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Speaker 1: Let's get into it, because, as I said, we know

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Speaker 1: the Territory Labor government say that they're undertaking a range

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Speaker 1: of activities to reduce alcohol related harm within the community.

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Speaker 1: So as part of this work, they have completed a

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Speaker 1: three year review into the Liquor Act. And as many

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Speaker 1: of you will recall, that Act came into effect on

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Speaker 1: the first of October back in twenty nineteen. The government

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Speaker 1: say it has been reviewed to determine whether the policy

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Speaker 1: objectives of the Act remain valid and whether the terms

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Speaker 1: of the legislative framework are still appropriate. Now joining me

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Speaker 1: on the show to talk more about this and also

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Speaker 1: about the Barkley Council being placed under official management. It

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Speaker 1: is the Attorney General of the Northern Territory, Chancey Pay.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to.

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Speaker 3: You, hey, Katie. How are you going?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, really good, Thank you for your time this morning. Now,

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Speaker 1: Attorney General. What are some of the more significant changes

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Speaker 1: that are being looked at as part of this alcohol review?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, So look, the Chief Minister, Natasha Files, the Alcohol

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Speaker 3: Policy Minister did table and that report yesterday and it's

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Speaker 3: an opportunity for us, Katie, to look at what we

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Speaker 3: have introduced and where it needs to be reformed or

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Speaker 3: some things need to be maybe strengthened.

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Speaker 4: Or are not relevant anymore. So, look, there are a

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Speaker 4: whole raft.

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Speaker 3: Of recommendations in that report. It's tabled now, so it'll

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Speaker 3: give the government time and the opposition and independent members

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Speaker 3: to really have a considered look at those recommendations and

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Speaker 3: really kind of provide feedback around that. As a government,

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Speaker 3: we'll be able to come out and publicly say what

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Speaker 3: we are going to further look at introducing and trialing.

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Speaker 3: But they're really a note. Some of those are around

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Speaker 3: the BDR, looking at how we can strengthen and do

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Speaker 3: that work there well, from what I.

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Speaker 1: Can see as well, in the discussion paper for the review,

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Speaker 1: it suggested that to address public drinking and the associated

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Speaker 1: anti social behavior, the Liquor Act be amended to empower

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Speaker 1: other appointed officers such as transit officers, public housing safety offices,

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Speaker 1: park ranges, council ranges, and contracted security to act as

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Speaker 1: ex officio inspectors with the authority to search individuals and

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Speaker 1: seize any unopened container that's believed to contain liquor.

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Speaker 2: Attorney General, is this really.

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Speaker 1: The job of those kind of officials or would it

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Speaker 1: land them in dangerous situations.

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Speaker 3: Again, look, now that that report summary report has been tabled,

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Speaker 3: will work through it. I think there's a whole range

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Speaker 3: of considerations to look at, and you know, I do

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Speaker 3: acknowledge and understand that there's pressures and there's consequences for

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Speaker 3: people in those positions, and we need to work through

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Speaker 3: that in a considered way. So I'm happy to have

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Speaker 3: those conversations, but certainly acknowledging that we need to be

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Speaker 3: working with, you know, the hospitality sector in our local

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Speaker 3: councils and safety offices even to understand what their aspirations

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Speaker 3: and views are around this area.

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Speaker 1: Do you reckon it could be effective though? I mean,

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Speaker 1: you know, there's a lot of criticism the government at

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Speaker 1: the moment that there's not enough police on the ground

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Speaker 1: to do those kinds of things.

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Speaker 2: So do you reckon it would actually be effective?

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Speaker 4: Oh?

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Speaker 3: Look, Katie, I think it's got merit. I'm certainly not

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Speaker 3: ruling that out. Definitely, I think has merit. We need

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Speaker 3: to explore it further, and I think we also need

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Speaker 3: to acknowledge that the territory as a whole is not

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Speaker 3: homogeneous when it comes to some of the social issues

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Speaker 3: we're having with alcohol and allowing those tools for different

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Speaker 3: agencies or authorities to use might be a good situation

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Speaker 3: in particular parts of the territory, but that'll enable us now,

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Speaker 3: the government, the opposition, and the independence to have those

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Speaker 3: conversations with those sectors and see what their views are.

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Speaker 1: One of the interesting things I thought in the report

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Speaker 1: was the noting that during COVID nineteen, during the health emergency,

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Speaker 1: the Director introduced special requirements for the sale of takeaway alcohol,

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Speaker 1: including the requirement for a person to prove that they

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Speaker 1: have a legitimate residence to consume takeaway alcohol. The same

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Speaker 1: measure has obviously voluntarily been applied by licenses in the

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Speaker 1: likes of Perap and Fanny Bay via the Darwin Outer

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Speaker 1: City Liquor Accord. At this stage, it's not recommended from

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Speaker 1: what I can gather, that this measure be legislated as

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Speaker 1: a condition for takeaway authorities, but it does seem as

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Speaker 1: though it's something that did stop that alcohol misue. Some

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Speaker 1: means should we actually be looking at doing this.

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Speaker 3: Look, as I said, I don't think we can rule

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Speaker 3: anything out in this stage. This really now and will

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Speaker 3: enable us to have a conversation territory wide around these matters,

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Speaker 3: and if these are things that come up from the community,

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Speaker 3: then we can certainly look at how we can look

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Speaker 3: at introducing those particular measures or ideas.

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Speaker 4: I mean, we're also looking at.

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Speaker 3: Updating the risk based licensing framework at Katie so that

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Speaker 3: only licensees who are doing the wrong thing are impacted. So, look,

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Speaker 3: there's a really good opportunity here for Territorians, for the

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Speaker 3: sector and for us as a parliament highly to work

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Speaker 3: together to come up with something that's really effective when

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Speaker 3: it comes to tackling alcohol and alcohol fueled violence in

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Speaker 3: our community.

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Speaker 1: Well, one area that I think we are all hoping

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Speaker 1: that both the Government, the Opposition and the Independence will

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Speaker 1: work together is this proposal that an amendment be made

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Speaker 1: to provide police with the power to identify the person

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Speaker 1: that they're searching or seizing alcohol from in regards to

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Speaker 1: a contravention of Section one hundred and seventy one, so

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Speaker 1: that drinking in various public places two kilometers away from

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Speaker 1: a takeaway outlet. Attorney General, this is something that you

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Speaker 1: know that the public has sort of been screaming out

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Speaker 1: for going well why don't police have greater powers in

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Speaker 1: this space? And the government's been at pains to say

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Speaker 1: that that two kilometer law is still in place, but

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Speaker 1: by the sounds of it, it had become a real

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Speaker 1: toothless tiger.

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Speaker 3: So Katie that that two kilometer man or rule is

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Speaker 3: silly in place and I can't.

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Speaker 1: Actually there's a lot of respects to it that mean

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Speaker 1: that the police can't do anything aside from tip out

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Speaker 1: that alcohol.

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Speaker 3: I've certainly first hand seen our hard working police tipping

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Speaker 3: out alcohol if people have it within that two kilometer rule. Again,

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Speaker 3: I'm absolutely saying today to you and everybody that the

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Speaker 3: summary reports out, it'll give everyone in Parliament an opportunity

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Speaker 3: to talk to those stakeholder groups and look at where

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Speaker 3: and what we need to do to address the concerns

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Speaker 3: in the community around alcohol and alcohol fueled violence. So

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Speaker 3: absolutely saying Katie, nothing's off the table, I'm certainly happy

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Speaker 3: to look at those areas.

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Speaker 1: So if nothing's off the table, would you support the

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Speaker 1: legislation being put forward by the CLP today in relation

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Speaker 1: to that two kilometer law.

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Speaker 3: I don't support that coming through today because I think

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Speaker 3: what we need to do is have a chat with

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Speaker 3: the sector, the hospitality community, with the wider community, and

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Speaker 3: certainly with the police around what we can do to

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Speaker 3: make sure that we're supporting them with this area, because

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Speaker 3: the police or have the power KAD to tip out

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Speaker 3: that alcohol and move people on.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, but that's where it stops.

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Speaker 1: You know, you've got the power to tip out alcohol,

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Speaker 1: but they're not currently able to do exactly what is

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Speaker 1: you know, what is what's pointed out in that report,

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Speaker 1: the power to identify the person that they're searching or

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Speaker 1: seizing alcohol from. So I'm assuming can't run a search warrant.

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Speaker 1: There's various things that they can't actually do.

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Speaker 3: Okay, The legislation that the Colpa talking about hasn't been

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Speaker 3: introduced to parliament, so again we need to wait for

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Speaker 3: those things to be introduced and get ascertained from that

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Speaker 3: what it is intended to do. But again I'm certainly

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Speaker 3: working with my community, with my cabinet around where we

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Speaker 3: need to strengthen things to tackle alcohol fueled violence.

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Speaker 4: We absolutely will.

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Speaker 1: What if that legislation today though, does do what is

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Speaker 1: what's sort of recommended in the report, could you implement

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Speaker 1: it sooner and you know, really meet the needs or

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Speaker 1: meet the expectations of the community.

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Speaker 3: Again, Katie, I'm not going to pre empt legislation in

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Speaker 3: that area until I've had the opportunity to have a

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Speaker 3: full look at it and a conversation with people around

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Speaker 3: what it's intended consequences and its intended actions are It.

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Speaker 1: Sounds though, as you've said, nothing's off the table here

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Speaker 1: when it comes to that misuse of alcohol, which I

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Speaker 1: think is a really good thing because we are really

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Speaker 1: seeing the impacts of alcohol issues around the Northern territory.

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Speaker 1: Are we going to see some strengthening of the BDR

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Speaker 1: as well?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, certainly.

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Speaker 3: In that summary report, Katie absolutely talks about changes that

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Speaker 3: should be considered, including the Band Drinker Register to simplify

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Speaker 3: pathways for police to issue those band drinking registered orders,

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Speaker 3: and that's basically put in as a priority to reduce

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Speaker 3: alcohol related harm. I'm really supportive of that, and I'm

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Speaker 3: really absolutely happy to talk further with people around what

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Speaker 3: we can do in that space. I certainly welcome that conversation.

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Speaker 4: All right.

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Speaker 1: I do want to ask you about the situation with

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Speaker 1: the Berkley Regional Council under official management and all elected

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Speaker 1: members have been suspended from office.

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Speaker 2: Why was this decision made?

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Speaker 4: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: No, Look, Katie, I made the decision yesterday to place

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Speaker 3: the Barkley Regional Council under official management and suspended all

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Speaker 3: elected members from office. That doesn't mean that they've been sacked,

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Speaker 3: they've been suspended.

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Speaker 4: And Katie, look, I did that.

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Speaker 3: I made that decision because I believe that there are

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Speaker 3: or there may be serious decisiencies in the Council's conduct

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Speaker 3: of affairs. So certainly I've brought in an official manager

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Speaker 3: who will act in place of council. That is, he'll

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Speaker 3: be the acting mayor and counselors during that time. And

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Speaker 3: I appointed an investigator to examine council affairs and they'll

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Speaker 3: report back to me in March next year, Katie, and

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Speaker 3: the findings of that report will give me an opportunity

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Speaker 3: to review and then make the decision to reinstate the

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Speaker 3: council with a whole range of recommendations and improvements, or

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Speaker 3: to dismiss the council and go back for a general

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Speaker 3: election for the Berkley Council.

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Speaker 1: Attorney General, we know there was concerns about vision of

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Speaker 1: the mayor sitting on a child, but this is obviously

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Speaker 1: much more broader than that, or it would just be

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Speaker 1: the mayor that you'd be taking action against. Are we

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Speaker 1: talking about financial mismanagement here.

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Speaker 3: OK, I think you raise a really really good point.

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Speaker 3: This decision has been made because the Department has been

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Speaker 3: working through issues with the Barkley Regional Council for an

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Speaker 3: extended period of time now working at how we can

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Speaker 3: better help them.

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Speaker 4: To deliver services.

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Speaker 3: This decision has been made because I had some concerns

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Speaker 3: around the fiscal management and the council's service delivery obligations.

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Speaker 3: Now I want to make it really clear as well, Katie,

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Speaker 3: there are some scent stick elected members on the Barkeley

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Speaker 3: Regional Council. It's not an issue around that. It's an

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Speaker 3: issue around me as the local government minister, needing to

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Speaker 3: have confidence that the fiscal management and the service delivery

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Speaker 3: obligations are being met because there are over eight thousand

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Speaker 3: people in the Berkeley Regional Council area that I need

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Speaker 3: to make sure are having the effective delivery of council services.

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Speaker 1: I mean, you know, what coulds or what are some

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Speaker 1: of those serious deficiencies that you're concerned about.

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Speaker 4: Look, Cdie, when.

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Speaker 3: We talk about the council area, it's looking at council

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Speaker 3: delivery areas such as you know, waste management, annual management, control, governance,

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Speaker 3: supporting the local authorities those council services and making sure

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Speaker 3: that they're being delivered in accordance with how they are

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Speaker 3: attended intended in the Local Government Act.

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Speaker 1: All right, it sounds like some pretty serious stuff. I

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Speaker 1: know that it's not unprecedented. We have seen in the

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Speaker 1: past in the Northern Territory the Palmerston Council many many

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Speaker 1: years ago under a similar situation.

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Speaker 2: But how I mean March next.

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Speaker 1: Year is when you're waiting for that report to come back,

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Speaker 1: our service is still going to be able to be

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Speaker 1: delivered in an efficient and effective manner.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, Katie. We've got a new CEO who was

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Speaker 3: already scheduled to be commencing for the Berkeley Regional Council

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Speaker 3: next month.

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Speaker 4: Services and all staff.

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Speaker 3: That the Barkley Regional Council absolutely still have their employment.

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Speaker 3: This is no impact on them. This is about making

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Speaker 3: sure that we have the official manager in there to

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Speaker 3: work with the CEO to make sure that the delivery

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Speaker 3: of services and the council moving forward can be as

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Speaker 3: strong as it can be, to make sure that community

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Speaker 3: have the absolute confidence in their local government.

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Speaker 2: Attorney General.

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Speaker 1: Just before I get you, let you go making national

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Speaker 1: news headlines this morning. Senator jac for jimper Price has

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Speaker 1: reacted to news that her motion calling on the Albanese

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Speaker 1: government to hold a Royal commission into Indigenous child sexual

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Speaker 1: abuse has been voted down. Miss Price has also called

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Speaker 1: for an audit of the billions of dollars being spent

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Speaker 1: on programs for Indigenous Australians and closing the gap. After

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Speaker 1: Labour's Voice to Parliament was rejected by Australians during Saturday's referendum,

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Speaker 1: she took to social media to share her frustration at

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Speaker 1: the outcome in a video posted to Facebook on Tuesday afternoon.

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Speaker 1: Should there be a Royal Commission into Indigenous child sexual abuse?

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Speaker 3: Well, firstly, it's absolutely disgraceful that the Senator for the

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Speaker 3: Northern Territory is using our children as a political tool.

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Speaker 3: There was a whole section Katie in the Royal Commission

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Speaker 3: here in the Northern Territory that talked about what support

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Speaker 3: was needed from the Commonwealth, and her party at the

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Speaker 3: time were in government and did not contribute one cent

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Speaker 3: to the recommendations in that Royal Commission to to respond

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Speaker 3: and support territory families and children right across the territory

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Speaker 3: and Katie, I'll remind the Senator and all Territorians that

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Speaker 3: there is legislation in place around mandatory reporting that if

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Speaker 3: a child is in a situation where there is such

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Speaker 3: allegations being made, it has to be mandatory reported so

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Speaker 3: that we can.

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Speaker 4: Deal with it.

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Speaker 1: So you're not concerned in any way, shape or form

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Speaker 1: of issues of child sexual abuse in your electorate.

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Speaker 3: The Senator needs to start coming out rather than Motherhood's statements,

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Speaker 3: with actual tangible outcomes and facts that these issues are

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Speaker 3: taking place and if they are, we will absolutely respond

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Speaker 3: and deal with those to make sure that those young

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Speaker 3: people are supported and anyone who is posing a risk

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Speaker 3: to children in the Northern Territory is dealt by the

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Speaker 3: full raft of the law.

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Speaker 1: So, Attorney General, are you saying that she's making things up?

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Speaker 3: I'm saying that it's time that the Senate that can

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Speaker 3: start coming out and showing the data and the stats

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Speaker 3: and the evidence where this is happening, and we will

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Speaker 3: absolutely respond to it and deal with it where those

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Speaker 3: cases can be substantiated, and that there needs to be

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Speaker 3: mandatory reporting done in these instances. Now, Katie, I am

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Speaker 3: absolutely saying that as a government and as the Commonwealth

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Speaker 3: government as well. We all need to be working to

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Speaker 3: make sure that we are looking at the services for

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Speaker 3: young people in our communities, making sure that we give

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Speaker 3: them the best start at life as we possibly can.

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Speaker 1: And do you think the Northern Territory Government is living

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Speaker 1: up to that expectation right now?

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Speaker 3: We are absolutely doing what we can with the resources

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Speaker 3: that we have. Of course, we continually continuously advocate to

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Speaker 3: the Commonwealth for a bigger share of the pie to

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Speaker 3: deliver and improve services and absolutely will continue to do

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Speaker 3: that and work with our stakeholders. But I make the point, Katie,

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Speaker 3: we had the Royal commiss and we had a Commonwealth

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Speaker 3: government at the time walk away from that commission and

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Speaker 3: all of its recommendations.

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Speaker 1: Attorney General Chancey Paig, we are going to have to

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Speaker 1: leave it there.

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Speaker 2: We thank you for your time this morning.

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Speaker 4: No worries mate, You have a good day you too,