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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