Extra $112m boost for law and order too little and too late, lawyers say
Criminal lawyers in the NT have compared the CLP’s record law and order spend to ‘putting a band aid on a burst water main’, saying it will not improve community safety in either the short or long term.
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Criminal lawyers in the Northern Territory have compared the CLP’s record law and order spend to “putting a band aid on a burst water main”, saying it will not improve community safety in either the short or long term.
On Friday the NT government announced this year’s budget would include an extra $112 million for police, corrections and attorney-general and justice.
It comes off the back of tough bail reforms urgently introduced this week, expected to see NT prisoner numbers surge by more than a third.
“While additional funding for the justice sector is welcomed, the $112 million announced by government is akin to putting a band aid on a bust water main,” Criminal Lawyers Association NT vice-president James Stuchbery said.
“The Territory’s justice agencies, including Legal Aid, NAAJA and the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions), as well as the courts, corrections and community justice centres have been chronically underfunded for decades and this announcement clearly does not address the funding shortfalls faced by the sector.
“We already know that throwing money at more police and prison beds won’t make our community safer in the short term, and certainly won’t in the long term.
“What we urgently need is significant spending on programs and services proven to rehabilitate offenders and address the causes of crime, including housing, education, early intervention, drug and alcohol rehabilitation and domestic violence prevention.”
The Northern Territory Police Association has also condemned the law and order cash splash, saying it was an insult to officers who continued to feel abandoned and undervalued.
The comments deepen the rift between the Chief Minister and historically on-side union, who are at odds over wages and conditions.
“It’s frustrating to see the Chief Minister standing outside Casuarina Police Station this morning, boasting about record spending, while the officers inside that very station feel angry, forgotten, and betrayed by this government,” president Nathan Finn said.
“It’s time to actually invest in your police – enough excuses. This government must get its priorities straight and stop hiding behind so-called budget pressures as a reason to deny police the fair pay they deserve.”
Treasurer and Infrastructure Minister Bill Yan said most of the $112m would go towards corrections, but details of the exact split would be confirmed when the 2025-26 NT Budget was handed down on May 13.
Which areas of the budget would be cut back was also not confirmed.
“We have had to reprioritise money from different areas and focus on those community safety needs,” Mr Yan said.
“We’ve been quite fair about how we’ve gone about this process … (and) we have seen an overall increase in the budget from last year to make sure that we hit the mark on community safety.”
It comes as the government recently awarded a $462,535 tender to refurbish part of the Alice Springs Correctional Centre.
The upgrades were needed due to the age of infrastructure and damage associated with high prisoner numbers – a problem expected to compound in the coming years.
“When you have high numbers, you see issues with infrastructure,” Mr Yan said.
“We are seeing that infrastructure cost in the budget, and we’re building that into the budget as we go forward.
“We know that we’re seeing those (prisoner) numbers increase, we know that you have to provide those extra beds, so as part of the budget process we are making sure that the money is available.”
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