Hundreds of Territorians at parliament house rally against crime
Numbers were down but hopes for change were high at a second anti-crime rally outside NT Parliament House. Find out what the 400 protestors hoped to achieve.
Northern Territory
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The turnout was smaller but the passion the same at the second anti-crime rally in front of Parliament House.
About 400 Territorians assembled at State Square on Saturday afternoon, rather than the thousands who stumped up at the first rally last month, but their anti-crime message was the same.
Protesters once more called for “Declan’s law”, but did not say what would be the measure would be.
Protesters spoke of their despair at ongoing crime and its impact on themselves and loved-ones.
Darwin resident Val Gray said her son was preparing a fishing trip in his troop carrier, which was packed and ready to go on a fishing trip on Good Friday.
“It was grabbed overnight and my son went out to put on the boat and it wasn’t there,” Mrs Gray said.
“Later on that morning he saw an Instagram that he showed me that it was being driven, used for wheelies and I nearly cried because he’s worked very hard for all of that.
“It’s very disappointing and there has to be some consequence.
“Someone’s got to pay for all of this.”
Her son Julian Kear, the owner of the stolen vehicle, said he wanted to “pull the lever on federal policy” and had spoken to Federal Solomon MP Luke Gosling in search of a solution.
“He said he doesn’t have a policy,” Mr Kear said.
Mr Kear and speakers at the rally echoed Alice Springs mayor Matt Paterson’s call for Federal Police to intervene in the “crime crisis”.
”Pull the lever federally to support the police, whether it’s the Army, the Air Force, or whatever it is,” he said.
Top End resident Steve Barlee also gathered for a crime-free future.
“I’m here just to support locals that are dealing with the crime and that I’ve been a victim of myself,” he said.
Mr Barlee said he had spent tens of thousands of dollars repairing damaged property and replacing stolen goods.
He said he moved from Palmerston to the rural area to escape the concentration of crime in built up areas.
NT Crime Rally organisers said they had acquired a permit to hold a third rally during parliamentary sittings at 2pm May 11.
Cobie Campbell also announced a memorial for Declan Laverty, to be held at the Convention Centre on Saturday May 23.
A time for the memorial has not been confirmed, and just 600 free tickets will be available to attendees.
The protestors paused at the end of the rally in honour of the woman allegedly killed in Darwin on Friday.
Second crime rally to demand action, answers for Territory
Residents are set to take a second stand against violent crime in the NT in an effort to draw “answers and action” out of the Territory’s leaders.
Thousands of Territorians in March united to demand a tougher approach to crime from the NT government after the alleged murder of Declan Laverty.
A second crime rally is planned for 4pm on Saturday, April 15.
The event will take place in front of parliament house, and will not include a walk down Mitchell St.
“The police are under enough pressure and we do not need to waste their resources with a peaceful march at this event,” the organisers wrote in a Facebook post.
“Police Fire and Emergency Services personnel are encouraged to attend and represent an organisation that is understaffed, exhausted and let down by the court system.”
Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro said the changes to bail laws introduced by Territory Labor after the first rally were “little more than window dressing”.
“A CLP government I lead would always put community safety above the rights of the offender,” she said.
“Unlike Labor, the CLP would amend bail laws properly to ensure all violent offenders start from a position of no bail.
“We would break the cycle of youth crime spiralling into adulthood by creating ‘Sentence to a Skill’ where young offenders learn a skill while serving their time so on release they have a purpose and are job-ready.
“We would take back control of our streets with the return of immediate consequences for all offenders like mandatory community service and compulsory alcohol rehabilitation.”
Ms Finocchiaro said she would be attending the rally.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said the weekend’s rally was not “political football”.
“Saturday’s rally is a time for people to express how they are feeling,” she said.
“As a government we will continue to work on measures to keep our community safe.
“We recently changed bail laws, and will always review what policies we have in place and how they can be a lot more agile.”
It is unclear whether Territory Labor representatives would be attending the upcoming crime rally.
The rally’s organisers turned to Territorians on Tuesday to produce solutions addressing “the out of control crime in the NT”.
One Facebook user suggested accommodation centres set up as boarding schools in communities.
“The government payments for children goes to the school to cover the kids care, education, medical, travel etc (sic) and savings for when they’re older, instead of to their parents,” the woman said.
“On holidays, kids only go to safe family. During the school terms, children have somewhere safe to live, meals, education including their own history and teachings.”
Other Facebook users called for boot camps, mandatory military service, curfews, or training during imprisonment.
The crime rally’s organisers have also launched a petition against the NT government’s voluntary liquor licence buy-back scheme.
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