The passing of the Bail and Youth Justice Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 comes in the wake of the tragic death of Linford Feick, a 71-year-old supermarket owner from Darwin, who was allegedly killed by 18-year-old Phillip Randel Maurice Parry while he was out on bail.

The day after the alleged murder, NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro described the incident as a “senseless act of violence that has shaken our community”, adding, “we should not be here again”.

This prompted Finocchiaro to call for an emergency recall of Parliament, during which she stated that the NT government had instructed the Attorney-General’s Department to “urgently draft legislation”.

Parliament passed the draft unanimously, establishing the Northern Territory as having the “strongest bail laws in Australia”.

Under the newly enacted legislation, the automatic presumption against bail has been extended to cover a significantly broader range of offences, including – but not limited to – theft, unlawful entry with intent, robbery, burglary, property damage, and assault.

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Finocchiaro emphasised that the government has “acted urgently and decisively because lives depend on it” and asserted that “our government will never shy away from doing what’s necessary to protect Territorians”.

Speaking to the chambers, the Chief Minister said: “We inherited a system that places too much emphasis on the historical trauma of perpetrators rather than focusing on ongoing harm to the community.”

“Yes more people will be remanded and yes that will put more pressure on corrections, and so be it.”

Opposition Leader Selena Uibo voiced that her party is “prepared to support the CLP’s new bail laws”. However, she also acknowledged that NT Labor holds “genuine reservations” about the legislation’s effectiveness in meaningfully enhancing community safety”.

While the new bail laws may project a tough stance on crime, some argue they are unlikely to meaningfully address the underlying social factors that contribute to violence and criminal behaviour.

The Justice Reform Initiative acknowledged that “while there is a need to respond to legitimate community fear and distress” following Feick’s death, “policy and lawmaking in the immediate wake of tragedy requires steady, thoughtful leadership”.

Dr Mindy Sotiri, executive director of the Justice Reform Initiative, urged the NT government to recognise the “risks of rushed policy responses when it comes to addressing law and order issues”.

“If tougher bail laws worked to reduce crime, then jurisdictions like the Northern Territory and Queensland – which already have among the most restrictive bail frameworks in the country – would be the safest places in Australia.

“But that is not what the evidence shows. What we know is that the experience of prison, especially for people on remand who have not been sentenced, makes it more likely – not less – that they will go on to reoffend,” Sotiri said.

The children’s commissioner of the Northern Territory, Shahleena Musk, issued a statement, noting: “While changes to laws, especially in the wake of such tragic events, may be seen as an easy fix, the reforms which are most effective and longstanding are those informed by community leaders, subject matter experts and people with lived experience which build on what we know works.”

Musk further stressed that what Territorians truly need to ensure their safety is “careful consideration of proposed legislative reforms matched by community services, supports and interventions that prevent crime from happening in the first place”.