Labor denies ideological shift on crime as curfew laws to pass NT parliament

‘Territorians have been calling out for action for a long time and under the Lawler government, you’re getting action’, Brent Potter says, denying any criticism of the Gunner-Fyles approach.

Police Minister Brent Potter says the Northern Territory should have imposed curfews sooner, while Labor denies an apparent ideological shift in the party’s approach to law and order.

Stand-alone laws making it easier to impose lockdowns are expected to pass through the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, authorising the Police Commissioner to decide when and where threats to public safety warrant curfew measures.

“We’re one of the jurisdictions that should have had (curfew legislation) earlier and used it earlier,” Mr Potter said.

He said the Bill was a commonsense way to address crime and anti-social behaviour, which included provisions to help protect Territorians’ liberties by limiting curfews to three days when imposed by the Commissioner, and 10 days with ministerial approval.

“There are always going to be people that are concerned, civil libertarians that are concerned around individuals’ rights and the like, but I think Territorians have been calling out for action for a long time and under the Lawler government, you’re getting action.”

Mr Potter denied this carried any criticism of Labor’s approach under seven years of Gunner-Fyles leadership.

“It just acknowledges that you’ve got a different (Police) Minister and a different Chief Minister that have a different direction and a different view,” he said.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler and Police Minister Brent Potter ahead of stand-alone curfew laws being introduced in the Northern Territory. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Chief Minister Eva Lawler said she was not driven by “political ideology”, and during her years as a Cabinet minister had “always thought that you need to be really strong around the issues of crime”.

She said everyone in her Cabinet now backed the curfew laws “100 per cent”, including those previously outspoken against such measures.

“It is hard to believe, but it took me to be able to come in (and call the Alice Springs youth curfew) … and then we saw that the fallout from that which was absolutely positive,” she said.

NT Senator Jacinta Price and NT Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro supported the curfew, but said it was not a fix to the Territory’s crime problem. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jacinta Nampijinpa Price supported the curfews as “a reprieve” but said they were not long-term solutions.

“Absolutely this is a political ploy on behalf of the Territory Labor government,” she said.

“Their record has demonstrated that under their watch, crime has increased in the Northern Territory.”

Senator Price said both NT and federal governments should do more to reduce crime and support the most vulnerable Territorians, “especially Indigenous children in our communities who, because they’re left in dysfunctional circumstances, are fast tracked into a life of incarceration”.

“While (Labor) might think they’ve got a win on this one in terms of curfews, it’s not a long term measure.

“It’s not actually effectively looking at the issues and why they occur in the first place, because, of course, prevention is much better than cure.”

Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro said the laws, introduced on urgency and ultimately supported by the CLP, were an admission of policy failure.

“It reinforces the fact that this government has never had any intention to strengthen the laws or give police better powers, because if they wanted to, they could have, and they haven’t – because they’re ideologically opposed to making sure that criminals are dealt with using the full strength of the law.”