Lia Finocchiaro meets up with Queensland Police Minister Dan Purdie in Darwin

Amid the Territory’s ongoing battle to tackle crime, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has picked the brains of a neighbouring government.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro and Queensland Police and Emergency Services Minister Dan Purdie discussed their share crime dilemmas this week in Darwin.

Amid the Northern Territory’s ongoing battle to tackle crime, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has picked the brains of a neighbouring state government, with the NT leader claiming she had a “productive discussion” on how to bring down offending.

Last week, the National Emergency Management Minister Meeting was held in Darwin, aiming to drive national cooperation and alignment.

In her capacity as Police Minister, Ms Finocchiaro joined the table.

Also flying in was her Queensland counterpart, Police and Emergency Services Minister Dan Purdie.

Ms Finocchiaro says the discussion was “productive”.

It was later revealed the pair discussed their shared dilemmas in a one-on-one meeting offline.

“(We) face many of the same challenges, especially when it comes to youth crime, regional policing, and emergency services capability,” Ms Finocchiaro said.

“Minister Purdie and I had a productive discussion about the strong, decisive actions our governments are making to keep communities safe and hold offenders to account.

“Whether it’s strengthening bail laws or backing our frontline officers, we are both focused on delivering practical, no-nonsense solutions.”

Queensland’s 2024 election was dominated by the issue of crime, particularly pertaining to regional hubs such as Townsville (pictured). Picture: Supplied.

Declared the nation’s ‘crime capital’ last year, Queensland and the NT endured a similar election year to one another.

With victims of crime figures and incarceration numbers dwarfing the rest of the country, both elections were dominated by the issue of crime, particularly in regional centres such as Alice Springs, Townsville, Katherine and Mount Isa.

Ultimately, both jurisdictions oversaw a change of government within weeks of each other, with voters turning to parties that championed ‘tough on crime’ approaches.

Since taking office, both governments have lowered the age of criminal responsibility, expanded youth justice laws and tightened bail criteria.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has vowed to put the rights of victims first. Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Almost a year on, they have also doubled down on their near-identical election promise.

“I put the rights of victims ahead of the rights of these little punks,” Queensland Premier David Crisafulli declared in April.

Ms Finocchiaro made a similar promise last week.

“Labor failed to act and let crime spiral out of control for eight years - they tied police hands and put offenders before victims,” she said.

“The CLP turned that around.”

The Finocchiaro Government will have another opportunity to pass reform at this month’s parliamentary sittings, with the first tranche of the Youth Justice Act rewrite expected to be introduced.

Originally published as Lia Finocchiaro meets up with Queensland Police Minister Dan Purdie in Darwin