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Speaker 1: Now, the Northern Territory is Attorney General has labeled comments

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Speaker 1: by the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency as irresponsible and absurd.

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Speaker 1: Naja's acting CEO, Anthony Bevin was on the ABC earlier

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Speaker 1: this week talking about the increasing numbers at our prisons

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Speaker 1: and certainly within our watch houses and suggested the Commonwealth

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Speaker 1: should pull funding from the Northern Territory Police for remote

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Speaker 1: policing until the Northern Territory government will meets with them

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Speaker 1: and indigenous leaders. Take a listen to what Anthony Bevin

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Speaker 1: had to say.

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Speaker 2: One of the unique things we have here in the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory is that the Commonwealth actually funds the Northern

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Speaker 2: Territory Police for remote policing and other options. We're calling

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Speaker 2: on the Commonwealth to pull that money or put it

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Speaker 2: on hold until we see the government sit down with

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Speaker 2: original leaders and talk about better ways about making the

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Speaker 2: community safe.

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Speaker 1: Now, Marie Claire Boothby says the comments are reckless and

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Speaker 1: create fear in remote communities who rely on police for

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Speaker 1: safety and protection. She joins me on the line, good morning.

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Speaker 3: Murray Clare, Good morning Katie, and to your listeners.

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Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time This morning. Now, firstly,

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Speaker 1: what do you say in response to concerns by NAGA

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Speaker 1: about the conditions in watch houses and the serious safety

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Speaker 1: risks that they've raised, as have the Northern Territory Police Association.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, thanks Katie, And you know, we've been hearing because

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Speaker 3: obviously we work really closely with police with Corrections and

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Speaker 3: of course our justice system, including those legal service providers

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Speaker 3: like NAGA, about how those watchouse conditions you know, are

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Speaker 3: their challenging. It's a really hard position that everyone is in.

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Speaker 3: You know, we know that community safety is the number

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Speaker 3: one priority. That's why we have those increased laws and

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Speaker 3: that's why we're working with Corrections to get on as

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Speaker 3: many beds as possible so that you know, even in

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Speaker 3: by mid August, there's going to be another two hundred

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Speaker 3: and thirty eight beds that are coming online at the

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Speaker 3: Beerrimer Correctional Center. That's on top of the six hundred

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Speaker 3: beds watch houses. It's not a perfect situation to be in,

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Speaker 3: and you know, but the alternative is leaving the criminals

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Speaker 3: out on the street. That's not something that we're prepared

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Speaker 3: to do. And I think comments are from you know,

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Speaker 3: the likes of NARGE, like we heard this week. It

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Speaker 3: really you know, the threats to call for funding to

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Speaker 3: be cut, it is dangerous, it's counterproductive, It undermines that

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Speaker 3: community confidence. I mean, in reality, we wouldn't be able

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Speaker 3: to function without that support from the Commonwealth, and that's

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Speaker 3: for our remote police thing. That funding is so essential

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Speaker 3: and of course our territories would remember that in our budget,

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Speaker 3: that's why we provided that extra one point five billion

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Speaker 3: dollars for police, courts and corrections. But we absolutely need

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Speaker 3: that funding from the Commonwealth, and I think trying to

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Speaker 3: draw in the issue of Commons funding to the watchhouses

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Speaker 3: just puts that uncertainty out there for our police. I mean,

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Speaker 3: they're the ones that are working really hard along corrections

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Speaker 3: again the system, and you know, the message to our

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Speaker 3: police is, you know, we thank them for the really

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Speaker 3: hard work they're doing and we you know, that's why

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Speaker 3: we're putting community first. Community safety is our first priority.

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Speaker 1: As it should be. As it should be and certainly

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Speaker 1: was the mandate that the Colp government was elected on.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I guess the concern is though throughout this

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Speaker 1: week and I will get to the comments that he'd

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Speaker 1: made about that Commonwealth funding in a moment but the

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Speaker 1: concern that has been raised throughout this week and fair

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Speaker 1: enough by NAJA and also by the Northern Territory Police Association,

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Speaker 1: they fear it's only a matter of time before there

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Speaker 1: is a death in tustody. Is that a concern that

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Speaker 1: you've got.

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Speaker 3: Look what we know, Katie, is that this is an

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Speaker 3: ongoing challenge which has been happening for a number of

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Speaker 3: years now. The difference is that our government recognize this

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Speaker 3: is a problem and that's why we're doing the work.

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Speaker 3: And you know, we obviously work really hand in hand

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Speaker 3: with Police, Corrections, Attorney General and various other agencies. I mean,

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Speaker 3: as an example, we've had Legal Aid come to me

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Speaker 3: this week after hearing the concerns on media and from

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Speaker 3: police and Corrections about it, and they've put forward a

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Speaker 3: bunch of solutions, which is exactly the type of thing

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Speaker 3: the conversations we want to have. We don't, you know,

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Speaker 3: to come out and threatened for the FEDS to remove

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Speaker 3: funding is not helpful. But what is helpful is actually

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Speaker 3: working together to be able to come up with those solutions.

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Speaker 3: And one of those solutions which the Legal Aid Commission

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Speaker 3: has said that they would be willing to work on

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Speaker 3: with us is to extend those court hours to the

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Speaker 3: actually relief the what chouse pressures until there a whole

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Speaker 3: Saturday every week until we can get to the bottom

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Speaker 3: of this.

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Speaker 1: It is something that we've spoken about a number of

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Speaker 1: weeks ago. We actually spoke about it with Berth Wild

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Speaker 1: a number of weeks ago. She had said that, you

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Speaker 1: know that extending those would have a big impact in

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Speaker 1: terms of people being able to you know, to have

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Speaker 1: their day in court. So you're looking at extending the

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Speaker 1: hours to Saturdays as well.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, Like I think we all need to have, you know,

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Speaker 3: everyone working towards these solutions together. And that's exactly you

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Speaker 3: know why we've we've started looking at these Saturday court days,

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Speaker 3: you know, which includes you know, having those judges and

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Speaker 3: all the court stuff sit on those days to be

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Speaker 3: able to free up the watchhouses because obviously people come

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Speaker 3: in and out, it's a moving feast, it's constant, ongoing thing.

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Speaker 3: And the fact that legal hey, they've also said, including

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Speaker 3: you know, the Criminals Association that you've just mentioned there,

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Speaker 3: so they're willing to work with everyone to make that happen,

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Speaker 3: and that's that's a really good result for them to

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Speaker 3: come to the table and say yeah, let's do this together.

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Speaker 3: And that's exactly the types of solutions that we are

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Speaker 3: working towards. And you know that Saturday court, I'm going

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Speaker 3: to be working with my agencies and areas around the

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Speaker 3: court to see what is possible as quickly as possible.

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Speaker 1: So how soon could that happen that court sits on Saturdays.

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Speaker 3: Well, it's as soon as possible from my perspective, Katie,

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Speaker 3: because you know, we need to get through these you

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Speaker 3: know this huge demands that the courts are under. You

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Speaker 3: know that the crime we've changed all the laws and

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Speaker 3: that's exactly what we wanted to do. And now it's

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Speaker 3: about getting in and making sure that we're dealing with

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Speaker 3: the pressures that are in the courts. And if that

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Speaker 3: means that you know, in the past that there hasn't

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Speaker 3: been a real desire for the courts to sit on

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Speaker 3: after hours or on a weekend, but I mean things

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Speaker 3: have really shifted and we were at a time where

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Speaker 3: that really is going to be you know, no choice

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Speaker 3: but to make that a reality.

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Speaker 1: So in your opinion, I mean, is that days away?

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Speaker 1: Is it weeks away? Like I'm just trying to give

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Speaker 1: the community a bit of an understanding because it is

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Speaker 1: really something that is a concern right now.

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Speaker 3: It is, it is, and I guess there's a couple

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Speaker 3: of other factors to that as well, Like we've obviously

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Speaker 3: we're getting more judges appointed, which also frees up that

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Speaker 3: court space as well to get them working. You know,

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Speaker 3: more court rooms available so that people could be heard.

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Speaker 3: And of course this is all about those justice of victims,

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Speaker 3: I might add, and you know that that. I guess

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Speaker 3: that the extended hours of the court, like it is

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Speaker 3: a process we have to go through. There's some changes

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Speaker 3: in legislation we have to make, but I will be

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Speaker 3: working day or night to try and get that done

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Speaker 3: as quickly as possible for the community. I guess the

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Speaker 3: other point to this is, you know, the community safety

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Speaker 3: is our number one priority and that's why we you know,

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Speaker 3: the police are out apprehending people that are doing seriously

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Speaker 3: wrong things and you know that they're going to be

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Speaker 3: taken to a watchhouse and obviously they'll be dealt with

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Speaker 3: with repport.

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Speaker 1: So legislation is required in order to extend those hours

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Speaker 1: to a Saturday. Is that legislation going to be introduced

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Speaker 1: on urgency next week?

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Speaker 3: We're still working through that detail, Katie. So we'll have

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Speaker 3: more to say on that for your listeners, you know,

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Speaker 3: in the coming period. I guess I just want to

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Speaker 3: be really clear with Territorians that this is an option

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Speaker 3: that I am absolutely prepared and dedicated to look into.

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Speaker 3: We do need to have the justice system and the

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Speaker 3: players in that space on board with that as well,

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Speaker 3: because you know, we want to make sure that everyone

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Speaker 3: is going to be able to work towards the same solution,

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Speaker 3: and so that work is already underway. Those conversations have started,

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Speaker 3: and the fact that now Legal Aid have said they're

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Speaker 3: prepared to do the same, and the Criminal Oys Association

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Speaker 3: has as well, really looking forward to nudge you're also

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Speaker 3: supporting that move, and you know, if we can all

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Speaker 3: work together on this and collaborate, then I think we're

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Speaker 3: one step closer to being able to solve some of

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Speaker 3: the really high demand issues that we have.

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Speaker 1: Just very quickly. In terms of the more judges being

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Speaker 1: appointed and more courtrooms, it sounds as tho it could

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Speaker 1: be a bit of a teared approach in terms of

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Speaker 1: first off, doing the Saturday court days, and that could

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Speaker 1: potentially happen quite quickly. Additional judges and more courtrooms. Sounds

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Speaker 1: like it could take a little bit longer. How long

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Speaker 1: do you anticipate.

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Speaker 3: I think the judges part of it, that process has

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Speaker 3: been well underway for some time now, so that is imminent,

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Speaker 3: and you know, we're working through those final decisions and

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Speaker 3: details currently, so I can't imagine that be very far away.

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Speaker 3: And then of course you know that of course the

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Speaker 3: courts can also look within and see what else they

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Speaker 3: can be doing to try and you know, do I

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Speaker 3: guess more in the time that they.

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Speaker 1: Already have have you directed them to do that?

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Speaker 3: Well? As Attorney General, I can't tell them exactly what

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Speaker 3: to do without that legislation, but I have very a

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Speaker 3: lot of conversations with a lot of people in that space,

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Speaker 3: including the Chief Judge and the Chief Justice, and so

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Speaker 3: you know, those conversations continue, and you know, like with

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Speaker 3: all the other legal services that are involved in the

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Speaker 3: justice system, like the police, like the corrections, we have

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Speaker 3: regular conversations and we we're working towards the same outcome

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Speaker 3: and those solutions to these long standing problems which didn't

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Speaker 3: appear overnight. And the difference you know that I see

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Speaker 3: as our government is that we're actually taking those steps

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Speaker 3: and working till towards those solutions that are absolutely needed,

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Speaker 3: because we know, after a very long time, we didn't

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Speaker 3: have the focus that was needed on these areas.

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Speaker 1: May clear, Booby, are you going to be sitting down

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Speaker 1: with NAJA following on from those comments that were made?

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Speaker 3: Well, Katie, I actually meet with NAGA quite regularly, and

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Speaker 3: I've always said to them that my door is always

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Speaker 3: open to call me any time and to speak to

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Speaker 3: me and my office and come in for meetings, and

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Speaker 3: that happens on a very regular occasion. So you know,

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Speaker 3: the acting CEO did actually call me after I put

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Speaker 3: my statement out in response to his comments on the

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Speaker 3: ABC radio and you know, so I'm going to catch

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Speaker 3: up with him and sit down with him. You know

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Speaker 3: the fact that he wants the FEDS to cut funding

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Speaker 3: because he wants to have a meeting, I just we're

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Speaker 3: already having these meetings all the time, So you know,

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Speaker 3: it's it's just really disheartening that, you know, we're all

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Speaker 3: trying to work towards solutions.

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Speaker 1: I'm not.

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Speaker 3: I don't I don't understand why. You know, he felt

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Speaker 3: the need to draw the Watchhouse situation into anti remote

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Speaker 3: policing as a federally funded activity that you know, like

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Speaker 3: I said before, we absolutely need the commerce support for

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Speaker 3: our remote policing. We you know, all it does is

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Speaker 3: put uncertainty out there for our hard working police. That

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Speaker 3: alongside the record spend that we're doing in police courts

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Speaker 3: and corrections is you know, is the work that's needed.

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Speaker 3: Plus the legislation changes, plus working with the justice systems

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Speaker 3: to free up the numbers of matters that they can

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Speaker 3: hear so that we can get people through the courts

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Speaker 3: and on the way to a life beyond crime, and

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Speaker 3: you know, something that everyone really wants to see for

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Speaker 3: our community. And of course, like I always say, community

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Speaker 3: safety is a number one priority and if people are

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Speaker 3: out there doing the wrong thing, we make no apologies

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Speaker 3: that we will find them a bed so that they're

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Speaker 3: not out in our streets committing the same sorts of crimes.

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Speaker 1: Mary Clapbuobee. Obviously he was raising concerns about an eleven

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Speaker 1: year old. He said that he represented being low in

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Speaker 1: the watchhouse with the lights on twenty four to seven

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Speaker 1: reports as well by the ABC radio that there was

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Speaker 1: menstrual blood smeared on walls, that people are going into toilets,

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Speaker 1: so we having to go to the toilet, I should

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Speaker 1: say in front of in front of others. I mean,

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Speaker 1: do you think those conditions are appropriate, Katie.

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Speaker 3: I know that the Commissioner for Corrections was on your

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Speaker 3: show earlier this week and made it really clear that

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Speaker 3: those watchhouses and our corrections facilities, they have all of

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Speaker 3: the things where the needs of those people in there

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Speaker 3: are being met. You know, there's regular health checkups, they

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Speaker 3: have hygiene available for them, they get fed every day.

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Speaker 3: It's not ideal, it's not a nice place to be

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Speaker 3: in and nobody should want to be in there for

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Speaker 3: any length of time. But again, you know, the alternative

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Speaker 3: is that those people that are committing really serious crimes

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Speaker 3: are out in our community and that's just something that

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Speaker 3: we won't stand for.

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Speaker 1: Mary Claire A very quick one. How much funding does

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory provide to NAJA.

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Speaker 3: So the funding for NAGA comes from the federal government

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Speaker 3: and you know he's quite substantial and of course there's

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Speaker 3: a range of services that they provide based on that funding,

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Speaker 3: and so you know, the territory government does work alongside

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Speaker 3: NARJA to make sure those services are being delivered and

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Speaker 3: they've got a really, really important role to play because

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Speaker 3: not only do they represent people who are facing court

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Speaker 3: on charges, but you know, they need to work alongside

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Speaker 3: those so that the victims that are involved in these

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Speaker 3: cases actually see justice. And that's the other really important

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Speaker 3: part of the role that NAJA has. They definitely have

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Speaker 3: a seat of the table when it comes to catching

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Speaker 3: up with me regularly, and we will continue to work

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Speaker 3: with them alongside of others such as Legal Aid who'd

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Speaker 3: come forward with those solutions, and you know, we'll have

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Speaker 3: to just keep working on this to see the other side.

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Speaker 1: Mary Claire, very quickly, I know your press for time

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Speaker 1: as am I, but very quickly to anybody listening this morning,

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Speaker 1: that feels as though the government have got it all

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Speaker 1: wrong with putting people in the watch houses that are overcrowded.

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Speaker 3: What would you say to them, Katie, I think if

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Speaker 3: you're not doing the wrong thing, you're not out there

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Speaker 3: committing serious offenses and you absolutely have nothing to worry about.

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Speaker 3: The situation is not ideal in terms of being in

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Speaker 3: having this setup where people are in watch houses. That's

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Speaker 3: not something that is new, that's been happening for a

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Speaker 3: long time. Now we're prepared to fix it. We've taken

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Speaker 3: all of the steps that are necessary and continue to

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Speaker 3: in terms of bringing on those extra beds in corrections

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Speaker 3: and ensuring that our justice system can meet the demand.

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Speaker 3: It's a very tricky one and we won't stop this.

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Speaker 3: The work has only just started and there's so much

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Speaker 3: more work to come.

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Speaker 1: Well, Murray Claire Boothby, Attorney General for the Northern Territories,

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Speaker 1: thank you for your time this morning.

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Speaker 3: Thank you, Katie, and to your listeners, thank you.