Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says temporary alcohol restrictions aim to reduce grog in Alice Springs and free up police to tackle crime

Transcript

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says temporary alcohol restrictions aim to reduce grog in Alice Springs and free up police to tackle crime · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, the Northern Territory government has been embarrassed on a
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: national scale. We did put in a request to speak
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: to the Prime Minister this morning, but he's not available
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: to speak to you. And quite honestly, I can't believe
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: that he didn't spend the night in Alice Springs, flying
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: in for five hours. Hardly a true understanding of the
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: issues when you swoop in like that. Now, I will
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: say that the Chief Minister, Natasha Files is on a
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: plane from Alice Springs back to Darwin right now. But
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: I interviewed her a short time ago before she boarded
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  Speaker 1: that flight. Here's what she had to say, Chief Minister,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: thanks for taking the time to speak with us this morning.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie. Good morning listening.
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  Speaker 1: Now, the crime crisis in Alice Springs is not something new,
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  Speaker 1: but locals say that they've never seen crime as bad
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: as it is right now. Do you finally concede that
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: we are at crisis point?
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  Speaker 2: So the community is asked for the government to step
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: in with a range of solutions and try things differently,
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  Speaker 2: and that is exactly what we're doing now.
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  Speaker 1: Yesterday, you obviously and outce these new restrictions. When it
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: comes to take away alcohol along with the Prime Minister
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: Anthony Albanezi. Essentially, we're going to be in a situation
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: where Monday and Tuesdays will be takeaway alcohol free days.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: In Alice Springs, there's going to be alcohol reduced hours
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: on the remaining days from three pm until seven pm
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  Speaker 1: only for takeaway alcohol. The government's going to also introduce
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: one transaction per person each day, doing so immediately through
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: the Band Drinker Register. These restrictions on the purchase of
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  Speaker 1: alcohol are going to be in place for three months.
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  Speaker 1: How do you think this is going to help?
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, talking to police here on the ground in
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  Speaker 2: Central Australia, we already have a number of supply restrictions
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: around alcohol, but they believe that these immediate restrictions will
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  Speaker 2: reduce the amount of alcohol in the community, allowing them
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  Speaker 2: to focus on the antisocial behavior, crime and other issues
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  Speaker 2: in the community. So it's about restricting the amount of
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  Speaker 2: takeaway alcohol into the community.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: There are a lot of people right now that have
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  Speaker 1: big concerns that these changes you announced yesterday though, are
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: actually going to cause further issues for locals. For example,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: people are saying that they're expecting to see homes being
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  Speaker 1: broken into as people get desperate to get their hands
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: on alcohol.
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we do have rehabilitation and support measures, but police,
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  Speaker 2: these measures and these timeframes were worked through with police
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  Speaker 2: at the table and they believe they will be effective
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  Speaker 2: in reducing the alcohol related harm in our community and
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  Speaker 2: so that is what we're focused on.
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  Speaker 1: So are they going to need to surge on those days?
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  Speaker 1: I mean, are you expecting that there's going to be
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: a pickup in crime on Mondays and Tuesdays when people
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  Speaker 1: can't go and just purchase alcohol.
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  Speaker 2: So what we did see last weekend, Katie, was that
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  Speaker 2: the police shut down the two outlets that do trade
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  Speaker 2: on Sunday and so they had an opportunity to see
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  Speaker 2: without the alcohol in the community what the impact was
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  Speaker 2: and that gives our push down harm in the community.
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  Speaker 2: So they believe these measures will help them. It's a
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  Speaker 2: short term measure we needed to do something I think immediate,
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: but we will work through a detailed alcohol management plan
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  Speaker 2: for the community. But alcohol is one part of this problem, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: but this certainly on the advisor police will provide them
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  Speaker 2: with the ability to focus on those other issues.
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  Speaker 1: Well, you're dead right. There is a huge number of
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: different factors that we've got to take into play here.
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  Speaker 1: But I just want to stick with the alcohol for
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: a moment. Why have you gone down this path instead
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: of reinstating the Stronger Futures legislation.
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, listeners need to understand the Stronger Futures legislation
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  Speaker 2: was Commonwealth legislation. Peter Dutton was a part of a
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: cabinet that did nothing.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, right, but you were at the table yesterday. You're
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: at the table yesterday with the Prime Minister. Surely you
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: guys could sit down and go okay. We've got the
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: likes of the CEO of the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress,
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: Donna Archi, telling media that the grog bands need to
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: be reintroduced. She told sky News yesterday that there's absolutely
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  Speaker 1: a crisis and that something needed to be done immediately.
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  Speaker 1: She's not the only one saying that the Stronger Futures
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  Speaker 1: legislation and needs to be reintroduced. Why don't you sit
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: down with the federal government and seriously consider reintroducing this.
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  Speaker 2: That was done yesterday, Katie. But additionally, we have put
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  Speaker 2: in place immediate measures on top of the measures that
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  Speaker 2: were already in place, So we know that some community
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  Speaker 2: is opted in, but what we have been as community
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: say we don't want to opt in, and there has
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: been conversations around that, around who should be listened to.
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  Speaker 2: So what we will do is we have put in
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  Speaker 2: place immediate supply restrictions and we will do a detailed
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  Speaker 2: alcohol management plan. And Katie, whether we need to almost
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: take that out to a ballot to the people of
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  Speaker 2: these remote communities and make sure everyone has their voice
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  Speaker 2: heard so that we can settle that opt out issue
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  Speaker 2: once and for all.
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  Speaker 1: Are we're seriously considering a ballot here? I mean, can't
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  Speaker 1: shouldn't our Chief Minister and our Prime Minister be able
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  Speaker 1: to sit down at the table and go all right,
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  Speaker 1: let's look at the evidence here. Let's look at the
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  Speaker 1: fact that the police commissioner was out yesterday and said
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  Speaker 1: that we have seen an in increase in alcohol fueled crime.
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  Speaker 1: Shouldn't that be enough to actually reconsider, you know, making
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  Speaker 1: sure that you've got the opt out system and putting
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  Speaker 1: that back into place.
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, there is the ability right now for an
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  Speaker 2: Aboriginal community to be dry to opt in. And we
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  Speaker 2: have been over a dozen communities opt in. There are
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  Speaker 2: other communities that if say no, we won't opt in.
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  Speaker 2: So we have talked to them, they won't opt in.
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  Speaker 2: What we do get is some people saying they've spoken
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  Speaker 2: to the wrong person. So what I'm saying is let
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  Speaker 2: everybody in that remote community have their voice heard around
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  Speaker 2: how alcohol is managed in that situation.
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  Speaker 1: Look, I'm not sure who's been spoken to, and they're
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  Speaker 1: obviously discussions that you, as the Chief Minister, will be
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: having with different people, individuals, different groups. But what I
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: do know is that right around the Northern Territory at
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: the moment, people are saying that they are seriously concerned
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  Speaker 1: with the issues that we've got with alcohol. Alice Springs
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  Speaker 1: is one thing, but it would be foolish for us
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  Speaker 1: to pretend that it's only happening in Alice. We've seen
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  Speaker 1: it up here in the top end as well well. Surely,
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: as our leader of the Northern Territory, you have to
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  Speaker 1: reconsider this.
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  Speaker 2: So Katie, the top end, mainly those communities stayed dry,
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  Speaker 2: so they were rye communities before the intervention and they
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: went back to being dry communities after the intervention. What
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  Speaker 2: I man agreed it was mainly the communities in Central
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: Australia and the town camp that had the ability to
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: into the legislation. But as I've said, we will look
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: at how we can further change the system so that
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: communities we have more supply restriction.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, just back to Alice Springs. What exactly is the
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: Regional Controller going to do? It sounds as though she's
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: got about seven days now to work out exactly what
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  Speaker 1: needs to happen in Central Australia.
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  Speaker 2: So what the Regional Controller will do if they will
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  Speaker 2: make sure both the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory Government
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  Speaker 2: all agencies. Katie, We dealt with COVID in a sense
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  Speaker 2: where we had everyone coming together with a sense of
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  Speaker 2: urgency and that is heard around the issues. Their Commonwealth
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  Speaker 2: government and the Northern Territory Government are funding this position,
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  Speaker 2: so they're buying in from both and she will be
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  Speaker 2: looking at what we have in place, what is working,
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  Speaker 2: what needs to be driven to change so that we
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  Speaker 2: can stop seeing particularly around the antisocial behavior, the behavior
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  Speaker 2: from families, the youth, and how we can change that.
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  Speaker 1: Chief Finister, Central Australians have been saying that they're at
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  Speaker 1: crisis point for months. You and I have spoken about
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  Speaker 1: this on so many occasions, it's reached the point now
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  Speaker 1: where it's obviously become quite a national embarrassment. We have
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  Speaker 1: got media outlets right around the nation now focused so
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  Speaker 1: heavily on our springs. I mean, how are you feeling
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  Speaker 1: about that? How are you feeling about the fact that
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  Speaker 1: that the Northern Territory government seemingly dug their heels in
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  Speaker 1: here and now have almost been embarrassed into making changes
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  Speaker 1: to Katie.
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  Speaker 2: With the greatest respect, We've put in place a range
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  Speaker 2: of measures and that has been over a period of years.
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  Speaker 2: We put in place more measures. Last year we put
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: in place Operation Duna. We've seen three hundred people arrested
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  Speaker 2: in alice spreens. We've got thirty young people that have
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: been removed from their families. So there has been additional
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: resources we've put in place safe sleeping spaces. But what
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  Speaker 2: this will do is this will have the Central Australian
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  Speaker 2: Regional Controller will make sure with the sense of urgency
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  Speaker 2: that all levels of government are working in partnership to
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  Speaker 2: deliver what is needed to help the community.
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  Speaker 1: Now, why won't you be requesting additional resources from the
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  Speaker 1: Federal Police, as the mayor had called for earlier in
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  Speaker 1: the week.
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  Speaker 2: So police and I will make it very clear to
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  Speaker 2: the Police Commissioner that the additional resources that came in
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  Speaker 2: for Operation Drina in December, which is when the community
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  Speaker 2: did say for a couple of weeks they felt they
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  Speaker 2: had an impact, that those resources stay here for the
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  Speaker 2: longer term. That will be an operational request I will
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  Speaker 2: put to the Police Commissioner.
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  Speaker 1: Are you worried that searching Northern Territory police so from
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  Speaker 1: other locations into our spreends is going to cause concerns
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  Speaker 1: in other communities around the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 2: So, Katie, we having the police budget significantly there is
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: in terms of recruits, continuous recruitment campaigns. But it is
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  Speaker 2: my expectation to the Police Commissioner that both additional resources
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  Speaker 2: that came in staying along with the reduction of alcohol
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  Speaker 2: and alcohol field harm that we hope to see, will
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  Speaker 2: allow police to be freed up to deal with the
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  Speaker 2: issues that the community in Central Australia casing.
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  Speaker 1: All right, I know we're pressed for time, but yesterday,
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  Speaker 1: the same day as you and the Prime Minister were
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: arriving into Alice Springs, Police sent out a statement about
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  Speaker 1: an incident which had happened at one fifteen in the morning,
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  Speaker 1: up to four males unlawfully entered a residence on Memorial
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  Speaker 1: Driving Gillen. One of those males allegedly used an edged
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  Speaker 1: weapon to enter the premises before physically assaulting a seventy
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: year old woman inside. The offenders have stolen the victim's
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  Speaker 1: mobile phone and fled the scene. The victim received minor injuries.
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  Speaker 1: Now police are indeed calling for witnesses. But this is
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  Speaker 1: just another example of the type of behavior that we're
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  Speaker 1: seeing in Alice Springs and unfortunately not just allus this
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  Speaker 1: the type of thing is no longer uncommon in the
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory. How's the announcement that you made yesterday with
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: the Prime Minister going to help Territorians to sleep safely
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: in their homes.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, the announcement that we made yesterday, particularly around
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: Central Australia, is that we are enhancing with that local
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: regional control, the ability to drive and be agile with
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: those government services. But there is a suite of measures
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: that have already been put in place by the Northern
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: Territory government. There is commitments from the Commonwealth government and
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: we need to make sure that they are working across
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: the board. We want to stop crime before it happens.
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  Speaker 2: We want to support the victims of crime, but we
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: want to engage young people. We want to engage families
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: making sure children are at school. So this is a
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: multifaceted approach to the issues we're facing in Central Australia,
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  Speaker 2: and we also have measures across the territory.
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  Speaker 1: Look, I know a lot of people listening you're going
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: to think this is similar to what we've heard before.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: I mean, unfortunately, this issue is not isolated to Alice,
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: as we've discussed. In fact, i'd argue that there's been
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: a crisis across the Northern territory for quite some time. Again,
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: you and I have spoken about it on so many occasions,
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: and there are indeed well issues with youth crime. We
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: all know very well the issues with alcohol, of course
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  Speaker 1: we've been discussing, but the issues with crime have been
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: a big concern for quite some time. Will you look
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: at introducing any of the measures that Queensland introduced a
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: couple of weeks back when it comes to dealing with
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: youth crime.
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: So, Katie, I understand that that did being was announced
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: during the holiday break, but I have asked the Department
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: to look at what Queensland's announced, I think there were
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: three aspects that certainly did you know for me, I
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: think could correlate to the Northern Territory. They are looking
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: at an immobilizer scheme because we do have some older
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: vehicles that are easier for people to steal. Also around
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: the penalty for posting to social media. I think it's
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: a unique challenge that we're facing presently Australia wide and
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: worldwide is the use of social media and it's something
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: while we've found and mobile phones in schools going forward.
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: So there is aspects that we certainly are very interested in,
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: and more broadly what we've announced we're looking at. We
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: obviously have different legislation here in the territory. We've seen
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: a Royal Commission into aspects in the territory and so
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: we certainly have a number of changes that have been
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: put in place.
• 12:18
  Speaker 1: I understand that there was an aspect to that announcement
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: as well, though, where a judge is able to look
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: at a youth previous criminal history and previous history upon
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: sentencing a young person if they commit a crime, is
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: that something that you're prepared to look at for the
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: Northern territory.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: I did ask for that specific measure to look at
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: what's existing legislation in the territory and how can we
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: ensure that the courts have all of the information when
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: they're making these decisions. We've stepped up with our responsibility
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: around facilities, detention, alternatives to detention, and so yes, that
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: is something that's been looked at.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: Chief Finister. You've literally got a situation right here now
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory where people are crying out for help.
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: Locals are saying they leave our springs due to the
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: crime if they haven't left already up here in Darwin.
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: People are fed up and they're saying the same. What
• 13:07
  Speaker 1: confidence can you give the thousands of people that listen
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: to this show every day. People have been really patient,
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: people who love the Northern Territory, but they're feeling really
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: sad about the state of the place at the moment.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: What hope can you give them that they're going that
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: you're going to lead the Northern Territory out of this mess.
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: It's the absolute key priority for me to make sure
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: that we continue to work in this space right across
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: the spectrum, that we stop crime before it happens that
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: we have crime prevention measures, that we support our police
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: force and we also support those others that work in
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: this space to prevent crime and antisocial behavior, and that
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: we don't allow things to slip and become the norm.
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: We have to make sure that's a risky behavior. Antisocial
• 13:53
  Speaker 2: behavior is not acceptable in our community. So that's my
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: absolute process.
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: And if the issue isn't fixed, who's going to be responsible?
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: So Katie will continue to work in this space. It
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: was what we've been doing, it is what we will
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: continue to do. And we absolutely want to make sure
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: that we have a safe, vibrant community right across the
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: Northern Territory. We need to invest in our remote community
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: so that there are places that people want to be.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: We need to if people do want to live in
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: our urban areas, make sure that they have access to accommodation.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: It is a multifaceted approach that you're seeing.
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: From us, Chief Finister. If this issue does not improve,
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: will you stay on in your role?
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: So Katie, these are difficult issues to tackle. There's not
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: a single solution, there's not one person that can solve them.
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: But it is for me the absolute key priority of
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: my leadership to tackle these issues.
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: Chief Finister Natasha Files, we are going to have to
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: leave it there. Appreciate your time. Thank you very much
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: for speaking with us.