Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro wants anyone who spits on a police officer to see the inside of a prison cell

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Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro wants anyone who spits on a police officer to see the inside of a prison cell · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: As you heard on the show yesterday and we've just
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  Speaker 1: discussed right then, we asked the Chief Minister, Natasha Files
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  Speaker 1: if her government's going to support a parliamentary select committee
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  Speaker 1: looking into the under pressure police force. Now joining me
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  Speaker 1: on the line to tell us a little bit more
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  Speaker 1: about exactly what motion's going to be put forward, it
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  Speaker 1: is the Opposition leader Lea Finocchio. Good morning, Leah.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie and to your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, what exactly are you going to be putting forward
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  Speaker 1: to Parliament this week when it comes to this select
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  Speaker 1: committee looking into the police force and other issues.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, thank you Katie. So, of course we've had a
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  Speaker 2: police force in crisis for a number of years now.
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  Speaker 2: Attrition has hit all time highs. We know morale is
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  Speaker 2: very low, and we know there's a lack of confidence
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  Speaker 2: by the rank and file members in its executive and
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  Speaker 2: the commissioner. So, of course, eighteen nineteen days ago the
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  Speaker 2: Police Association released its survey results which showed exactly that
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  Speaker 2: that confidence, morale, all of these issues are at all
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  Speaker 2: time lows. So the COLP put together a motion for
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  Speaker 2: an inquiry. We want it to be a full parliamentary
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  Speaker 2: inquiry that runs for thirty days, which calls the police
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  Speaker 2: commissioner and his executive as witnesses to essentially show cause
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  Speaker 2: and explain why these systemic issues are occurring and what
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  Speaker 2: the solutions are for it. We think this requires immediate,
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  Speaker 2: urgent action, and you know, to sit here nineteen days
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  Speaker 2: later and know that the government has not done anything
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  Speaker 2: in response to those damning police survey results is just
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  Speaker 2: not good enough.
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  Speaker 1: Certainly, just to be real, perfectly clear for our listeners,
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  Speaker 1: it's not going to look into the issues that we've
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  Speaker 1: got with crime right now. It is going to be
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  Speaker 1: specifically looking into the police force low morale and well
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  Speaker 1: you're asking for the commissioner to show cause and explain
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  Speaker 1: why he should stay in that job, but also how
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  Speaker 1: the executive are going to lead the way forward.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, exactly. So it's not crime per se, because of
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  Speaker 2: course that is a major, major issue, but it is
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  Speaker 2: part of why our police are suffering at the moment,
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  Speaker 2: is part of why so many police, I think it
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  Speaker 2: was something like ninety percent of police believe there aren't
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  Speaker 2: enough police, that police resourcing isn't adequate. We've separately called
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  Speaker 2: for an inquiry into police resourcing and that's something that
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  Speaker 2: happened ten years ago, Katie, and that's a very large
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  Speaker 2: piece of work that needs to be done. We also
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  Speaker 2: believe that. But this week our priority is really getting
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  Speaker 2: to the bottom of the crisis within our police force,
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  Speaker 2: because of course, while there is a crisis in police,
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  Speaker 2: we know and that ability to tackle crime and deal
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  Speaker 2: with those other issues out on the front line is
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  Speaker 2: significantly hampered. When you've got police with low morale, low resources,
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  Speaker 2: a lack of confidence with their executive. You know, it's
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  Speaker 2: got all sorts of flow on implications for our community.
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  Speaker 2: And so we want to get to the bottom of
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  Speaker 2: what is going on inside police and more importantly, what
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  Speaker 2: we can do exactly to fix this issue, strengthen our
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  Speaker 2: force and as a result of that, strengthen the response
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  Speaker 2: in the community.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, would this be a talk feast, as the chiefs
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  Speaker 1: beinister suggested yesterday?
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  Speaker 2: I think Natasha Fhiles calling it a talk first is
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  Speaker 2: really code word for her saying I don't have to
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  Speaker 2: listen to anybody else, I can do whatever I want.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I did ask her whether it was just a
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  Speaker 1: situation where she was not doing it because the opposition
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  Speaker 1: had called for it. She reckons that the situation is
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  Speaker 1: that they want to get on with the work that
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  Speaker 1: needs to be done. Do you accept that?
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely not. They're not getting on with anything. It's been
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  Speaker 2: nineteen days and we haven't heard them say a single
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  Speaker 2: thing for six years. I've been listening to them promised
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  Speaker 2: to review the disciplinary system and that is just one
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  Speaker 2: in a long list of issues our police force are suffering.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, this is just a government that doesn't want
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  Speaker 2: to be exposed for what it really is, and that's
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  Speaker 2: a total fundamental hands off lack of leadership. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: we've called on Kate Warden to be sacked as Police Minister.
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  Speaker 2: We've called on Natasha Files to take that portfolio so
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  Speaker 2: that the Chief Minister puts the oversight required of policing
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  Speaker 2: and of community safety top of mind. We've also called
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  Speaker 2: for this urgent and immediate inquiry to work out what
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  Speaker 2: on earth is going on in our police force and
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  Speaker 2: why this crisis just keeps getting worse and worse and
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  Speaker 2: worse and they have done nothing. And to call a
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  Speaker 2: thirty day full parliamentary inquiry at talk first just shows
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  Speaker 2: how much they've got to hide.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, why do you think that this is absolutely necessary
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  Speaker 1: right now?
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  Speaker 2: Because there is no other action being taken. If the
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  Speaker 2: Chief Minister had have responded by sacking Kate Warden, if
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  Speaker 2: Kate Warden had have come in as a police minister
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  Speaker 2: and made this her top priority, then maybe we'd be
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  Speaker 2: having a different conversation. But the reality is this. Kate
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  Speaker 2: Warden inherited that portfolio of police from Nicole Madison. She
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  Speaker 2: has done absolutely nothing to address the great divide between
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  Speaker 2: rank and file and the executive, the morale, the attrition
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  Speaker 2: and all of the other issues that are happening within
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  Speaker 2: our police force. We've now had the survey results land
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  Speaker 2: and she has still taken no action to address the
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  Speaker 2: issues which are obvious to everyone. And yet we have
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  Speaker 2: a Chief Minister who's allowing that to happen. There is
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  Speaker 2: a fundamental lack of leadership at the top. The cabinet
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  Speaker 2: are the people responsible for the CEOs of our departments
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  Speaker 2: and for setting the agenda. And what we've got is
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  Speaker 2: a rudderless government with no agenda, no vision, no backbone.
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  Speaker 2: And as a result of that, our longest and proudest institution,
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  Speaker 2: the police, are being completely abandoned by this government.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Leah, what else is on the agenda for
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  Speaker 1: the COLP this week in Parliament.
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  Speaker 2: So we've got a couple of bills that the government
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  Speaker 2: is bringing forward. We're very happy to see some long
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  Speaker 2: needed changes to animal cruelty legislation. They've got some other
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  Speaker 2: bits and pieces. We're pretty disappointed really when it comes
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  Speaker 2: to their changes to spitting legislation. All their bill does
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  Speaker 2: is increase the maximum sentence under You know, sure, Magi, look,
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  Speaker 2: you know we're not going to vote against it, but ultimately,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I don't think anyone in the history of
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  Speaker 2: a biting offenses ever received the seven year maximum imprisonment,
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  Speaker 2: let alone ever going to receive a ten year. We
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  Speaker 2: would have liked to see our legislation supportive, which meant
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  Speaker 2: even first time offenders would see prison, would see time.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think we may have seen though with first
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  Speaker 1: time offenders. You know, not that I'm saying that spitting
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  Speaker 1: on a police officer or any frontline worker is okay
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  Speaker 1: in any way, shape or form, but do you think
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  Speaker 1: we might have wound up in a situation where you know,
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  Speaker 1: say an eighteen year old went out on the turps
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  Speaker 1: and and you know, maybe did something stupid and got
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  Speaker 1: themselves into, you know, into trouble. Winding up in prison
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  Speaker 1: for a long period of time with no previous convictions.
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  Speaker 2: No, so it's not a long period of time. So
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  Speaker 2: it's just about making sure they see the inside of
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  Speaker 2: a prison cell. And I think, you know, if you're
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  Speaker 2: eighteen year old went you don't have one, kady, But
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  Speaker 2: just hypothetically, if your eighteen year old went out and
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  Speaker 2: spat in the face of a copper, I think I'd
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  Speaker 2: be pretty happy for them to spend a couple of
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  Speaker 2: hours thinking about what they went wrong there and changing
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  Speaker 2: their behavior. I mean, ultimately, this is about sending a
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  Speaker 2: message to anyone in the cammunity that spitting on someone
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  Speaker 2: while they're at work is absolutely not okay. They are
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  Speaker 2: in a vulnerable position.
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  Speaker 1: So would they only spend a few hours then in prison?
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  Speaker 2: So it's up to the court. Our legislation was that
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  Speaker 2: there has to be actual imprisonment, which as opposed to
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  Speaker 2: Labor's legislation, which is just increasing the maximum from seven
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  Speaker 2: years to ten years. I mean, it would be unheard
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  Speaker 2: of for someone to go to prison for seven years
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  Speaker 2: for spitting on someone. I don't think most people don't
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  Speaker 2: even ever spend time in correctional facilities because of a
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  Speaker 2: spitting offense, So our legislation was much broader. Ours was
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  Speaker 2: any assault, so much broader than spinning, and it was
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  Speaker 2: on any frontline worker. But we will supported. But we
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  Speaker 2: think it's absolutely amiss there and the government are trying
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  Speaker 2: to be really tricky and misleads territories by saying that
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  Speaker 2: our legislation you know, wasn't up to shape, but it
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  Speaker 2: absolutely was. Parliamentarily Council drafted the whole thing. It was
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  Speaker 2: good to go and it should have been supported.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, what about fuel? Are you introducing any legislation or
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  Speaker 1: doing anything about the cost of fuel this time round?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so our fuel legislation, gosh, I've gone blank on that.
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  Speaker 2: I think we're doing that next month. So we've got
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  Speaker 2: three parliaments left, and obviously as an opposition, we've got
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  Speaker 2: a really small amount of time that we can do
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  Speaker 2: anything for those listening. And I know it can be
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  Speaker 2: not the most interesting thing to some, but we only
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  Speaker 2: get four hours in a whole sitting week to run
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  Speaker 2: our own agenda and we share that with the independent members.
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  Speaker 2: So you can imagine it's very very good to be time,
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  Speaker 2: no doubt, to get things happening. So if it's not
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  Speaker 2: this week. It would definitely be next month, but this
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  Speaker 2: week we're really focused on making sure we get this
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  Speaker 2: police inquiry.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and that's okay. We'll keep up to date and
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  Speaker 1: certainly find out how things go with that fuel legislation. Lea,
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  Speaker 1: I do want to ask you this morning before I
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  Speaker 1: let you go. Yesterday there was a report in the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory News with the Territory government calling on you
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  Speaker 1: to apologize after you were reportedly photographed campaigning with an
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  Speaker 1: apparent white supremist sympathizer. So this man who was previously
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  Speaker 1: seen flashing a white supremist hand sign while wearing a
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  Speaker 1: shirt linked to the far right extremist group, He's reportedly
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  Speaker 1: been seen attending the CLP's election night after party following
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  Speaker 1: the Funny Bay by election earlier this month. There's reportedly
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  Speaker 1: another photo emerged showing the man posing with you during
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  Speaker 1: the campaign, Leah, is that the case?
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  Speaker 2: Look, Katie, these are unsubstantiated claims. I think the word
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  Speaker 2: you use was apparent, and I think that certainly reinforces
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  Speaker 2: an unsubstantiated nature of these claims.
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  Speaker 1: Look.
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  Speaker 2: Needless to say, no political party should have any extremist
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  Speaker 2: views or extremist members. But again these are unsubstantiated claims.
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  Speaker 1: But so was the bloke photographed, you know, with white
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  Speaker 1: supremist you know, using that hand signal and a flag
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  Speaker 1: as I understand it, at another point, and then photograph
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  Speaker 1: with you at a later date.
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  Speaker 2: Look, Katie, like I said, these are unsubstantiated claims, I
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  Speaker 2: am not going to say more than that this is
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  Speaker 2: a Labor party wanting to throw mud good on them.
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  Speaker 1: You know.
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  Speaker 2: Of course, our position and my position is at no
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  Speaker 2: political party and that's Labor included should have any extremist
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  Speaker 2: views or extremist members, and I'll leave it at that.
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  Speaker 1: So is he a member of the CLP.
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  Speaker 2: These are questions for the party, Katie, but again they
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  Speaker 2: completely unsubstantiated.
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  Speaker 1: All right, so I'll ask you then, did you have
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  Speaker 1: a photo with him?
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  Speaker 2: Well, Katie, honestly, I have photos with so many people,
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  Speaker 2: and if I'm expected to somehow do criminal history techs
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  Speaker 2: or you know, ask people for their life history before
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  Speaker 2: I have a photo with someone, it's pretty ridiculous.
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  Speaker 1: So do you think there's any need at this point
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  Speaker 1: for you to apologize for having a photo with him
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  Speaker 1: or for him apparently being at the CLP after party.
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  Speaker 2: I think having a photo with someone with unsubstantiated claims
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  Speaker 2: is a I mean, what are we even talking about here,
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  Speaker 2: I mean, it's really ridiculous.
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  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, I guess you know. The accusation is as
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  Speaker 1: I say, it was in the NT news that the
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  Speaker 1: government's calling on you to apologize after you were reportedly
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  Speaker 1: photographed with this bloke. It doesn't sound like you're too
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  Speaker 1: keen to go into it, but you know, I guess
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  Speaker 1: the concern here is that there's an apparent white supreme
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  Speaker 1: sympathizer that's been part of the COLP. Would be the
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  Speaker 1: you know, the ultimate concern if that's the case.
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  Speaker 2: Sure, if it was the case, but these are unsubstantiated claims, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: And as I've said, no political party should have extremists
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  Speaker 2: views or extremist members. Many that these unsubstantiated claim.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Leah Fanocchiaro, we are going to leave it there.
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  Speaker 1: We'll probably catch up with you later in the week anyway,
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  Speaker 1: to find out how we go with this or how
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: it goes with this, this legislation around the Select Committee.
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  Speaker 1: I'll be very keen to hear, so please keep us
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  Speaker 1: up to date. I appreciate your time this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, we will absolutely Thanks Katie, but thank you