360 with Katie WoolfWell, a very good morning to you, and it's going to be a busy morning in the studio with us today making his debut on the week that was Manuel Brown. He's here for the seat of our Refura for Labor. Good morning to you.
Good morning Katie, Good morning listeners.
Lovely to have you on the show, Mate and Arafura representing this morning.
Hey, great to be here.
Good staff. Bill, Yeah, good morning to you. The Treasurer of the Northern Territory, Good.
Morning Katie, and good morning to everybody here on the top end.
And of course Alice Springs. You know there's few Alice Springs listeners.
I'm sure, yeah, I think some people tune in online.
I know what I certainly do.
I bet you do.
And Robin Lamley, the Speaker of the Northern Territories Legislative Assembly and also the Independent member for Aura Loon, good morning to.
You, Good morning Katie.
And look it's busy morning because Anthony Albanezi and Peter Dutton they're today going to launch into a five week campaign to convince voters that they should lead the country ahead of a federal election set to be held on May three. We know the Prime Minister met with the Governor General this morning and officially called the election just days after the government handed down its fourth federal budget. And I think we could probably all tell it wasn't far off. It feels like we've been in election campaign mode for quest.
I'm over it already, Katis.
And we've only just started.
Robin a few hours into it. Exactly well.
We know, the budget, of course, was always set to be a big part of the election campaign, and the Treasurer Jim Chalmers no doubt hoped that that budget he handed down earlier in the week would give the Labor Party a platform to win the election. The campaign sweeteners included tax cuts, more energy bill relief, cheaper medicine, and paying off twenty percent of student debt. Labour's tax cuts on top of the Stage three tax cuts that rolled out in twenty twenty four. We'll deliver an average on about seventy nine thousand dollars a year, an extra two hundred and sixty eight dollars in their pockets next year. That's about five dollars a week now. We also will Charmers rejected any claims that the tax relief amounted to a bribe for voters on the eve of the federal election, so this was a little earlier in the week.
He said that.
Meanwhile, last night the Opposition leader Peter Dutton, well, he's pinned his federal election hopes on winning voters over with cheaper energy, cut to the fuel excise and more affordable homes, with the Coalition also promising to slash migration levels. There's lots to take in this week. Bill Yan, you were you were fired up earlier in the week and said, you know, there wasn't a lot in the in the budget for the Northern Territory.
Those words.
Luke Goslings certainly did not agree with. How are you feeling as you're sort of taking in the two will the budget and the budget ply has the Northern Territories treasure.
Nothing's changed since the budget was handed down, Katie I said, we didn't get much out of this year in the territory. I said the only new announcement was that two hundred million dollars for that duplication of the highway between Catherine and jar When you look at what some of the other states got and some of the other town's got it, I think that the cats CHLORI has been a three point two million bucks for the pandas at the Adelaide Zoo, and that's more than anything anybody got here in the territory, that's for sure. It was a bit of a it was a bit of a yeah, a bit of a downer for all of us. But yeah, the tax cuts, I think we spoke about it's five bucks a week. Well, if the cost living goes up, you won't even be able to afford a cup of coffee for five bucks, so you're going to be you're going to be in the hole for that. So you'll be on the nest cafe instant on the copy. But there was there was not much in the budget. Look, I'll give Peter Dutton one thing. He's come out and he's made some announcements around cost of living savings that will actually benefit everybody. So a cut in that fuelx hes benefits every every and every person in the country and it also benefits business too, so that's certainly a positive. And he made some announcements about investing in gas pipelines and if you look at the infrastructure that we're going to need with the Beeloo coming online, those gas pipelines will be critical and we may be able to then if if the Coalition gets in leverage off that to do that gas pipeline between Alice Springs and South Australia, not only linking the East Coast, but that we then linked the South Coast.
I think from what you could see then from Dutton's reply overnight, was there anything specific for the Northern territory in there From what you saw.
Last night, I didn't mention anything specific for the territory. I think Peter's response was very high level, looking at all of Australia.
Did mention Darwin certainly in his.
Response to the budget that was handed down earlier in the week. So Darwin certainly on his radar. He's been up here quite a lot. I know that we speak to him quite regularly. So we're pushing our agenda for the top end and a course for Central Australia with the leader of the Opposition, So yeah, we're certainly on his case.
Make sure that we're not going.
To be a bit cheeky of you then to be having a crack at the Labor government for them not really announcing any projects in the budget for the Northern territory. If Dutton hasn't.
Either, well, I said Charmers and of course Alberici. They are the government at the moment and they know what we need certainly up here and particularly around that defense spending in our infrastructure. And I've been on to the federal government about releasing some of that equity money for our infrastructure programs moving across in the grant money so we can get this stuff moving because we need that to grow our economy here in the territory and that hasn't come forth. I had the opportunity to announce that during the week and we didn't see that. I know there's a commitment from Peter Dutton and his government or the opposition maybe they will be in government to push those infrastructure projects, to push Middle Armed, to push Bailey, because they recognize how important are the gas industry is to the rest of the country and how Middle Arm fits within that overall picture.
Daniel, what did you make of it all this week? It's been an interesting one so far.
Definitely, there was definitely a big hoo had, wasn't they on Wednesday from the government And yeah, we looked at the budget carefully, the budget reply from Peter Dutton as well, and we saw absolutely nothing for the territory, nothing specific, as you said.
Yeah, I mean, Robin, it's always an interesting time, isn't it. You've been I mean you you obviously would be looking at this closely as well, seeing what's in it. I'm assuming for Olie Springs in Central Australia. I mean on a whole, what do you sort of think as you as you take in the budget and the budget reply as we now head into a federal election.
Well, I can film my eyes rolling into the back of my head and I'd imagine a lot of people listening out their eyes.
Unless there's some kind of saving for us, you know, like that's what we're all hoping for the cost of living relief.
I guess at this point in an election cycle that we are officially in at the moment, I just wonder if people take anything they hear too seriously. I mean that the tax cuts put on the table by Labor. I heard that it works out to be about five bucks a week saving.
It was.
I think they've they already passed some tax cuts. I believe this additional it's going to cost US seventeen billion dollars, but it's yeah, five bucks a week.
But I know I'm not a low income earner, but I'd sooner the government keep my tax cut and put it towards something that would make a difference to our community and Alice Springs or Darwin or wherever.
I mean.
I just think at this point people are going to take it all with a grain of salt, Katie, like they always do. Will hear lots of promises, will hear lots of pros and cons and mitigating arguments against whoever and whatever is put on the table, but.
Lots of mud slinging.
I think it's so wrong.
But I think what we've seen over the last three years with this Albernizi government has been a lot of mistakes, particularly around immigration and the pressure that's put on all of us in terms of housing and the cost of living. I think they've made some big, big mistakes, and I think the decision for a lot of people will come down to whether or not they can forgive Alberizi and whether they trust or whether they're going to trust Dutton to provide a different future for them.
Yeah. Look, it's going to be an interesting five weeks. It's going to be a long five weeks, I think it's safe to say. But look, we might take a really quick break and when we come back, let's focus on some of the Northern territory issues and some of what's been discussed in parliament. You are listening to Mix one oh four nine's three sixty. It is the Week that was. You are listening to three sixty if you've just joined us in the studio this morning. We've got Manuel.
Brown, Bill Yan and Robin Lamley and Robin.
I've got to take message here from Judith. It says, good morning, Katie and Crystal. If Robin Lamley is on the Week that was, could you tell her that she's doing a great job as Madam Speaker, keeping everyone in toe great job.
Listen.
I heard a bit of it yesterday and I thought, go Robin. She was, you know, yeah, thank you. If your point of order is not a real point of order, I don't stand back up.
And I saw.
Doing a good job. And I tell you what it's been.
Certainly it looks as though it's been quite a productive and busy couple of weeks in parliament. We know that last night the government passed new laws in Parliament giving police stronger powers to enhance community safety. That is what they've said in a statement. The laws are going to allow police to enter private properties for domestic violence order compliance checks and to enter premises for breach or revocation of parole. Now, the Police Administration Legislation Amendment Bill passed in Parliament and it means that police are now going to have express powers to enter premises to arrest individuals in breach of parole. That includes persons whose parole has been revoked, ensuring that those who violate their conditions are swiftly and effectively taken into custody. It also means that police are able to conduct alcohol and drug testing of individuals subject to domestic violence orders on private property and police will be able to enter a property's yard or driveway to conduct that compliance testing. I mean, do we feel as though this is going to make a difference when it comes to some of the issues that we are experiencing around domestic violence.
Well, OK, this is some stuff that the police actually asked for and came out of some Supreme Court reports, I believe, And this is about, I said, protecting victims at the end of the day, and that's I suppose core to what this was about. So giving the police the ability to do that enter those premises to check for DV offenders or breach of bails and things like where they couldn't actually do that before. They'd have to stop at the front gate of the front fence. So it gives them the ability to actually go on to the property and actually check so for those.
People who were doing the wrong thing.
And I said, again, I make no excuses, I make no.
Apologies for keeping the community safe.
And it gives the police that added ability to be able to do that whereas they haven't been able to before. So at the end of the day, community safety for us is absolutely paramount. And I said, if we've got offenders out there who were doing the wrong thing, breaching bail or particularly around that DV space, and this gives the police the opportunity and the ability to be able to do that easier and to make sure that we're doing those things for victims and for the community.
Yeah, I support this. I mean, it just makes sense as long as it's not abused. I guess that's the only concern that the police might barge into houses where there isn't much going on has been described.
But look, I.
Think we have to do whatever we can to protect women and children dance domestic violence.
It does seem as though there's certainly, you know, there are caveats I guess in terms of being able to enter that property or yard or that the properties yard, I should say, or driveway to conduct the compliance testing. But yeah, do take on board what you say, what do you think manual?
Yeah, well, labor fully support this. You know, the women and children are definitely paramount. I just want to touch on the member for Marca yesterday putting in an amendment, and his amendment was basically around, you know, in the Aboriginal settings, having Aboriginal elders with police and coming into coming into the household and talking to the offenders. But it got loaded down, but I acknowledge the chiefment of saying to him, you know, at the end, saying we'll come back to you and work will work on that latter. Yeah, they're very respectable.
Yeah, well, because this is the thing, we do want to make sure that and I'm sure the police want to as well, to make sure that they are working with elders in the community, to make sure that they are working with communities to try and ensure that things are as cohesive as possible, particularly in some of the more remote communities I'd imagine, Manuel.
Yeah, And look, I've got remote communities in my elector, and I know that the police and those communities work very very closely with the elders and respected people in those communities.
They work pretty well hand in hand.
And that's that good relationship that the police have with those communities out in those areas.
Which is great to see it.
I don't see that changing, but I certainly understand where Yingya was coming from with what he was talking about too.
There was also obviously some domestic violence legislative changes introduced, as I understand it this week. Correct me if I'm wrong. I don't think they've passed yet. Have they passed yet introduced yet.
Back before Parliament.
In my yeah, Now, this spill obviously proposing to make critical amendments to several domestic and family violence and Victims of Crime Acts. It is touted as reinstating domestic violence mandatory sentencing laws, which labor remove. Now from what I could gather based on a discussion that I'd had with Marie Clair Booby earlier this week, it's a tiered sort of approach when it comes to mandatory sentencing around domestic violence. But it is also going to mean that there's increased support for victims, increasing the levy placed on offenders found guilty by up to forty percent, to provide increased funds for victim services, enhancing victim protection, so expanding victim's access to information about offenders at the Crime Victim Services Unit, as well as modernizing procedures. Now, on the face of it, these all seem fairly common sense, I guess in a lot of ways, particularly increasing support for victims and enhancing victim protections. But we you'd see a situation where there were different domestic violence advocates and groups coming out saying this may have unintended consequences, particularly the mandatory sentencing around domestic violence. I mean, Bill, what do you make of some of those comments that were made this way.
Yeah, Look, we've seen these laws watered down and changed under the previous goverment.
Again we're bringing that back.
Look, we've got to do everything we possibly can to advocate and protect those victims of domestic violence. They said, I think we've banged on about it all week in Parliament. There's been an eighty two percent increase in the domestic violence incidents over the past eight years. So we need the ability to protect those victims. And if you're going to breach your conditions or breach your DVO, there has to be consequences because if there's no consequences, it will continue on. Things just won't change. It's like when you're raising your kids. If you let your kids get away with stuff, then they'll just keep doing it and then you end up in all lots of trouble. So this is about consequences for actions. So these changes will bring in some consequences for those people who breach DeVos or commit acts of violence against women in that domestic violence space.
So and we need to do everything we can.
And of course the upside is is that extra percent I believe we're putting on the victims levy, So again that's money that's going back to assist victim.
How exactly does that work. Is that in the domestic violence space or across the board when you look at.
Victims I believe it's in the domestic space absolutely neat. So then that's additional funding that goes back to assist victims in that space. And again that's that's something that fell away under the previous government. So we're bringing that back and increasing it so that we provide that all two needed assistance for victim because and again I make no apologies for this either again Katie, is we're focused on the victims, not the perpetrators. And we've seen that shift over the past eight years where we always seem to be talking about the perpetrators of crime, and we're very very focused on the victims. Aren't If you perpetrate or commit an offense, there will be consequences.
Furation.
This was quite hard to follow during the week in so respects, Katie, because we were led to believe that the domestic violence sector were against what the government's proposing mandatory sentencing tougher penalties for perpetrators, which is kind of a bit hard to get your head around. On one hand, they're saying we want to protect women and children. On the other hand, they're saying, well, we don't really want to serve them up a fairly extreme sentence. But look, I'm of the view, Katie, that a lot of these services are conflicted because they're trying to look after the interests of the victim and the perpetrator, and those two don't go hand in hand.
They I reckon they're trying to look after the perpetrator as well.
Well, you've got services that actually do provide some services to both. And in Alice Springs we've got Tongue in Jurra Council that have a domestic violence service and a service for perpetrators of domestic violence. And sometimes I don't think they know what their views are on these things because they are mutually exclusive. You can't I don't think one service, particularly in the Northern Territory small services tonguejer is quite big, but you can't ethically look after both and advocate for both because they're separate, the.
Opposite ends of the spectrum.
So I reckon they should be quite a separation.
I think there should be a very distinct separation. And I think these groups that are complaining about tougher penalties for the perpetrators of domestic violence need to have a bit of a think about where their loyalty actually is. Is it to the victim or the purpose trader? And I think what I heard during the week was a lot of conflict around them, and I think Labor were pushing that agenda, and to be honest, I found it difficult to follow because I think they have two very separate issues and two very separate groups of people, and there's not a lot of overlapping.
I don't think.
Yeah.
Well, from a labor perspective, we sort of we're getting head up by the DV sector about the consultation about rolling out these laws, and that's what we try and try and put their voice across, and they are saying, that's the help you need to come to the sector to discuss this.
So they're feeling as though they've not been consulted with in the way that they should have been.
Coming to us directly, so that they.
Should be happy. This is what they don't get, do you know, like they should if they're there for the victims, they should be saying, well, this is a step forward. The Attorney General spoke length about the groups that she had consulted with. I'm not sure who she hasn't consulted with. Obviously, the labor think that there are a list of organizations that the Attorney General should consult with. But look, I just don't get this. You can't play both sides when it comes to domestic violence. I don't think.
Manual Yeah, I don't think DV is all black and white, you know, especially in a cultural context, which where we stand for DV in town is straightforward, but in the community, the whole family's affected. So we just need.
To take that into account sort of thing.
Yeah.
Look, it is a really it's such a tough topic. It's such a terrible issue that we're continuing to grapple with in the Northern Territory and.
Which we haven't made any progress on whatsoever. Yeah, So what has happened over the last ten to twenty years.
Well, and I think there's been a story of failure, and I think this is where a lot of people we need to turn around.
Yeah.
I think a lot of people are sort of starting to go all right, well, how can we look at this differently to what we have been looking at it? How can we deliver services differently to what we have been One of the things I always go back to that really strikes me is that when I had spoken to one of the domestic violence groups this is quite some time ago, and they literally said to me that there's not enough funding, you know, to ensure that women did have if they had a home, that they had a security camera, you know, to be able to alert them if the domestic violence perpetrator had you know, turned up to their home for example. As I said, that's if they've got a home, and if they're able to be separated from that person. So like, there are so many factors at play, but the biggest factor that concerns me is the safety of women and children and or you know, in some situations it may be the man that is the victim, but whoever that victim is, that is what concerns me and doing everything possible to make sure that those women and children are safe.
Well.
Part of the changes this week to Katie was your notifications to victims. So if a DV offender is getting released from jail, or if they're on electronic monitoring and they cut their electronic monitoring device off or something like that, part of these changes to be able to notify the victim so that they're aware of what's actually going on. And this hasn't been happening either, So it's about giving some more information to the victims so they're aware of actually what's going on. For too long, they haven't been aware and haven't know what's happing.
Blows my mind. That blows my mind. Then if you know, if it's.
Simple things, Katie, and it's making some of those simple changes that will provide I suppose, that extra level of assistance.
To those victims.
The domestic violence sector, they are obviously the primary advocates for victims and sometimes perpetry, but it's not exclusively their issue. And I think that there's a lot of people in the community that experience domestic violence that never make contact with these services. I'm not saying that they don't have the expertise and the specialization they do, but it's a lot broader than that, and I think that it's not just them that should be driving their agenda. I think it needs to be a lot broader because domestic violence is, it's insidious, it's in a lot of people's homes where you wouldn't think it is, and I think a lot of people have an opinion on this that wouldn't normally connect with the DV serve.
I think you're spot on, and you know, I don't want to cross any boundaries in terms of friends of mine that certainly have been victims of domestic violence, but I know that they would actually be really happy with those changes in terms of particularly you know, if there is a repeat DV offender where they are doing some time so that they're able to get away from them and have that bit of time where they're safe. So you're right, Robin, there is a lot of people that aren't prepared to identify themselves or speak out or you know, even talk to you know, to domestic violence services about the issues that they're dealing with. Yeah, that's exactly right, and they can't be forgotten either, exactly now. Yeah, now I will sort of stay in this realm, but onto a bit of a different path, and that is the crime statistics that came out on Friday last week. Now, the Northern Territory government claims that the latest crime statistics have shown strong action on crime is delivering real results for Territorians. We know that Declan's Law came into effect on the sixth of January this year and the Chief Minister said that its impact has been immediate. She said the number of adults on bail has dropped by five percent from one thousand and eight hun undred and ninety eight on the sixth of January to one thousand, eight hundred and seven on the tenth of March. During the same period, the number of adults on remand has increased by eighteen percent from oney one hundred and thirty six to one thousand, three hundred and thirty eight.
Now.
The figures released the Chief Minister says show territory wide between December twenty four and January twenty five that robbery extortion related defenses they were down thirty two percent, house break ins were down twenty seven percent, alcohol related assaults were down seventeen percent, and domestic violence assaults were down eleven percent. Now said this on Monday. To the Chief Minister, it's a dicey game playing in statistics when you're talking about crime, because you can pick ones that work in your favor, there's always going to be some that do not work in your favor, and there's always going to be victims listening saying we'll hang on a second. I'm still a victim of crime. So it's a dicey game. But it does, on the face of it, seem like there are some positive, positive things happening.
Yeah, look, and you're right, Okay, the crime stats they go up and down depending on.
The time of the year.
That's effectively a given. But what we have seen is certainly a reduction across the board in the majority of the stats. Look, we've still got a couple that have gone up, and you'll always see some of the will go up, but those offenses against the person, those property defenses going down. They're big ticket items and they're key to everyday territories. And I specifically speak for Alice Springs. This is probably one of the better Christmases I think I've had in recent years. There was certainly a better feeling. Anc Dataly said, my office got had the front window smashed. Okay, the glazer you come around to fix that, and I'm there giving him a hand. I think it was on the twenty eighth of the twenty ninth of December, and we're having a chat and I said, how things going for you, mate, and he said, well, better than last He said, I was doing three windows a day from the Christmas break last year, and he said, this is only the third wind that I've done.
So when the.
Glaziers and the locksmiths at home haven't got much work on over Christmas, it's sad for the business. But Katie, it makes me happy, that's for sure. So we've seen the crime stats move at least in a positive direction. The thing we also need to take into account is when you look at it, and I always go back this, and I said it in opposition, I'll say it again now, is that when you look at those offense stats per hundred thousand population, we are still the highest in the country. So we've got to keep doing this work and turn that whole narrative around and reduce the crime overall. So I don't think we'll ever reach parry Rid the rest.
Of Australia, but at the highest rates of crime in the country. I mean, for the last thirty years I've been in Alice Springs that we've been had the highest rates of sexual assault, homicide, DV you name it. But you know, we have had a crime crisis. I'd be happy to go back to the way it was, even it's a wonderful thing.
Even if we're five times national averages, better than being ten times.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, And this is the thing, you know, it's always something we're going to be grappling with.
Manuel. I know you and I.
Spoke a couple of weeks ago actually about the community of Maningrida and their need well they really want the private security to be able to continue in man and Greta. They're a bit worried that if it doesn't, they could see.
A flare up.
Yeah, definitely, yeah, And I put the question and got the answer as well, and we're just we've got the community is funding the program until June, and from there we will definitely be be looking at the break ins and stuff.
And what to do next.
I mean, like, I think it's safe to say right across the Northern Territory, the issue of crime is, you know, it's it impacts so many people and I don't think anybody, you know, like can have a real comprehension of how it was in Alice Springs and we definitely want and hope that it's continuing in Alice Springs.
I did yesterday.
I spoke on the show, and I think you'll all be interested to hear this. I spoke on the show to a lovely young business owner. His name's Lockie Reynolds. Now he and his partner are Rihanna got broken into a little bit earlier this week. They had a group of teenagers get into their home in Stuart Park through a tiny doggie door. They got in. Now, would you believe that Rihanna had her car stolen? Between twelve and eighteen months ago as well. One of the people involved in stealing her car again on Tuesday night was involved last time when it got stolen too, sort of twelve to eighteen months earlier. Now, these two are a young couple.
One of them.
Owns physiotherapists in Coconut Grove, the other owns a chiropractor in Palmerston.
They are exactly the.
Kind of people that you want moving to the Northern Territory and making an absolute go of the place. Now, then when you're broken into, when you have both your cars stolen and it's not the first time you've been impacted by crime, these are the kind of things we have to deal with and we've got to deal with them head on or we are not going to keep wonderful professional people like that or anybody wanting to stay in the Northern Territory.
Absolutely, Katie, and that's why were strengthening the laws that have been set watered down over the last eight years. These offenders have been allowed to get away with this is so hard for the police to find and catch them, and finally when they do, the laws weren't there to actually deal and actually have real consequences for these offenders, so that's part of that.
There needs to still be some work in the space of youth offending Bill and I don't know exactly what needs to happen, but from what I am hearing from some of our listeners, that's the area where there still needs to be some work.
Absolutely think we're doing some work on that now. I know there's some stuff in the pipeline.
I think we've got.
Some reviews to the Youth Justice at coming into Parliament soon. I think that was discussed this week. There is more work to do in this space, Katie, and we're certainly not showing away from doing that work, so we know there's still issues there. Again for youth, there has to be some consequences for directions. Otherwise this stuff just keeps going on and on and on, and it affects everybody.
Crime is our biggest impediment to population growth and economic growth.
It just is.
And although we're seeing some improvements in terms of crime levels, we've still got a long way to go. I mean, people don't want to live in a society where they feel unsafe.
We know that.
So a young couple like you just described, that's the type of people we've seen come and go from Alice Springs at a very high rate for the last couple of years. We're struggling to get professional people at all and tradees and keep them.
So yeah, I said, said the work. That's some of the work's been done.
We're starting to see it change, but yeah, there is there's a lot more work to do.
And I have to say Alice Springs is always a little bit ahead of Darwin ahead Hotion, so maybe behind when it comes to the impact of crime and the magnitude of crime and everything to do with crime. We've been there and done it, probably a few years before you, so we're hearing you. We know what it feels like and hopefully this time at home.
It's very much in your small community everybody, and just said that the levels, as you said, Robin, are high, and of course being a small community it is it's.
In everybody's face.
I feel it's your daily topic. Darwin is starting to see those levels of crime that we're trying to turn around, but being a little bit bigger, it's not probably quite as much in your face. Alice Tenant and Catherine as well, And something.
That I think is worth talking about too, is you know in your electric for example, Manuel, I know that they're like there are a lot of leaders, indigenous leaders in your electorate who you know, if trouble does flare up there they step up and they help.
Right, We've got a yeah, we've got this. We've got normal layer cultural advisory group and they sit in with the with the court judge to to actually pass judgment on the on the on the youth.
And that's happened.
This is the second time it's happened. And and the way we see it is that you know, when a when a youth of friends and now and then gets locked up, it's hidden from his family's communities, cultural ties. Right when it happens in the community, it's an extra burden and shame job on the family and on the individual because everyone's involved, their cultural leaders. They're you know, singers and dances, cultural ceremony man, you know, and absolutely devastated with with what happened here in Stuart Park. And and I'm you know, I'm looking forward to the youth youth policies that the cl people think. It's it's all about getting them back onto the into society as better people, getting them into programs into employment programs and mentoring them. So yeah, I look forward to that.
Well, look we're going to take a bit of a break. You are listening to Mix one oh four nine's three sixty.
It is the week that was.
You are listening to Mix one O four nine's three sixty and it is the week that was. Now, it's always a busy time in here where now the week that was is on it. It's always a busy time when Parliament sits. Now if you've just joined us in the studio with us today, we've got Manuel Brown.
Bill Yan and Robin Lamley.
Now there's been like I keep saying, there's been plenty to take in this week. But earlier in the week yesterday, I think it was we heard that the government's going to scrap the former Labor government's target of fifty percent renewable energy generation by twenty thirty. Now they claim a lack of coordinated infrastructure investment, rising power prices and grid instability under the previous governments made it clear that attempting to meet this target would put an unacceptable financial burden on territorians and crippling pre on our aging electricity network. The Minister for Mining and Energy and Minister for Renewables Jared Maylee saying that he's going to well that basically we're in this situation after eight years he reckons of labor and they're fifty percent renewables target. Renewables in twenty twenty four accounted for less than twenty percent of the territory's energy generation, and he said that it's going to cost up to five billion dollars to do that fifty percent by twenty thirty, which equates to fifty six thousand dollars per Jacana household.
Well, how did just come up with that figure?
Yeah, well, I think Jared has been talking to the people within the agency on what it would cost. It was really interesting because it's not that we're we're not anti renewables. We're actually pro renewables, but we're not pro renewables at any cost. And to push down the road and this target that was put in place would absolutely beggar the territory in bank. And I think Alan Languthy was on ABC yesterday and speaking about this, and Alan was the chair of the group that done that report, and what he actually said made a lot of sense in that in the report they said to do to get to this renewable target by twenty thirty.
The initial investment had to.
Be in the actual infrastructure, so the polls and the wire, the batteries and all the bits and pieces in the background to be able to do this.
That work was never.
Done and we're very very close to twenty thirty now. The previous government went out and jammed in soul of farms and done bits and pieces all over the place and actually made the grid really really unstable. And then the scrambling to do the catch up work with batteries, synchronous condenses and all those other things. That was the work that should have been done first. So I said, we're happy with the renewables getting to some of those renewable targets, but again I'm not going to do it any.
Cost we don't have realistically.
We don't have the money to do it, and could arbitrary timeframes. Look, I'm all about setting goals, but not garbage goals that you're never going to be able to achieve and then blindly push towards those goals at any cost, and then of course put our grid in a.
Place where it's actually.
Unstas we're we're talking about blackouts brown.
House and I used to work for the Essential Services Minister many years ago when we were in a situation where the Casuarina substation had blown up. That was a long time ago, and when we were having blackouts and we're having all sorts of issues. So it is something that you've got to get right now. It's not sexy to spend money on infrastructure around power. Let's be really blunt about it. Nobody makes those commitments throughout an election because it's not really a vote. When I'm saying I'm going to spend you know, ten million dollars on a substation, everybody's like, oh, yeah, what's that going to do for me? But the reality is you have to invest in your electricity network. You've got to invest in that infrastructure or you are going to experience blackouts and various other issues. I mean, look for me, I think it's great to have a goal of what you want to get to, but unless you've got a realistic way of getting there, then there's no real point.
And I think it's really.
Easy, sort of ten years ago to say, oh, we're going to do this and we're going to do that, because you know, you're not going to be the person that's in charge to have to do it language he.
Said in the report. And funny enough, I listened to Matti Cunningham about that report that was done and when he done, the food and sixty something pages and everything was black, Dad except the front page. In the back page, unbelievable, So we actually will well.
I remember that well.
And what I would say is, over the last four years of the Northern Territory Labor government, they were not telling the truth around how they were traveling in terms of reaching this fifty percent renewable target by twenty thirty. There was not a lot of honesty around what was happening. There was a beautiful report done which the government funded in Alice Springs. It was a roadmap to reaching renewable targets, and that was tabled I think last year or the year before. And I remember the government, I think it was Evil or Natasha files at the time were very closed off, very shut down about how they intended to implement the recommendations of this report. And I remember thinking, you guys have lost your way. You are not on track to reach the target that you've set yourself. You are not being honest about this to territory. And so I agree we need to be aspirational around moving to renewables, but we also have to be honest and we have to weigh it up. If it's there's an economic costure every set you spending gupment.
We've got to be realistic about it too.
Yeah, and realistic.
So yeah, let's keep going, let's keep moving to renewables, but let's not basically bullshit territories.
Yeah. Look, that fifty percent target was is definitely a hard one to get to. In my perspective, we're like what I'm I'm trying to like with labor, we're trying to mix both. Obviously, have gas, have renewables. And I'll give an example with with wear my young in my electric because we've got we've got a we've got a grid there, you know, solo grid, and what happens there is, you know, we've got a diesel powered power plant and you know, the power is being used from the grid. Therefore the SHIA is using the money that it'll otherwise spend on diesel in other programs in the community. So working like that in no small thing. But to scrap it all together is.
You know it's not good, not the right thing you reckon.
Yeah, look I think it's a really hard but I mean I do think.
Look for me, I think there is no point in setting a target if you're not actually going to reach it. That's like me saying, oh, I'm going to run a marathon in two hours thirty knowing I'm never ever ever going to get there, you know.
Like I could do it in two days.
You want a goal that's actually attainable, you know, mister.
Reporting on how you're traveling to get to that.
The previous government, the previous government route publicly and in Parliament saying they are well underway, we're going to reach this target, and now we actually know that it's only twenty percent. And again Alle Linguathy yesterday on ABC, I said, I've got to give.
Credit to him.
He actually said that the twenty percent renewable so far I have wasn't done by government. It's been done with people putting rooftop solar on. So it wasn't the government actually going out and doing the infrastructure stuff. It was people putting sold on the rooftops that actually push us to that twenty percent. If those people hadn't have done that those percentages would be far lower than what's being reported.
It's hypocritical and that's what I don't like. I think I think Labor tended to not tell the truth and the CEOP tends to be too honest. I think you've got sort of both the parties sitting at either end of the spectrum, and somewhere in the middle is.
Well and somewhere in the middle where is where the normal people are. Yeah, look, we are going to have to take a very quick break. You are listening to Mix one O four nine's three sixty. It is the week that was. You've just joined us. You've missed out on an hour of power as always in the studio with us this morning, Manuel Brown, Billyan and Robin Lamley. Now, before I let you all go, we also know that this week the government officially scrapped the third party Mirrit reviews. We also saw a situation where the introduction of the Sacred Sites changes to the Sacred Sites Bill were introduced.
What do you make of it?
All?
You know, be overdue, I think, Katie, you know, I think it's something that it's a bit of a hot potato. I'm led to believe that labor hasn't touched the Sacred Sites Act for years. The CLP are going to try and put some tighter parameters around how it's managed so there's more development man, and within reasonable time frames. I think that's the biggest criticism.
It simplifies a couple of things too. Primarily is it some things that small minor where people infringe on a sacred site rather than having to go a Supreme court. It gives up with the opportunity to actually issue all fine rather than having to take them to Supreme Court. But also, if I own this piece of land and I say I sell it to you, Robin, I've already got my arper clearance.
You have to.
Sell that piece of land to you. All the upper clearance for that piece of land gage with it. It's really common sense, simple approaches.
What do you recommend you on, Yeah, look at all the boils down to consultation with with the with the indigious groups and respect. Just go out there and have a cap to everyone and make sure I don't leave anyone out. It's obviously more to come.
Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Well, thank you all so much for your time this morning, man, your brown first time on the week that was mate.
We appreciate it. Thank you.
Bell.
Yeah, thanks Katie. It look big, big tides this weekend, low tides West hit the snake grins, Troy Luck with a.
Bear, Okay, Robin's rolling her, guys, It's won't be doing much fishing.
And Alice springs on the frame.
Thanks Katie, good on you, Robin, thank you. Wonderful to have you all in the studio. Robin Lamley, Bill Yan and Manuel Brown.
