Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / COTA NT CEO Sue Shearer says many seniors are living in fear, afraid to do their shopping or venture out in the community due to ongoing issues with crime

Transcript

COTA NT CEO Sue Shearer says many seniors are living in fear, afraid to do their shopping or venture out in the community due to ongoing issues with crime · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Have been talking quite a bit about the issues in
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Central Australia of late. But I've got to tell you
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: I got told about this interview by ABC Alice Springs
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: last week. An elderly woman hiding in her own home
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: in suburban Alice Springs after a spate of breakings over
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: the past month. Now, Daphne Oldfield eighty four apparently lives alone,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: uses a walking frame and is terrified of leaving her
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: east side house even to sit in her own garden oasis.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: So that's what her daughter had told told the radio
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  Speaker 1: station down there in Alice of the issues that they're
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: experiencing right now, and it really got us thinking, how
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: are seniors around the Northern Territory feeling about the issues
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: that we have got at the moment when it comes
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: to crime.
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  Speaker 2: And joining us on the line.
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  Speaker 1: To give us a bit of insight is Sue Shearer
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  Speaker 1: from Kota, the Council of the Aging here in the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Sue, Good morning Katy.
• 0:57
  Speaker 3: I'm in downtown Alice Springs at the moment. So yes,
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: it's a little bit cooler than Darwin, but not much.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: No.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: Oh well, I'm glad. Well you know it would be
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: nice for them to be having some nice weather. So
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: I tell you what this story.
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  Speaker 1: About eighty four year old Daphne living alone and being
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: quite afraid after a spate of breakings. You must have
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: been pretty upset when you'd heard this one.
• 1:23
  Speaker 4: I was, And I've known the Oldfield family a long time,
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  Speaker 4: and I'm sure you'll agree. In our golden years, Debbie
• 1:32
  Speaker 4: and Daphney, they've both worked very hard for their home.
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  Speaker 4: A home is a castle.
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  Speaker 3: And if you can't enjoy your golden years and feel
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: safe in your home, what sort of society are we?
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  Speaker 3: That's the main thing. She should feel very safe in
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  Speaker 3: her home and be able to enjoy it, but at
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: the moment she can't. But the other question would be
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  Speaker 3: as well. The government in their twenty sixteen dis government
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  Speaker 3: government an election promise was to build a retirement village
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  Speaker 3: down here in Alice Springs. Now that's the type of
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  Speaker 3: thing that Daphne could self her home move in to
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  Speaker 3: the retirement village. It would be a gated retirement village
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  Speaker 3: and be able to enjoy her gardens. You know, it
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: would be planned that way and feel safe. And a
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  Speaker 3: lot of seniors have been waiting on this retirement village,
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  Speaker 3: I'd say, you know, for a long long time that
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: could be part of the solution for seniors to downgrade, yeah,
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  Speaker 3: and to go into that one. But the problem with
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: that is the land claims. But I do believe there
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: is some land along Stephens Road that one of the developers,
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: Brendan Heenan, has been looking at. We've been calling for
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  Speaker 3: this for a long time also, and.
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  Speaker 2: It would go part of the way, So no doubt
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  Speaker 2: about that.
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  Speaker 1: And there would be some people who be very keen
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: to move into a retirement home somewhere like Central Australia.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: But so on that issue of time, what our.
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Scene is in Central Australia and also up here at
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: the top end saying to you right now.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I had they're frightened, they won't go out on
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  Speaker 3: their own. So this is causing isolation, it's causing fear
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  Speaker 3: and it's traumatizing scene is I know we have about
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  Speaker 3: thirty people in on a Monday in dal And doing
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  Speaker 3: pilates and then another thirty doing armchair aerobic since they
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  Speaker 3: come in into my office every time they're in there
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  Speaker 3: and they're not going to Casarina. They're too frightened to
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: go to casina. So again, what should be a nice
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  Speaker 3: outing and a nice shopping trip is turning into something
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  Speaker 3: so traumatizing. And the same down here. They don't go out,
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  Speaker 3: they don't take if they do, they don't take their bags.
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  Speaker 3: They go in groups. Now, really, who's suffering here? I
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  Speaker 3: know sometimes people saying no, the children doing this. We
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  Speaker 3: know that, we know they haven't got a role model,
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  Speaker 3: but they haven't got a home life. But something has
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: to happen. Why should we seniors be living in fear
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  Speaker 3: and as I said, not enjoying golden years. We have
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: contributed to the growth of the Northern Church, to the
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  Speaker 3: economic and the social fabric of the Northern Turkey. And
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  Speaker 3: here we are, we're hiding in our own homes, and
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  Speaker 3: even in our own homes we aren't safe.
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  Speaker 1: So that makes me feel bloody sad, you know, to
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  Speaker 1: think that you've got seens that are frightened to go
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  Speaker 1: on their shopping trips, You've got seens that are frightened
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  Speaker 1: to go, you know, down the mall, let's say, in
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  Speaker 1: Alice Springs.
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  Speaker 2: It's actually really sad.
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  Speaker 3: It's more than sad, it's actually dehumanizing for those particular
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  Speaker 3: geneis they don't feel wanted, they don't feel valued. And
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  Speaker 3: also I went down shopping in Wallis the other day
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  Speaker 3: where a friend of mine's, a daughter and her daughter
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  Speaker 3: were locked inside because there was a couple of people
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  Speaker 3: running right with machetes. Now, that young girl who's only six,
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  Speaker 3: won't go into Alice Springs at all.
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  Speaker 2: And so that was in Alice. That was in Alice Springs.
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  Speaker 3: That incident in Alice, yep, yep. And they won't they won't.
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  Speaker 3: They'll all be leaving at the end of the year.
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  Speaker 3: And there's been some I don't want to name them
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  Speaker 3: at the moment, but some people who were born and
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  Speaker 3: broke here, had businesses here, contributed they're leaving too at
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  Speaker 3: the end of next year. So really, unless it is,
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  Speaker 3: it's absolutely discussing. I went out in Alice and really
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  Speaker 3: I've never felt like that before. I was looking over
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  Speaker 3: my shoulder, I had stopped when somebody bumped into me
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  Speaker 3: or did this. I felt threatened doing my shopping.
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  Speaker 1: And so do you think that that is because of
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  Speaker 1: all the media coverage or do you think that that
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  Speaker 1: is because of how you actually feel when you're walking
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  Speaker 1: down the street.
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  Speaker 3: You feel you see all the young people with all
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  Speaker 3: these bracelets on their legs. So excuse me, Katie, what
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  Speaker 3: does that mean?
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  Speaker 4: You know, yeah, they're out on parole.
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  Speaker 3: They're not They're not the good kids are the naughty kids.
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  Speaker 3: But it is it's just as I said, And there
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  Speaker 3: are targeting sceneings because seniors can't defend themselves. We can't
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  Speaker 3: run away quickly, you know. And it's it's just and
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  Speaker 3: some of the ideas, like I was in a meeting
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  Speaker 3: yesterday when the mayor was there as well, and I
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  Speaker 3: think he's had his wits end as well, some of
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  Speaker 3: the ideas they put up. Why can't we try it?
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  Speaker 3: Why can't we try having dog patrols, Why can't we
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  Speaker 3: have try having a curfew. Why can't we the norn
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  Speaker 3: Churchy government, the council has some safe places, like when
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  Speaker 3: Daphney doesn't feel safe in her home, she can go
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  Speaker 3: somewhere because they lose confidence. We all lose confidence and
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  Speaker 3: we can't defend ourselves when where we feel like we're
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  Speaker 3: under attack, the though traumatized, we lose confidence. Until her
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: home is made safe, then she could move back to
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  Speaker 3: her home. There's those things that can be an immediate
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: it's not the immediate exploy any means, but it's just
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: something that can be done very quickly. And yeah, very quickly,
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  Speaker 3: Katie's these poor scene as as I said and me included, Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: I've never felt as threatened as I felt yesterday.
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  Speaker 1: So what is your message for the government this morning
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  Speaker 1: on this issue, because honestly, I feel like I've spoken
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: about it till I'm blue in the face, and you know,
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  Speaker 1: you sort of hear from the government that they're going
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  Speaker 1: to try this and that. But the fact is, you know,
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  Speaker 1: from what you are telling me right now, it's a
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  Speaker 1: terrible situation that our seniors don't feel safe to be
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  Speaker 1: able to go and do their shopping in Alice Springs,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: that they don't feel safe to go and do that
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  Speaker 1: here in the top end, like something has to change.
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  Speaker 3: I agree with you've been blue in the face that
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  Speaker 3: I would say they've probably got some long term solutions.
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  Speaker 3: But again, a lot of these kids are fasciated, so
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  Speaker 3: there's no point trying to rewire them or do anything.
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  Speaker 3: They've got their damage, their damaged children. As I said,
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  Speaker 3: there's no role model, there's no home, there's no food.
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  Speaker 3: That's what are going to do. You're going to walk
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  Speaker 3: the streets. So really I would like to see and
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  Speaker 3: I'll be hailed down here. And this is not anything racist.
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  Speaker 3: This is to protect those children because, believe you me, Katie,
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  Speaker 3: sooner or later, when they break into a home and
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  Speaker 3: somebody wants to defend their home, their family and young children,
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  Speaker 3: or he will break loose, and that's that's in the end,
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  Speaker 3: what will happen, and then it'll be a horrible situation.
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  Speaker 3: And yes, it's just there's those things that I mentioned.
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  Speaker 3: They can do right now, and the children should be
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  Speaker 3: made water of the state. I think because of a
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  Speaker 3: stolen generation, they're too frightened. But let's face it, if
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: their parents can't look after them, where are the parents
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  Speaker 3: and the family can't We need, supposedly as a compassionate,
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  Speaker 3: a humane society, look after them, But we can't look
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  Speaker 3: after them when they're roaming the street and causing havoc.
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  Speaker 3: So we need to astract them from that situation and
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  Speaker 3: put them somewhere safe, whether that's two hundred five hundred
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  Speaker 3: miles away. Then they learned a few manners and hopefully
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: might be able to come back and contribute to society.
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  Speaker 1: But well, look s I know some people, some people
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  Speaker 1: will not agree with that at all. You know, some
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  Speaker 1: people will, like you said, may hail you down, but
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  Speaker 1: I think that right now.
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  Speaker 2: You know, what is very plain.
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  Speaker 1: To see, even from some of the vision that came
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: out of Central Australia on the weekend, is if you've
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  Speaker 1: got kids that are behind the wheel of a stolen car,
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  Speaker 1: it's an incredibly dangerous situation.
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  Speaker 2: For them as well.
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  Speaker 1: And nobody wants to see kids in a dangerous situation either. Soon,
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to have to move along because we are
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  Speaker 1: we're fast running out of time.
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  Speaker 2: But I also want to ask you.
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  Speaker 1: We know that there's yet another code yellow for the
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  Speaker 1: Royal Darwin Hospital and Palmerston Regional Hospital.
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  Speaker 2: They were called on Friday last week.
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  Speaker 1: I understand still in place right now, and there are
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: claims that some of those beds that are being taken
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: at the moment are indeed for seniors because there's nowhere
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  Speaker 1: else for them to go, and for elderly patients.
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  Speaker 5: What is your understanding if there's seventy five seniors in
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  Speaker 5: the Royal down hospitals shouldn't be there, They should be
• 10:14
  Speaker 5: at the seventy five beds case.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it could be either in a residential age chare
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: facility or they should be in their own homes with
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: their age care package Level four or in the dementia facility.
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  Speaker 3: So again that's how that sort of area is rather
• 10:30
  Speaker 3: in crisis. I know the Northern Jursey government has bought
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: sixty beds under the old bed licensing system, but they
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: still yet have to be built the same as the
• 10:41
  Speaker 3: dementia center. So there's quite a bit of work Northern
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: Churchy needs to be done in health and obviously in crime,
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: and they need to get a wiggle on it.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, they most certainly do so, Shiera. Can I ask
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: you just very quickly before I let you go? There
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: were some changes, wasn't there to the pension in the
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: federal budget a couple of weeks ago. Yeah, well they
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: go ones in terms of how much it can earn.
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: Oh that you can earn up to nine thousand, but
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: really with the cost of living, it should have been
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: made fifteen to twenty thousand actually, and then they still
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: might have been able to have private health insurance. Isn't
• 11:16
  Speaker 3: it isn't that interesting Katie that when Peter Dutton was
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: in power for nine years he've vetoed it all the time,
• 11:22
  Speaker 3: didn't want it to happen now as you're not positioned,
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: he's supporting it. Strange comings and goings.
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: I think you called that political games, don't you, Suezhira? Oh?
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  Speaker 3: And don't we get sick of them?
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: We get so sick of them, there is no doubt
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: about that. I just wish that people would forget their
• 11:39
  Speaker 1: political lines sometimes and and you know, do what is
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: right for Australians.
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: Sh don't we all? Yeah, more bipartisan and let's get
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: cracking on the health system and age care and get
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: quite a few things.
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, Okay, So I really appreciate your time
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: this morning. Thank you so much for being really bluntly
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: honest with us at the moment about how things are
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: for our seniors, particularly on that issue of crime.
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: Well, you know me, Katie, I only know how to
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: be honest.
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: That's exactly right. Good on you, Sue, Thank you. I
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: appreciate your time this morning.