Latest news with #Finocchiaro
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- General
- The Advertiser
Top minister rejects external death in custody probe
Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, which she described as "entirely unhelpful". "If she wants to support the people of Yuendumu and people concerned about this, then the best thing she can do is use her powerful voice to call for calm and confidence in the NT Police Force," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, which she described as "entirely unhelpful". "If she wants to support the people of Yuendumu and people concerned about this, then the best thing she can do is use her powerful voice to call for calm and confidence in the NT Police Force," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, which she described as "entirely unhelpful". "If she wants to support the people of Yuendumu and people concerned about this, then the best thing she can do is use her powerful voice to call for calm and confidence in the NT Police Force," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, which she described as "entirely unhelpful". "If she wants to support the people of Yuendumu and people concerned about this, then the best thing she can do is use her powerful voice to call for calm and confidence in the NT Police Force," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
West Australian
3 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Top minister rejects external death in custody probe
Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, which she described as "entirely unhelpful". "If she wants to support the people of Yuendumu and people concerned about this, then the best thing she can do is use her powerful voice to call for calm and confidence in the NT Police Force," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Top minister rejects external death in custody probe
Growing calls for an independent investigation into the death in custody of a young Aboriginal man have been strongly rejected by a territory's chief minister. A lawyers' group has called for an independent probe to also investigate the Northern Territory government's failure to provide its duty of care to the man who was on the NDIS and under state care. Kumanjayi White, a mentally disabled 24-year-old, died shortly after being forcibly restrained by two plain-clothes police officers at a supermarket in Alice Springs on May 27. Police allege the young man, originally from the desert community of Yuendumu, was shoplifting and had assaulted a security guard who confronted him. Police are investigating but calls have been growing for an independent inquiry to ensure impartiality and avoid issues concerning officers investigating their own. NT Police have already ruled out an external inquiry and Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Tuesday backed that up, saying people could have full confidence in police "to do their job". "This now needs to take its course and I urge everyone to respect the process," she told ABC Radio Darwin. Police investigations of deaths in custody were entirely appropriate and that was "consistent nationally", Ms Finocchiaro said. Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Justice Not Jails, along with Kumanjayi White's grandfather, Warlpiri elder Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves, have been calling for an external inquiry. The Yuendumu community also lost 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker in 2019 when he was fatally shot by then NT police officer Zachary Rolfe during a bungled arrest. Mr Rolfe was in 2022 found not guilty of all charges over the death. The Kumanjayi Walker coronial findings have been postponed until July 7 after Kumanjayi White's death in custody. Mr Hargraves has also called for CCTV and security guard body-worn camera footage to be released to Kumanjayi White's family, saying "we do not trust police". Federal Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy said last week an independent death in custody probe might be warranted "in the interest of having some separation". Ms Finocchiaro said she had spoken to Senator McCarthy about her comments, which she described as "entirely unhelpful". "If she wants to support the people of Yuendumu and people concerned about this, then the best thing she can do is use her powerful voice to call for calm and confidence in the NT Police Force," she said. The Australian Lawyers Alliance on Tuesday added its voice to calls for an external investigation to include the failure of the NT government's duty of care to Kumanjayi White. National criminal justice spokesman Greg Barns SC said the investigation needed independent oversight. "Unfortunately, police cannot be trusted to investigate their own, particularly in a small jurisdiction, and neither can the NT government be trusted to investigate its duty of care failure," he said in a statement. NT Police have said their investigation would abide by strict protocols with full transparency and be independently reviewed by the coroner. "We ask the community to allow the investigation to take its course," Acting Commissioner Martin Dole said in a statement. "We are committed to a full and fair examination of the facts." 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
The Advertiser
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Chief minister insists causes of crime being addressed
More than $500 million will go to one territory's prison system to keep pace with tough new bail laws but the chief minister insists her government is also addressing the root causes of crime. The Country Liberal Party government's first budget for the Northern Territory delivered on Tuesday features a record $1.34 billion spend on police, corrections and justice. Corrections services will get more than $500 million to ensure extra beds and services to cope with a boosted jail population resulting from the tougher bail laws, with youth offenders mainly impacted. The government has been criticised by the Labor opposition and justice reform groups for taking a punitive approach to crime rather than tackling its root causes. But Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro insists her government is taking decisive action to break the cycle of crime by addressing its causes through a package of early intervention, education, family support and housing initiatives in the budget. "You don't fix crime by only responding after it happens. You prevent it by investing in addressing the root causes of crime," she said in a statement on Tuesday. The budget had a strong emphasis on youth engagement, family safety and community wellbeing, she said. Ms Finocchiaro said her government was driving reforms to improve school attendance and hold parents accountable for ensuring children attend. That involved referring parents to income support if they deprived their children of education, school attendance officers issuing infringement notices for chronic non-attendance and more school-based police officers to promote safety. The budget also delivers $204 million for family support services and $20.9 million for child protection, $138.6 million for out-of-home care and $73.2 million to support homelessness services. It includes $6.6 million per annum in ongoing funding for the Circuit Breaker program operating in Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine. This initiative targets young people aged 10 to 17 who are at risk of entering the youth justice or child protection systems, offering case management and family support, supervised accommodation where needed, local supervision to keep at-risk youth off the streets and keeping kids in school and families accountable. To tackle overcrowding and poor housing conditions the government is investing in up to 2700 new homes and a major repairs and maintenance program under the jointly funded $4 billion remote housing agreement. A much-loved Darwin store owner's fatal stabbing on April 23 inspired what are being billed as Australia's toughest bail laws. The NT government brought in the reforms barely a week after 71-year-old Linford Feick was allegedly stabbed to death by a teenager who was on bail for "serious matters" and has since been charged with murder. When the bail laws were passed Opposition Leader Selena Uibo said Labor would support them "in good faith" but they were a "band-aid solution". Justice Reform Initiative executive director Mindy Sotiri said the record spend on law and order was "a clear example of getting the policy and resource settings completely wrong". "The NT remains Australia's most imprisoned jurisdiction, with an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia – and that number continues to rise due to punitive legislative settings," she said. More than $500 million will go to one territory's prison system to keep pace with tough new bail laws but the chief minister insists her government is also addressing the root causes of crime. The Country Liberal Party government's first budget for the Northern Territory delivered on Tuesday features a record $1.34 billion spend on police, corrections and justice. Corrections services will get more than $500 million to ensure extra beds and services to cope with a boosted jail population resulting from the tougher bail laws, with youth offenders mainly impacted. The government has been criticised by the Labor opposition and justice reform groups for taking a punitive approach to crime rather than tackling its root causes. But Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro insists her government is taking decisive action to break the cycle of crime by addressing its causes through a package of early intervention, education, family support and housing initiatives in the budget. "You don't fix crime by only responding after it happens. You prevent it by investing in addressing the root causes of crime," she said in a statement on Tuesday. The budget had a strong emphasis on youth engagement, family safety and community wellbeing, she said. Ms Finocchiaro said her government was driving reforms to improve school attendance and hold parents accountable for ensuring children attend. That involved referring parents to income support if they deprived their children of education, school attendance officers issuing infringement notices for chronic non-attendance and more school-based police officers to promote safety. The budget also delivers $204 million for family support services and $20.9 million for child protection, $138.6 million for out-of-home care and $73.2 million to support homelessness services. It includes $6.6 million per annum in ongoing funding for the Circuit Breaker program operating in Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine. This initiative targets young people aged 10 to 17 who are at risk of entering the youth justice or child protection systems, offering case management and family support, supervised accommodation where needed, local supervision to keep at-risk youth off the streets and keeping kids in school and families accountable. To tackle overcrowding and poor housing conditions the government is investing in up to 2700 new homes and a major repairs and maintenance program under the jointly funded $4 billion remote housing agreement. A much-loved Darwin store owner's fatal stabbing on April 23 inspired what are being billed as Australia's toughest bail laws. The NT government brought in the reforms barely a week after 71-year-old Linford Feick was allegedly stabbed to death by a teenager who was on bail for "serious matters" and has since been charged with murder. When the bail laws were passed Opposition Leader Selena Uibo said Labor would support them "in good faith" but they were a "band-aid solution". Justice Reform Initiative executive director Mindy Sotiri said the record spend on law and order was "a clear example of getting the policy and resource settings completely wrong". "The NT remains Australia's most imprisoned jurisdiction, with an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia – and that number continues to rise due to punitive legislative settings," she said. More than $500 million will go to one territory's prison system to keep pace with tough new bail laws but the chief minister insists her government is also addressing the root causes of crime. The Country Liberal Party government's first budget for the Northern Territory delivered on Tuesday features a record $1.34 billion spend on police, corrections and justice. Corrections services will get more than $500 million to ensure extra beds and services to cope with a boosted jail population resulting from the tougher bail laws, with youth offenders mainly impacted. The government has been criticised by the Labor opposition and justice reform groups for taking a punitive approach to crime rather than tackling its root causes. But Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro insists her government is taking decisive action to break the cycle of crime by addressing its causes through a package of early intervention, education, family support and housing initiatives in the budget. "You don't fix crime by only responding after it happens. You prevent it by investing in addressing the root causes of crime," she said in a statement on Tuesday. The budget had a strong emphasis on youth engagement, family safety and community wellbeing, she said. Ms Finocchiaro said her government was driving reforms to improve school attendance and hold parents accountable for ensuring children attend. That involved referring parents to income support if they deprived their children of education, school attendance officers issuing infringement notices for chronic non-attendance and more school-based police officers to promote safety. The budget also delivers $204 million for family support services and $20.9 million for child protection, $138.6 million for out-of-home care and $73.2 million to support homelessness services. It includes $6.6 million per annum in ongoing funding for the Circuit Breaker program operating in Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine. This initiative targets young people aged 10 to 17 who are at risk of entering the youth justice or child protection systems, offering case management and family support, supervised accommodation where needed, local supervision to keep at-risk youth off the streets and keeping kids in school and families accountable. To tackle overcrowding and poor housing conditions the government is investing in up to 2700 new homes and a major repairs and maintenance program under the jointly funded $4 billion remote housing agreement. A much-loved Darwin store owner's fatal stabbing on April 23 inspired what are being billed as Australia's toughest bail laws. The NT government brought in the reforms barely a week after 71-year-old Linford Feick was allegedly stabbed to death by a teenager who was on bail for "serious matters" and has since been charged with murder. When the bail laws were passed Opposition Leader Selena Uibo said Labor would support them "in good faith" but they were a "band-aid solution". Justice Reform Initiative executive director Mindy Sotiri said the record spend on law and order was "a clear example of getting the policy and resource settings completely wrong". "The NT remains Australia's most imprisoned jurisdiction, with an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia – and that number continues to rise due to punitive legislative settings," she said. More than $500 million will go to one territory's prison system to keep pace with tough new bail laws but the chief minister insists her government is also addressing the root causes of crime. The Country Liberal Party government's first budget for the Northern Territory delivered on Tuesday features a record $1.34 billion spend on police, corrections and justice. Corrections services will get more than $500 million to ensure extra beds and services to cope with a boosted jail population resulting from the tougher bail laws, with youth offenders mainly impacted. The government has been criticised by the Labor opposition and justice reform groups for taking a punitive approach to crime rather than tackling its root causes. But Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro insists her government is taking decisive action to break the cycle of crime by addressing its causes through a package of early intervention, education, family support and housing initiatives in the budget. "You don't fix crime by only responding after it happens. You prevent it by investing in addressing the root causes of crime," she said in a statement on Tuesday. The budget had a strong emphasis on youth engagement, family safety and community wellbeing, she said. Ms Finocchiaro said her government was driving reforms to improve school attendance and hold parents accountable for ensuring children attend. That involved referring parents to income support if they deprived their children of education, school attendance officers issuing infringement notices for chronic non-attendance and more school-based police officers to promote safety. The budget also delivers $204 million for family support services and $20.9 million for child protection, $138.6 million for out-of-home care and $73.2 million to support homelessness services. It includes $6.6 million per annum in ongoing funding for the Circuit Breaker program operating in Darwin, Alice Springs and Katherine. This initiative targets young people aged 10 to 17 who are at risk of entering the youth justice or child protection systems, offering case management and family support, supervised accommodation where needed, local supervision to keep at-risk youth off the streets and keeping kids in school and families accountable. To tackle overcrowding and poor housing conditions the government is investing in up to 2700 new homes and a major repairs and maintenance program under the jointly funded $4 billion remote housing agreement. A much-loved Darwin store owner's fatal stabbing on April 23 inspired what are being billed as Australia's toughest bail laws. The NT government brought in the reforms barely a week after 71-year-old Linford Feick was allegedly stabbed to death by a teenager who was on bail for "serious matters" and has since been charged with murder. When the bail laws were passed Opposition Leader Selena Uibo said Labor would support them "in good faith" but they were a "band-aid solution". Justice Reform Initiative executive director Mindy Sotiri said the record spend on law and order was "a clear example of getting the policy and resource settings completely wrong". "The NT remains Australia's most imprisoned jurisdiction, with an incarceration rate three times greater than anywhere else in Australia – and that number continues to rise due to punitive legislative settings," she said.
The Australian
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Australian
Linford Feick Nightcliff death: could a horrific tragedy have been avoided?
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro should have seen this coming. The warnings were there, signposted by every frustrated Territorian who has been a victim of crime in the days since the Country Liberal Party came into power. The two-month-old baby who was flown to Adelaide hospital after being hit in the head with a fridge handle in December. The 71-year-old Darwin man found lying in a pool of his own blood after two teenagers hacked him with a machete. The Alice Springs healthcare worker who woke in the middle of the night to a stranger raping her. How did it take the alleged murder on Wednesday evening of an elderly supermarket owner by a teenager on bail for serious charges, including alleged rape, for Finocchiaro to recall parliament and introduce the 'toughest bail laws' in the nation? The Chief Minister's declaration on Thursday that 'nothing is off the table' meant very little to exasperated residents. 'What does that even mean?' one person said. The Finocchiaro government strengthened bail laws when it first came to power. But it had no choice. Tensions were rising across the region, and Finocchiaro had run a 'tough on crime' campaign. Territorians have been here before. Just over two years ago, bottleshop worker Declan Laverty was murdered while working in Darwin's northern suburbs. His killer, 19-year-old Keith Kerinauia, was sentenced last year to life in jail with a non-parole period of 20 years. This masthead at the time revealed after the murder that Kerinauia had been released on bail for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault just over a month before Laverty's death. The CLP, in a bid to win the election last year, rolled out Samara Laverty and promised to crack down on violent attacks. Declan's Law was one of the first pieces of legislation passed by the CLP after it took over in government from NT Labor in August last year, legislating a presumption against bail for youth and adult serious violent offenders, regardless of whether a weapon was involved in the alleged offending. Finocchiaro told reporters on Thursday she had gone back to Samara Laverty asking for her thoughts on strengthening the laws further. Laverty says she carries anger and overwhelming guilt for the death of supermarket owner Feick. She wishes she had tried harder to get stricter bail laws. 'This is what I was trying to stop, I couldn't stop it and now somebody else is dead,' she told The Australian on Friday. The CLP says it has 'strengthened laws at every opportunity' after 'inheriting a broken system that prioritised the historical trauma of perpetrators over the rights and safety of victims'. In the case of the two-month-old, the alleged attackers had collectively been charged with almost 300 other offences and bailed 35 times. They were on bail at the time of the alleged incident. The elderly man hacked with the machete? One of those boys, aged just 14, had been bailed for the third time since mid-December, and has more than 50 active charges before the courts. The man accused of raping the healthcare worker was convicted and imprisoned in April 2022 for a range of other offences, and was on a good behaviour bond at the time of the alleged sexual assault. Let's not forget the six Indigenous women who in the short time the CLP has been in government have been allegedly killed at the hands of their partners. How is it that the teenager charged with allegedly stabbing Feick, who was on bail while facing serious rape, deprivation of liberty and aggravated assault charges – charges that police and the Chief Minister refused to confirm – was not even monitored with an ankle bracelet while on bail? Why did no legal mind question the lenient conditions that were imposed on this man during one of over two dozen court appearances since he was bailed in December 2023? It is clear the Territory's justice system is broken. The answer isn't to lock every defendant into overcrowded, overrun, disgusting watch houses. It is clear not everyone should be put on remand. At the end of the day the granting of bail has to assess the seriousness of the alleged offending, the likelihood of a conviction or a sentence, whether there is a risk of an accused not appearing before the court, and whether they are a further risk to the public. If alleged offenders were not granted bail, the numbers of prisoners could possibly triple. And the presumption of innocence is a fundamental principle of the justice system. But there are many questions. Why is the justice system failing so badly that the court systems are simply a revolving door for offenders? We'll never know what could have happened if they had acted sooner. If you know more contact this writer at or message 0423 456 893 on Signal or WhatsApp. Liam is a journalist with the NSW bureau of The Australian. He started his journalism career as a photographer before freelancing for the NZ Herald, and the Daily Telegraph. Liam was News Corp Australia's Young Journalist of the Year in 2022 and was awarded a Kennedy Award for coverage of the NSW floods. He has also previously worked as a producer for Channel Seven's investigative journalism program 7News Spotlight. He can be contacted at MendesL@ or
