Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro is calling on the NT Government to crackdown on crime in the wake of the murder of a Darwin bottle shop worker

Transcript

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro is calling on the NT Government to crackdown on crime in the wake of the murder of a Darwin bottle shop worker · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now joining me in the studio is the opposition leader
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Leah Finocchiaro. Good morning to you, Leah.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and to your listeners.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Now, Leah, what was your reaction when you'd learned of
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: what had unfolded just well yesterday morning or late last night,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: but the night before.
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  Speaker 3: Oh Katie, I was in total disbelief. Like most Territorians,
• 0:19
  Speaker 3: it was just the most heart wrenching thing to hear
• 0:23
  Speaker 3: that a young man twenty years old said goodbye to
• 0:26
  Speaker 3: his dad at two o'clock, went to work just to
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: do his shift in his customer service role, to make
• 0:32
  Speaker 3: some money for whatever his future dreams might have been,
• 0:35
  Speaker 3: and to then not come home at the end of
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: that shift. And I think it has just struck a
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: chord with every single territory and it is the moment
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: that we must now force and drive change, for you know,
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: Declan's life or his death cannot be in vain. This
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: has got to be a turning point for the File's
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: government to do things differently and stop the carnage on
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: our streets because people have had enough and this young
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: man's life, the devastation to his family, his friends, his colleagues,
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  Speaker 3: the community is too much for anyone to bear.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: This has got to stop.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: I've got to tell you, you know, one of the
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: hardest interviews I've ever done in my life was the
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: interview with his dad yesterday. And hearing the absolute heartache
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: but also the absolute shock from his dad I think
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  Speaker 1: has just sent well waves of grief through the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory community. People are really so broken, not only for
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Declan's dad, for his mum, for his whole family and
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: how they must be feeling feeling at this point in time.
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  Speaker 1: Now we've spoken to his dad this morning, Crystal. We
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: didn't use his name yesterday, but his dad is happy
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: for us to use his name today. His name is
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: Damien Crook and he is He's an incredibly brave man
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: for being able to come on the show yesterday and
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: speak such beautiful, full fond words about his much love son.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Now he also said that something has to change. Something
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: has seriously got a change right now in the Northern Territory.
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: The way that we are doing.
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: Things, in my words, not Damien's, are not working. Leah,
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: what do you think needs to happen as a matter
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: of urgency, Well.
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  Speaker 3: We wanted to see an immediate crackdown, and I wake
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: up today like every other territory in and see no
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: immediate response from Natasha Files or her government. A crackdown
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: needs to, as much as anything else, give confidence to
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: a community who is grieving and reeling from this tragedy. Now,
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: if you are a customer service worker, any retail worker,
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  Speaker 3: not just bottle shops, anyone who serves customers at cafes,
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: at supermarkets, in clothes shops, you are wondering whether or
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: not you are safe. Your family are wondering whether you're
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: going to come home tonight. And that is not a
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: good place for any Territorian to be in. And so
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: we want to see a crackdown using every available force
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: from the government to show that there is community order,
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: that there is law and order, and that.
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  Speaker 2: People will be protected.
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  Speaker 3: On top of that, a huge number of other things
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: have to happen, But as a show of support to
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: a community who's devastated at this time, we think there
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: needed to be an immediate response and Natasha Files has failed.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: What do you what do you make of the fact
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: this morning that we are now also seeing that this
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  Speaker 1: nineteen year old the charge is being faced a charge
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: of murder, but also a breach of bail.
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think most people aren't surprised. Unfortunately, I think
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  Speaker 3: breach of bail has been one of the biggest disgraces
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: to fall at the feet of Natasha Files and her government.
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: It's something the CLP have talked about so many times,
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: tried to pass legislation to address and stop that revolving
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  Speaker 3: door of bail and being voted down by labor. You know,
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: we've tried to increase mandatory sentencing for front to protect
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  Speaker 3: frontline workers. Labor have voted us down. We've tried to
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: scrap the minimum.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: All of that's been tried.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: But obviously what you're doing at the moment, they're not
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: coming along for that journey. They're not doing the things
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: that you've tried before. So what approach can you try? Now?
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  Speaker 1: I know it's difficult, you're not the one in government,
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  Speaker 1: you're the opposition leader. But what can be tried that
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: is different to try to work with the Northern Territory government.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Because to be really frank about this, I actually don't
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  Speaker 1: think people are wanting to hear, you know, political words
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: thrown this morning. I actually think that they're wanting to
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: hear that the government and the opposition are prepared to
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: work together to ensure that this young man's death has
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  Speaker 1: not been in vain.
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  Speaker 2: Oh and Katie, I couldn't agree more.
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  Speaker 3: And we are out there every single day trying to
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: work with the government put forward solutions to problems that
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: they've created, and they don't listen. Today we're responding to
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: the calls of the community in their lack of confidence
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  Speaker 3: in Natasha fars and her government by moving emotion of
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: no confidence. That is the most serious debate a parliament
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: can have, and it would be very interesting to see
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  Speaker 3: if Natasha Fhiles is humble enough to allow that debate
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: to happen or whether she was shut it down like
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  Speaker 3: she shuts down everything else. On Wednesday, there's an opportunity
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  Speaker 3: the CLP will bring forward its legislation to strengthen police
• 5:18
  Speaker 3: powers to deal with problem drunks. The government can bring
• 5:22
  Speaker 3: amendments to that, they can work with us on changing
• 5:24
  Speaker 3: it to suit what might be a better fit for them.
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  Speaker 3: We are open always to these conversations. It's a matter
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  Speaker 3: of the government wanting to get down and deal with
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  Speaker 3: this issue. We're on board, Katie. We are with your listeners.
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  Speaker 3: We want change in the territory. We want things to
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: be restored to the territory we know and love. But
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: if the labor government don't, it is about that colp
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: and the community coming together and saying enough is enough.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: Do you think that we need police on bottle shops
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  Speaker 1: the same as what you've seen in smaller town centers
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  Speaker 1: around the northern Territory.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I don't know if long term we need that,
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  Speaker 3: but I would have loved to have seen yesterday, afternoon
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  Speaker 3: and today will show of force and support to the community.
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: I think what people really wanted to see was the
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: territory come together, and that hasn't happened, and that crackdown
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: would go a long way to restoring community order and
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: community confidence. Longer term, there's a range of issues that
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: need to be addressed, and that includes making sure that
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: this police crisis is dealt with and that police resourcing
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: is dealt with. We've got ninety seven point six percent
• 6:26
  Speaker 3: of police saying there aren't enough police and the government
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  Speaker 3: doesn't support them. We've seen labor scrap Mandatory alcohol treatment.
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  Speaker 3: We think there is absolutely a place in our community
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  Speaker 3: for treatment that is mandated because people are continuing to
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: suffer from the effects of alcohol and commit crimes, you know,
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: ultimately giving police back the powers they need dealing with
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: this revolving door of bail. You know, how many chances
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: does someone get to be bailed under labor?
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  Speaker 2: It seems infinite.
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  Speaker 1: Look, you know, I know that the phone lines are
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: going bazils, The text line is going absolutely berserk, and
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: I've got to tell you the main reason that it
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: is is because people have obviously heard for the first
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: time that breach of bail is also a charge that
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  Speaker 1: this young person is facing. Leah, what are you going
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: to do to work with the Northern Territory government today
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  Speaker 1: to try to change this very situation where somebody can
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: be on bail and something like this can happen.
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: Well, we're going to start the day with that motion
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  Speaker 3: of no confidence.
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: Well that's not going to change it today. It's you,
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  Speaker 1: really blunt, that is not going to change it.
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  Speaker 3: Yep, Katie, the Natasha Philes should be walking into Parliament
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  Speaker 3: today with new legislation, legislation we've put up before.
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  Speaker 2: It already exists.
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  Speaker 3: She just has to literally walk it in the door
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  Speaker 3: and we will support it. We will always support anything
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  Speaker 3: that protects the community.
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  Speaker 2: This is not a problem with us. This is a
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: problem with labor. They are a.
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  Speaker 1: Problem with you is that you are coming to me
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  Speaker 1: this morning. Also, you know, like I get that you've
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: already got this motion going forward. But what people are
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  Speaker 1: calling for today is what can you do to work together?
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  Speaker 1: They want those political lines just scrap for one morning
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  Speaker 1: so that something can change, so that this young fellow's
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: life and his.
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  Speaker 2: Death is not in vain.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, Katie, I could not agree more and that's why
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  Speaker 3: I said immediately yesterday his life cannot be in vain.
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  Speaker 3: This must be a catalyst for change. Natasha Files must
• 8:25
  Speaker 3: come into Parliament today with legislation. If she does, we
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: will support it.
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  Speaker 2: What I was getting she doesn't.
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: Will you come forward with some legislation. I know that
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  Speaker 1: you've tried to do it before, but will you will
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: you sort of present something that might be workable.
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: Well, we've got our legislation on Wednesday around alcohol, so
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: we welcome the government to get on board with that.
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  Speaker 3: They've seen it for a month now, they've had ample
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: opportunity to find a position. So we want to give
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: police more power to deal with problem drunk. So that
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: is Wednesday. Today's new confidence motion is an opportunity for
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: debate around the issues and the solutions to those issues
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  Speaker 3: if government allow the debate.
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  Speaker 2: But equally, the ball is in Natasha Farles's court.
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  Speaker 3: If she brings something today into Parliament that will force change.
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  Speaker 3: I can tell you the CLP will that be the
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: first ones to congratulate Labor. But ultimately, this has got
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: to be something that Natasha fars and her government want
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  Speaker 3: to do differently. If they don't, then territories will continue
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  Speaker 3: to suffer.
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  Speaker 1: Leah. Look, there is so much to take in and
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: so much more discussion to be had this morning about
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  Speaker 1: the situation that's unfolded in the last forty eight hours.
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  Speaker 1: But I also want to ask you about the results
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: for the hour. If you're a by election, Labour's Manuel
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: Brown secured eighteen hundred and thirty two votes. The clpce
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: Leslie Tunga Tullum received eight hundred and thirteen. That was
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: as of yesterday, Leah, another loss in a by election
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  Speaker 1: for you. What do you think that it says about
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: your leadership?
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: Well, I think it speaks to the CLP needing to
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: continue to grow and learn from these by elections. Ultimately,
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: I have the unw wavering support of my parliamentary team.
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: Do you have the unwavering support of the rank and
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  Speaker 1: file of the COLP.
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, Katie. We are charging ahead to twenty twenty four. Now,
• 10:10
  Speaker 3: this by election was a really difficult one and I'm
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: not shying away from it. We will absolutely analyze the results.
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: But we had a sitting member pass away. There were
• 10:18
  Speaker 3: lots of cultural considerations to be very respectful of around that.
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: We had an amazing candidate in Leslie Tunga Tullam. And
• 10:25
  Speaker 3: essentially someone said to me yesterday actually which I thought
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: was really poignant. They said, this wasn't an election between
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: political parties, there was an election between families and that's
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: and you heard Manuel Brown. Yes, they be very respectful
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: of our candidate on radio because they are family and
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: they are family with the previous member.
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: So ultimately there's lots to learn.
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: We built wonderful relationships with people right across the West
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: Arnam region and the Teeweis, but.
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: We've still got more work to do.
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: I mean, the fact here is so the Labor Party
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: increased their majority. Is it a bit embarrassing for you
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: as the leader that they did increase their majority.
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: Look, it's certainly disappointing. I'm not going to pretend it's not.
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: We worked incredibly hard. Leslie and his family put in
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: an extraordinary amount of hours, and so did the team
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: and the party membership. You know, it's never nice to lose, Katie, ever,
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: and to lose by a significant amount is a difficult thing,
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: but it's an important catalyst to be looking forward and saying, well,
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: what did we get right?
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: What do we need to improve on?
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: And for me, that really important takeaway is making sure
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: we're out consistently in the bush, making sure people understand
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: who we are, what we believe in, and why we
• 11:32
  Speaker 3: want to make their life better.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: Do you think that the CLP stance on the voice
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: had a part to play?
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: I don't think so, Katie, because certainly no one proactively
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: raised the voice with us. If we asked people, which
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: of course we did. We're very keen to hear people's
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: views on the voice. Everyone responded saying they needed more information,
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: and that's what our candidate was saying as well.
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: So I don't think it played a role.
• 11:54
  Speaker 3: And ultimately we've got to take the lessons and be
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: stronger for us.
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: So you believe that you are the right person to
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: lead the COLP into the next election.
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: I certainly do. And it's not just me, Katie.
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: You know my entire team and party believe the same thing.
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: And I know that we will continue to show territorians
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: our policy points of different Clearly, issues with community safety,
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: the freefall of our economy and the debt are major
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: differences between us and Labor, and we look forward to
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: having fresh faced candidates out there engaging with their communities
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: right across the territory as we march towards twenty four.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: Lea Fanocchiaro, the opposition leader, we are going to leave
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: it there. Appreciate your time, particularly on such a busy
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: parliamentary sitting day. Thank you, and please let us know
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: if there is any update when it comes to, you know,
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: some of the different legislation that we spoke about earlier
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: and some of the concerns that the community have got
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: right now, let us know how it goes in there.
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, take care everyone, Thank you,