Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Sky News Journalist Matt Cunningham says Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker has been asked to resign by the NT Government

Transcript

Sky News Journalist Matt Cunningham says Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker has been asked to resign by the NT Government · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: From what we know, the Northern Territory government has asked
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: the Police Commissioner, Jamie Chalker to resign. Joining me on
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: the line is Matt Cunningham. Good morning to you, Matt.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: Morning Katie.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Matt. What do we know so far about the situation
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: with the Police Commissioner.
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Well, my understanding, Katie is that Cabinet met late last
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: week and that on Friday the Police Commissioner was asked
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: by the government to resign from his position. We know
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: that he's now taken leave and he's expected to be
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: away for the next few weeks. My understanding is that
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: he is not expected to return to the job, Katie. Now,
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: we reported this first at two point on Saturday afternoon,
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: and since then the government has not responded to anyone's
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: questions about whether they have actually asked the Police Commissioner
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: to resign. You would have thought that if they're backing
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: him all the way, there would have been a statement
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: to put out pretty quickly scotching that, But there's really
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: been radio silence from the government ever since. We are
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: I'm told of expecting that the Chief Minister could hold
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: a news conference at some point today, but we haven't
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: been given a time around that of this.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: Day, you would have to say that it's going to
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: be an absolute pr nightmare if they don't come out
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: today and either confirm or staunchly deny what is being reported.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: But Matt, from all accounts, you know, the writing has
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: been on the wall for a little while now.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: Look at it has. And according to my sources, the
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: reason that the government is taking this action is basically
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: because of the crisis they've got in police morale. Now,
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: I'm told that during anyone pay period there could be
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: between four hundred and six hundred officers who are basically
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: call and sit during that period. And you know that
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: police resources are stretched. I mean, blind credit can tell
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: you that police are not able really to deal with
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: the issues that they're having to deal with at the moment.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: So I think that was the real reason that the
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: government felt like it needed to act here. You know,
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: Jamie Chalker, he really he's had a tough time of
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: it in office, you'd have to say. I mean, he
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: came into the job just two days after the shooting
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: of Kuman Joy Walker at Humdumu Comfortable. Zachary Rolf was
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: charged with his murder two days after Jamie Chalker started
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: in the job. Of course, we know he was found
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: not guilty on all three charges that he faced by
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: jury early last year. But that issue, I think has
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: really led to many of the issues they're seeing around
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: police morale. I think there are a lot of police
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: officers who were upset at the way that that case
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: is handled, and I'm not sure that the police mission
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: has ever been to recover from that. Of course, stayed
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: after the Unit Moon shooting. You know, we pretty much
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: went into COVID and for two years, you know, as
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: the territory control that he was dealing with that. It's
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: certainly been a rough time in office to Jamie Chalker.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: I mean, as one source said to me on Saturday,
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: he was very supportive of Jamie Chalker. That they just said,
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: you know that I never had a chance to walk
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: straight into rolling them straight into COVID. You know. Now
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: it looks like he's going to be gone.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: So yeah, well, I mean the fact though, the fact, Matt,
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: that there's been between four hundred and six hundred officers
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: on leave at any one time. I mean, the Chief
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: Minister had confirmed with us on the show a few
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: weeks ago that there is a situation where there was
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: hundreds of officers on leave. She wouldn't say the exact number,
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: but that is huge. That is a massive amount of
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: police officers on leave. And if it is indeed a
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: situation where there is a crisis with morale within the force,
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: you know, it's it seems as though this is the
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: only way forward.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, And I don't think you can deny there as
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: a morale crisis. I mean, we can argue about what's
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: caused it and why, But I mean, look at the
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: Northern Territory Police Associations last survey. I think more than
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: eighty percent of officers quoted in that survey, and it
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: wasn't a small sample size, Katie, I think more than
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: a thousand officers participated, but they're more than eighty percent
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: of them who rated morale as low or very low.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: I mean, if that's not a morale crisis, I'm not
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: sure what he is. So, you know, it's definitely an
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: issue the government had to deal with. Whether moving Jamie
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: Chalker on, whether you know, asking him to resign and
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: getting someone else in there he's going to solve that issue,
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: I'm not sure, But I don't think you can deny
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: at the moment, it is that crisis of morale within
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: the NT Police.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: So Matt Michael Murphy, Assistant Commissioner Michael Murphy is stepping
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: into the role to cover that leave. So I guess
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: so only time will tell how long he's in there.
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, and he's a very well respected police officer,
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: Michael Murphy. You know, we saw her in front of
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: the cameras last week and he spoke very well. My
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: understanding is that he'll remain in the role while there
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: is a recruitment process that is undertaken to appoint a
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: new commissioner, and that that process could take up to
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: six months. I mean, I don't know what their plans are,
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: whether they plan to appoint Michael Murphy to the position.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: Another name I've heard from several people with Janet Kerr,
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: who is obviously a former high ranking police officer and
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: our works as a senior executive of Territory Families. And
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: there's another point of view that really the NT Police
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: should bring in someone from interstate, just get a clean slight,
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: someone who doesn't come to the role with any baggage.
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: We know that the ant Police has been a highly
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: factionalized organization for a long period of time. So now
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: one of the arguments is that you just bring in
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: a fresh face from outside who doesn't have any allegiance
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: to anyone in any position here, and you can basically
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: just be in a clean set of hands in the job.
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: So the decisions the government's.
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: Going to have to make, yeah, and you know what,
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: they're going to have to come out today, and they're
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: going to have to be pretty direct, I would suspect,
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: because you can't leave the police force floundering at this point,
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: wondering who their leader is or exactly what's going on.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: And if you're going to make tough decisions where you've
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: got to come out and you've got to be prepared
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: to back them.
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: Well, that's exactly right. I don't think this situation can
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: be allowed to continue for too much longer, Katie. I
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: think we'll I I expect we will see the Chief
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: Minister out at some point today. Exactly when I'm not sure,
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: but I don't think you could have another day of
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: radio silence on this issue.
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: No, And Matt looks as though you've had a busy
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: weekend because you also had a bit of an update
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: over the course of the weekend on Constable Zachary Rolf.
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. So I was able to contrue the
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: last Thursday, his lawyers were sent a letter basically informing
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: him that they intend to terminate his position with the
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: Northern Territory Police Force. He's been given an opportunity, i think,
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: two weeks to respond to what the Northern Territory Police
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: are saying to him. But it relates to this open
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: letter the Comfortable that was attributed to Comfortable Roth that
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: was published on Facebook and reported in media outlets in February,
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: where he basically criticized the police force and the Northern
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: Territory judicial system, included the coronial to the way that
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: he had been treated over this issue, and also defended
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: some of those racist text messages that came out during
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: that colonial process. And my understanding is is that letter
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: was sent to Comfortable Ross lawyers on Thursday. They'll have
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: a couple of weeks to respond to that and to
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: show causes to why they don't think contribute this well.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: Matt. I appreciate your time this morning. Another incredibly busy
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: day as well with the very sad new surpassing of
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: unipingu today and also we know over the course of
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: the weekend, much loved former mayor of Catherine fey Miller. Yeah.
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: Look, you know and both great territorians. You have to say,
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: I think you know, the country this morning is stopping
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: to mourn Unipingu, a great indigenous leader. You know, if
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: you've ever been out to Northeast darlm Land, Katie, you
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: will know the impact he has had out there. I mean,
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: he's been remembered today as a fierce champion for the
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Aboriginal land rights movement. He's being remembered as a champion
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: for reconciliation. But I think if you go out to
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: Union Gada and you go out to the Go Peninsula
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: and you see what he is doing to fort his
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: people both through education and employments. I mean, look, look
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: at all the issues we're talking about at the moment.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: You know, the solution is there in Northeast arm Land
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: and it comes from strong local leadership. They employ almost
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: one hundred local long people out there to the too
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: much corporation. They have a mine, they have a timber mill,
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: they have a butcher shop. You know, they have all
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: this industry out there. They started their own school with
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: a Barker school because they were just so set up
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: with having to deal with the eurocract from the Education Department,
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: and they're getting you know, ninety plus percent attendance right
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: to their school. You know, the answer is out there.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: And I think you know, if there's one lesson to
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: learn today following the passing in the Pinon, it's that,
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: you know, Miss Pruth, that we can have the economic
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: development on Aboriginal land. We can make it work. The
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: strong leadership is there and it's worth pointing out to.
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: I think say Miller was a great champion for her
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: people in Katherine, and I think anyone who's who's ever
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: had anything to do with Kay Miller fay Miller, sorry,
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: we'll know what I feel its advocate she was for
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: her people, and I think we all remember the stout.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: I think my favorite story is the stout she had
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: with Greek Hunty sent anyone was backing down or taking
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: any nonsense for him when he was a federal health minister.
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: So she will be sorely missed too.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, she was a firecracker, incredible at her like, just
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: an incredibly strong woman. And I think that both of
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: those incredible territorians are going to be remembered very fondly
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: today Matt Cunningham as always mate. Thank you very much
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: for your time and we'll catch up with you very soon.
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you,