‘Death of a family member': government sued over dingo killing
The cultural connection between First Nations groups and dingoes will be tested in the Supreme Court of Victoria, which will consider a legal challenge to a state-sanctioned killing program in June.
Animals Australia is suing the Victorian government over its 2024 decision to 'unprotect' dingoes in the north-east of the state, alleging the decision is in breach of Victoria's Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, which seeks to protect Aboriginal people's 'distinct cultural rights'.
Dingoes are a threatened species in Victoria and, as such, the government is required to make orders removing their protected status to allow landholders to kill the animals.
Under the charter, it is unlawful for public authorities to act in a way that is incompatible with a human right, or fail to properly consider relevant human rights when making a decision.
Last March, the Victorian government ended an 'unprotection order' in place for Big Desert dingoes, which had allowed them to be killed on public land. Departmental advice provided to Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos in September, and released under freedom of information laws, shows there could be just 16 adults of breeding age left in the district.
But Dimopouolos and Agriculture Minister Ros Spence kept an unprotection order in place for dingoes in the east and north-east of the state, despite Traditional Owner groups stressing the animals hold cultural and spiritual significance to First Nations peoples.
The Environment Department says about 1000 sheep are killed or maimed by dingoes each year in Victoria's east.
Wadawurrung woman Kelly Ann Blake – who has a pet dingo, Jack – joined the Animals Australia legal challenge to the unprotection order as a co-litigant.
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Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
John Pesutto rejected 'offer of assistance' from Moira Deeming that would have saved him from bankruptcy, prevented by-election
Former Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto has rejected an 'offer of assistance' from Moira Deeming which would have saved him from imminent bankruptcy and prevented a costly by-election for his seat of Hawthorn. The former Liberal leader has just over two weeks to pay the $2.3 million he owes Ms Deeming or be declared bankrupt – an outcome that will see him thrown out of parliament. Mr Pesutto has already raised just over $750,000 in order to help settle the debt and is pushing for an agreement which would see the Liberal Party, or a party-linked investment fund, loan him the remaining $1.5 million. However, the Victorian Liberal Party remains deeply divided over whether its funds should be used to bail out the former leader, who was found to have defamed Ms Deeming as someone who 'associates with Nazis'. In a letter sent to Mr Pesutto, current Opposition Leader Brad Battin and Victorian Liberal Party president Philip Davis, Ms Deeming offered not to call in the bankruptcy notice served on Mr Pesutto. In exchange, the former Liberal leader, and the Liberal Party, would have to agree to a series of conditions. Theses include: that Mr Pesutto immediately pays 'all available funds' he has raised to Ms Demeing, while the remainder of the debt is deferred until 30 March 2027 in order to 'give him sufficient time to secure the necessary funds and avoid bankruptcy'. That Ms Deeming's preselection is endorsed as the party's lead candidate for the Western Metropolitan upper house ahead of the next election so she can serve her community 'without any internal distractions'. That the Liberal Party, through Mr Battin, provide Ms Deeming and her family with a 'unreserved written and public apology for the way (she has) been treated, for the imputations against (her) reputation and that all the false allegations and defamatory slurs directed towards (her) are rejected'. That the Liberal Party hold a 'wholesale review into existing internal dispute resolution', led by an independent person from outside Victoria and that the party 'undertake to consider those recommendations in good faith' in order to ensure there is never another dispute similar to that between Ms Deeming and Mr Pesutto. Finally, it also requests that all parties 'draw a line under the events of the past two years and ensure our focus is on the constituents we serve, the party we love and the people of Victoria'. Ms Deeming outlined her motivations for the offer by citing her respect for party members and her dismay that funds intended to help the party win government would be used to bail out Mr Pesutto. 'I write to you as a Liberal and I make this offer as someone who deeply respects the rights of Liberal Party members to a party that is focused on winning the 2026 state election and securing a better future for all Victorians,' Ms Deeming states in the letter. 'I am dismayed by reports that the Liberal Party (Victorian Division) is considering an approach from Mr John Pesutto to meet his financial obligations in relation to a costs order made against him by the Federal Court after an earlier judgment that he defamed me. 'From the outset, both former president Mr Greg Mirabella and current incumbent Mr Philip Davis publicly stated that no party funds would be used in this action and to now expect the party to cover Mr Pesutto's substantial debts goes against the grain of everything we believe as Liberals.' Ms Deeming's letter states that the offer is 'not up for negotiation, and it expires at 5pm on Tuesday 10 June 2025'. 'I have suffered through a gruelling two and half years where almost every offer I made to negotiate a settlement was rejected,' the letter states. 'This is my final attempt to spare the Liberal Party further harm and to afford Mr Pesutto, and his family, the dignity that was denied me, my husband and my children.' However, Mr Pesutto has rejected the deal, with a strong backer of Ms Deeming accusing the member for Hawthorn of holding out for "holding out for the party or its entities to pay his bills". Sky News Australia's Peta Credlin reported on Wednesday that after asking for an additional 24 hours to respond, the former opposition leader put forward a counter offer. It is understood this would have seen him pay around $1.2 million of the debt in exchange for agreeing not to ask the party for a loan. "Understandably, his counter offer was rejected," Credlin said, adding that the Liberals she had spoken to "cannot fathom any of this". "Clearly, he's now pinning all his hopes on the Liberal Party bailing him out with a loan at an Admin Committee meeting that's now been shifted to next Thursday," she said. "I am told Pesutto wants 15 plus years to pay back this debt, which means to be honest, he will never pay it back." Sources close to Mr Pesutto have dismissed the proposal as unworkable. Speaking to a Liberal figure said the $750,000 referred to in Ms Deeming's letter was made up of 'provisional commitments' that had been pledged on the condition that the Liberal Party loan the former leader the remaining amount needed to avoid bankruptcy and a by-election. The Pesutto-aligned figure also disputed the claim the offer would resolve the dispute, stating it would 'simply stay the execution from now… to March 2027'. 'I think it's more about trying to cut a deal on the preselection, which I think is pretty outrageous because it has just got nothing to do with the dispute,' they said. 'Imagine getting that shoehorned in and everybody else has to stand before the membership.' In a further email sent to the Victorian Liberal Party admin committee, on which Mr Battin sits alongside Mr Mirabella and federal MP Dan Tehan, Ms Deeming hit back at those suggestions. "I do not intend to respond any further to claims made by Mr Pesutto given his rejection of my offer, but I will make these additional comments to clarify assertions he has made tonight that this was 'not a real deal' and questions he has raised regarding the terms of my offer including matters relating to my preselection," she wrote. "My offer was real, and you may know it was accepted as real by Mr Pesutto due to the fact that he sought (and was granted) a 24 hour extension to Tuesday's initial deadline and then came back with a counter offer. If not 'real', why did he entertain it at all? "The counteroffer - relayed to me by intermediaries in the negotiations- was that all of my terms had been accepted except for the amount that Mr Pesutto was willing to pay. He instead proposed to accept my offer on the basis that he make a total payment of $1.2m only, rather than the full $2.3m sum as ordered by the Federal Court." Ms Deeming added she had subsequently presented her own counter offer, giving Mr Pessutto "the opportunity to pay $1.3m now, with a further 3 years to pay the balance". She claimed that offer was "almost immediately rejected", with the former Liberal leader then proceeding to cut "all communication". Mr Pesutto is believed to be 'hopeful' the Liberal Party's admin committee will sign off on a proposal that would see the former leader provided a loan of $1.5 million to settle the debt, although it remains unclear whether the 19-member body will back the idea.
The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Crocodile Hunter's dad fires up over culling proposal
The father of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has hit out at calls for the large reptiles to be culled in popular waterways, describing it as pointless. Bob Irwin took aim at proposed Queensland laws that would result in crocodiles found in populated sites being killed or relocated. Katter's Australian Party put forward the bill under a long-running campaign to enhance crocodile control laws, claiming numbers had "exploded" in the state's north. Queensland's Liberal National government said it would consider the findings of a parliamentary hearing into the bill and decide whether it was "fit for purpose". Mr Irwin says killing or removing crocodiles is not the answer. "Culling crocodiles is a pointless exercise, absolutely pointless," he told the hearing on Wednesday The Katter party renewed calls for crocodile control after a failed bid under the former Labor government. The bill would allow crocodile culls and safari-style hunting trips, amid claims more than 1200 crocodiles had been spotted in 2023 compared to 126 in 2010. Mr Irwin said if a large crocodile that protected a territory was removed or killed, a "juvenile delinquent" moved in and took over. "You're never going to be able to say to the general public you can swim in that river now, because you won't ever know that there are crocodiles still there," he told the hearing. Mr Irwin helped found Australia Zoo where his son grew up and developed a passion for wildlife, later becoming the world famous Crocodile Hunter before the livewire conservationist's tragic 2006 death. His daughter-in-law Terri Irwin had earlier echoed his concerns in a submission to the committee, saying the proposed laws would increase the likelihood of croc attacks due to a false sense of security in culled areas. The Queensland environment department's deputy director general said education was paramount in preventing crocodile attacks, not culling. "No amount of crocodile removal can guarantee the absence of crocodiles in a waterway, nor can it assure that an area is completely safe to swim," Ben Klaassen told the committee on Wednesday. Some community members threw their support behind the bill, with one group suggesting Aboriginal people should assist crocodile culls. Murrandoo Yanner won a landmark 1999 High Court case that ruled Aboriginal people could hunt crocodiles. He said Aboriginal people in Queensland's Gulf Country were hunting crocodiles and maintaining the population, so there was "no greater group" to aid a pilot culling program. "We hunt and eat them, but we're not in that camp that we just want to totally cull them," the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation stakeholder officer told the committee. "But we also know they're of great cultural significance, and they're in good numbers here, so we manage them very well." Recent estimates reveal there are around 20,000 to 30,000 crocodiles across northern Queensland. Mr Yanner hoped to work with the state government, advising how to cull crocodiles without eradicating the species. Two councils in the state's north, Mareeba and Whitsundays, also want the bill become a reality, saying there was a risk to residents and tourists. Mareeba Shire Council deputy mayor Lenore Wyatt said dozens of saltwater crocs in eastern waterways were not native after some escaped from a nearby farm in the 1990s. The area is already zoned to allow the removal of crocodiles, but the council wanted a faster process, saying a farmer had a reptile in his dam for more than six months. The committee report is due in August. The father of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has hit out at calls for the large reptiles to be culled in popular waterways, describing it as pointless. Bob Irwin took aim at proposed Queensland laws that would result in crocodiles found in populated sites being killed or relocated. Katter's Australian Party put forward the bill under a long-running campaign to enhance crocodile control laws, claiming numbers had "exploded" in the state's north. Queensland's Liberal National government said it would consider the findings of a parliamentary hearing into the bill and decide whether it was "fit for purpose". Mr Irwin says killing or removing crocodiles is not the answer. "Culling crocodiles is a pointless exercise, absolutely pointless," he told the hearing on Wednesday The Katter party renewed calls for crocodile control after a failed bid under the former Labor government. The bill would allow crocodile culls and safari-style hunting trips, amid claims more than 1200 crocodiles had been spotted in 2023 compared to 126 in 2010. Mr Irwin said if a large crocodile that protected a territory was removed or killed, a "juvenile delinquent" moved in and took over. "You're never going to be able to say to the general public you can swim in that river now, because you won't ever know that there are crocodiles still there," he told the hearing. Mr Irwin helped found Australia Zoo where his son grew up and developed a passion for wildlife, later becoming the world famous Crocodile Hunter before the livewire conservationist's tragic 2006 death. His daughter-in-law Terri Irwin had earlier echoed his concerns in a submission to the committee, saying the proposed laws would increase the likelihood of croc attacks due to a false sense of security in culled areas. The Queensland environment department's deputy director general said education was paramount in preventing crocodile attacks, not culling. "No amount of crocodile removal can guarantee the absence of crocodiles in a waterway, nor can it assure that an area is completely safe to swim," Ben Klaassen told the committee on Wednesday. Some community members threw their support behind the bill, with one group suggesting Aboriginal people should assist crocodile culls. Murrandoo Yanner won a landmark 1999 High Court case that ruled Aboriginal people could hunt crocodiles. He said Aboriginal people in Queensland's Gulf Country were hunting crocodiles and maintaining the population, so there was "no greater group" to aid a pilot culling program. "We hunt and eat them, but we're not in that camp that we just want to totally cull them," the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation stakeholder officer told the committee. "But we also know they're of great cultural significance, and they're in good numbers here, so we manage them very well." Recent estimates reveal there are around 20,000 to 30,000 crocodiles across northern Queensland. Mr Yanner hoped to work with the state government, advising how to cull crocodiles without eradicating the species. Two councils in the state's north, Mareeba and Whitsundays, also want the bill become a reality, saying there was a risk to residents and tourists. Mareeba Shire Council deputy mayor Lenore Wyatt said dozens of saltwater crocs in eastern waterways were not native after some escaped from a nearby farm in the 1990s. The area is already zoned to allow the removal of crocodiles, but the council wanted a faster process, saying a farmer had a reptile in his dam for more than six months. The committee report is due in August. The father of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has hit out at calls for the large reptiles to be culled in popular waterways, describing it as pointless. Bob Irwin took aim at proposed Queensland laws that would result in crocodiles found in populated sites being killed or relocated. Katter's Australian Party put forward the bill under a long-running campaign to enhance crocodile control laws, claiming numbers had "exploded" in the state's north. Queensland's Liberal National government said it would consider the findings of a parliamentary hearing into the bill and decide whether it was "fit for purpose". Mr Irwin says killing or removing crocodiles is not the answer. "Culling crocodiles is a pointless exercise, absolutely pointless," he told the hearing on Wednesday The Katter party renewed calls for crocodile control after a failed bid under the former Labor government. The bill would allow crocodile culls and safari-style hunting trips, amid claims more than 1200 crocodiles had been spotted in 2023 compared to 126 in 2010. Mr Irwin said if a large crocodile that protected a territory was removed or killed, a "juvenile delinquent" moved in and took over. "You're never going to be able to say to the general public you can swim in that river now, because you won't ever know that there are crocodiles still there," he told the hearing. Mr Irwin helped found Australia Zoo where his son grew up and developed a passion for wildlife, later becoming the world famous Crocodile Hunter before the livewire conservationist's tragic 2006 death. His daughter-in-law Terri Irwin had earlier echoed his concerns in a submission to the committee, saying the proposed laws would increase the likelihood of croc attacks due to a false sense of security in culled areas. The Queensland environment department's deputy director general said education was paramount in preventing crocodile attacks, not culling. "No amount of crocodile removal can guarantee the absence of crocodiles in a waterway, nor can it assure that an area is completely safe to swim," Ben Klaassen told the committee on Wednesday. Some community members threw their support behind the bill, with one group suggesting Aboriginal people should assist crocodile culls. Murrandoo Yanner won a landmark 1999 High Court case that ruled Aboriginal people could hunt crocodiles. He said Aboriginal people in Queensland's Gulf Country were hunting crocodiles and maintaining the population, so there was "no greater group" to aid a pilot culling program. "We hunt and eat them, but we're not in that camp that we just want to totally cull them," the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation stakeholder officer told the committee. "But we also know they're of great cultural significance, and they're in good numbers here, so we manage them very well." Recent estimates reveal there are around 20,000 to 30,000 crocodiles across northern Queensland. Mr Yanner hoped to work with the state government, advising how to cull crocodiles without eradicating the species. Two councils in the state's north, Mareeba and Whitsundays, also want the bill become a reality, saying there was a risk to residents and tourists. Mareeba Shire Council deputy mayor Lenore Wyatt said dozens of saltwater crocs in eastern waterways were not native after some escaped from a nearby farm in the 1990s. The area is already zoned to allow the removal of crocodiles, but the council wanted a faster process, saying a farmer had a reptile in his dam for more than six months. The committee report is due in August. The father of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has hit out at calls for the large reptiles to be culled in popular waterways, describing it as pointless. Bob Irwin took aim at proposed Queensland laws that would result in crocodiles found in populated sites being killed or relocated. Katter's Australian Party put forward the bill under a long-running campaign to enhance crocodile control laws, claiming numbers had "exploded" in the state's north. Queensland's Liberal National government said it would consider the findings of a parliamentary hearing into the bill and decide whether it was "fit for purpose". Mr Irwin says killing or removing crocodiles is not the answer. "Culling crocodiles is a pointless exercise, absolutely pointless," he told the hearing on Wednesday The Katter party renewed calls for crocodile control after a failed bid under the former Labor government. The bill would allow crocodile culls and safari-style hunting trips, amid claims more than 1200 crocodiles had been spotted in 2023 compared to 126 in 2010. Mr Irwin said if a large crocodile that protected a territory was removed or killed, a "juvenile delinquent" moved in and took over. "You're never going to be able to say to the general public you can swim in that river now, because you won't ever know that there are crocodiles still there," he told the hearing. Mr Irwin helped found Australia Zoo where his son grew up and developed a passion for wildlife, later becoming the world famous Crocodile Hunter before the livewire conservationist's tragic 2006 death. His daughter-in-law Terri Irwin had earlier echoed his concerns in a submission to the committee, saying the proposed laws would increase the likelihood of croc attacks due to a false sense of security in culled areas. The Queensland environment department's deputy director general said education was paramount in preventing crocodile attacks, not culling. "No amount of crocodile removal can guarantee the absence of crocodiles in a waterway, nor can it assure that an area is completely safe to swim," Ben Klaassen told the committee on Wednesday. Some community members threw their support behind the bill, with one group suggesting Aboriginal people should assist crocodile culls. Murrandoo Yanner won a landmark 1999 High Court case that ruled Aboriginal people could hunt crocodiles. He said Aboriginal people in Queensland's Gulf Country were hunting crocodiles and maintaining the population, so there was "no greater group" to aid a pilot culling program. "We hunt and eat them, but we're not in that camp that we just want to totally cull them," the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation stakeholder officer told the committee. "But we also know they're of great cultural significance, and they're in good numbers here, so we manage them very well." Recent estimates reveal there are around 20,000 to 30,000 crocodiles across northern Queensland. Mr Yanner hoped to work with the state government, advising how to cull crocodiles without eradicating the species. Two councils in the state's north, Mareeba and Whitsundays, also want the bill become a reality, saying there was a risk to residents and tourists. Mareeba Shire Council deputy mayor Lenore Wyatt said dozens of saltwater crocs in eastern waterways were not native after some escaped from a nearby farm in the 1990s. The area is already zoned to allow the removal of crocodiles, but the council wanted a faster process, saying a farmer had a reptile in his dam for more than six months. The committee report is due in August.
The Advertiser
7 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Public pepper spray trial triggers stinging backlash
A landmark trial allowing the public sale of pepper spray will be introduced in a crime-hit territory, but opponents have issued stinging rebukes. The Northern Territory initiative has been called an "admission of failure", as citizens are being asked to protect themselves because "the government cannot do the job". The territory will become only the second jurisdiction in Australia to allow residents to carry pepper spray, giving people "more choice when it comes to personal safety". Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said a 12-month trial would start in September, allowing approved members of the public to carry a low-percentage oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray under strict legal conditions. The move was part of the NT government's justice reforms that focus on reducing crime and restoring community safety, she said. "We're strengthening the frontline with more police, stronger laws and better prevention, but we also believe individuals should have lawful tools to protect themselves if needed," Ms Finocchiaro said in a statement. Her government made law and order the cornerstone of its first budget with a record $1.5 billion investment in corrections, courts and police. Consultation to determine the pepper spray trial's specifics will be led by NT Police, industry bodies, licensees and the broader community. Western Australia is the only jurisdictions in Australia which allows residents to carry pepper spray. "This is about giving territorians more choice when it comes to personal safety," the chief minister said. Opposition Leader Selina Uibo said the initiative was an "admission of failure" by Ms Finocchiaro and her government. "They are now telling territorians to defend themselves because the government cannot do the job," she told reporters on Wednesday. The government should invest more in policing if it was serious about community safety "rather than handing out pepper spray and telling territorians to hope for the best", Ms Uibo said. She said broad consultation and regulations would be needed to ensure there were no unintended consequences of the trial. The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory said allowing the public sale of pepper spray would do nothing to improve community safety and instead put more lives at risk. "It is incredibly misleading to suggest that equipping the community with a weapon is any kind of solution to community safety," CEO John Paterson said. "Weaponising people and allowing wider access to a harmful substance like OC spray won't fix violence - it will fuel it." Dr Paterson said the decision was especially dangerous for vulnerable people, including those sleeping rough, who were disproportionately targeted and criminalised, many of them Aboriginal. Data shows the NT has an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia and has the highest reoffending rate, with six out of 10 prisoners returning to jail within two years of release. A landmark trial allowing the public sale of pepper spray will be introduced in a crime-hit territory, but opponents have issued stinging rebukes. The Northern Territory initiative has been called an "admission of failure", as citizens are being asked to protect themselves because "the government cannot do the job". The territory will become only the second jurisdiction in Australia to allow residents to carry pepper spray, giving people "more choice when it comes to personal safety". Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said a 12-month trial would start in September, allowing approved members of the public to carry a low-percentage oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray under strict legal conditions. The move was part of the NT government's justice reforms that focus on reducing crime and restoring community safety, she said. "We're strengthening the frontline with more police, stronger laws and better prevention, but we also believe individuals should have lawful tools to protect themselves if needed," Ms Finocchiaro said in a statement. Her government made law and order the cornerstone of its first budget with a record $1.5 billion investment in corrections, courts and police. Consultation to determine the pepper spray trial's specifics will be led by NT Police, industry bodies, licensees and the broader community. Western Australia is the only jurisdictions in Australia which allows residents to carry pepper spray. "This is about giving territorians more choice when it comes to personal safety," the chief minister said. Opposition Leader Selina Uibo said the initiative was an "admission of failure" by Ms Finocchiaro and her government. "They are now telling territorians to defend themselves because the government cannot do the job," she told reporters on Wednesday. The government should invest more in policing if it was serious about community safety "rather than handing out pepper spray and telling territorians to hope for the best", Ms Uibo said. She said broad consultation and regulations would be needed to ensure there were no unintended consequences of the trial. The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory said allowing the public sale of pepper spray would do nothing to improve community safety and instead put more lives at risk. "It is incredibly misleading to suggest that equipping the community with a weapon is any kind of solution to community safety," CEO John Paterson said. "Weaponising people and allowing wider access to a harmful substance like OC spray won't fix violence - it will fuel it." Dr Paterson said the decision was especially dangerous for vulnerable people, including those sleeping rough, who were disproportionately targeted and criminalised, many of them Aboriginal. Data shows the NT has an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia and has the highest reoffending rate, with six out of 10 prisoners returning to jail within two years of release. A landmark trial allowing the public sale of pepper spray will be introduced in a crime-hit territory, but opponents have issued stinging rebukes. The Northern Territory initiative has been called an "admission of failure", as citizens are being asked to protect themselves because "the government cannot do the job". The territory will become only the second jurisdiction in Australia to allow residents to carry pepper spray, giving people "more choice when it comes to personal safety". Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said a 12-month trial would start in September, allowing approved members of the public to carry a low-percentage oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray under strict legal conditions. The move was part of the NT government's justice reforms that focus on reducing crime and restoring community safety, she said. "We're strengthening the frontline with more police, stronger laws and better prevention, but we also believe individuals should have lawful tools to protect themselves if needed," Ms Finocchiaro said in a statement. Her government made law and order the cornerstone of its first budget with a record $1.5 billion investment in corrections, courts and police. Consultation to determine the pepper spray trial's specifics will be led by NT Police, industry bodies, licensees and the broader community. Western Australia is the only jurisdictions in Australia which allows residents to carry pepper spray. "This is about giving territorians more choice when it comes to personal safety," the chief minister said. Opposition Leader Selina Uibo said the initiative was an "admission of failure" by Ms Finocchiaro and her government. "They are now telling territorians to defend themselves because the government cannot do the job," she told reporters on Wednesday. The government should invest more in policing if it was serious about community safety "rather than handing out pepper spray and telling territorians to hope for the best", Ms Uibo said. She said broad consultation and regulations would be needed to ensure there were no unintended consequences of the trial. The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory said allowing the public sale of pepper spray would do nothing to improve community safety and instead put more lives at risk. "It is incredibly misleading to suggest that equipping the community with a weapon is any kind of solution to community safety," CEO John Paterson said. "Weaponising people and allowing wider access to a harmful substance like OC spray won't fix violence - it will fuel it." Dr Paterson said the decision was especially dangerous for vulnerable people, including those sleeping rough, who were disproportionately targeted and criminalised, many of them Aboriginal. Data shows the NT has an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia and has the highest reoffending rate, with six out of 10 prisoners returning to jail within two years of release. A landmark trial allowing the public sale of pepper spray will be introduced in a crime-hit territory, but opponents have issued stinging rebukes. The Northern Territory initiative has been called an "admission of failure", as citizens are being asked to protect themselves because "the government cannot do the job". The territory will become only the second jurisdiction in Australia to allow residents to carry pepper spray, giving people "more choice when it comes to personal safety". Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said a 12-month trial would start in September, allowing approved members of the public to carry a low-percentage oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray under strict legal conditions. The move was part of the NT government's justice reforms that focus on reducing crime and restoring community safety, she said. "We're strengthening the frontline with more police, stronger laws and better prevention, but we also believe individuals should have lawful tools to protect themselves if needed," Ms Finocchiaro said in a statement. Her government made law and order the cornerstone of its first budget with a record $1.5 billion investment in corrections, courts and police. Consultation to determine the pepper spray trial's specifics will be led by NT Police, industry bodies, licensees and the broader community. Western Australia is the only jurisdictions in Australia which allows residents to carry pepper spray. "This is about giving territorians more choice when it comes to personal safety," the chief minister said. Opposition Leader Selina Uibo said the initiative was an "admission of failure" by Ms Finocchiaro and her government. "They are now telling territorians to defend themselves because the government cannot do the job," she told reporters on Wednesday. The government should invest more in policing if it was serious about community safety "rather than handing out pepper spray and telling territorians to hope for the best", Ms Uibo said. She said broad consultation and regulations would be needed to ensure there were no unintended consequences of the trial. The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory said allowing the public sale of pepper spray would do nothing to improve community safety and instead put more lives at risk. "It is incredibly misleading to suggest that equipping the community with a weapon is any kind of solution to community safety," CEO John Paterson said. "Weaponising people and allowing wider access to a harmful substance like OC spray won't fix violence - it will fuel it." Dr Paterson said the decision was especially dangerous for vulnerable people, including those sleeping rough, who were disproportionately targeted and criminalised, many of them Aboriginal. Data shows the NT has an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia and has the highest reoffending rate, with six out of 10 prisoners returning to jail within two years of release.
