Record $1.5 billion law and order spending in territory
Lloyd Jones |
Record spending of $1.5 billion on law and order will deliver for voters who demanded community safety be the top priority for government, a territory treasurer says.
Delivering his Country Liberal Party’s first budget for the Northern Territory, Treasurer Bill Yan slammed the previous Labor government for years of economic mismanagement and failing to tackle growing crime rates.
“Today’s budget puts crime victims first, prioritises law and order and begins the long task of repairing Labor’s mess,” he told parliament on Tuesday.
The budget would restore confidence but it was not a time for austerity, Mr Yan said, with the territory needing to play to its strengths in mining, gas, agriculture, tourism and defence.
Territorians had shown at the 2024 election that community safety and tackling crime was their top priority and the budget would deliver the investment to make that happen, he said.
Since the government came to power more than 500 beds had been added in correction facilities, more police were on the beat and the courts had been given more resources.
“We are unapologetic about shifting the focus from offender rights to the victims’ rights to feel safe,” Mr Yan said.
As part of the spend, Corrections will receive around $500 million to ensure enough beds and services are available for a larger prison population expected following the passing of tough bail laws two weeks ago.
Those laws were triggered after 71-year-old Darwin grocer Linford Feick was allegedly stabbed to death by a teenager who was on bail for “serious matters” and has since been charged with murder.
At the time, Opposition Leader Selena Uibo said Labor would support them “in good faith” but they were a “bandaid solution” that did not address the root causes of crime.
But in a statement on Tuesday, Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro insisted her government was taking decisive action to break the cycle of crime through early intervention, education, family support and housing initiatives in the budget.
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, Ms Finocchiaro said.
Other crime prevention and victim support measures included establishing specialist domestic violence courts, behavioural change programs for men and setting up safe houses for women in remote communities.
The territory’s net debt position sat at $10.55 billion and was projected to rise to $13.97 billion by 2028-29.
Revenue from the Commonwealth was projected to be $7.14 billion in 2025-26, comprising over 70 per cent of the territory’s revenue.
Mr Yan said gross state product was forecast to surge by 7.8 per cent in 2025-26 and recent data was promising, with residential building approvals the second largest in the nation and growing.
AAP
