Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Chamber of Commerce CEO Greg Ireland says the Biz Secure updates tackle the outcome of the crime problem, and not the cause

Transcript

NT Chamber of Commerce CEO Greg Ireland says the Biz Secure updates tackle the outcome of the crime problem, and not the cause · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now, we were just talking with the hospitality CEO, Alex
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Bruce about the government making these changes yesterday to be
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: secure and a number of other initiatives in an effort
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: to try and curb some of the concerns that we've
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: got around crime and dante social behavior. Now joining me
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: on the line is the CEO of the Chamber of
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Commerce here in the Northern Territory, Greg Island. Good morning
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: to you, Greg, Good morning Katie.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Greg.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: We know that crime has been one of the biggest
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: issues facing some territory businesses for quite a while. Now.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: What was the reaction to the announcement yesterday.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: Look, I think generally people were pleased that there is
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: additional support available in the form of additional higher value
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: on secure opportunities as well as a greater contribution from government.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: It does have a real meaningful impact on people looking
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: to spend on their security and safety. But it's tackling
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: the outcome or the problem, not the cause of the problem.
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that is such a good point, you know, and
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: it's something that's been raised with me on numerous occasions
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: that you know that it is all fine and good
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: to you know, to get roller shutters on your business
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: or to secure it more. But at the end of
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: the day, if those crimes are still being committed and
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: if we you know, if we've still got that anti
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: social behavior happening, it's it's probably just going to move
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: the problem somewhere else, isn't it.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: Well, effectively, that's what's happening. It does shift the issue
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: from one location that has been overle to investing in
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: an outcome, it's one that haven't so likely that that
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: issue will still continue.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: Now I know that those changes to be secure they've
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: been welcomed and for some businesses it is certainly going
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: to help them to not maybe suffer the break ins
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: that they potentially already have been. What have they been
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: saying to you about the be secure changes.
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: Directly? The back has been that it helps. It's still
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: not covering the cost of a full solution, and I
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: don't think it was ever intended to cover that level
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: of work undertaken, but it certainly is a help. But
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: the overwhelming conversations that we're having are still around the
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: root cause of the issue. You know, we think that
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: the patrols that have been talked about again add value
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: in terms of hoping to divert people that are looking
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: for an excuse or an opportunity to cause some of
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: this havoc into some other programs. But you know, just
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: armind and Palmerston is one thing. But we're seeing these
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: issues all up and down the track and particularly as
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: we know in Central Australia.
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, Greg, do you think that enough has been
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: announced here when you talk about the issues that we're
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: seeing in central Australia.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: Nowhere near a Katie. The issues up and down the
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: track are just huge for people and business are highly
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: impacted by that. We've seen the last couple of days
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: twenty five plus cars just smashed, many of them ride offs,
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: council officers, general businesses broken into and have their livelihoods
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: trashed once again. So obviously it's a difficult issue and
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: one we've been talking about for many a day. We
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: certainly welcome the alignment now with Territory Families and nt
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: Police coming under Minister Warden. We've started those conversations as
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: soon as we were able to with her, and we're
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: looking forward to a lot better collaboration and a clear
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: understanding of what the root causes are here and look
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: forward to contributing to the potential outcomes less a silver bullet.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: No one's ever found one of those. No, it's a
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: long halfway to the outcome that we're looking for. I've
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: got to start somewhere, and it's got to start now.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: Just a smaller issue, there is one which has been
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: raised with us on numerous occasions about the roller doors.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: So when it comes to be secure with those grants
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: and people trying to secure their businesses, some businesses obviously
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: haven't been able to put roller doors on due to
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: different requirements when it comes to fires and those fire exits.
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: Is that something that's been raised through the chamber.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: Probably not directly through us, Katie, but it's certainly an
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: ongoing problem, and it stems back to the fact that
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: you've got to have free handle egress out of the
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: premises even after hours, which in some cases businesses have
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: been working on a ways to get around that for
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: many a year. I think there's got to be a
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: practicality if your business is not intended to be occupied
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: and it's been secured, you know, those fire regulations start
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: to not make a lot of sense in that particular case.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Yes, it time for a relook. Do you reckon it?
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: This one certainly needs to be considered with the direction
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: that everyone's going and creating that barrier at such a
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: hard level, it means that you're running an increase from
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: a fire safety perspective.
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Greg, we've had a bit of discussion this morning
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: as well about the BDR and whether it's time to
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: review that BDR or at the very least, I mean,
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: Alex Bruce had said a short time ago, at the
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: very least, try to make it better, have a look
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: at some different ways to make it better. What are
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: your thoughts on it?
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, look at Alex is probably the high level expert
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: in this particular field at the moment, but I certainly
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: do agree that we need to make sure that we're
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: getting value for the measures that are put in place,
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: and if we can't see the value, then everything needs
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: to be looked at. And then that's fairly on the list.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: Well, we always appreciate your time. Greg Island, the see
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: of the Chamber of Commerce, Thanks so much for having
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: a chat with us this morning.
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: No worries. I'm glad my strips all held out for
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: the entire conversation.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: Good on you, mate, I could hear that voice struggling
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: a bit. Thank you for your time this morning. I
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: appreciate it.