Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says there are more police on the beat, with more consequence for crimes in the NT than ever before

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Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says there are more police on the beat, with more consequence for crimes in the NT than ever before · 360 with Katie Woolf

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Speaker 1: Let's get into it.
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Speaker 2: The Chief Minister, Natasha Philes on the line, good morning
0:03
Speaker 2: to you, Chief Minister.
0:05
Speaker 3: Morning Katie, morning listener.
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Speaker 2: Chief Minister, you at tendered the funeral yesterday that was
0:10
Speaker 2: held force a fat that service. You must be feeling
0:14
Speaker 2: pretty devastated as the Chief Minister, that such a senseless
0:17
Speaker 2: death has occurred.
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Speaker 3: So, Katie, there was a prayer service yesterday for Safat
0:23
Speaker 3: before his body is sent Backrome to his family and
0:28
Speaker 3: I send my deepest condolences to those who knew and
0:31
Speaker 3: loved him. And it's absolutely heartbreaking. We are just devastated
0:36
Speaker 3: as a community. This is not the Northern Territory we
0:38
Speaker 3: know and love.
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Speaker 1: It's really not.
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Speaker 2: I mean the fact that we have got an international
0:43
Speaker 2: student who was staying at a home that was then
0:46
Speaker 2: allegedly invaded and he's murdered inside that home. His parents
0:51
Speaker 2: are not going to have him back in the way
0:55
Speaker 2: that he left. It's utterly heartbreaking that this has happened
0:58
Speaker 2: in the Northern Territory.
1:01
Speaker 3: It's awful and that alleged home invasion and murder and
1:05
Speaker 3: police have got a perpetrator that is being held on bail.
1:08
Speaker 3: But as a government, we don't want this for our community.
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Speaker 3: We're doing more than any other government to tackle crime,
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Speaker 3: make our community safer and make the territory stronger and safer,
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Speaker 3: which is what we want it to be.
1:18
Speaker 1: Chief Minister.
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Speaker 2: The Labor government's been in now for six years and
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Speaker 2: things are not getting better. In fact, it's the opposite,
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Speaker 2: they're getting worse. In the last sixty days, we've had
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Speaker 2: four people killed. How can you be happy with that
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Speaker 2: and how can you be happy with the policy settings
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Speaker 2: that the Northern Territory government has right now when this
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Speaker 2: is happening in our territory.
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Speaker 3: So Katie, we're focused. There's more police on the beat
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Speaker 3: than ever before, more consequences, more investment in things that
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Speaker 3: help prevent crime. But is there more work to do. Absolutely,
1:48
Speaker 3: and we will continue to make those decisions to stop
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Speaker 3: this type of behavior so that we can have that
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Speaker 3: territory we all want it to be.
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Speaker 2: What urgent action is the government take king following his death?
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Speaker 3: So Katie, as you were aware, there is a number
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Speaker 3: of items that are happening. So in terms of we
2:10
Speaker 3: looked at bail and we looked at the presumption against
2:13
Speaker 3: bail for violent offenses involving a weapon. In the March sittings.
2:18
Speaker 3: We've also got a nice strategy that we're developing. But
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Speaker 3: we're also Katie doing work around making sure that police
2:25
Speaker 3: have the resources to do their job. And we know
2:29
Speaker 3: that we need more police and that's why you're seeing recruitment.
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Speaker 3: You'll see a budget handed down today that is more
2:36
Speaker 3: money for extra police, more money for justice, more money
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Speaker 3: to dress antisocial behavior and the social determinants that cause
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Speaker 3: these issues in our community.
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Speaker 2: So obviously, besides the money that's being invested in today's budget,
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Speaker 2: the other things that you spoke about, they were announcements
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Speaker 2: that were made after the deaths of Decklan Lavity and
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Speaker 2: as we can see, unfortunately we're in a situation where
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Speaker 2: more has continued to happen. So I will ask again
3:01
Speaker 2: what urgent action is the Northern Territory government taking following
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Speaker 2: this tragedy last week.
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Speaker 3: So Katie, we are reviewing our bail laws for offenses
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Speaker 3: involving weapons, and we've got that Bailing Weapons Offenses reviewed
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Speaker 3: task for sit urgency looking at is there any more
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Speaker 3: work there. We've got Katie, law and justice groups in
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Speaker 3: remote communities. This is an issue across the Northern Territory
3:26
Speaker 3: and we want to make sure that we're not leaving
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Speaker 3: one part of the territory behind. So there's a significant
3:31
Speaker 3: amount of work. There's short term actions, there's longer term
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Speaker 3: actions so that we can have that safe, vibrant community
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Speaker 3: we want.
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Speaker 1: Well at the moment though we don't.
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Speaker 2: You know, we have seen somebody allegedly murdered inside his
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Speaker 2: own home, an international student. You know, the university pushes
3:49
Speaker 2: so hard to try and get students here to Australia,
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Speaker 2: here to the Northern Territory to study. Then for something
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Speaker 2: like this to happen, it really demonstrates right now their territorians,
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Speaker 2: whether you are local or whether you are here to study.
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Speaker 1: You are not safe in your home.
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Speaker 2: So how can the government not be really looking to
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Speaker 2: do something very urgently to stop what we are seeing
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Speaker 2: right now? Are you prepared or are you still opposed
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Speaker 2: to seeking assistance from the federal government or from the
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Speaker 2: Federal police.
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Speaker 3: So, Katie, we will see in the Commonwealth budget today
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Speaker 3: investment into the Northern Territory and will continue to work
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Speaker 3: with canber. The safety of our community is absolutely paramount
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Speaker 3: and we're always working to make improvements, whether it's working
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Speaker 3: with police around something they need, whether it's working with
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Speaker 3: the courts, whether it's around working with the non government
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Speaker 3: organizations that are in this space. So it is grinding,
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Speaker 3: hard work. But as I've said, there is more police
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Speaker 3: on the beat than ever before, more consequences for crime
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Speaker 3: than ever before, and we will continue that investment.
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Speaker 2: How many more innocent lives are going to be lost
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Speaker 2: while that hard grinding work gets underway.
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Speaker 3: That work is underway, Katie, but.
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Speaker 2: How many more lives are we going to see lost
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Speaker 2: while that hard grinding work that you speak of happens.
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Speaker 3: So, Katie, we have put in place investments already, and
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Speaker 3: whether that's from providing season.
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Speaker 1: But do you concede that they're not working? Like you know,
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Speaker 1: we've got a situation.
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Speaker 2: Where lives are being lost, innocent people are dying.
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Speaker 3: And Katie, as I said, we have done more than
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Speaker 3: any previous government to tackle crime and make our communities.
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Speaker 1: So why is it getting worse?
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Speaker 3: So, Katie, we have put the investment, whether it's in police,
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Speaker 3: whether it's in legislation, whether it's in tackling those issues
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Speaker 3: such as alcohol, which we know is one part of it,
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Speaker 3: whether it's about those issues around antisocial behavior and people
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Speaker 3: from remote communities and working with them providing those resources
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Speaker 3: in those remote communities. So, as you can see, there's
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Speaker 3: a huge amount of work that's been done and we
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Speaker 3: will continue that.
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Speaker 2: Where is the bail review ash right now? I mean
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Speaker 2: you touched on that a couple of times. Where is
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Speaker 2: it at right now?
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Speaker 3: That work is underway, and we've said if there is
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Speaker 3: anything they find at any point to come straight back
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Speaker 3: to us.
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Speaker 2: So nothing's been found then, obviously if you've said that,
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Speaker 2: you know they need to come back to you straight away.
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Speaker 2: Obviously you guys don't feel as though anything needs to change.
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Speaker 3: So Katie, we made the presumption against Baal for the
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Speaker 3: changes that we made in March, but we're also looking
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Speaker 3: at what we can do in that space. Is it
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Speaker 3: around the prohibitor or the controlled weapon, the definition of
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Speaker 3: a weapon. So that work is happening immediately.
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Speaker 1: How long is it going to take?
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Speaker 3: So, Katie, as I said, that work is happening and
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Speaker 3: anything that needs to be addressed will be addressed immediately.
6:40
Speaker 3: We're developing a knife strategy. We don't want to see
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Speaker 3: knife crime take a hold in the Northern and Katie,
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Speaker 3: we are looking at what's been done in other jurisdictions.
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Speaker 3: The strategies both within Australia and internationally, so that we
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Speaker 3: can tackle that issue here in the territory.
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Speaker 1: So she's going to start there.
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Speaker 2: Look, honestly, people are going to be listening this morning
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Speaker 2: feeling utterly heartbroken I think the way things are going
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Speaker 2: right now, but also seemingly a lack of any new ideas,
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Speaker 2: any other action from you or from the government.
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Speaker 3: Katie, As I said, there is more police on the beat,
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Speaker 3: there's more consequences for crime than ever before, and more
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Speaker 3: investment in the things that help prevent crime than ever before.
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Speaker 3: So we absolutely hear from our community and we are
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Speaker 3: frustrated by the unacceptable and tragic acts of violence we've
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Speaker 3: seen in our community recently.
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Speaker 1: We are literally at a crisis point.
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Speaker 2: I would think at this point in time, to have
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Speaker 2: four people's lives lost on the streets in the last
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Speaker 2: sixty days, I would think that the Northern Territory Government
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Speaker 2: would be calling crisis meetings.
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Speaker 3: So Katie, we have been working and we will continue
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Speaker 3: that work across our government agencies. We're working with police,
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Speaker 3: we're working with our courts, we're working with the NGO
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Speaker 3: partners that are crucial to these issues. And as I said,
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Speaker 3: we will continue to invest in the things that prevent crime,
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Speaker 3: and we have done that investment and we will continue
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Speaker 3: into the future.
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Speaker 2: So is the look, do we need the feeds? Do
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Speaker 2: we need Canberra to step in to help us address crime?
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Speaker 3: So, Katie, this is something that's been discussed and raised
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Speaker 3: and in terms of Canberra, what we need is the
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Speaker 3: resourcing we need, the needs based funding the domestic and
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Speaker 3: family violence. You talk about four deaths for tragic deaths,
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Speaker 3: and we know that domestic and family violence is a
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Speaker 3: huge part of that. Assaults against a person is often
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Speaker 3: by someone that is known to that individual. So that
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Speaker 3: is where when you talk about Canberra what can they do,
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Speaker 3: it's that needs based funding in those key sas.
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Speaker 2: So that's all you need from the federal government right now.
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Speaker 2: After everything that's happened, you feel as though that is
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Speaker 2: all you, as the leader of the Northern Territory need
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Speaker 2: right now from Canberra.
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Speaker 3: That's not what I just said. You ask me what
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Speaker 3: I need from Canberra and I pointed out one thing
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Speaker 3: around that important needs based funding for domestic and family
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Speaker 3: violence because when you look at our statistics, but Katie,
9:03
Speaker 3: in terms of alcohol, we know that that's a causal
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Speaker 3: factor behind a lot of antisocial behavior and crime. We're
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Speaker 3: continuing our work in that space. We've done more and
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Speaker 3: we will do more into the future.
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Speaker 2: Chief Finister, how can you ensure the safety of international
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Speaker 2: students at this point.
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Speaker 3: Katie, it's absolutely heartbreaking for that family and for the
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Speaker 3: international student community they like coming to the Northern Territory.
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Speaker 3: It's smaller than the Sydneys and Melbourne's and so we
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Speaker 3: are working closely nar our kid as Minister for International Education,
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Speaker 3: is working closely with charles Dale University and the other
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Speaker 3: international education providers so that we can work with them
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Speaker 3: to support that community now and also into the future.
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Speaker 2: So I'll ask the same question again, how can you
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Speaker 2: ensure the safety of international students?
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Speaker 3: So, Katie, it's around safety for our whole community, and
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Speaker 3: that's where I talk about more police on the beat
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Speaker 3: than ever before, more consequences for crime than ever before.
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Speaker 3: But in terms of in national students and their accommodation,
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Speaker 3: that is something that's been raised over the last week.
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Speaker 3: So we'll certainly work with international education providers around the
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Speaker 3: practical support so that these young people are in a
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Speaker 3: safe home when they come here.
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Speaker 2: Now you speak about those police numbers, you told me
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Speaker 2: earlier in the year that there are hundreds of police
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Speaker 2: officers who were on leave.
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Speaker 1: Where are those numbers at now?
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Speaker 3: So, Katie, Acting Commissioner Murphy is reaching out to police
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Speaker 3: that are on leave or that have recently left the
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Speaker 3: Northern Territory Police Force to work with them to get
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Speaker 3: them on the beat. Some of the factors is that
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Speaker 3: people have taken well deserved leave after the efforts during COVID.
10:40
Speaker 3: But we certainly are focused around making sure that we're
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Speaker 3: supporting everybody and that the role that they are in
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Speaker 3: suits them and that we can have them as a
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Speaker 3: part of our police force on the beat.
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Speaker 1: Now.
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Speaker 2: On the former police Commissioner, we've not spoken to you, obviously.
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Speaker 2: Since the agreement with Jamie Chalker was reached, there has
10:57
Speaker 2: been a lot of questions asked about the letter that
11:00
Speaker 2: went out to mister Chalker and the claims made in it.
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Speaker 2: My understanding is that that letter went out from the
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Speaker 2: Police Minister's office.
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Speaker 3: Is that right, Katie. I'm not able to comment on
11:11
Speaker 3: that matter, and I know that is frustrating, but I'm
11:14
Speaker 3: unable to comment.
11:15
Speaker 2: Well, I guess what I am keen to find out
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Speaker 2: is did the government seek advice from the Solicitor General
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Speaker 2: before sending that letter.
11:22
Speaker 3: So Katie, there was a legal process, and I'm not
11:25
Speaker 3: able to provide any commentary around this matter.
11:28
Speaker 2: I suppose what I'm trying to get to the bottom
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Speaker 2: of is if you know, if that legal advice was
11:32
Speaker 2: sought from the Solicitor General, then you know we may
11:35
Speaker 2: not be in a situation where presumably there's a substantial
11:39
Speaker 2: payout to the former commissioner.
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Speaker 3: So Katie, we were guided by the Solicitor General through
11:45
Speaker 3: this matter, and I cannot publicly comment.
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Speaker 2: All right, let's keep moving. There is a lot happening today.
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Speaker 2: The budget's being handed down. Can territorians expect further announcements.
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Speaker 2: You touched on it before. You said that there's going
11:57
Speaker 2: to be money invested into the Northern Territory Police Force,
12:00
Speaker 2: into other programs. But do you think that that's going
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Speaker 2: to be enough to quell the concerns from territorians around
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Speaker 2: crime and lawlessness.
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Speaker 3: So, Katie, this budget invests in our future, It delivers
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Speaker 3: for all territorians. It will outline our economic position for
12:14
Speaker 3: the Northern Territory, and it is very much about servicing
12:17
Speaker 3: every territory, no matter whether they're in the city or
12:19
Speaker 3: they're in a remote or regional area.
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Speaker 2: And so when it comes to some of those initiatives
12:24
Speaker 2: around crime, around the issues that we're experiencing.
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Speaker 3: Katie, there's extra money for police, extra money for justice,
12:31
Speaker 3: money to address any social behavior and the social determinants
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Speaker 3: that are a factor when we deal with crime and
12:36
Speaker 3: antisocial behavior and community safety is and absolute priority.
12:40
Speaker 2: What else can we expect some cost of living measures, Katie.
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Speaker 3: We know that territorians are really struggling with the cost
12:46
Speaker 3: of living. Interest rates are rising and we're seeing that
12:49
Speaker 3: impact on to territorians. So we're making sure that there
12:53
Speaker 3: is absolutely savings relief in there, whether it's on the
12:56
Speaker 3: cost of power through our community service obligation, whether it's
13:00
Speaker 3: vouchers for parents that have got kids at childcare and school,
13:03
Speaker 3: or whether it's some of our older territories. So there's
13:05
Speaker 3: absolutely financial assistance for territories within the budget.
13:08
Speaker 2: Chief Finister on Howard Springs, I want to ask you
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Speaker 2: about that very quickly. Obviously, the issues with damage out
13:14
Speaker 2: there have been much greater than just that wear and
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Speaker 2: tear that you'd spoken to us about. How much are
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Speaker 2: those repairs going to cost?
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Speaker 3: Oh, Katie, I don't have that figure in front of me,
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Speaker 3: but the facility has been stood down and all of
13:27
Speaker 3: those people that were evacuated have been repatriated home.
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Speaker 2: You must have an idea of how much it's going
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Speaker 2: to cost. I mean that tender went out, I understand
13:34
Speaker 2: for looking at the scope of works. That was in
13:36
Speaker 2: the vicinity of thirty thousand dollars just to look at
13:39
Speaker 2: the scope of works required.
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Speaker 3: So Katie, my understanding is the seventy five hectares, the
13:44
Speaker 3: three and a half thousand odd rooms. They you know,
13:48
Speaker 3: obviously working through the future of Howard Springs and what
13:51
Speaker 3: we're going to do with that facility. So that was
13:54
Speaker 3: around tradespeople to inspect the overall facility and make sure
13:59
Speaker 3: that it's at a standards so that we can work
14:01
Speaker 3: through its future going forward.
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Speaker 2: So you're not prepared to tell territorians how much it's
14:05
Speaker 2: going to cost.
14:06
Speaker 3: So Katie, there was wear and tear damage and we've
14:08
Speaker 3: been through that in inches of time. I won't go
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Speaker 3: back over it. There was a domestic family violence incident
14:13
Speaker 3: where windows were broken around I think it was less
14:15
Speaker 3: than a dozen, but still unacceptable, and police are involved
14:18
Speaker 3: there in terms of laying charges and if there's any
14:21
Speaker 3: cost that can be recruited by the government, it certainly
14:23
Speaker 3: will be from that individual.
14:25
Speaker 2: So hang on, you're saying there was only how many
14:27
Speaker 2: windows broken or was that just as part of that incident?
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Speaker 3: That was a part of that incident that happened after
14:33
Speaker 3: we'd spoken that I was advised that there was some
14:37
Speaker 3: windows broken during a family violence incident.
14:39
Speaker 2: Yeah, but then my understanding is that nine News Darwin
14:42
Speaker 2: was out there just last week there was six hundred
14:44
Speaker 2: windows broken.
14:46
Speaker 3: I haven't had that figure presented to me, Katie.
14:48
Speaker 2: How have you not had that figure presented to you
14:51
Speaker 2: if Channel nine's gone out there and seen.
14:53
Speaker 3: That, Katie, I apologize, but I have not been advised
14:58
Speaker 3: around six hundred windows. I'll take that question or notice.
15:01
Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, you know, I think the fact that you've
15:04
Speaker 2: been on you said it was where and tear initially,
15:06
Speaker 2: and then you know it's much more than that. And
15:08
Speaker 2: now we're you know, we see in that report by
15:11
Speaker 2: nine newsdar and six hundred windows and then you're still
15:13
Speaker 2: talking about six It is making people question where you're
15:17
Speaker 2: getting that advice from.
15:19
Speaker 3: So, Katie, as I've outlined, there's full assessments that are
15:22
Speaker 3: being completed and at that point you know, repair work
15:25
Speaker 3: will be the cost will be known.
15:27
Speaker 2: Okay, just finally, is that Code yellow still in place
15:30
Speaker 2: at Royal dal And Hospital right now, Katie?
15:33
Speaker 3: I understand it is still in place, but they're looking
15:35
Speaker 3: at their pressures have eased at Royal Dalwen and Palmerston
15:38
Speaker 3: Hospital following that peak in demand, and they'll be looking
15:42
Speaker 3: at that closely over the next twenty four hours.
15:44
Speaker 1: And so there is going to be some money.
15:46
Speaker 2: I know that you've already preempted some funding in the
15:49
Speaker 2: budget today for the health system. Is there any other
15:52
Speaker 2: money or anything else we should be aware of when
15:54
Speaker 2: it comes to health given the fact that we have
15:56
Speaker 2: had yet another Code yellow?
15:58
Speaker 3: So Katie, there is significant resources in the Northern Territory
16:02
Speaker 3: budget for health, including work and we've been doing work
16:05
Speaker 3: with age care mental health. And there is also money
16:08
Speaker 3: in the budget for a new building at Rozalen Hospital
16:11
Speaker 3: to help ease those bed pressures but also plan for
16:14
Speaker 3: the future capacity of that facility.
16:16
Speaker 1: All right, Chief Benes, still we better leave it there.
16:18
Speaker 1: Thank you for your time this morning, Take care Bye.