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Speaker 1: Now you will recall I guess it was probably two

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Speaker 1: weeks ago we caught up with the Property Council here

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Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory. They'd conducted a sentiment survey on

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Speaker 1: the impacts of property crime as well as anti social behavior,

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Speaker 1: and the survey revealed that property crime, vehicle theft and

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Speaker 1: violent and threatening behavior was significantly impacting businesses right across

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory. Now joining me in the studio to

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Speaker 1: talk a little bit more about what the government have

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Speaker 1: announced and whether it goes far enough and the reaction

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Speaker 1: I guess following on from that survey a couple of

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Speaker 1: weeks ago, is Ruth Palmer, the executive director of the

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Speaker 1: Property Council here in the Northern Territory. Good morning to you.

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Speaker 2: Ruth, Morning Katie, Thanks for having me now. Ruth.

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Speaker 1: Obviously, the announcement made by the Northern Territory government yesterday

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Speaker 1: a lot of political discussion, I guess about that. We

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Speaker 1: just spoke to Alex Bruce from Hospitality and he said

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Speaker 1: there is still quite a bit of detail that you know,

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Speaker 1: that their industry is after when it comes to what

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Speaker 1: was announced yesterday, particularly in terms of security outside those

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Speaker 1: and some of the different securing of those premises. But

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Speaker 1: I guess there is no doubt that across the board

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Speaker 1: around the territory, based on that recent survey that you did,

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Speaker 1: it's not just license menus that are concerned about the

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Speaker 1: issues with crime and antisocial behavior.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, Katie. You know, we've got members right

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Speaker 2: across the territory. And you know we I've got members

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Speaker 2: that include Woolworths, Casarina Square, Yiperinia down in Ala Springs,

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Speaker 2: the Zacoli Shops, property owners throughout the territory that have

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Speaker 2: retail tenants in their business. So you know, when we're

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Speaker 2: having these conversations, I'm not coming from an uneducated view.

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Speaker 2: You know, I'm on the ground speaking to these people

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Speaker 2: all the time. They're calling, they're ringing, they're providing photos,

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Speaker 2: you know, information that is showing the kinds of behavior

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Speaker 2: that's occurring. And that's why we have been pushing it

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Speaker 2: for the last couple of years for action to be

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Speaker 2: taken to be able to combat this issue. And now,

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Speaker 2: unfortunately we have seen the death of a young lad

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Speaker 2: going about his daily business, doing his job, and you

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Speaker 2: know that that's one that's too far. Like, you know,

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Speaker 2: this is a this is something should have been corrected.

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Speaker 2: And you know, we've been having these conversations. We've spoken

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Speaker 2: with the police Minister, the Chief Minister, and you know,

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Speaker 2: like we've given them data, we give them these surveys,

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Speaker 2: we give them the responses four hundred and sixty two

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Speaker 2: people who did the survey, and you know, it's just

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Speaker 2: so sad to see that it's happened.

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Speaker 1: It's too late, Like it is incredibly tough to see.

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Speaker 1: And I think that even overnight, you know, we've seen

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Speaker 1: that situation at the loading bay there in the city

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Speaker 1: in Austin Lane, another example of a knife being used

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Speaker 1: and of a dangerous situation that we are encountering in

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Speaker 1: the territory because there has been that escalation and that

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Speaker 1: was something that was raised in the survey also.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, So one of the questions we asked is what

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Speaker 2: behavior people had experienced in their premise, whether it be

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Speaker 2: in their workplace or their property, a business property. And

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Speaker 2: one of the things that thirty percent of people said

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Speaker 2: that they had been physically assaulted and that that people

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Speaker 2: were walking round with edged weapons with some of the commentary. Now,

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Speaker 2: thirty percent of people out of four hundred and sixty

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Speaker 2: two respondents had been physically assaulted. That should be enough

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Speaker 2: in itself for the Chief Minister and the Police Minister

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Speaker 2: to take immediate action. Thirty percent of people physically assaulted.

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Speaker 2: It's just not good enough.

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Speaker 1: Are you disappointed that the government hadn't taken action sooner?

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Speaker 2: I would would have really loved to have had deeper

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Speaker 2: conversations around the information that was provided in that survey

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Speaker 2: which we presented. It was a forty one page report

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Speaker 2: with every single comment, every single piece of information was

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Speaker 2: in that survey. So they had that survey for two

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Speaker 2: weeks and you know, and now we're hearing the changes

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Speaker 2: now yesterday because someone died.

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Speaker 1: Now. I mean, I think that a lot of the

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Speaker 1: discussion that I'm hearing this morning. I've heard it from Alex,

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Speaker 1: I've heard it on the text line. It's something that

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Speaker 1: I'd said earlier in the week as well, is that

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Speaker 1: we're sort of just at the point as well where

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Speaker 1: we want those political differences put aside and I actually

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Speaker 1: want to see all of our parliamentarians work together for

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Speaker 1: a safer all Northern territory because that is the big concern,

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Speaker 1: and it has been a big concern for an awful

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Speaker 1: long period of time.

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Speaker 2: Absolutely. You know what I would like to see and

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Speaker 2: like you've said as well, Katie, party politics put aside.

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Speaker 2: This is a serious issue. The CLP and the ALP

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Speaker 2: need to work together. They need to come together, come

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Speaker 2: up with a solutions based, sensible policy for this issue.

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Speaker 2: You know, that's what Territorians deserve. They deserve to have

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Speaker 2: their leaders working together. You know, there's skills across both

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Speaker 2: sides and to be able to work together means that

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Speaker 2: there will be that collective approach. We will get that

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Speaker 2: sensible policy up and it needs to happen now. You know,

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Speaker 2: we've got Parliament on at the moment. You know, we

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Speaker 2: don't want to hear bickering across question time or across

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Speaker 2: the floor. We want to see that there is action,

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Speaker 2: a serious action that's coming out of this. And you

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Speaker 2: know we do need to put that politics aside because

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Speaker 2: the territory deserves it.

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Speaker 1: Do you feel as though the announcement that was made

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Speaker 1: yesterday was enough?

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Speaker 2: I think it's a start, but there is still so

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Speaker 2: much detail that needs to come out of that. You know,

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Speaker 2: a review how long does a review take? I know

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Speaker 2: you said that to Alex Bruce just before. How long

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Speaker 2: does a review take to happen. We need the emergency

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Speaker 2: powers in immediately. We need resources and support for police.

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Speaker 2: You know, our survey said that eighty five percent of

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Speaker 2: people said that there was not enough resources for the police.

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Speaker 2: So you know, these are the immediate action responses that

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Speaker 2: need to happen. Police need the resources to be able

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Speaker 2: to combat this immediate issue that's happening now as a

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Speaker 2: result of the policies in the past that unfortunately haven't

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Speaker 2: worked and led to the behavior that we're seeing now.

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Speaker 1: Well, Ruth Palmer, we are going to have to leave

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Speaker 1: it there. We are going to be speaking to the

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Speaker 1: Police Commissioner at about ten twenty this morning, so stick

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Speaker 1: around for our listeners. There's plenty more coming your way

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Speaker 1: after ten o'clock. Ruth, thanks so very much for your

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Speaker 1: time this morning.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie,