Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Member for Katherine Jo Hersey says residents from Alice are flocking to Katherine following the introduction of new alcohol restrictions

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Member for Katherine Jo Hersey says residents from Alice are flocking to Katherine following the introduction of new alcohol restrictions · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now with the alcohol restrictions that we're announced in Alice Springs,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: there had been concerns raised that we may see a situation,
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: as we discussed just a short time ago with the
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  Speaker 1: Police Association president Paul McHugh, that we could see people
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: heading to other town centers in effort to get their
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: hands on alcohol. Now joining me on the line is
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  Speaker 1: Joe Hersey, the colp's member for Catherine. Good morning to you, Joe.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie, and good morning listeners.
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  Speaker 1: Joe. I know that this is a concern that the
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  Speaker 1: residents of Catherine have right now, that we could find
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  Speaker 1: that when those restrictions are in place in other locations,
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  Speaker 1: that people will head to the likes of Catherine to
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  Speaker 1: try and access alcohol.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie, what we saw happening in Alice Springs and
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  Speaker 2: the restrictions that have been placed on them, we have
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  Speaker 2: seen a shift of that coming up Highway. I did
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  Speaker 2: hear someone say if it's good enough for Alice Springs,
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  Speaker 2: isn't good enough for the whole of the territory. You know,
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  Speaker 2: I can't imagine people in Darwin wanting to have the
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  Speaker 2: same restrictions as they do in Alice, but we I
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  Speaker 2: do know by talking to people in the community that
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  Speaker 2: we have had you know, it's not like their bus loads,
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  Speaker 2: but we certainly have had people from Alice Springs here
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  Speaker 2: in Catherine, and they have also presented at the Captal Hospital.
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  Speaker 1: Right, So what in the last couple of days.
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  Speaker 2: In the last couple of days, yes.
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  Speaker 1: So already in the last couple of days you are
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  Speaker 1: being told that there are people arriving from Alice Springs.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, that is that is correct, and you know that
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  Speaker 2: is just the government has failed with their policies too,
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  Speaker 2: you know, for the whole of the territory, and by
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  Speaker 2: what they've done down there, all that does is just
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  Speaker 2: pushed the problem elsewhere. It's you know, like a bit
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  Speaker 2: of balloon, you push it in somewhere else, it's going
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  Speaker 2: to pop out elsewhere. And that's what we're seeing. You know.
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  Speaker 2: I hope that you know, it doesn't it doesn't continue
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  Speaker 2: on in to be a massive problem. But at the moment,
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  Speaker 2: have I have definitely heard of that, and I've heard
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  Speaker 2: it from a very reliable source that there has been
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  Speaker 2: you know, presentations at hospital and there have been people
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  Speaker 2: here in Catherine. I mean, when there are a lot
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  Speaker 2: of people from out of town in Catherine at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: When I walk early in the morning, I quite often
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  Speaker 2: speak to Indigenous people sleeping rocks around town and they
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  Speaker 2: choose to sleep Russ. There's no problem of that, you know.
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  Speaker 2: And in conversations with them, they're from Larger Manu, some
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  Speaker 2: of them Pigeonhole, Katharingi, Larger Manu. You know, some people
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  Speaker 2: were from Yundermou. So you know there's people from all
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  Speaker 2: over the territory that have come to Catherine for whatever
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  Speaker 2: their reasons, catch up with family or whatever.
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  Speaker 1: At the moment, Joe, what's the situation in Catherine at
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  Speaker 1: the moment with the Do you still have the palis
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  Speaker 1: on bottle shops and is it a bit more difficult
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  Speaker 1: for people to just sort of be able to access
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  Speaker 1: alcohol or is it pretty you know, pretty much you
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  Speaker 1: can go in and buy alcohol. If you're not on
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  Speaker 1: the BDR, you can.
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  Speaker 2: We still have paleis on the bottle shops. You still
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  Speaker 2: have to show your license to go in and purchase alcohol.
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  Speaker 2: But unless you're on the BDR, anyone can go and
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  Speaker 2: purchase alcohol. And you know that we've always had a
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  Speaker 2: problem with secondary supply hearing Catherine. You know, it's just
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  Speaker 2: a matter of they need to be caught. But that's
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  Speaker 2: you know, that is a problem as well. I mean
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  Speaker 2: just the other day, you know, the crime and antisocial
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  Speaker 2: behavior here in Catherine has been rampant for quite some
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  Speaker 2: time now, and some young girls just walking up from
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  Speaker 2: the Hot Springs the other day. They live no more
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  Speaker 2: than i'd say, four hundred meters from the Hot Springs.
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  Speaker 2: One of those girls was assaulted, you know, I think
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  Speaker 2: they're eleven and twelve year olds, had a black eye.
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  Speaker 2: You know, it is absolutely not acceptable that this kind
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  Speaker 2: of behavior goes on and people are now starting to
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  Speaker 2: feel unsafe in their homes, unplaced for their children to
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  Speaker 2: you know, walk to even just a place like the
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  Speaker 2: Hot Springs. School goes back next week, so are people
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  Speaker 2: going to allow their children to walk or ride their
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  Speaker 2: bikes to school? You know, these are things that a
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  Speaker 2: community should be able to do. And we live in
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  Speaker 2: a great community here in Catherine, and you know I've
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  Speaker 2: been I've lived here for thirty three years and it
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  Speaker 2: is a fantastic community. The community always pulls through. But
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  Speaker 2: this is an issue that needs to be dealt with
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  Speaker 2: by the government rather than put band aids on them
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  Speaker 2: and just hope that it goes away, because all you're
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  Speaker 2: doing is pushing it in a different direction. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Look, I think that everybody listening would agree with you.
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  Speaker 1: There has to be some really serious change this year
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  Speaker 1: when it comes to the issues that we've got with
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  Speaker 1: crime and public drunkenness. I don't even know if I
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  Speaker 1: want to call it anti social behavior anymore, because it's
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  Speaker 1: gone well past anti social behalf. If you're some of
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  Speaker 1: what we are saying, I believe.
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  Speaker 2: And I spoke to a woman at the on the
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  Speaker 2: steps for the post office the other day and she
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  Speaker 2: told me she's a woman similar age to myself and
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  Speaker 2: she sleeps with a knife under her pillow. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: I was horrified, what has the world come to? And
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  Speaker 2: talking about the world, I hear Daniel Rochester say that
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  Speaker 2: even in our springs they're getting people from overseas canceling
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  Speaker 2: going to Alice Springs on holidays. Yes, just saddens me
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  Speaker 2: that that kind of thing is what's happening. I hear
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  Speaker 2: the same issues. You know friends of mine down south
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  Speaker 2: Texy and saying, is it really as bad as this? Well?
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  Speaker 2: I say no, but you know, it depends on where
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  Speaker 2: you're looking at. Who you're talking to because because I
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  Speaker 2: think across the territory it is it is, you know,
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  Speaker 2: a crisis right across the board. It seriously is very
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  Speaker 2: long time, Katie, we have been saying that there is
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  Speaker 2: millions of dollars being spent on different organized stations. In town.
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  Speaker 2: We have over thirty five NGOs. They all get money
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  Speaker 2: from the government and the federal government, you know, they
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  Speaker 2: maybe there needs to be an immediate audit of all
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  Speaker 2: governments spending, not only just in Central Australia, but wherever
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  Speaker 2: we are in the territory. You know how much is
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  Speaker 2: being spent there and where.
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  Speaker 1: Joe, is that something that working and what's not? Is
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  Speaker 1: that something that the CLP would call for an immediate
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  Speaker 1: audit so that we are able to see, you know,
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  Speaker 1: just how well this money is or isn't being spent.
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, Katie and I have been talking about this or
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  Speaker 2: as we have for opposition for you know, ever since
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  Speaker 2: I've been in since the last election. So you know
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  Speaker 2: that I think that's a fairly important thing that needs
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  Speaker 2: to happen to just you can't keep spending good money
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  Speaker 2: after bad you know, money is not going to fix
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  Speaker 2: the problem. You need to find out where the problems
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  Speaker 2: are and put the money into specific areas that it
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  Speaker 2: is needed. Don't just throw more money at it and
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  Speaker 2: hope that it will go away.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Joe Hersey, the member for Katherine, The CLP member
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  Speaker 1: for Katherine. I appreciate your time this morning. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: very much for having a chat with us.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, it's great to talk. Thank you talk again.