The NT should have a ‘consensus government’, where all the politicians are independents, with the leader and ministers selected by all members, and those who are not chosen hold the balance of power as the ‘opposition’, meaning the executive and the legislature operate independently of each other, writes Gerry Wood.
Those who called in the police ultimately produced a result that was dishonest, inappropriate, against the best interests of Territorians and Australians…and contrary to both law and good practice, writes Civil Liberties Australia CEO Bill Rowlings about the APSAC conference, adding that transparency and openness is the best disinfectant for corruption; failing to expose it to educational media coverage was an opportunity gone south.
Caring for animals can be an important part of rehabilitating young people but the government seems reluctant to do something that is proven could help the Don Dale detainees, many of whom have had little or no love in their lives, writes Gerry Wood.
The Northern Territory AFL team business case claims the team will help ‘close the gap’ for Indigenous Territorians, but Dr Don Fuller argues the proposal raises high financial and social risks with a relatively low return to the community, and it is clear the AFL should provide the bulk of the funding if it wishes to expand the national competition, given its exceedingly large and ever-expanding resources.
Instead of a curfew the Territory needs policies and programs to look after vulnerable people in our community, including victims of crime, and to keep kids out of gaol, keep families connected, and give people hope for the future, writes David Eldridge.
Northern Territory crocodile numbers have never been, and will never be, out of control, and instead of culling there needs to be more education, more warning signs, and tougher fines for people wilfully engaging in unsafe behaviour, writes PhD student Brandon Sideleau.
Australia’s imprisonment rate of Indigenous people is a domestic embarrassment which causes international condemnation and shame, and is shockingly expensive and ineffective, writes former Commonwealth and NT public servant Bob Beadman, as part of a broader analysis of legal and governance systems.
The escalation of youth crime we see in towns like Alice Springs is, in part, a consequence of the social breakdown in remote communities as a result of removing their local governance structures, and reinstating them can be the foundation upon which remote communities can rebuild into the future, writes Dr Liam Campbell.
Liz Holmes took her own life when she felt she had nothing to look forward to but pain and indignity because of her deteriorating health. Her daughter Sharon Cramp-Oliver writes that her mother would have used euthanasia if it had been available, a way of dying that will be available to everyone in Australia by November next year, except those living in the Northern Territory.
The 7th Duke of Manchester was at a revenge reprisal of Woolwonga people, ordered and armed by the South Australian government, but in an example of fanciful euphemistic language used to disguise the truth of frontier massacres, he wrote there was no rage of revenge shown, writes Dr Robyn Smith.
The NT’s legal “system” is a system no more. A 20-year descent into mediocrity has brought about its collapse which, although still able to operate by jailing Indigenous men, women and children at record accelerating levels, is essentially a broken shambles, writes John Lawrence.
From Darwin to Melbourne, Alessia Allfree says her journey of self discovery highlights the importance of LGBTQI+ representation. Now, as part of Australia’s most-followed LGBT couple, she advocates for visibility, inclusivity, and support for young people in regional areas.
