Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Public Pressure Forces Urgent Bail Legislation Into Parliament Attorney General Chansey Paech Joins Katie Woolf

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Public Pressure Forces Urgent Bail Legislation Into Parliament Attorney General Chansey Paech Joins Katie Woolf · 360 with Katie Woolf

0:01
Speaker 1: Well after an extraordinary amount of pressure from the Northern
0:05
Speaker 1: Territory public, the Chief Minister Attasha Files and the Attorney
0:08
Speaker 1: General Chancey Paike yesterday announced urgent bail legislation is going
0:13
Speaker 1: to be introduced to Parliament this morning, which will see
0:16
Speaker 1: a new presumption against bail for violent offenses involving a weapon.
0:21
Speaker 1: There will also be a presumption against bail for co
0:24
Speaker 1: offenders who participate in violent offenses involving a weapon, even
0:29
Speaker 1: if they don't possess the weapon themselves. These latest changes
0:33
Speaker 1: will apply to youth and adults, and the announcement came
0:36
Speaker 1: yesterday after immense and growing pressure on the Northern Territory
0:41
Speaker 1: government to take action when it comes to the rising
0:43
Speaker 1: rates of crime and the death of Declan Lavity last Monday.
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Speaker 1: The review into bail for weapon offenses does remain on
0:51
Speaker 1: going at this point, but these are early changes that
0:54
Speaker 1: have already been identified, the government says for strengthening The
0:58
Speaker 1: Chief Minister in insisting yesterday that they were well, that
1:02
Speaker 1: they were being introduced on a matter of urgency and
1:05
Speaker 1: that she had listened to the community. At that press
1:08
Speaker 1: conference yesterday, the Chief Minister said that these are much
1:11
Speaker 1: needed amendments and are in line with community expectations.
1:16
Speaker 2: She said.
1:16
Speaker 1: The safety of our community is paramount and these changes
1:20
Speaker 1: are in line with community expectation. The changes, well, they
1:24
Speaker 1: are similar to something that the COLP had tried to
1:27
Speaker 1: introduce two years ago, as I understand, into Parliament. And
1:31
Speaker 1: while they may well, I know that many are seeing
1:34
Speaker 1: them as a step in the right direction.
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Speaker 2: I know that a lot of you are also.
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Speaker 1: Going to be questioning if cars and ram raids are
1:40
Speaker 1: going to be included in the changes, but also if
1:42
Speaker 1: further changes will come into place for those who continue
1:46
Speaker 1: to offend. Now in less than three minutes, we are
1:49
Speaker 1: going to be speaking to the Attorney General Chancey Paig
1:52
Speaker 1: and find out more about the changes and why they
1:54
Speaker 1: weren't announced last week and if they go far enough.
1:58
Speaker 1: I know that some of you in the community we
2:00
Speaker 1: are also going to be questioning if there are going
2:02
Speaker 1: to be other measures to stop offending before we even
2:04
Speaker 1: get to this point. And yes, I can understand those questions,
2:08
Speaker 1: particularly following on from that report which had been published
2:12
Speaker 1: earlier in the week about the Smarter Well. It was
2:15
Speaker 1: by the Smarter Justice for a Safer Territory campaign. It
2:18
Speaker 1: found that one percent of the Northern Territory's adult population
2:22
Speaker 1: was behind bars. Now it also, of course we know
2:27
Speaker 1: that this is a discussion that we've been having for
2:29
Speaker 1: such a long period of time whether there should actually
2:33
Speaker 1: be community lead solutions, and we know that yesterday in parliament,
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Speaker 1: Independent Member for Malka in Mark Gaola Well he called
2:42
Speaker 1: for those community led solutions and I totally agree there
2:46
Speaker 1: does need to be those, But right now the offending
2:49
Speaker 1: needs to be stopped.
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Speaker 2: The community is calling for it.
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Speaker 1: The other work, Yes, it needs to happen, but we
2:55
Speaker 1: cannot have people stabbed, we cannot have people threatened, and
2:59
Speaker 1: we can't not have workers injured while they're at work,
3:03
Speaker 1: people injured while they're at work while we wait for
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Speaker 1: changes to come into play. So these things do need
3:08
Speaker 1: to happen, but we need the urgent changes right now
3:11
Speaker 1: to stop the offending on the streets. Now. At nine
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Speaker 1: point thirty we are going to be speaking to the
3:16
Speaker 1: Member for Oura lu And Robin Lamley to get her
3:18
Speaker 1: take on those changes and also find out how things
3:22
Speaker 1: are going in Alice Springs after what was a terrible
3:25
Speaker 1: weekend for the town. At nine p forty five we're
3:28
Speaker 1: going to be joined by the Opposition leader Leo Fanocchiaro,
3:30
Speaker 1: who's questioning if the bail changes include improvised weapons as
3:34
Speaker 1: well like Rocks Bottles, Star pickets. After ten o'clock, we're
3:38
Speaker 1: going to be speaking to the creator of a petition
3:40
Speaker 1: which is expected to be presented as well to Parliament
3:43
Speaker 1: today regarding crime in Catherine. A local painter, John Irvine's
3:47
Speaker 1: going to join me on the show and tell us
3:49
Speaker 1: more about that petition and why it was created.
3:52
Speaker 2: I'm also going to find out.
3:53
Speaker 1: More about well, the proposed speed limit changes in the
3:57
Speaker 1: CBD apparently they're changing, and we're going to talk about
4:00
Speaker 1: bit more about a proposal to raise the fence at
4:02
Speaker 1: Nightcliffe Primary School and while some parents feel it needs
4:05
Speaker 1: to happen now, we also know in local news and
4:08
Speaker 1: we'll get the latest in local news with Tanney Maxwell
4:10
Speaker 1: this morning. And Code yellow at Royal Darwin Hospital and
4:14
Speaker 1: also the Palmerston Hospital has now been lifted.
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Speaker 2: So the internal emergency was declared.
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Speaker 1: Last Tuesday due to a spike in patient demand coupled
4:22
Speaker 1: with an increase in admissions. Demand has since eased due
4:27
Speaker 1: to the measures that were implemented, so that is a
4:30
Speaker 1: bit of good news.
4:31
Speaker 2: Thankfully. Now, as I.
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Speaker 1: Said, we learned yesterday the Chief Minister Natasha Files and
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Speaker 1: the Attorney General, Chancey Paike, they called a press conference
4:39
Speaker 1: to announce urgent bail legislation is going to be introduced
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Speaker 1: to Parliament this morning, which we'll see a new presumption
4:47
Speaker 1: against bail for violent offenses involving a weapon. It is
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Speaker 1: hoped these changes will pass through the Parliament today and
4:55
Speaker 1: be able to be implemented.
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Speaker 2: Immediately. Joining me on the line is the.
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Speaker 1: Attorney General for the Northern Territory, Chancey Paige. Good morning
5:04
Speaker 1: to you.
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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie.
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Speaker 1: Now why did the government decide to make this announcement yesterday?
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Speaker 3: Yeah, Look, the Chief Ministry and I made the announcement
5:13
Speaker 3: yesterday around the urgent bail legislation and that was to
5:17
Speaker 3: see a new presumption against bail for violent offenses involving
5:20
Speaker 3: a weapon and also a presumption against bail for co
5:23
Speaker 3: offenders who participate in violent offenses involving a weapon. And Katie,
5:28
Speaker 3: that means even if they don't possess the weapon themselves,
5:31
Speaker 3: that will apply. And these changes are to youth and
5:35
Speaker 3: adults all right, so it will.
5:37
Speaker 2: Be youths and adults.
5:40
Speaker 1: Minister can you tell us is it going to include
5:42
Speaker 1: things like improvised weapons as well, i e. Rocks, bottles,
5:48
Speaker 1: sticks even in some cases.
5:51
Speaker 3: So the changes that have been brought forward, these are
5:54
Speaker 3: the initial or these are the immediate changes that we
5:58
Speaker 3: have taken the week to work through to make sure
6:00
Speaker 3: that there's no unintended consequences elsewhere in the justice system.
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Speaker 3: But these changes are to absolutely stamp out knife crime
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Speaker 3: in the Northern Territory. As we know, over recent times
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Speaker 3: there's been a number of tragic events across the territory
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Speaker 3: due to violent offenses involving knives. This is a stamp
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Speaker 3: out knife crime. Katie absolutely acknowledging and hearing loud and
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Speaker 3: clear from members right across our community that there's work
6:29
Speaker 3: to still be done and we're absolutely doing that. That's
6:32
Speaker 3: part of the greater work that will happen with the
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Speaker 3: review is looking at those considerations of what other objects
6:40
Speaker 3: need to be considered as a controlled or a prohibited weapon,
6:44
Speaker 3: and certainly that stuff that will be back at in
6:46
Speaker 3: the community talking to people about.
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Speaker 1: So what weapons are included in the changes that are
6:51
Speaker 1: going to come into parliament today.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, certainly, so the definition of a controlled weapon and
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Speaker 3: a prohibited weapon, they're quite extensive, but just I guess, Katie,
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Speaker 3: a general synopsis would be crossbows, spear guns, any form
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Speaker 3: of knife, dagger or axe though that's the type of
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Speaker 3: level that we're working with.
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Speaker 1: But so for our listeners this morning that are thinking,
7:16
Speaker 1: hang on a secon, you know, what about rocks?
7:17
Speaker 2: What about bottles?
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Speaker 1: That is still being looked at at this point with
7:21
Speaker 1: the other work that's underway.
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Speaker 3: Yeah. Absolutely, So when you talk about weapons, there's three
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Speaker 3: types of weapons. There's controlled weapons, there's prohibited weapons, and
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Speaker 3: there's offensive weapons. So what we've said is part of
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Speaker 3: the review is will absolutely work to look at what
7:37
Speaker 3: are some of the additional objects that need to be
7:40
Speaker 3: considered and contemporized through the controlled and prohibited.
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Speaker 1: Weapons Now Minister last week, on the week that was
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Speaker 1: the Police Minister, Kate Warden had said that the government
7:50
Speaker 1: would not be making knee jerk reactions and rushing through
7:53
Speaker 1: legislation like the COLP had suggested they do. I know
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Speaker 1: that you'd been at a press conference on Mondays saying
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Speaker 1: similar words. Is that what you're doing though today No, not.
8:06
Speaker 3: At all, Katie. We've taken the last week to work
8:09
Speaker 3: through with all of the government agencies who have involvement
8:13
Speaker 3: and carriage in the justice system to make sure that
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Speaker 3: this didn't have unintended consequences in other areas. And this
8:20
Speaker 3: is one immediate measure that we can bring into the
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Speaker 3: Northern Territory Parliament today and hope that all members of
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Speaker 3: the Legislative Assembly support us in getting that through debate
8:30
Speaker 3: and passage. Of course, there's certainly going to be other
8:33
Speaker 3: things that we will consider and look at as part
8:36
Speaker 3: of the review. So I certainly this is not a
8:39
Speaker 3: kneed direct reaction. We took the time that we needed
8:42
Speaker 3: to make sure that this was going to be the
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Speaker 3: strongest that it could be and that it didn't impact
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Speaker 3: on other areas of the justice system on the.
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Speaker 2: Other side of the fence.
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Speaker 1: I know that there will be people in the community
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Speaker 1: listening this morning thinking why has this taken so long?
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Speaker 1: Why have we got people who are out on the
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Speaker 1: streets who have committed violent offenses and also you know,
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Speaker 1: offenses with weapons that are then out on bail.
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Speaker 3: Yeah. So I guess when we work through this, Kadie,
9:11
Speaker 3: and we talk through this, the changes that we're bringing
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Speaker 3: in today and that we're seeking passage of today, bringing
9:17
Speaker 3: the presumption against bail. So that's when an individual's charged
9:21
Speaker 3: with a violent offense involving a weapon, that when that
9:25
Speaker 3: matter goes to cart or for police bail, that the
9:29
Speaker 3: presumption is that they are against them getting bail, and
9:33
Speaker 3: then that has to be worked through that process.
9:36
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think that that's actually in line with
9:38
Speaker 1: what the community expects. You know, people don't expect a
9:41
Speaker 1: situation where somebody has, you know, where they are on
9:44
Speaker 1: bail for an offense like that and then they're still
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Speaker 1: out on the streets.
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Speaker 3: Yeah. So what this change is bringing in and saying
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Speaker 3: that as soon as someone is charged with an offense
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Speaker 3: of a violent offense involving a weapon, the presumption is
10:00
Speaker 3: no bail and then that needs to go through the
10:03
Speaker 3: court or the police bail process for that definition, and
10:06
Speaker 3: then that process to be worked through.
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Speaker 1: Now before I get to know the fact that they're
10:11
Speaker 1: going to be on remand and where they're going to
10:13
Speaker 1: be held, I do just want to ask you what
10:15
Speaker 1: about ram raids? Is that going to be you know,
10:17
Speaker 1: a ram raid's going to be something that's considered as
10:20
Speaker 1: a violent offense as well, because we see a lot
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Speaker 1: of that unfortunately in the Northern Territory.
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Speaker 3: Look, that's certainly matters that have been raised with us.
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Speaker 3: We're certainly looking at all of those options through the
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Speaker 3: bail review and the Chief Minister's made it very clear
10:37
Speaker 3: this week and last Wednesday that we will leave no
10:41
Speaker 3: stone unturned. We'll absolutely look at where it is appropriate
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Speaker 3: and practical to look at strengthening to provide greater comfort
10:49
Speaker 3: for the community to feel safe around the process of bail.
10:52
Speaker 3: Then we will do that.
10:54
Speaker 1: Will you release that review into bail reforms which is
10:57
Speaker 1: currently underway.
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Speaker 3: View that's underway is the review of agencies meeting working
11:04
Speaker 3: through things line by line. It's not so much as
11:08
Speaker 3: a review report will be completed, so as we go
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Speaker 3: through and as members of that so Department of Attorney
11:15
Speaker 3: General Injustice, members of the Police, the DPP and so forth,
11:20
Speaker 3: will all work through as particular items are raised to
11:23
Speaker 3: work through. So it's not going to produce a report
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Speaker 3: as such. It will produce things that Cabinet then make
11:28
Speaker 3: considerations as to bringing that into legislation or whether that's
11:33
Speaker 3: a policy change.
11:34
Speaker 1: But will the community have the opportunity to see, if
11:38
Speaker 1: you know, some of these changes that don't meet the
11:41
Speaker 1: community's expectations come into place, the reasons why the community.
11:46
Speaker 3: Always have opportunities to talk to a number of my
11:49
Speaker 3: parliamentary colleagues and ministerial colleagues.
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Speaker 1: Well, I guess so lost that skin though you've certainly
11:56
Speaker 1: lost that bit of skin over the last few weeks,
11:58
Speaker 1: given what is unfolded and the fact that the community
12:01
Speaker 1: didn't feel like you were listening.
12:03
Speaker 3: I think, Katie, it's really important to acknowledge that there
12:06
Speaker 3: is currently criminal investigations and procedures underway, and we have
12:12
Speaker 3: to be careful that we don't nobod who's.
12:15
Speaker 1: Trying to prejudice any of those proceedings. So nobody's actually
12:19
Speaker 1: talking about you know, I'm not going into any detail
12:22
Speaker 1: about that situation, but what I'm saying to you is
12:24
Speaker 1: that the community has been screaming out about the issues
12:28
Speaker 1: of crime, not just for weeks, for months, and they
12:32
Speaker 1: feel as though the government haven't been listening.
12:35
Speaker 3: Look, Katie, I acknowledge people feel frustrated and angry. We
12:40
Speaker 3: are working through this in a considered approach. We've boosted
12:44
Speaker 3: police resources, We've increased penalties for assaults on frontline workers.
12:49
Speaker 3: We've strengthened rehabilitation and support programs. For repeat offenders, electronic monitoring,
12:54
Speaker 3: the alcohol policies. There's an extensive list, and that's not
12:58
Speaker 3: saying that that's complete. Absolutely, there is always going to
13:01
Speaker 3: need to be work done in this space, and we're
13:04
Speaker 3: always going to need to continue to be listening and
13:07
Speaker 3: working with the community because this is always going to
13:10
Speaker 3: be ongoing around their areas where there could be continuous improvement.
13:15
Speaker 1: I mean, do you acknowledge though, that while all of
13:17
Speaker 1: those changes were being implemented, and you know, we continuously
13:21
Speaker 1: hear about the record level of investment that while all
13:25
Speaker 1: of that has been happening, crime on the streets has
13:28
Speaker 1: been getting worse.
13:30
Speaker 3: Okay, I think there's been obviously a whole range of
13:33
Speaker 3: factors that contribute to the reasons why there's been an
13:37
Speaker 3: increase in antisocial behavior and crime. And that's again looking
13:41
Speaker 3: at how we can continue to address those root causes
13:45
Speaker 3: of the cause of antisocial behavior and crime. And we're
13:47
Speaker 3: certainly saying we will continue to do everything that we
13:52
Speaker 3: can and to look at how we can smarten the
13:55
Speaker 3: legislation to better respond and provide the safe community.
13:59
Speaker 1: I know we're very press for time, and you've got
14:01
Speaker 1: to get into parliament very quickly is this Are these
14:04
Speaker 1: changes going to mean that we've actually got more people
14:07
Speaker 1: on remand so more people in custody or more holding
14:12
Speaker 1: sales and custody sales. I guess required where are they
14:15
Speaker 1: going to go? Because we know that the jail is overflowing.
14:19
Speaker 3: I think, certainly Katie acknowledging that these changes may certainly
14:24
Speaker 3: have an increase on people held on remard, but I
14:27
Speaker 3: can't preempt that. That'll be a matter for the Court
14:30
Speaker 3: of Police bail processes to determine. But what I can say,
14:33
Speaker 3: Katie is in terms of the correctional services, there's no
14:38
Speaker 3: overnight solution, but anti correctional Services and the anti police
14:42
Speaker 3: are continuing to work together to manage the demand. And
14:46
Speaker 3: certainly we always are looking at ways of better providing
14:51
Speaker 3: accommodation options within our correctional environment, and we'll continue to
14:55
Speaker 3: do so, all right.
14:56
Speaker 1: There has also been some data release this morning of
14:59
Speaker 1: the ALIS that brings hospital data showing that there was
15:02
Speaker 1: a massive drop in alcohol related and other hospital related
15:07
Speaker 1: admissions as soon as you guys reinstated the grog bands
15:11
Speaker 1: in town in the town camps. It also shows that
15:14
Speaker 1: they went up dramatically straight after those bands were lifted
15:18
Speaker 1: last July. What does that say to you? I mean,
15:22
Speaker 1: doesn't this show that realistically, you know, these bands need.
15:26
Speaker 2: To stay in place.
15:28
Speaker 3: I think Katie, you've missed one important element in that
15:32
Speaker 3: piece right there, and that is that the Chief Minister
15:34
Speaker 3: brought in under Section eighty eight of the Liquor Act
15:37
Speaker 3: additional restrictions, which was blanket prohibitions not just for Aboriginal
15:41
Speaker 3: people but for people right across Central Australia, and that
15:45
Speaker 3: was alcohol free days on Monday and Tuesday.
15:48
Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying, should they stay in place? Should
15:50
Speaker 1: they stay in place?
15:52
Speaker 3: So, just to be clear, Katie, those measures were not
15:56
Speaker 3: previously instated under the Stronger Futures. There are additional measures
15:59
Speaker 3: that the Chief Minister had brought.
16:01
Speaker 2: Ye, So should they stay in place?
16:03
Speaker 3: They are for a time limited period as the Act prescribed,
16:07
Speaker 3: and that'll be a matter for the Chief Minister to
16:10
Speaker 3: make a determination of whether they stay and if they do,
16:14
Speaker 3: that may require a legislative change. But we've certainly creen
16:18
Speaker 3: positive results.
16:19
Speaker 2: Let's talk about it.
16:19
Speaker 1: Matter for you a holiday to Sydney over the weekend.
16:23
Speaker 2: Should you have gone?
16:25
Speaker 3: I think, Katie, I every member of the Legislative Assembly
16:29
Speaker 3: is entitled to take personal leave. The leader of the
16:31
Speaker 3: Opposition takes four or five weeks every December and January.
16:35
Speaker 3: I took the weekend for a personal commitment and stayed
16:37
Speaker 3: on in Sydney.
16:38
Speaker 1: Do you think it was appropriate though, to campaigns for
16:41
Speaker 1: the Labor Party in Sydney after the situation that we'd
16:44
Speaker 1: gone through last week? We had a young man who
16:47
Speaker 1: was allegedly killed at the hand of a person who
16:50
Speaker 1: was on bail.
16:51
Speaker 2: The community was screaming for help.
16:53
Speaker 1: We know that Alice Springs was facing bush fires, there
16:56
Speaker 1: was break ins, ram raids, Thousands were protesting on the
17:00
Speaker 1: steps of Parliament House.
17:02
Speaker 2: Was it the right move for you to take?
17:05
Speaker 3: Look, Katie, as I've said, members of the Legislative Assembly
17:08
Speaker 3: are entitled to personal leave. At a personal commitment that
17:11
Speaker 3: I attended to. There are other members from Central Australia
17:14
Speaker 3: who were not in their community over the weekend, So
17:18
Speaker 3: I think again members are entitled to personal leaves.
17:21
Speaker 1: I guess the difference is though, that you are the
17:22
Speaker 1: Attorney General. I mean many are likening it to Scott
17:26
Speaker 1: Morrison being on holidays in Hawaii while bushfires burned.
17:30
Speaker 3: What do you say to that I say that there's
17:33
Speaker 3: a big difference. I care about my community and I've
17:35
Speaker 3: demonstrated that through a whole bunch of law reform, and
17:39
Speaker 3: I've worked closely with the Commonwealth around securing that investment
17:42
Speaker 3: of three hundred million dollars for Central Australia. How do
17:45
Speaker 3: you reckon it's different?
17:46
Speaker 2: How is it different?
17:47
Speaker 1: Though?
17:48
Speaker 3: Okay, I've demonstrated my commitment to my town that I
17:52
Speaker 3: was born in. I grew up in an old stay
17:53
Speaker 3: in to ensure that at every opportunity I work with
17:57
Speaker 3: the government and the Commonwealth around measures that we can
18:00
Speaker 3: bring in to provide greater certainty for people in the
18:03
Speaker 3: community around safety.
18:04
Speaker 2: Do you regret it though? Was it bad timing?
18:08
Speaker 3: Katie? I went for a personal commitment and stayed on
18:12
Speaker 3: for the weekend.
18:13
Speaker 2: All right, Attorney General Chancey Pake.
18:16
Speaker 1: I know that there are some in the community asking
18:18
Speaker 1: right now whether you should stay in your job after
18:21
Speaker 1: making that move.
18:22
Speaker 2: What do you say to them?
18:25
Speaker 3: Okay, I've certainly got a lot more law reform to
18:28
Speaker 3: push through to deliver smarter justice for a safer territory,
18:31
Speaker 3: and that's what I intend on doing.
18:33
Speaker 2: We'll leave it there for this morning.
18:34
Speaker 1: Chancey pag the Attorney General of the Northern Territory. Appreciate
18:38
Speaker 1: your time.
18:39
Speaker 3: No worth Katie, thank.
18:40
Speaker 2: You, thank you.
18:41
Speaker 1: It is just twenty four minutes after nine o'clock. Eight
18:44
Speaker 1: nine four one one four nine is the number if
18:46
Speaker 1: you'd like to call through today if you want to
18:48
Speaker 1: send me a message zero four double nine seven double
18:52
Speaker 1: one three six zero and we have got a busy
18:56
Speaker 1: hour coming your way up next well, Robin Lamley, the
18:59
Speaker 1: Independent member for our lun We've also got the Opposition
19:02
Speaker 1: leader Leo Finocchiaro on the show before ten o'clock and
19:05
Speaker 1: we've got a lot of messages flowing through already.
19:09
Speaker 2: Righting your morning with