1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,400 Speaker 1: And joining me on the line right now is the 2 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Independent Member for Ara lun Robin Lamley. Good morning to you, Robin, 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,480 Speaker 1: Good morning Katie. Now, Robin, we have just been talking 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: about the issues of crime in Darwin this morning, following 5 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:20,880 Speaker 1: on from unfortunately sexual assault in our Darwin city on Tuesday. 6 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: It happened in broad daylight at four pm in Austin 7 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: Lane according to the police. Now, I want to make 8 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: it clear the offenders have been The offender I should say, 9 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:33,120 Speaker 1: has been apprehended, but it is another example of a 10 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: terrible thing happening around the Northern Territory, particularly in Darwin 11 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: at the moment, Robin, how are things going in Alice? 12 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 2: Much the same, Katie. Things sound like they're really deteriorating 13 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 2: in Darwin. And when I hear stories like like bord 14 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 2: are coming out of Darwin at the moment, I feel 15 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 2: like you're not far behind us. Now in Central Australia, 16 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:07,120 Speaker 2: we've been under siege, under the spell of unacceptable crime 17 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 2: for many years and it is totally disheartening. And my 18 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 2: advice is you're in for a long haul and you 19 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 2: need to change your behavior except that there is crime 20 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 2: and just protect yourselves because under this government. They have 21 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 2: a very high tolerance for crime. They say one thing 22 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 2: and do another, and what they think is acceptable due 23 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 2: to colonization and disadvantage and poverty, most of us think 24 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 2: is just downright unacceptable antisocial criminal behavior which needs to 25 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 2: be stomped on. So my UKD is that whilst we 26 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 2: have this government in place, there is really very little 27 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 2: hope for change. So bunk it down and wait for 28 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 2: the next election and get rid of them, because it's 29 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 2: time for reset, a complete reset. 30 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,520 Speaker 1: Pretty dire warning, but I know that from you guys 31 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: in Alice, you've been living through some pretty horrible crime 32 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: for quite some time. I mean, the government came out 33 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: this week they made two announcements. They've got the police 34 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: now have the wands so they're able to do the 35 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: handheld scanning to see whether people have got weapons. They 36 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 1: also announced that oc spray rollout, so the capsicum spray 37 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: being able to be utilized by our transit safety officers now. 38 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:33,960 Speaker 1: The Police Association yesterday called upon the Northern Territory government 39 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: to stop gambling with public safety and stop creating more 40 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 1: work for police by expanding its cheap policing program. Robin, 41 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: do you think that's what's happening with these changes. 42 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 2: Look at it's interesting to take a step back and 43 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 2: look at what this government has done in terms of 44 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:58,519 Speaker 2: responding to crime over the last five years. They've, as 45 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,080 Speaker 2: you said, they've made a big deal out of giving 46 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 2: these wands, these scandals to the police and capskin spray 47 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 2: to be transport safety officers. A year ago they created 48 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 2: that Public Order Response unit. They set up private security 49 00:03:16,919 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 2: to patrol in Palmerston and a couple of suburbs in 50 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 2: the in the northern part of Darwin. There. Look, it's 51 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 2: all sort of trimming around the edges, but the reality 52 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 2: is that we need more police. And I have a 53 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 2: great deal of empathy for the police that are trying 54 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 2: to do their job and almost now they're in a 55 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 2: situation where they're competing or having to sort of manage 56 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 2: also relatively untrained security private security workers and government government 57 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 2: security workers that are being set up to do their job. 58 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 2: I just think it's quite extraordinary. Those transport safety offices 59 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 2: only exist in Darwin. They don't exist anywhere else, and 60 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 2: they don't actually sit on the buses. I was briefed 61 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 2: on the use of capsican spray before it was introduced 62 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 2: to parliament or put through Parliament and the transport. Transport 63 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,600 Speaker 2: safety officers sit in a car that follow buses around 64 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:29,920 Speaker 2: the place, and if there's an issue the bus stops, 65 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:31,839 Speaker 2: they get out of their car and jump on the 66 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 2: bus and deal with the situation as it is. I 67 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 2: just find I just found the whole thing peculiar, weird. 68 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:43,280 Speaker 2: Like there's only about a dozen of them, and I 69 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 2: just wonder if a better solution is to have them 70 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,760 Speaker 2: sitting on buses, you know, randomly. I mean, you know, 71 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 2: maybe pick the most the bus routes that seem to 72 00:04:54,720 --> 00:05:00,120 Speaker 2: have the most problems statistically and deal with things in 73 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 2: a sort of more meaningful way rather than jump on 74 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,520 Speaker 2: and jump off and pray your capsicum. And yeah, well 75 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 2: it just with me. 76 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 1: It sort of seems to me like what we've seen 77 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: as well over recent years is you know, when we 78 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: were in a situation where where businesses were being broken into, 79 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,279 Speaker 1: the government's answer was to provide be secure, you know, 80 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: be secure grants, so that rather than stopping the bad behavior, 81 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 1: you know, what they decided that we do is is 82 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,320 Speaker 1: you know, make sure that businesses could could put up 83 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 1: their bars or put up you know, a different screen 84 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: so that they stopped having their glass broken, Like, until 85 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: we're actually going to stop the behavior, we're going to 86 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: just continue to see this crime go on. 87 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 2: This government will never attempt to stop the behavior. They 88 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:51,040 Speaker 2: have absolutely no interest in that, Katie. We know that 89 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 2: they'll peck around the edges, as you say, they'll give 90 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 2: people money for security, they'll you know, put private security 91 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 2: here there in every them with whatever they think is 92 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 2: the latest gizmo that might help. But as you say, 93 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 2: the real problem is behavior. They will not offend the 94 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 2: groups in the community that could potentially lose them votes, 95 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 2: but the whole believers in terms of trying to address 96 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 2: that behavior in certain groups. I mean, most of the 97 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 2: offenders in Central Australia are Aboriginal people. We know that 98 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 2: because of the prisons. The prisons are ninety percent full 99 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:37,359 Speaker 2: of Aboriginal people. And to tackle the root cause of 100 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 2: the problem is to identify that and work with Strimjaw 101 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 2: around that. 102 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:47,280 Speaker 1: Marion Strmjaw actually joined us on the show last week 103 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: and she said that, you know, we're fed up with 104 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,479 Speaker 1: people coming in from communities and doing the wrong thing. 105 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:54,840 Speaker 1: Like she'd gone so far as to say that we 106 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:58,320 Speaker 1: actually need to implement alcohol restrictions in Daho and similar 107 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: to what we've got in Alice. 108 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 2: Well, that's always an option. I think that you're heading 109 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 2: in that direction. I just heard what Ruth Palmer said. 110 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 2: She mentioned alcohol being a problem and people being drunk 111 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 2: first thing in the morning. Welcome to our world. Even 112 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 2: with alcohol restrictions, you still see that. I heard of 113 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 2: a large group of Aboriginal people being drunk in the 114 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 2: middle of Alice Springs on Monday afternoon, and that's a 115 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,239 Speaker 2: day in which you can't get takeaway alcohol at all 116 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 2: in our springs, so they're accessing it from somewhere. But look, 117 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,880 Speaker 2: that is an option for Darwin, and it may make 118 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 2: a difference. I mean, we've had extreme alcohol restrictions in 119 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 2: place in Alice Springs for at least the last twenty 120 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 2: twenty five years, but we still have more crime than 121 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 2: what you have in Darwen, more incidents of crime than 122 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:53,400 Speaker 2: what you have in Darwin, in our town of Alice Springs. 123 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 2: So I think that gives you a fairly start sort 124 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 2: of comparison of what we're what we've been experiencing for 125 00:08:02,120 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 2: a very long time. But I don't mean to minimize 126 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 2: the experience of Darwin, because it is horrific and you 127 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 2: will have to change your behavior. As I said before, 128 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:16,000 Speaker 2: You'll have to protect yourselves. You'll have to stop going 129 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 2: to places which are perceived as dangerous or high risk. 130 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:24,080 Speaker 2: And the only solution, I think, really, and I said 131 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 2: this before, is to have a reset, and that involves 132 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 2: a change of government. This government is philosophically opposed to 133 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:37,200 Speaker 2: tackling the real underlying issues and identifying the real problem. 134 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,199 Speaker 2: I mean, you know, we talk about the problems in 135 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 2: Aboriginal communities, like you know, we know that there's a 136 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:50,600 Speaker 2: high rate of domestic violence and sexual assault, and child 137 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 2: abuse and neglect. We know that the statistics are in 138 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:56,559 Speaker 2: front of us, but there's very little narrative or dialogue 139 00:08:56,640 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 2: coming out of the government about any of those things 140 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 2: because it comes Katie to the Aboriginal vote, when in fact, 141 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 2: coming from Alice Springs, I know that Aboriginal people are 142 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 2: just as fed up and as pissed off as the 143 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,680 Speaker 2: rest of us. So you know, it's time for change. 144 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 2: We cannot have another four years of this, Katie. We 145 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:16,520 Speaker 2: will all be leaving. 146 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 1: Well, Robin Lamley, I am going to have to leave 147 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 1: it there because we're going to head across and catch 148 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,920 Speaker 1: up with Bill Yanne next. We always appreciate your time. 149 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:26,320 Speaker 1: When will we next have you in Darwin. 150 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 2: I'll be up in about ten days for Parliament. 151 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: Excellent, well, we will hopefully see you in the studio then. 152 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,440 Speaker 1: Robin Lamley, thanks so much for your time this morning.