Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says a ballot will be conducted to guide alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs

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NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says a ballot will be conducted to guide alcohol restrictions in Alice Springs · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, as I've discussed, the issues plaguing Alice Springs continue
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: to dominate national headlines. Several days after the Prime Minister's visit,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: and as the town enters into its first extra day
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: of well takeaway alcohol restrictions are alcohol free for takeaway.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: The Northern Territory government are digging their heels in over
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: their decision around the Stronger Futures legislation. As I mentioned
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: on the show on Wednesday Morning, Well, the Chief Minister
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: joined us on Wednesday and said that they're now considering
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: engaging the Electoral Commission to conduct a ballot in the
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: camps to determine if residents want alcohol returned. All the while,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: further vision has been shared on social media, this time
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: by a nurse of kids running a mark on the weekend.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Now the Chief Minister, Natasha Viles, joins me in the
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: studio right now.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Good morning to your Chief Minister.
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, Good morning listener.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Now, firstly, have you watched any of that vision from
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: the weekend of kids on Friday Night? Their kids spitting
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: on patrons at the hotel, a confrontation between a teenager
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: and a man, the bloke being punched and kicked, then
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: by three people at once. It's about ten teenagers running
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: a mark.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: Have you watched that vision?
• 1:07
  Speaker 4: Yes, Katie, I've seen that vision and it's appalling. It's unacceptable,
• 1:10
  Speaker 4: and it certainly is frustrating for me as Chief Minister,
• 1:15
  Speaker 4: when we're putting in place so many responses and we
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: have been over so long to see that type of
• 1:20
  Speaker 4: behavior that is clearly anti social behavior and unacceptable for
• 1:25
  Speaker 4: our community.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: We see antisocial to spit on someone and punch it.
• 1:28
  Speaker 4: Absolutely if the commentary was around the spitting, but it's
• 1:33
  Speaker 4: this behavior that is anti social. It's the gathering, the threatening,
• 1:38
  Speaker 4: and yes, Katie, sometimes it crosses the line to become
• 1:41
  Speaker 4: criminal behavior. But even when it's anti social, it is
• 1:44
  Speaker 4: unacceptable in our community.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: Look, it's totally unacceptable, and it really makes you understandable.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: It makes me understand why everyone in Alice feels that
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: things are totally out of control.
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: Do you get that sense when you watch that vision?
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, Katie.
• 1:57
  Speaker 4: And that's why you've seen us not just in the
• 2:00
  Speaker 4: last fortnight, but over many months and years putting in
• 2:03
  Speaker 4: place a range of responses. It's multifactorial what drives it,
• 2:07
  Speaker 4: and therefore the solutions are as well.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: I get what you're saying.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: And I know that you do keep coming on the
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: show and saying that you've got a number of different initiatives,
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: but you'd have to concede that right now the initiatives
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: that you've got are not working.
• 2:22
  Speaker 4: So Katie, these issues are deep rooted. These issues are
• 2:25
  Speaker 4: across a number of families, and so they're not simple
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: to solve, and it's not one single measure that will
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: make them suddenly go away, as much as I would
• 2:36
  Speaker 4: wish for that, And that's why it's important. I can't
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: in one question respond and tell everything where I'm doing,
• 2:44
  Speaker 4: but I can say to the community, we're taking it
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: very seriously.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: Look, I will go back to that in just a moment,
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: but firstly, I do want to talk a little bit
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: more about the Stronger Futures legislation ending today. We know
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: that the town enters its first day of extra takeaway
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: alcohol free days, Chief Minister, why are you now considering
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: holding a ballot to determine if alcohol should be allowed
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: in town camps?
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, and responding to that question, we need to
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: step back in time. The intervention came.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: In, everyone's heard that, though everybody's sort of already gone
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: through that. I know that you said it earlier last
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: week as well when you stood up with the Prime Minister,
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: but I think people are sick of the blame game.
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: We all get the history.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: But what I'm asking right now is why are you
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: considering holding a ballot to determine if alcohol should be
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: allowed in town camps?
• 3:28
  Speaker 4: Because right now Katie, there is the ability for a
• 3:31
  Speaker 4: town camp and a community to be a dry area.
• 3:33
  Speaker 4: And you see many across the Northern Territory alcohol is
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: a legal product. We acknowledge the harm that it causes.
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: But those communities, those town camps specifically, because the question
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: was to town camps, their leadership is said to us,
• 3:45
  Speaker 4: we don't.
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: Want to be dry.
• 3:46
  Speaker 4: We want to be able to drink a legal product
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: in our homes like other people. We have a number
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: of communities that have opted in Katie to the legislation
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: and remain dry. No one questions or who did we
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: speak to and how did we get to that conclusion.
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: But what's happening with the town camps is we have
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: spoken to town camp leadership and they've said, nope, we
• 4:03
  Speaker 4: want alcohol to be available. Yet we get criticized for
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: speaking to the wrong people. So that's where the idea
• 4:08
  Speaker 4: of the ballot come.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Well, look, I think that the situation right now is,
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: you know, we've got the likes of Marian Scrimjaw, Labour's
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: member for Lingiari. She's quoted in the Age of saying
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: that women and children in town camps have been speaking
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: to her about what they want. They're overwhelmed by the
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: amount of alcohol in town camps. She says, they want
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: the tap turned off. Do you agree with that assessment?
• 4:31
  Speaker 4: So what we are doing is we have turned the
• 4:34
  Speaker 4: tap off with takeaway with the additional days, and that's
• 4:36
  Speaker 4: based with police and they feel that that will be
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: effective for the community. But in terms of this conflicting issue,
• 4:42
  Speaker 4: because it's a legal product and you've got some people.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Women and children, did you speak to them? Did you
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: speak to the women and children of town camps in
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: Alice Springs when you were there last.
• 4:50
  Speaker 4: Week, not when I was there last week. But in
• 4:52
  Speaker 4: terms of why the opt in legislation?
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  Speaker 1: Why not though, Because if you've got a situation like
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Marian's now saying that women and children in town camps
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: have been speaking to her about what they want. They're overwhelmed,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: they want the tap turned off. Why don't you go
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: and speak to them?
• 5:07
  Speaker 4: But I have, Katie, over time. I'm just saying, you
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: asked me specifically, last week was in a town camp. No,
• 5:12
  Speaker 4: I wasn't last week, But I have visited town camps
• 5:14
  Speaker 4: on previous occasions, and I've also met with women who
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: have said, no, we'd rather manage alcohol within our families
• 5:20
  Speaker 4: and our houses.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: So you're saying, in Alice, Springstown camps right now, women
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: are saying to you that they want alcohol in those
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: sound camps.
• 5:27
  Speaker 4: What I am saying is, with the preparation for the
• 5:29
  Speaker 4: opt in legislation, there is leadership and women were a
• 5:32
  Speaker 4: part of that leadership that said we want to be
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: able to have what is illegal products. But I, Katie,
• 5:37
  Speaker 4: have absolutely the opt in comes to a conclusion on
• 5:39
  Speaker 4: the thirty first of January, and so we have seen
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: a number of communities opt in. We have seen a
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: number of communities adamantly say they won't opt in. But
• 5:46
  Speaker 4: what we're saying is perhaps ABOUTOT will set it this
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: matter for once and for all.
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: All right, So if this VALLOT, if this ballot happens,
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: if there is a vote, how soon is it going
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: to happen?
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: So we made contact with the Electoral Commission last week
• 5:59
  Speaker 4: to let them know that there was this idea. They
• 6:01
  Speaker 4: run ballots across a range of matters within the community, Katie.
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: People think of them mainly.
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: To run elections, but they run ballots quite regularly for
• 6:08
  Speaker 4: different things and so anyone over the age of eighteen
• 6:12
  Speaker 4: could be a part of that decision making process. So
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: when will it happen, So, Katie, I think it's something
• 6:16
  Speaker 4: that needs to happen quickly. So I'm talking, you know,
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: the next few weeks a month. I'm not sure how
• 6:21
  Speaker 4: quickly they can turn that around.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: Which communities will then undertake the ballot, just Ellis Springs
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: or all around the Northern territories.
• 6:28
  Speaker 4: So Katie, you think that comes back to the liquor legislation.
• 6:31
  Speaker 4: We have seen a number of communities reverted back to
• 6:33
  Speaker 4: being dry, and I think when we talk about alcohol management,
• 6:36
  Speaker 4: particularly in the issues facing Ala Springs, it's not just
• 6:39
  Speaker 4: for Alice Springs but that broader Central Australia. But I
• 6:41
  Speaker 4: think the town camps is our absolute focus at the moment.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: So it will only be Alla Springstown Camps at this point.
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: Katie.
• 6:48
  Speaker 4: I think that we need to with the alcohol management
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: plans that are being developed, they need to be encompassing
• 6:52
  Speaker 4: to central Australia, but the town camps are the priority.
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: All right.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: Yeah, You've been quoted on numerous occasions as saying that
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: the stronger future this legislation was raised base. If that
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: is the case, why are there still more than one
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: hundred communities banned from having alcohol under the Northern Territory liquoraict.
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: Excellent question, Katie.
• 7:10
  Speaker 4: If you go back and look at when those areas
• 7:12
  Speaker 4: became general restricted areas gras we refer to them, it
• 7:15
  Speaker 4: was mainly through the seventies and eighties and nineties, and
• 7:18
  Speaker 4: this is when I was trying to answer the question
• 7:19
  Speaker 4: before about the intervention. It was a spell of dry,
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: no alcohol so that alcohol management plans could be developed.
• 7:25
  Speaker 4: So some communities have takeaway and you get a permit.
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: Some communities have a club, a social club. Others have
• 7:30
  Speaker 4: no alcohol. So those communities that are dry, they reverted
• 7:33
  Speaker 4: back to existing territory legislation.
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: So will those communities still be banned from drinking or
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: will they have an opportunity to vote as well?
• 7:40
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, if they were to develop a new alcohol
• 7:43
  Speaker 4: management plan, so that would be how they would get
• 7:45
  Speaker 4: a change and perhaps a ballot would be reasonable for them,
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: or they may have consensus without the division.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, now, can you guarantee that women aren't going to
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: be pressured to vote in a certain way with this
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: ballot in Central Australia.
• 7:58
  Speaker 4: Of course, we would look at getting the Electrical Commission
• 8:01
  Speaker 4: to run a ballot process that would be open and
• 8:03
  Speaker 4: fair and democratic.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: So how would you make sure that they're not actually
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: pressured to vote in a certain way?
• 8:09
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, voting is confidential. People turn up to vote
• 8:13
  Speaker 4: and it's between you and the ballot box. So we
• 8:15
  Speaker 4: see that with territory elections. That's how I see this
• 8:17
  Speaker 4: would be running.
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: So in the meantime, while Alice Springs is going through
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: the situation that they're in right now, what's going to
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: happen in the meantime? Will alcohol be banned in those
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: town caps?
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: So Katie, we put in place the restrictions that were
• 8:30
  Speaker 4: announced last week that your listeners are well familiar with,
• 8:32
  Speaker 4: and that's to provide immediate short term respite, but that
• 8:35
  Speaker 4: I don't think is a long term solution for the community.
• 8:39
  Speaker 4: But it's designed and police that it will be effective
• 8:41
  Speaker 4: and reducing the amount of alcohol in the community.
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: Let's say that you do engage the electoral commission. By
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: the sounds of it, it sounds like that's the path
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: that you're going down, despite a large number of the
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: community saying this is not right. You know, we want
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: restrictions back in place. There is a lot of harm
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: being caused on the street. There's a lot of domestic violence.
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: We all know the issues. But let's say you go
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: down this path, the vote happens and people say.
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: Yes, we still want to drink.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: What's going to happen then, because there is absolute chaos
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: in Alice Springs right now.
• 9:13
  Speaker 4: And that's where alcohol is such a difficult issue, not
• 9:15
  Speaker 4: just in Ala Springs but across the Northern Territory. It's
• 9:17
  Speaker 4: the biggest factor that drives crime and anti social behavior.
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: But it's a legal product.
• 9:22
  Speaker 4: And you see, Katie, you know the restrictions we have
• 9:24
  Speaker 4: in the territory as well as anyone, and so.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: What we just continue down the path that we're on.
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: So Alice Springs just has to live with it.
• 9:31
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, this is why we have to continue with
• 9:33
  Speaker 4: alcohol policy, to be agile, to put in place different measures.
• 9:36
  Speaker 4: And you see this, Katie, across different communities. Nolan Boy
• 9:39
  Speaker 4: has a permit system in place, and as I was
• 9:41
  Speaker 4: talking about before, other communities have no alcohol, some have
• 9:44
  Speaker 4: a social club. The Band Drinker Register is an effective tool.
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: Police in Central Australia have referred eight hundred people in
• 9:50
  Speaker 4: the past couple of months across to the BDR.
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: And so all of that work, all of that work
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: that had gone into place once the Stronger Futures legislation
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: and well it's all just for our spring back.
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: At Stronger Futures and romanticizing Katie. There was no work done.
• 10:04
  Speaker 4: That was the whole point. The alcohol management plans were
• 10:06
  Speaker 4: developed by community and they sat on Federal Minister's desk.
• 10:10
  Speaker 4: They did not implement them.
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: Now over the weekend, the doctor revealed the horror confronting
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: demoralized staff at the Alice Springs Hospital as they try
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: to deal with extreme alcohol fueled violence and parental neglect
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: in Central Australia. The doctor, who spoke on the condition
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: of remaining anonymous, told Matt Cunningham that the hospital's treated
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: patients including a baby who'd been raped and a woman
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: whose husband had tried to cut her head off. The
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: doctor seid in the time I've been working here, I've
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: never seen the violence as bad as it is. It's
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: extreme violence. We had a patient in here the other
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: night who tried to decapitate his wife and he cut
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: his own throat. We had both of them in I've
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: never seen anything like it. How do you feel when
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: you hear accounts like that?
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: Oh, Katie, it's appalling.
• 10:56
  Speaker 4: I mean the question around a baby being raped is
• 10:59
  Speaker 4: dis gusting and that's a matter for police. I have
• 11:02
  Speaker 4: made sure police are aware of that commentary because police
• 11:05
  Speaker 4: do need to have a criminal investigation. Of course, our
• 11:08
  Speaker 4: health professionals work extremely hard, but we do have social
• 11:12
  Speaker 4: supports that work in with them. So you do see
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: territory families in Ala Springs work till three after three
• 11:16
  Speaker 4: o'clock in the morning to make sure that those other
• 11:19
  Speaker 4: frontline staff have the supports they need.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: Can you understand how people listening this morning would be
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: feeling so incredibly frustrated?
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: You know, I've just run.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: Through what a doctor has told Sky News that is
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: absolutely horrific stuff. So that is happening in Central Australia.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: You know it's happened. There are women who are scared
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: for their lives, but we're still considering making out alcohol
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: freely available in those town camps.
• 11:49
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, alcohol is not freely available in the Northern
• 11:52
  Speaker 4: Territory is my first point. Right across the territory, if
• 11:55
  Speaker 4: you commit alcohol related offenses, there isn't you are on
• 11:58
  Speaker 4: the band drinker register. There's a restriction supply, but grog
• 12:01
  Speaker 4: is a legal product. The harm that it causes we
• 12:04
  Speaker 4: absolutely look at ways in which we stop the supply
• 12:07
  Speaker 4: before that harm happens.
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: Is the violence in the Alice Springs Hospital and what's
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: going on in Alice Springs making it difficult to recruit
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: and retain staff.
• 12:15
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, in terms of our staff, we have health
• 12:18
  Speaker 4: staff challenges across the territory. I acknowledge for the community
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: of Alice Springs presently, not just in health but across
• 12:24
  Speaker 4: the board. This being talked about in the national media
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: certainly makes people question whether they would like to relocate there.
• 12:31
  Speaker 4: We certainly work as hard as we can not only
• 12:34
  Speaker 4: to address these issues, but to provide a safebody.
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: It is making it tough, I believe.
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: It would be, Katie.
• 12:38
  Speaker 4: But we've put in place a number of measures for
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: the staff at Alice Springs Hospital. I've been talking to
• 12:43
  Speaker 4: the Nurses Federation in Ama around how we can keep
• 12:46
  Speaker 4: working to keep our staff safe.
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Is there security for nurses at their nursing accommodation.
• 12:51
  Speaker 4: So in terms of there has been increased security on
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: the campus of the hospital and a number of our
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: staff do live on the hospital. We've got the new
• 12:58
  Speaker 4: multi story car parks, so there's been security features designed
• 13:01
  Speaker 4: in that around keeping staff safe.
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: Is there security at the nursing accommodation.
• 13:06
  Speaker 4: So in terms of Alice Springs Hospital, Katie, this staff
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: can live off campus or they can live on campus,
• 13:11
  Speaker 4: and there is security on campus.
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: So not if they're off campus, not if they're in
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: nursing accommodation that's off campus.
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: So in terms of I'm not sure which accommodation you're
• 13:19
  Speaker 4: specifically pointing to, but we have nursing accommodation on campus
• 13:22
  Speaker 4: and their security on campus. Off campus, people would live
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: in a private residu.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: Can you confirm that they've had to remove hand sanitizer
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: from the hospital.
• 13:29
  Speaker 4: Katie, This was a challenge that we did face and
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: this goes right back prior you know, to July last
• 13:34
  Speaker 4: year that people when you restrict the supply of alcohol,
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: they look to alternate products, and we're well familiar with
• 13:39
  Speaker 4: that in the territory, with things such as methylated spirits
• 13:42
  Speaker 4: being placed behind the counter different types of mouthwashers. So yes,
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: we have seen sanitizer have to be removed from the
• 13:49
  Speaker 4: general areas and also having it inlockable canisters so that
• 13:53
  Speaker 4: people can't access it, which is absolutely wild, Katie. This
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: is the measures that people will go to for alcohol.
• 13:58
  Speaker 4: So that's not just restricting the supply, it's making sure
• 14:02
  Speaker 4: the rehabilitation is as easy to access as possible. And
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: so these are measures that are in place and that
• 14:07
  Speaker 4: we continue to work on.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: It is like it is unbelievable that you've got to
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: remove hand sanitizer from the hospital because people are drinking it,
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: you know, honestly, So much of what is going on
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: at the moment is really hard to grapple with.
• 14:22
  Speaker 4: I mean.
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: On the weekend, it was announced that the KTM Australian
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: Junior Motocross Championship was being moved out of Alice Springs
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: due to safety concerns. In a statement, Motorcycling Australia said
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: the territory's peak Body Cycling Australia, Northern Territory and the
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: Alice Springs Motorcycle Club had made the difficult decision to
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: relinquish the event. How do you feel about the fact
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: that an event which has not been held in the
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: town since nineteen eighty seven has now been canceled because
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: people don't feel safe traveling to Alice Springs.
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: That's incredibly disappointing.
• 14:55
  Speaker 4: And we need to make sure that we work with
• 14:57
  Speaker 4: event organizers so they can understand what is available and
• 15:01
  Speaker 4: how we can run these events safely. Because the more
• 15:03
  Speaker 4: activation we have, we need to address these issues. But
• 15:07
  Speaker 4: we also need to activate these spaces in a positive way.
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: But how can you activate spaces in a positive way
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: when people are fearful for their own personal safety?
• 15:15
  Speaker 4: And Katie, these are the challenges that we're facing. But
• 15:17
  Speaker 4: what I can assure your listeners is that we're working
• 15:19
  Speaker 4: across council, Northern Terretory government and Australian Government. We've got
• 15:23
  Speaker 4: a large range of non government organizations that are funded
• 15:26
  Speaker 4: to provide services and one of the tasks of the
• 15:29
  Speaker 4: Central Australian Regional Controller is to look at those services
• 15:32
  Speaker 4: and make sure they're being funded and they're being run appropriately.
• 15:36
  Speaker 4: So not just going to do that over the week.
• 15:38
  Speaker 4: So I was briefed yesterday afternoon and what the work
• 15:42
  Speaker 4: that she is doing is bringing together what is happening,
• 15:46
  Speaker 4: what needs to be achieved, and how we can deliver that.
• 15:49
  Speaker 4: The Commonwealth government are at the table in terms of funding.
• 15:53
  Speaker 4: For example, we see people coming into Alice Springs to
• 15:55
  Speaker 4: access services. Why does a place like you and Demu
• 15:58
  Speaker 4: not have those basics services? So this is when I
• 16:01
  Speaker 4: talk about it being multifactorial. It's identifying the issues around
• 16:06
  Speaker 4: why people are in town, engaging them with the services.
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: And I think it is Katie in two parts. There's
• 16:11
  Speaker 4: the alcohol part, but there's also the youth and the
• 16:14
  Speaker 4: young kids, and sadly that's generational. But we can't just
• 16:18
  Speaker 4: say that as a response. We have to have an
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: immediate response, which is why police have been asked to
• 16:23
  Speaker 4: step up. And I have contacted the Police Commissioner to
• 16:27
  Speaker 4: say I expect every resource to be placed into Alice
• 16:30
  Speaker 4: Springs to support that community right now.
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: Do you feel as though he is acting with the
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: urgency that you want him to.
• 16:36
  Speaker 4: I've made it very clear about the urgency that I expect.
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: It didn't answer my question though, do you feel as
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: though the Police Commissioner is acting with the urgency that.
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: You want him to.
• 16:46
  Speaker 4: I feel that police certainly last week, Katie, when I
• 16:49
  Speaker 4: was on the ground there, I had senior police meeting
• 16:52
  Speaker 4: with me as we were discussing ways in which to
• 16:54
  Speaker 4: overcome these challenges. They were very responsive, providing me with
• 16:58
  Speaker 4: information to help guide, for example, the alcohol restrictions that
• 17:01
  Speaker 4: have been announced, so that we can give them the
• 17:04
  Speaker 4: tools to do their job.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: Why don't you push to get the additional federal police
• 17:08
  Speaker 1: to really provide that stop gap while you sought these issues,
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: because it seems as though nothing's getting better at the moment.
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: I know that you've got a lot of work that's
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: going to take a long period of time. I know
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: that the regional controller is in there obviously having a
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: look at all the different measures that are in place.
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: I know that you're our looking at alcohol. But even
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: with this ballot, you know that's going to take time,
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: and in the meantime, good, hard working people continue to
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: suffer and it's not good enough at this point. So
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: why not get the federal police in to help out
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: for a bit?
• 17:40
  Speaker 4: Just before I come to that second part, So additional
• 17:42
  Speaker 4: police were provided into Alice Springs in Central Australia in
• 17:46
  Speaker 4: November December and the community said to me that that
• 17:48
  Speaker 4: was effective. So I've asked Northern Territory Police to make
• 17:51
  Speaker 4: sure that that absolutely stays in plate. In terms of
• 17:54
  Speaker 4: the Australian Federal Police and the military as resources, we
• 17:57
  Speaker 4: need to make sure that the resources that would go
• 17:59
  Speaker 4: in would be effective and that's what they're trained to do.
• 18:03
  Speaker 4: So I think that Northern Territory Police need to manage this.
• 18:05
  Speaker 4: It's not saying that we wouldn't see secondments possibly, Katie.
• 18:09
  Speaker 4: I think part of this picture too is we see
• 18:11
  Speaker 4: policing in Aura Springs, but we need to have police
• 18:13
  Speaker 4: in the remote communities and that was something that the
• 18:16
  Speaker 4: Commonwealth have funded and that funding has been extended, but
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: we need to really make sure we're adequately resourcing that properly.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: So so at this point in time, you're sticking with
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: that line that you've just got the additional police that
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Police have pushed in before Christmas. So
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: right now you said what we may second people from
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: the Australian Federal Police. Look, why aren't you forging ahead
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: with that?
• 18:38
  Speaker 4: Because Katie talking to police and this is an operational
• 18:41
  Speaker 4: question that perhaps the Police Commissioner can come on and
• 18:43
  Speaker 4: explain to you. But our AFP, the tasks that they
• 18:46
  Speaker 4: are designed to do might not necessarily correspond to what
• 18:49
  Speaker 4: the community needs.
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: But saying to the community just needs to be safe.
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: Absolutely, Katie.
• 18:54
  Speaker 4: And that's why we surged forty extra police into Central
• 18:56
  Speaker 4: Australia and the community at that time said they felt
• 19:00
  Speaker 4: that they did feel safe. That that has a positive response.
• 19:03
  Speaker 4: Now over Christmas there's a bit of argibargie about those numbers.
• 19:06
  Speaker 4: Have they dwindled away a little? And so I've made
• 19:08
  Speaker 4: it really clear to the Police Commissioner with his operations
• 19:11
  Speaker 4: that when those forty extra police were there, the community
• 19:13
  Speaker 4: felt safer.
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: So could he ensure that police no.
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: Thirty first of Jan Obviously the opt in ends, is
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: it going to change to opt out?
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: So, Katie.
• 19:21
  Speaker 4: In terms of what we're doing with alcohol, it's a
• 19:23
  Speaker 4: broader alcohol management plan for Central Australia. That opportunity for
• 19:27
  Speaker 4: communities to opt in ceases. We have seen a number
• 19:30
  Speaker 4: of communities opt in. We've seen a number of communities
• 19:33
  Speaker 4: say to us, we don't want to opt in. How
• 19:35
  Speaker 4: they have alcohol is the work that we're working through
• 19:38
  Speaker 4: right now and that's where that ballot comes into play.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: All right. I reckon people in Alice Springs are going
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: to be feeling so frustrated right now listening this morning,
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: I think they're going to be thinking to themselves, I
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: can't believe we're going down this path now of a ballot.
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: You know, we've got kids running a mark on the
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: streets over the weekend. Like, none of this is made up.
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: It's all stuff that we you know, that we are seeing.
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: It's been thrust into the national spotlight. We've been reporting
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: on the crime, the terrible domestic violence where women have
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: lost their lives, children on the streets, all night break ins, neglect. Honestly,
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: it's absolute horrors that the rest of the country are
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: now mortified by Chief Minister. I have to ask, are
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: you scared to take further action at this point because
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: you're worried that you'll be labeled racist?
• 20:25
  Speaker 4: No, Katie, I'm making decisions that are balanced, that are
• 20:29
  Speaker 4: absolutely the frustration, the anger from that community, the urgency
• 20:34
  Speaker 4: around tackling these issues. Alcohol is a part of it,
• 20:37
  Speaker 4: but the youth. We have been focused on that. We
• 20:40
  Speaker 4: continue to change our response to that space, making sure
• 20:43
  Speaker 4: police have the resources to do their job supporting the
• 20:46
  Speaker 4: community through a range of programs. So it is hard
• 20:49
  Speaker 4: grinding work and will continue that.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: So why then, despite the fact that you've got leading
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: Indigenous groups, you've got Aboriginal leaders like Marion Scrimjawge just enterprise,
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: Michael Little, there's so we need the stronger futures legislation
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: in place, the likes of AMSANC Congress. They've warned about
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: the dangers for months, months but have not been listened to.
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: What's the point do you think in a voice to
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: Parliament if no one's going to actually listen to Aboriginal
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: people on the ground who are saying that they need
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: things like stronger futures legislation and further action.
• 21:21
  Speaker 4: So, Katie, we have been listening to people on the
• 21:23
  Speaker 4: ground and it is argued whether that's the right person
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: to listen to on this issue of alcohol. And that
• 21:29
  Speaker 4: is where the idea around, specifically when the alcohol management
• 21:32
  Speaker 4: plan is prepared for that community to vote on it.
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: But in terms of the voice, I think who exactly.
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: Would you say you are listening to? Who would you
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: say the main people in Alice Springs right now that
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: you're taking that advice from.
• 21:45
  Speaker 4: So for your listeners to understand, and the Ala Springs
• 21:47
  Speaker 4: residence we'd be well familiar, but those in the top
• 21:49
  Speaker 4: end might be.
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: We have a number of town camps and.
• 21:51
  Speaker 4: They have leadership, they have each area alects someone and
• 21:55
  Speaker 4: they come together under the tongue injier banner. So that
• 21:58
  Speaker 4: is who we've been speaking to in the lead up
• 22:01
  Speaker 4: to and around those changes of the sesation of the
• 22:04
  Speaker 4: stronger futures. Noting that the kmwas said, we're not doing anything,
• 22:07
  Speaker 4: we're vacating the space. So we provided that opt in
• 22:10
  Speaker 4: opportunity there. That comes to an end. So then what's
• 22:13
  Speaker 4: the next step in our alcohol response is where we're
• 22:15
  Speaker 4: going now?
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: Okay? And where then, you know, do we land?
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: If that's the situation where it is just the town
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: camp leadership and tongue and jig town council that you
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: are obviously taking that advice from, why are you not
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: taking advice from those medical groups, from the doctors that
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: are at the coal phase, from those that are really
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: facing you know, a terrible situation as a result of
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: the alcohol harm and the other on flow that's going on.
• 22:43
  Speaker 4: That's where we do absolutely listen to them. You've seen
• 22:45
  Speaker 4: a number of alcohol measures introduced in the Northern Territory,
• 22:48
  Speaker 4: and that's based on evidence, that's based on the advice
• 22:51
  Speaker 4: of health professionals. So the floor price, for example, the
• 22:53
  Speaker 4: band drinker register, having co located rehabilitation.
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: That's working right now in Alice Springs, Katie.
• 22:58
  Speaker 4: To deal with grog and alcohol, which is a legal product,
• 23:02
  Speaker 4: we have to have different measures and that's what's in place,
• 23:04
  Speaker 4: and they are adjusted for each community.
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: But it's a difficult issue because it's a legal product.
• 23:09
  Speaker 4: People become addicted, so they then push to secondary supply,
• 23:12
  Speaker 4: which we have put in place more measures there. So
• 23:14
  Speaker 4: it's a complex space to work in.
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: Chief mister, we're out of time. But what now, from.
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: Your perspective, what hope can you give the people of
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: Alice Springs and everybody right around the territory at the
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: moment who's concerned about their personal safety. They see what's
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: going on in Alice Springs and think, my goodness, is
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: that going to come to Darwin and to those people
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: in Alice Springs who are well past their wits end.
• 23:37
  Speaker 4: So, in terms of Alice Springs pulling together, what has
• 23:40
  Speaker 4: been achieved some of the ideas and some of the
• 23:43
  Speaker 4: evidence based solutions that perhaps we need support from the
• 23:46
  Speaker 4: Commonwealth government.
• 23:47
  Speaker 3: That's the absolute focus for me.
• 23:48
  Speaker 4: It was over the weekend and heading into this week
• 23:51
  Speaker 4: working with the Commonwealth Government around that what they can
• 23:54
  Speaker 4: do to step up, and also listening to the ideas
• 23:56
  Speaker 4: from the ground.
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: Katie.
• 23:57
  Speaker 4: I met with Matt Patterson, the mayor, certainly keeping contact.
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: He's still he last week was on this show and
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: said Katie, people do not feel safe sleeping in their
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: own homes.
• 24:07
  Speaker 4: But Katie Alice Springstown Council got close to a million
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: dollars to fund lighting to help security through environmental design. Yeah,
• 24:13
  Speaker 4: nothing's happened, So the thinking came then for the crime. No,
• 24:16
  Speaker 4: But what I'm saying is there's funding there to help
• 24:19
  Speaker 4: light areas, there's CCTV, there's lots of different things that
• 24:23
  Speaker 4: will tackle these issues, and we need everybody to step
• 24:26
  Speaker 4: up and participate.
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: All right, Chief Minister, we will leave it there.
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: Appreciate your time as always, Thank you.