Solutions are what’s needed
IT is that time again, when driving to work we are confronted by swarms of corflutes, smiles and waves from the roadsides. There’s political paraphernalia in our letterboxes and inboxes, and we are swamped with sometimes sensationalised ideologies, slogans and campaign messaging by mass media and political enthusiasts trying to influence your vote.
That’s not to mention the long campaigns of personality assassinations of party leaders. How do you possibly sift through all the rhetoric to make a truly informed democratic decision?
Our democratic system is the one system we have to elevate our voice to be heard on matters that are important to us and our communities, deciding who will govern our country.
In this article we, the CLP, aim to provide you with something to think about, Territory-talk style.
As with any choice, often the first thing we do these days involves Google.
Self-diagnosing our illnesses, ordering food, finding directions to a location and to finding information on issues that are important to us.
It’s likely this is where most of you have gone to find out who your candidates are for the upcoming federal election, to find out what the parties’ views are on things that matter to you – and importantly, what proof they have of past success in delivering outcomes.
Turning on the radio, reading media articles and talking with mates at a barbecue or local club is probably the next place we go to bounce our thoughts and compare what is happening in our lives to the experience of our community.
Many Territorians are searching, discussing and listening to the same conversations right across the Territory – of the impacts of crime, alcohol-related issues and violence, policing, law and order. The Coalition government is focused on delivering a strong economy for the nation, and know that to build a strong economy we need businesses to stay in the Territory.
We know that to have businesses stay and grow in the Territory we need to reduce crime on our streets and reduce the damage done to commercial and private property from rising crime.
Only a Coalition government has a proven track record investing in building a strong economy, and reducing crime.
Previous CLP senator Nigel Scullion heard the voices of Territorians, in total despair, burying their loved ones way too early, the victims of alcohol-related crime across the Territory.
As a result of the despair the Coalition invested over $208m over 10 years through the National Partnership Agreement on Northern Territory Remote Aboriginal Investment Schedule of Community Safety, which served to improve the safety and wellbeing of individuals, children and families and communities by, but not limited to:
INVESTING in much-needed remote policing and specialist units: delivering much needed infrastructure to remote communities where isolation has plagued any reporting and created despair for victims of family and domestic violence.
SUPPORTING community-led initiatives reducing alcohol-related harm, providing support and enforcement responses to individuals and communities.
Bizarrely, the Labor Northern Territory government had no issue accepting the millions of dollars to address our alcohol-related crime and impacts, law and order issues, but have been quick to label the investment as “racist” as we continue to watch the scourge of crime, children growing up on our streets living daily with the impacts of being born with disabilities such as foetal alcohol syndrome and behavioural issues as a result of the environment and low socio-economic status that are woven into of the fabric of the Northern Territory.
The Northern Territory has the highest expenditure of any jurisdiction on many policy issues and policing is no exception. In Australia, for 2016, $1150 per person was spent on policing, compared to the national $430. Clearly money alone is not the solution.
The CLP is not just the only Territorybased party in this election, but the only party on your ballot paper that has the policies, the intimate understanding of the spectrum of crime in our communities, the track record of not fence-sitting but doing something to make the Territory and Territorians safe.
Keep googling and you will find that between Jacinta Price, Damian Ryan and Tina MacFarlane you have long-term Territorians who are hardworking, results-producing Territorians who have dedicated their whole lives to improving our communities and maintaining the Territorian lifestyle we all want ourselves and our next generation to enjoy.
The reality is that without the federal government’s support, any realisation of community safety for the Northern Territory is not realistic – and this is the question we ask you to ponder going to the polls: who do you trust to keep governments accountable for their spending and Territorians safe?