Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Member foe Araluen Robyn Lambley says criticises the Chief Minister for his lack of leadership following the Zachary Rolfe verdict

Transcript

Member foe Araluen Robyn Lambley says criticises the Chief Minister for his lack of leadership following the Zachary Rolfe verdict · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: There were certainly concerns over the weekend that there may
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  Speaker 1: be unrest in the Alice Springs community following on from
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  Speaker 1: the verdicts being handed down here in Darwin on Friday afternoon.
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  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line is Robin Lamley, the
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  Speaker 1: Independent member for Ara lun in Central Australia. Good morning
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  Speaker 1: to you, Robin.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. Robin.
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  Speaker 1: I know it has been reported that there was a
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  Speaker 1: rise at the Alice Springs correctional facility on Friday afternoon.
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  Speaker 1: What do you know of that incident?
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  Speaker 2: Well, very little, Katie, and that's interesting in itself. All
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  Speaker 2: I've heard from an indirect sort of contact is that
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  Speaker 2: there could be several hundred thousand dollars worth of damage
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  Speaker 2: out there, but it's been kept under wraps and I
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  Speaker 2: think it there could be a bit of a cover
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  Speaker 2: up happening here. Even the union representative there early I
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  Speaker 2: don't think was privy to any information. So that needs
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  Speaker 2: to be made public. We need to know what's going
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  Speaker 2: on out there.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it certainly does. We have put in a request
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  Speaker 1: to two Corrections to see if we can get some
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  Speaker 1: further information and hopefully we're able to do that.
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  Speaker 2: Robin.
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  Speaker 1: I know that the NT News had reported this that
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  Speaker 1: there had to be prisoners moved to the Alice Springs
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  Speaker 1: Watchhouse after gas had to be deployed to control those
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  Speaker 1: riots in Alice Springs Prison, and that there was an
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  Speaker 1: email sent on Saturday by the Commissioner, Matthew Varley saying
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  Speaker 1: that prisoners had caused damage to a few doors, locks
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  Speaker 1: and windows in some accommodation blocks and lit some fires.
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  Speaker 1: But by the sounds of it, from what you're hearing,
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  Speaker 1: it sounds like it was fairly extensive.
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  Speaker 2: It was, and the person I spoke to said that
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  Speaker 2: the main problem that presents now is where to place
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  Speaker 2: those prisoners that can no longer stay in their cells.
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  Speaker 2: But as I said, I don't know much about it.
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  Speaker 2: But the flip side of that, kV is that the
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  Speaker 2: actual town of Alice Springs over the weekend and was
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  Speaker 2: surprisingly quiet, weirdly quiet. And I'm really pleased to say
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  Speaker 2: that on Friday afternoon when the verdict came down, the
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  Speaker 2: streets were quiet, and I think people were just so
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  Speaker 2: tense and scared of what could follow. And the fact
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  Speaker 2: that nothing much that I'm aware of did happen over
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  Speaker 2: the weekend is a real credit to certain people that
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  Speaker 2: have stepped up as leaders over the weekend and probably
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  Speaker 2: in the weeks proceeding. I'm just really proud to say that, Katie,
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  Speaker 2: in lieu of what's gone on for the last couple
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  Speaker 2: of years, the tension that's been building.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree with you, and you know, I think
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  Speaker 1: we're all really worried, you know, that things might sort
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  Speaker 1: of reach boiling point. And when I messaged you yesterday
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  Speaker 1: and you said to me that things have been really quiet,
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  Speaker 1: I thought, thank goodness, and like you said, full to
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  Speaker 1: everybody in the community, you know, for really keeping things calm.
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  Speaker 2: I think the credit has to go to the Wolprey people,
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  Speaker 2: the leadership of the wol Prey people. I understand that
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  Speaker 2: certain people have stepped up and asked their people within
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  Speaker 2: the wold Prey community to remain calm. And I think
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  Speaker 2: the police have conducted themselves really, really well over the
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  Speaker 2: last three or four days. They've been very measured and
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  Speaker 2: mindful in how they've gone about their business. A very
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  Speaker 2: high police presence throughout the town over the weekend. But
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  Speaker 2: they've done exceptionally well. And I'm just so thankful for
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  Speaker 2: everyone who's been a part of how things have played
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  Speaker 2: out over the last few days. It could have been horrendous,
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  Speaker 2: it could have been diabolical, but it hasn't been It's
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  Speaker 2: been okay. I have to say, Katie, times like this,
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  Speaker 2: our community in Central Australia needs leadership and obviously there's
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  Speaker 2: been great leadership within the police and within the world
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  Speaker 2: pre community, but we haven't had any leadership whatsoever from
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  Speaker 2: our Chief Minister. And that's the only criticism I'll level
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  Speaker 2: at this point. Where is he giving out a written
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  Speaker 2: press statement on Friday afternoon just doesn't cut it. This could,
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  Speaker 2: this possibly still could be a fork in the road
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  Speaker 2: for Central Australia. We can either go down a track
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  Speaker 2: of more tension and more racial divide, or we can
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  Speaker 2: make the most of this very very bad situation and
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  Speaker 2: learn from it and grow and become even better. And
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  Speaker 2: thank goodness for the people that have stood up. But
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  Speaker 2: I am very, very critical of the Chief Minister who
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  Speaker 2: hasn't build out well.
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  Speaker 1: We were you to have him on the show this morning.
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  Speaker 1: My understanding is that he has got a sick child.
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  Speaker 1: We've been told that he will be on the show
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  Speaker 1: tomorrow morning. Robin. Really, by the sounds of it, it
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  Speaker 1: sounds like you feel as though he should have been
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  Speaker 1: out in front of the media over the weekend.
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  Speaker 2: He should have been fronting the media at the same
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  Speaker 2: time as the Police Commissioner fronted the media. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: for all that he did and didn't say, the Police Commissioner,
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  Speaker 2: he did front the media, he looked into the cameras
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  Speaker 2: and said what he felt he needed to say. That's
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  Speaker 2: a whole lot more than what the Chief Minister has done. Look,
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  Speaker 2: our town, our region of Central Australia leads leadership like
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  Speaker 2: we have never needed it before. We have to stand
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  Speaker 2: united and say no to violence, no to racial division.
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  Speaker 2: We need to be led to a place that's better
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  Speaker 2: than what we've had over the last couple of years.
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  Speaker 2: Although he may have a sick child, there is such
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  Speaker 2: a thing these days called childcare, and I know he
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  Speaker 2: has relatives in town. He could step up. We need you,
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  Speaker 2: Chief Minister, to be the leader that you probably aspire
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  Speaker 2: to be.
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  Speaker 1: Robin, what do you make of these calls from the
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  Speaker 1: COLP for a full independent inquiry. We spoke to the
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  Speaker 1: opposition leader Leofanocchiaro just a short time ago and she'd
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  Speaker 1: said that the Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, has serious questions
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  Speaker 1: to answer over the appearance of political interference prior to
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  Speaker 1: charges being laid after he promised the residents of You
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  Speaker 1: and Demo just days after the shooting that consequences would flow.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think that there needs to be a full
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  Speaker 1: independent inquiry.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I don't disagree with the opposition. I think the
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  Speaker 2: points that Leah makes are valid. But at this point
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  Speaker 2: in time, to my community of Central Australia, I think
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  Speaker 2: we need to find all the things that we have
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  Speaker 2: in common with each other. We need to acknowledge the
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  Speaker 2: pain and suffering of the Walker family. We need to
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  Speaker 2: acknowledge the pain and suffering of Zachary Rolf and his family,
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  Speaker 2: and we need to also acknowledge the pain and suffering
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  Speaker 2: a bit the nt Police Service, what they've been through.
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  Speaker 2: It's a time to build a bridge and unite and
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  Speaker 2: try and find a way forward which isn't about conflict
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  Speaker 2: and division and possibly politics too. I think all that
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  Speaker 2: will come about, and that's what the leader of the
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  Speaker 2: opposition is for, is to draw on the politics I
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  Speaker 2: suppose and follow up these things that probably absolutely need
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  Speaker 2: to be probably but absolutely need to be followed up.
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  Speaker 2: But my agenda is slightly different. I want to see
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  Speaker 2: my community learn from what's happened and grow and unite
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  Speaker 2: and be better in the future.
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  Speaker 1: Robin, just before I let you go, what do you
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  Speaker 1: make of the calls from some community members now calling
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  Speaker 1: for firearms to be pulled out of remote communities.
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  Speaker 2: Well, at this point in time, I think it's unrealistic.
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  Speaker 2: We have some of the most horrific crime statistics that
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  Speaker 2: continue to come out of Central Australia. We've got the
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  Speaker 2: highest rate of violent crimes probably in Australia. A lot
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  Speaker 2: of our communities are not safe. And whilst there's crime
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  Speaker 2: at the level and severity of what we see in
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  Speaker 2: Central Australia, we need to ensure that our police are
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  Speaker 2: equipped to deal with that. And I'm no proponent of
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  Speaker 2: using firearms unless they're absolutely essential, but you know, to
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  Speaker 2: walk into the violent situations that we see regularly and
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  Speaker 2: I'm being honest here regularly in Central Australia, the police
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  Speaker 2: have to be They have to have some measure of
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  Speaker 2: keeping themselves safe and the rest of the community is safe.
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  Speaker 2: That's what gones afore. So not at this point, but
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  Speaker 2: maybe it's a discussion to have down the track if
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  Speaker 2: we can try and work together as a community with
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  Speaker 2: strong leadership too, to resolve some of the issues that
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  Speaker 2: lead to these very violent situations we see or too regularly.
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  Speaker 1: Robin Lamley, the independent member for our lun I really
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  Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning. I appreciate your honesty, and
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  Speaker 1: you know, I think that that point that you'd made
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  Speaker 1: about everybody in the community really pulling together and stepping
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  Speaker 1: up in Alice Springs to ensure that things are as
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  Speaker 1: calm as possible on the weekend, I think it is.
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  Speaker 1: You know, it's really such an important point to make.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks zig