As crime is one of the central issues in the Territory (the other being the economy), we thought it was time to speak with the former Attorney General and Minister for Corrections, John Elferink. Under the previous CLP Government, John had introduced a range of reforms to the criminal justice system to deal with crime, and by all accounts, those policies seemed to be working. Crime certainly did not appear to be as much of an issue as it is now. So when the ABC’s flagship program, 4 Corners, came knocking, John allowed them unfettered access to the Northern Territory prison system. The result was catastrophic. Following the airing of the program, the public outrage over the treatment of juvenile offenders by the Department of Corrections forced the Commonwealth Government to step in and announce a Royal Commission the very next day. But what was the real story? Why didn’t the Royal Commission, which cost Territory taxpayers $74 million, not even issue so much as a parking ticket? In this episode we take a deep dive into the life of John Elferink and for the first time, we hear his side of what happened at Don Dale.
