Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katherine Mayor Joanna Holden on crime roundtable in the town and initiatives to combat the issues

Transcript

Katherine Mayor Joanna Holden on crime roundtable in the town and initiatives to combat the issues · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: As we've spoken about quite extensively on the show in
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: recent weeks and, well, recent months, really, crime continues to
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: come through around Catherine. And locals are really looking for
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  Speaker 1: a long-term solution to the issues that they've been grappling
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  Speaker 1: with now for quite some time. And a person who's
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  Speaker 1: joined us on the show about this issue on numerous
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  Speaker 1: occasions is the Mayor of Catherine. And Joanna Holden joins
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  Speaker 1: me again. Good morning to you, Joanna.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Katie. How are you?
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, really good. Good to have you on the show
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  Speaker 1: and I know you've been battling. You've finally got your
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  Speaker 1: voice back.
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  Speaker 2: I have probably to the disappointment of my husband.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, well, I'm glad you've got your voice back, Joanna,
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  Speaker 1: because we've been keen to catch up with you over
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  Speaker 1: the last few days and even last week in relation
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  Speaker 1: to some of these really serious issues that continue to
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  Speaker 1: rear their head when it comes to crime. I mean...
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  Speaker 1: Just over the last few weeks, we've had two instances
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  Speaker 1: where women, in one case, a woman was dragged from
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  Speaker 1: her car and you then stealing that car. The other instance,
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  Speaker 1: another woman was threatened allegedly with a screwdriver, I believe
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  Speaker 1: it was.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, Katie. Yes, they absolutely happened. They've been reported. They
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  Speaker 2: are concerning. I think you can't say anything but concerning.
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  Speaker 2: because we've got weapons being used. There's more than one person, so,
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  Speaker 2: you know, potentially a few people. And that's a terrifying
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  Speaker 2: situation for anybody to be in. And I think the community,
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  Speaker 2: these types of incidents, they upset the community, they cause
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  Speaker 2: frustration in the community. And that's fair enough. But I think...
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  Speaker 2: I'm just in a meeting now. We're in our second
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  Speaker 2: community safety roundtable meeting. Mm-hm. Sorry, Katie. You're all right.
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  Speaker 2: What I can say is I think there's a positive
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  Speaker 2: shift happening and that, you know, we're working, we heard
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  Speaker 2: the police this morning, they're putting activities in place to
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  Speaker 2: pre-empt what may start to happen coming into the wet
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  Speaker 2: season and into the school holidays. So, you know, they're
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  Speaker 2: very much trying to be proactive in that space. We
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  Speaker 2: will also be looking today in this meeting to agree
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  Speaker 2: on other actions that we can take to try and
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  Speaker 2: start to turn this around for Catherine.
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  Speaker 1: And, you know, in terms of that meaningful change longer
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  Speaker 1: term though as well, Joanna, because I know that that's
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  Speaker 1: something we'd spoken to Trent DeWitt about last week and
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  Speaker 1: he'd said, you know, it's good we have the police
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  Speaker 1: surge in, that makes a big difference, but then unfortunately...
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  Speaker 1: You know, the issue then rises once more, you know,
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  Speaker 1: after the police, you know, I know you've still got
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  Speaker 1: the local police there, but after there's no longer that
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  Speaker 1: increased police presence and these young people kind of realise
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  Speaker 1: that they're able to start running amok again.
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  Speaker 2: Katie, look, I agree. The surges are great. We've seen
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  Speaker 2: it work in places like Palmerston, in Alice Springs. And
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  Speaker 2: hearing Catherine. But then, yes, what happens afterwards? So those
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  Speaker 2: are the things that we need to be looking at.
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  Speaker 2: One of those, the Catherine Town Council has been advocating
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  Speaker 2: for in terms of the youth emergency response program and
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  Speaker 2: looking into the future to get the youth night safe
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  Speaker 2: space established. So we are looking to try and address
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  Speaker 2: the longer term as well as that short term as well.
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  Speaker 2: So we, you know, all I can say is council
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  Speaker 2: has been advocating hard We hope to have secured $ 150, 000
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  Speaker 2: from the federal government to get this emergency youth program
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  Speaker 2: up and running, coming into the school holidays. And then
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  Speaker 2: while that's happening, to then start advocating hard to get
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  Speaker 2: this youth night space happening into the future and to
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  Speaker 2: get other programs that are going to... address these issues
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  Speaker 2: into the longer term.
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  Speaker 1: So, Joanna, how quickly could those programs get up and running?
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  Speaker 1: And what are you sort of waiting for at this point?
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  Speaker 1: Is it the funding to be confirmed?
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  Speaker 2: Sorry, Katie. You're all right. So, with the youth emergency response,
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  Speaker 2: we need $ 300, 000. We're hoping we'll get $ 150, 000, which means
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  Speaker 2: we can deliver a reduced program, which is a little
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  Speaker 2: bit disappointing, but it's better than nothing at all. With...
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  Speaker 2: With the youth night space, that will require getting people together,
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  Speaker 2: getting support for it. That, I think, took at least
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  Speaker 2: 12 months in Kununurra to go from concept to ready
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  Speaker 2: to build. Right. And obviously there will be time. If
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  Speaker 2: you're talking about creating a youth space that coordinates high-level programs,
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  Speaker 2: then it does require a fair bit of consultation and development.
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  Speaker 2: and obviously funding will be a key part of that
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  Speaker 2: as well. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Joanna, I do want to ask you, you know, following
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  Speaker 1: on from those two incidents earlier, that happened, and I
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  Speaker 1: know there's been a number of incidents, right? Like I
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  Speaker 1: know there's been a number of cars stolen. We spoke
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  Speaker 1: to the superintendent for the region a little bit earlier,
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  Speaker 1: either this week or towards the end of last week,
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  Speaker 1: Mark Bland. But we have also, you know, we've spoken
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  Speaker 1: to some locals and yep, there's been cars stolen. There's
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  Speaker 1: been windows broken. Are you also being told, or what
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  Speaker 1: are you hearing about these youth sort of, you know,
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  Speaker 1: these groups of younger people trying to compete with each
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  Speaker 1: other when it comes to crime?
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  Speaker 2: Katie, I've heard that that's a narrative that's out there.
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  Speaker 2: I don't have any definitive information from the police or
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  Speaker 2: other youth providers that that is the actual situation. I
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  Speaker 2: do know that in Alice Springs, that that was part
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  Speaker 2: of the narrative in Alice Springs when they had sort
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  Speaker 2: of reached their peak. But to be honest, Katie, I can't...
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  Speaker 2: The police haven't said that that's the situation. Yeah. None
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  Speaker 2: of the youth providers that we engage with regularly have
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  Speaker 2: said that that's the case either. But, you know, kids
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  Speaker 2: are kids, right? That's the sort of stuff you do
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  Speaker 2: when you're young, isn't it?
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  Speaker 1: Well, look, I mean, I guess, yeah, competing with each other,
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  Speaker 1: but not bloody breaking into homes or breaking into cars
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  Speaker 1: or holding women up.
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  Speaker 2: No, absolutely not, Katie. Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. Like,
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  Speaker 2: you run. You compete in running. Yeah. You know, so, yes,
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  Speaker 2: that's right. We... There are positive ways to compete at
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  Speaker 2: that age. But I guess what I'm trying to say
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  Speaker 2: is that kids can, you know, it's like jumping in
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  Speaker 2: the river. So you can jump higher or who can go,
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  Speaker 2: you know.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, they will engage in.
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  Speaker 2: It's not a healthy competition.
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  Speaker 1: No, that's right. Tell me, Joanna, you know, like I'm
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  Speaker 1: interested to know. How are women in the community feeling?
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  Speaker 1: Like after those two instances where, you know, where you
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  Speaker 1: had women targeted, like I know I'd feel really bloody
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  Speaker 1: scared in a place like Catherine if I was thinking
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  Speaker 1: to myself, is someone going to try and roll me
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  Speaker 1: while I'm getting out of my car? Like what's the
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  Speaker 1: sentiment amongst females in the community at the moment?
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  Speaker 2: I think the females, the elderly, I think people are,
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  Speaker 2: they're scared. They are becoming cautious. they are taking actions
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  Speaker 2: like locking their cars when they get in them so
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  Speaker 2: that they can't have the doors opened by somebody externally.
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  Speaker 2: I think people are being far more aware of their spaces.
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  Speaker 2: There's more narrative around or more conversations around the pepper
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  Speaker 2: spray and having the pepper spray. So I think there
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  Speaker 2: is a heightened awareness for women and for elderly and
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  Speaker 2: there is a fear. And particularly I think Unfortunately, when
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  Speaker 2: you see certain groups congregating, potentially young people, that people
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  Speaker 2: don't know the difference between the group of kids who
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  Speaker 2: are potentially committing these crimes and groups of kids that
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  Speaker 2: are just out on an afternoon after school heading to
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  Speaker 2: Woolies to get a soft drink. So, you know, I
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  Speaker 2: think that too, so people are scared of, you know,
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  Speaker 2: groups of youth potentially when there's nothing to be scared of.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. So from your perspective, like what are the next steps?
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  Speaker 1: You know, you've spoken there about, you know, about getting that,
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  Speaker 1: I can't think of the exact wording around it, but
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  Speaker 1: like that youth sort of facility off the ground. I
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  Speaker 1: know the police have surged in. Have you had many
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  Speaker 1: further discussions with the Northern Territory Government? Like what are
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  Speaker 1: the next steps from your perspective?
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  Speaker 2: So today, the roundtable we're having today, one of the
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  Speaker 2: aims is today to get those next steps from the
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  Speaker 2: key stakeholders in the room. So a lot of that
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  Speaker 2: is talking about youth activities coming into the holiday period
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  Speaker 2: and supporting that police surge. So it will be interesting,
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  Speaker 2: I think. to see what we come out with this afternoon.
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  Speaker 2: Some of the things are that youth safe space, improved
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  Speaker 2: coordination and accountability across service systems and looking at what
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  Speaker 2: the gaps are there, to look at how businesses might
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  Speaker 2: engage with some of the young Aboriginal people and foster
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  Speaker 2: stronger connections there. So there's some of the things we
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  Speaker 2: have on the table at the moment.
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  Speaker 1: Yep.
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  Speaker 2: Additionally, the council's community safety action group met for the
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  Speaker 2: first time last week. And I can give you a
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  Speaker 2: bit of an indication of what their discussions were, bearing
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  Speaker 2: in mind that these are not agreed actions by council.
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  Speaker 2: This hasn't been to council yet. So these are not endorsed,
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  Speaker 2: but these are an indication of what that group is.
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  Speaker 2: talking about action-wise. So they're talking about strengthening messaging around
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  Speaker 2: our bylaws and education around our bylaws, looking at measures
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  Speaker 2: to reduce littering, vandalism and damage to public assets, and
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  Speaker 2: to explore public safety measures improvements such as lighting and
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  Speaker 2: environmental safety. So they're some of the actions that will
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  Speaker 2: come to council from that community group in relation to
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  Speaker 2: what we can be doing to address some of these issues.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Joanna Holden, please let us know how things go
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  Speaker 1: at that roundtable today. I'll be really fascinated to hear
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  Speaker 1: sort of what is decided upon or what outcomes you
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  Speaker 1: have and, you know, continue to keep this in the headlines,
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  Speaker 1: I think, because it really needs to be. Like, you
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  Speaker 1: guys have been grappling with these issues for a while
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  Speaker 1: now and we've got to see some change so that
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  Speaker 1: you're able to live your lives in the way that
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  Speaker 1: you want to and the way that you should be
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  Speaker 1: able to.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I absolutely agree with you, Katie, but what I
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  Speaker 2: do want to say today is that I am feeling
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  Speaker 2: more positive about the actions that we potentially are going
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  Speaker 2: to have in place going forward. I think that the...
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  Speaker 2: strengthening of the police around the high-risk periods is a
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  Speaker 2: good thing. I think the fact that we are getting
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  Speaker 2: together as key stakeholders and agreeing and holding ourselves accountable
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  Speaker 2: to specific actions is a positive for Catherine as well.
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  Speaker 2: So I'm hoping that we are turning a corner. Can't
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  Speaker 2: guarantee it. But I do feel very positive at this
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  Speaker 2: point in time about where we're heading.
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  Speaker 1: That is good to hear.
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  Speaker 2: Yep, and just before we go, Katie, can we just
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  Speaker 2: do some positive Catherine stories? Yeah, sure. I want a
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  Speaker 2: big shout-out to Kelly Roses, who I'm sure you've come
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  Speaker 2: across in your running day. Yes, I do. Now, she's
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  Speaker 2: an extraordinary Catherine. She's a legend. She's raised children, had
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  Speaker 2: a job and continues to run all around the world.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: And she self-funds that as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, she's a legend.
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  Speaker 2: She is an absolute legend, so a huge shout-out to her.
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  Speaker 2: And also to Clyde Fenton Primary School. Oh, yeah. They
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  Speaker 2: are the NT State winner of the Keep Australia Beautiful mural. Oh,
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  Speaker 2: good on them. It was unveiled this morning. It is fantastic.
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  Speaker 2: They are in the running for the national final. We
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  Speaker 2: need everybody on the 30th of October to get in
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  Speaker 2: there and vote for them. How good. Everybody across the territory.
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  Speaker 1: How good. So tell us, where can we vote for
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  Speaker 1: them if we're keen to do that?
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  Speaker 2: They will be putting out some media campaign soon. We
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  Speaker 2: will share that hopefully on the Catherine Town Council website.
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  Speaker 2: I think the 30th is the day that you have
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  Speaker 2: to do it, but we will share that out once
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  Speaker 2: we have it.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, good stuff. Well, Joanna Holden, always good to catch
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: up with you and good to hear about those incredible
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  Speaker 1: Territorians in Catherine as well. I do know Kelly, she's
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  Speaker 1: an awesome runner and I've loved watching her run all
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: around the world. And I just think it's such a
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  Speaker 1: positive thing to do. And also, of course, the school
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  Speaker 1: there with that mural, that's fantastic.
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  Speaker 2: It is. It is, Katie. It is. We're just an
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  Speaker 2: overachieving town, I'll tell you what. You are. I love it.
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  Speaker 1: Good on you, Joanna. Good to speak with you as always.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you.
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  Speaker 1: And I'm glad you got.
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  Speaker 2: Your voice back. Thank you, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Talk soon.
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: See ya.