The Worst of the
Northern Territory
10 February 2000
Sometimes it is an embarrassment to be a Territorian
Page 1 - Northern Territory News
'Footy player cheats stinger death'
Prize moron number 1. A 20 year footballer not only went in the water in the wet and got stung by a box jellyfish - he couldn't even swim in the first place. The man said 'I started to panic a bit because I can't swim, then I felt something on my foot and started running faster'. So what does he do - he grabs the jellyfish so it wraps it tentacles around its arm and then he trys to throw it away and it gets his leg. At least he has company four other people have been stung in the last seven days - Prize morons 2 to 5.
Page 2 - 'Mozzie plague holds mum, kids hostage'
Prize moron number 6. Have you ever heard of mozzie agrophobia?. Well it seems that a Palmerston family has been trapped inside its home for fear of being attacked by swarms of mozzies. Our resident mozzie expert, Peter Whelan was less than sympathetic saying it was a case of buyer beware in rural areas.
Page 4 - 'Territory 'no' to demerit points'
Prize moron number 7. Our Transport and Works Minister refuses to introduce demerit points for road offences on the basis of administrative cost. Given that the chance of dying from a road accident in the Northern Territory is far higher than anywhere else in Australia, one has to seriously wonder who in fact he is protecting. Yet what is the cost of road accidents to the Territory? And then you can still drink alcohol while driving up here.
But the best of the worst for last
ABC - 7.30 Report
Denis Burke NT Chief Minister - being interviewed by Kerry O'Brien
First prize goes to prize moron number 8. Our Chief Minister was being questioned on mandatory sentencing following the suicide death of a 15 year old in a detention centre. The boy was serving 28 days for stealing paint and textas worth less than $100 and property damage of $100. Poor old Mr Burke seemed totally out of depth in the interview. First of all he said all reports had been grotesque given a lack of full information about the case. But he didn't dispute any of the reported details. He said mandatory sentencing was not introduced as a deterrent. Then he said that was part of it. Could he answer whether or not mandatory sentencing had acted as a deterrent? Yes, he said because people get sent to jail. Have crime figures reduced? - no answer. Had he heard of a number of cases quoted by Mr O'Brien? They are all untrue he said. Mr Burke seemed agitated by the end of the interview and raised the old chesnut of southerners telling Territorians what to do. Well Mr Burke - I thought your performance was grotesque and I am ashamed, embarrassed to be called a Territorian. Southerners keep upping the ante and get rid of this shameful law.