Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Senator Nampijinpa Jacinta Price outlines key measures she believes would reduce crime in Alice right now

Transcript

Senator Nampijinpa Jacinta Price outlines key measures she believes would reduce crime in Alice right now · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now we know that data has been released by the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Northern Territory government. It shows that alcohol related emergency department
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: presentations increased by fifty percent since those grog bands lifted
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: in July. So the ABC reporting Matt Garreck reporting that
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: presentations at Alice Springs Hospital increased from eight hundred and
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: fifty cases in the second quarter of twenty twenty two
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: to nearly thirteen hundred by the fourth quarter, during which
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: time the Stronger Futures legislation ended. So that's a bit
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: of info that's just come out this morning. But we
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: do know as well today that newly appointed Regional Controller
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Darrell Anderson, who was appointed to advise the government on
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: the situation in Alice Springs, is due to report back
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: about the implementation of potential changes to alcohol restrictions in
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Central Australia. Today, many wondering if we're going to see
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: alcohol band in town camps or the re implementation of
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Stronger Future style restrictions. Now, the Senator for the Northern Territory,
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: Jacenter number jimper Price joins me on the line right now.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Good morning to your Senator.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: Now, how have things been going in our springs from
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: your perspective. For the last two days, with those takeaway
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: alcohol restrictions in place.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: Well, I guess there's less, you know, there's still you
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: still see drunks here and there, but not the amount
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: that we have had prior to There's not much difference
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: in terms of the groups of young people which swarm
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: our streets late at night, you know, getting out there
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: and trying to insight violence on our streets. Just that
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: element really hasn't changed at all. It's still not safe
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: to be to be out on the street. If people
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: want to go out of the town, there's probably one
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: or maybe two venues that they can go to, but
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: going between those venues poses a problem because of the
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: amount of young people on the streets trying to see
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: what they can do to cause trouble.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Oh and horrible as well. Over the last couple of days,
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: you know, I've shared on social media one instance where
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: there's people, you know, behind the gates at a hotel
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: or behind a fence at a hotel, people young people
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: spitting and then swearing and then turning into a fight.
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: And then there's also vision from yesterday with teenagers with
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: an axe as I understand it, and another young bloke
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: trying to get away. And the really scary and sad
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: part here is that for us here in the Northern Territory,
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: this isn't new, Like none of this is new. I
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: know it's really shocking to the rest of the nation.
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: But you've been talking about this for as long as
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: I've been talking to you.
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean I feel like I'm
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: just banging my head against the brick wall, and you
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: know it's quite insulting. You know, this is my hometown.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: I mean, I understand that our member for Linkiari, who
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: I appreciate being talking about it, but I've lived here
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: for eighteen months and I've been here on my life
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: and continue to be ignored even I've asked for, you know,
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: bipartisan support from the Labor government to be able to
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: do something about this. When to clearly outlined to my
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: concerns to this territory government about what would happen once
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: the Stronger Futures legislation came to an end, and they're
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: just letting letting things just go by the wayside. Basically,
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: you know, we didn't need a crystal ball, you know.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: Hearing you site those figures, this morning. That's not something
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: new to us as well. You know, as locals, we
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: don't need the statistics. We can see everything before our eyes.
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: And I just don't understand the reluctance to act effectively
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: to be able to support these communities who you know,
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: and who have the most vulnerable Australians within these communities.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: It's like Aboriginal people. It's complete hands off, just don't
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: do anything for fear of being called racist or if
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: there's a measure that they don't agree with. You know,
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: Natasha Files achievements. The Files pulls out the racism card
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: every time. Chancey Pate pulls out the racism card every time.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: But they're completely and utterly ineffective in anything they attempt
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: to try it well, they're not even attempting to try to,
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: you know, certainly uphold the human rights of these children.
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: These children in fact, under Darrell Anderson's watch, she was
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: previously head of Territory Families. It was her responsibility in
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: child protection to ensure these children remained in you know, situations,
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: in circumstances that their lives were going to be protected.
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: But quite often I was told regularly by foster parents
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: of the fact that they were so beside themselves that
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: their children, the children they were caring for, were to
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: be returned to KIN because all of a sudden, you know,
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: a child that they've taken care of from when they
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: were babies till the age of seven or eight, someone's
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: put the hand up and said that we're kin, will
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: take will take these kids. When these kids have lived
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: in places like Alice Springs, where they've gone to school,
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: where they've had all their medical needs met, or their
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: special needs met, all their needs met that were going
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: to allow them to grow up to become well rounded
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: and educated adults. That's been stripped from those children when
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: they've been put back out into households that were dysfunctional,
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: out on communities where none of the services are available
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: to meet their needs, against the advice of professionals like
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: child psychologists, pediatricians. I've heard so many stories of that
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: taking place, and during the time during Durell Anderson's tenure.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: So it concerns me that this government is relying on
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: this report from someone who hasn't even actually consulted leaders
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: within the community, organizations like Congress, even people like myself
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: to devise a strategy going forward. I don't understand why
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: they were relying solely on this individual to make decisions
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: going ahead when everyone else has got many of the
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: solutions that they're completely ignoring.
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: So Senator, you know, taking that into account and taking
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: into account what you've just seed, what do you think,
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: you know, what do you think we are going to
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: see today when that report is handed to the federal
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: to the federal government.
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: Well, I can't be sure. You know, it's a bit
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: like it's a bit like a lucky dip, you know,
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: stick your hand in and pull out whatever. We don't
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: know what we're going to see. I have obviously drafted
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: this bill which when we go back to Parliament I
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: will introduce which which seeks to reinstate the alcohol bands
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: in town camps where women and children, vulnerable people are
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: crying out for it, and in back out in those
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: communities until such time if communities want to have alcohol
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: in them, then they have to have in place an
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: effective alcohol management plan that the infrastructure and the education
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: that goes with it, because you can't simply just allow
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: for alcohol back in these communities. Obviously, but you know,
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: this is what should have happened, and perhaps this is
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: what you know Durell will suggest. I don't know. I
• 7:12
  Speaker 2: don't think any of us are going to hold our breath,
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: but it'll be interesting to see and you know, perhaps
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: perhaps politically that they look they're seeking to make my deal,
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: my bill redundant. But we'll see, because well I have
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: been in talk with Marion and Melanderry about it and
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: I'm hopeful that they will support me.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: I think, you know, like honestly, I think we're at
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: the point where political party lines need to be dropped.
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: You know, we've got a crisis going on in Central
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: Australia and if we start to go I'm not doing
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: that because Jacinda's drafted it, or I'm not doing that
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: because Marian's drafted it or whatever, nothing's going to change.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: You know, we're at the point where we've we've got
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: these really you know, really strong indigenous women leaders like
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: yourself standing up up saying we need to do you know, X,
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: Y and Z, we actually have to listen to you
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: rather than you know, following our party their party lines.
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: But in the Australian today as well, Senator the Minister
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burning Now she's actually told Sky
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: News that recommendations in this report you know that's going
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: to be released today, will be considered very carefully by
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: the government, and protecting women and children was the top priority.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Does that give you any more hope hearing her say
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: those words?
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: You know, until really, until I see action, it's all
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: just words. It's all just what it is. And again,
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: if we really want to be serious about protecting children,
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: then there needs to be an absolute overhaul and a
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: child protection system that no longer prioritizes a child's language
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: or culture or connection to land, but prioritize the human
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: rights to live a life free of violence and sexual abuse.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: If they were really serious, and they'd allow the opportunity
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: for these kids to have permanent care until the age
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: of toil the adulthood with the families that are in
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: fact doing that and upholding their human rights, regardless of
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: what the family's racial background is. And we provide the
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: opportunity for those kids to also be adopted as Indigenous children.
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: And we'd actually allow for more nurses like Rachel Hale
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: to come forward to actually tell us exactly what we're
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: talking about here. I mean, she's talking about four year
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: olds with anal warts. She's talking about two year olds
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: with STIs talking about whole families with gonorrhea. We've got
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: to get real about what's actually going on. We've got
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: to stop making this a race based issue and make
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: this a humanitarian issue.
• 9:55
  Speaker 1: I know there'll be so many people listening this morning
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: who agree with what you were saying, Senator, and you know,
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: feeling exactly the same that it has to be, you know,
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: like it can't be a race based issue. We've got
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: to make some inroads here. And what we're doing at
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: the moment is it's not working. You know, what's going
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: on in Ella Springs is an indication of that. What
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: do you think could be happening immediately today to try
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: and you know, to try and really turn off the
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: tap and make some change immediately.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: Well, they need to bring back the cashless debit card.
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: Another Basics card exists for some that want it, but
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: the cashless debit card as a tool was far more
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: effective and a more superior form of technology than the
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: Basics card. They need to reinstate those bands effective immediately,
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: and I don't see why they can't then, you know,
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: provide that opportunity. It needs to be a process for
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: opting out of such bands. But we know the legislation
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: is there and it exists, and well, look when it
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: comes to children, they need to the government turn around
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: and honor the commitment that I made the eight point
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: three million dollars to yiper in the school to be
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: able to build the accommodation there for staff and students,
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: a stafe haven in an education with an education focused
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: for those problem kids that are on our streets that
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: deal specifically with you know, those those vulnerable children from
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: town camps, and look at how they can support a
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: model like that elsewhere in the Northern territory. And you
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: know what you know then there that does need to
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: be consequences for the crimes that are commuted on our streets.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: And increasing the age of criminal responsibility does not speak
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: to that doesn't help when you've got you know, kids
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: twelve year olds who are sexually abusing other children, I mean,
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: wielding machetes and those sorts of things. You can't tell
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: me those kids don't understand that that's the wrong behavior.
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: There needs to be more effective consequences with regard to that,
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: and perhaps it's those responsible adults that need to also
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: understand what those consequences might look like in the community
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: of Hermansburg at the moment, they're actually they're problem kids.
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: The community is putting out flyers with their faces on
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: them and a description of what they have done, and
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: those children are being held to account by family members,
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: by community members. If the government is going to step
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: up and put in place in such measures, maybe the
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: community need to start doing that ourselves.
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Well. Just center number, jimper Price, We always appreciate your time.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: Thank you very much for having a chat with us today,
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: and I reckon we'll be talking over the coming days
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: after we see exactly what the federal and Northern Territory
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: government announced this afternoon, if they announced something this afternoon,
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: and whether they make this report public.
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: Thank you very much, Katie, thank you