Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Charles Darwin University Political Economist Prof Rolf Gerritsen explains what he believes has happened between the NT Government and the Police Commissioner regarding his resignation

Transcript

Charles Darwin University Political Economist Prof Rolf Gerritsen explains what he believes has happened between the NT Government and the Police Commissioner regarding his resignation · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We have been speaking at lengths about the situation that
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: is currently under well unfolding, I guess you'd say, around
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Police Commissioner. We reported earlier in the
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: week we had Matt Cunningham from Sky News on the show.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: We know that the situation is that the Northern Territory government, well,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: the Chief Minister still not able to come out and
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: say whether she does have confidence in the Police Commissioner.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: The fact that she's not able to say that confidently
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: at a press conference really speaks volumes. Now joining me
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: on the line is Charles Darwin University's political economist, Professor
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Rolph Gerretson. Good morning to you morning, Kay, Thanks, yeah,
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: lovely to have you on the show now. Professor, you
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: know this situation that we've got right now, reports that
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory government's asking the Police Commissioner, Jamie Chalker
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: to resign. From your political background and knowledge, what do
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: you make of all of this?
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: I think the governments between a rock the hard plats.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: I mean, they made mistakes in their initial response to
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: the Zachary Wolf thing, and they got the Police office
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: side for the rank and file of the police, if
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  Speaker 2: you like, the commissioner was gung ho with the government,
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: and now the government wants to walk away from the commissioner,
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: and I presume he and he's lawyering up and resisting.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, do you reckon that's what's happening behind the scenes,
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  Speaker 1: because it just seemed bizarre to me that the Chief
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Minister would hold a press conference earlier in the week. Obviously,
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: you know, she'd called that press conference on the passing
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: of Unipingu. But then there was eleven times she was
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: asked whether she had confidence in the Police Commissioner and
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: wasn't able to answer it.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: Yes, she wasn't able to answer because in a sense,
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  Speaker 2: she couldn't tell the truth. The commissioner is the fall
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: guy for this, the tension between the government and the police.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: And there is obviously you would suspect a variety of
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: reasons why he's been asked to resign. In your experience,
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: you know, what do you think they can do from
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: this point on, Well, they.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: Cannot renew his contract. But I suspect that the Police
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: Commissioner is contemplating legal actions so we might find out
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: the answers to all these questions in the courts.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but in the meantime, Professor, and I guess I'm
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: keen to get your take on this as well. In
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  Speaker 1: the meantime, you know, we've got the Northern Territory Police
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: Force wondering what's next. I know that the Northern Territory
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: Chief Minister came out earlier in the week and said
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: that Michael Murphy will be acting in that role. But
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: do you think that the force needs needs more certainty
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: than that.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you don't have to ask me, Paul mcures.
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  Speaker 1: I'm yeah with us yesterday.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: Saying precisely that. I mean, you know, we all know
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  Speaker 2: about the police forces that survey they which said that
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  Speaker 2: eighty percent of the members of the police force don't
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  Speaker 2: have any confidence in the commissioner. I mean, the police
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  Speaker 2: are a politically powerful interest, I mean, even more powerful
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: than the amateur fisherman, and so it is very difficult.
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  Speaker 2: The government is in a difficult position because if the
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  Speaker 2: police force are unhappy, that could feed over ellectually.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: So taking that into account, what do you make of
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  Speaker 1: the timing? Do you think that the timing of all
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: of this is a bit surprising?
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: You know, politics is you wake up in the morning
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: to find out what the next crisis is and so
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  Speaker 2: this has just come along because obviously before the Commissioner
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: went on holidays he was asked to following his sword
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: and he went off on holidays without saying he would
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: or saying he wouldn't. I mean, I don't know.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: I mean politically, it's quite a terrible situation now for
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Government, the Chief Minister and the Police
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Minister to be in, isn't it.
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: Yes, that's embarrassing. I mean you say, you know the
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  Speaker 2: Chief Minister refused to answer question eleven times. I mean
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: the Attorney General and the Minister Police have been going
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: around refusing to comment as well.
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: So yeah, it is. It's quite an unbelievable situation. Charles
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: Stowen University Political Economists, Professor Rolph Gerritson. Always appreciate your time.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: Thank you very much for having a chat with me
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  Speaker 1: this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Always a pleasure. Katie, thank you