Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Chamber of Commerce CEO Greg Ireland says there’s a high level of frustration about crime among Territory business owners, who feel there aren’t enough consequences for offenders

Transcript

NT Chamber of Commerce CEO Greg Ireland says there’s a high level of frustration about crime among Territory business owners, who feel there aren’t enough consequences for offenders · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: I do want to take you across and speak about
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: the fact that the NT Chamber of Commerce has written
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: to members and the business community reassuring them that their
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: concerns about crime and the toll that it's taking on
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: people are being heard and passed on to the Northern
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Territori's decision makers. Now joining us on the line to
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: tell us more is the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce,
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Greg Island. Good morning to you. Greg.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. It certainly sounds like you've flat out
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: in there today.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: It's very busy here this morning, There's no doubt about it. Greg.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: What is the current sentiment among the business community when
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: it comes to crime at the moment.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: I think, as we've spoken about many many times, Katie,
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: businesses at the end of its tenor with crime, which
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: it does depend on your element of risk, particularly those
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: with street frontages that are regularly having windows broken or
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: accent any social behavior carried out on all within their
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: businesses are just about to have enough. But when you
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: do talk to the community as a whole, there's a
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: variety of viewpoints all the way from the very far
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: left to the very far right, and I think we
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: need to have that sort of balance in between, but
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: we certainly need to be focused on making some improvements
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: in the outcomes that we're seeing today.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, I saw the alert that was sent
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: out yesterday to some of the members within the Chamber.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: What sort of prompted you to get to that point?
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: Again, it's internal discussions with our membership base. There is
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: a high level of frustration out there and now there
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: are people that are keen to see us involved in
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: that political process and generally that means getting on the
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: front put and making statements that aren't necessarily supportive of
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: the process. It is, in fact what we believe that
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: we need to be remain firmly part of that process
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: and then get our hand up in the air. So
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: to that end, we've been talking directly with police, directly
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: with Minister Warden and others and encouraging some positive outcomes
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: into the future.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: And Greg, are you finding I mean, is it something
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: that you're hearing across the board from businesses from the
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: top end to Central Australia or is it worse at
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: the moment in Central Australia.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: Look, I think it is amplified in Central Australia has
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: been for some time that said, there's no discounting that
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: the problems being seen and the experienced here in the
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: top end, but we're certainly very very keen to participate
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: as part of that process. And I think one of
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: the significant changes has been the amalgamating of territory families
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: and anti police under the one ministery or control has
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: allowed a lot more conversation, a lot more interaction internally,
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: and we're starting to see some of the benefits come
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: through the system, although it's probably not hitting the road
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: just yet.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and is that a concern what our business is
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: saying to you at the moment.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: Primarily it's about consequences. Business in general doesn't believe there's
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: enough consequences being felt by people that are committing these
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: acts around the place. We concur with that. We also
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: think that there's a huge amount of opportunity there or
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: the processes to be putty in place for diversions for
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: kids that are at risk and that sort of thing,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: and conversations that we've had with police, we're strongly encouraging
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: getting back to a focus on community policing, being more visible,
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: getting out there and having conversations with business and the
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: kids say fine, on the streets and are becoming more engaged.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: That seems to be a real call, you know, across
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: the board at the moment, is that you know that
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: people do want to see more of that policing where
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: there are police walking the streets or you know, on
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: the segways or even on the horses like we used
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: to see a bit more often previously.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: Strangely enough to say that, Katie, just a couple of
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: days ago, I had two horses ride past my office windows.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: First time I've seen that for a long time. And
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: yesterday there was three guys on a segways driving around.
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: So I think some of that message is getting out there,
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: and let's hope we see some improvements across the board
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: in that regard.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: And Greg, I know that you guys obviously meet with
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: the government quite a bit, but have you had those
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: discussions with them sort of over recent days.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, literally this week and last week. Katie. It's entirely
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: on our list of priorities. We're certainly encouraging the formation
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: of a committee around some of the processes that have
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: been put in place. Our recommendation is that independently chaired
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: and have some real teeth making sure those outcomes are
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: followed through.
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: Okay, so tell us again, Sorry, what was that? What
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: do you want to see?
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: So government's releasing a plan in the foreseeable future that
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: drives some outcomes in certain timing and allocates responsibilities. We
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: think that there should be a committee formed around that
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  Speaker 2: that's independent chaired to monitor those activities and make sure
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: they are being effective and being able to have direct
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: input into making changes should they be required. So I
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: think it's going to be quite a powerful arrangement once
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: us put in place, and we're expecting to hear more
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: about that pretty soon.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, I actually reckon you know, that sounds
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: like a good idea to me because there needs to
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: be that constant sort of interaction with let's be honest,
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: with those that are the victims of a lot of
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: these different terrible situations that we're dealing with.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, Victim conferencing is one of the key criteria
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: that starts to humanize the actions between the victim and
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: the perpetrator and those who are bring some of the
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: reality of this home on both sides of the fence.
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: They're important discussions. There's a heap of other measures that
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: have been put in place in this plan. I don't
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: think any of them as specifically new and going to
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: be groundbreaking in their changes, but the fact that they're
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: actually going to be monitored and actively enforced I think
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: is a positive thing because in the past it hasn't
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: always been the case.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: Well, we will keep a very close eye on that.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: We're due to have the Police Minister I believe, on
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: the show on Tuesday morning next week, so we'll be
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: keeping a very close eye on that. Greg Ireland, the
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, I appreciate your time
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: this morning, thanks for having a chat with us.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: You're welcome, Katie, have a great day you too,