Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro says she’s taking steps to get legislation drafted that will ensure there’s a presumption against bail for edged weapon offences

Transcript

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro says she’s taking steps to get legislation drafted that will ensure there’s a presumption against bail for edged weapon offences · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Yesterday, as I mentioned, the government announced that there will
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: be an immediate review of bail laws for offenses involving
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: a weapon and a review of penalties for people carrying weapons.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: There'll be transit safety officers, crowd controllers and security guards
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  Speaker 1: equipped with capsicum spray. There's also going to be a
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  Speaker 1: workplace safety review, increased police presence funding for crowd controllers
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  Speaker 1: until June, and there will also be alcohol secure a
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  Speaker 1: relaunch so that businesses can increase physical safety and support. Now,
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  Speaker 1: yesterday we heard the reaction from two of the independent
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  Speaker 1: members of Parliament with their well with some pretty strong
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  Speaker 1: words I think you'd have to say. And this morning
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  Speaker 1: the opposition leader Leah Fanocchiaro joins me on the line.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Leah.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie and to your listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, what do you make of yesterday's announcement.
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  Speaker 2: I think yesterday's announcement unfortunately did not meet community expectation
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  Speaker 2: and ultimately was an exit size in saving face, not
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  Speaker 2: saving lives. It chronically lacks detail, no territory and is
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  Speaker 2: safe for today because of the announcement made yesterday, and
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  Speaker 2: they won't be safe for in a week or even
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  Speaker 2: in a month. There is absolutely no time frames in
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  Speaker 2: relation to any of these measures, and in speaking to
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  Speaker 2: bottle shop owners, many of them are worried that it's
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: just going to put extra impost and cost on them.
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  Speaker 2: There's no time to waste on this. Katie Natasha Files
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  Speaker 2: should have walked into Parliament yesterday with bail laws that
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  Speaker 2: strengthen bail.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, what detail do you feel is lacking that you need?
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  Speaker 1: I am assuming that it's around bail and this review
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  Speaker 1: how long it's going to take. But what detail do
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  Speaker 1: you feel is seriously lacking here?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, the government have called for a review into
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  Speaker 2: bail laws and a review of police powers with no
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  Speaker 2: time frame, no limits around how long the government can
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  Speaker 2: take to get that done. We've got announcements around Capsican
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  Speaker 2: spray for transit officers despite the fact but that is
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  Speaker 2: a very highly regulated use of force that would require
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  Speaker 2: armories to be built, detoxification mechanisms for buses and all
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  Speaker 2: sorts of technical things. The idea around assisting businesses with
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  Speaker 2: security or crowd controllers and what does that mean. You know,
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  Speaker 2: that's not government paying for them, that's government assisting crowd control.
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  Speaker 2: So a lot of just need to those concepts. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: they're going to develop a de escalation training booklet, they're
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  Speaker 2: going to give businesses some more money for more barricading
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  Speaker 2: of their business. But ultimately it doesn't do anything to
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  Speaker 2: strengthen the law. And once again Natasha Fars and her
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  Speaker 2: government are more focused on strengthening the window or the
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  Speaker 2: building than they are in strengthening the law. It couldn't
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  Speaker 2: be further from what territories expected yesterday.
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  Speaker 1: Leah, can I ask you when it comes to the
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  Speaker 1: presumption of bail, you know, for for somebody who has
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  Speaker 1: used an edged weapon or where a knife is involved,
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  Speaker 1: what is your understanding exactly of what this review is
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  Speaker 1: going to look into and what could change.
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  Speaker 2: Well, it's a very limited review. The government has said
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  Speaker 2: they're only reviewing bow laws for offenses involving an edged weapon,
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  Speaker 2: which is, you know, things like a knife. But right now,
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  Speaker 2: right now, today is the law stands Katie. Offenders like that,
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  Speaker 2: violent offenders have a starting point of getting bailed. So
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  Speaker 2: are you saying in favor of bail?
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  Speaker 1: So the presumption is in favor of bail when somebody
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  Speaker 1: uses an edged weapon.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, currently under Labour's laws, that is how the law
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  Speaker 2: is today.
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  Speaker 1: Is there evidence to support that. I know that some
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  Speaker 1: people will be going hang on a sec is lea
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  Speaker 1: just saying that as a.
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  Speaker 2: Political act section eight of the ballet and have a
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  Speaker 2: little rate. It's very very simple. So yep, section eight.
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  Speaker 2: It's right there in black and white. Two years ago,
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  Speaker 2: literally almost to the day, Katie CLP put forward legislation
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  Speaker 2: to stop the revolving door of Valfa adult and neuth
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  Speaker 2: offenders and ultimately Natasha Philes and Labor voted it down. Now,
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  Speaker 2: Deklan Lavity's death was entirely preventable and avoidable, and ultimately
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  Speaker 2: his life, his death cannot be in vain. Natasha Philes
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  Speaker 2: had to show you leadership yesterday. The Parliament is sitting Katie.
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  Speaker 2: The Parliament are the people who change the laws. We
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  Speaker 2: are sitting for two weeks and yet she has no
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  Speaker 2: intention to bring any legislation to make people safe.
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  Speaker 1: So what do you think could be happening in Parliament today?
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  Speaker 1: Because I do want to point out that I know,
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  Speaker 1: you know, you've got the likes of Naja this morning
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  Speaker 1: speaking to the ABC, you've also got the likes of
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  Speaker 1: the Australian Lawyers Alliance saying that the Government should avoid
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  Speaker 1: knee jerk reactions and that bail restrictions will not necessarily
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  Speaker 1: reduce crime. But then you are saying the opposite, and
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  Speaker 1: I think you know in the middle since the community
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  Speaker 1: that's saying, we just want to see a reduction in
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  Speaker 1: violent offending and we don't want to be in a
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  Speaker 1: situation where lives are lost. So Leah, from your perspective,
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  Speaker 1: are you saying that the government could introduce legislation today
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  Speaker 1: that's not knee jerk, that could have an.
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  Speaker 2: Impact, without question. They should have done it on Tuesday, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: and instead they've spent the entire week playing politics. The
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  Speaker 2: behavior has been so appalling. They've been basking in the
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: glory of their bi election and victory. They've been spending
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: more time talking about me than talking about Territorians and
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: the issues important to them. We started yesterday with the
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: government prioritizing vaping as an issue.
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  Speaker 1: Let's step away from that for a sex So if
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  Speaker 1: we were because I one hundred percent listened to myself
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  Speaker 1: and I agree it was garbage some of the carry
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  Speaker 1: on that we heard in Parliament, and I made my
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  Speaker 1: point very well known to the Chief Minister yesterday when
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  Speaker 1: she was on the show. I was disgusted in some
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  Speaker 1: of what I was hearing in Parliament. But what I
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  Speaker 1: want to hear, I guess from you this morning, lear
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  Speaker 1: is alternatives. So if there was legislation that was going
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  Speaker 1: to be introduced today, what would it entail and what
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  Speaker 1: difference would it make to the community right now?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I think there should be bail reform to strengthen
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  Speaker 2: it so that there is not a presumption in favor
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  Speaker 2: of bail for violent offenders. So what that means for
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  Speaker 2: the community is if someone is a violent offender, offending
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  Speaker 2: with a weapon, violent in their nature, when they rock
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  Speaker 2: up to court, they start with a position of no bail.
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  Speaker 2: Because what's happening at the moment is these people are
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  Speaker 2: getting to court and the starting point for them is
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  Speaker 2: that they will be bailed, and that is a very
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  Speaker 2: different position to be in, and it is just reinforcing
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  Speaker 2: the fact that the rights of the offender are above
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  Speaker 2: the rights of the community to be safe. If you
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  Speaker 2: have a perpetrator who has shown such disregard for the
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  Speaker 2: law that they are offending in that serious way, why
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  Speaker 2: is it that our government is giving them the opportunity
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  Speaker 2: to be bailed. Be on the front floor to be
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  Speaker 2: getting bowed. We just absolutely don't agree with that, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: And in Parliament we actually asked the Chief Minister directly,
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  Speaker 2: we said, will you work with the CLP to strengthen
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  Speaker 2: bow our laws? And she laughed in our face. Katie,
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  Speaker 2: just laughed in our faith.
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  Speaker 1: So is there a way here, Leah, because like I'm
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  Speaker 1: hearing this across the board, I'm hearing it when I
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  Speaker 1: leave work in the afternoons. People are saying to me, Katie,
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  Speaker 1: I just want both sides of politics right now to
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  Speaker 1: put down, you know, to put down their weapons and
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  Speaker 1: work together so that we actually can see some really
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  Speaker 1: meaningful change. Can that happen, Well.
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  Speaker 2: It can happen from outside, Katie. But Natasha Files has refused.
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  Speaker 2: She refused in question time, and she refused again yesterday
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  Speaker 2: when we put it to her that we'd worked together.
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  Speaker 2: So Natasha Files has closed that door to work with us.
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  Speaker 2: But Katie, the time for a review into bail is over.
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  Speaker 2: The CLP do not think that a review is what's quiet,
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  Speaker 2: and neither does I heard Keesy epiric with you yesterday
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  Speaker 2: and so once again the COLP will lead from opposition
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  Speaker 2: and today Katie, I will instruct Parliamentary Counsel, who are
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  Speaker 2: the professional independent people that even the government have to
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  Speaker 2: use to get legislation drafted. I will instruct Parliamentary Council
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  Speaker 2: to draft a law that says violent offenders start with
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  Speaker 2: a position of no bail and once again we will
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  Speaker 2: show the community that we are responding to their concerns
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  Speaker 2: and community sentiment and we will get this done.
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  Speaker 1: So you are going to do that today, but Lea,
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  Speaker 1: I'm assuming that you're going to need the numbers from
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  Speaker 1: Labor as well for this to pass. Well.
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  Speaker 2: Will instruct Parliamentary Council today and they will advise us
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  Speaker 2: on how long it's going to take them to get
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  Speaker 2: that law drafted. Obviously, I am extremely hopeful that that
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  Speaker 2: could be done as soon as possible, so I will
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  Speaker 2: have more to tell the community once those conversations have
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  Speaker 2: been had. But ultimately this government is just commencing a review.
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  Speaker 2: There is no end in site to how long that's
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  Speaker 2: going to take, and then the preparation of legislation after that.
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  Speaker 2: I'd be surprised if we saw any change from Natasha
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  Speaker 2: files on bail before the end of this year, Katie.
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  Speaker 2: And that is too far away. It is too long.
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  Speaker 2: We have talked about the need for boar reform for many,
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  Speaker 2: many years. I stood in Parliament two years ago almost
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  Speaker 2: to the day, trying to do this and get this
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  Speaker 2: done and sort this issue for the people of the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory, and they voted it down and we will
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  Speaker 2: get up and we will try again.
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  Speaker 1: So Leah, with what you are going to be instructing
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  Speaker 1: Parliamentary Council today on and getting that advice on how
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  Speaker 1: long it's going to take. So basically what you are
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  Speaker 1: calling for or what you would like to see is
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  Speaker 1: legislation introduced that is no longer a presumption for bail
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  Speaker 1: for violent offending. Is that correct? So what kind of offenses?
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  Speaker 1: What kind offenses are we talking here? Because some you know,
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  Speaker 1: yesterday there was discussion when I had the Chief Minister
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  Speaker 1: on about okay, we're talking edged weapons, but about other
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  Speaker 1: kinds of weapons. What about when vehicles are used exactly?
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  Speaker 2: What about bats? What about just star pickets, pieces of
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  Speaker 2: wood that people find lying on the ground. You know,
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  Speaker 2: a pen, you know, a button knife, all of these
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  Speaker 2: all of these things can lead to severe carnage and
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  Speaker 2: ultimately can can kill people as well. Katie, I mean
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  Speaker 2: this is extremely serious stuff. So we want to make
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  Speaker 2: sure that the community can see tangible change moving forward
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  Speaker 2: from the Parliament. And unfortunately Natasha Farles's exercise in saving
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  Speaker 2: face yesterday has completely fallen flat because there is no detail,
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  Speaker 2: there is no haste, there is no prioritization of this
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  Speaker 2: is an issue. And to highlight that, I have to
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  Speaker 2: tell your listeners yesterday in question time, so the Opposition
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  Speaker 2: get half the questions. The Government get to ask themselves
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  Speaker 2: half the questions. That's how it works. Not a single
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  Speaker 2: Labor backbencher asked a question of any member of their
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  Speaker 2: ministry the government, not the Chief Minister. Not a single
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  Speaker 2: Labor member asked the Chief Minister any questions about this issue,
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  Speaker 2: about her announcement about how to keep the community safe,
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  Speaker 2: about crime. Nothing all the very first question from Labor
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  Speaker 2: yesterday and question time. If you can believe this was
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: on the jobs fund.
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  Speaker 1: Well, look, I think people probably will be surprised to
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  Speaker 1: hear that, Leah. Can I ask another aspect of this
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  Speaker 1: announcement is the increased presence of police. Yesterday Michael Murphy,
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: the Deputy Police Commissioner, said that we've got enough police.
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  Speaker 1: We know that Murray's small Page has previously said that
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  Speaker 1: we didn't throughout the coronial. Do you think that we
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  Speaker 1: do have enough police officers?
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely not, And ninety seven percent of police don't believe
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: there are enough police, and ninety seven percent of police
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  Speaker 2: don't believe government support them. I mean, this surge of
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: policing is absolutely welcomed, don't get me wrong. But where
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: are they going to come from? I heard earlier the
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: Police Commissioners that they've diverted Strikeforce Trident to be doing
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: this bottle shop proactive work. But Trident is our property
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: crime division, and so property crime remains an extremely significant
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: problem right across the Northern territory, and so if we're
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: diverting the police who deal with those issues into this
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  Speaker 2: other space, it's going to leave holes. And we asked
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: yesterday in Parliament around whether police would be taken from
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: our springs, which of course would be a disaster, and
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: the Police Minister was very quick to say no, they wouldn't,
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  Speaker 2: but only time will tell.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, LEAs Andocchiaro, we are going to have to
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: leave it there. Appreciate your time this morning, and I'll
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: be very interested to get some update on what you
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: are basically calling for. With this legislation and how quickly
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: it could indeed be drafted and where it goes from there.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we will absolutely keep everyone across this. We know
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: people are very very interested. We need tangible change. The
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: Chief Minister could walk in today and do it if
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: she wanted to, Katie, but she's not, so we'll have
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  Speaker 2: to take a different course of action and get it
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  Speaker 2: done from opposition.
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  Speaker 1: Leah Finocchio, thank you for your time today.
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  Speaker 2: Take care,