Appointment Powers for Police Public Safety Officers
Police Administration Amendment (Police Public Safety Officers) Bill 2025
Introduced by: The Hon Lia Finocchiaro MLA (CLP) — Chief Minister
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Lia Finocchiaro CLP
“Madam Speaker, I present a Bill titled Police Administration Amendment (Police Public Safety Officers) Bill 2025, Serial 39, and table the explanatory statement. I move that the Bill be read a first time.”
Selena Uibo ALP
“Madam Speaker, before I contribute to the Chief Minister’s motion, I give a big shout-out to the Sanderson Middle School students and one of my former colleagues. I was a proud Sanderson student in the high school days before we changed the system. It will go back to being a high school, but I give a big shout-out to all the mob at Sanderson, which was my old high school.”
Gerard Maley CLP
“Madam Speaker, I am eager to respond to the nonsense that we heard from the Leader of the Opposition about a lack of leadership. This is true leadership ... Ms Uibo: Doing things last minute. Madam SPEAKER: Opposition Leader! Mr MALEY: This is about making the rules and laws that are best for the Territory when it needs to be done to ensure that it is a safer place.”
Chanston Paech ALP
“Madam Speaker, the government does not have a plan for police public safety officers. The government talks about a plan, but let us be clear about this. The government announced this on 19 June, and we are in September. The government had months to prepare for this and get ready.”
Bill Yan CLP
“Madam Speaker, I do not think those on the other side of the Chamber understand what we are doing this morning. I listened to the input from those opposite. We are dealing with a specific administrative matter that needs to take place to create a position so that we can have police public safety officers. There is an administrative task that needs to happen so that the position can be created.”
“Madam Speaker, I support this Bill coming on urgently, as the Chief Minister outlined. Many of my colleagues have spoken about it this morning as well. This is of the utmost urgency because we went to the election saying that we needed to reduce crime. Territorians overwhelmingly said that they too saw reducing crime as the number one priority.”
Dheran Young ALP
“Madam Speaker, this is not about the Bill; it is about the process in this parliament. Members in this Chamber, including me and the Members for Wanguri and Fong Lim, late last year went to Melbourne to represent this Assembly at the legal and constitutional affairs conference to look at good and proper process.”
Steven Edgington CLP
“Madam Speaker, in response to this debate about urgency, it is interesting that we constantly hear that those opposite have not had an opportunity to read this Bill, yet they have wasted 45 minutes talking about urgency. They had the briefing at 6.30 last night. Not only did they get the briefing ... 2676 --- Debates and Questions Thursday 4 September 2025 Meeting No 32 J Davis: It was 9.30.”
Manuel Brown ALP
“Madam Speaker, this is another example of the government making things up as it goes along. It is basically just showing us this Bill and then asking us to trust it. We need proper process. I pick up on what the deputy said. He said, `We bring the Bill to the House and we will take it out for consultation’; it was along those lines. That is a back-to-front process.”
“Madam Speaker, I heard clearly from the Member for Daly that we have not been consulting with people about this. I picked up that the Member for Arafura also talked about consultation. I can tell you that I put the press release about the police public safety officer model in planning in my July newsletter. I hand-delivered that newsletter across the whole electorate.”
Clinton Howe CLP
“Madam Speaker, the police public safety officers are extremely welcomed in the community of Drysdale. In fact, this cannot come soon enough. Public disorder and antisocial behaviour have been a major issue throughout the electorate, particularly in regard to buses and housing.”
“Madam Speaker, where is everyone? They should be here at the table. This is a big joke. Guns, guns--look how many people are in prison now, and who has the highest number? Black people. These guns will target our people. The Police Administration Amendment (Police Public Safety Officers) Bill has been plucked from thin air. What are you people talking about? What are we talking about, please?”
Khoda Patel CLP
“Madam Speaker, I stand with one clear message: our community in Casuarina wants safety. This government is delivering safety. We are acting, whereas those opposite slept at the wheel. Everywhere I go, whether it is Casuarina Square, the Nakara shops, Tiwi bus stops, Dripstone Middle School or Royal Darwin Hospital, I hear the same thing: people just want to feel safe.”
Laurie Zio CLP
“Madam Speaker, for too long the people of the Northern Territory were let down by a government that promised accountability but delivered the exact opposite. From 2016 to 2024 the Labor government in the Territory failed a fundamental test of leadership, to be honest and transparent and to listen to the community.”