The Northern Territory’s Country Liberal Party will force youth offenders to do community service if it wins Saturday’s election.

August 19, 2020

Youth who commit crime in the Northern Territory will be forced to do community service if the Country Liberal Party wins government.

Cleaning graffiti and helping elderly Territorians in their gardens will help offenders understand their actions have consequences, the opposition party says.

“The current revolving door of warnings and diversion is of no consequence to youth offenders and we desperately need a new approach to curbing youth crime,” CLP leader Lia Finocchiaro said on Wednesday.

“House break-ins are up an incredible 52 per cent on 2015/16. Commercial break-ins are up 39 per cent.”

The program will be a diversion response under the Youth Justice Act, doing away with the need for court proceedings.

“Community service is cheaper than alternatives like detention and has been shown to reduce reoffending when compared to other sentencing options,” Ms Finocchiaro said.

Youth offenders who continue to offend after community service could face escalating consequences such as boot camp or detention.

The CLP’s tough-on-crime pitch to voters comes three days out from Saturday’s election, with pollsters saying it’s too close to call.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison weighed into the battle late on Tuesday with a message to voters, which was published on Ms Finocchiaro’s Facebook page.

“I am asking you to vote for Lia Finocchiaro and her new Country Liberal Party team,” he said.

“Now more than ever we need the NT to be strong.”

The Territory’s main political parties will go head-to-head on Wednesday in the Top End’s last leaders’ debate before polling day.

Labor leader Michael Gunner, Ms Finocchiaro and Terry Mills of Territory Alliance are expected to debate the coronavirus crisis response and the NT’s ailing economy.

Law and order and fracking in the Beetaloo Basin, in central Arnhem Land, are also likely to be on the agenda when the trio meets.

Meanwhile, almost 37 per cent of eligible NTvoters had cast their ballot by late on Tuesday.

It equates to 51,680 votes out of the 141,225 people on the electoral roll, the electoral commission says.