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Katie Woolf spoke with Member for Braitling Joshua Burgoyne · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: In recent weeks, if not months, there's been some real
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: issues with crime in Alice Springs and you'd have to
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  Speaker 1: say that things reached a real turning point on Friday
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  Speaker 1: when a motorcyclist was struck by a car that had
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  Speaker 1: allegedly been stolen. A number of youths have now been charged.
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  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line to talk about how things
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  Speaker 1: are going in Alice Springs the Member for Braitling, Josh Burgoyne.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Josh.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie, and good morning to you listener.
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  Speaker 1: NT Friday, I would imagine was quite a terrible situation
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  Speaker 1: with what had unfolded with the motorcyclist being struck by
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  Speaker 1: a car. I know that we've got to be a
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  Speaker 1: bit careful with what's said here because obviously there have
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  Speaker 1: been a number of youths that have been charged.
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  Speaker 2: But how are people feeling in Alice?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, well, Katie, unfortunately, you know, it's very unfortunate that
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  Speaker 3: we are having to have this conversation because we spoke
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  Speaker 3: not too long ago about just what it would take
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  Speaker 3: for the government to act, and unfortunately it's taken a
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  Speaker 3: man who was going about his daily business. He was
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  Speaker 3: I believe, you know, writing home from work and was
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  Speaker 3: struck by a stolen vehicle and is now fighting for
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  Speaker 3: his life down in Adelaide. And it's just absolutely terrible
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  Speaker 3: that it has had to come to this point that
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  Speaker 3: this has happened in Ala Springs now, and you know,
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  Speaker 3: we just find ourselves asking ourselves a question, what is
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  Speaker 3: going to happen for this government to act?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, Josh, have you I'm not sure whether you've
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  Speaker 1: had any opportunity to speak to that man's family.
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  Speaker 2: Do you have any idea how he's going?
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  Speaker 3: No, Look, I haven't had the opportunity yet. I have
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  Speaker 3: had people that I am in close contact with that
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  Speaker 3: have been in touch with the man's family. Obviously he's
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  Speaker 3: in a very serious condition down in Adelaide. And yeah,
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  Speaker 3: all our thoughts of prayers are for his family and friends.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, Josh, I mean you said it yourself.
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  Speaker 1: You've all been wondering exactly what would have to happen
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  Speaker 1: before some real action was taken. I understand that members
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  Speaker 1: of Strikeforce Trident have now been deployed to Alice Springs.
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  Speaker 1: Do you know when they arrived and has it made
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  Speaker 1: much of a difference?
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  Speaker 3: Okay, that certainly was something that happened. And I believe
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  Speaker 3: it was on Monday that we heard about Task Force
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  Speaker 3: RIPA last week being introduced, And yeah, I guess that's
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  Speaker 3: in some way the government admitting that there was a
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  Speaker 3: problem in Alice Springs. And that's really what we've been
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  Speaker 3: fighting for that there was this admission that we do
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  Speaker 3: have an issue in Alice Springs and we do need
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  Speaker 3: extra resources to combat it. And I'm glad that the
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  Speaker 3: government have actually come to the table with that. I
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  Speaker 3: think it's now more than ever important that we need
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  Speaker 3: the terrans. We have the extra police down in Alice Springs, now,
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  Speaker 3: that's fantastic, but we need the deterrence. And again I
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  Speaker 3: keep HARKing on about this media release that the government
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  Speaker 3: released in the twentieth of during this year, they spoke
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  Speaker 3: about consequences for repeat offenders. They spoke about community service,
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  Speaker 3: people cleaning graffiti off wall, people doing landscaping and all
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  Speaker 3: the rest of it. I tell you what, I'm yet
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  Speaker 3: to see any young person Elie Springs scribing graffiti p
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  Speaker 3: for a warm and I honestly believe that if we
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  Speaker 3: started to see that, if we started to see real
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  Speaker 3: consequences for offenders. Obviously, in this serious instance, that's just
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  Speaker 3: you know, not nowhere near good enough. Yeah, but in lesser,
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  Speaker 3: lesser offenses, there need to be consequences for actions.
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  Speaker 2: Josh.
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  Speaker 1: At the moment, you know, reading between the lines on
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  Speaker 1: some of the comments that are being made on social
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  Speaker 1: media in the in Alice Springs, and you know, reading
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  Speaker 1: on some of the various pages, it does seem as
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  Speaker 1: though Alice Springs is becoming a town which is quite divided?
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  Speaker 2: Is that the sense on the ground.
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  Speaker 3: Look, it's very hard, Katie. I don't want to talk
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  Speaker 3: up division in our community. What is happening is that
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  Speaker 3: because of the inaction of government, we have a lot
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  Speaker 3: of people feeling like they they are not represented and
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  Speaker 3: they want they want action. They keep I have a
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  Speaker 3: myriad of people every morning saying to me, Josh, please,
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  Speaker 3: what can you do in your role as a member
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  Speaker 3: for Brailey to go up there and to get action
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  Speaker 3: from Chief Minister Gunner. We wrote the open letter from
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  Speaker 3: the Member foran Amajurra bill and I we have been
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  Speaker 3: trying to do everything we can to raise this issue
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  Speaker 3: at a government level to get action. We have seen
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  Speaker 3: the task course come down, we have seen the extra
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  Speaker 3: members of the police that's fantastic police are doing all
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  Speaker 3: that they can, but what we now need is the
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  Speaker 3: deterrence and we need the consequences so that these young,
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  Speaker 3: these people that are causing all this crime, they stop
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  Speaker 3: doing it because it is from a lot of what
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  Speaker 3: I'm hearing, it is a lot of repeat offenders. And
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  Speaker 3: I mean it's hard to believe that every night we're
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  Speaker 3: having car style and we're having windows smashed on businesses,
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  Speaker 3: and it's just that clear message that needs to be
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  Speaker 3: sent to government. What is it going to take them
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  Speaker 3: to act?
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  Speaker 1: Oh, Like, we know even here in down at different times,
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  Speaker 1: we've obviously seen situations where crime has been really quite
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  Speaker 1: tough for us to deal with, and we've seen that,
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  Speaker 1: you know, recidivism where you've got people that have allegedly
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  Speaker 1: been involved in incidents and it's not the first time
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  Speaker 1: that they've been involved. So I can really sympathize with
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  Speaker 1: you guys, And as far as I'm concerned, you know,
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  Speaker 1: we've got to stop thinking that there's some kind of
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  Speaker 1: bear in align between us and our springs.
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  Speaker 2: We're all territorians.
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  Speaker 1: We want to make sure that everybody in the territory
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  Speaker 1: is flourishing. And it sounds as though at the moment
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  Speaker 1: in Alice, you're having some really serious issues.
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  Speaker 3: We certainly are O Kadian. It's so important to realize
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  Speaker 3: that the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory is that
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  Speaker 3: just that is just that the chief Minister of the
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  Speaker 3: Northern Territory. I don't know how many days Chief Minister
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  Speaker 3: Michae're going to have spent down in our springs in
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  Speaker 3: the last little while, but he needs to come down
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  Speaker 3: a little bit more often so we can actually see
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  Speaker 3: what is occurring. It's all too common that we feel
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  Speaker 3: in our springs that we're out of sight, out of mind.
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  Speaker 3: And to be fair, after we had this serious incident
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  Speaker 3: the other day, and I can absolutely I feel for
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  Speaker 3: the people that have been involved in motor vehicle accidents
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  Speaker 3: up here and down but it seems that our issues
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  Speaker 3: down in other springs aren't aren't getting the media attention
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  Speaker 3: that some of the other issues up here are. And
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  Speaker 3: I thank you for the opportunity to come on the
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  Speaker 3: radio today and to speak about these things. It's so
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  Speaker 3: important that people realize an innocent member of the public
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  Speaker 3: has been seriously injured. You know, if this man dies,
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  Speaker 3: I mean, let's hope that doesn't happen, but in a
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  Speaker 3: stolen motor vehicle. You know, it's just incredible to think
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  Speaker 3: what has actually taken place. And you do wonder if
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  Speaker 3: that had taken place somewhere else, that had taken place
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  Speaker 3: up in down in the CBD, what the reaction would
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  Speaker 3: then be. And that's how we feel down in other springs.
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  Speaker 3: Our issues to be heard and when these things happen,
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  Speaker 3: we want action to take place.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, well, Gee, I tell you what, I'm certainly
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  Speaker 1: thinking of that man and his family, and I really
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  Speaker 1: hope that he's going to be okay. Just to talk
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  Speaker 1: about some of those businesses that have been impacted, we're
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  Speaker 1: reading today on the Action for Alice facebook page that
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  Speaker 1: the Calls Complex as well as the Westpac bank and
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  Speaker 1: also the sushi shop had their windows smashed over the weekend.
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  Speaker 2: I believe it was Sunday morning.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, look, certainly there's been a huge amount of crime.
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  Speaker 3: And you know your Prehimia, the other major shopping center
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  Speaker 3: was broken into the other day as well, and I
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  Speaker 3: feel for the people in there. You know, they pay
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  Speaker 3: a hell of a lot of money to have those
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  Speaker 3: those tendencies in a well placed shopping center in the
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  Speaker 3: middle of town and now you are breaking in or
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  Speaker 3: I should say, you know, people are breaking into those
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  Speaker 3: premises which are usually very well locked up to get
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  Speaker 3: into the businesses the pay, you know, and it doesn't
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  Speaker 3: matter what rent you pay, it's just the fact that
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  Speaker 3: you know, what would be considered usually a very secure
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  Speaker 3: premises is now is now being broken into, you know
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  Speaker 3: as well, and everyone up and down the street, you know,
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  Speaker 3: is feeling and everyone in the community of our springs
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  Speaker 3: and it doesn't just have to be the CBD Kyle
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  Speaker 3: out of the brewery was broken into the last little while,
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  Speaker 3: and you know, you feel for everyone in our springs
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  Speaker 3: because it has been tough with COVID and what has
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  Speaker 3: happened now on top of COVID, we now have a
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  Speaker 3: huge crime wave going throughout our springs. And the language
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  Speaker 3: that we use needs to change a bit on this,
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  Speaker 3: KDI because down in Melbourne, if this was happening, we'd
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  Speaker 3: all be talking about gang gang violence and crimes you
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  Speaker 3: know of gangs, and really, how is that any different
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  Speaker 3: to what's happening in Alice Springs. We have groups of
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  Speaker 3: people going around our town causing damage unlawfully and to
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  Speaker 3: what end? I mean, these are groups of people. So
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  Speaker 3: it really is, it really is crime that has been
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  Speaker 3: caused by gangs and we need to call it for
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  Speaker 3: what it is and really addresses these key issues.
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  Speaker 2: Josh.
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  Speaker 1: We know that parliament resumes here in the Northern Territory tomorrow.
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  Speaker 1: It is obviously the first day of parliament for new
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  Speaker 1: members like yourself is Alice Springs and the issues that
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  Speaker 1: you're having with crime going to be a real focus
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  Speaker 1: for the opposition.
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  Speaker 3: I can assure you it will be Katie, and we
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  Speaker 3: have Bill and I as well as Steve Edgington from
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  Speaker 3: the Barkley. I really want to impress on this government
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  Speaker 3: it's so important now as the opposition leader Leah for
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  Speaker 3: Noki keepsay and the holidays over, you know, now is
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  Speaker 3: the time for action. We're going to be putting these
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  Speaker 3: issues to the government and we want a real response.
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  Speaker 3: We want a real response. We don't just want the
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  Speaker 3: normal retric and the normal going backwards and force. We
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  Speaker 3: want to see what is actually going to occur. Now.
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  Speaker 3: Let you spoke about these policies about serious consequences for
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  Speaker 3: repeat offenders. Let's see it implemented now.
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  Speaker 2: Well.
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  Speaker 1: Josh Burgoyne, good to speak with you this morning. I
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  Speaker 1: really appreciate your time. We are going to have to
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  Speaker 1: leave it there. We'll touch base with you throughout the
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  Speaker 1: week and we'll certainly be keeping an eye on Parliament.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks Katie, I really appreciate the opportunity.
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  Speaker 2: No worries.
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  Speaker 1: That is the Member for Brakling there, Joshua Burr, and
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  Speaker 1: I tell you what I do think it's incredibly important
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  Speaker 1: for all of us as Territorians to know what's going
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  Speaker 1: on beyond where we live. So if you live somewhere
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  Speaker 1: like Catherine or Alice Springs or anywhere else around the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory where there are issues that you think we
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  Speaker 1: need to know about which need to be at the
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  Speaker 1: forefront for all territorians. Eight nine four one one oh
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  Speaker 1: four nine is the number. You can also send us
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: a text message zero four one eight nine five seven
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  Speaker 1: three six nine