Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis says restricting grog sales and reducing the opening hours at liquor stores would help address alcohol-related issues in the city

Transcript

Darwin Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis says restricting grog sales and reducing the opening hours at liquor stores would help address alcohol-related issues in the city · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Joining me live in the studio right now is the
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  Speaker 1: Lord Mayor of Darwin, convat Scalas.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, con Good morning.
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  Speaker 3: I hope you feel better than Abel.
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  Speaker 2: Oh gee, we both sound a little bit cropped, don't wet.
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  Speaker 4: I've never had the flu like that in the past
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  Speaker 4: four days. But Christmas is coming. I don't want this
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  Speaker 4: one for Christmas present.
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  Speaker 1: No exactly me either, unfortunately. I think I'm just yes
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  Speaker 1: battling what this flu or whatever it is. But anyway,
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  Speaker 1: we'll get their corn now. We were just speaking to
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  Speaker 1: the Assistant Commissioner of Regional and Remote Policing, Martin Dole,
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  Speaker 1: And I know it's obviously our spring's not here in Darwin.
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  Speaker 1: But as a result of that Operation Drina that they've
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  Speaker 1: been doing since the twenty fourth of November, almost nine
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  Speaker 1: hundred liters of alcohol tipped out. That's in Alice, four
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  Speaker 1: hundred and seventy three people taken into protective custody. You know,
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  Speaker 1: that's from Central Australia. How do you think things are
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  Speaker 1: going in Darwin at the moment when you talk about
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  Speaker 1: that alcohol misuse and public drinking.
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  Speaker 3: How long I've been.
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  Speaker 4: Harping about the problem of VAKO ive been said maysures
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  Speaker 4: have to be taken, and I repeat again, we've got
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  Speaker 4: a serious problem with alcohol, and let's not beat around
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  Speaker 4: the bush. We've got a big problem with alcohol with
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  Speaker 4: people coming out from the bush to down into access alcohol.
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  Speaker 4: And I'm not talking about people coming from the bush
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  Speaker 4: where they can't access alcohol talk. I'm talking about people
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  Speaker 4: from pay places where they've got clubs, but because they
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  Speaker 4: only access have strength beer, they come here for a party.
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  Speaker 3: That's Steies, that's places O and Pelly.
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  Speaker 4: We've got a significant number of people from one pealing
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  Speaker 4: down at the moment and for the civil reason is
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  Speaker 4: party time. I've said before reduced the opening hours of
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  Speaker 4: the liquor stores for instead of opening ten o'clock, open
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  Speaker 4: twelve o'clock.
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  Speaker 3: Government didn't respond to that.
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  Speaker 4: I said before, why do we have the small shops
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  Speaker 4: that allow that can sell alcohol? And government came to
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  Speaker 4: me with the argument that, oh, they can only sell
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  Speaker 4: twenty alcohol to cover twenty five.
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  Speaker 3: Percent of the expenses.
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  Speaker 4: And then they realized that at least what some people do,
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  Speaker 4: they sell as alcohol as they can and then they
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  Speaker 4: try to even it out for other years. Thanks to
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  Speaker 4: the Chief Minis that he came to me that said,
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  Speaker 4: now he actually ordered to take into account the cell
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  Speaker 4: of alcohol throughout the year, not a particular time. But again,
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  Speaker 4: our problem is the small shop realies heavily on the
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  Speaker 4: sale of alcohol survives. The third thing cert Again I said,
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  Speaker 4: if people come from community where they've got access to
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  Speaker 4: alcohol but restrictions these people who have exactly the same
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  Speaker 4: restrictions when they try to buy alcohol and Darwin, if
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  Speaker 4: they come from a community that sells mid strength beer,
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  Speaker 4: that's the only thing you can buy, Darwin, not the
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  Speaker 4: bloody battles of.
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  Speaker 2: Rum and things like that.
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  Speaker 1: But luck is it really you know, at the end
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  Speaker 1: of the day, does it come down to the you know,
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  Speaker 1: to the alcohol outlets or they running a business, or
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  Speaker 1: does it come down to some personal responsibility here as well?
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  Speaker 4: Both the problem is alcoholics what personal responsibility? We're talking
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  Speaker 4: about people they are severely sick and so people actually
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  Speaker 4: they sell their drug. We close the shop that was
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  Speaker 4: selling chronic because they were just trying to evade the
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  Speaker 4: law by changing the combination. And we did that one
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  Speaker 4: and we did another stage. What can we do the
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  Speaker 4: same thing with alcohol? The impact on alcohol is not
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  Speaker 4: only the person himself are on the people around it,
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  Speaker 4: wives and children, family and the people further out the community.
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  Speaker 2: I know.
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  Speaker 1: The argument though, would be like from a lot of
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  Speaker 1: those licker outlets, is that if the BDR is working,
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  Speaker 1: if the floor price is working, if all these different
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  Speaker 1: measures that the government's put in place are working, then
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  Speaker 1: you know why, like why do they need to be
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  Speaker 1: further restrictions on.
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  Speaker 3: The alcohol outlets.
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  Speaker 4: The BDA only recognized the people that actually commit an
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  Speaker 4: offense and they've being registered. The DA can't tell you if
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  Speaker 4: somebody goes and buys twenty bottles of Bundy in Rum,
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  Speaker 4: they can still.
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  Speaker 2: Buy the other things to be prevailed exactly.
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  Speaker 4: The BDR cannot tell you whether the person buys the
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  Speaker 4: alcohol will drink it. And there are a number of
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  Speaker 4: things we can do with the dr we're not doing it.
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  Speaker 4: And that what really surprised me. Is it because there's
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  Speaker 4: not the will? Is it because we think, oh, it's okay,
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  Speaker 4: somebody has this problem. No, it's our problem. We have
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  Speaker 4: a problem. We've got an alcohol problem. And that does
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  Speaker 4: not apply only to people that come from communities, applies
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  Speaker 4: to white everybody. And Darwin in Palmerston visitors a lot
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  Speaker 4: of the incidents down in Mitchell Street. They're not the
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  Speaker 4: digitous people or people communities. They are middle class white
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  Speaker 4: men and women. We behave like idiots after a few drinks.
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  Speaker 1: What do you reckon though, Like when you do talk
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  Speaker 1: about some of the public drunkenness, do you think that
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  Speaker 1: it's gotten any better towards the end of the year.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, I know around East Point and places like that,
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  Speaker 1: grappling with broken glass and all sorts of things.
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  Speaker 4: Hasn't it hasn't it has gone worse to do what Look,
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  Speaker 4: I feel sorry for the police because they have with
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  Speaker 4: this crap. But one thing that actually is proven with
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  Speaker 4: the Ltts deveensonally Spring is you put police on the ground,
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  Speaker 4: you have results. They came out and said, we put
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  Speaker 4: forth the extra policies and breaking and breaking ins. They
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  Speaker 4: have read us. We increased the number of people were
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  Speaker 4: arrest in toxic heated We increased litters of That's what
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  Speaker 4: I've been asking pull leads on the ground. I understand
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  Speaker 4: the Commissioner's problem. Here's got a lot of police on
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  Speaker 4: Sea Cliff and because of the special conditions, Well find
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  Speaker 4: out about if this sick lif is changing, find out
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  Speaker 4: if these people should stay in the police force. Or
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  Speaker 4: should be actually been given live to go and work
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  Speaker 4: somewhere else under the condition and recruiting a policeman to.
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  Speaker 1: Fill the gaps on another situation that's unfolded in the
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  Speaker 1: last twenty four hours or so. So I noticed that
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  Speaker 1: John John's achieved some vision of they had some beautiful
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  Speaker 1: Christmas decorations set up and what looks like some very
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  Speaker 1: young children armed with knives then like stabbing at these
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  Speaker 1: blow up Christmas decorations.
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  Speaker 2: Have you been contacted about that?
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  Speaker 4: Well, I reckon every child who's out of the house
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  Speaker 4: at past eleven o'clock SpeI a youngersdut should be taken
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  Speaker 4: into the house and the parents should ask about the
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  Speaker 4: parental responsibility and the duties they've got under the legislation.
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  Speaker 4: Because there is legislation about neglect of children. These people
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  Speaker 4: should be held responsible. If they live in public housing,
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  Speaker 4: should be penalized and tell them that if they do
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  Speaker 4: again they can't conversate. They might have to find their
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  Speaker 4: own accommodation or the kids will be taken away.
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  Speaker 2: Obviously, seeing that vision and.
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  Speaker 4: To cut either blades or knives. A ten year old
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  Speaker 4: child with a blade and a knife outside the street.
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  Speaker 4: Now think about it if they're coming a year and
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  Speaker 4: you respond with appropriate response, reasonable forces.
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  Speaker 3: They call it the law. What's going to happen? Who's
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  Speaker 3: going to be hurt?
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  Speaker 4: And I re suppose I'm pretty sure that the police
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  Speaker 4: will turn up very quickly, but when you call them
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  Speaker 4: to come to address an issue, they probably haven't got
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  Speaker 4: the time.
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  Speaker 2: Con I do want to move along.
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  Speaker 1: On Friday, I am sid the Property Councils andnual State
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  Speaker 1: of the Territory lunch and one of the big concerns
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  Speaker 1: that was raised was around accommodation for international students that
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  Speaker 1: we are indeed trying to attract. This new report by
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  Speaker 1: the Property Council of Australia's Student Accommodation Council. Well it's
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  Speaker 1: revealed that there is only one purpose built student accommodation
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  Speaker 1: facility in the Northern Territory, with serons raised locally that
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  Speaker 1: there's no new infrastructure in the pipeline. I know it's
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  Speaker 1: something that you've had I'm sure discussions with Charlestown University
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  Speaker 1: and the Property Council about how desperately do you reckon
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  Speaker 1: we need to get some accommodation bills.
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  Speaker 4: Well, let's look at that from a different point of view. Now,
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  Speaker 4: the plans about bringing foreign students to Dao and the
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  Speaker 4: building of the university happened before COVID nineteen. COVID nineteen
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  Speaker 4: changed the world as we know it. First of all,
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  Speaker 4: the majority of our students before was coming from China,
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  Speaker 4: and that not only the Doubt, but in Australia since then,
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  Speaker 4: because the deterioration of the situation with Australia, China actively
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  Speaker 4: encourages students not to come to Australia to go to
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  Speaker 4: Canada and England other places. So that market for us
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  Speaker 4: it has to be rebuilt. What we've seen now, we've
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  Speaker 4: seen a significant increase of people from Nepal, India and
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  Speaker 4: bangladeshial places. The problem we've got is the money are
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  Speaker 4: in China, in not in the States. Most of the
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  Speaker 4: people that come from these countries they're not very rich.
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  Speaker 4: They are the board of the money and where they
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  Speaker 4: come here, they spend a lot of time to work
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  Speaker 4: to make sure they finish their studies. And that's commendable.
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  Speaker 4: I love this kind of people, but it's not that
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  Speaker 4: they actually each of them go out and rent a unit,
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  Speaker 4: splurge and everything else. Most likely three or four or
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  Speaker 4: five of them will live together in sair expenses. So
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  Speaker 4: if we really talk now about money, if and students
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  Speaker 4: coming to down and they're not going to come from China,
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  Speaker 4: and unless the university goes in a great effort to
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  Speaker 4: rebuild our lesson with China, we're not going to see
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  Speaker 4: the ten thousand students by twenty twenty five.
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  Speaker 2: So you reckon, we're not actually going to reach that milestone.
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  Speaker 3: I don't think so.
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  Speaker 4: The other thing is again, is it doesn't matter if
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  Speaker 4: we reach ten thousand and five thousand. We still need accommodate.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's exactly right.
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  Speaker 4: Our render accommodation is tied. So where's the private sector?
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  Speaker 4: If the university was going to say tomorrow, I'm going
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  Speaker 4: to build this accommodation for students, I'm pretty sure people
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  Speaker 4: in the public set with Jump and Down telling it's
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  Speaker 4: not your responsibility why you step into our area. You
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  Speaker 4: should focus on teaching rather than accommodation. Private selves would
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  Speaker 4: be allowed to do it. Well, here it is if
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  Speaker 4: not ten thousand, five thousand, so we need at least
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  Speaker 4: two thousand units. Where are they here? I called the
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  Speaker 4: private sector. Put the money where your mouth is and start.
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  Speaker 1: Doing some corn where are things that with the beautification
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  Speaker 1: of Perap or some of the changes there at the
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  Speaker 1: Parap market. So I know that that's something that's been
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  Speaker 1: a bit of a talking point all throughout the year.
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  Speaker 1: Is there much movement in this space for next year?
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  Speaker 3: Yes, there is. We already start talking to the local member.
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  Speaker 4: He's got some really good ideas, and we actually want
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  Speaker 4: to talk to the local retailers and the markets and
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  Speaker 4: everybody else. We already started the program. We spent about
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  Speaker 4: two hundred five thousand dollars to enhance in the EBB
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  Speaker 4: and design features and streetscapes. If you look at Facebook,
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  Speaker 4: you'll see we have put already photographs of some of
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  Speaker 4: the places. We actually put an effort and time to
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  Speaker 4: upgrade it. In January we'll start upgrading up Goida Road,
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  Speaker 4: completely redoing it. We want to actually look. We had
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  Speaker 4: this discussion before. I mean, the total ask for the
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  Speaker 4: to do everything about par Up and everything else will
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  Speaker 4: be twelve million dollars. And unless the government come to
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  Speaker 4: the party, we can't do it, and you can't do
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  Speaker 4: it in one year. Why the question will be asked
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  Speaker 4: by red payers here and now and says why you
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  Speaker 4: spend twelve million dollars to per up and you don't
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  Speaker 4: pay them in Tiwy or Karama for my luck.
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  Speaker 3: And it's fair.
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  Speaker 4: So we work together with the people in in per Up,
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  Speaker 4: the market, the retailers, and the governor, the local member
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  Speaker 4: to find our hockey. We actually plan and create a program,
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  Speaker 4: let's say, for the next five years to actually upgrade
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  Speaker 4: parap area.
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  Speaker 2: Well, there's an election in about I say months, so
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  Speaker 2: who knows what.
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  Speaker 3: You must be a scenic you must have worked.
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  Speaker 2: For government con before I let you go.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously, Christmas just around the corner is the council much
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  Speaker 1: planned now. I know there's been so many festive activities
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  Speaker 1: that we're getting a bit close now. But but you
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  Speaker 1: can go and see Santa can't you?
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  Speaker 3: Can you?
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  Speaker 4: Of course you can. Sandra Village is open in the
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: all have a look at it. It's going to go
• 11:03
  Speaker 4: until the twenty third of January. And of course the
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  Speaker 4: Curls by the Sea in Nightclive would be on the
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  Speaker 4: twenty third of did I say January?
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  Speaker 3: Sorry, twenty third of December.
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  Speaker 4: December if you're go on January will not be there
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  Speaker 4: we'll or be too early for the next year.
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  Speaker 3: But enjoy Christmas.
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  Speaker 4: I wish you all americally a happy year with you
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  Speaker 4: and your family. If you stay in Down, enjoy down.
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  Speaker 4: If you go away, enjoy wherever you go. But remember
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  Speaker 4: this is the time for families and because we all
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  Speaker 4: love you, don't do silly things like drink and drive,
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  Speaker 4: and take it easy and stay safe.
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  Speaker 1: Well convat scarlets, Lord Mayor of Dowin, thanks for all
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  Speaker 1: your time throughout the year. I hope you have a
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  Speaker 1: lovely Christmas in New Year and we'll catch up with you.
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  Speaker 3: Sir to u Kate and your family.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you.