Darwin rapper J-MILLA and NT Young Achiever of the Year Jordon Humphreys have raised concerns over a proposed bill that would allow the NT police commissioner to impose snap curfews.
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00:00 As this territory musician gears up for a big performance this weekend, a teenage encounter
00:07 with Darwin Police more than a decade ago plays on his mind.
00:11 I just want to catch up with some mates on a weekend and here I am getting pulled over
00:15 by the police and getting dropped off to my grandmother's house.
00:18 The event left him feeling targeted and confused and it's one of the reasons he's critical
00:23 of a government proposal giving the Police Commissioner broader powers to declare public
00:28 disorder situations and force people to leave public spaces.
00:32 It's a really unfair situation for the people that are doing the right things and going
00:36 to school and keeping their head on the right track.
00:39 The laws are a response to what the government claims is a successful snap youth curfew over
00:44 Alice Springs CBD. Police already flagging Catherine service stations and suburbs around
00:49 Darwin and Alice Springs as potential future curfew zones.
00:53 We just need to step through it carefully and identify what the actual problem is and
00:58 will a curfew or a presence of police and some action there help.
01:02 The bill would explicitly trump anti-anti-discrimination law giving the Police Commissioner powers
01:07 to target specific groups of people, for example those under the age of 18.
01:12 Despite those direct impacts, the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner says he wasn't consulted and
01:17 believes the proposal is an affront to the rule of law, promoting an arbitrary use of
01:22 power.
01:23 I respect the work that the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner does and it was this government,
01:27 this Labor government that brought in the Anti-Discrimination Act.
01:30 For some young Territorians living in the shadow of Alice Springs youth curfew, more
01:35 needs to change.
01:37 I don't believe that the government has done enough to support young people and youth services
01:41 in the Northern Territory and that's why we're in the situation we're in.
01:45 Hopes for a brighter future for those who'll have to live it.
01:49 He can see who he's got at!
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