Territory Stories

Debates Day 2 - Wednesday 23 March 2005

Details:

Title

Debates Day 2 - Wednesday 23 March 2005

Other title

Parliamentary Record 25

Collection

Debates for 9th Assembly 2001 - 2005; ParliamentNT; Parliamentary Record; 9th Assembly 2001 - 2005

Date

2005-03-23

Notes

Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory

Language

English

Subject

Debates

Publisher name

Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory

Place of publication

Darwin

File type

application/pdf

Use

Attribution International 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)

Copyright owner

Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory

License

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/278485

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/421013

Page content

DEBATES - Wednesday 23 March 2005 o f to b a c c o to m in o r s is c o n s id e re d a se r io u s o ffe n c e . W e a lso h a v e o th e r d ru g s lis te d u n d e r th e re g u la tio n s o r th e a p p e n d ic e s a n d sc h e d u le s o f th e Misuse of Drugs Act, a n d th e s e a re th e o n e s w e a ll k n o w su c h a s c a n n a b is , a m p h e ta m in e s , o p ia te s a n d h a llu c in o g e n ic s . W e h a v e a ra n d o m w a y o f s a y in g th a t is i lle g a l, th a t is n o t i lle g a l, th a t is leg a l, th a t is n o t ille g a l. T h e p o l ic in g e f fo r t in to d ru g s w ill a lw a y s b e a se r io u s o n e . W h e n w e ta lk a b o u t d ru g s in o u r c o m m u n ity , I a s k m e m b e rs to b e m in d fu l o f, a n d lo o k a t, th e e x p e n s e a n d d a m a g e w h ic h ill ic it d ru g s d o , c o m p a re d to l ic i t d ru g s . T h e m in is te r in h is s ta te m e n t ta lk s a b o u t lo c a t in g 7 6 g ra m s o f c a n n a b is s tu c k in a m in c e m e a t t in , a n d 2 8 g ra m s o f c a n n a b is d is c o v e re d in a ra d io sy s te m , in a n a tte m p t to s m u g g le th e m in to r e m o te c o m m u n itie s . T h e s e a re s m a ll a m o u n ts . W e ta lk a b o u t 2 0 8 n o tic e s b e in g is s u e d to T e r r i to r ia n s fo r b re a c h in g th e Misuse of Drugs Act. L e t u s c o m p a re i t to th e l ic i t d ru g w e h av e . F ro m th e m in is te r s o w n p o l ic e a n n u a l re p o r t la s t f in a n c ia l y e a r 19 0 0 0 T e r r i to r ia n s w e re ta k e n in to c u s to d y fo r th e u s e a n d a b u s e o f th e l ic i t d ru g , a lc o h o l. T h e c o n c e n tr a t io n o f th e m in is te r w i th e f fo r ts o n to th e se a re a s , in c lu d in g w ith p o l ic ie s b e in g d e s ig n e d b y th e M in is te r fo r C o m m u n ity D e v e lo p m e n t, w e a re s e e in g in c re a s in g n u m b e rs o f p e o p le a b u s in g a n d u s in g th e d ru g a lc o h o l , a n d th o s e p e o p le b e in g ta k e n in to c u s to d y . I t is h a p p e n in g in o u r c o m m u n itie s . H o w d o I k n o w th is ? I f I t r a c e th e n u m b e r o f p e o p le b e in g ta k e n in to p ro te c t iv e c u s to d y o v e r th e la s t fo u r y e a rs , g ra d u a lly , i t h a s r is e n f ro m 11 0 0 0 b e in g ta k e n in to c u s to d y T e r r i to ry -w id e , to 19 0 0 0 . M r H e n d e r s o n : T h a t is b e c a u s e th e re a re m o re c o p p e rs . M r E L F E R I N K : T h e m in is te r sa y s th a t th e re a re m o re c o p p e rs . I s u g g e s t to th e m in is te r th a t w h a t is a c tu a l ly o c c u r r in g is b e c a u s e o f th e e x p e n d itu re a n d w e lfa re a p p ro a c h th a t is b e in g a p p lie d b y th is g o v e rn m e n t: i f y o u c o m e in to to w n y o u w ill g e t b e t te r se rv ic e s th a n y o u c o u ld p o s s ib ly h o p e to h a v e in y o u r o w n c o m m u n ity ; w e w ill d e d ic a te $ 5 m to im p ro v in g th e s e rv ic e s a n d so b e r in g u p sh e lte rs ; y o u w il l g e t a fe e d a n d a b la n k e t a n d it w ill ru n 24 h o u rs ; w e w il l p u t a lo t m o re m o n e y in to p ro te c tin g y o u i f y o u f in d y o u r s e l f d r u n k in o u r c o m m u n ity ; a n d w e w il l p u t a lo t m o re m o n e y in to p u ttin g a r o o f o v e r y o u r h e a d i f y o u a re d ru n k in o u r c o m m u n ity . In A lic e S p r in g s w e n o w se e a fu r th e r $ 2 .2 m b e in g d e d ic a te d to s p e c if ic a l ly im p ro v in g se rv ic e s a g a in . A s m u c h a s I b i t te r ly c o m p la in a b o u t th is , w h a t th e m in is te r a n d th e g o v e rn m e n t m u s t re a lis e is th a t i f y o u im p ro v e s e rv ic e s in a p a r t ic u la r a rea , y o u w ill a tt ra c t p e o p le to th o se s e rv ic e s . I t is n o t m o re p o l ic e th a t h a v e th e e f fe c t o f a r re s t in g p e o p le o r m o re d ru n k s ; it is b e c a u s e th e re a re m o re d ru n k s in o u r c o m m u n itie s . I t is a s s im p le a s th a t. T h e n u m b e r o f d r u n k s is re f le c te d in th e n u m b e r o f i tin e ra n ts w e se e in o u r c o m m u n itie s . W e h a v e a s o c ia l p o l ic y b e in g d r iv e n b y th e M in is te r fo r H o u s in g to u s e h o u s in g s to c k in o u r to w n s to o f f s e t w h a t h e id e n tif ie s a s a h o u s in g sh o r ta g e in r e m o te c o m m u n itie s . H e is c o r re c t ; th e re is a h o u s in g sh o r ta g e o u t th e re , so h e b r in g s th o se p e o p le in to to w n a n d h o u se s th e m . O f te n , th o se te n a n ts a re n o t th e p ro b le m . I t is th e 3 0 o r 4 0 p e o p le , th e h a n g e rs -o n , w h o tu r n u p th e n e x t d a y , th a t se e h e a d lin e s d a y a f te r d a y , w e e k a f te r w e e k , in th e Centralian Advocate s a y in g th a t p e o p le a re b e in g a tta c k e d in th e ir h o m e s , t h a t p e o p le a re u n sa fe o n th e s tre e ts , a n d n o is e c o n tin u e s to b e a m a jo r p ro b le m . In fa c t, a s la te a s tw o d a y s a g o , I w a s s till r e c e iv in g c o m p la in ts f r o m p e o p le l iv in g in th e L a ra p in ta a re a a b o u t T e r r i to r y H o u s in g te n a n ts . I f y o u h a v e th e a u d a c ity to c o m p la in a b o u t it, th e H o u s in g m in is te r s a y s y o u a re a ra c is t . H e sa y s : O h , th e o n ly r e a s o n th a t s o m e o n e w o u ld c o m p la in a b o u t a h o u s in g te n a n t i s to p re v e n t a b la c k fe l la f ro m m o v in g in . I f y o u s h o u ld h a v e th e a u d a c ity to c o m p la in , a s th e m e m b e r f o r A ra lu e n d id , y o u a re la b e lle d a s a re d -n e c k e d d o g w h is tle r . T h e f ir s t p o s i t io n o f th is g o v e rn m e n t to d e a l w ith a n y o n e w h o c r it ic is e s th e m is to a b u se th e m . W e h e a rd th a t f ro m th e C h ie f M in is te r , a n d w e h e a r it f ro m th e m in is te r s fo r H o u s in g a n d P o lic e . L e t u s g o d o w n to th e r e a l h e a r t o f th is p ro b le m in th e s e c o m m u n itie s a n d I w o u ld l ik e to d o a q u ic k c o m p a r is o n b e tw e e n a c o u p le o f c o m m u n itie s . I f I g o a n d lo o k a t m a n y o f m y c o m m u n it ie s in th e b u sh , o n e o f th e g re a t p r o b le m s is th a t e v e n i f y o u d e a l w i th a ll th e p e tro l s n if f in g i s s u e s , e v e n i f w e d o w h a t th e A d m in is tra to r s u g g e s ts a n d s h o o t th e d o g s w h ic h c a u se d ise a s e , c re a te w i n d b re a k s a n d b u i ld n e w h o u se s a n d c a n te e n s - l e t s s a y th a t w e p ro v id e e v e ry p e r s o n o u t in th e s e c o m m u n i t i e s th e ir o w n p r iv a te b u tle r , w h a t th e n ? W h a t h a p p e n s n e x t? H o w d o e s th a t f ig h t b o re d o m ? H o w d o e s th a t f ig h t th e le th a rg y w e se e in th e s e c o m m u n i t i e s e v e ry d a y ? T h a t is w h e re th e r e a l l ic i t a n d i l l ic it d ru g p ro b le m b e g in s . I t is p e o p le w ith to o m u c h tim e o n th e ir h a n d s , a n d a n in a b i l i t y to b e a b le to d o so m e th in g w ith th a t t im e . T h is is n o t a n is su e o f ra c e . I f I g o to B r o o k ly n , o r B r ix to n in L o n d o n , I w i l l f in d e x a c tly th e s a m e s t o r y b e in g p la y e d o u t a s I d o in P a p u n y a a n d in p l a c e s l ik e Y u e n d u m u . P e o p le w ith to o m u c h t im e o n t h e i r h a n d s a re p e o p le w h o g e t b o re d a n d f in d w a y s t o o c c u p y th e m se lv e s , a n d to u se a n o ld p ro v e rb , th e d e v il w ill f in d w o rk fo r id le h an d s . 9115