Pepper Spray Rollout is a Stunt not a Safe Strategy

SHADOW ATTORNEY- GENERAL | CHANSEY PAECH The Attorney-General has been caught out, publicly commenting on a case involving her own family member without declaring the clear conflict of interest. In her statement today, Marie-Clare Boothby admitted that “my sister’s stepson was involved in the June 2024 incident” and insisted that “at all times I have acted with integrity.” Let’s be real, she’s only admitting this now because she’s been caught out. But what she still won’t admit is the real issue, she failed to declare this conflict of interest when she first commented on the case. That silence is the breach of trust. The Territory’s first law officer must meet the highest standards of integrity and transparency. This case is not new, she has had ample time to declare it. Instead, she stood at a press conference, looked Territorians in the eye, and kept it a secret. She even sent out two media releases yesterday, again failing to address this issue. This is not a minor lapse in judgment. It is a lie by omission, and Territorians deserve better. As the Attorney-General, she cannot hold the highest legal office in the Territory while hiding conflicts of interest and misleading the public. Marie-Clare Boothby has lost all credibility. If she had any integrity she would resign..

The National Climate Risk Assessment confirms the Northern Territory will face some of the most severe impacts of climate change in Australia. It shows we are on the frontline of escalating extreme heat, disrupted supply chains from flooding and severe rain, and growing pressure on our health services, infrastructure and communities. Territorians deserve a government that takes this risk seriously. Instead, the CLP has walked away from renewable energy targets, scrapped emissions commitments and left the Territory exposed. Their refusal to plan is reckless and short-sighted. Labor believes in building a safer Territory that is better prepared and protected. That means working with local government, the Federal Government and communities to plan for climate impacts, invest in renewables, and safeguard Territorians from the economic and social shocks this report warns are inevitable without action.  The CLP can ignore the evidence, but Territorians will live with the consequences. We deserve leadership that faces up to these risks and acts to secure our future.

The CLP has been forced to pull their divisive anti-discrimination bill after outcry from stakeholders.  This was a divisive law from the start. It was never about uniting Territorians but about pandering to keyboard warriors and opening the door to hate speech. The CLP put it forward knowing it would divide communities and wind back hard-fought protections. Their own backbenchers fear it’s gone too far while other stakeholders feel they’ve been misled by the government about what’s actually in the Bill. This is not leadership. It is chaos. It is weakness. Territorians deserve better than a government that is so incompetent, divisive and out of touch.

The CLP Government has made it clear: the Territory Investment Summit is the centrepiece of their economic strategy. So where was the Treasurer? While investors gathered to talk about rebuilding the economy, the Territory’s First Minister for the Economy, Treasurer Bill Yan, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the Government sent a junior Minister with no economic responsibilities to manage the summit. This is the same Treasurer who went fishing while the Territory’s Budget papers were being finalised — and now refuses to say whether he was fishing again instead of doing his job at the Territory’s most important economic event. Is Bill Yan the Treasurer, or just another absentee passenger in a Government running on autopilot? Either the Chief Minister deliberately sidelined her own Treasurer, or Bill Yan once again decided to cast a line instead of showing up for work. Whichever way you look at it, the message to investors is clear: this Government is not serious about economic leadership. If the Chief Minister has lost confidence in her Treasurer, she should say so. And if Bill Yan can’t be trusted to show up for the Territory’s premier investment event, why should Territorians trust him to manage the Budget?

Territorians are rightfully concerned that instead of taking real steps to improve community safety, the CLP Government is attacking the Northern Territory Coroner — a respected, independent officer of the court — in what appears to be a desperate attempt to deflect from its own failings. In recent days, the Chief Minister, the Minister for the Prevention of Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence, and even the Deputy Chief Minister have either criticised the Coroner or refused to express confidence in her — a disgraceful display of political cowardice. When faced with serious findings and recommendations from the Coroner, responsible leaders reflect and act. The CLP's response? Lash out and attack the messenger. This isn’t leadership — it’s deflection. It’s the behaviour of a Government with no solutions, no substance, and no respect for the institutions that hold power to account. Rather than owning up to their failures — whether it’s cuts to domestic violence shelters, rising crime, or a crumbling justice system — the CLP would rather attack an independent officer of the court who is doing her job: investigating the facts and telling the truth. The Coroner’s job is to expose systemic issues and recommend change. That’s uncomfortable for governments, especially one that has failed to deliver. But it’s no excuse to undermine the integrity of her work or question her independence. Territorians expect accountability. They expect action. What they’re getting from the CLP is blame-shifting, bullying, and finger-pointing. The CLP Government has no credible plan to make our communities safer, no strategy to improve the justice system, and no willingness to accept responsibility. So instead, they attack the Coroner.  This is not just weak — it’s dangerous. Because when governments turn on watchdogs, they’re not just trying to protect themselves. They’re trying to silence the very people who speak up for victims, families and communities.

For four days, the CLP Government has claimed that its rushed youth justice legislation will fix the Territory’s crime crisis. But what they’ve delivered today won’t reduce crime, won’t reduce reoffending and won’t keep Territorians safe. The truth is simple, these changes do nothing to prevent youth crime from happening in the first place or re-offending in the future. This is the fourth time in less than a year the CLP has rewritten the Youth Justice Act on urgency. Every time, they’ve failed to consult with the frontline. And every time, crime has gotten worse. This latest move is nothing more than chaos disguised as policy, a kneejerk reaction to mounting public pressure, not a real plan to break the cycle of youth offending. Stripping away basic sentencing principles and ramping up punitive measures might grab headlines, but it does nothing to change the root causes of crime. This is a government trying to fix crime with press releases and panic. If the Finocchiaro Government was serious about tackling crime, it would fund the preventative programs, diversion services and youth boot camps it promised during the election campaign. Instead, they’ve gutted services, ignored communities, and are now rewriting laws in desperation to cover their failure. The Opposition believes in a justice system that keeps people safe, but also one that works. And the CLP’s current approach is failing on every front. Territorians want safety, accountability, and real outcomes, not another round of rushed laws that treat symptoms while ignoring the cause. The Government must front up, stump up the money, and get serious about long-term investment in crime prevention or they will keep failing Territorians and making our communities less safe.

The CLP Government’s push to water down the Northern Territory’s anti-discrimination laws is not about protecting “freedoms” — it’s about protecting hate speech. Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby today claimed the changes are about “restoring freedom,” yet failed to name a single right or freedom that has been curtailed under the existing Act. If the CLP believe there are certain slurs, insults or offensive views they’re unable to say publicly, perhaps they should stop hiding behind press releases and use parliamentary privilege to spell them out clearly. Instead of standing up for everyday Territorians ,for people who deserve to live without being humiliated, intimidated or vilified for who they are, the CLP are defending the rights of keyboard warriors to cause harm under the guise of free speech. The laws passed by the previous Labor Government were designed to protect people from public acts that were objectively likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate based on a protected attribute including race, sexuality, gender, disability or religion. The CLP’s new “higher threshold” isn’t about clarity, it’s about letting more hate go unchallenged. This is a government more interested in fuelling culture wars than keeping Territorians safe. They’ve done it without producing a single example of how the current protections have gone too far, just vague scare tactics and baseless slogans. Labor will always stand with the communities that are most affected by discrimination, not with those who seek to excuse or enable it.

The Territory Labor Opposition will today move a Matter of Public Importance (MPI) in Parliament, calling out the CLP Government’s growing list of broken promises, reckless funding cuts and failure to provide a clear economic vision for the Northern Territory. Since coming to power in August 2024, the CLP has walked away from multiple key election commitments, many with no notice, no consultation, and no explanation to the communities affected. Among the broken promises and failures Territory Labor will highlight: Scrapping the underground power project for Darwin’s northern suburbs Gutting land servicing works associated with a new 120-bed residential aged are facility in the Palmerston Regional Health Precinct. Walking away from their own climate change and renewables targets Failing to deliver on community safety, with crime rates rising across the Territory Slashing $12 million in promised funding to Aboriginal ranger groups Secretly scrapping funding for a new health clinic in Gunbalanya Meanwhile, the 2025-26 Budget delivers deep cuts to critical infrastructure across roads, health, education and domestic violence services with no clear economic plan to grow jobs or support Territory families. Territorians are being left in the dark by a Government that refuses to front up and explain its decisions. The Opposition is calling on the CLP Government to finally be honest with Territorians and front up to the people they’ve let down.

Territorians were promised a safer Territory within 100 days of the CLP Government taking office. We’re now well past that deadline, and crime is still rising. Over the weekend, a 15-year-old was stabbed at the Darwin Show, one of the Territory’s most iconic family events. No parent should have to fear sending their child to a community event. This is the fourth time in under a year that the CLP has rewritten justice laws on urgency. Each time, they’ve ignored expert advice. And each time, crime has gotten worse. These rushed, kneejerk laws are chaos disguised as policy — no consultation, no evidence, no real plan. The CLP talks tough but acts recklessly. They’ve cut support for victims, scrapped the Minimum Unit Price making alcohol cheaper, and failed to roll our preventative programs they promised like boot camps. The Opposition has supported a number of the CLP’s law changes, including those passed on urgency, but we cannot continue to support a government that refuses to govern transparently or consult the community. This law-and-order agenda is not a strategy , it’s a stunt. And every time the CLP pats themselves on the back, the Territory community pays the price. If the Government is serious about tackling crime, they must sit down with police, frontline workers, communities and experts to develop real, evidence-based solutions, not just repeat failed policies and hope for a different outcome. Lia Finocchiaro isn’t leading, she’s lashing out. When Territorians demand answers and accountability, she attacks them instead of doing her job Territorians deserve more than soundbites and scapegoats. They deserve a government that listens, leads, and delivers real safety.