Browsing Tag
criminal
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NT:Bail laws crack down halts court as arrests explode
Prisoners howled in the back of court cells, screaming for help, as unprecedented arrests after law changes brought court proceedings to a halt. In the first 24 hours since new breaches of bail laws came into effect in the Northern Territory, police arrested 31 people, causing Darwin Local Court to come to a standstill on Tuesday. NT Legal Aid duty lawyer Laurence Waugh told Judge Greg McDonald when court began at 9.30am only three of the 31 prisoners were in court cells and lawyers were unable to seek instructions from clients. "I mean, the idea of a court dealing with…
Bail laws crack down halts court as arrests explode
Prisoners howled in the back of court cells, screaming for help, as unprecedented arrests after law changes brought court proceedings to a halt. In the first 24 hours since new breaches of bail laws came into effect in the Northern Territory, police arrested 31 people, causing Darwin Local Court to come to a standstill on Tuesday. NT Legal Aid duty lawyer Laurence Waugh told Judge Greg McDonald when court began at 9.30am only three of the 31 prisoners were in court cells and lawyers were unable to seek instructions from clients. "I mean, the idea of a court dealing with…
New bail laws increase pressures in ‘broken system’
Record high prisoner numbers have forced a government to convert a purpose-built police watch house into a temporary jail as new bail laws come into effect. The Palmerston watch house, north of Darwin, will be handed over to the Department of Corrections to house an overflow of prisoners for the "foreseeable future," according to the territory's chief minister. In October the Country Liberal Party repealed bail legislation to ensure anyone committing "serious crime" would face jail time. Those laws came into effect on Monday when seven bail applications made in the courts on the same day were denied or referred…
‘Armageddon’: the cultural cost of disturbing Gunlom
It is said Bula sleeps at Gunlom Falls, at the base of sickness country; a spirit so powerful the Jawoyn people liken it to Armageddon. Until 2019, thousands of tourists traipsed through the culturally significant site in Kakadu National Park known as Gunlom Falls, many trying to get Instagram selfies at the famous waterfalls featured in the 1986 cult-classic Crocodile Dundee. But the significance of this place predates the film. It is a gathering place, a ceremony place, and "a special place", according to Bolmo traditional owner Rachael Willika. For years, traditional owners and Parks Australia have been locked in…
Parks Australia hit with $200k fine over sacred site
A landmark case has resulted in Parks Australia having to pay more than $700,000 in fines and compensation after pleading guilty to disturbing a sacred site in Kakadu National Park. Sitting by Gunlom Falls on Wednesday, Judge Elizabeth Morris ordered Parks Australia to pay a $200,000 fine for building a walkway near rock art without permission from sacred sites watchdog, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority. She found Parks Australia did not "wilfully disregard" traditional owners' knowledge who asked for the walkway to deviate away from the sacred site. However she did not accept it was "reasonable" for Parks Australia's project…
‘Need to heal’: Parks Australia admits sacred damage
On a scorching day, in front of a pristine waterhole, Parks Australia has accepted it was criminally liable for building a walkway over sacred rock art along Gunlom Falls in Kakadu National Park. Parks Australia on Tuesday pleaded guilty to criminal liability after damaging a men's sacred site under the NT Sacred Site Act after building a walkway over the sacred rock art in 2019. Before NT Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris, custodians and traditional owners sat beneath a marquee listening to the plea before sharing their own pain over the five-year long battle. Parks Australia had claimed as a Commonwealth…
Plan for 1000 new prison beds in the Northern Territory
After passing a suite of justice repeals in the first week of sittings, the Northern Territory government has unveiled plans to add another 1000 jail beds. Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley said the government had come up with a three-point plan to reduce overcrowding, build long-term infrastructure and focus on rehabilitation. "I make no apologies for the tough decisions we have to make to fix this mess," he said. The plan includes moving children from the Alice Springs Youth Detention Centre to Darwin and converting the facility into a women's prison. They also plan to move 200 prisoners back into…
Declan’s Law: NT enshrines tough bail and weapon reform
The Northern Territory's new conservative government has followed Queensland's lead by pushing through changes to bail and weapon laws in a bid to stamp out knife crime. Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on Wednesday night described as a "historic moment" the passage of legislation known as Declan's Law. An election promise of her Country Liberal Party, the changes will extend police powers to search and seize weapons from anyone over the age of 10, and give all violent offenders a presumption against bail. The grieving mother of Declan Laverty has agreed that under the laws her son, who was murdered, could…