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Speaker 1: Now a lot of discussion over recent days about the

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Speaker 1: Funny Bay by election, and in what was an interesting

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Speaker 1: revelation yesterday we told you about Robin Lamley campaigning for

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Speaker 1: the CLP. Now most of you will know that Robin

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Speaker 1: is an independent. She's the independent member for in Alice Springs.

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Speaker 1: Robin joins me on the line right now, Hi, Robin.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Casey.

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Speaker 1: Now Robin, what's going on campaigning for the CLP candidate

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Speaker 1: Ben Hosking.

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Speaker 2: Well, I was up in Darwin anyway doing some work

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Speaker 2: and I thought it was an opportunity to send out

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Speaker 2: a message on behalf of the people of Alice Springs

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Speaker 2: that the Funny Bay by election is critically important to

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Speaker 2: all territories, particularly when it comes to crime, and giving

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Speaker 2: the Labor government a bit of a message about how

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Speaker 2: unsatisfactory their performance has been in this respect. So getting

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Speaker 2: behind the CLP candidate for Fanny Bay, Ben Hosking, seemed

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Speaker 2: like the obvious thing to do.

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Speaker 1: So, Robin, is it a situation here where you're doing

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Speaker 1: this because you know, because you are that concerned about crime?

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Speaker 1: Or is it a situation here as well well you

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Speaker 1: wanting to rejoin the CLP.

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Speaker 2: Look, there's that is a legitimate well, not that I

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Speaker 2: intend to rejoin the COLP, but I am on the

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Speaker 2: public record talking about the fact that we need to

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Speaker 2: reunify the Conservative vote in the Northern Territory. Over the

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Speaker 2: last probably ten years or more, we've seen the Conservative

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Speaker 2: vote splinter off and all it's done is handover government

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Speaker 2: to Labor. So I would like to see a coming

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Speaker 2: together of Conservatives across the Northern Territory. Whether that means

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Speaker 2: that we all join the COLP or we work something

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Speaker 2: else out, I don't really know what that looks like, Katie,

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Speaker 2: but I definitely don't want to see Labor return to

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Speaker 2: government in twenty twenty four. From my perspective in Alice Springs,

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Speaker 2: that would mean the absolute end of our town. We

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Speaker 2: are so overcome by the level of crime at the moment,

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Speaker 2: I cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel,

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Speaker 2: particularly if Labor are returned. They have put us in

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Speaker 2: the most diabolical situation you can imagine since they've come

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Speaker 2: to office in twenty sixteen. And my message to the

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Speaker 2: people of Fanny Bay is this is what you can expect.

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Speaker 2: You're seeing an escalation of crime already in your electorate.

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Speaker 2: And right throughout Darwin and more labor will mean definitely

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Speaker 2: you can guarantee it more crime.

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Speaker 1: Well, Robin, I will ask you a little bit more

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Speaker 1: about the situation in Alice in just a moment, but

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Speaker 1: just on this question of conservative voting, I guess and

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Speaker 1: the Conservatives for the Northern Territory. I mean, anyone who's

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Speaker 1: been around for a while and follows politics or listens

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Speaker 1: to this show will know that you were a member

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Speaker 1: of the CLP, you were then with Territory Alliance and

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Speaker 1: you are an independent now I mean, are you open

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Speaker 1: the colorful career?

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Speaker 2: It has a very normal, boring person in my personal

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Speaker 2: life doing the same thing pretty much for the last

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Speaker 2: fifty seven years in all other respects. Not how I

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Speaker 2: thought my life would be as a politician.

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Speaker 1: But no, well, and I guess you know this is

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Speaker 1: the thing. Some people are going to be listening and

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Speaker 1: thinking to themselves. Oh hang on to said Robin, you.

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Speaker 2: Know, like every woman. But so, I mean, what do.

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Speaker 1: You think needs to happen here? Is it a situation

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Speaker 1: where you and KESI Epiric need to rejoin the CLP

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Speaker 1: if you are genuinely concerned about about the Conservative vote

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Speaker 1: splintering off.

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Speaker 2: Well, that is one option, and I don't know how

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Speaker 2: easy it feels about that, but that that could be

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Speaker 2: an option. But look, there's all the other parties and

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Speaker 2: groups that have established themselves over the last ten years

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Speaker 2: because of dissatisfaction with this or that within the COLP. Look,

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Speaker 2: I just think somehow, and I don't know what it

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Speaker 2: looks like really, that somehow we have to get over

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Speaker 2: ourselves and make sure that Labor are not re elected

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Speaker 2: in twenty twenty four because that will be an absolute

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Speaker 2: disaster for the whole entire Northern territory. And that was

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Speaker 2: my reason for coming out this week, getting behind Ben

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Speaker 2: Hosking for the COLP and saying, look, come on, guys,

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Speaker 2: you might be disappointed or angry or whatever with things

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Speaker 2: that have happened in the past, but at some point

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Speaker 2: we have to draw a line in the sand and

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Speaker 2: move on. I don't know what it looks like, Katie,

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Speaker 2: I really don't.

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Speaker 1: Honestly, to me, it sounds like you do want to rejoin.

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Speaker 2: Look there's pros and cons. I'm used to being an independent.

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Speaker 2: I've been an Independent for seven years now, Katie, apart

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Speaker 2: from a couple of months with Territory Alliance, which didn't

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Speaker 2: go so well. But look, I'm used to saying and

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Speaker 2: doing what I like. But even for someone like me,

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Speaker 2: for the better good of the Northern Territory, the greater

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Speaker 2: good of the Northern Territory, I would be prepared to

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Speaker 2: forego some of that liberty that I've enjoyed for so

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Speaker 2: long if it means that Territorians get a better deal. Look,

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Speaker 2: we have to put ourselves aside and just think about

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Speaker 2: what is in the best interests of the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: I know that the COLP are working hard, but they

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Speaker 2: need to also be a part of trying to reunify

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Speaker 2: everyone that doesn't vote Labor into some sort of group

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Speaker 2: that can step up for territorians. I don't think we've

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Speaker 2: done a very good job for doing that for a

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Speaker 2: long time.

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Speaker 1: Do you think that that can happen under the current

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Speaker 1: COLP management and leadership?

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Speaker 2: Look, I think it can. I haven't talked about this

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Speaker 2: with Leah, and I heard her say similar words on

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Speaker 2: your program yesterday or the day before. But I know

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Speaker 2: that there are people within the COLP, new people, different

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Speaker 2: people that feel the same as I do that we

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Speaker 2: have to reunify. We have to have one voice that

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Speaker 2: can get us across the line in twenty twenty four.

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Speaker 2: You know, Darwin is just a beautiful place. You are

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Speaker 2: so lucky to live where you do, with all the

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Speaker 2: beautiful amenities and a level of safety. But go outside

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Speaker 2: Darwin and the Northern Territory is crumbling. I can assure

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Speaker 2: you people are not feeling safe. People are moving into

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Speaker 2: places like Catherine and Alice Springs from the Bush in

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Speaker 2: droves because they don't want to live in communities that

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Speaker 2: are unsafe. Look, the problem out there is absolutely enormous,

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Speaker 2: and it is impacting on you already and it will

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Speaker 2: only get worse. And Labor are not indicating at all

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Speaker 2: that they have any appetite to address this, Whereas I

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Speaker 2: think a conservative government has always jumped on crime, has

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Speaker 2: always tried to make sure that there are consequences for behavior,

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Speaker 2: and I think that's where the future of the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory lie.

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Speaker 1: Well, Robin, it sounds interesting to me because I think

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Speaker 1: to myself, you know, it is something I think that

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Speaker 1: we have seen happen. The conservative side of politics has

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Speaker 1: certainly splintered off in different ways, and it really hasn't

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Speaker 1: helped the conservative voices of the Northern Territory to feel

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Speaker 1: as though they're being represented. It's you know, it's made

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Speaker 1: people feel as though they're sort of not really sure

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Speaker 1: who they're voting for if they're that way inclined. So

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Speaker 1: I don't know exactly what needs to happen here, but

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Speaker 1: it does seem to me as though probably a pretty

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Speaker 1: simple thing to do would be for the COLP to

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Speaker 1: ask you and Kesier to rejoin them, and go from there.

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Speaker 2: And ask all those other people that are sitting outside

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Speaker 2: the circle like I am, to join together again. I

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Speaker 2: think there has to be some sort of amnesty and

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Speaker 2: we all go back into some sort of functioning unit

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Speaker 2: and we provide a really strong alternative to this labor

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Speaker 2: machine you know that have been so successful in winning

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Speaker 2: the last couple of elections, and you know it's not

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Speaker 2: in the best interest of the Northern Territory that we

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Speaker 2: remain so splintered off and dissected. Well, so, yess that's

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Speaker 2: my reason for being here, Katie, and to talking to

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Speaker 2: you and other media through the week. The Conservative vote

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Speaker 2: will unite. If I've got any say in the matter.

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Speaker 1: Well, it's going to be interesting. Robin on to other issues,

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Speaker 1: I want to ask you quickly about petrol prices.

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Speaker 2: Now.

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Speaker 1: I know that petrol prices here in Darwin at the

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Speaker 1: moment is something that is top of mind for a

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Speaker 1: lot of people. They continue to stay incredibly high, despite

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Speaker 1: the fact that the terminal gate price continues to come down.

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Speaker 1: How's it going in Alice? So I know you're here

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Speaker 1: at the moment, but I would imagine that they're pretty

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Speaker 1: expensive in Alice too.

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Speaker 2: Yes, look we're still paying a premium for petrol for

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Speaker 2: fuel in Alice Springs. I think what Leah is proposing

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Speaker 2: is a great idea, and I think the government, if

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Speaker 2: they've got any ounce of sensibility about them, they will

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Speaker 2: just get on board. Having a parliamentary inquiry into this

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Speaker 2: will just expose what's going on. You know, there's all

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Speaker 2: sorts of allegations around basically outlets gouging price gouging on petrol.

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Speaker 2: Let's see the proof, Let's see let's put it all

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Speaker 2: out on the table and have an honest conversation about it.

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Speaker 2: I think this is a great initiative. If if you're

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Speaker 2: listening to Tasha Piles, please support it. On behalf of

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Speaker 2: territory in now.

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Speaker 1: Robin onto the situation that we are seeing in Alice

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Speaker 1: Springs when it comes to crime. I know that that

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Speaker 1: view of a naked man on a taxi over the

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Speaker 1: course of the weekend, it concerned everybody. You know. I

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Speaker 1: don't know what else you can say about it, really,

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Speaker 1: but just Centerprice is calling on the Prime Minister to visit.

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Speaker 1: Do you think that that would help?

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Speaker 2: I think it would help. But what we see in

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Speaker 2: Alice Springs time and time again is that once it

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Speaker 2: gets out as the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister

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Speaker 2: or anyone important in Australia is coming to town, the

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Speaker 2: police and all the government funded organizations clean up the

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Speaker 2: streets and they don't really get to see what's actually happening.

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Speaker 2: So I think it would be far better that for

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Speaker 2: maybe the Prime Minister to send some senior bureaucrats and

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Speaker 2: other people, other eyes and ears into the town under

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Speaker 2: the radar, to have a proper look at what's going on. Yes,

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Speaker 2: the Prime Minister will come and everything will look lovely,

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Speaker 2: but he needs to have some insight as to what

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Speaker 2: really happens when the Prime Minister isn't in town.

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Speaker 1: And Robin, just on that crime front, how are things

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Speaker 1: going for you? Guys, I think I know the answer,

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Speaker 1: but how are things going?

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Speaker 2: Disgusting, absolutely diabolical. Just when you think you've seen the

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Speaker 2: worst of it, you see something else that makes you

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Speaker 2: horrified and despairing. There is little hope on the horizon

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Speaker 2: for our town the way things are at the moment,

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Speaker 2: and that's what inspires me to come up and talk

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Speaker 2: about crime, not just in Alice Springs and Central Australia,

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Speaker 2: but crime that is on its way to Darwin. Give

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Speaker 2: it a few more years and you will be despairing

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Speaker 2: like the people of Central Australia. It's not coming your way.

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Speaker 1: It's not good. Well, Robin Lamley, I always appreciate your time.

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Speaker 1: Thank you very much for speaking with me today.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you