Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said Declan's Law, set to be introduced when parliament resumes on October 15, will extend police powers to search and seize weapons in more places.
A series of proposed amendments under Declan's Law, named after 20-year-old bottle shop worker Declan Laverty who was murdered in 2023, include tougher bail rules and wider police powers to search and seize weapons.
Anyone charged with assault offences, threats to kill, recklessly endangering life and sexual offences will face an automatic position of no bail.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro (centre) says the tougher laws signal change. ((A)manda Parkinson/AAP PHOTOS)
Ms Finocchiaro said the government had made the authorisation of wanding (using a metal detector to search people) easier for police, and expanded the areas where wands can be used to places including schools and public transport.
"This starts a movement for change right across the territory. The CLP (Country Liberal Party) has a mandate to deliver this amongst other law reform, and we will not apologise to anyone for getting on with the job of delivering it," she told reporters on Monday.
The move follows Queensland Police announcing they had seized more than 1000 weapons since a similar amendment named Jack's Law was introduced in 2023.
The legislation was named after Jack Beasley who was fatally stabbed at Surfers Paradise in 2019.
Queensland stopped short of applying the law to schools when wanding powers were expanded in September to include shopping centres, licensed premises and sporting precincts.
Samara Laverty (centre) advocated for the law changes in the wake of her son Declan's murder. ((A)manda Parkinson/AAP PHOTOS)
Tougher weapons laws were passed by the NT Labor government in 2023 ensuring anyone found guilty of carrying a weapon without a reasonable excuse can face up to 12 months' jail, and 24 months if the offence occurs at night.
The laws followed a petition with more than 20,000 signatures that was tabled by Ms Finocchiaro after Declan Laverty's mother Samara advocated for change in the wake of her son's murder.
Ms Finocchiaro has also promised to lower the age of criminal responsibility back to 10 and introduce "posting and boasting" laws similar to those in NSW, which will make posting crime on social media a stand-alone offence.
If the NT government, which has 17 of 25 seats in the parliament, successfully lowers the age of criminal responsibility to 10 and passes the laws, technically primary school children could be searched by police and prosecuted.
Greens Member for Nightcliff Kat McNamara warned against turning schools into security checkpoints. ((A)manda Parkinson/AAP PHOTOS)
Greens Member for Nightcliff Kat McNamara said the proposed changes are "regressive".
"The CLP wants to give police the power to wand children in primary school, turning our places of learning into airport security checkpoints," she said.
Ms McNamara said the chief minister was a signatory to the bipartisan Aboriginal Justice Agreement and the legal changes would undermine its work.
The Labor opposition has been contacted for comment.
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