Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says the government will leave no stone unturned when it comes to addressing youth crime

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NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says the government will leave no stone unturned when it comes to addressing youth crime · 360 with Katie Woolf

0:00
Speaker 1: We've had an incredibly wet weekend.
0:01
Speaker 2: There is so much rain about even this morning, so
0:04
Speaker 2: if you are out on the road, please make sure
0:06
Speaker 2: that you've got those lights on and take care. But
0:09
Speaker 2: it has seen some flooding across some parts of the
0:12
Speaker 2: top End region. And joining me in the studio right
0:14
Speaker 2: now is the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory and
0:16
Speaker 2: Attasha Files.
0:17
Speaker 1: Good morning to you.
0:18
Speaker 3: Good morning, Katie, Good morning listeners.
0:20
Speaker 2: Now, Chief Minister, how are things looking across the Top
0:22
Speaker 2: End right now when it comes to flooding any areas
0:25
Speaker 2: of concern?
0:26
Speaker 4: Well, as you just said, and I think for anyone
0:27
Speaker 4: that just looks out the window, there's certainly very heavy
0:30
Speaker 4: rain about.
0:31
Speaker 3: We haven't seen significant flooding.
0:33
Speaker 4: There's been isolated flooding, so we do really encourage people
0:37
Speaker 4: to take care, slow down. Some of the roads have
0:40
Speaker 4: got water over them, they're still passable, and we're closely
0:44
Speaker 4: monitoring our communities, particularly that Victoria Daily Districts. There's no
0:50
Speaker 4: plans to evacuate the Daily River community presently, but as
0:53
Speaker 4: we know, Katie, things can change very rapidly, very quickly,
0:56
Speaker 4: and just like to acknowledge the Bureau of Meteorology and
0:59
Speaker 4: all of our workers that have worked through the weekend
1:02
Speaker 4: monitoring because it's not just about roads and getting about
1:05
Speaker 4: and evacuations but essential equipment, par and water for example,
1:08
Speaker 4: so monitoring flood levels, when to isolate things and turn
1:11
Speaker 4: things off.
1:12
Speaker 2: And so at this point in time, are we tracking
1:14
Speaker 2: along okay or are there certain areas or any areas
1:17
Speaker 2: that they've got a bit of concern with.
1:19
Speaker 4: So, as I just said, probably that Victoria Daily Districts
1:22
Speaker 4: are the ones we're watching closely. Things are just at
1:25
Speaker 4: a minor and moderate level presently, so there's not any
1:28
Speaker 4: specific concerns or messaging to evacuate, but things can change quickly,
1:32
Speaker 4: so our officials are closely monitoring these situations.
1:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, we'll keep a very close eye on things. And
1:37
Speaker 2: certainly for any of our listeners, if you are heading
1:39
Speaker 2: about anywhere, jump on the Secure and Tea website. You
1:42
Speaker 2: can find all the information on the in terms of
1:44
Speaker 2: flooding across the roads and that kind of thing. But
1:47
Speaker 2: please take care if you are driving around this morning. Now,
1:51
Speaker 2: Chief Minister, let's move along to another issue which is
1:53
Speaker 2: impacting territorians and a shocking incident that's left a senior
1:57
Speaker 2: volunteer shaken after three ten ages armed with a large
2:01
Speaker 2: stick stormed the Palmeston Red Cross shop late last week. Now,
2:05
Speaker 2: despite putting up a fight, they stole the elderly woman's
2:09
Speaker 2: car before crashing it in Molden. The vision from the
2:12
Speaker 2: incident which happened on Thursday and saw these teenagers dodging
2:15
Speaker 2: and weaving through traffic around the Greater Darwin region.
2:19
Speaker 1: It's shocking. Staff.
2:21
Speaker 2: Have you watched that vision and seen the way that
2:22
Speaker 2: that stolen car was being driven around Darwit?
2:25
Speaker 4: Okay, I haven't seen the vision yet, but I will
2:27
Speaker 4: make sure that I see it. But it's not acceptable behavior.
2:29
Speaker 4: It won't be tolerated. It's appalling, particularly someone that's giving
2:32
Speaker 4: up their time to volunteer and support our community and
2:36
Speaker 4: someone that is more vulnerable being an older person.
2:38
Speaker 2: I mean, how do you feel like knowing that you've
2:42
Speaker 2: then got a situation where there's these three elderly women
2:45
Speaker 2: that are volunteering in the Red Cross, giving up their
2:48
Speaker 2: time for the community, and then you've got three kids,
2:51
Speaker 2: one of them allegedly only thirteen, holding up those volunteers
2:55
Speaker 2: with a stick.
2:56
Speaker 1: My understanding is that there was also a knife involved.
3:00
Speaker 2: I've spoken over the weekend and we are going to
3:02
Speaker 2: be catching up with that victim's daughter shortly, but you know,
3:05
Speaker 2: they're incredibly shaken, like that's life changing stuff for all
3:09
Speaker 2: the wrong reasons. And my understanding is that two of
3:12
Speaker 2: those kids had ankle monitoring bracelets on as well, So
3:16
Speaker 2: like I think, to me, it sort of encapsulates exactly
3:19
Speaker 2: the frustrations that a lot of Territorians have got right now.
3:22
Speaker 4: It makes me sick to my stomach, Katie. And it's unacceptable,
3:25
Speaker 4: and it's where as our society got to when young
3:29
Speaker 4: people feel that it is okay to have this type
3:32
Speaker 4: of behavior on vulnerable people. And I talk to them
3:35
Speaker 4: about being vulnerable because they are older, they're not as agile.
3:38
Speaker 4: There is no excuse for it on anyone, but I
3:40
Speaker 4: think it is particularly cowardly to do that to older
3:43
Speaker 4: people who are just trying to give back to the community,
3:46
Speaker 4: keep themselves active and engaged in the community. Those young people,
3:50
Speaker 4: I understand, have been arrested, Katie, and it's before the courts,
3:53
Speaker 4: but absolutely appalling behavior.
3:55
Speaker 2: Do you think that there are any measures or meaningful
3:57
Speaker 2: changes that the government could be doing right now to
4:01
Speaker 2: try and make a difference to minimize the impact of
4:04
Speaker 2: this kind of crime, but also to minimize it from
4:07
Speaker 2: happening in the first place. And I don't mean, I
4:09
Speaker 2: know there's a lot of long term work going on.
4:11
Speaker 2: I don't think our listeners sort of need to rehear that,
4:14
Speaker 2: but anything meaningful that could be happening immediately to really
4:19
Speaker 2: try to help the community at the moment.
4:21
Speaker 4: Absolutely, Katie, we will not give up. We will leave
4:24
Speaker 4: no stone unturned in tackling these issues. And it comes
4:27
Speaker 4: back to that point, then when did society start to
4:30
Speaker 4: accept that behavior and when did young people, you know,
4:33
Speaker 4: start to think that that was okay. But there absolutely
4:36
Speaker 4: is measures in place, and we'll continue to work on them.
4:39
Speaker 4: And that's around working with families when children start to
4:42
Speaker 4: become risky, making sure that young people are engaged at school,
4:45
Speaker 4: and then if they do get caught up in our
4:47
Speaker 4: youth justice system, making sure they understand the consequences of
4:50
Speaker 4: their behavior and the impact it has on our community.
4:53
Speaker 2: I guess the thing is, you know, a society hasn't
4:55
Speaker 2: accepted it. The whole community is screaming out at the moment.
4:58
Speaker 2: They're really frustrated, really upset with what is going on,
5:00
Speaker 2: and you know, you know, to then here that two
5:04
Speaker 2: of them did have ankle monitoring bracelets on, and then
5:07
Speaker 2: that they've gone and done this, I think is the
5:10
Speaker 2: really frightening and mortifying part.
5:12
Speaker 4: So, Katie, we have amended the Bail Act to expand
5:15
Speaker 4: the list of prescribed defenses, and so that means there's
5:17
Speaker 4: no presumption of bail given to offenses such as unlawful entry,
5:21
Speaker 4: unlawful use of a motor vehicle, assault of a worker,
5:23
Speaker 4: assault of police, and other serious offenses we have also
5:27
Speaker 4: around and you know, I have to be.
5:29
Speaker 2: So from your understanding, they would now have been arrested
5:31
Speaker 2: and they'll be back in don Dale.
5:33
Speaker 4: So Katie, that would be my understanding, and police would
5:36
Speaker 4: be able to give you that specific But we've expanded
5:38
Speaker 4: that list of prescribed defenses where there is no presumption
5:41
Speaker 4: of bail around this type of behavior, and.
5:44
Speaker 2: Like the theft of a vehicle is one of those things. Correct, Okay,
5:47
Speaker 2: So do you feel as though at this point in
5:49
Speaker 2: time there's anything else that could be strengthened in an
5:51
Speaker 2: effort to try to help the community.
5:53
Speaker 4: Katie, if it's evidence based, absolutely, so. We need to
5:57
Speaker 4: make sure that the measures we put in place will
5:59
Speaker 4: drive change. So we have explanded the use of electronic
6:02
Speaker 4: monitoring by police, so police have the ability to utilize
6:06
Speaker 4: electronic monitoring on a youth. So there is things that
6:10
Speaker 4: we have done and we will continue to do into
6:12
Speaker 4: the future. And these issues are complicated. They are looking
6:16
Speaker 4: at that individual youth and the circumstances around the offenses
6:20
Speaker 4: that have been allegedly committed and also that young person's history.
6:24
Speaker 2: All Right, I guess you know the thing is right
6:27
Speaker 2: now and you know this, I think I've said it
6:29
Speaker 2: to you on so many occasions that people are just
6:31
Speaker 2: incredibly frustrated and the incidents continue to keep happening, and
6:35
Speaker 2: I guess what they're wanting to see from the government
6:37
Speaker 2: is some you know, some really strong sort of movement
6:42
Speaker 2: in this space so that we try to minimize the
6:44
Speaker 2: impact that it is having on everyday territories.
6:48
Speaker 3: Katie.
6:48
Speaker 4: So there's forty five young people I understand in youth
6:51
Speaker 4: detention in the Northern Territory, and so that will be
6:53
Speaker 4: some young people on remand, and that'll be some being
6:56
Speaker 4: held on remand for breach of bail conditions. So there
6:59
Speaker 4: is absolutely young people being held to account for their
7:02
Speaker 4: behavior in the Northern Territory.
7:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, look, I get that.
7:05
Speaker 3: I suppose.
7:06
Speaker 2: What I'm trying to say, and I said the same
7:08
Speaker 2: thing to Kate Warden on Friday, is that you know,
7:11
Speaker 2: nobody's sort of expectation here is, hey, we need to
7:13
Speaker 2: throw everybody.
7:14
Speaker 1: In jail and you know, throw away the key.
7:17
Speaker 2: It's that they just want to see some change to
7:19
Speaker 2: the way that things are happening right now. They want
7:21
Speaker 2: to see that there is some positive movement in the
7:24
Speaker 2: right direction for an elderly volunteer to not have to
7:28
Speaker 2: worry about whether she's going to get robbed when she
7:30
Speaker 2: goes to work.
7:32
Speaker 4: And Katie, the work that's taken place on Grood Island,
7:34
Speaker 4: I think is a good example that we need to
7:37
Speaker 4: work with across the Northern territory. So they have reduced
7:40
Speaker 4: the interactions of young people being arrested from in the
7:43
Speaker 4: five hundreds down to around twenty I understand, in a year.
7:47
Speaker 4: And they've done that through engaging local leadership, having programs
7:51
Speaker 4: in place identifying the risky behavior because we don't want
7:54
Speaker 4: it to become criminals.
7:55
Speaker 2: So I have heard that, and I've seen that, and
7:57
Speaker 2: I'm interested to see that. You know that we're able
7:59
Speaker 2: to get the because of how many kids were interacting
8:01
Speaker 2: with the police, because I'd be interested to see those
8:03
Speaker 2: figures for the likes of Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs
8:06
Speaker 2: as well, so that then we can gauge whether what's
8:09
Speaker 2: actually what's actually happening.
8:10
Speaker 1: At the moment is working or not.
8:12
Speaker 2: But I'd be also, you know, interested to see at
8:15
Speaker 2: some point, if that is happening on grout, whether anything
8:19
Speaker 2: like that can actually be you know, can be replicated
8:22
Speaker 2: in other parts of the Northern Territory, i e.
8:24
Speaker 1: Darwin and Alice Springs.
8:26
Speaker 4: Absolutely and the basis for that, and I'll seek advice
8:29
Speaker 4: on those figures, Katie. But god Island has taken a
8:31
Speaker 4: local decision making approach, so they've got leadership on that
8:34
Speaker 4: community that have said we know, to have the generational
8:37
Speaker 4: change we need and to stop the behavior now, we
8:40
Speaker 4: have to have that leadership.
8:41
Speaker 2: And so how do you do something like that though
8:43
Speaker 2: in Darwin, where you don't actually have you know, a
8:46
Speaker 2: specific family or a few specific families that are in
8:49
Speaker 2: a community that are able to bring together everybody to
8:53
Speaker 2: make that kind of change. Like I guess in somewhere
8:55
Speaker 2: like Darwin or Palmerston, you're talking about a lot of
8:59
Speaker 2: different groups people that maybe you don't have that same
9:02
Speaker 2: kind of leadership to be able to do that.
9:04
Speaker 4: Katie, I think you can still do it because these
9:06
Speaker 4: individuals their families are known, sadly within our system. And
9:10
Speaker 4: so that's the work that is undertaken, the grinding, hard work,
9:14
Speaker 4: and it's around putting in place in evidence based approaches.
9:17
Speaker 4: So we had a Royal Commission into the detention of
9:20
Speaker 4: young people, and many people get caught up in the
9:22
Speaker 4: headline of building a new don Dale, but that Royal
9:24
Speaker 4: Commission did outline to us based on evidence, based on
9:27
Speaker 4: all the presentations and people attending that the measures that
9:31
Speaker 4: don't work and the measures that do work.
9:33
Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess.
9:33
Speaker 2: So we're so many years since that Royal Commission now
9:36
Speaker 2: and it doesn't seem to have gotten better.
9:38
Speaker 1: It seems to have gotten worse.
9:40
Speaker 4: So, Katie, in terms of young people, we know that
9:42
Speaker 4: there's more young people, that they're not the same young people,
9:46
Speaker 4: and that's obviously disappointing because there's more. But in saying that,
9:50
Speaker 4: it also highlights to us that the young people we
9:52
Speaker 4: do engage with and we do put that evidence based approach,
9:55
Speaker 4: we will see them reform their behavior.
9:57
Speaker 1: All Right, I'm going to move along because there is
9:59
Speaker 1: a to get through.
10:00
Speaker 2: This morning and on Friday, the Police Association president joined
10:03
Speaker 2: us on the show after the release of their latest
10:06
Speaker 2: survey results. So Paul McHugh said that the results should
10:09
Speaker 2: be of enormous concern to the Northern Territory Government as
10:12
Speaker 2: well as the Northern Territory Police Commissioner, with more than
10:16
Speaker 2: ninety seven percent of Territory police saying that they do
10:19
Speaker 2: not believe that there are enough police officers on the
10:22
Speaker 2: ground to do what's being asked of them.
10:24
Speaker 1: Do you think we've got enough police?
10:26
Speaker 4: So, Katie absolutely respect the Northern Charritory Police Association, the
10:30
Speaker 4: Minister for Police and myself talked to Paul mcew as
10:32
Speaker 4: the executive and the leader of the association and we
10:35
Speaker 4: take these survey results very seriously. I guess Katie, for me,
10:38
Speaker 4: police have had a significant increase in budget one hundred
10:42
Speaker 4: and twenty million extra budget since we came to government
10:45
Speaker 4: yet to have offices, and I absolutely believe what they're
10:48
Speaker 4: saying to say that they don't feel there's enough police
10:50
Speaker 4: and they're not being supported.
10:52
Speaker 3: We certainly have more work to do.
10:54
Speaker 1: So do you think we've got enough police.
10:56
Speaker 4: So, Katie, from my perspective, we provide that budget and
10:59
Speaker 4: that overall figure has increased, and that one hundred and
11:01
Speaker 4: twenty million, just to put it in context for your listeners,
11:03
Speaker 4: is over thirty percent increased to the police budget since
11:06
Speaker 4: we've come to government. But to have offices say that
11:09
Speaker 4: they don't feel supported, we absolutely have more work to do.
11:12
Speaker 2: So I guess it's a pretty simple question though, do
11:14
Speaker 2: we have enough police? From your perspective, like, I know
11:17
Speaker 2: that you're saying we've got a big budget there, but
11:19
Speaker 2: if they're saying they don't feel there's enough of them
11:21
Speaker 2: to be able to do the job that's being asked.
11:23
Speaker 2: If them you're saying they've got a big budget, it
11:26
Speaker 2: sounds as though you do think they are enough polics.
11:28
Speaker 4: So Katie, the police commissioner operationalizes that budget, so he
11:31
Speaker 4: puts the allocation where it needs to go. I know
11:35
Speaker 4: that we have a number of police, Katie, that are
11:38
Speaker 4: caught up and not working, perhaps in frontline roles, and
11:41
Speaker 4: I absolutely respect their health and wellbeing. We need to
11:44
Speaker 4: work so radatically, Katie, Yes, and I think that we
11:47
Speaker 4: need to. When someone is unwell, absolutely that has to
11:50
Speaker 4: be respected. But we need some longer term plans because
11:53
Speaker 4: we can't. I guess where I'm coming to it is
11:55
Speaker 4: if you working in a team and there's an allocation
11:58
Speaker 4: of people, but you've got a percentage who unwell, then
12:01
Speaker 4: that team can't be functioning at the level that it
12:03
Speaker 4: is required.
12:04
Speaker 1: So many are we talking.
12:06
Speaker 3: I don't have the specific Katie, but I understand.
12:08
Speaker 1: There is twenties one hundred.
12:10
Speaker 4: There is a significant number of police, and that's something
12:13
Speaker 4: that through wellbeing work that's being undertaken. And I absolutely,
12:18
Speaker 4: with respect they are unwell with valid reasons, but we
12:22
Speaker 4: just need to work through those factors.
12:24
Speaker 1: There must be a lot though for it to be
12:26
Speaker 1: having that kind of impact.
12:27
Speaker 4: So I don't have the figure in front of me.
12:29
Speaker 4: I apologize, but there is certainly a significant amount of
12:32
Speaker 4: police who are not rostered on, so to speak.
12:36
Speaker 1: I must have an idea though if it's sort of
12:38
Speaker 1: in the teens or in the hundred.
12:39
Speaker 4: It's in a couple of hundred KTI, so it's and
12:42
Speaker 4: so it's looking at all these factors, and I guess
12:45
Speaker 4: so from government's perspective, we provide budgets to chief executives
12:49
Speaker 4: and they come up with a plan and We're absolutely
12:52
Speaker 4: involved as line ministers and Minister Warden's been doing an
12:54
Speaker 4: enormous amount of work ensuring that police have the operational
12:57
Speaker 4: resources to do their job. But I think that getting
13:00
Speaker 4: our police, you know, that support so that they can
13:03
Speaker 4: be working as important.
13:04
Speaker 2: If we have literally if we're in a situation in
13:06
Speaker 2: the Northern Territory right now where there is hundreds of
13:09
Speaker 2: officers that are on sick or mental health leave, what.
13:13
Speaker 1: Does that say to you?
13:15
Speaker 4: So, Katie, this is something that wellbeing aspect that we
13:18
Speaker 4: have to work through. Policing is a very difficult job
13:22
Speaker 4: when we're running away from a crisis or a situation.
13:24
Speaker 4: Police are running in and we need to make sure
13:26
Speaker 4: that they are supported, and that is the work that
13:29
Speaker 4: is being undertaken around ensuring that well being and mental health.
13:32
Speaker 3: Supports are there.
13:33
Speaker 4: To me that actually all of these people, Katie, are
13:35
Speaker 4: off on mental health or wellbeing leaf. But I think
13:38
Speaker 4: that we and what I'm saying is we provide the budget,
13:41
Speaker 4: the Chief Executive sets how the force operates, and I
13:45
Speaker 4: think we need to where absolutely will provide whatever resource
13:49
Speaker 4: we can to the police force, but we need to
13:52
Speaker 4: understand the frontline situation and that's the work that Minister
13:55
Speaker 4: Warden is doing with Paul mceu as the Police Association president.
13:58
Speaker 2: I mean, at the moment, if we we've got more
14:00
Speaker 2: than twelve hundred responders, about three quarters of the membership
14:04
Speaker 2: of that Police Association membership also like ninety seven percent
14:09
Speaker 2: of them saying that they do not feel supported by the.
14:12
Speaker 1: Northern Territory government.
14:14
Speaker 2: That must be of concern to you given the very
14:17
Speaker 2: difficult and important job that they've got.
14:19
Speaker 4: Absolutely, and so Minister Warden is meeting with the Police
14:22
Speaker 4: Association this week. She speaks to pom Acute regularly, she
14:25
Speaker 4: meets with him regularly and he'll fully brief her on
14:28
Speaker 4: these survey results. But she since taking on that portfolio
14:32
Speaker 4: last year as the Minister, has done an enormous amount
14:34
Speaker 4: of work, not just in the urban areas, but getting
14:37
Speaker 4: out right across the Northern Territory to understand the force,
14:40
Speaker 4: understand the police role and how we can best support them.
14:44
Speaker 2: If we're literally in a situation right now though where
14:47
Speaker 2: there is hundreds of police officers on sick lave or
14:50
Speaker 2: it's in the hundreds, noting that I don't have that
14:53
Speaker 2: actual figure, and some of those it is due to
14:56
Speaker 2: mental health concerns, not all of them, as you've pointed
15:00
Speaker 2: it out. But then we've also got you know, a
15:02
Speaker 2: ninety seven percent of our police force saying that they
15:04
Speaker 2: don't believe there's enough of them to do what's being
15:07
Speaker 2: asked of them. You've got you know, nearly ninety seven
15:10
Speaker 2: percent saying that don't feel supported by the Northern Territory government,
15:14
Speaker 2: eighty percent saying that they're rating.
15:16
Speaker 1: Morale as low or very low.
15:20
Speaker 2: To me, it seems like things are seriously broken right
15:22
Speaker 2: now within the Northern Territory Police.
15:24
Speaker 4: I think that, first of all, I would like to
15:27
Speaker 4: say that the police force do an amazing job each
15:29
Speaker 4: and every day. They are out there right across the
15:31
Speaker 4: Northern Territory and very difficult circumstances.
15:33
Speaker 3: We do have a highly functioning police force.
15:36
Speaker 4: But I think there is absolutely from those survey results
15:39
Speaker 4: and also the conversations that the Minister for Police and
15:41
Speaker 4: I have with different.
15:42
Speaker 3: People, there's absolutely more work we have.
15:44
Speaker 4: To do around supporting our frontline workers to make sure
15:48
Speaker 4: and it's complex work, Katie, it's shift work. They have
15:50
Speaker 4: to move around the territory, they have to deploy for
15:53
Speaker 4: periods of time. We need to support them and their
15:55
Speaker 4: families so that it's a career of choice in the
15:59
Speaker 4: Northern Territory.
16:00
Speaker 2: Now. The Opposition leader Leafanocchiro, she came out swinging about
16:04
Speaker 2: this on Friday, saying that you need to sack the
16:06
Speaker 2: Police Minister, that you need to call an immediate inquiry
16:09
Speaker 2: into our police force and make an immediate plan to
16:12
Speaker 2: strengthen laws to support our community and our police force.
16:16
Speaker 2: Chief Minister, does the Police Minister still have your full support?
16:19
Speaker 3: Absolutely?
16:20
Speaker 4: She is working so diligently in this space, and not
16:23
Speaker 4: only working with the Police Executive, the Commissioner and his team,
16:26
Speaker 4: but also with the Police Association and has been doing so.
16:31
Speaker 4: And I just pointed to getting right out across the
16:33
Speaker 4: Northern Territory to different police stations, talking with the offices
16:37
Speaker 4: on the ground.
16:38
Speaker 2: Everybody sort of said, like you know, everyone was saying
16:41
Speaker 2: all of those right things though after the last survey.
16:44
Speaker 2: Now as a result, like after that last survey, things
16:47
Speaker 2: haven't gotten better, they've actually gotten slave deteriorated.
16:50
Speaker 4: So, Katie, some of this work will take time to change.
16:54
Speaker 4: But as I've said, the Minister will be fully briefed
16:56
Speaker 4: on this survey results and we'll keep working with the
16:59
Speaker 4: Police Association and also that Police Executive and the role
17:02
Speaker 4: they have in this.
17:03
Speaker 2: Do you still fully support the Police Commissioner. Yes, so
17:07
Speaker 2: no changes in terms of the leadership. You feel as
17:11
Speaker 2: though the leadership within the Police Executive and also in
17:13
Speaker 2: terms of your minister are exactly where they need to be.
17:17
Speaker 2: But you've got the Police Association saying that you know
17:20
Speaker 2: that these results should be of serious concern to the
17:23
Speaker 2: Northern Territory government and to the Police Commissioner.
17:26
Speaker 4: Yes, and I am acknowledging there is more work to
17:29
Speaker 4: be done. Providing the budget is one aspect, but ensuring
17:33
Speaker 4: that we have a modern police force that supports the
17:35
Speaker 4: officers working in that force as well as the community
17:38
Speaker 4: is the highest priority.
17:40
Speaker 2: I know that, you know people are going to be listening.
17:41
Speaker 2: They will have heard us speaking about the issues with crime.
17:44
Speaker 2: Then they'll now hear us speaking about these survey results,
17:47
Speaker 2: and you know they're probably thinking, despite the fact that
17:51
Speaker 2: crime is seen as the biggest issue that we've got
17:53
Speaker 2: right now to a large number of Territorians, you know,
17:56
Speaker 2: those crime stats continue to rise in areas like break
17:59
Speaker 2: ins to home and businesses. And then you've got the
18:02
Speaker 2: police saying that there's not enough of them to do
18:04
Speaker 2: what's being asked of them, but you still feel you've
18:07
Speaker 2: got the right people in leadership roles. There's going to
18:09
Speaker 2: be a lot of people scratching their heads listening this morning.
18:12
Speaker 4: I do, Katie, and we'll continue to work in this space,
18:15
Speaker 4: will continue to make sure that we provide resources, that
18:18
Speaker 4: we're agile in the space, that we have the services
18:21
Speaker 4: that support not only polices work, but also our community
18:24
Speaker 4: more broadly to tackle these issues.
18:26
Speaker 2: Do you think that there needs to be some kind
18:28
Speaker 2: of inquiry into the police force.
18:30
Speaker 4: I think we know what we need to do. We
18:31
Speaker 4: just need to get on with the job of supporting
18:33
Speaker 4: our police officers. There is a number of issues that
18:36
Speaker 4: are being worked through in consultation with the Police Association
18:39
Speaker 4: and the executive and I don't think people want to
18:41
Speaker 4: see another talk fest.
18:42
Speaker 3: They just want us getting on with it.
18:43
Speaker 2: I will say, though, I know that you'd said that
18:45
Speaker 2: after the last survey results came out and after the
18:48
Speaker 2: last time that the opposition had called for it. Now
18:50
Speaker 2: I don't necessarily know whether there does need to be
18:52
Speaker 2: an inquiry or not, but what I do know is
18:54
Speaker 2: that people are really fed up with the situation around
18:57
Speaker 2: crime the police force is really fed up by the
18:59
Speaker 2: look of these survey results. The government's saying they've got
19:03
Speaker 2: all the right policy settings, but all the while nothing's improving.
19:07
Speaker 4: So Katie, I'm not saying that there won't be changed
19:09
Speaker 4: in policy settings or legislation or allocation of budget or resources.
19:13
Speaker 4: Absolutely that can change. But what I'm saying is we
19:16
Speaker 4: don't need to have another talk fest. We don't need
19:17
Speaker 4: to have another inquiry that costs millions of dollars. We
19:20
Speaker 4: need to make sure that we listen to the information
19:23
Speaker 4: we have and we act upon that and that's what
19:25
Speaker 4: we're doing.
19:26
Speaker 1: How did you act upon the last survey results?
19:28
Speaker 4: So, Katie, there has been work undertaken, particularly around well being.
19:32
Speaker 4: The Executive, which is the Police Commission and his team
19:35
Speaker 4: have been working through how we can support our police
19:38
Speaker 4: in their well being and their mental health in their
19:40
Speaker 4: day to day job. That work has continued. There'd be
19:43
Speaker 4: numerous examples.
19:44
Speaker 2: So you don't think there needs to be any kind
19:46
Speaker 2: of inquiry, but you are confident that things are going
19:49
Speaker 2: to turn around within these concerns that are being raised within.
19:53
Speaker 1: The police force.
19:54
Speaker 2: Yes, hasn't offer been put on the table for police
19:57
Speaker 2: in terms of their pay negotiations, so we're.
19:59
Speaker 4: Working closely with them around the EBA. I met with
20:03
Speaker 4: the Police Association President Paul mceuwe. I think it was
20:05
Speaker 4: just before Christmas. We're both keen to see this resolved
20:09
Speaker 4: to give our offices not just a pay increase, but
20:12
Speaker 4: also the other aspects.
20:14
Speaker 3: That come with a new BBA.
20:15
Speaker 4: And many people get fixated on the financial but an
20:18
Speaker 4: EBA is an opportunity to renegotiate different parameters and working environments,
20:22
Speaker 4: and we're both keen to see that happen.
20:23
Speaker 1: Are you far away from that happening, Katie.
20:25
Speaker 4: I would have to seek advice from ACP, but there's
20:27
Speaker 4: been ongoing conversations around the Police Association EBA. We saw
20:31
Speaker 4: the teachers signed off just before Christmas, so we'll continue
20:34
Speaker 4: to work in that space.
20:35
Speaker 2: We are out of time, but I do just want
20:37
Speaker 2: to ask you, is there a bit of an update
20:38
Speaker 2: on what's going on in Alice Springs in terms.
20:41
Speaker 1: Of the NGOs.
20:42
Speaker 2: There was work happening looking at some of the work
20:45
Speaker 2: that they are doing and whether the funding that's been
20:48
Speaker 2: provided to them at the moment is sort of beneficial.
20:50
Speaker 1: I guess if they're meeting their KPIs.
20:52
Speaker 4: Yeah, Katie, so I think you're referring to the program
20:54
Speaker 4: and the service mapping, so looking at what's in place,
20:56
Speaker 4: what can be expanded, what perhaps is missing, what needs
20:59
Speaker 4: to be changed. But Darrell Anderson, she had senior officials
21:03
Speaker 4: from the Northern Territory government supporting her last week in
21:06
Speaker 4: Aarl Springs. I was briefed, I understand that Australian government
21:08
Speaker 4: officials are heading there to be you know, this is
21:12
Speaker 4: Australian and Northern Territory government working together.
21:14
Speaker 3: But yes, that works continuing and.
21:16
Speaker 2: So how soon are we expecting that some of that
21:18
Speaker 2: money is sort of going to be allocated to different areas?
21:21
Speaker 4: So Katie, there is already money and programs in place,
21:24
Speaker 4: and we can change those. And then my understanding is
21:27
Speaker 4: the turn in and fifty million dollars will start to
21:28
Speaker 4: flow from the first of July. But there's already money
21:31
Speaker 4: from both the Territory and Comnwealth government there. If we
21:34
Speaker 4: need to change that, we can do so.
21:36
Speaker 1: All right, We're going to have to leave it there.
21:37
Speaker 2: Chief Ministerrez always, thanks very much for your time this morning.
21:40
Speaker 3: Thank you