As the Northern Territory approaches its upcoming election this weekend, voters are confronted with an alarming lack of viable choices. Both Territory Labor and the Country Liberal Party (CLP) have presented campaign promises that are not only retrograde but also pose serious dangers to our communities.
‘What we see with these campaign promises are two political parties relying on outdated populist law and order and deficit carceral platforms that are essentially racist in their design,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘Both parties are desperately scrambling to grab power, when actually what it is really evident from these policy promises is that they have no real idea how to build safe and well communities,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
Territory Labor’s Concerning Proposals
One of Territory Labor’s key promises is to grant public housing safety officers the power to use capsicum spray and arrest “unwelcome visitors” transferring them to police custody. ‘The deputisation of civil servants to use violence against citizens represents a dangerous escalation and an alarming encroachment of carceral practices into our communities, neighbourhoods, and homes,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘There are other ways to handle conflict in our community and arming public servants with weapons and turning them into cops is not the answer,’ said Tabitha Lean.
In addition, Territory Labor has committed to further fund private security patrols to the tune of $1.4 million. ‘The expansion of private policing into our communities raises significant concerns about accountability and safety, marking a troubling trend toward the privatisation of law enforcement’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘We need to really ask some questions about whether these initiatives really create safety for everyone in our community, or will they bring more harm?’ said Tabitha Lean.
A Bi-Partisan Push for New Prisons and more policing in our communities
Both Labor and the CLP have pledged to build two new women’s prisons in Darwin and Alice Springs. ‘We stand in firm opposition to the construction of any new prisons and demand a moratorium on new prison builds,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘The focus should be on reducing incarceration, not expanding it,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘Labor’s commitment to allocate an additional $570 million to policing over the next five years, including funding for 200 new police officers, is an outrageous misuse of public funds,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘Imagine the positive impact that amount of money could have if invested in our communities—in public housing, hospitals, education, and social services,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
The CLP’s Dangerous Proposals
‘The CLP’s promise to reintroduce spit hoods to watch houses and children’s prisons is a dangerous and regressive step and one that the National Network absolutely objects to,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘It is well-established that spit hoods are lethal—have we learned nothing from past tragedies?’ said Debbie Kilroy.
Education Policy: Punishing Parents and Entrenching Injustice
The CLP’s plan to improve school attendance by holding parents accountable through “compulsory case conferences, fines, and in extreme cases, prosecution” is deeply troubling. ‘This approach, which includes referring caregivers to Commonwealth income management and prosecution will disproportionately affect Aboriginal families, leading to increased criminalisation and involvement with the child theft system,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
A Law and Order Election with No Winners
‘Between Territory Labor and the CLP, we are witnessing a disturbing love affair with prisons and policing,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘These racially charged policies will inevitably result in more Aboriginal people being incarcerated, more families being torn apart, and more community members being disappeared into the prison system,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘This election offers Territorians very little in the way of real choices. It is a “law and order” election—an election with no real winners,’ said Tabitha Lean.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
