A fly-in fly-out Alice Springs visit from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirms what Territorians all know – that Territory Labor has lost control of the streets – but doesn’t change anything, according to Shadow Minister for Youth and Territory Families Joshua Burgoyne.
“We’ve been calling for urgent help for years and it’s been falling on the deaf ears of a government intent on stoking the fires of their crime crisis,” he said.
“The Crime Catastrophe we’ve seen develop in Alice Springs for years is a crisis of Labor’s own making.
“But instead of fixing the problem, they have tried to ignore it or even hide it and poured petrol on the fire with laws driven by ideology out of Canberra.”
How Labor made a Crime Crisis
- Failed to deliver on promise of consequences for crime
- Watering down of bail laws
- Let rivers of grog return to communities
- Scrapped mandatory sentencing
- Raised the age of criminal responsibility
- Failed to support police
- Failed to recruit adequate police numbers
- Froze police pay
- Ignored survey saying 80% of police rated morale as low or very low
Mr Burgoyne thanked the community for their strong support, including the more than 800 locals who have signed the Save Alice Petition.
“Prime Minister Albanese’s visit today is an admission of failure of the NT government,” he said.
“Locals want to see a contingent of Federal Police get off a plane, not a Prime Minister surrounded by media. We need boots on the ground to make an immediate impact.
“And we need the Federal Government to listen to the voices within its own ranks and reverse their decision to push the grog back into communities.
“As a matter of urgency, Mr Albanese should reintroduce the Stronger Futures measures that the local Federal MP and Senator are calling for.”
The Territory Labor government failed to stop the rivers of grog flowing at the end of Stronger Futures, despite warnings from a number of organisations, including:
- The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the NT (AMSANT);
- North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA); and
- Danila Dilba Health Service (DDHS).
Nothing new – just increasingly worse
Two years ago, the three MLA representing Alice Springs said the community was “a town under siege” and was “desperate for action” from the then Gunner Labor Government.
Member for Braitling Joshua Burgoyne, Member for Namatjira Bill Yan and Independent Member for Araluen Robyn Lambley called on Labor to come to Alice Springs and meet with victims of crime.
“Then Chief Minister Gunner Flew in and out of Alice Springs for a carefully stage-managed media opportunity,” Mr Burgoyne said.
“Today is an opportunity for the Federal Government to right the wrongs of this failing Territory government. The only question is what will be done?”
ENDS