Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
We have got the local member for Catherine and also
the Education Minister, Joe Hersey, on the line. We're obviously
keen to talk to her about education, but given the
fact we've just spoken to Dan, he has told us
what had gone on earlier in the week. Joe Hersey,
good morning to you. I don't know whether you heard Dan.
We just had him on the line from Catherine and
(00:20):
he had given us a little.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Bit a little bit of what Dan had to say.
First of all, good morning listeners, and coming from a
very busy Catherine show that Yeah. But so I'm not
sure that one of the ladies is in hospital. That
is not my understanding. I spoke to the owner of
the coffee club, Niki, this morning. I have just tried
(00:44):
to get that information from him. But from what I
gathered from her this morning, know that the other lady
is not in hospital. Suffice to say, Nikki, they were
Katie when I went to see them on Thursday morning,
I think it was they were absolutely I think it
was Wednesday morning. Actually, sorry, it's been a very busy week.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
That's all right.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
They were both absolutely in shock and Nicky was in tears,
and you know, I know Niki very well, and I
absolutely back down in saying everyone, if Nicky's going to
open up tomorrow, everyone get down there and support it.
They open at six point thirty in the morning and
they were actually in their working I think NICKI said
(01:29):
one of them was making a coffee and the other
one was just doing a bit of mopping of the floor.
And yeah, these people came in. But I've also followed
up with the police and two of those people have
been arrested. So well done to the police forgetting those
people off the streets and in custody. And they've been
working very hard. It's been a very big week here
(01:50):
for yeah road accidents.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, well it's been a blood of Shoka And that
was what he said. You know, people are feeling quite broken,
and you feel though, you know, everybody getting down there
tomorrow and supporting the coffee club and supporting those women
is you know what the community needs, Joe. I mean,
the thought of these women being set upon while they're
(02:14):
there at work in the early hours of the morning,
it it brings a whole raft of emotions. It's hard
to articulate how I feel, and I don't live.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
There, and absolutely Katie, and when I heard about it
yesterday because she got broken into at two thirty am,
and so she had obviously been at work. NICKI had
been at work there, and then at six point thirty
these two people came back in and you know, assaulted
them and stole other things. Absolutely unacceptable. As I said,
(02:46):
the police have been working over time to make sure
they've got those people in custody, and I just followed
up again with them this morning. But yeah, it is
absolutely unacceptable. It is something that as a government we
do not accept. And I did hear that gentleman just
talking about there was two different tones of policing. I
(03:06):
don't believe that to be sue true. I work, you know,
I converse regularly with the commander, the acting commander hearing Catherine,
and they police the same right across and they are
very intolerant of this kind of behavior in our community,
as is our community. And I've spoken numerous times on
(03:28):
radio before Katy about you know, as a community we
all rally together and get behind each other, and you know,
we have had it's called comfort to say for people
like Nikki at the coffee club. But you know, things
have been going along pretty well all right, you know,
considering what we were putting up with ten months ago
before tagment.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Do you think there's people in town as a result
of the show. What do you think's going on here?
Because I mean, obviously this incident's occurred. We also saw
the stolen car from the showground taken on that joy ride.
It was connected, as I understand it, with the coffee club.
I mean, do you think that you've got a situation
here where people have come to town for the show
(04:08):
and it's all sort of blowing up? What's going on?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I think you're right. These people were from out of
town and so they are not they're actually not Territorians
even is my understanding that they've come from over the
border Kananaraway, and it is totally unacceptable to come into
our community and do this kind of you know, wanton
(04:33):
destruction and ruin people's lives and their business is totally
unacceptable and we as a government won't put up with
it and in order to police.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Look, I know some people listening will be going, well,
you guys are in power now, you know, and we've
spoken so much about crime over recent years. There's no
doubt about that. But there might be some people in
Catherine this morning, thinking, you guys are in power, what
are you going to do to stop this from happening
so that, you know, so that people can feel safe
when they go to work.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
That's exactly right, Katie. And we have strengthened the you know,
the bail laws. We've bought in more powerful police to
go out and you know, arrest. These people know they're
not getting let out on bail like they used to.
And we will continue to work and make sure that
our community does feel safe because when this kind of
thing happens. As I said, fortunately the police have worked
(05:25):
very hard. These two people are in custody, and you
know that's a great result, Joe.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
I mean in terms of this situation where people are
coming into town then from somewhere else, from another location
and behaving in this way, Like, what else can be
done to try and stop this? I mean, do you
need to have a situation where they they've got to
have some kind of of license or permit to come
into town.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Well, that's an interesting scenario, Katie, because I know that
when you go onto you know, different areas of the territory,
you do need to have a permit to go there,
and that might be some thing that you know, the
traditional owners of Catherine. And that's one of the difficult
things at the moment, Katie, is because we are still
you know, there's still the native title conversations and they're
(06:11):
still working that out for Catherine as to who are
the traditional owners. That's been going on for a long time.
And so I've spoken to the likes of Kolano, I've
spoken to the likes of Jawin, and even to the
Banajao group of the Jawan as well, to just say, well,
you know, it's all well and good for me as
the local member to stand up and say this is unacceptable,
(06:33):
but we need these aboriginal groups to stand up and
say this is unacceptable as well. I agree, and it's
not something that they want to do. They do do
it in I've certainly been in areas where they do
stand up and say this, but they don't come out
and do it loudly, whether it be in the newspaper
or you know, broadly out because it was something.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
That I was really important, like the you know, Larakie
and after the death of Limford fire came out really
strongly and said that they did not you know, tolerate
that kind of behavior happening here on Larachee Land. I
know they're very you know, they were very firm on that.
So do you mean those groups coming out and saying,
(07:16):
you know that they don't tolerate that criminal behavior, or
do you mean people traveling.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
That's exactly that's exactly what I think, you know, to
not tolerate that kind of behavior, but not have these
people come into town and give our town Aboriginal people
a very bad name, which is what happens. You cannot
tar everyone with the same brush. But they won't come
out and do that at the moment, Katie, until our
native title is sorted out. And so who are the
(07:44):
traditional owners because at the moment right it's between a
couple of different groups. And that's been going on, gosh
for a very long time. Every time I ask, it's
we're nearly there. We're nearly there, but it's I feel
like it's kind of how long's a bit of string?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Well, look, I think it's you know, it is certainly
another interesting aspect of the discussion.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Joe.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Just before I start to talk about the education, the
area of education, can I just ask very quickly in
terms of the coffee club and Dave did mention this
a short while ago. So they open at seven o'clock
tomorrow morning. Is that your understanding?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
On any given day, normally the coffee club opens at
six thirty am. I know Nicky is there at six
thirty am, and I know that customers are there at
six thirty am. I'm not sure if it's different tomorrow.
I think they want to open a little bit later,
but generally they are there at six thirty am.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
All right, Well, I would certainly, as I know you
would do and others encourage the community to get there,
to go and support this business, particularly after what they've
been through. I think it's woeful that they've been subjected
to that. Joe. I'll just move along though, because we
know that there has been some further data obviously come
(09:02):
out in relation to school attendance offices and the impact
that they are doing. So data from term two has
shown attendance rates at government schools was at seventy two
point six percent, which is down at half a percentage
point on the same time last year. From your perspective,
what makes you think that that school attendance is improving
(09:23):
despite these numbers showing a little bit of a different story.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
So, yeah, it is zero point five percentage, which is
a very small amount, but it's still not okay that
it's down instead of improving. We have pockets where it
is improving. For example, I know that even in opposition,
we spoke about I spoke with the previous government about
our perulum and I know that they have had a
(09:48):
considerable increase in their enrollments there at school. They've gone
from thirty three to seventy seven students. And there was
a lot of angst and disunity in the school with
the the staff at the school and with the community,
and that's why they saw a considerable decrease. And the
department has been working very well, very hard with the
(10:11):
our Perilum community and have got new staff in there,
and I think the fact that they've got more than
double the amount of people back at school again is
a good sign. But overall, Katie, the attendance officers are
working with students and families right across the territory. When
I was in Tenant Creek last week, I saw them
at the show. They were talking to families about the
(10:32):
fact that school was going back to following Monday, and
so you know, no, it's not acceptable, even if it's
er point five of a percent. We want kids to
be in school. We know that if they're in school,
they're not out there, you know, doing the wrong thing.
We also know that they're going to be educated on
a life to a meaningful employment, and that's exactly as
(10:52):
a government what we want.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Joe, has there been in the updates? I know that
you and I had spoken about this in the past,
and it was something that we've spoken about as well
when the former government was in power. I remember there
was an article at Matt Cunningham had rishon about about
some kids not attending school for extremely long periods of
time and then being taken.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Off the.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Enrollment. Yes, so where are things at with that? Are
they back, you know, sort of in school? How is
it working now?
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Yeah? I don't have the exact numbers of what it was,
but I know when we came into government there was
that kind of secret role and there was about sixteen
hundred kids on that role, and I know I think
in estimates, gosh, I think there was about five hundred
and fifty or so off that had gone back to school. Okay,
I'm not sure what those numbers look like today. I
(11:48):
can certainly get back to But that's why the attendance
officers continually working with the families and with the students
and with other services as well to work out how
they can support these families and students in getting back
to school. And I know that, you know, for example,
in Catherine, there was we had a bit of unrest
at the start of the year. You know, if some
(12:11):
of these kids haven't been to school for a while,
then you know they take time to settle in. But
the number one thing is we want all kids to
be at school on a pathway to meaningful employment.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
Jo In terms of you know, families being fined if
their kids aren't going to school. Have any families actually
been fined for not sending their kids to school?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
I am sorry, Katie, I don't have the numbers exactly.
There have been fines given out. As to whether those
fines have been paid, I don't have that in front
of me right now, but I definitely know that fines
have been written out for people, and there's certainly been
a lot of compliance notices as well. And when they
get the compliance notice, the attendance officer works with those
(12:56):
families with the student. If the student's been given it
working with them and if they go back to school
then those compliance noticed as a revote. But if they
continually flout the system and don't then they will receive
a fine jo.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Look before we let you go. This morning, obviously the
Catherine Show is underway. It's always such a busy time.
I mean, we've spoken about some of the not so
good things that have happened in Catherine throughout the week.
But how is the show going? Is it a record attendance?
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Oh my gosh, I tell you, Katie, I've been at
the showground since six point thirty this morning. It is
absolutely pumping. The grounds look amazing, So hats off to
all of the show committee. It's sixty years of our
Catherine Show. I've been attending for the last thirty five years.
It looks amazing. The grounds look amazing. Just with that
(13:47):
late rain we've had. I just ducked out to do
another amazing announcement quickly I'll tell you about with the
million dollars for an all weather community over the Bowls Club.
So we've just been down there with Minister Charles. That's
absolutely a fantastic piece of infrastructure for the lifestyle of
people here. In Katherine. I mean, we haven't been able
(14:09):
to have lawn bowls for a while, so they've got
new surface down they're going to be putting out to
tender for that. There's only about three different people that
do this all weather shade over the top of bowls,
but that's going to even just ran into someone this morning.
You know, the Red Cross were really excited about it
because they'll be able to have outdoor events. You know,
there's yoga, have looked at it to have some outdoor yoga.
(14:34):
So there's lots of things separate to also lawn bowls
and you know, barefoot bowls, all of these things that
we used to have before and the bowling green's been
out of action for a little while. It looks absolutely
fantastic and this announcement goes a long way to you know,
a greater lifestyle here in Katherine. And well that is
(14:55):
good to be back at the show store.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Yeah, well that is good to hear. Joe Hersey will
let you go. Thank you very much for your time
this morning.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Thanks Katie, thank you. Well, see everyone at
Speaker 1 (15:05):
The show sounds good.