TBLs you are not on the beat. Because the TBLs are there, we have police officers who are not tied up sitting behind desks, and that is a good thing. Most police officers I know find it far more palatable to deal with people when they are reasonably sober at a bottle shop than trying to get people who are busted, bent and broken into ambulances, the back of a police vehicle or some other vehicle to get them to hospital, a sobering up shelter or back to police cells. If that is a problem for the government and that is what they want, they can take that policy to the next election. The people can decide whether they want TBLs or people who are bent and broken because of their alcohol addiction.
We, on this side, are about making individuals accountable. Then we help individuals get over their addiction. That is what alcohol mandatory treatment is about. I stipulate for people reading this, under the Banned Drinker Register, mandatory alcohol treatment was optional. I do not know how you use those two words in the same sentence, but the Labor party had that in its policy.
It is amazing what they try to get the public to swallow. On this side we are about making people accountable for their actions. If you cannot control your actions in public, we will give you a helping hand. If you still choose to do that and commit offences, then we will try to give you some more help, but, at the end of the day, you are accountable for your actions. It is really important.
The other thing the member for Nhulunbuy said was in relation to welfare officers. She said Labor would support welfare officers in the police force. For the member for Nhulunbuy’s edification, we have reintroduced those welfare officers. You can make it a policy of yours, but we have actually done it. Many things you say we are not doing, we have done. We are on the ball.
In relation to the juvenile detention centre, I am interested to hear if they will build one because the account is about $100m to $150m.
Many things the Pillars of Justice system brings are beneficial to our community. It will be sad if Labor wants to take us back to the dark ages.
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, we have debated Pillars of Justice and all those sorts of things many times in this House, but it is always worth coming back for a refresher. There are many good things in this report and the minister has highlighted a range of things the government has done. I do not agree with everything in here, but overall there are some great initiatives.
The member for Sanderson carried on about the BDR. It annoys me. I did not support the BDR until I felt it had time to be tested. I had concerns about the secondary supply of alcohol to people. It amazes me that anybody who deals with statistics would claim something failed after it had nine months to operate. I do not care whether you do not like the BDR but if you look at any program, even growing tomatoes, you need a couple of years to find out whether that variety was any good. There was a trial of GM cotton in Katherine. It went for seven years and then they wrote a report. We had a trial of the BDR for nine months and it was condemned the day it was introduced into this parliament.
I do not mind people disagreeing with the BDR, but to say it did not work is unfair. This is not supporting the Labor policy; I am dealing with statistics. This BDR was lined up to be defeated as soon as the government got into power, and that is exactly what it did and then they said it failed.
How can you say it failed if it had only been going for nine months? It is not fair from any point of view. You might have not liked it so say you did not like it. ‘We got rid of it and we introduced our own scheme.’ You also have to understand that the BDR was part of a bigger package and the government got rid of that as well – the SMART Court.
The member for Sanderson made some jocular remarks. The SMART Court gave people an option to either start changing their life or end up in gaol. That was a good approach. Did it really have time to get off the ground? As soon as the government got in, it was scrapped. The BDR was not a policy on its own. A couple of other things went with it but we do not discuss those. For the sake of political popularity, we say the BDR caused 20 people to stand in a line.
I live next to two outlets 20 m apart. One is at the tavern and one is at the supermarket, and although I might have received the odd objection, I did not get e-mails or abuse. Most people got used to it. You need to do the same thing when you go to the airport. You have to wait in a queue and then show ID. It is not much different.
Whether it worked or not, whether it was a practical way of doing things, we could argue the toss. Sometimes history needs to be put as it was, not as we want it to sound.
The TBLs are obviously working, there is no doubt about that, and that is good. However, the Police Association has asked, ‘Why are police tied up? Why is this not being done by somebody else? Is the liquor industry helping fund this?’ Taxpayers’ money is funding a policeman to stand in the bottle shop to make sure people do not take grog to where they are not supposed to.
Where is the responsibility of the liquor industry to pay for some of that? It is still making plenty of money because people go to the pub anyway and drink at the bar. Has it made a difference to the overall profits of these establishments? It would be interesting to see the figures, but it is not our responsibility to have police standing in bottle shops late on a Monday night when probably two people turn up, as can happen, doing something that could be done by security officers.
We have transport inspectors and housing inspectors. Maybe you need liquor inspectors who have the power to stop people purchasing alcohol, funded by the liquor industry, or at least partially by the liquor industry. Our police can do other things besides becoming security officers outside liquor establishments.
We need to keep things in perspective in relation to alcohol. It is still a major problem regardless of all the issues. Was anything mentioned about TBLs in Darwin? I am not sure they exist in Darwin. They exist in other places, so how is the issue being tackled in Darwin?
The minister has written about youth justice reform. One thing that has hit home to me recently is the number of people being involved in fatalities, car chases and stealing cars in the Darwin region. It is worrying that we have young people putting their lives at risk probably by following other people, sometimes adults. They put themselves in situations where they can be injured or harmed. People in the rural area – I think the member for Goyder would have been approached as well – have told me, ‘Our concern is that some of these young people are not being dealt with seriously enough in relation to some of the offences’.
The minister said in his reading, and it is a good statement:
- We have not given up on these difficult youths. The government is continuing to investigate innovative programs to help at-risk youths re-enter the community and lead productive lives. What is clear is that many have to be given structure that has not been present in their lives.
It is a great statement. As much as we might get annoyed and want to throttle them, we still have to try to turn their lives around. That does not mean we do not discipline them, or that they should not be punished, but we need to get that balance and say, ‘We do not want you back here again. We want you to do something useful with your lives.’
In line with that, the minister spoke about the Youth Turn initiative. I have not seen the boot camp at Loves Creek; I would like to get there when I get a chance.
Mr Elferink: Let me know and at the next one we will get you there.
Mr WOOD: Okay. I like the idea of youth boot camp, but not necessarily that word because it conjures up what I used to see on television. I hope it is a bit more intelligent than that because you need to be smart as well as strict. I am interested to see how it operates.
Mr Elferink: I do not think you will be disappointed.
Mr WOOD: Diversionary programs, I do not see a mention of that here. I am interested to know what your diversionary programs are, because police have the option of grabbing a kid and saying, ‘Young fella, here is a chance for you. You will go to a diversionary program now.’ One program I have not heard much about, but I visited a couple of years ago, is Wongabilla. I have raised this before. Kids sometimes might not have much of a life at home, no one to hug or love, but sometimes if they have an animal they can get some sort of …
Mr Elferink: I have this mental picture of a kid taking a horse home.
Mr WOOD: No, no. When I was at Wongabilla, they told me that every kid who had been through the course had not reoffended. They had learnt to take responsibility for that horse. They had come to find that the horse did not put up with them. Do you know what I mean? It is a bit like a dog; it puts up with us, but it still wants a pat.
I think the importance of using animals as part of a diversionary program is important. I raised the issue here before; when is a chook shed going to Don Dale? When will those kids go out in the morning to collect eggs? Sometimes we have to use some of these programs. There is no quick fix, but I am going on what people told me at Wongabilla. When those kids learnt to ride, look after and care for horses, they had something they could concentrate on in their lives. They cared for their horses. I am just going on what I was told. The kids who went through the program did not reoffend.
We need more of those sorts of programs, but I did not see anything mentioned about diversionary programs here. You turned to some extent to diversionary programs, but it was about a boot camp. ‘Diversionary’ is slightly different. You can go home, but it is before you get into major trouble.
In Alice Springs there is St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre, and there is one in Malak. They are important. They are giving kids in Alice Springs who have dropped out of the system a chance to get enough of an education to get a job. If you get a kid a job, there is a fair chance they will not get into trouble because they will start to take responsibility for their life. They will know they can get some money for working, but to get there, in many cases, they need some basic education. Education through flexible learning centres is an area the government needs to make sure is adequately funded and supported.
There was talk about moving the flexible centre in Alice Springs from Anzac Hill to some other site, which was miles smaller. That would be a mistake. My understanding is that will not happen now, at least in the short term.
I am interested to know what the future of Don Dale is. What is the future of the old Berrimah gaol? There was talk that it would be sold at one stage; it would help recover the costs involved in the new correctional precinct. I do not know what the future of that is. It is now being used for mandatory alcohol rehabilitation. The adult section of the prison is now being used as a youth correctional centre. We know that has had problems although the government has spent a lot of money. I am interested to know what the long-term policy is in relation to that land. Will the government build a purpose-built Don Dale centre or will it retain what it is using now? Will the mandatory alcohol rehabilitation continue in what was the low-security section of that prison? Considering the government wants to put suburbs right next door, I am interested to know how these plans fit.
The minister also spoke about mobile work camps. I have been a fan of work camps for years. I went to Wyndham and Kununurra many years ago to look at the one they have near the race track. I was sold on the concept when I saw it. We have one in Tennant Creek and one at Nhulunbuy. The government is talking about having some at other places. One of its promises when it came to government was to have a prison farm and a work camp in Katherine. I am interested to hear how far that has advanced because obviously that is a good option for that area.
I would also like to see a mobile work camp. Again, when I was in Western Australia they had the option of taking a kitchen, showers and toilets out behind a truck. They could go to a cattle station or to national parks. We have national parks in the Territory that have issues with weeds, feral animals or whatever. There is opportunity for some of these people to work in those areas and do something beneficial to help stop the spread of weeds in some of our national parks. That is an opportunity the government should take up.
The advantage of going to some of these national parks is you get away from many of the distractions many young people run into. They get a chance to clear their head out. I noticed the minister also said there are discussions with people at Borroloola and the Tiwi Islands. It would be great if we look at work camps in both those communities.
The minister also talked about recidivism rates for those who are involved in this program. I am talking now about the Sentenced to a Job strategy. The minister talked about the importance of this strategy, which I believe is a great strategy. Once again, I refer to the member for Barkly, who was also part of the reason this program came into existence. The recidivism rates are fantastic. If you can keep up 20% recidivism, that is fantastic, but you have to keep things in perspective. The minister said there were 93 prisoners in paid employment and a further 63 prisoners undertaking voluntary employment. That is great, but it is only a relatively small percentage of the whole population. We need to make sure that when we are talking about statistics we look at the recidivism rate for the whole prison population, considering the majority of people are not outside working.
However, it is a start and the government should be commended for it. Fewer people coming back into prison means fewer people in prison and less cost to society for looking after them. Hopefully, there will be a better future for those people who have learnt a trade and who will be able to continue with that when they get out of prison.
The minister also mentioned that in the Darwin and Alice Springs Correctional Centres they have extensive industry self-sustainability areas where prisoners are provided with training and work experience in a number of areas, including metal fabrication, creative work, maintenance, horticulture, construction, carpentry, textiles, concreting, food services and laundry. Once skills are acquired, prisoners with the required security levels can then be placed in paid employment.
I know the government has always disliked the new prison because of the cost. They call it the Taj Mahal, but I can guarantee you would not have that range of services in the old prison. One of the reasons I supported the prison was because it increased the opportunities for prisoners inside. I have outside the front of my electoral office a rocking horse, bought at the Royal Darwin Show, built by the prisoners. You might say it is only a rocking horse, but I have every kid and an occasional adult sit on it and try it out. It might just be a rocking horse to some people, but it shows you the skills some people have in our correction facilities. It is as good as you will get anywhere. It was perfectly made by someone with artistic and carpentry skills.
They did that within the walls of our Holtze prison. It is great that prisoners can improve their skills, find ways of moving on and use some of those skills when they get out of prison.
I noticed the new prison has just had a large amount of land cleared. I asked whether the land they cleared was the best piece of land, but I am told they are going to grow pineapples. It will be interesting to see how that new garden goes. It will be important for the running of the prison. In Western Australia quite a few people are involved in their prison farms producing fruit, vegetables and meat. One of the prisons in Western Australia produces meat for all the other prisons. They have an abattoir and their own cattle. We can do things within our correctional centres that will improve the lives of people and hopefully change their lives once they get out.
It is mentioned here that the Department of Correctional Services entered into a partnership with the Department of Housing for prisoners and community work offenders to be involved in the refurbishment of public housing properties. That is great. My question is how that works if there is already a company doing maintenance on those orders.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I request an extension of time for the member.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WOOD: I thought it was good to see the Department of Correctional Services introducing a peer listening scheme. My understanding from reading this is we get suitable prisoners within the system to help prisoners having a hard time, who might be under stress or having a relationship breakdown. You are creating a peer system where prisoners can help each other. That is very similar to what I saw in Marysville in Ohio some years ago. There was a centre where they used therapeutic philosophy to influence each person to help each other. That is a really important part of trying to help prisoners who are having problems with their life. I welcome that program the department is running.
There is another issue related to prisoners getting ready to leave. The minister said the program offered at these centres, known as transitional accommodation centres, includes a range of life skills such as money management, parenting and relationships, job skills and employment, alcohol programs and assistance with other government agencies. The minister said the Department of Correctional Services had advertised an expression of interest to operate a larger 25-bed facility for men in the Darwin region. Does the minister know where that facility might go? The minister would know there was an attempt to put a facility at Bees Creek. The community there believed that was an inappropriate area for it, so where is it going? It is an important part of getting prisoners ready to go back to the outside world. Does the minister have any idea where that facility might be?
There are places around the rural area which would probably be suitable. We found an area for a facility near Foundation Road some years ago that was to be at Bees Creek and now has been set up in the Holtze area.
The minister also said how, in decades gone by, there had been a ‘rack and stack’ or ‘warehousing’ model for prisoner management. That is another reason I supported changing from Berrimah to the Holtze precinct. I know what it was like in that medium security section – terrible. It was rack and stack and in a cage. It was not appropriate that we kept facilities like that. That is part of the reason I supported a change.
The minister has raised a number of issues and has put a lot of information into this. I have tried to concentrate on youth and what happens to them. It is an issue that many people are concerned about. When they see accidents like the one we saw on the Stuart Highway recently, or the other accident at Humpty Doo, people are concerned about the future of some of our youth. They are not worried about all of them because there are plenty of good kids around. I see them at Taminmin, Good Shepherd or other schools in my area. There is a lot of concern that some people need a reasonable amount of discipline. They need to take responsibility for their actions, but as the minister said, we cannot let go of them altogether. I will repeat what he said:
- The government is continuing to investigate innovative programs to help at-risk youths re-enter the community and lead productive lives. What is clear is that many have to be given structure that has not been present in their lives.
Although we are looking at how we can discipline kids and how you deal with kids who have caused problems in our society, the other side of the equation is how we can stop it occurring in the first place. Can we put more money into helping families, teaching young people how to look after their kids and securing early intervention? As has been said before, the dollar you spend now will save $20 when looking after someone in prison. We need to look at that area as well.
The Pillars of Justice framework is good, but hopefully it is broader than just prison. It needs to be a range of things. I thank the minister. I do not agree with everything, but the minister has put out some good ideas and I thank him for his statement.
Mr CHANDLER (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Mr Deputy Speaker, I am extremely proud to be the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services. It is pleasing to note the Attorney-General recognised the Northern Territory Police Force, as he rightly pointed out in his ministerial statement, as being held in high regard. Minister Styles also backed that claim, and I also offer my vote of thanks for the work the Northern Territory Police Force does.
Our troops across the tri-service work hard every day to ensure the safety of all Territorians. Police on the front line do an outstanding job in very challenging circumstances, dealing with a vast array of very unique situations that can bring out the very best and the worst in people.
Territorians can trust the Country Liberals to take law and order, and safety for all Territorians seriously. Our policies are delivering. We are driving down crime, cutting alcohol consumption, strengthening our borders and empowering our officers to enforce the letter of the law to the level the community would expect.
We are resourcing our police adequately and enhancing their powers through contemporary law reforms. The Pillars of Justice law and order reform strategy is delivering real results for Territorians through strengthening police, justice and correctional systems to ensure we have a coordinated approach to driving down crime.
Under the Country Liberals, the Territory has seen property crime figures drop to some of the lowest levels since current records began. Highlights this year, in regard to assaults in the year ending July 2015 compared to the year ending January 2014 – 9% less Territory-wide, 26% less in Alice Springs, 11% less in Katherine and 59%, less in Tennant Creek. Highlights in regard to alcohol-related assaults in the year ending January 2015 compared to the year ending January 2014 – 70% less Territory-wide, 32% less in Alice Springs, 17% less in Katherine, 60% less in Tennant Creek and 5% less across the Northern Territory. That is the balance.
Other stats worth commenting on – in Darwin commercial break-ins are down by 18%. In Alice Springs total offences are down by 9%, house break-ins are down by 12% and motor vehicle theft and related offences have dropped by 10%. In Tennant Creek total property offences are down by 33%, house break-ins have dropped by 36%, commercial break-ins have dropped by 19%, theft other than of motor vehicles and related offences are down by 31%, and property damage has dropped 41%, the lowest in a 12-month period in more than a decade.
I could go on with more stats, but what you will hear from the opposition – and sometimes the perception of the community – is we are not doing enough. We agree; there are always things we can do better, but the facts are the facts. The Country Liberal government is not like Labor – soft on crime – and the stats speak for themselves. The problem is when you talk about police stats you can be guaranteed tonight, or tomorrow, someone’s house will be broken into, someone’s car will be stolen or someone will be assaulted.
Any time you talk about the fact crime is on the way down in the Territory, the very next day in the papers you will find somebody who says, ‘That cannot be right; I have just been broken into’, or, ‘My car was stolen yesterday’, or, ‘I was assaulted’. These events will continue to happen not only in the Northern Territory, but right across Australia, in fact, right across the world. But you cannot say that this government is not focusing on doing all it can to bring those statistics down and make the Northern Territory a safe place to live.
This morning the Chief Minister spoke about many other positive things we have seen in the Territory, the best results since the 1990s. How can you sit there and say this is not a government which is working hard? If that was right, you would see stats going in the opposite direction, not in the direction we are seeing at the moment.
The Pillars of Justice system is delivering results for Territorians and, as I just said through those stats, you can clearly see it is working. As the Attorney-General has already outlined, the five fundamental pillars under the strategy are police, courts, youth justice, correctional services and victims. These will be supported by an overarching sixth pillar, which is about statute reform. Pillar one ensures that police have access to the tools they need to effectively respond to incidents, investigate matters and keep crime down in the community.
Alcohol Protection Orders are issued to those who commit a serious crime while under the influence of alcohol, banning them from buying, consuming or possessing alcohol and entering licensed premises. APOs are just one tool in the toolkit designed to reduce alcohol-related offending. I note the member for Nhulunbuy called APOs a flawed law, or a bad law. The member for Nhulunbuy believes that we should not ban people from drinking if they commit a crime whilst under the influence of alcohol.
Let me work through this. This is Labor’s way of thinking. You can financially afford to get yourself so intoxicated that you can barely scratch yourself, you make the decision to get behind the wheel of your car, and are detected as a high-range drink-driver, but we should not issue you with an APO as you will not be able to buy your bread and milk from Coles? Is that how you are thinking? Would the member for Nhulunbuy have us stand by and do nothing? Ridiculous!
Indeed, it was not the intent of the legislation that some licensed premises have had blanket licences issued. This government is working with licensing to identify these administrative anomalies that have arisen due to the nature of some liquor licences. The matter is being addressed. In fact, Woolworths in Alice Springs has already had its liquor licence amended to reflect the liquor area only identified on the licence, meaning people issued with an APO can shop at Woolies in Alice Springs. Coles and two other IGAs with mapping anomalies are currently having the relevant amendments made to their licences.
At what point does society agree that it is acceptable to get behind the wheel of a vehicle so intoxicated that when you do come to the attention of police – hopefully before you have had a serious accident or, God forbid, kill someone – you register a high-range reading? When does society believe this is acceptable? When does the community expectation equate to calling any deterrent to this offending a flawed law or a bad law?
Temporary beat locations are another tool under pillar one which involves stationing police officers outside bottle shops to target problem drinkers who buy takeaway alcohol with the intent of consuming it in restricted areas. TBLs remain an important tool police use to respond to public issue orders. TBLs are an effective tool that has proven to be successful in reducing violent crime. The bottom line is TBLs work in driving down crime and cutting alcohol consumption.
Labor agrees that TBLs work, and the evidence is very hard to ignore. I have heard members from the other side praising TBLs; I have heard members saying they would get rid of TBLs. One does not really know where they fit in regard to that policy, but in certain circumstances, TBLs are one of the most and best practical ways that police can be proactive in their duties.
Of course, there will always be an argument that having police outside bottle shops is an expensive option. But I argue quite strongly that if you took one moment to consider the downstream savings to the community of preventing just one person being stabbed, glassed, assaulted or killed, it is a small price to pay to have sworn police officers outside bottle shops. The many jobs they can do – even just talking to the community is very beneficial to Territorians. People you talk to say that community engagement with police is extremely important to them and their community.
The truth is that people I have spoken to in Alice Springs feel safer today walking to Woolies, Coles, IGA or anywhere because they know there is a bottle shop with a police officer present. They feel safer. Crime is on the downturn, particularly around areas where there are police officers stationed.
Is it an expensive option? Yes, if you just focus on what the cost of a police officer is. But let us, for one moment, think about if somebody purchases alcohol – whether it be in Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, anywhere TBLs are operating – and then gets so drunk they smash a bottle or pick up a knife and stab someone in the river bed in Alice Springs. The police are called. Two, three or four officers are there dealing with an incident involving a very drunk person who could be dangerous or armed, and has already injured somebody. The next minute an ambulance is called. Ambulance officers turn up. They treat the victim with first aid, then transport that person to hospital. By this stage police have taken somebody into custody and started the process that will end in a prosecution. This will end up taking a lot of court and police time. Meanwhile the victim is in hospital being treated by nurses and doctors. It could be a small or large incident. It could be something that takes months of rehabilitation.
Start to add the cost of that one person who was injured because someone was drunk and took a knife or a bottle to them. What are the costs to the community, their families and government services? How in the world can somebody argue having a police officer outside a bottle shop is costly? I put it to you, the real cost of having to deal with that injured person and processing the offender through the court system is far more than the cost of an officer outside a TBL.
However, are they costly? Yes, they are. From a purely police and budgetary point of view, yes, it is an expensive option. This government is taking it seriously and looking at how we can make sure this is sustainable. How we do that is something we are working on at the moment. The mayor of Katherine, Fay Miller, has written to me and spoken to me on a number of occasions almost demanding TBLs be made a permanent fixture for Katherine because of the difference they have made there.
Even the member for Barkly must admit the changes in Tennant Creek have been dramatic. I was in Alice Springs for the Red CentreNATS, and the place was abuzz. There were mums, dads and families walking around the streets. It was a different place to what it was three or four years ago. TBLs have been a major factor to the change in that town. Yet, the opposition criticises the use of TBLs and the approach of this government. I have just outlined some very clear facts about it making a huge difference to those localities.
Is the system flawed? Perhaps, but that does not mean the government cannot look at ways to build on TBLs, and how technology can be used as well. How can we improve the system? How can we make it long term? What officers do we need? Do we need sworn officers there? Can we have authorised officers? Could we have, for instance, auxiliary police officers doing the same job? Perhaps auxiliaries could be doing our transit security and our housing safety officer program.
These are things we are working on to make these roles sustainable, interesting careers for people to choose. Is it doable? Absolutely. But it takes a committed government like you have with the Giles government, committed to making the Territory the very best and safest place to live in Australia.
CCTV cameras are a further cornerstone of pillar one with around 180 CCTV cameras installed across the Northern Territory. This expanded network is monitored 24 hours per day, seven days per week to catch people in the act of committing a crime. Our suite of alcohol management programs has resulted in alcohol-related assaults dropping by 15% across the Territory over the past year. They are down by over 19% in Alice Springs, 18% in Katherine and by a whopping 55% in Tennant Creek. People are still saying they would take away these programs and policies if they were elected. These are working. It does not make sense.
The Giles government has the runs on the board when it comes to driving down crime. Paperless arrests are another initiative of the Country Liberals government, a government committed to adequately resourcing our police and driving down crime. Much has been said about the 120 police officers. When we came to government in 2012 we said we would have them by this year. In this year’s budget there is an extra $8.9m to ensure we have that additional 120 officers. However, not only will this government have 120 extra police officers, through policies such as paperless arrests we have more police than ever on the front line. That is the difference. You can argue all you like whether it is 80, 90 or 100 police today, the truth is on the front line there are far more police than were ever on the front line under the previous Labor government. Why is that? It is because policies like paperless arrest help get police back out on the beat where the community expects them to be, wants them to be and knows they are under this government. They are not buried under bureaucracy or paperwork sitting behind a desk. They want the officers on the beat, and to know they are there. They feel a lot safer.
This legislative amendment around paperless arrests provides police with an additional post-arrest option that enables police, after having arrested an offender for an infringement offence, to detain the offender and release them with an infringement notice. The difference this makes to a place like Mitchell Street will be reported because these are big changes in that part of Darwin. This post-arrest option allows police to deal with the offender more expeditiously than if brought before a court while still allowing for them to be removed from a potentially volatile situation. The police have the chance to deal with someone before they become a problem, not after. The paperless arrest law is an effective tool to protect our community.
The Country Liberals government abolished the Banned Drinker Register. We introduced ground-breaking alcohol mandatory treatment programs, Alcohol Protection Orders, temporary beat locations and paperless arrests. We bolstered and continued to grow our CCTV capability, and we have a proven track record of maintaining our commitment to keep Territorians safe at home, work and around the community.
Our CCTV capability is flourishing with the establishment of additional CCTV cameras in Palmerston, and more are coming. These additional cameras, along with the new mobile units, allow police to be directed to crimes and other incidents as they occur in real time, and will have significant impact on improving crime detection and prevention that will assist in the prosecution of offenders. The mobile units have been extremely successful, giving the police a wonderful tool to put in places where they have had known problems before. The differences in those places have been quite remarkable.
When we first rolled them out, I was a bit worried about vandalism, but I can report that none have been damaged. Sorry, that is not quite right; one has been damaged by a bird; we had a bird strike. I do not know if that was worked into the planning, but they are working extremely well.
Mr Elferink: A frozen or a cooked one?
Mr CHANDLER: I have no further information on that, Attorney-General.
Cutting-edge facial recognition technology will make it harder for criminals to escape the law. This new facial recognition software has already helped police identify or eliminate suspects. The introduction of this new crime-fighting technology is proof that the Country Liberals are committed to keeping Territorians safe at home, work and around the community.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! Pursuant to Standing Order 77, I request an extension of time for the member.
Motion agreed to.
Mr CHANDLER: I thank the member for Katherine, who knows the difference this government is making to the crime rate in Katherine.
Territorians can trust this government to introduce legislation that works to resource our police adequately and reduce crime. Domestic violence is a big agenda for this government and we are facing it head on. I am not shying away from it, but facing it head on. We are ensuring victims are protected and supported. The Pillars of Justice law and order reform strategy encompasses the Domestic and Family Violence Reduction Strategy. This is a comprehensive strategy to address, reduce and prevent the unacceptably high level of domestic and family violence in the Northern Territory.
In early 2015 the existing Northern Territory Police Force domestic and family violence strategy, Project Respect, was reviewed. A new strategy directly aligned to the objective and priority areas of action in the Framing the Future blueprint, the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022, and the Northern Territory government’s Domestic and Family Violence Reduction Strategy 2014-17, is to be drafted in line with the new Police, Fire and Emergency Services strategic plan.
Together the strategies aim to increase the safety of victims and their children, reduce the rates of intergenerational trauma caused by exposure to domestic and family violence, hold offenders accountable for their actions, establish integrated service delivery systems that improve information sharing amongst agencies, and substantially impact on the lives of those in need.
The Alice Springs Cross Borders Domestic Violence Intelligence Desk has been in operation since January 2013. In that time, there have been significant improvements in information sharing and intelligence held on high-risk domestic violence offenders, as well as relationships between police from the tri-states and external service providers.
SupportLink, a single referral gateway to a platform of registered service providers, coordinates a secondary response after initial police attendance, whereby mandated reports are made to government agencies, and referrals for members of the public can be made to support agencies for a range of issues. This one body will simplify things, because for too long the public have been suffering due to bureaucracy and complications. They have not known where to go or what to do. This one strategy alone will make it far less complicated for people. SupportLink has been expanded across the NT, with 96 agencies currently involved, and work continues with the community to identify gaps in service delivery.
Contrary to what the member for Nhulunbuy thinks, we are not just talking about it. This government is making a difference. In response to the national blueprint framework and plans, the NT Department of the Attorney-General and Justice created the Domestic Violence Directorate, a cross-government directorate to coordinate the Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy to reduce domestic and family violence.
The Family Safety Framework is a pivotal outcome of this strategy, and is an integrated response of government and non-government agencies which aims to increase the safety of women and children, and improve accountability of men who commit domestic and family violence by supporting them to change their behaviours.
The FSF is a crisis response initiative which brings together ten government departments, the Commonwealth government and as many as 35 local support agencies. The FSF is now operating in Darwin, Katherine and Tennant Creek, with Yuendumu and the Tiwi Islands identified as communities selected for the remote trial of the FSF. Ongoing FSF training and project planning for implementation in remote areas is supported by the Domestic Violence Directorate and the NT Police Force.
FSF meetings are now occurring fortnightly in Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, chaired by the officer in charge of the domestic and family violence unit in each location. It is true that our police are held in high regard.
In addition to being the first police jurisdiction in the country to attain White Ribbon accreditation, the Northern Territory Police Force is the lead agency for the White Ribbon Committee, with the membership of other government agencies, the Australian Defence Force and non-government organisations. The White Ribbon ball held on 28 August 2015 raised over $42 000, which will contribute both to the national and local initiatives. The committee is now planning the White Ribbon run in Darwin and Alice Springs, and White Ribbon Day on 25 November 2015.
The Northern Territory Police are leaders in the fight against domestic violence, and this government is committed to reducing and supporting our police force to ensure a strong and resilient Northern Territory.
There are many things this government has done differently to the previous government, yet we have not criticised everything the previous government did. Many of the programs continue today because they were good programs. Any program that stacks up or is based on common sense usually works. Whether it is a Labor government or a Country Liberal government, if it is a good program, it will be supported.
There are many changes we have introduced that have had a dramatic and positive effect on the Northern Territory, but these are continually trashed by the Labor opposition. They can clearly see the results and how these programs are working, but for whatever reason – call it politics – they are against them. There are many programs we have taken away or reviewed that were the previous government’s policies. However, I put to you that the ones that stood up, stacked up and worked still exist today, whether it is in Education, Police, Justice or any of the portfolios we are responsible for.
I commend the Attorney-General for bringing forward this statement today. Many of the programs we introduced as a government have made, and will continue to make, a positive difference to Territorians.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank the minister for delivering this statement the night before debating it. With 51 pages, it was very logical to deliver it to other members of this House the night before. However, it is important to note that it took the Labor opposition and the Independents dragging this government kicking and screaming to get to the point where they will deliver statements. But thank you, minister, because it is important information to debate and I am honoured to be providing a contribution.
I must make a brief comment, though, on the Dorothy Dixers in Question Time today from the CLP government that sought to lay the trail of the CLP old chestnut of an election campaign around being tough on crime. The minister lost a bit of ground there. I was sorry to see that he was deflected by an interjection. It was good to get him back on track to try to stick to the real story, the truth, and get away from the old chestnut of a CLP election campaign, tough on crime.
I was very interested and wanted to hear more from the minister about the reduction in recidivism rates for prisoners in the Northern Territory who have participated in, essentially, the new era of a corrections initiative that has been continued by the CLP government and is now called Sentenced to a Job. Essentially, they are the same experts we have both had the privilege to work with, and the same philosophy and ideology. I have always congratulated the minister and given credit where credit is due.
It is fantastic to read in this statement that from 2012 this new ideology formulated around a specific cohort of offenders in the Northern Territory, representing low-socioeconomic, disadvantaged people, worked. The majority of the cohort were imprisoned over motor traffic and alcohol offences. They were perfect to use to change the system. I congratulate you that you are now seeing those recidivism numbers start to drop below the national average. As the minister told us, the completely unacceptable figure when this process started, over 50%, is today 20%. That is a real, great outcome.
I live in town and represent the great people of Tennant Creek and the Barkly. Most of the numbers quoted in this House about Sentenced to a Job come from Tennant Creek, and that makes me proud to be part of this process. We get up in the morning in Tennant Creek and see the mobilisation of the Barkly Work Camp and all the work they do. When we go to regional events or festivals, look at the work going on in the streets, shop at our supermarkets or change a set of tyres at the tyre service. This is real. The people of Tennant Creek witness this and they thank you, minister, and acknowledge the Barkly Work Camp.
I am pleased to hear that Nhulunbuy also had the opportunity of a community-based program such as a work camp. Of course, Katherine was screaming out for one, and I encourage you to continue to work towards providing one in Katherine, particularly in partnership with the Charles Darwin University, as was all arranged under the previous Labor government with the agreements in place. However, things change when a new government and a new management take over.
It is fabulous and pleasing. I did not leak it, minister. I kept it under lock and key, but I am sending it home today as soon as I can sit down. I can send this home and get people talking about this because it is a good outcome. It shows a cohort that represents a lower-socioeconomic, disadvantaged element of our community can be treated fairly and justly. They can have honour in terms of the correctional services applied to address offending behaviour.
I go back to one of the elements of that new era in corrections we were moving down. It was bitterly attacked by the current Attorney-General and the CLP opposition. This was the driver education centre. We were building this purpose-built infrastructure on the correctional service precinct in Alice Springs to specifically address driver offending as part of the driver education program.
The driver education centre was going to look at the fundamentals of Sentenced to a Job. That is, 99% of jobs in the Northern Territory or elsewhere in the country require a driver’s licence. It is almost in every essential selection criteria you read. When you looked at a cohort of up to 60% of offenders in our correctional services facilities who had alcohol- and motor-related traffic offences, you saw this was a road to go down.
This was bitterly attacked. There was some very good politics played by the member for Port Darwin as the shadow minister for Justice. He tried to convince the Territory that I was going to give back licences and I was soft on crime. He claimed there was no accountability with this. It was a good initiative, minister.
It was a great stimulus package for the Alice Springs building industry alone. It offered an incredible opportunity to engage prisoners at Alice Springs correctional precinct to get involved in that project, like we did with building the Defence of Darwin Experience. I still tell that story.
When you have teams of eight prisoners working every day with world-class contractors delivering world-class high-tech infrastructure and they sweep the red carpet before the Governor General and the Chief Minister walk down it to open that facility, that is an outcome.
I remember two of those prisoners who were taken by that construction company to work on an expansion of a casino. I love telling that story around the camp fire, I can assure you. The driver education centre should be revisited and looked at because it will deliver very specific outcomes in an innovative way. It would allow the offenders to regain their licence and to have that tick in the box of their selection criteria. Do not forget that first stage of regaining your driver’s licence was only applicable if you were on the work site. It did not relate to recreation time. It was purely aligned to going to work and producing an outcome for your employer.
As I kept working through this statement, I picked up on the principle of justice reinvestment. The driver education centre could be tagged to this concept. It is a leading practice around the world and I encourage the minister, who has a background in law and knows what the streets are like as an ex-police officer. It is a challenge for any government, but the justice reinvestment principle is something that makes us stop the bus and really talk. We have to think and make budget appropriations that reflect this principle of the best Pillar of Justice we will ever have.
If we are not focusing on the kids before anybody commits a crime, then we are behind the game. If you look around the globe, as we were doing when we were in government, you make sure justice reinvestment is at the forefront of your policy development and budget appropriation. Really, we are behind the game.
There are some incredible opportunities to research this. The minister has already toured America quite extensively. I am sure he was aware of this and saw working models. I encourage the government to really look at the principle of justice reinvestment and where we can apply that because, once again, when talking about a cohort of socially and economically disadvantaged people, and low-level offending that escalates into terms of imprisonment, this is where justice reinvestment can seriously kick some goals. This is where we can see reductions in offender rates and in recidivism.
The minister referenced the youth advisory framework, the framework applied around the department and the minister’s work. They will back this concept, give examples of how justice reinvestment works and advise government how appropriations into justice reinvestment will reduce the financial burden of funding offenders down the track. It all makes sense but politically it is hard, particularly when you have a conservative crew like this in the cage now; they are like a caged cat in minority. There is a group around them with green sticks poking through that wire and they are flying out of the cage with tough on crime rhetoric again. It is the same old chestnut. It is difficult to have a reasonable debate, but let us have that debate. If we have this new bipartisanship, which has been forced upon one and handed to the other by an exodus of CLP members across the floor, then let us talk about it. Let us talk about where we can get some agreements to look at where justice reinvestment in Palmerston, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, or wherever, can be applied.
Let us go to the community-based youth supervision model the minister mentioned in the statement – one paragraph in 51 pages. I am interested, minister, in what that is and how that will work. I am sure you will bring that back to the House and talk about it in the future. Let us see what is happening there. Does it really engage with the principle of justice reinvestment? I am not sure. There was only one paragraph and it was a bit of a political promise. Let us see what happens there.
However, there was more substance around boot camps. Boot camps are something I am talking about all over my electorate and the other electorates I visit. I really want to challenge the idea of boot camps. People are very interested in talking about them because the minister, at his fingertips, has significant resources he can appropriate to boot camps.
I first saw boot camps on Channel 9’s A Current Affair. It has a large strike rate when you think about it over the years. Channel 9’s A Current Affair has obviously influenced many ministers in the Northern Territory who have appropriated millions and millions of taxpayers’ dollars into this new policy. I have also done some research into boot camps, and boot camps are boot camps. People in the regions are telling me, particularly Indigenous traditional owners who have access to infrastructure in regional and remote areas – some abandoned, some active, many communities wanting to be involved – that regional solutions with a justice reinvestment model will deliver far better outcomes than boot camps.
One of the reasons they say boot camps will never be truly efficient in addressing offending behaviour is that the minister takes at-risk youths out of dysfunctional environments. They are put through this program with a lot of energy and resources expended on them. Then they are brought home and placed back into that dysfunctional environment. That is a fact of life, and it is very difficult to deal with. However, the constituency tells me the missing link is that the parents and significant adults in the life of the youth at risk have not been involved. They wave goodbye and welcomed that young person back, but they take no responsibility in the middle part of that process. To me that made a lot of sense.
We have talked about a model that will engage the parents as significant adults and, as the minister talked about in his statement, the elders. You say some of these youths at risk do not fit this model so we will bang them up and send them to maximum security. We have seen what you mean with the images on television and the incidents around the correctional facilities for youth throughout the Territory. Do not be continually blinded by investment into razor wire. As a Territorian, an ex-police officer, a law enforcement officer and a family man, think about the concept of surrounding at-risk youths with sandstone escarpments. What that means is using regional infrastructure to get these kids out of town and surrounding with people of significance who will work with them, including the family.
I want to see opportunities. I would love something in the Barkly, but the minister can choose wherever he likes. He has talked briefly about Borroloola and a work camp. I strongly encourage you to take a step back. I have discussed this in Borroloola and the gulf country. Let us try to influence the minister to step back and do something in a regional context with youth. Let us look at a regional opportunity where we can engage parents and significant adults with young people at risk.
We will not need razor wire. There are plenty of sandstone escarpments. I lived at the base of the China Wall for four years. That is a perfect example on the Nicholson River Land Trust, with much of that infrastructure now abandoned. There is one very strong family still living and operating in the south of that block, which is interested in supporting this type of justice reinvestment.
That is a complete difference in priority and policy. The minister has the appropriation at his fingertips. The opposition has the opportunity to debate, but I ask, in this forum, for serious consideration. Take a step back, embrace the principles of justice reinvestment, look at either some abandoned or functional infrastructure in regional and remote areas, and start a trial. I am not talking about Mount Theo or Hamilton Downs; I am talking about something new. The difference will be in the operational procedures of engaging the significant adults, parents, extended family and elders to make the story real for these young people.
Having much experience in the correctional services area over four years, I am amazed that with increases in security, razor wire and the tough on crime rhetoric applied to these high-risk young people, they are still breaking out, assaulting people, and creating havoc for the taxpayer and the minister. Most importantly, they are causing havoc for themselves and their families. We need to look at something different.
There is a good link in the examination of what is occurring in this place, and that is Labor’s early childhood policy. Let us look at that as a policy that simply embraces the concept of justice reinvestment in an abstract way, but is also a serious attempt to shift taxpayers’ investment back down the line to look at the early childhood area. That policy aims to get things right before they go horribly wrong.
This is what we need to take on. If you are serious about it, this is where the debate will go. If you want to play politics and continually run the old chestnut and ridiculous metaphor of the Mr Whippy van from the Chief Minister, you guys will continue to go round in circles. You will need to be seriously in touch with the razor wire suppliers and fitters.
Based on this statement, there is some good evidence at the correctional services level to take this back and look at these regional solutions, work camps, employment and training. Let us go back and deconstruct that and look at the specifics like driver education and targeting specific offending behaviour. Then in the youth justice area, let us take a risk. Take that quantum leap and identify some regional areas. I will offer up the Barkly. I have had many conversations about this. I know people who will put up their hands. I know the youth justice network within the Territory will be able to manage this.
Thank you, minister, for the opportunity because it is good to talk about opportunities. It is good to challenge what needs to be challenged. It is good to give credit where credit is due. But let us face it, we are all in this together. It is about our young people. I have children and grandchildren. If we do not change the game, we will be chasing our tail.
I have not gone anywhere near talking about appropriations in Correctional Services and how much they cost the taxpayer, or how much it costs to have a prisoner banged up for a year. Let us take a risk in this new House of bipartisanship and see what the minister can do.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Deputy Chief Minister): Mr Deputy Speaker, it gives me great pleasure this afternoon to support the Pillars of Justice statement by my colleague, the Justice minister, John Elferink.
Safety is the right of every Territorian, and that is why the Country Liberals government introduced the Pillars of Justice law and order reform strategy. We are seeing real results for Territorians through strengthening our police, justice and correctional systems. Under the Country Liberals government there is a coordinated approach to driving down crime, and coordination is a very important point. We are protecting the most vulnerable in our society. The six Pillars of Justice are supporting our cross-agency commitment to ensure our justice system is both contemporary and fair.
Let us talk about pillar one, the police. It is the police who are on the front line of securing safety in every community. They are the ones risking their lives, day in, day out, to keep our community safe. As a former police officer, I cannot stress to the House just how important it is for the police to have the tools they need to effectively respond to incidents, investigate matters and keep crime down in the community.
I am pleased to say that the Country Liberals government is giving the police the tools they need through initiatives such as Alcohol Protection Orders issued to those who commit a serious crime while under the influence of grog, banning them from buying, consuming or possessing alcohol and entering licensed premises.
Much has been said about the temporary beat locations this afternoon, stationing police officers outside bottle shops to target problem drinkers who buy takeaway alcohol with the intent of consuming it in restricted areas. Before I leave that, it would be remiss of me if I did not say what enormous differences TBLs have made in my community of Katherine. When they commenced, I think on 23 December last year, within a day or it was like turning off a light switch; it was that instant. The prevalence of antisocial behaviour and alcohol-related problems, those that are so normally visible on the streets of Katherine, disappeared. I had people coming up to me saying, ‘Willem, my goodness me, you can now go to Woolies and not be harassed, spat at, sworn at, or humbugged for your trolley. You can go there and do your shopping in peace.’ It was that marked I cannot begin to tell you the positive effect it has had on our community.
There are CCTV cameras. There are soon to be 180 CCTV cameras across the Northern Territory. This expanded network is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to catch people in the act of committing a crime. It is wonderful to see CCTV installed in Katherine as well, to give the police the tools to monitor the community and make sure they have opportunities to gather evidence to investigate crimes and offences when they occur.
The latest crime statistics are testament to the fact these initiatives are working. Katherine alone has seen a 15% decrease in offences against the person in the last 12 months. Katherine also continues to experience a reduction in offences against the person with a 15% decrease compared to last year; 15% is huge. There has been a significant decrease in assault offences, which are down by 17%. These reductions are in part due to Operation Veto which saw those TBLs at takeaway liquor outlets. There has been a significant decrease in assault offences, which can clearly be attributed to this government’s establishment of the TBLs at takeaway liquor outlets.
The TBLs are an outstanding crime reduction tool and have been particularly effective in reducing alcohol-related violence and antisocial behaviour. It is through these measures that TBLs have also contributed to improving the amenity of the town. They are serving to protect the Katherine community as they are the communities of Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. By employing a high visibility, preventative approach at the town’s main takeaway grog outlets, assaults and other violent acts have been reduced, and these impressive results can be attributed to our hard-working police.
The TBLs have helped police tackle the cause of the trouble rather than just dealing with the aftermath. It is about preventing public drunkenness, which so often leads to criminal offending. I hark back to my experiences as a police officer. It was particularly noticeable in Alice Springs but also in Katherine when I worked there. In terms of prevention, I remember travelling up and down the Todd River in 602, the River Queen. The River Queen was a Toyota Landcruiser four-wheel drive fitted with sand tyres and a cage on the back. We used to drive up and down the Todd River. The Minister for Justice knows this only too well having served in Alice Springs and has no doubt experienced the River Queen many times.
We used to get in early. We are talking about preventing problems before they start. The more grog you could tip out under the old 2 km law before the trouble started, before it got dark, you knew without a shadow of a doubt that the evening shift was going to be much quieter. Subsequently, the night shift was also going to be quieter. The less grog that people consumed necessarily led to a decrease in antisocial behaviour, violent offending and, in fact, in all kinds of offending. The night shift used to be terribly grateful to the evening shift that got in early and tipped out lots of grog. That was true in Katherine. You cannot overstate the importance of these types of preventative measures being applied in everyday policing.
It is also about the protection of women and children in Katherine and other places who are too often the victims of violence that flows from alcohol abuse. This preventative approach is increasingly supported by health advocates across the Territory. Katherine and other places now have reductions in presentations at the A&E department at the hospital. St John Ambulance is far less busy now than it was before the TBLs started. This policy is having a real and marked effect on the community and behaviour around alcohol.
Unfortunately, only the opposition now remains stubbornly opposed to this highly effective tool that has helped drive assaults down Territory-wide. Members of the Territory Labor Party – including, I believe, the member for Nhulunbuy – are on record as saying the TBLs are a stupid policy. I quote:
- TBLs are ‘a stupid policy move as far as the opposition is concerned’.
They are wrong and the statistics prove it. The Country Liberals government is winning the war on grog but there is still more to do.
Pillar two – the courts. The courts are another extremely important pillar of justice being reformed by the Country Liberals government. We are streamlining the court system to create a more efficient and effective process. Initiatives include mandatory minimum sentencing, where serious violent offenders now face a three-month mandatory minimum gaol sentence for the first offence, or 12 months for repeat offenders; and community work orders that see serial fine defaulters who owe in excess of $10 000 and do not enter into payment arrangements with the Fines Recovery Unit possibly being sentenced to community work to repay their debt.
Mr Elferink: Wheel clamps will be out shortly.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: I will pick up on the interjection. Wheel clamps will be out shortly based on legislation traversing this House, and a person who fails to comply with a community work order will be sent to a correctional centre.
We are improving court facilities. Construction of a new, state-of-the-art Supreme Court facility in Alice Springs will be completed shortly, as well as the introduction of new technology in Northern Territory courts.
Each and every one of these initiatives is reforming the Northern Territory court system, making it more effective and streamlined. Every effort to do so is extremely important. The Northern Territory’s Court of Summary Jurisdiction is an exceptionally busy place, with over 11 000 criminal files processed across the Territory in a single year. If these criminal files could be resolved and finalised with only one appearance before the court, we would still be dealing with over 40 files on any single sitting day of the Northern Territory’s Court of Summary Jurisdiction.
However, the reality is that a court file will inevitably be mentioned and adjourned a number of times before it is finally disposed of. This means that our lower courts are dealing with a very high volume of files each and every day of sittings. This obviously poses various challenges for our court system and the stakeholders appearing before it. That is why the Country Liberals government has introduced reform in the form of Swift Justice. This reform frees up the precious time of magistrates, our police, our prosecutors and legal practitioners. It will speed up any matters victims of crime and witnesses to crimes have to attend to in order for justice to be delivered.
The reforms will also reduce the inconvenience and costs for people from remote locations having to attend court in major centres. As a former police officer who served in Katherine, Alice Springs and Darwin, along with several regional and remote postings, while on the job a lot of my time was spent filling out paperwork and travelling to and waiting around in courts to be called to give evidence.
I remember my colleagues complaining bitterly on many occasions about court appearances, particularly after a nightshift, where they would sit around waiting in court only to be told to go home because they were not required. Moving through the Swift Justice reforms means fewer police officers will have to sit around waiting for court appearances only to be told to go home. That is a good thing for them and their families. It also saves money.
The other side of that is by freeing up police officers it means they can get back out on the road and do the thing they do best, and that is police our communities. The reform court system is integral to the Pillars of Justice framework and is just another example of how we are delivering for Territorians.
Pillar three is youth justice reform. We know that many repeat offenders in the Territory are young people. The Northern Territory government is committed to changing the offending behaviour of youth in the community through a raft of measures.
Firstly, early intervention youth boot camps for those at risk of entering the youth justice system will address their at-risk behaviour. The youth justice strategy framework will guide and coordinate a comprehensive response to youth justice issues to reduce offending and reoffending by young people.
Pillars of Justice is a comprehensive package of work specifically formulated and focused on our youth, recidivists and victims of crime. It offers solutions that are embraced by a community fed up with people who break the law.
This Country Liberals government’s comprehensive criminal law reform strategy stretches beyond arrest to beyond parole. It is wide-ranging, solutions-based and, most importantly, it has tangible targets. We are seeing tangible results.
The underlying basis for this pillar is the development of the Youth Justice Framework 2015-2020. The framework will provide for a coordinated and comprehensive cross-agency and non-government organisation response for youth justice issues, with coordinated program and service delivery to young people at risk of entering, and those already in, the youth justice system. If we can stop people offending from a young age, their life-path will be entirely different. It is our responsibility to help them.
Pillar four – correctional services. The Country Liberal government is also committed to changing the offending behaviour of prisoners through programs, training, education and employment to reduce the Northern Territory’s high reoffending rate.
Electronic monitoring provides real-time information of an offender’s movements, location and compliance with curfew conditions, enabling a timely response to defiant behaviour.
Sentenced to a Job – what a wonderful initiative that is. It is a prisoner employment program that gives prisoners the skills they need to be job-ready upon release. Education and employment are the keys to driving down reoffending rates. This program is already delivering a reduction in the recidivism rate, as the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice has pointed out.
Work gangs – offenders are giving back to the community by undertaking work for community groups and non-profit organisations that would not otherwise have been completed due to a lack of funds or capacity. In that light, my Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries supports the Sentenced to a Job program through secondment of prisoners at the Arid Zone Research Institute, or AZRI. Up to three inmates work at AZRI on rotation at any one time, where they do horticultural jobs on the farm to gain training and learn valuable new skills. The work can vary from general maintenance or yard building, right through to mustering. It gives inmates the skills to be job-ready once they leave prison.
I reiterate the statistics given by the Minister for Justice: recidivism rates for prisoners who were, or are, involved in this program is below 20%. That is in stark contrast to recidivism rates for prisoners released during 2011-12. A total of 51.7% of these prisoners returned to prison within two years. By skilling people for the future we are reducing their rates of recidivism and giving them a shot at a successful future.
Pillar five – the victims. This pillar is at the heart of everything we do, keeping Territorians safe. It cannot be underestimated how important it is that victims of crime are protected and supported. The Domestic and Family Violence Reduction Strategy is a comprehensive strategy to address, reduce and prevent the unacceptably high level of domestic and family violence in the Northern Territory.
Keeping serious sex offenders locked up – serious sex offenders who pose a high risk to the community will now continue to be locked up or monitored indefinitely. But this is not a talk fest. The program is underpinned by funding of $1m per financial year. The Northern Territory government is working in partnership with Victims of Crime NT to ensure this program is as effective as it possibly can be. A key element of this pillar is the Northern Territory Domestic and Family Violence Reduction Strategy 2014-17.
Safety is Everyone’s Right is a whole-of-government initiative, which means all agencies are working together with a common goal. Lead agencies implementing the strategy are the Northern Territory Departments of the Attorney-General and Justice, and Local Government and Community Services, and Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services. I am proud to be part of a government that is leading this important reform to give victims all the assistance and support they require.
Pillar six, statute reform, supports pillars one to five. It is the driver, ensuring the Northern Territory criminal justice legislation is robust, targeted, integrated and contemporary to meet the expectations of the community. Key initiatives within the pillar include: reforming the Police Administration Act to modernise the legislation with a series of key reform areas, including a proposal to amend police powers to strengthen responses to summary offences; reforming the Summary Offences Act to modernise the legislation and reflect appropriate maximum penalties for certain offences; reforming the Bail Act; reforming the NT Criminal Code Act including the amendments for female genital mutilation, identity theft, destruction of child abuse material and the ordering of medical and psychiatric testing in court proceedings; reviewing the Victims of Crime Assistance Act to ensure targeted support to victims of crime; introducing the serious sex offender legislation …
Mr ELFERINK: A point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker! I seek an extension of time for the member, pursuant to Standing Order 77.
Motion agreed to.
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE: … to enhance protection and safety of victims of serious sex offenders and the general community by allowing for the continued detention or supervised release of offenders who pose a serious threat to the community; repealing and replacing the Prisons (Correctional Services) Act with the Correctional Services Act 2014 to allow for contemporary management of prisoners in correctional centres and offenders on community-based orders, including the use of electronic monitoring in the Northern Territory.
The Country Liberal government’s comprehensive criminal law reform strategy is solutions-based. It has tangible targets, all sadly lacking from the prior government’s lack of attention to detail and mismanagement of law and order issues and, most certainly, their soft approach to crime.
This comprehensive package of work includes policies specifically formulated and focused on our youth, recidivists and victims of crime. It offers solutions to what are decades-old problems. Only the Country Liberals government is committed to growing a suite of measures to keep Territorians safe at home, at work and around the community.
The solutions that have been offered up by this government are working. I speak to many people around my community of Katherine. Over the years I have been the local member – a bit over seven – people have lamented to me a number of times that there is no solution for the antisocial problems and drunken behaviour problems we have experienced in Katherine for decades. But now we are seeing a change, a paradigm shift. The ground has moved in Katherine because of the policy of this government.
I point out one stark example of how the policies of this government are working, which is the TBLs. Yes, they are expensive and, yes, we are looking at how to make them financially less imposing as we move to a sustainable model for running them. These have made the greatest impact on my community that people can recall. There is no doubt in my mind.
I earlier said that Pillars of Justice is a coordinated approach. I hark back to a couple of years ago, probably early 2013, when Pillars of Justice became a reality. I remember what the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice said. I will paraphrase, but you will get the point. He said to the Chief Minister, ‘I want to take on all of the responsibilities for the Pillars of Justice. I want to have oversight, because I truly believe I can provide a coordinated approach, which is so sorely and desperately needed, in order to make the criminal justice system in the Northern Territory work.’
What we see today is that all coming to fruition. I thank the Chief Minister for giving the Minister for Justice the imprimatur to go ahead and do that. It was cross-agency. It was not necessarily normal for a minister to take responsibility for what goes on in another minister’s portfolio. But on this occasion, under these circumstances and with the Pillars of Justice, it has worked. The Minister for Justice should be highly commended not only by my colleagues on this side of the House but the entire Northern Territory parliament for how well this is rolling into the Northern Territory community. It is making an enormous difference. I am proud to be part of the government that has made such a difference to the lives of Territorians over the course of the last three-and-a-bit years since we have been in power.
I thank the Minister for Justice for bringing this statement to the House and the opportunity to make comments on it.
Mrs PRICE (Local Government and Community Services): Mr Deputy Speaker, I speak on the Pillars of Justice strategy in making the Northern Territory a safer and more pleasant place to live, where justice serves the interests of all Territorians. The sad thing is, the great majority of the victims of violent crime are my people: Aboriginal people.
These are my relatives I speak about. They are people who need support. They are crying out to get support from whoever listens to them, whoever is willing to take on the sorrow and hardship my people carry. They want help. They have needed help for years.
The principal aim of the strategy is to deliver, strengthen and coordinate responses to target repeat offending, the rehabilitation of offenders, violent offending and alcohol-related crime and community safety. The strategy focuses on all aspects of the criminal justice system, from early intervention and diversion through to release on parole and continued care under four pillars.
As the Minister for Women’s Policy I am pleased this government has taken an integrated response to tackling domestic violence, with great success. In accordance with that policy framework, Safety Is Everyone’s Right is a key strategy. The Northern Territory Police have taken the lead on the development, implementation and ownership of Community Safety Action Plans across the Territory. I was at one of those meetings in Nyirripi, where the whole community came together and put their trust in me and the policeman there. I spoke about how they could best work to prevent all these issues our people, my people, have to deal with every day. It was a good meeting and had a great outcome.
This is what this government wants to see in these communities. We can all work together to prevent all these issues that have been there from day one for my people. These people who I have to deal with when I go back home or when I am here or wherever – just a phone call away. Someone ringing me to tell me someone has been beaten up, someone is in hospital because of illnesses created by alcoholism, or some of my relatives have been taken into custody – this is an everyday thing for me. I do not go home and close the door. These problems are there every day for me. I am surrounded by my family who keep wanting help. That is why we are here.
The plan is focusing on four key goals: mutual respect and working partnerships; reducing domestic and family violence; reducing substance abuse; and improving community amenity. Forty-nine action plans are currently in operation. These help my people. The Public Safety Division created them with the Northern Territory Police to ensure an integrated community engagement focus on key programs has been successful and welcomed throughout the Northern Territory.
Pillar two is court law reform. The new Correctional Services Act implemented a home detention scheme that allows the Commissioner of Correctional Services to manage a qualifying offender through home detention. Prisoners on this scheme are subjected to electronic monitoring and are required to support themselves and, therefore, it is highly likely they will be involved in the Sentenced to a Job program. A range of supported accommodation options for prisoners on this scheme are also being implemented. Through the Sentenced to a Job program the reduced figure to less than 20% recidivism is evidence of the Sentenced to a Job program being a success. I know many confident and happy people from my electorate who have come through this program. It has given them a sense of worth.
Pillar three is Youth Justice Reform. Early intervention of youth crime is essential, and if you talk to anyone in Central Australia they will know of a young person who may be at risk. The Youth Justice Framework 2015-2020 is focused on supporting our youth, with early prevention being the key focus. Our election commitment of a Youth Turn initiative, introducing boot camps, is exactly what my people have been telling us will work. This government has listened, and I commend the Attorney-General for doing so. We will not give up on our youth, particularly now that we have the added stimulus and influence of ice leaking into our communities.
The Pillars of Justice looks at a whole approach rather than a fragmented one, as we know the importance of an integrated approach to reducing criminal activity. There are many circumstances that result in a person ending up behind bars.
Pillar five is victims first. As the Minister for Women’s Policy I am pleased to join the Attorney-General in leading the Safety is Everyone’s Right strategy, aligning with the directives and priority areas of action in the Framing the Future blueprint and the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-22. It builds on international best practice principles to address domestic violence. The five areas for action to produce change are: prevention; early intervention; safety for victims; rebuilding the lives of victims and survivors; and accountability and positive change for perpetrators.
I commend and support the Attorney-General for his great work in developing the Pillars of Justice framework. We have only just begun.
Mr ELFERINK (Attorney-General and Justice): Mr Deputy Speaker, I have listened carefully to what many speakers had to say and am heartened by much of what I have heard. The speech I am probably most critical of is the shadow Attorney-General’s. I do not want to make this a Labor-bashing exercise, but it is very difficult not to in some respects. Basically what we heard from the shadow Attorney-General was that what we have done with Don Dale is wrong. Don Dale, even in its current manifestation, is not ideal but is affordable.
The solution the shadow Attorney-General offers us is a somewhere between $100m and $150m correctional institution aimed at juveniles, of which we have about 40 in custody at any given time, of which 30 of those 40 are in remand. So it is not possible to bring programs to kids we often will not have in custody for more than a few days or weeks. There is not much intervention you can bring to bear on somebody who is in the remand environment. We only have about 10 sentenced youth in our custodial environment in the Northern Territory and some of those sentenced youths are in the Alice Springs area, which means we have somewhere between 20 and 25 in the current Don Dale environment, which is the old Berrimah gaol.
The current Don Dale environment is 10 times better than the old Don Dale. The old Don Dale, in my opinion, was very poor and there were a number of shortcomings with it. One was that it was built for one gender only and we were housing two genders in it. The other thing was it had wooden panelling in what was then the female section, where a fluorescent light short-circuited shortly after I became the minister for Corrections. It damn near set fire to the whole place. There was a very large black scorch mark, and if it had not been for the quick thinking of some of the staff, that building may well have killed its occupants in what could have been an horrendous fire.
When the new gaol became available, I spoke to the Commissioner for Corrections and he suggested to me a good solution would be to spend $800 000 on the old maximum security section and turn it into a juvenile detention system. I agreed with him and we got that done. There was a second component that concerned me, which is why I sought the Vita review. The Children’s Commissioner, then Howard Bath, would do a review, which has been continued by the current Children’s Commissioner. It has exposed many of the issues I was concerned about, which led to the Vita review being sought. I am glad the then Children’s Commissioner, Howard Bath, gave evidence and assisted Vita in his review.
There were still problems which Vita correctly identified, which were attended to in his 16 recommendations. Some of those issues could not be fixed immediately, one of which was the quality of training of the youth justice officers in Don Dale. It was partially that training problem – which was not the fault of the youth justice officers, I hasten to add – which led to the breakouts we saw.
I spoke to the Commissioner for Corrections and asked him to place, as a matter of policy, prison officers in the old J Block area, the old maximum security section. Since that time the structure has settled the environment nicely. We have continued to use prison officers in that environment because it places structure around the inmates which they so desperately need.
We have that structure in place and we are now making certain the quality of training required by those officers is being received by those officers, with a view to making sure the whole system settles down. I visited Don Dale recently and I am pleased report to the House that the overall atmosphere of the place seems to have calmed with the introduction of greater rigour. This is not something I do happily. I would rather there were no kids in gaol at all, but we unfortunately must.
I pick up on the notions of the shadow Attorney-General, who has just spent $150m building a new juvenile detention facility, about her complaints that police officers are not using all the skills they are trained for because they are standing on TBLs. The shadow Attorney General shows her naivety in this place. What skills would she prefer the police officers to use? The skills where they are trained to use capsicum spray? I would prefer they did not use those skills. They must be trained, but I do not want them to use those skills. I would rather place them in a situation where they avoid using those skills.
Police officers are also trained to use batons. Would it be the case that the shadow Attorney-General would prefer to fine police officers in circumstances where they were using their batons training, the training on handcuffs and other forms of restraint, the training with Tasers or perhaps firearms? All of these are the sorts of training that police officers receive. They are highly-trained people; that is correct. But I would rather place them in an environment where they never have to rely on any of those forms of training at all. I would rather have them in an environment where they do not even have to use their investigative skills. Why? Because they are able to head the problem off at the pass.
I listened very carefully to the example she used of the police officer who had moved from Elcho Island to Alice Springs. This highly-trained officer was being used to work at a bottle shop. I understand the argument, but this is the other thing that many people do not understand about police work: whilst the popular press would have you believe that a police officer’s work is all frills, beers and skittles, in actual fact it is mundane, methodical and often just downright boring. I am sure the member for Katherine will recall what front counters on a midnight shift were like.
Mr Westra van Holthe: Only too well.
Mr ELFERINK: They were an exercise in tedium beyond imagination. Many other duties that police officers fulfil are tedious. But the fact is, as the member for Sanderson so rightly pointed out, on the shoulder flash of the police officer’s uniform is the motto, the vision statement of the department, To Serve and Protect. This means you have to do mundane, boring things as part of your job as a police officer. Is it fun? No, it is not, but it is necessary. We do what is necessary rather than what is fun in an effort to protect the people of the Northern Territory.
I do not want police officers to use all the things we train them for because it means they will be using their batons, capsicum spray, Tasers and firearms. This is about creating an environment which is safer from the get go.
To hear the member for Barkly being critical, or joining with the shadow Attorney-General in his criticism after a fall of crime rates by 58% in his own community, is incomprehensible. However, I pause briefly to thank the member for Barkly. One of the great things I enjoy about the member for Barkly is that he resurrects the old notion that success has 1000 fathers and failure is an orphan. Every time the member for Barkly comes here and says, ‘We were doing Sentenced to a Job in the first place. It is a rebadge of a thing we were going to do.’ I have one question for him: why were you so excruciatingly timid about it? Was there three, maybe four, people on some work release program you did not want to tell anybody about because you were very nervous about it? You should have been juiced up and gassed up, and ready to go, if you believed in what you were doing.
That is what separates members on this side of the House from that side of the House. All the other complaints aside, the government of the Northern Territory is right now prepared to take risks, go out and do stuff, and push through even unpopular things, because that is the hallmark of a government that is prepared to do things and take risks. The Giles government does it.
The former Labor government was not prepared to sell TIO despite the fact that Syd Stirling said to Cabinet, ‘You must do this. The pig is ripe, it is right for market. We have to go and sell this thing.’ Cabinet could not bring themselves to do it. This government did. Was it popular? Hell, no. Was it necessary? Hell, yes. That is the fundamental difference. As I look across the Chamber now I ask myself who would be capable of driving something like Pillars of Justice on that side of the House? Who could say, ‘I am going to push on with policies that are sometimes controversial, such as paperless arrests’? I am fully cognizant of the controversy that surrounds it. I think it is unfortunate and unwarranted for all of the arguments I have repeatedly put into the public domain, but nevertheless, we press on because Mitchell Street is safer now than it has been for a long time.
When was the last time you opened a newspaper and read a story about a serious assault in Mitchell Street? One might happen tonight, I acknowledge that, but police officers are armed with the power of arrest that they are prepared to use start to take control back of the streets. This was always the intention of this government. The former police officers who form part of this government get that. They have understood that principle from the get go. That is why I suspect I had so little trouble getting this through Cabinet. They understood the importance of taking control. That is something we as a government have been aiming to achieve through these processes. I would rather see paperless arrests not being used because people live in a civil society.
The other point is that whilst we keep talking about Aboriginal people in the custodial environment, you must understand the great unmentioned truth which the member for Stuart got entirely right. The sad unmentioned truth is that the victims of so many of those Aboriginal offenders are often Aboriginal people themselves. Yet we barely mention that great truth. We barely say we are going to protect Aboriginal Territorians in the same way we would protect anybody simply because they are a Territorian.
An Aboriginal person’s right to the protection of the law is not diminished, or should not be diminished, on the grounds that the offender is an Aboriginal person. I do not like that Aboriginal people are overrepresented in our courts and incarceration system. I am well on the record expressing why I feel that is a problem, based particularly on how passive welfare works in the community. I have always maintained we should not be so focused on Aboriginality necessarily. We should be more focused on getting people to be responsible for themselves.
This is why I respectfully disagree with the Coroner of the Northern Territory over the death of the gentleman who died in custody. He did not die because he was in custody. There is no evidence I read in that coronial report to suggest that. He died because he was not getting the medical treatment he came to Darwin to receive. He would have just as likely died in that park that night, or in a gutter nearby, anyhow. The coroner says it was his right to die a free man. He would have been liable to be arrested under the summary offences, in any instance.
The other component is our need to clean up our streets of drinkers, because when those drinkers do what they do, when they relieve themselves, they do not do it in public toilets. They do it in the same shared spaces we all visit, including Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Territorians. We do need to enforce things like the Summary Offences Act, otherwise why have one? Why bother having one if you do not feel it should be policed?
I am afraid that, from time to time, the mere issue of an infringement notice is not sufficient to meet the expectations of the public in terms of making our streets safe. I could go on for some time. The truth of the matter is that we have worked very hard as a government to attend to a number of issues in the Northern Territory. We have done it in novel ways. We have used mandatory alcohol treatment, Alcohol Protection Orders, temporary beat locations, paperless arrests and have just restructured how the summary courts will work. There will have to be pre-trial disclosures in that environment and a number of changes across the criminal justice system involving police, the courts and the corrections environment to protect Territorians.
We are now protecting victims of domestic violence more effectively than we ever have done before. Anecdotally I am hearing that, for the first time, there are occasionally free beds in refuges. That is great news and we will continue to fight to protect Territorians.
I am terrified of the Labor Party forming government and giving us a Territory that does not have Alcohol Protection Orders, effective power of arrest, TBLs, a decent domestic violence system or any number of effective on-the-street immediate responses. What they will have is a Banned Drinker Register and that will be it. They will then be swamped by a tsunami of criminal behaviour. That is unacceptable. Labor’s approach will be to remain soft on crime and the group hug will fix everything.
Not once tonight have I genuinely heard members opposite saying, ‘We’ve got to make the people who should be held accountable responsible for their actions’. This is precisely what we on this side of the House do. They will go into the public domain and say, ‘We need a group hug. Everybody gets a cuddle and good intentions will fix this.’ No, they will not.
What I am afraid of in Labor policy is that the offenders will be treated as victims and the real victims will be simply discounted as a nuisance. That would be a very poor outcome because it will not be fair. For a party that is supposedly the champions of justice, it will lead to very unjust outcomes for Territorians.
Motion agreed to; statement noted.
LEAVE TO MOVE MOTION
Amend Reference to Public Accounts Committee
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I seek leave to move a motion without notice to amend the reference to the Public Accounts Committee regarding the funding of rugby league facilities.
The Public Accounts Committee sat today to discuss how it would run its inquiry into the funding of rugby league facilities, as approved by the Assembly. The issue that concerned us was that we only had the words, ‘the hearings would be public’, with no option for anyone appearing before that committee to, if they wished, deal with the matters they wanted to talk to the Public Accounts Committee about in a private session when dealing with confidential matters. It is normally standard in a committee, but it was not in this committee. Otherwise, everything is heard publicly.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Mr Deputy Speaker, he is seeking leave. The way to deal with this is to suspend standing orders. There is a dissenting voice so, no, he does not get leave. He will now have to move a substantive motion to suspend standing orders.
Leave not granted.
SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS
Move to Amend Reference to Public Accounts Committee
Move to Amend Reference to Public Accounts Committee
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I move that so much of standing orders be suspended as would prevent this Assembly moving a motion to amend the reference to the Public Accounts Committee regarding the funding of rugby league facilities.
The simple fact is this is not a difficult or controversial issue, but it was raised today in the Public Accounts Committee meeting. The Assembly’s reference says everyone who talks to the Public Accounts Committee in relation to the funding of rugby league facilities would, by the motion, not be able to talk to the committee in a private session, including matters of a confidential nature. If that is not there, everything that is said will be …
Mr Giles: What about transparency?
Mr WOOD: Wait until I finish. The motion would have the following words added to it. After ‘the hearings would be public’, we would add, ‘unless the committee agrees to a request from the witness to go into a private session to deal with a matter of a confidential nature’. We are saying it should be public. At Senate inquiries there is normally something that allows for a person to ask the committee – it does not mean they will get it – that their statement be heard in private. There may be some matters they feel are confidential. It is adding something to it which perhaps should have been put there in the first place.
Mr ELFERINK (Leader of Government Business): Mr Deputy Speaker, the government will not oppose the motion, but this highlights an issue we have to remind ourselves of, as members of this House.
They have all embraced, with great enthusiasm on the benches opposite, minority government and thought. ‘This will be great. We have a great opportunity to stick it to government.’ With opportunity comes responsibility, and the responsibility we have as parliamentarians, now the power shift has moved from government to this House, is to get stuff right.
We had a suspension of standing orders by the member for Nelson in the not so distant past, which had to be amended on the floor of the House because we did not get it right. This is the second motion the member for Nelson has brought before this House which must be amended. If we came into this House and sought to do something in camera, we would be accused by the members opposite with, ‘What do you have to hide?’
The fact is sometimes you need to do stuff in camera. You cannot conduct a government completely in the open world. If we tried to do that as a government, the allegation would come from the members opposite that we are somehow corrupt and have something to hide. No, we do not; we govern with the best interests of Territorians at heart. We see the member for Nelson realising that point and bringing it in here, and I am grateful he has done that. It needs to be fixed because what would happen in the Public Accounts Committee while it looks at this issue is every answer will be, ‘Sorry, that is commercial in confidence’.
I imagine the Public Accounts Committee will want to speak to individual rugby clubs and will talk about their financial situations. I imagine you will talk to government departments or whatever bodies relate to the expression of interests for the proposed rectangular stadium at Richardson Park. All of that would not be spoken about in the public domain nor would you expect it to be. So, under the terms of the original motion this House passed, the answers that the Public Accounts Committee will get nine times out 10 will be, ‘Sorry, cannot talk about it, commercial-in-confidence. Sorry, cannot talk about it because we do not want to talk about our club’s financial condition in the public domain.’
The resonating message here is that if members in this parliament want to take on the duties and responsibilities of holding the government to account in a minority situation, then they will have to be a hell of a lot more careful and thoughtful about what they do. It is no longer just a case of throwing rocks at the government. The motions passed in this place carry weight and have gravity. Those motions, as a consequence, have to be much more carefully considered. To have two repair jobs in two motions indicates we are not being careful enough.
I will be frank with this House. I thought when I saw the original motion, ‘Oh, there will be problems with this’, and I let it go. I am surprised it has come back this quickly, but it has come back quickly. Guys, you have us on the ropes. You have us in that position where we are the minority government. That is cool. But the power you have now wrested through that process places a responsibility on your shoulders as parliamentarians to make sure you do your jobs correctly.
I understand what the member for Nelson is asking for. I do not think there is any reason why government would resist it. Nevertheless, it is demonstrative of the issue that as parliamentarians we have a duty to the people of the Northern Territory to make sure what we do is right the first time.
Ms FYLES (Nightcliff): Mr Deputy Speaker, speaking to the motion before the House, as a whole parliament we passed this motion in the last sittings to look into the matter of $20m of taxpayers’ money being spent on a sporting facility. That motion was passed, as I remember quite clearly, unanimously. Those opposite us supported that motion. For the Leader of Government Business to tell us we need to be ‘a hell of a lot more careful’, is peculiar. You passed that motion, Leader of Government Business.
We had a motion that was put before the Assembly at the last sittings, and unanimously – both sides, everyone in this parliament – agreed to. The Minister for Sport and Recreation at the time made some changes to that motion on the floor, which the member who put the motion agreed to. We, as a Public Accounts Committee, have quickly and actively taken on that issue. At our meeting today, without getting into details, it was discussed that because the motion read ‘for open hearings’, if anyone requested to provide us with information they thought would be important, they would not be able to do that at a closed hearing.
This is a simple step. As the member for Nelson has explained, he has done the right thing; he spoke to the government Whip. Yet those opposite are jumping up and down and carrying on as if we are doing something wrong. He has followed procedure. It is a simple request, and the Leader of Government Business could have been more pleasant about it.
I remind him that he passed the original motion. So if we need to be more careful, that onus is on him, too. He is now claiming he thought at the time that it would come up.
We support the suspension of standing orders so the Public Accounts Committee can fully investigate $20m of Territory taxpayers’ money going to something we have already had a number of debates about. A number of questions have been raised. This is the role of the Public Accounts Committee, and the opposition supports the suspension of standing orders.
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Mr Deputy Speaker, I will not be opposing what Gerry is trying to do, but I will make one point to the member for Nightcliff. If you cannot get a motion right, how can you be an alternative government?
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Mr Deputy Speaker, I accept that we would not be here if that motion had those words. That is fair enough. Who has not stuffed up in this place by saying the wrong thing occasionally, or doing the wrong thing? The minister used the example of the suspension of standing orders motion last month, and the member for Katherine said I was hypocritical about it. The funny thing is it was raised because two applications were in the paper on the Friday before, which made it imperative we do something at that time. That was the only reason. I rarely bring urgency motions into this place. I do not like the idea of urgency motions. In that case, I had a good reason to do it.
Even though the minister can say I made an error, I do not believe so. The motions put forward by this side of parliament do not have to be accepted by the government. Whether there was a hospital there or a cow paddock, you could have said, ‘We might support some of it, but we will not support that’.
Relatively speaking, it did not make any difference. It was an issue that had to be brought before this parliament quickly. There were things happening I wanted the government to put a halt to. I had to do it quickly. I do not want to bring these things to parliament. If I made an error, I am willing to accept that, but this is not an error that will make a huge difference. It is something that can be fixed.
I bring it back to this parliament to improve the motion this House unanimously agreed to. No one said, ‘I will move an amendment to that’. The member for Port Darwin said he saw it but he did not say anything. Is that not doing something by omission? Why did he not move an amendment to say, ‘Member for Nelson, I think you need to put in this’?
When I come back to amend it, I get into trouble for not getting it right. As the minister said, you need to get the stuff right. I agree with him. I will try to do better the next time. I do think, though, that when the minister said, ‘I was concerned about that’, and then did nothing about it, says it all.
It is not a big deal. It just makes the affairs of the Public Accounts Committee, in relation to this issue, fairer for all those concerned who wish to put in a submission to the PAC. I hope people support this motion to suspend standing orders.
Motion agreed to.
MOTION
Amend Reference to the Public Accounts Committee Regarding Rugby League Funding
Amend Reference to the Public Accounts Committee Regarding Rugby League Funding
Mr WOOD (Nelson): Madam Speaker, I move that the Assembly’s reference to the Public Accounts Committee regarding the funding of rugby league facilities in Darwin, agreed to on 26 August 2015, be amended by inserting after the words ‘the hearing would be in public’, the words, ‘unless the committee agrees to a request from the witness to go into a private session to deal with a matter of a confidential nature’.
Motion agreed to.
TABLED PAPERS
Ombudsman’s Report – Let There be Light
Ombudsman’s Report – Let There be Light
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, I table the Ombudsman NT report, Let There be Light. This report highlights a number of issues relating to the repair of damaged electricity meters in the Wadeye community, particularly how the Department of Housing and the Power and Water Corporation dealt with the repairs and maintenance of damaged electricity meters in Wadeye between June and December 2013.
Wadeye had been troubled by unrest and conflict for many years. In late 2013 a large amount of criminal damage occurred to electrical meters and housing. Without doubt, the level of conflict in communities affected the ability of government to arrange and conduct repairs of the damaged meters. The Ombudsman’s report acknowledges the difficult circumstances that both agencies faced in Wadeye during the time. However, the report found that both the Department of Housing and the Power and Water Corporation had areas they needed to address insofar as the repairs and maintenance of damaged electricity meters were concerned. In particular, the Ombudsman found that there were gaps in both agencies’ policies and procedures in relation to electricity meters. For some tenants there appeared to be unreasonable delays in repairs to those meters and there was poor communication with the affected tenants.
In response, the delegated officers of both the Power and Water Corporation and the Department of Housing are meeting on an ongoing basis and have completed the following actions: the establishment of a Power and Water policy for damaged meters; establishment of a Department of Housing policy for damaged meters; and development of a policy implementation plan which includes communication with staff and tenants. The new policies now address obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act, including acknowledging a damaged power meter as an emergency repair and committing to time frames for restoration consistent with the RTA.
Agreement on the responsibility for cost recovery has already been reached and incorporated into policy terms. The two agencies have established a monthly meeting to improve the provision of information between the two agencies and progress issues. The production of a draft meter damage report has been achieved, and specifically constructed security-grade barriers and cages have been built and installed by the Department of Housing to protect the electricity meters and boards in Wadeye.
I am pleased to advise that the Power and Water Corporation and the Department of Housing have responded quickly to enact all recommendations of the Ombudsman. I understand the Power and Water Corporation is currently working on updating its customer charter and customer contacts, and is set to finalise its procedure for dealing with damaged electricity meters.
During a reoccurrence of the widespread criminal damage to housing in late 2014, both agencies were much more responsive in addressing the restoration of services to the community. The total cost to repair public housing from late 2014 criminal damage events was over $1m.
The Northern Territory government has also undertaken a range of actions to improve social and economic conditions in Wadeye. We have already implemented the following initiatives in Wadeye after consulting with community leaders: establishment of a regional director position base in Wadeye; and establishment of an annual grant program of $200 000 per annum for three years for sporting and community activities, known as the Wadeye Community Activity Grants Program.
An important element of the regional director’s role is that of relationship building to ensure optimal whole-of-government coordination. To this end, strong and positive relationships have been developed with a range of Northern Territory government agencies, including police, Correctional Services and Health.
The regional director meets most days with the Northern Territory police officer in charge. There has been a pleasing downward trend in crime statistics. The regional director has spent considerable time familiarising himself with the local social, economic and cultural situations, and meeting with Wadeye family groups, clans and gangs, and has achieved general community acceptance of him in this role. The director has begun assisting with a range of community activities that are detailed later.
Three projects have received funding in this financial year under the Wadeye Community Activity Grants Program, and they are working extremely well.
A new police precinct comprising a police station, court and police housing is to be built with completion expected to be mid-2017, at a cost of around $28m. We want local people working in that area. We are investing in sports and recreation, driver licensing and women’s programs throughout the fold. We are seeing a fantastic change through community engagement with the local community.
Many of the local Aboriginal leaders have been working together in forming local groups, particularly supporting some of the men through the engagement of ceremonial groups. This is making a valuable change within the community, empowering local young Aboriginal men in the community of Wadeye.
The Northern Territory government is committed to working in partnership with the Wadeye community to ensure it reaches its full potential, both economically and socially. The Ombudsman’s report, and the response by the Power and Water Corporation and the Department of Housing, show the cross-agency commitment to Wadeye.
I am pleased to advise the Ombudsman has written to the Power and Water Corporation and the Department of Housing to advise he is satisfied with the action taken to date.
Travel Reports for Members for Greatorex, Johnston, Wanguri, Arnhem, Namatjira, Arafura, Fong Lim and Goyder
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I table nine travel reports from the members for Greatorex, Johnston, Wanguri, Arnhem, Namatjira, Arafura, Fong Lim and Goyder, pursuant to paragraph 4.12 of the Remuneration Tribunal Determination.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr GILES (Chief Minister): Madam Speaker I move that the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr STYLES (Sanderson): Madam Speaker, I wish to talk about the NT Training Awards, which were held on Saturday 29 August. It was a fantastic event attended by in excess of 500 people. It was truly amazing.
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Visitors
Visitors
Madam SPEAKER: Honourable members, I advise of the presence in the gallery of some very fine members of our East African community, who are now living in Darwin, Northern Territory. Welcome to Parliament House and thank you for taking the time to come here today to view parliament.
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Mr STYLES: I, too, welcome the delegation of our East African community leaders. It is great to see them in parliament and see the work they do in their community, bringing together their fellow East Africans and integrating into our fantastic multicultural community in the Northern Territory, especially Darwin. Thank you for your efforts.
This year marked the 60th year of the Northern Territory Training Awards, and provided an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the history of training and workforce development in the Northern Territory over the past 60 years. The awards recognised and rewarded the outstanding efforts of Territorians involved in vocational education and training, and provided an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate hard work, dedication and personal and organised achievements.
The 2015 awards attracted a record 89 nominations across 11 categories, and 36 of the Northern Territory’s top apprentices, trainees, vocational students, trainers, employers and registered training organisations were named as finalists. The winners of the 2015 awards were announced at the gala ball in Darwin on 29 August 2015. It was a resounding success and included tributes to many individuals by acknowledging their achievements and contributions to the VET sector over the last 60 years in the Northern Territory.
Over 500 family members, friends, employers, trainers and industry representatives attended the gala ball to support the finalists. Getting into the finals of these awards deserves recognition. It is a fantastic achievement by these people and the winners of these 11 categories deserve a special mention. They include the trainee of the year, Michael Perez; the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student of the year, Philadelphia Hughes; the vocational student of the year, Karen Rose; the school-based apprentice or trainee of the year, Raymond Fordimail; the VET in schools student of the year, Georgia Lowery from Taminmin College; the VET teacher and trainer of the year, Matthew Deveraux, also from Taminmin College; the employer of the year, Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation; the small business employer of the year, HIQA Geotechnical; the training provider of the year, Charles Darwin University; and the industry collaboration award, won by Motor Trades Association NT in collaboration with the Department of Correctional Services and the Centre for Appropriate Technology. Finally, the winner of the Austin Asche Apprentice of the Year was Taylor Fishlock. What a wonderful achievement by that person from Katherine.
The Apprentice of the Year is a hotly contested award, presented to an apprentice who has demonstrated outstanding achievement throughout their apprenticeship. This year’s winner, Taylor Fishlock, demonstrated exceptional commitment in her electrical apprenticeship with her Katherine-based employers M&K Lee Electrical Contractors. Taylor’s dedication to her studies also resulted in her winning the NECA Australian Electrical Apprentice of the Year, notably being the first woman to win the NECA Australian industrial award. She intends to continue her studies and focus on the small business skills sector, with the aim of opening her own electrical contracting business in the future. She hopes to one day employ her own apprentices to give back to her community the same opportunity she was given. Taylor and the winners of the other nine NT Training Awards categories will compete with other states and Territories at the 2015 Australian Training Awards in Hobart in November, taking their rightful place among Australia’s best vocational education and training participants and practitioners.
Participation in these national awards provides an opportunity for the winners to be nationally recognised as leaders in their field of study, training or work; develop networks within the Australian business sector; build new career opportunities; and be ambassadors for the national VET sector. The Northern Territory representatives will represent the success that is possible through the Vocational Education and Training sector in the Northern Territory, demonstrate their achievements, share their stories about training and step into the role of encouraging others to take up the challenge of training.
I wish all of the NT representatives the best for these awards and hope to hear more stories of their success.
I also recognise and thank the staff at Group Training NT for coordinating the 2015 NT Training Awards, including Wendi Masters, Dianne Fong, Sara-Jane Royle, Kaara Tweedy, Gwenda Hayes, Nichole Hamood, Leanne Campbell and Stella Parisi.
I give special recognition to Katie Connolly and Cathy Preddy, without whom the outstanding event would not have been the success it was. Katie and Cathy provided ongoing support to the finalists throughout the process, and you could see the warmth of the relationships that had developed. Their passion and enthusiasm were obvious and I thank them for all of their efforts.
Mr Deputy Speaker, once again, I congratulate all the finalists and winners of the NT Training Awards and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
Mr GUNNER (Fannie Bay): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, on behalf of the Labor Party, I mark tonight the occasion of the retirement of Ernie Wanka. Ernie is a public servant, well known to all of us here and many Territorians. He has served numerous governments without fear or favour. He has done so with all the attributes of a true professional. Ernie is a doer, and his achievements in building and growing the Territory are significant. He is a farsighted thinker and, perhaps more importantly, Ernie Wanka is a great bloke. He is a bit of a larrikin and has a great turn of phrase. He featured in a few Bushranger stories in his journey, as well.
He will be missed. Good luck, Ernie and Sandra. Enjoy your retirement.
Mr GILES (Braitling): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I pay tribute to a true Territory character and legend, Mr Noel Fullerton, king of camels and pioneer of the tourism industry, who passed away on 6 September in Quorn, South Australia.
Noel arrived in Alice Springs in the early 1960s, driving trucks. He used to do the Alice to Darwin run in a B model Mack which did 35 mph, taking a week one way. In fact, the AEC road train that is displayed at the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in Alice Springs was found by Noel in 1973 rotting in the Top End bush. He got it back to Alice and made sure the government restored the truck for display.
Noel is known for his work with camels. He learnt much from the old camel men, Sallay Mahomet, Roy Morgan, Gool Mahamot and Arthur Liddle. His skill, knowledge, affinity with and ability to quieten a wild camel, or one damaged by people, is legendary.
Noel started the Lions Alice Springs Camel Cup in 1970 when he challenged a fellow Lion and mate to a camel race to resolve a long-running feud. This first race was held in the Todd River. After trying another couple of locations, the Camel Cup is now at home at Blatherskite Park Alice Springs on a track named in Noel’s honour.
Noel supplied most of the camels for the races and won 26 Camel Cups on his favourite bull, Mereenie Mick. The main attraction of the Camel Cup for Noel was being involved in a great charity event. It was not for any reward; it was what the Lions could do with the money raised.
After a year in the Territory, Noel was joined by his wife, Isobel, and child. Noel started the Emily Gap Camel Farm in the 1970s. During the peak tourist season, Noel and his family would work from sunrise to sunset taking visitors on camel rides, giving presentations on the history of the camel and its place in the opening up of Central Australia, always being around to chat with visitors. It was not uncommon for 40 coaches, which was around 1500 visitors, to visit the farm in one day. All wanted a ride on a camel.
Noel appeared on the very first Northern Territory lottery ticket on the back of a beloved camel racing down a red sand dune with his long, grey beard flying to the side.
In the late 1970s, Noel was the character that epitomised the Northern Territory in practically all overseas advertising. His face and character can be remembered by the number of documentary films and interviews done by media.
Noel moved his camel farm from Emily Gap to Orange Creek in the late 1970s and ran camel treks from there to Palm Valley along the Finke River for anywhere from one week to one month, depending on what the client was after.
Isobel was Noel’s rock, and together they shared a great love and caring for others. Their door was always open and no one went hungry. He accepted all people for who they were. Nationality, rich or poor, black or white, it did not matter to Noel. Noel and Isobel took troubled kids in, usually from town, and gave them a home, discipline, hard work and love. A sign of affection held for Noel and Isobel was the number of those kids, who are now adults, who attended Isobel’s funeral in 2013. Noel will be remembered for his significant contribution to the tourism industry and my condolences go to his children, Jan, Colin, Donald, Terry, young Noel, Anne-Marie, Alicia and Michelle, and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
I also pay tribute to a true character of the Northern Territory, radio presenter Pete Davies. Pete lost his battle with cancer just over a week ago and the Territory will be a lesser place without him. He was a radio professional with a true passion for the Top End, its people and our lifestyle. He possessed a unique ability to capture what was on people’s minds and take politicians to task when he thought they were not listening. He was no stranger to politics, serving 16 months as an alderman on the City of Palmerston Council before retiring in March 2012.
He won the 2010 by-election to replace Natasha Griggs, who is now the federal member for Solomon. His council colleagues remember him as a passionate elected and community member who always worked with the community’s best interest at heart. It was that knowledge, experience and passion that made him a skilled media professional. I always knew I had to be on my game when I was being interviewed by Pete and to expect the unexpected. He was a skilled interviewer who has earned his place in the history of the Territory. He was a great character and a passionate advocate for the community, tackling all the issues from petrol prices to crime in our suburbs and everything in between. His friends admit that Pete got himself in plenty of trouble over the years, offending people with his passion for the issues he felt mattered. He was loath to back down from an argument if he believed he was right.
Pete was also a passionate supporter of mental health service, beyondblue, having successfully beaten depression himself. His co-host on Mix 104.9, Katie Woolf, says he managed to fight off the black dog and seek help, and then encouraged many others to do the same.
There is no doubt that Pete was an influential voice in the Top End, and while not everybody agreed with him, it was hard to fault his willingness to fight for what he believed was right. Pete was also an avid fisherman and well known in the Top End tournament scene. Friends remember him waving around fly rods and tinkering with lures and saltwater flies, and how absolutely gutted he was when he accidentally slammed a car door on the tip of a $3000 imported rod.
Old friends from Radio 2AY in New South Wales, where he worked many years ago, recall that his real passion was actually fishing, but he enjoyed radio and loved the creativity of it, and used it to entertain people. They remember Pete as a character, a good-hearted Australian larrikin and a kind hearted man, traits he carried to the very end.
Pete was interviewed by the NT News just before he started a 13-week course of chemotherapy and radio therapy for cancer of the oesophagus. He said then in some respects he was relieved because he finally knew what was going on. He said:
- Life deals you good hands and bad hands, and I have been lucky I have had more good than bad. I just want to get into this thing. To confront it and take every day as it comes.
Pete Davies, radio personality, fisherman and father, died suddenly, surrounded by his family. I send my sincere condolences to his wife, Vicki, and his two sons, and say thank you because the Northern Territory is richer for having had Pete Davies in our lives.
Rest in peace, Pete.
Ms PURICK (Goyder): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I pay tribute to someone who has passed away. Denise Ann Merrigan was a wonderful person, very much loved by her family and friends, and a great Territorian.
Denise was born on 16 May 1946 and died on 9 August 2015. She was born to Vera and Leo Shulz at Footscray and spent her early years with her sister, Kaye, and brother, Russell. They lived in West Footscray, Reservoir and Williamstown.
During high school Denise was proud that she was a very good short distance runner and represented the school at sporting carnivals. At the age of 16 Denise was delighted she was pulled onto the stage by Chubby Checker at a concert and danced the twist with him, which she said was a highlight of her teenage years. Denise often talked fondly of the many hours she spent behind the bar serving drinks in her parents’ hotels. She worked at the Customs House Hotel in Williamstown where she met her first husband in 1969, then later at the Prince Albert Hotel where Michelle, her first daughter, was born in 1972.
In 1975 they moved to Melton where Leanne and Cassandra, her second and third daughters, were born. She quickly became friends with all the neighbours there. In 1983 Denise met Jeff while she was working at the Point Cook RAAF Base. Soon after they all moved to Darwin, where Denise and Jeff were married under a frangipani tree in a Parap backyard – very tropical and very Darwin.
The family moved to Northlakes in 1984, and this is where Denise met and became an adopted mother to many of the RAAF boys and probably girls as well. Denise, by her family and daughter’s admission, loved entertaining and every week there was a barbecue, a steam boat dinner or a pool party that filled the house with fun and laughter.
In 1988 they moved to Anula and the parents bought the local newsagency. The children spent many hours working and running the newsagency, which also became a place for family and friends to gather. Stocktake nights at the shop were just another excuse for a get together. In typical motherly fashion, there was always lots of food, drinks, music and laughter. Looking back, the daughters say they always questioned the accuracy of those stocktake figures.
Denise was like a second mum to so many of the girls’ friends over the years. Their home was a place where their friends would come together. Whatever day it was, no matter what time, you could turn up to 14 Snadden Street and Denise would be there ready for a cuppa and a chat. She welcomed everyone into the home and nobody left without loving her.
Denise saw the best in everyone, and I can vouch for that. She was the mother who knew all the friends of her daughters and all their teenage secrets. She thought nothing of being an after-hours taxi service for the girls’ and their friends’ nightclubbing. She was the one mother that everyone could confide in and go to for advice. Denise, being mum, was always positive and encouraging, and would help to put everything into perspective. Friends of the girls say they would often comment that their mum was cool. They would say how lucky they were to have Denise as their mother.
When the girls got married their husbands did not just get a mother-in-law, they got another mother. Some of her proudest moments were at each of their weddings, seeing the three girls getting married to wonderful men. The excitement her grandchildren gave her was immeasurable, and she loved each and every one of them so much.
Denise’s love of flowers began when she attended a course for adults at Casuarina Secondary College. The following year she was the teacher of the class. Before she knew it, she had become the happiest florist in Darwin. She worked for many florists and then for herself. She took great joy in teaching floristry classes into the late hours of the night to anyone who was interested in floral arrangement. In 1999 she placed an entry in the Royal Darwin Show for floral design. She won that entry and the following year she became the judge. Denise found her calling in floristry, and this led her to many years of dedicated service and volunteering with the Royal Darwin Show Society.
Denise certainly loved to shop, her daughters said, and that was her thing – shopping and ‘cups of chino’ as she would call them. She loved to chat and had a smile that would light up a room. Denise loved people; she loved being with people, and when the occasion arose, simply enjoyed any social event. She loved to laugh, and had a laugh she did. It would get everyone laughing even if it was completely inappropriate.
When the daughters think of their mother they say she often had a cuppa in one hand, a smile on her face, and the echo of laughter could always be heard. Denise was the most generous, giving, loving, kind and caring person. Most of all, she was an extremely positive person no matter what life threw at her, and it threw lots at her towards the end. The girls admired the way their mother navigated through life and they were very proud to call her their mother.
I also want to say that Denise – since I knew her from my involvement with the Royal Darwin Show and the Horticultural Pavilion in particular – was a really keen, avid supporter of the Royal Darwin Show, particularly the Agricultural/Horticultural Pavilion, which of course had not only the floral arrangements, but the displays and the vegetables and fruits. Denise started working at the Royal Agricultural Show as an advisory councillor 14 years before she died. She was then elected onto council as a councillor 12 years ago and to the board of management approximately 10 years ago. She served in all these positions continually, contributing until her passing in August. Denise was chairperson for the Horticultural Hall for nine years. At that time she worked alongside Wendy Flanagan and the bond was fun and amazing. Wendy said at her funeral:
- I feel very privileged to have had a wonderful friend like Denise, and also over many years to work alongside such a dedicated leader as our Chairman in the Horticultural Hall of the Royal Agricultural Society. This played a big part in Denise’s life. For this she was awarded honorary life membership in recognition of her commitment over many, many years. I went to her home when they presented her with her life membership medal and she was beside herself with happiness, and was very humbled that she had been made an honorary life member of the Royal Darwin Show Society. In that time Denise had been fighting her illness, but she had the ability and determination to make the Horticultural Hall interesting, vibrant and abuzz with as many new and different ideas each year.
Denise was a perfectionist in her field, that was floral art, and has achieved a high standard in the hall which I am sure the committee will continue to maintain following her passing. Not everything runs smoothly in the hall, as not everything runs smoothly in any show. All the fruit and vegetable entries one year were out on display, but like many of the halls at the Royal Darwin Show there are resident possums. They decided to visit the night before judging, and chomp into some of the displays, which they then had to sort out. It looked like it was all very inviting, so down came the possum and its family, but by the end of the day, with coffee in their hands, Debbie and another show volunteer got it sorted out and so the show went on.
Denise’s final wish was to organise the 2015 show. And with Denise as leader from her home, and with Wendy Flanagan as the runner up, they made it with the support of the committees and volunteers. Her next step was to get to the show, see the hall and show her daughter Cassandra, who lived interstate, the work she had been doing and telling her daughters about for many years. That she did, with the bagpipes playing Amazing Grace, to meet the horticulture family she had created, along with the president, members, staff and friends of the society. Denise, in her quiet determined way, was able to organise the committee and volunteers together as one big family and wanted everyone to know she cared and loved them all dearly.
Denise will be sadly missed, but will always be in the hearts of not only her family, but of the people she came in contact with.
One thing Denise wanted Wendy Flanagan to let people know – many members in here will know – was that Denise was one of the main organisers behind encouraging members of parliament to put in a floral display this year. They were so thankful for the participation of the floral arrangements and they look forward to it next year. She was very pleased so many of the members of parliament put one in.
If they do it again next year, I think we should all submit a floral display as best we can, even though I did not win – so I might not do it next year; no, I will – it will be in her memory. I send to her family, her daughters Michelle, Deanne, and Kasey, and her husband Jeff, my sincere condolences. Your mother was a lovely woman. I had a lot to do with her. I used to give her a hard time whenever I came into the show, and she would chase me away because I would call her ‘old chook’. In her daughter’s words, another angel has entered heaven. May she rest in peace.
Ms FYLES (Nightcliff): Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, sadly, in 2012 approximately 14 600 Australian women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Each one of those women has their own story of and journey with breast cancer. The effect on their family and friends – their lives changed forever by the cruel diagnoses of this disease. One of those women, who in 2012 was sadly diagnosed, was a member of my electorate, a wife, and a mother of a nine-month-old baby at the time she was told she had breast cancer.
Her name was Campbel Giles and she was an intelligent, strong, passionate woman who, at 38, had her world ripped apart, and earlier this year this horrible disease took her life at just 41 years of age.
Tonight, it is a privilege to speak about Campbel, or Cambo as she was commonly known, someone I was privileged enough to call a mate. I was unable to attend her funeral earlier this year, as my own son was due for his regular MRI scan, something that anyone who lives with cancer understands only too well. Our little Henry had a good result that day, but that is the day we farewelled our dear friend, Matt’s wife, Elsie’s mum, Farlie’s sister, friend to many. An amazing woman taken too soon from us.
I first met Campbel when she came to the Territory to join Matt, her soon-to-be husband, who had scored a helicopter pilot job in Jabiru. Campbel was a journalist who, I understand, began her career in country Victoria in Shepparton with WIN Television. She then moved on to work as a media adviser in the Victorian and federal Labor governments, and then came to the Top End, following her heart, making Darwin her home where she planned to raise her family. That was shattered in September 2012 with the heartbreaking news she had breast cancer.
Campbel was passionate, enthusiastic and opinionated. As the federal member, Brendan O’Connor, who Campbel had the privilege of working for, said earlier this year in federal parliament in describing Campbel:
- I knew of Campbel’s views on any given matter whether I liked it or not. Her advice was direct, unvarnished and most often accompanied by a compelling argument and a rapid fire of expletives.
Campbel shared her view with you. She provoked debate even before she had arrived in the Territory. We were told a new adviser was starting. We were told it was a female, but hang on, the name was Campbel. We knew she had arrived when she came – tall, confident and gorgeous. She would become a dear friend embracing the Territory, loving the lifestyle and the opportunities. She was on maternity leave from the Department of Children and Families when she was diagnosed. I know she has many friends in Darwin who miss her dearly.
Campbel’s dear friend, Sally Findlay, has kindly given me permission to read parts of the beautiful eulogy she gave at Campbel’s funeral earlier this year. Last week at our local community event, Run with Dad, the organising committee named the ladies 4 km and 8 km trophies for the winners after Campbel Giles, the Campbel Giles Memorial Trophies, a wonderful gesture ensuring her legacy lives on and she remains in our hearts forever.
On behalf of Campbel’s family, friends and colleagues I am honoured to share her story tonight and read some parts from Sally Findlay who has kindly given me permission:
- Campbel Jane Gerard Giles – with apologies to Jenny – who gives a daughter a name like that? But apparently it could have been worse; she was nearly named Angus. Even without a distinctive name Campbel was always going to make a mark on the world. Whether it was her infectious warmth, lightning wit, striking appearance or booming voice, there was almost no one who Campbel didn’t make a lasting impression on.
What is a private school girl with an Adelaide accent doing working for the ALP?
That says more about Sally’s prejudices. In a short time she was proved wrong. Campbel quickly showed she was a true believer. She had a sense of injustice that was not manufactured; it was a personally-held conviction. She never wanted to work for a minister for the prestige; she never wanted Labor to win government to simply be in government.
Campbel meant the world to little Elsie and Matt. It was especially heartbreaking that Elsie was so young when Campbel passed. Sally went on to say about Campbel and motherhood:
- She found through motherhood her true calling, and building a family with Matt, the small unit joined her mum Jenny, her stepfather, Lambo, dearly loved sister, Farlie, and Farlie’s daughters, Ireland and O’Hara.
- Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Campbel could talk …
Sally went on to say:
- Campbel would always start the phone call, ‘As I was saying …’, like you had not just answered the phone when she would state, ‘As you and I both know …’, when you had no idea what she was talking about.
Campbel was good with big secrets but hopeless with little ones. A well-phrased quote from Campbel was ‘just quietly’ or ‘between you and me and the gatepost’. Let me tell you, that gatepost went from Melbourne to Adelaide, and Canberra to Darwin.
When Campbel was diagnosed it was a heartbreaking time. The most joyous time of her life with a new baby was shattered. Campbel took to her illness with the strength and determination we knew her for, reminding Matt that she was not gone yet and he was not getting that big plasma TV.
Campbel never wanted to be defined by her illness.
- She was not, but the last two years of her life cannot simply be airbrushed away …
As Sally said at her funeral.
It can be hard to find any positives in the diagnosis of terminal cancer, but in Campbel’s own words there were some silver linings. She was overwhelmed with the generosity of those who loved her. She had no idea until her diagnosis just how much she was truly loved and valued by her community. From friends renting a place to stay when they moved back to Darwin to an extraordinary comedy fundraiser, and to smaller but no less meaningful gestures, Campbel felt incredibly fortunate to experience this kindness and care.
Whilst we wish Campbel had been around forever, we value the time that we spent with her, her generosity and friendship in those short years. We knew how much we meant to her and she knew how much she meant to us.
Campbel was often asked, particularly towards the end, if having a terminal illness was made harder by being a mother and knowing that she would not get to see her daughter grow up. As Campbel said, her answer was always that, ‘Whether it was one year, two years or more, any time to be the mother to Elsie was better than no time at all’.
I thank Sally for allowing me to read these words in the Northern Territory parliament, a place where Campbel made her home. I spent time last week with Matt and little Elsie when they came to visit and attend the Run with Dad event. Matt presented the trophies, which was quite hilarious, because he commented on stage that he does not get out of bed for 15K and someone in the audience commented, ‘Oh, he doesn’t look like a runner’. It was lovely to see how well they are doing.
Campbel will never be forgotten. Elsie is in good hands. To our dear friends, Matt, Farlie, Jenny, Lambo, Liz, Chris, Alice, Jim, Nick, Belinda, all of Campbel’s nieces, Ireland, O’Hara, Kitty, Nell, Maud and Maggie, thank you for sharing Campbel with us. We will make sure that little Elsie always has the support of her Darwin family. She will always have a beautiful little Raw Cloth dress to wear. We look forward to watching her grow up and seeing Campbel continue to shine through little Elsie.
Mr CHANDLER (Brennan): Madam Speaker, tonight I touch on one of my wonderful portfolios, in this instance, Education. This government kicks goals each and every day in education, aiming at preparing the next generation to be job-ready. I love how Labor prides itself on being the only party to be in government for education. Boy, I have proved them and their union mates wrong.
You only have to look at our results. Things are improving every day. I am proud of what we are achieving in education, particularly in remote education. Yesterday, I was thrilled to visit Wagaman Primary School with my colleague, the member for Sanderson, and observe what they are doing with the $7000 grant they were awarded through the 2015-16 Artists in Schools program.
The Artists in Schools program is a joint initiative of the Department of Education and the Department of Arts and Museums, facilitated through Arts NT. I thank those departments for continuing to provide Territory students with funding, to be able to add more to students’ learning in the visual and performing arts.
Seven schools in the Territory, including Wagaman Primary School, shared in $47 000 funding from this great initiative. Those schools are Humpty Doo Primary School with $7000, Palmerston Christian School with $6300, Palmerston Senior School’s Special Education Centre with $4350, St John Catholic College with $7000, Stuart Park Primary School with $6800 and Tennant Creek Primary School with $8500. For your electorate, member for Barkly, $8500 for the Tennant Creek Primary School, and they will do a great job with it.
Hosting Artists in Schools presents a fantastic opportunity for Territory students. Previous projects have engaged students in sculpture, pottery, painting and literature. I am looking forward to the variety of exciting activities that will unfold this year. The two projects I saw at Wagaman yesterday are teaching the students not only an appreciation of the arts, but much broader skills that can be applied to everyday life, such as confidence, persistence and teamwork.
Project one is the postcard project. This is a literacy-based project involving 35 Year 5/6 students which uses images created by local artists as a stimulus for the students to create stories to match the artwork. These stories will then be published on the back of postcards featuring the artwork and displayed in the local library. It is great to see community involvement in the postcard project, with local artists supplying their works for the students to write stories and fine-tune their literacy skills.
I thank Corrugated Iron Youth Arts for their direct involvement in the two projects at Wagaman Primary School.
The second project is focused on engagement and performance via circus skills. Throughout Semester 2, all students from Years 1 to 6 participated in weekly circus skills workshops. It was encouraging to see students getting involved with art and taking the opportunity to learn from the experts.
I really enjoyed visiting all the schools across the Territory and tried to do and see as much as I could. That is how I learn. There is nothing better than meeting with the teachers, parents and school communities and witnessing the great work being undertaken. We have some great schools, teachers and, of course, students.
It was also great to see firsthand how initiatives such as the Artists in Schools program are having such a positive outcome on students’ learning.
I also want to pay tribute to Pete Davies as his local member. I am glad the Chief Minister spoke about Pete’s life tonight and threw a few statistics in. Quite strangely, when I was looking online to get a little background on Pete to talk tonight, I come across Pete Davies author, Pete Davies singer, Pete Davies songwriter and images of fine looking, young strapping lads. I thought none of those were the Pete Davies I knew. I will not repeat any of the things I found online but wanted to say, from a local member’s perspective, Pete was probably a bit harsher on me than others. I do not think he did that because he disliked me, I think he expected me, as his local member, to do as good a job as I possibly could. He was always on to me about sticking up for people and their rights and issues just as he did. I pay tribute to Pete. He was a fantastic guy. He stood for what he believed in and was not afraid of anybody. It did not matter what side of politics you came from, he would give it to you any which way.
To his beautiful wife, Vicki, your two boys and your wider family, God bless and I raise a glass to you, Pete. Rest in peace.
Mrs PRICE (Stuart): Madam Speaker, there has been a lot happening in Central Australia over the last few weeks. We have had thousands of visitors from all over Australia and the world. Three weekends ago we had the National Road Transport Hall of Fame reunion, with hundreds of trucks coming to us from all over the country. Then there was the Red CentreNATS, with hundreds of vehicles of all sorts coming into town. We also had the Alice Desert Festival, a weeklong celebration of the talents and creativity of the people of the centre. It included the Bush Bands Bash and the Desert Mob exhibition and market, which brought in artists and spectators from all the remote communities and art dealers from all over the world.
Of all the fantastic events over the last few weeks in Central Australia there is one specific to my home town of Yuendumu, in my electorate, that I would like to speak about. Firstly, I would like to congratulate the Yuendumu Magpies for winning the CAFL grand final in the second division and the Federals, who were the winners of the first division.
It is good to see the mighty Magpies back on top after all the problems of the recent past. Congratulations to the Pioneers for beating Alkamilya to take out the women’s premiership in a hard fought game. The women footballers of Central Australia take the game very seriously, and that is obvious from the bruises my daughter proudly bears after each game. She calls them her war wounds. The women are putting together a Pinktails team like the men’s Redtails to represent Central Australia. They are due to play at Adelaide University on 10 October. Go girls!
On the weekend of the football grand finals another very important event took place at Yuendumu. The renovated men’s museum was reopened to the public. This museum was built in the early 1970s. Some of the old men, including my father, wanted a safe place to keep sacred objects and paintings in the community. Warlpiri and Pintupi men at Yuendumu of my parent’s generation had come out of the desert as recently as the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1960s some of the old men, our cultural leaders, including my father, wanted a safe keeping place for some of their secret sacred ceremonial objects and images from the rock art galleries in the country they had left behind. There young men could be taught sacred knowledge without needing to travel hundreds of kilometres through the desert. My people are now concentrated in communities like Yuendumu, not spread out over the country like before. They were not as mobile as they used to be so there were limits on how much travelling they could do by foot to visit important sacred sites.
I am proud that our community raised half the money needed to build the centre. The rest came from government. I am also very proud of the fact that the same old men, including my father, involved in this project also built the first church around the same time. These two projects were connected. That church has some very important traditional designs in the stained glass windows. These old men could see the massive change that was happening and they believed somehow we had to keep up with those changes. As the years went on, the men’s museum was neglected. Sacred objects were taken out and placed back in the bush for safekeeping.
Recently the manager of Warlukurlangu art centre, Cecilia Alfonso, offered to restore the building and its paintings. The offer was taken up and work was carried out by women. Last weekend the renovated building was reopened, with many speeches, traditional dances and songs. Most of the dancing was done by women to support their men. When it was open, women were allowed to go in, if they wanted to. I asked my husband, Dave, to represent me at the opening ceremony. He had been invited in to the museum in the 1970s and it was appropriate that he was there for this occasion. I stayed in Alice Springs, where most of the population of Yuendumu were, to see the grand final. I have always done all I can to support the football teams. Football is now an extremely important part of our culture. When some of the old ladies, my relatives, asked my husband where I was, he told them I was in town looking after all the young men for them. They were very happy with that answer.
The old men have suggested that the women’s museum should now be renovated. Women’s ceremony has always been the essential other half of our ceremonial culture and our men have always recognised this. My people, the Warlpiri, are proud of our heritage, but we are happy to adapt to cope with new problems. My father was one of those inspired old men like old Darby Ross Jampijinpa, his cousin, who helped build and promote both the museum and the church. Like Jampijinpa and several other men of his generation, I knew he was a philosopher. He knew the difference between the letter and the spirit of the law. He knew about the need for wise and respectful adaptation. These old men worked hard to keep the best of a traditional culture and embrace the best of white man’s culture. I am in this place to honour my father’s wishes and to carry on his work.
Mr McCARTHY (Barkly): Madam Speaker, the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, Hon Adam Giles, broke his promise to provide full CLP ministerial travel details by 27 July 2015. The government received questions around ministerial travel in advance of June estimates into travel, with answers delivered minus major CLP international travel transactions. Under the CLP, public trust in government is at an all-time low, including allegations of corruption around travel being tested in court. It is no surprise Territory Labor wants a clear point of difference between us and them – Labor and the CLP.
With a defining plan, Territory Labor will restore accountability in government. Labor is committed to a continuous reforms policy titled, ‘Restoring Integrity in Government’. In relation to overseas travel in government, Territory Labor will engage rigorous evaluation from the public and private sectors about how proposed travel will benefit the Northern Territory. These assessments will be made available to the public where, prior to departure, the minister’s itinerary will be published. On return, a full parliamentary report will be provided by the minister, available to the public, including costs associated with the minister’s trip. Labor’s overseas travel policy applies immediately to shadow ministerial travel taken by Labor opposition members. Territory Labor will strive for a complete level of openness and accountability because Territorians want and deserve a government they can trust.
As a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association from 2008 to 2015, I was selected to represent the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly in the United Kingdom. The small branches workshop attracted delegates from Commonwealth parliaments around the world, was held Monday 17 August to Friday 21 August 2015 and conformed to CPA rules where the association payed travel costs equivalent to the cheapest economy class airfare by the most direct route. The CPA meets accommodation and meal costs for the duration of the event at a nominated hotel, where members undertake professional development on how small jurisdictions use committees of parliament to scrutinise government.
After serving as a member of parliament and financial member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association for seven years, I nominated for the first time, indicative of the sessional and select committees of parliament I represent. I also presented at the workshop my experience on the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Public Accounts, Subordinate Legislation and Publications, Environment and Sustainable Development, Legislative and Constitutional Affairs, Northern Territory Energy Futures and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Committees.
Although travel, accommodation and meal costs were met by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, under Territory Labor’s overseas travel policy I published all details of the trip prior to departure and now report to the parliament upon return. Most importantly, I look forward to sharing what I learnt and CPA networking with the Barkly constituents who elected me, investing their respected and honoured trust.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Small Branches Committee workshop in Douglas, Isle of Man from 17 to 21 August 2015 referenced effective government scrutiny by committees of parliament.
The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is a unicameral parliament – one House with 25 members. The Assembly comprises two major political parties with a small number of Independents and currently a CLP minority government, the second time since 1978 an elected Northern Territory government has lost its majority during term.
The Northern Territory Legislative Assembly has an active parliamentary committee system comprising the Public Accounts Committee and long-standing committees scrutinising subordinate legislation and legal and constitutional matters. Public Accounts Committee powers of investigation go beyond public accounts, budgets and Auditor-General’s reports, considering any matters referred within the NT administration, however, having government control.
The Assembly has a long tradition of establishing select committees examining issues like the illegal drug ice, the proposed privatisation of the Port of Darwin, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and the Northern Territory’s energy future.
The Legislative Assembly holds an annual Estimates Committee, established to scrutinise the Appropriation Bill, or Northern Territory budget, essentially providing members the opportunity to question ministers about government spending and public sector operations. The Public Accounts Committee scrutiny of chief executives helps focus departmental operations, with the estimates process scrutinising government finances, providing opposition and Independent members with effective examination.
However, a perceived weakness reflects an ad hoc nature, lacking wide-ranging systemic scrutiny of government activity, policy and legislation constrained by the small number of members serving on committees.
Committee reports generally reflect a majority consensus presenting recommendations for government, with many recommendations implemented, testifying to the importance of committee research and reporting.
Traditionally, the composition of committees reflects a government majority. However, having now lost its majority, some committees face an Independent member as chair, having both a deliberative and casting vote.
At the CPA workshop on the Isle of Man I presented my experience on a number of Northern Territory Public Accounts, Subordinate Legislation and Publications, Environment and Sustainable Development, Legislative and Constitutional Affairs, NT Energy Future and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Committees.
Travel and accommodation funded by the CPA included the economy airfare, with a total cost of $3699.87, also meeting accommodation and meal costs at the Palace Hotel, Douglas, Isle of Man.
As a serving member of parliament and financial member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, I was honoured to be representing the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly and Barkly, indicative of the sessional and select committees I represent.
I seek leave to table my travel report on my travel to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Small Branches Committee Workshop, Douglas, Isle of Man, 17 to 21 August 2015.
Leave granted.
Mr KURRUPUWU (Arafura): Madam Speaker, on 4 September, I had the honour of representing the Chief Minister and the government at the state memorial of Wali Wunungmurra. I take this opportunity to place on the record the speech I made:
- The Northern Territory has lost a great leader. Mr Wunungmurra was a champion of Indigenous rights, a highly-respected leader of the Northern Land Council. We have lost an important part of this history with the death of Mr Wunungmurra, the last surviving signatory to the 1963 Yirrkala bark petitions.
He was just a teenager when he signed those bark petitions and created the first traditional document to be recognised by the Australian parliament. While they did not achieve the result the signatories wanted at the time, they did pave the way for the eventual recognition of Indigenous land rights.
He also played an important role as interpreter to his fellow Yolngu clan during the historical Aboriginal Land Rights Act case in 1971 and, once again, he was defeated. But it did lead to the Woodward Royal Commission and finally the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act in 1976.
It was the first attempt by government to formally recognise Indigenous land rights in Australia, and set the course for Aboriginal rights in this country. More than 50 years on that legacy still lingers and Mr Wunungmurra has left undeniable marks on this country history.
- His friends described him as an Aboriginal leader of high degree, and a kind and beautiful man. He is remembered as a man who always put the needs of others first, and once wrote of his desire to see the Yolngu people work together, build up their unity, bring people with one voice and one mind to develop a Yolngu world, a better world for people to enjoy life. He spent a large part of his life achieving just that.
In his last report as NLC Chairman, Mr Wunungmurra wrote that land and culture underpinned the existence and survival of Aboriginal people and that land rights had to be protected and preserved. It was his long-term hope that Aboriginal land rights would one day be embedded in the Australian constitution. Mr Wunungmurra saw many changes to the way Aboriginal people are recognised by the government and continued to fight for Aboriginal people’s rights up until his death.
He had the ears of many governments and is fondly remembered by many political leaders as a man of great character. He would stand by to protest in favour of negotiated solutions.
Some people argued for him to lead street protests and create confrontation, but he never wanted it that way. I remember him as a man of peace. He worked through enormous challenges on behalf of his people. There is no doubt he was part of the driving force that made the rest of Australia sit up and take notice of Aboriginal people and their rights. He was a proud Territorian in every respect, and Territorians can be equally proud of him.
On behalf of the Northern Territory government, I pay my respects to a man who was ahead of his time. To Mr Wunungmurra’s family I pass on my condolences on behalf of the Chief Minister and the entire Northern Territory parliament.
Mr Wunungmurra will be sadly missed. Rest in peace
Mr WESTRA van HOLTHE (Katherine): Madam Speaker, I will talk about the success stories of Taylor Fishlock and Raymond Fordimail. Both of these Katherine young people have achieved amazing things in their short lives.
They are inspirations, a shining example of what can be achieved when someone puts their mind to it. Recently the 60th NT Training Awards were held. These awards recognise excellence of employers, businesses, apprentices, trainees, students, teachers, trainers and training organisations.
The awards are hotly contested, prestigious and hard won. It makes me so proud that two Katherine young people, Taylor Fishlock and Raymond Fordimail, beat stiff competition to take out the Austin Asche Apprentice of the Year and the School-Based Apprentice of the Year awards respectively.
Let me start with Taylor. After growing up on a remote cattle station in the Northern Territory, Taylor was keen to pursue a trade that she could take anywhere she wanted to go. She chose electrical work as the path to new opportunities and gained an apprenticeship with Katherine business M&K Lee Electrical Contractors.
It is no mean feat for a young woman to excel in a predominately male-dominated trade, but I am pleased to say Taylor has thrived and set the benchmark extremely high. Taylor describes herself as having a strong work ethic, drive and determination. This has been the lynchpin of her dedication to her studies and resulted in her winning the NECA Australian Electrical Apprentice of the Year. What an outstanding achievement, one which is breaking gender stereotypes. Taylor is the first female ever to win a NECA industrial award.
As well as studying her Certificate III in Electro-technology, Taylor also gained other qualifications, such as first aid. Taylor intends to continue her studies and focus on the small business skills sector with the aim of one day opening her own electrical contracting business. I am sure, if anyone can achieve her goal, it is Taylor. I wish her well in her future endeavours and, again, congratulations Taylor on winning the Austin Ashe Apprentice of the Year award. Your determination is amazing and Katherine is extremely proud of you.
The same can be said about Raymond Fordimail. Raymond is extremely passionate about his traditional Jawoyn country and sharing its beauty with visitors from all over the world. His work and studies have enabled him to develop the skills to develop with his country and culture through a successful Jawoyn-owned tourism business at Nitmiluk National Park.
It is amazing work that saw Raymond nominated for the School-Based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year Award. Raymond says his school-based apprenticeship has given him the opportunity to finish Year 12 and gain formal qualifications whilst doing a job that he loves. He has always enjoyed the peace and quiet of the Katherine River and now has the skills and confidence to talk to visitors about the significance of the area.
Raymond’s literacy and numeracy skills have been enhanced through his apprenticeship and certificate studies. His colleagues describe him as a passionate storyteller who is able to connect with people from all walks of life. He is known to be dedicated to his work and always goes beyond what is expected, even dressing up as a crocodile to teach children about water safety.
Raymond is ambitious about the future and has developed confidence in his ability as a leader. He aims to one day become the boss of Nitmiluk Tours. I look forward to the day when I can go on one of those tours with Raymond at the helm. Congratulations Raymond, again, on winning the School-Based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year Award.
I am so proud of both these young Katherine people and wish them every success in the future.
Tonight I also want to speak about a recent Northern Territory government initiative to help combat youth boredom, which we all know can easily turn into crime and antisocial behaviour. I will focus specifically on my home town of Katherine and how this government is supporting youth services initiatives. The Country Liberals government is focused on delivering a strong society which supports the most vulnerable, and ensures everyone has access to opportunities that allow them to make a meaningful and positive contribution to society.
To that end this government has committed $525 000 over the next three years for youth services initiatives that will be planned and delivered by the YMCA of Katherine. Across the Northern Territory, the YMCA has a dedicated and hard-working network of professionals who deliver outside school hours care, vacation care and the management of YMCA centres that hold gyms and swimming pools.
The YMCA is best placed to deliver this package of programs that will help keep our youth off the street and out of trouble. Following consultation with the youth service sector in the Katherine region, it was identified that engaging family support and connecting at-risk young people to after-hours services and activities are the priorities for early intervention and prevention funding.
The Northern Territory government is supporting the positive engagement of young people within their communities by listening to local needs and providing funding for local solutions. The YMCA of Katherine will recruit community development youth workers to coordinate case management and ensure effective collaboration between health, education and family focused social services.
This funding to support youth services in Katherine will build on the existing YMCA youth programs. There will be greater coordination across youth-targeted activities in Katherine, including a youth drop-in night at the YMCA and participation in community events designed to build positive relationships between youth and service providers.
There will also be an enhanced 1800 youth phone line that will provide information, personal support and have the capacity to support young visitors to Katherine who would otherwise potentially engage in high-risk behaviour which could contribute to crime and antisocial behaviour.
The YMCA will also develop and coordinate opportunities for collaborations across locally-based youth service providers in order to address a range of issues placing many young people at risk, issues such as family and domestic violence, sexual health issues, homelessness and drug and alcohol misuse.
This funding initiative to support youth services in Katherine is not a bandaid approach. The Country Liberal government initiative involved a lot of research, hard work and consultation with the experts, and collaboration across all government and non-government agencies to come up with this in-depth program designed to deliver results.
As a parent and former police officer, I have witnessed firsthand the benefits of delivering a package of works that aims to positively engage youth by listening to their needs and finding solutions for local problems.
The YMCA of Katherine has been delivering quality youth service programs within the region for over 13 years. The YMCA of Katherine has demonstrated its capacity to work collaboratively with other service providers in order to assist young people make the right choices that can inevitably help them reach their full potential. The YMCA of Katherine is definitely best placed to deliver this program of youth services initiatives.
This subject is not easy to discuss, but over the past 12 months in Katherine there have been a number of suicides by young people, which is tearing the community apart and breaking the hearts of families. Part of the youth services support that will be offered is a specific target for suicide prevention. If this funding for youth support services can help save just one life in Katherine, I consider it to be well and truly a success story. There already exists a lot of evidence to show that early intervention for young people will have flow-on effects right throughout society in the form of reduced law and order and health needs.
It gives me great pride to be part of a government that is addressing this important issue. I am particularly delighted that the YMCA has been the recipient of this funding initiative because they will do an excellent job in everything they set out to do. This is evidenced by the amazing work that the YMCA currently does with the youth drop-in on a Friday night in Katherine. With a few paid staff at the Y and many volunteers turning up on a Friday evening, those youth drop-in nights sometimes attract several hundred young people from around Katherine and nearby communities.
If anything is going to work, it will work around preventative approaches, keeping young people engaged and busy and away from the influences that could lead to a life of crime or put them in harm’s way.
It pleases me greatly to see this funding going to the YMCA in Katherine. I know they will do a fantastic job.
Motion agreed to; the Assembly adjourned.
Last updated: 04 Aug 2016