Concern about race relations in the Northern Territory
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The CLP's Adam Giles (Jack Kerr)
The Northern Territory Opposition says relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians are "degrading" throughout the Northern Territory.
Opposition members from Alice Springs and Katherine told parliament last night there is a rise of violent crime, and that's resulting in a corrosion of race relations because people are blaming other races for the problems.
The member for the Alice Springs-based seat of Braitling Adam Giles says some business owners are sleeping in their shops at night with baseball bats and others are fed up and are moving interstate.
He wants the five Central Australian MLAs to form a committee to address anti-social behaviour and improve race relations.
"The big concern is that antisocial behaviour and violence is so prevalent - by a small number of people in Alice Springs and Central Australia - but it is having large effects on the wider population, black and white. We need to make sure that we control those issues of law and order but we continue to build those relations in our community."
But the Labor member for Nhulunbuy Lynne Walker denies there's racial problems in the regions and says a committee isn't needed because there's already a regional development group.
"I beg to differ with the member for Braitling's view on the state of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Territorians."
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