Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with TWU SANT Branch Secretary Ian Smith about an appalling bus driver assault on the Darwin Bus Network

Transcript

Katie spoke with TWU SANT Branch Secretary Ian Smith about an appalling bus driver assault on the Darwin Bus Network · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now we understand that there has been a call from
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: the Transport Workers Union for urgent government action in an
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: effort to address security concerns across the Darwin bus network
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: following what they describe as a horrific assault on a
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: bus driver in Palmerston at the interchange on Monday morning.
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line to tell us a little
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: bit more is the Transport Workers Union Branch secretary Ian Smith.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Ian.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Good morning CARDI. How are you going?
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Not too bad? I what happened on Monday morning at
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: the interchange.
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  Speaker 2: Our understanding is that at about five am drivers than
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: just carrying out his normal duties and a passenger has
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: gone on the bus and attacked him for some reason.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: I'm not sure the reason yet. That we're attacking behind
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: the driver protection system that's in place, and unfortunately the
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: force that he used has managed to break open the
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: door on this with a favorit of force and started
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: throwing punches and hitting hitting our member in the head,
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: in the arm and quiet quite and you know, putting
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: him in a very very vulnerable position. Luckily, there were
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: some other bus drivers around at the time that I
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  Speaker 2: came to his aid and the offender ran off on
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: my own understanding police are call. Our member had went
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: to hospital very badly bruised and shaken up and it's
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: still quite shaken that which is quite understandable. It's pretty aerifical. Man.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: I concerned I have. I'm not sure the police are
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: following it up yet. So you know, if this is out,
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  Speaker 2: this is any social behavior to control when they're physically
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: invading a driver's space, you know, we need action taken
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: on it. And we're aware of a pretty serious incident
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: incident from our members that happened four or five weeks
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: ago that potentially involved a knife, which is even more scarier.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: So we need to put a stop to this. So yes,
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: we are certainly calling for me with the sake come.
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  Speaker 2: We've had had a committee to son some great work,
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  Speaker 2: but what we're seeing in Darwen in particular is the
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: situation out of control and needs to be addressed.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: Well that sounds that sounds actually quite terrifying, you know,
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: for that driver to be behind that the screening and
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: that person to be able to break through that and
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: then punch him and assault him. Now, we did get
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: in contact with the Northern Territory Police and they have
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: sent us through a statement saying that they're aware of
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: the incident. It was reported just before six am on
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: that morning, and the alleged incident or the alleged assault
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: is being investigated, but nil arrests have been made yet,
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: and that man took himself to hospital. I is he okay?
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: Our understanding, yes, he is well well. Our organizer in
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: Darwen's been in conscience contact with him and giving as
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: much as poor as he can. My understanding is the
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: company is also doing the same. Shame, So look where
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: our thoughts go out to himself and his family, and
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: no one should put up with this, and we just
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: need to make sure that whatever assistance he needs to
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: deal with the matter, he gets and we get him
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: out back on the job, you know, because and we
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: need to make change so that it's not just bus
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: drivers that need protection, it's a traveling public and we
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: need a great We have got a good public transfer
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: system in the territory, but the only social behavior is
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: out of control and we need we need to address
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: that well and very quickly.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: And you said just a moment ago that around five
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: weeks ago there was an incident as well involving a knife.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: What happened there.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: Well, it's a bit scratchy, but I think it was
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: a pretty serious incident. So we're still investigating about members
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: are reported. It's a pretty serious incident. So I'm unaware
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: of the actual full circumstances, but that it is, it
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: was quite serious at once. We've been led to belief.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: But you know, and those are the sort of things
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: that I know, I know the NTI government would say
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: totally unacceptable and we need to address. So I just
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: want to get around the table again and we have
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: an effected committee and address let's see if we can
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: do some stuff very quickly that puts extra police, extra
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: security guards in these trouble spots for longer periods, so
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: that we can stop this anti social behavior. Has to stop, Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: because we can't wait till somebody's killed, whether that's a passenger,
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: whether that's the driver or even the perpetrator. We can't
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: wait for that to happen. We need to address it.
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  Speaker 2: And as I said, we've written to the government calling
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: for some action and the first wave will be let's
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: sit around the table and let's get something in place
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: in the situation.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Have you had any response from the Northern territory government
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  Speaker 1: at least.
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: Yesterday. So yeah, you know, the wills of the wills
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  Speaker 2: of government don't turn as quickly as everything else. And
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  Speaker 2: we'd expect that, Oh well I won't expect. I know
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: they'll be in contact with us.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, as a bloody will should be, you know,
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: as they should be. And this kind of behavior is
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: not acceptable. It's entirely unacceptable for some pooor bugger to
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  Speaker 1: go to work on Monday morning and you know, before
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: six o'clock in the morning, you're dealing with this type
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: of thing. It is. It's totally unacceptable. And do you
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: think that there's been an increasing anti social behavior on
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: our bus network.
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: Well, if you speak to the drivers, I'll say yes. Look,
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: it gets to the It is one of those things
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: that occurs and industry across the border, and we'll have
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: moments when it gets worse at time to time. We
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: need to stamp it out. We need to in in
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: multiple ways. It involves education, it involves more policing. If
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: it involves as you're making sure the perpetrators suffer a
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: consequence for what they do. There's a whole range of
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: issues that we need to address and we have been
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: trying to address that with a committee, but it's raised
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: head now and that's the reason that you know, we've
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: spoken up. Yeah, a pure fact. No one deserves. No
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: one deserves to go to work and be punched in
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  Speaker 2: the head, hit in the arm and have your private
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: space invaded. That's the scary part for me.
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: Ye spot on, Yeah, you're spot on. But then you
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: also touched on it before as well. And every passenger
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: deserves to be safe on the bus network too, And
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: you know, like I just think for somebody to be
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: assaulted when they're in their workplaces is horrifying. And then
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: we've had you know, we've had our listeners get in
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: contact with us at different times and tell us about
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: various things that have happened when they've been on buses,
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: and it is really tough. I know that you're always
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: going to see an element or a small you know,
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: a small you'd expect to see some small percentage sometimes
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: of people doing the wrong thing, But you don't want
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: to see this kind of thing happening on a regular basis.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: No, And I'm sure everybody, all parties will agree with that.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: But it's mat of getting the heads together and coming
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: up with a proper, safe way that we can achieve
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: the outcome we're looking for. Yeah, and you know, I'm
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: sure all I'm home. Well, I would expect that that
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: will happen. If it doesn't, we'll keep freshing until it does. Yeah. Well,
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: in fill such time that we've addressed the issue.
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I've just received a message on our text
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: line from a driver saying, Hi, Katie, thanks so much
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: for having the TWU representative on the show to share
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: the sad tale of a driver assault on Monday. It's
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: a daily ordeal dealing with some of this anti social behavior.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: The mental health impact is terrible. I hope something's done
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: about this problem soon.
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: Well that's well, we'll be rest assured. The Transport Workers
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: Union will be doing everything to make sure that it occurs.
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  Speaker 1: Ian Smith, the Transport Workers Union Branch secretary for the
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  Speaker 1: NT and South ASTRAA. I really appreciate you having a
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: chat with us this morning and making us aware of
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: this incident. We'll talk to you again soon. Thank you, Bye,
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: Thank you,