Spitting on emergency workers now carries a jail term of up to 10 years

A gross act could now lead to offenders being jailed for up to 10 years. See what the tougher penalties are.

People who spit on emergency workers now face up to 10 years in jail.

Spitting is now included as an aggravating factor in assaults and tougher penalties have been introduced after amendments to the Criminal Code and Sentencing Act were passed in NT Parliament on Thursday.

Police Minister Kate Worden said the changes were introduced to protect police mental health and wellbeing.

“Police and emergency workers deserve a safer working environment and it’s our job to protect our vulnerable workers who every day put themselves on the frontline to protect and respond to our safety and welfare,” Ms Worden said.

>> NATIONAL CALLS TO BAN SPIT HOODS

“It also recognises this behaviour is unacceptable and won’t be tolerated, and that the perpetrator must take responsibility.”

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said the Northern Territory Police Association and other frontline organisations were particularly alarmed by spitting and the risk of transmittable diseases, especially in the wake of the Covid outbreak.

Ms Fyles said the legislation was to address heightened awareness

“It’s legislation that has been thought out and has been developed in consultation, unlike the legislation we saw presented by the CLP a few months ago,” Ms Fyles said.

At the start of the week, Country Liberal Party whip Joshua Burgoyne said the party would back the government’s bill, despite both sides of politics accusing the other of having the weaker punishments.

Mr Burgoyne said the spitting amendments were “minute changes”, despite carrying a maximum 10-year sentence.

“We support anything that better protects our frontline workers and we will be supporting that bill,” he said.

“But again, it should have gone a lot further.”

The CLP policy, which was voted down in May, would have introduced mandatory jail terms for spitting even for first-time offenders.

Labor opposed the changes, saying assaults on workers already carried a term of mandatory imprisonment but only for second or subsequent offences.

Then police minister Nicole Mansion said that in the past year, 66 people were sentenced to a term of imprisonment for an average imprisonment of 118 days after assaulting a worker.

How the government plans to deal with worker shortage

The NT government has defended Chief Minister Natasha Fyles’ decision to miss parliamentary sittings to attend the national Jobs and Skills Summit.

The Opposition referenced her empty chair a number of times during Question Time, while government members did not hesitate to remind them why.

In her place, Deputy Chief Minister Nicole Manison said Ms Fyles was advocating for all Territorians and businesses as the nation grappled with worker shortages.

“Some of the solutions she is presenting includes ensuring the Territory is prioritised for migrants and increased visa quotas for the NT, attract and retain graduates through HECS-HELP debt reduction and training incentives, address workforce blockages such as access and affordability of housing in regional areas and extend incentives for employees who hire Indigenous employees,” Ms Manison said.

“Our Chief Minister is there to make sure that we can get extra people for all these jobs that we’ve got.”

Business, Jobs and Training Minister Paul Kirby said the Territory currently had more than 4000 apprentices but training up Territorians wasn’t enough to meet the demand for workers.

”As much as we love training Territorians it’s not just that that’s going to get us out of the worker shortage happening right around the nation,” Mr Kirby said.

“Certainly migration is a big part of what we do and we’re working extremely closely with peak bodies.

“We’ll aggressively market across the nation and overseas as well and make srue thay we encourage as many workers here as we possibly can.”

‘Bad reputation’: Opposition criticises Labor tourism success

THE NT government needs to act on the Territory’s reputation for crime impacting tourists as it spruiks the success of its grants and programs to keep businesses afloat, according to the Opposition.

However, Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism and Hospitality Minister Nicole Manison, leading parliament with Chief Minister Natasha Fyles in Canberra for the national Jobs and Skills Summit, said the government’s incentives programs had boosted visitor numbers.

Ms Manison said the Labor government had backed businesses during the pandemic over the past two years, as members debated the Ministerial Report on Tourism and Hospitality.

She said campaigns had lured interstate tourists and workers to the Territory, had helped revitalise the region during the off-season, and created “jobs, jobs, jobs”.

Ms Manison said the government offered the Visitor Experience Enhance Program, tourism vouchers, Aboriginal tourism grant program, tour guide training courses and other grants and initiatives.

“This government remains nimble in its support,” she said.

“(In 2021), this government did invest $20.2m to deliver four rounds of the (tourism) vouchers generating almost $36m in sales across the Territory.”

Ms Manison said the Road House To Recovery program had invested almost $9m in 74 projects across the Territory.

“This government remains committed to tourism and hospitality businesses … throughout the pandemic so they could be in the position they are in today,” Ms Manison said.

The Roadhouse to Recovery program, and some other grants, earned support from across the aisle but Brennan MLA, the CLP’s Marie-Clare Boothby, said action was needed to repair the Territory’s “bad reputation” for crime to tourists.

“It does not undo the damage and the bad reputation that our tourists experience when they visit the Northern Territory,” Ms Boothby said.

“Our crimes are out of control. It is unheard of in any other jurisdiction as to what we are going through.”

Ms Boothby said the recent incidents occurring over the peak tourist season such as the Woolworths Darwin CBD assault, a naked man climbing onto a taxi in Alice Springs and more recently, the Noonamah United service station ram-raid.

“This government is not listening to Territorians, they’re not listening to businesses and those who operate in tourism and hospitality,” she said.

‘Driving down the cost of living’: Opposition Leader calls for action on fuel prices

Cost of living for Territorians has been put under the microscope on the second day of parliamentary sittings.

The Country Liberal Party moved to introduced a bill to disclose the price of fuel in the Northern Territory amid enduring record high petrol prices.

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said families were struggling to decide between paying for petrol or paying for food.

“The purpose of this legislation is very very simple,” she said.

“It’s about driving down the cost of living for Territorians.”

The Fuel Price Disclosure Bill was introduced by the previous CLP government but after Labor’s election win in 2016, the legislation never passed.

The CLP originally gave notice to introduce the bill during the July sittings but it was left off the agenda.

Ms Finocchiaro said action on fuel prices needed to be taken before the Federal Government’s fuel excise was lifted next month.

“Time for action is now — we have to do something before the 22 cents is put back on,” she said.

“We need you to support this legislation on behalf of the people who are struggling, on behalf of the people who are starting to think to themselves I don’t want to live here anymore.”

“On behalf of Territorians who care about high cost of living we ask you to back this bill, back in cheaper fuel for Territorians and back in lower cost of living.”

Debate for the bill was adjourned on Wednesday afternoon.

Katherine MLA Jo Hersey also used Question Time to ask about the cut to solar feed-in tariffs.

“You walked away from renewable energy by cutting the solar rebate, sending power bills for 13,000 Territorians through the roof — why are you jacking up prices?” she asked.

‘God knows we need one’: Turner calls for policing royal commission

Labor’s Mark Turner has called for a royal commission into policing in the Northern Territory.

The Blain MLA took to the floor on day two of parliament sittings to urge for a proper investigation into the issues within the workforce.

“I can see no alternative but to start the conversation of a Royal Commission into Policing in the Northern Territory,” Mr Turner said.

It comes after the government rejected the CLP’s calls for an inquiry into the NT Police earlier that morning.

“We owe it to the thin blue line that protects us every day and night, 365 days a year, to ensure that they never have to go through this again,” he said.

“A Royal Commission provides something that, currently, without being significantly strengthened, the Inquiries Act or even the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act cannot.”

“I hope that either the government look at strengthening the Inquiries Act and ICAC Act to enable interstate inquiries to be made and give the NT the ability to hold a judicial inquiry to the level of a Royal Commission, but otherwise, the Federal Government look northward and if we needed a Royal Commission into Don Dale, god knows we need one into why our police are hurting so much and the communities that they protect deserve one,” he said.

CLP leader Lia Finocchiaro presented her speech during day two of parliament sittings, citing the NTPA survey which outlined 80 per cent of members did not have confidence in Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker, while an overwhelming 92 per cent claimed there was not enough police to do the job.

However Police Minister Kate Worden informed the chamber Labor would not support calls to create a select committee for the inquiry.

“It will come as no surprise to the Leader of the Opposition that the government won’t be supporting the motion,” she said.

“We discussed at the NTPA conference a whole range of things and actions that are currently under way and the feedback to me from members was quite the contrary.”

Ms Worden said she had taken it upon herself to insure the problems within policing were being investigated.

“We are literally looking at the financial side of our police, we are looking at the structure of our police, we are looking at the wellbeing of our police, we are looking at the disciplinary system which may in fact take legislative change and working through those issues,” she said.

“It does not require a select committee to do that work — that is my responsibility as the Police Minister and I take it extremely seriously.”

Ms Worden said she continued to back Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker in his role.

“Our Government has support for the commissioner and we’re working through a process with him,” she said.

Ms Finocchiaro said a parliamentary committee should be set up to target low morale, high attrition rates, confidence between rank and file members, and health and wellbeing.

The public service pay freeze, which has sent ripples across the sector and lack of resources, were other issues police members had.

Lia Finocchiaro outside of parliament. Picture: Nathaniel Chambers

Ms Finocchiaro on Tuesday said the Opposition hoped to pass the inquiry through government.

“We have known for a very long time that our police force is in crisis when it comes to morale, high attrition rates and confidence between members,” she said.

“The police association published the results of its survey of over 1000 of its members which showed damming results of a total lack of confidence from the police in the police minister.

“This is an absolute crisis in policing.

“While we have a crime crisis, we cannot also have a policing crisis and that’s why this week in parliament we’re really focusing on getting to the bottom of what is going on in our police force.

“We need a strong police to have a strong community and a safe community.

Easier access to long service leave for construction workers

Construction workers will have better access to long service leave in the NT, with the government backing a bill to ease access to the plan.

The Construction Industry Long Service Leave and Benefits Amendment Bill will simplify the process for calculation Long Service Leave Levy on large projects by increasing the threshold from $1bn to $5bn.

The bill will increase transparency for the scheme and project proponents, while improving the financial certainty for large projects.

Allowing for more projects is also projected to lead to population growth and more jobs for Territorians

It is part of a broader package of reforms aimed at making it easier to do business in the NT.

Deputy Chief Minister and Industry Minister Nicole Manison described the amendment as a win for the whole Territory, from workers to the economy.

“This is a win for construction workers and for our economy,” Ms Manison said.

“What this bill is about is cutting red tape for those big companies building those important projects.

“At the heart of it is … construction workers can come into the Northern Territory, they can do their work and they are entitled to long service leave.

“Our construction workers are crucial to our economy and valued by the Territory Labor government, these changes will not affect their deserved long service leave entitlements.

“This makes the Northern Territory a more attractive place to those tradies knowing they will get paid what they are fairly entitled to.”

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro stated her party was in full support of the amendments after speaking to stakeholders in the construction industry.

“The CLP supports the construction industry amendments that are coming through,” she said.

“We’ve had briefings on the amendment and don’t find there to be anything controversial in it.

“We’ve also reached out to our stakeholders in the industry and everyone is very happy with it.”

Originally published as Spitting on emergency workers now carries a jail term of up to 10 years