Mr CONLAN - 2010-10-26
Last week in this House, your government bragged about the success of the Alice Springs Youth Action Plan. Two days later, police revealed gangs of youth on the streets of Alice Springs involved in a competition to see who could commit the most crimes – true story. Your Alice Springs Youth Action Plan is, clearly, a complete failure despite your pontificating in this House day after day of what a success it is. It should be renamed the Alice Springs inaction plan, or the we support wayward youth on the streets plan, or we support youth terrorising the residents of Alice Springs plan - anything but a youth action plan, because that it is not.
When are you going to take the tough action needed to protect the people of Alice Springs? When are you going to do it? Will you answer the question?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that was not a question; that was a rant. The ranting and ravings from the member for Greatorex offer no solutions; they are just the rantings and ravings of someone who is not interested in public policy or in taking courageous decisions which are the right decisions for Alice Springs. All the member for Greatorex is interested in is amplifying the problems and yelling from the rooftops about what a terrible place Alice Springs is. There are, obviously, significant issues in Alice Springs, but if everyone went around with the attitude of the member for Greatorex, then heaven help us.
As we have said, those young people out on the streets in Alice Springs are there for a variety of reasons. One of the most significant reasons is their home is not a great place to be - and home is not a great place to be for a number of reasons. If those kids are growing up in the town camps, it will be because of significant overcrowding in the houses, something which is being addressed with 80 new houses being built.
Those kids are out on the streets because home ain’t a great place to be because of domestic violence issues or issues around alcohol and substance abuse. Those are the reasons, so you have to have a comprehensive policy framework to tackle those issues such as the government’s alcohol plans we have in place in Alice Springs. As I said, with 66% of assaults, 56% domestic violence-related, those homes ain’t a great place to be, and that is why those kids, in a large part, are on the streets.
Our plans have the endorsement of AMSANT, Menzies School of Health Research, the Police Commissioner, the Lord Mayors, NAAJA, NTCOSS, the Law Society, Amity, FORWAARD, the Liquor Association, AHA, and alcohol lobby groups in Alice Springs. That is a pretty good roll call of people who say the government’s plan is worth trying.
I challenge the member for Greatorex to name any independent NGO evidence-based research to demonstrate that opening trading hours for longer, increasing the sales of alcohol, will do anything to improve the situation in Alice Springs. It is nothing but a lack of political courage and plain, simple political populism.
When are you going to take the tough action needed to protect the people of Alice Springs? When are you going to do it? Will you answer the question?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, that was not a question; that was a rant. The ranting and ravings from the member for Greatorex offer no solutions; they are just the rantings and ravings of someone who is not interested in public policy or in taking courageous decisions which are the right decisions for Alice Springs. All the member for Greatorex is interested in is amplifying the problems and yelling from the rooftops about what a terrible place Alice Springs is. There are, obviously, significant issues in Alice Springs, but if everyone went around with the attitude of the member for Greatorex, then heaven help us.
As we have said, those young people out on the streets in Alice Springs are there for a variety of reasons. One of the most significant reasons is their home is not a great place to be - and home is not a great place to be for a number of reasons. If those kids are growing up in the town camps, it will be because of significant overcrowding in the houses, something which is being addressed with 80 new houses being built.
Those kids are out on the streets because home ain’t a great place to be because of domestic violence issues or issues around alcohol and substance abuse. Those are the reasons, so you have to have a comprehensive policy framework to tackle those issues such as the government’s alcohol plans we have in place in Alice Springs. As I said, with 66% of assaults, 56% domestic violence-related, those homes ain’t a great place to be, and that is why those kids, in a large part, are on the streets.
Our plans have the endorsement of AMSANT, Menzies School of Health Research, the Police Commissioner, the Lord Mayors, NAAJA, NTCOSS, the Law Society, Amity, FORWAARD, the Liquor Association, AHA, and alcohol lobby groups in Alice Springs. That is a pretty good roll call of people who say the government’s plan is worth trying.
I challenge the member for Greatorex to name any independent NGO evidence-based research to demonstrate that opening trading hours for longer, increasing the sales of alcohol, will do anything to improve the situation in Alice Springs. It is nothing but a lack of political courage and plain, simple political populism.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016