Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Alice Springs Mayor Matt Patterson says $14 million in Federal funding will go towards measures to tackle crime including Indigenous-led patrols

Transcript

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Patterson says $14 million in Federal funding will go towards measures to tackle crime including Indigenous-led patrols · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We're all still sort of going through the budget and
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: working out exactly what's in it here in the Northern Territory,
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: and one location that does seem to have benefited from
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: that budget yesterday is Central Australia. Now joining me on
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  Speaker 1: the line is the Mayor of Alice Springs, Matt Patterson.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 2: Matt, Good morning Katie, Thanks for having me again.
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  Speaker 1: Matt, I understand now, I'm pretty sure that Marian scrumdaw
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: had told us yesterday on the show that there's fourteen
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: million dollars which has been announced in terms of combating
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: crime in Alice Springs. Is that is that the case, Yes.
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  Speaker 2: That is my understanding, is a part of a broader
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  Speaker 2: package of around one hundred and thirty five million dollars.
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  Speaker 2: So it's obviously going to be very welcomed by the community.
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  Speaker 2: And we worked extremely hard with both sides of politics
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  Speaker 2: leading into the federal election through our advocacy and so
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  Speaker 2: we welcome the investment and I just say thanks to
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  Speaker 2: the government for the investment of forty million into Weller
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  Speaker 2: Springs for crime prevention.
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  Speaker 1: Well, it is something that you and plenty of others
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  Speaker 1: in Alice Springs have really been advocating for for quite
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  Speaker 1: some time. Mass what is that fourteen million dollars going
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  Speaker 1: to be spent on?
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  Speaker 2: So there has been a lot of work done in
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  Speaker 2: the background previously in regards to septed and lighting and
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  Speaker 2: those sort of things. So hopefully we can tap into
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  Speaker 2: those fundings to implement some of those plans that have
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  Speaker 2: been done previously. I mean, nothing bugs me more than
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  Speaker 2: spending time, money and resources on developing plans and then
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  Speaker 2: they sit on the shelf. So these plans have been
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  Speaker 2: done by professionals, you know. Hopefully we can use some
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  Speaker 2: of that sort of lighting and the septed sort of stuff,
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  Speaker 2: and we can take that back to the Sought committee
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  Speaker 2: that's been stood up as well for the implementation around
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  Speaker 2: crime prevention. So certainly look forward to it.
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  Speaker 1: What about I mean, will any of that funding go
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  Speaker 1: towards patrols? I know that you know that security patrols
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  Speaker 1: and the canines is something that we've spoken to Tourism
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  Speaker 1: Central Australia about yesterday. They're up here at the moment
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  Speaker 1: checking those patrols out. Is there a possibility that that
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  Speaker 1: could happen?
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  Speaker 2: So my understanding, Cadin, I don't know if I'm giving
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  Speaker 2: you a scoop here, But is that the Laura tipper
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  Speaker 2: the traditional owner representation group down here, has been given
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  Speaker 2: some funds to undergo traditional owner patrols and they're just
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: working out their governance arrangements at the moment to get
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  Speaker 2: that off the ground. So that's something that'll be extremely
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  Speaker 2: welcomed in Ola Springs. I like many have been saying
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  Speaker 2: more patrols. You know that that visual pollution of police
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  Speaker 2: or security guards or patrols just makes everyone feel a
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  Speaker 2: little bit safer and a bit relaxed. So we'll certainly
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  Speaker 2: welcome that. I think you've got a similar model up
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  Speaker 2: in Darwin and that we're sort of basing it on
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  Speaker 2: down here, So I think that in the coming weeks
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  Speaker 2: or months that'll.
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  Speaker 1: Get off the ground, so similar to sort of what
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  Speaker 1: we see with Larakie Nation.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the
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  Speaker 2: model that's being used Larikie, and I think that Laura
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  Speaker 2: Tippa has been up to dar And to have a
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  Speaker 2: look at how that model is run.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, and so any idea how quickly they'll come into
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  Speaker 1: you know, they'll start operating.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not sure of exact dates. Katie but what we
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  Speaker 2: do have a short meeting next week and I'm sure
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  Speaker 2: that it'll be something that will be on the top
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  Speaker 2: of everyone's agenda. Look, patrols are you know, it's the
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  Speaker 2: topic that everyone's talking about at the moment. People want
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  Speaker 2: to see more patrols day and night because this isn't
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  Speaker 2: just a nighttime currents for us. We're suffering this all
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: day every day. But I think as a community seeing
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  Speaker 2: the traditional owners out patrolling, it'll be very welcomed. So
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  Speaker 2: hopefully discerner the better.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree. I think that, you know, if they
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  Speaker 1: can get on the ground and doing that role, hopefully
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  Speaker 1: it will have a big impact for the people of Alice.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely absolutely, and I think that that's you know,
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  Speaker 2: what we all want. We don't want to see these
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  Speaker 2: kids on the street. Hopefully, you know, through the traditional owners,
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  Speaker 2: through territory families, we can have that wrap around service
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  Speaker 2: of the kids and make sure that not slipping through
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  Speaker 2: the cracks. We do get a tremendous amount of resourcing
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  Speaker 2: down here and funding, but I'm not sure that it's
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  Speaker 2: always spend in the right areas because we still have
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  Speaker 2: children falling through the cracks of the system. So more
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  Speaker 2: patrols with the right people might address some of those
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  Speaker 2: concerns and alleviate some of the issues that we face.
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  Speaker 1: All right, well, so we are expecting, by the sounds
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  Speaker 1: of it, the territory government's probably going to come out
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  Speaker 1: and make an announcement about that sooner rather than later. Matt,
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  Speaker 1: I don't know whether you heard the Chief Minister, Natasha
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  Speaker 1: Fhiles on the show on Monday, but we'd certainly put
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  Speaker 1: to her as well. You know that proposal that you'd
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  Speaker 1: had around there being a location to get youth off
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  Speaker 1: the streets and somewhere safe so that they're not engaged
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  Speaker 1: in bad behavior at night time. We know that the
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  Speaker 1: location that you'd initially sort of flagged it doesn't look
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  Speaker 1: as though it's one that can happen. But she confirmed
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  Speaker 1: that they have identified two other locations. What did you
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  Speaker 1: make of those comments.
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  Speaker 2: We're obviously very welcoming those comments. I think that you know,
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  Speaker 2: it does add a bit of release to our springs.
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  Speaker 2: You know, I've often said this isn't about politics, this
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  Speaker 2: issue that we face down here, it is about people,
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  Speaker 2: and it doesn't matter what side of politics sit on.
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  Speaker 2: Everyone just wants the kids to be safe and off
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  Speaker 2: the street, and we know that at times it is
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  Speaker 2: safer for the kids to be on the street rather
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  Speaker 2: than at home. And as sad as that is, that's
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  Speaker 2: the reality that we're with. So providing kids safe space
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  Speaker 2: where they can go to and as I touched on
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  Speaker 2: that wrap around service to make sure they're not slipping
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  Speaker 2: through the cracks, and I think that that is absolutely
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  Speaker 2: the right idea and I think it's the way going forward. Now.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not sure of those locations, and I look forward
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  Speaker 2: to that discussion. I think that, you know, we've got
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  Speaker 2: to try some things. Some things aren't going to work,
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  Speaker 2: but we've got to try them. It's a bit like
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  Speaker 2: the hub in the CBD that the government tried. They
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  Speaker 2: tried it, it didn't work, so they've taken it out
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  Speaker 2: and tried other models. So you know, that's we're at
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  Speaker 2: the point where we need to try anything on.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: There's got to be KPIs. You know, there's got to
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: be KPIs, doesn't they You've got to sort of be
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  Speaker 1: able to gauge whether they work or whether they don't,
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  Speaker 1: and if they don't, get rid of them and look
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: to what is going to work. Matt, can I ask
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  Speaker 1: what was the situation. I heard reported that there was
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: a situation with the public gallery with those council meetings.
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: Has the public gallery being closed or what's the situation exactly.
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  Speaker 2: So there was a motion put up on Tuesday and
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  Speaker 2: it wasn't debated. It was withdrawn by the Deputy Mayor.
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  Speaker 2: There was some heckling from the gallery. The member of
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  Speaker 2: the public was worned a few times, didn't listen, and
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: I had asked him to leave. On his way out,
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  Speaker 2: he had a verbal stoush with the Deputy Mayor and
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: then sort of stood over him. And the behavior from
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: the member of the public is absolutely unacceptable, and so
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: we've got to go through there's some protocols now to
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  Speaker 2: make sure that the elected members point of viewer safe
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: and from the staffing from the CEO, they're safe as well,
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  Speaker 2: because we can't have that situation. If I go back
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: nine months, we had an elective member have a child,
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: so we had a three month old baby in the chamber.
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  Speaker 2: We just can't have that. We just can't have this
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  Speaker 2: instance happen again. And so you know, it's not okay
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  Speaker 2: what had happened. We're elected members. It's democracy. You're going
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  Speaker 2: to disagree with this, that's okay, but you can't, you know,
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  Speaker 2: stand over someone with their back turned and threaten them.
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  Speaker 2: So we'll go through some protocols to make sure that
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  Speaker 2: it can't happen again. And until that time, we'll have
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  Speaker 2: to address to see if we can keep the public,
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  Speaker 2: keep me going out into the public.
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  Speaker 1: Excuse my ignorance, but who is the Deputy may at.
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  Speaker 2: The moment, Ellie Melkie?
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  Speaker 1: Okay, and so was he quite concerned for his safety
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  Speaker 1: at that point.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I think he was shocked, and I think he
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  Speaker 2: had every right to be shocked. I don't think anyone
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  Speaker 2: deserves to have a person stand over you and point
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  Speaker 2: their finger right in your face when you're at work.
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  Speaker 2: So look, it was a shocking incident. As I said,
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  Speaker 2: it was unacceptable and we need to make sure that
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  Speaker 2: these things don't happen again. It was raised in general
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  Speaker 2: business in the Sea. I was investigating what council can
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  Speaker 2: do with that particular individual to make sure that it
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  Speaker 2: doesn't happen again. But overall, we need to address the
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  Speaker 2: layout of the chamber. I suppose to make sure people
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  Speaker 2: are safe.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, before I let you go. Is the Ala Springs
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  Speaker 1: the by election this weekend?
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: By election is this weekend?
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  Speaker 1: Yes, and so I have you got a few people
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  Speaker 1: up putting their hands up.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we've got five candidates, so I think the numbers
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  Speaker 2: are quite low. It's quite difficult down here KD without
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  Speaker 2: a newspaper to get the information out there. It all
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: happened once it was called. It all happened pretty quickly.
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  Speaker 2: So it'd be interested to see come Sunday the voter turnout.
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  Speaker 2: And we're seeing it dwindling across the country and there
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  Speaker 2: is a disconnect with politics everywhere. So yeah, look we've
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: got five candidates, which is pretty good for a by election,
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  Speaker 2: but we'll wait and see. Well, yeah, the voter turnout,
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  Speaker 2: which on fingers crossed the tie.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well we do have a few people. I know,
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: we've got a few that listen to the show from
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  Speaker 1: Alice Springs. So if you're listening, get out there, make
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  Speaker 1: sure you vote. It is an incredibly important thing to do,
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  Speaker 1: particularly when you look at the issues that Central Australia
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  Speaker 1: is dealing with and that you've been dealing with in
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  Speaker 1: Alice Springs. I think it's really important that if you're
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: somebody who is quite community minded and motivated, get amongst
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  Speaker 1: that absolutelyness.
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  Speaker 2: Someone who only won the mayor race by a couple
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  Speaker 2: of votes, Katie, I can say to you that every
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  Speaker 2: vote counts, so you've got to get out and vote.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely well. Matt Patterson, the mayor of Alice Springs, good
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  Speaker 1: to speak with you this morning. We appreciate your time.
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Thanks for having me again.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: Thank you.