Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Karama Community Group's Stephen Farrawell says residents are fed up with crime and the group hopes others will band together to strengthen calls for action

Transcript

Karama Community Group's Stephen Farrawell says residents are fed up with crime and the group hopes others will band together to strengthen calls for action · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We know that residents in Darwin and the Northern suburbs
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  Speaker 1: are trying to ban together really in an effort to
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  Speaker 1: push for greater action on crime. Now, the Karama Community
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  Speaker 1: Group held a second public forum this week sick of
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  Speaker 1: waiting for the Northern Territory government to act. Joining me
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  Speaker 1: on the line right now to tell us a little
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  Speaker 1: bit more about the situation is Stephen Farrewell, who obviously
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  Speaker 1: is with the community group in Karama that is concerned
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  Speaker 1: about crime. Good morning to you, Stephen.
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  Speaker 2: Good mind, Katie.
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  Speaker 1: How are you not too bad? Stephen? I understand that
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  Speaker 1: there was another public forum held this week. How many
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  Speaker 1: attended and was there any government representation?
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  Speaker 2: We had about one hundred people turn up, which is
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  Speaker 2: less than our first forum. So I'm not sure whether
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  Speaker 2: that's a sign of people think it's such a hopeless
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  Speaker 2: situation that there's nothing that can be done. I actually
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  Speaker 2: think that is why people didn't turn up. As for
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  Speaker 2: government representation, we had a really poor response. We had
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  Speaker 2: one representative from police and two from Territory Housing as
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  Speaker 2: well as and of course our local member now our
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  Speaker 2: keeper there. But that was the sum total of government representation.
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  Speaker 1: Now, Steve, I know that you've said, you know that
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  Speaker 1: one hundred is less than your previous meeting, one hundred
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  Speaker 1: is still a pretty good representation of the community of Karama.
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  Speaker 1: And the fact that you know that they've all turned up,
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  Speaker 1: all of those locals have turned up to say we've
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  Speaker 1: had enough, we're looking for some solutions. So I think
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  Speaker 1: just shows you know that that people are pretty fed
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  Speaker 1: up with the situation that they're experiencing at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, they are. And what was really positive that people
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  Speaker 2: came with a really positive attitude. The first forum was
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  Speaker 2: a really a big venting session that didn't occur this time.
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  Speaker 2: People were really focused on looking at the issues and
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  Speaker 2: possible solutions, So that was that was really encouraging work ship.
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  Speaker 2: We actually got quite a lot out of this form
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  Speaker 2: and things to start with. So Stephen, what what.
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  Speaker 1: Were some of those solutions and some of those ideas
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  Speaker 1: that they were coming forward with.
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  Speaker 2: Us. Before I sort of get stayed to that, I'd
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  Speaker 2: just like to say, I think it was pretty really
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  Speaker 2: universally knowledge acknowledge that there's no magic silver bullet that's
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  Speaker 2: going to be solve this. This situation happens in any
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  Speaker 2: country where there is white culture and an indigenous culture
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  Speaker 2: living side by side. It's across the world and exactly
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  Speaker 2: the same problems have been experienced everywhere, so it's certainly
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  Speaker 2: not unique to Darwin or the Northern Territory or Australia.
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  Speaker 2: It's universal problem. But that said, there was the few
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  Speaker 2: main things that came out were a much greater or
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  Speaker 2: a stronger enforcement of the two kilometer drinking law and
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  Speaker 2: expansion of the capacity to enforce that. People are asking
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  Speaker 2: for the criminalization aspect of that to be reintroduced, but
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  Speaker 2: the reality is that our prison system is that capacity.
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  Speaker 2: So just putting into prison I personally don't think is
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  Speaker 2: a solution. Rehabilitation is the other option. But also but
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  Speaker 2: likewise those services are a capacity as well. That's right.
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  Speaker 2: So it's a really really difficult situation. And the other
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  Speaker 2: one was a much strong re enforcement of the responsible
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  Speaker 2: service of alcohol requirements. That's been a bit of a
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  Speaker 2: failure actually right across the the Darwin area. It's an
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  Speaker 2: area where a lot of improvements could be made. It's
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  Speaker 2: a big call for the ban of glass bottles. These
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  Speaker 2: are often some of the us as weapons in the
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  Speaker 2: violences we're seeing in the shopping center, car parks in
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  Speaker 2: the public spaces them are taking their kids to the
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  Speaker 2: park and the kids are walking on broken glass.
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  Speaker 1: And so Stephen wanting to see the ban of the
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  Speaker 1: use of glass bottles, So eye bottle shops no longer
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  Speaker 1: able to sell anything in glass.
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  Speaker 2: Yes that I don't that won't happen, but maybe some
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  Speaker 2: regulation on the sale of alcohol. And I don't overget
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  Speaker 2: know how to.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, how to make it happen or yeah, how to
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  Speaker 1: I understand what you're saying. Yeah, it's a difficult one. No, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: So obviously the stronger two kilometers are drinking law and
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  Speaker 1: making it, you know, the criminalization of that to to
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  Speaker 1: be introduced. I know that you have obviously pointed out
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  Speaker 1: the fact that you know, rehab needs to be an option,
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  Speaker 1: but unfortunately rehabilitation centers seem very full at the moment
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  Speaker 1: as well. But a stronger enforcement of laws, you know,
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  Speaker 1: of not drinking in public places, I guess, and also
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  Speaker 1: the issue of glass from those bottles, Steve, and I
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  Speaker 1: understand as well that you know, part of that discussion
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  Speaker 1: is really calling for other communities to come forward and
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  Speaker 1: you know, band together. I suppose that you know the
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  Speaker 1: thing that we're talking about here, or that you're talking
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  Speaker 1: about is is if everybody gets to yeather, the voice
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  Speaker 1: is certainly louder and much more much clearer for the
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  Speaker 1: government to hear. If you've got larger numbers.
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  Speaker 2: That's exactly right, and that's what we want to achieve.
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  Speaker 2: But we're only a handful of volunteers. We have absolutely
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  Speaker 2: in their resources. But if other suburbs, like two or
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  Speaker 2: three suburbs join together and form similar groups, and we
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  Speaker 2: get a coalition of reps of all of those groups,
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  Speaker 2: surely that must have some impact on government. Well, she
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  Speaker 2: is the chief minister, but she's also the Minister for
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  Speaker 2: alcohol policy. Now, not to attend or to send a
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  Speaker 2: rep the message that comes across some that is really disappointing.
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  Speaker 1: It is, and you know, Steve and I think that
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  Speaker 1: it goes to the heart of what a lot of
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  Speaker 1: people are feeling at the moment, that they're not being
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  Speaker 1: listened to and that there is no change coming into
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  Speaker 1: play when it comes to these issues that we're experiencing with,
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  Speaker 1: you know, with with alcohol and with crime and anti
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  Speaker 1: social behavior. So when you talk about you know, other
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  Speaker 1: communities coming together as well, are you I mean, are
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  Speaker 1: you wanting to see like a public meeting with all
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  Speaker 1: of those different communities or what do you think needs
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  Speaker 1: to happen.
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  Speaker 2: It only takes one person to be a leader. So
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  Speaker 2: it's just someone willing to take the ball in hand
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  Speaker 2: and so okay, let's get together and talk about which
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  Speaker 2: is what we did here in Coroma. It's really it's
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  Speaker 2: their choice to do that. Whether we start a bit
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  Speaker 2: of a campaign to advocate that, we'll probably do that. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: but it's really I don't want to go around to
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  Speaker 2: every suburban Darwin to say, Okay, we want you to
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  Speaker 2: set up a community group. They need to. We can
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  Speaker 2: help them do that, but it's up you need someone
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  Speaker 2: to actually take charge and be the champion for that
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  Speaker 2: community absolutely deal with is. I mean, people have got
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  Speaker 2: a lot of criticism to make that gets nowhere. You
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  Speaker 2: actually need to take some community action and the community
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  Speaker 2: action is quite powerful. And the other some of the
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  Speaker 2: other overarching issues that came through was that you know,
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  Speaker 2: we're in an era of reconciliation and working together and
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  Speaker 2: living together, but this behavior is actually fueling racism. People
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  Speaker 2: who weren't racist before are now becoming very, very racist.
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  Speaker 1: And that's reality, and it's very disappointing, you know, that
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  Speaker 1: that it's it's becoming that way, because that is the
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  Speaker 1: last thing that anyone wants.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. The other issue is there's an opportunity
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  Speaker 2: to work or there's work being done on lessening the
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  Speaker 2: density of public and social housing RAMA and MALAC and
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  Speaker 2: there's some new policy work being developed around that. So
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  Speaker 2: that is one of the big factors because people who
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  Speaker 2: visitors from communities, their extended family live in the public
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  Speaker 2: housing and often these are hot spots for anti social
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  Speaker 2: and alcohol fuel violence.
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  Speaker 1: So lowering the density ye will make a difference.
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  Speaker 2: Lessen the problem.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, Stephen, that we are going to have to
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  Speaker 1: wrap things up. I really appreciate you having a chat
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  Speaker 1: with us this morning. We'll certainly continue this discussion. And
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  Speaker 1: I think the point that you've made there about you know,
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  Speaker 1: different obviously, different suburbs, different community areas needing to you know,
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  Speaker 1: to have their own leader in that area, because like
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  Speaker 1: you said, you sort of can't do it for other
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  Speaker 1: other suburbs you know, from from Karama. But it's something
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  Speaker 1: that's been raised with us on the show. Even yesterday
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  Speaker 1: we spoke to the grandmother of a young fella who'd
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  Speaker 1: been the alleged victim of an assault at the Casuarina
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  Speaker 1: Bus exchange, and she said, you know, Katie, I feel
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  Speaker 1: like we need to have a public meeting or we
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  Speaker 1: need to do something, you know, to try and make
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  Speaker 1: some change in this space because the government it doesn't
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  Speaker 1: feel like they're listening. And so it is it's you know,
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  Speaker 1: it's I'm hearing it very loudly and clearly.
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  Speaker 2: Well I went to just quickly, I went like a yeah,
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  Speaker 2: John Jones had a quick he called. It was very
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  Speaker 2: short notice, but he called a public meeting that the
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  Speaker 2: problems he was having there with exactly the same issues. Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: I said, I'm here because ironically today I sent out
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  Speaker 2: information about their own public forum on this exact same issue.
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  Speaker 2: And then one of the speakers got up and you know,
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  Speaker 2: we need to there's no voice here for us to
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  Speaker 2: get the message across to government. And I put my
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  Speaker 2: hand up and I said, I am more than willing
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  Speaker 2: to come and help. You come and speak to me.
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  Speaker 2: And I waited for about fifteen minutes after the meeting,
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  Speaker 2: not one person approached me. I thought, well, okay, you're
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  Speaker 2: not interested, so I'm leaving. So I offered to help,
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  Speaker 2: but now and talk that opportunity.
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  Speaker 1: Well, I guess you know, well, we'll have a bit
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  Speaker 1: of a further looking to that. And I suppose that everybody,
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  Speaker 1: you know, I guess people don't really know how to
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  Speaker 1: make sure that their voices are heard, and you know,
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  Speaker 1: to be really honest about it, be really blunt about it.
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  Speaker 1: You know, even for us here on the show, we
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  Speaker 1: have so many phone calls, so many people contact us
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  Speaker 1: about this. We raise it as an issue over and
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  Speaker 1: over and over again, and the government sees all the
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  Speaker 1: right things and when they're here on the show, but
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  Speaker 1: then you sort of don't see any action.
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  Speaker 2: That's it. Yeah, all political Retrick, But the reality is
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  Speaker 2: that the situation is so bad that it can't be
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  Speaker 2: resolved in one fowl swoop. And I really think that
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  Speaker 2: governments don't know what to do, but they're not prepared
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  Speaker 2: to come and listen to the community either and listen
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  Speaker 2: to what they have to say.
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  Speaker 1: They do.
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  Speaker 2: They really need to step up, they.
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  Speaker 1: Do, They're going to have to, Steve, And I really
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  Speaker 1: appreciate you speaking with us this morning. Please keep in
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  Speaker 1: contact with us, let us know when there is any progression.
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  Speaker 1: We'd be really keen to stay in contact.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you. We'll do it.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, Thanks so much for your time this morning.