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Speaker 1: We have been speaking at lengths about the situation that

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Speaker 1: is currently under well unfolding, I guess you'd say, around

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Police Commissioner. We reported earlier in the

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Speaker 1: week we had Matt Cunningham from Sky News on the show.

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Speaker 1: We know that the situation is that the Northern Territory government, well,

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Speaker 1: the Chief Minister still not able to come out and

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Speaker 1: say whether she does have confidence in the Police Commissioner.

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Speaker 1: The fact that she's not able to say that confidently

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Speaker 1: at a press conference really speaks volumes. Now joining me

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Speaker 1: on the line is Charles Darwin University's political economist, Professor

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Speaker 1: Rolph Gerretson. Good morning to you morning, Kay, Thanks, yeah,

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Speaker 1: lovely to have you on the show now. Professor, you

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Speaker 1: know this situation that we've got right now, reports that

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory government's asking the Police Commissioner, Jamie Chalker

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Speaker 1: to resign. From your political background and knowledge, what do

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Speaker 1: you make of all of this?

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Speaker 2: I think the governments between a rock the hard plats.

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Speaker 2: I mean, they made mistakes in their initial response to

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Speaker 2: the Zachary Wolf thing, and they got the Police office

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Speaker 2: side for the rank and file of the police, if

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Speaker 2: you like, the commissioner was gung ho with the government,

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Speaker 2: and now the government wants to walk away from the commissioner,

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Speaker 2: and I presume he and he's lawyering up and resisting.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, do you reckon that's what's happening behind the scenes,

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Speaker 1: because it just seemed bizarre to me that the Chief

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Speaker 1: Minister would hold a press conference earlier in the week. Obviously,

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Speaker 1: you know, she'd called that press conference on the passing

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Speaker 1: of Unipingu. But then there was eleven times she was

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Speaker 1: asked whether she had confidence in the Police Commissioner and

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Speaker 1: wasn't able to answer it.

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Speaker 2: Yes, she wasn't able to answer because in a sense,

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Speaker 2: she couldn't tell the truth. The commissioner is the fall

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Speaker 2: guy for this, the tension between the government and the police.

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Speaker 1: And there is obviously you would suspect a variety of

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Speaker 1: reasons why he's been asked to resign. In your experience,

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Speaker 1: you know, what do you think they can do from

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Speaker 1: this point on, Well, they.

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Speaker 2: Cannot renew his contract. But I suspect that the Police

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Speaker 2: Commissioner is contemplating legal actions so we might find out

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Speaker 2: the answers to all these questions in the courts.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, but in the meantime, Professor, and I guess I'm

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Speaker 1: keen to get your take on this as well. In

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Speaker 1: the meantime, you know, we've got the Northern Territory Police

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Speaker 1: Force wondering what's next. I know that the Northern Territory

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Speaker 1: Chief Minister came out earlier in the week and said

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Speaker 1: that Michael Murphy will be acting in that role. But

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Speaker 1: do you think that the force needs needs more certainty

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Speaker 1: than that.

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Speaker 2: Well, you don't have to ask me, Paul mcures.

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Speaker 1: I'm yeah with us yesterday.

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Speaker 2: Saying precisely that. I mean, you know, we all know

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Speaker 2: about the police forces that survey they which said that

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Speaker 2: eighty percent of the members of the police force don't

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Speaker 2: have any confidence in the commissioner. I mean, the police

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Speaker 2: are a politically powerful interest, I mean, even more powerful

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Speaker 2: than the amateur fisherman, and so it is very difficult.

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Speaker 2: The government is in a difficult position because if the

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Speaker 2: police force are unhappy, that could feed over ellectually.

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Speaker 1: So taking that into account, what do you make of

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Speaker 1: the timing? Do you think that the timing of all

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Speaker 1: of this is a bit surprising?

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Speaker 2: You know, politics is you wake up in the morning

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Speaker 2: to find out what the next crisis is and so

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Speaker 2: this has just come along because obviously before the Commissioner

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Speaker 2: went on holidays he was asked to following his sword

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Speaker 2: and he went off on holidays without saying he would

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Speaker 2: or saying he wouldn't. I mean, I don't know.

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Speaker 1: I mean politically, it's quite a terrible situation now for

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory Government, the Chief Minister and the Police

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Speaker 1: Minister to be in, isn't it.

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Speaker 2: Yes, that's embarrassing. I mean you say, you know the

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Speaker 2: Chief Minister refused to answer question eleven times. I mean

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Speaker 2: the Attorney General and the Minister Police have been going

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Speaker 2: around refusing to comment as well.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, it is. It's quite an unbelievable situation. Charles

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Speaker 1: Stowen University Political Economists, Professor Rolph Gerritson. Always appreciate your time.

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Speaker 1: Thank you very much for having a chat with me

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Speaker 1: this morning.

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Speaker 2: Always a pleasure. Katie, thank you