Election 2025: Dutton flies into Darwin for crime talks with businesses, Chief Minister

Peter Dutton’s campaign has rolled into Darwin where he’s met with frustrated small business owners who have sounded the alarm on soaring crime.

NCA 2025 Federal Election Liberal Bus 05/04/2025 Darwin Australia Leader of the Australian Liberal Party Peter Dutton holds a press conference in Darwin on the campaign trail for the 2025 federal election. Picture Thomas Lisson / NewsWire

Peter Dutton’s campaign has rolled into Darwin where he’s met with frustrated small business owners who have sounded the alarm on soaring crime.

The Opposition Leader promised to work with the CLP Northern Territory government to crackdown on the issue which has been plaguing the region.

Mr Dutton, who flew into Darwin specifically for a roundtable with small business owners impacted by crime, was greeted by shops and shopkeepers as he walked through the Karama Shopping Centre.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, prominent Senator Jacinta Price and Lisa Bayliss, the candidate for the Labor-held seat of Solomon, joined about 20 locals in a small room at the shopping centre.

Earlier Mr Dutton was heard telling shoppers that Labor had abandoned the Top End.

“The current government is too focused on what’s happening in the inner cities of Sydney and Melbourne with the Greens,” he said.

Locals spoke of the soaring crime, including finding meat cleavers left on the streets and having their cars stolen.

NCA 2025 Federal Election Liberal Bus 05/04/2025 Darwin Australia Leader of the Australian Liberal Party Peter Dutton holds a press conference in Darwin regarding the port in Darwin on the campaign trail for the 2025 federal election. Picture: NewsWire / Thomas Lisson

Pharma safe Karama Pharmacy store attendant Erica Baun said the issue had reached crisis point.

“Everyone has had enough,” she said.

“I’ve been here for 33 years. I’ve never seen it this bad. This is the worst I’ve seen it.

“It’s getting out of control. The majority of those people committing these offences are children. They should be in school. We need to hold these parents to account.

“It’s quite sad.”

George Singh, who runs a dental clinic in the same shopping centre, said drunken and disorderly behaviour was a huge issue.

“This shopping centre has its windows smashed at least ones a month. That’s a huge expense to the shopping centre and it obviously trickles down to us,”

Mr Dutton told of his time as a police officer as he pledged to focus on community safety if elected on May 3.

“It instils in you I think, forever, a real sense of what’s right and wrong, and what we’ve seen in the NT for a long time is just wrong,” he said.

“You need financial support and moral support to get on top of bail laws … and to provide a secure environment for people to lead their lives.”

Mrs Finocchiaro said her eight-month old government had started to put downward pressure on crime rates.

“We need a federal government that understands the root causes of crime,” she said.

The Opposition Leader’s visit comes just days after a 71-year-old supermarket owner was stabbed to death, allegedly by an 18-year-old man.

Originally published as Election 2025: Dutton flies into Darwin for crime talks with businesses, Chief Minister