Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
As I've mentioned earlier this morning, we know that Sky
News is reporting that community leaders are demanding urgent action
after a sixteen year old girl was stripped and bashed
by a group of youths on the streets in Alice Springs.
The footage is absolutely appalling now. It ran on Sky
News yesterday. It also ran on nine News Darwin last night.
(00:23):
It's horrifying stuff. Joining us on the line right now
to talk more about this and the issues that continue
to be experienced in Alice Springs, your br and your
school principal, Gavin Morris, Good morning to you, Gavin.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Morning Smith.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Now, Gavin, you said yesterday to Sky News at the
footage was the worst that you'd seen in twenty five
years working as an educator. I mean it was appalling.
There's no other way to put it.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
It is an i'm most shrinking violence. I've worked on
the front line in obrigal communities right across the top
end in central Australia and it's clearly the word thing
I've ever seen. I do have the I do have
the unblurred version of that footage and it's absolutely well,
it's r rated and it's abhorrent. It's it's Aboriginal traditional
(01:15):
law and the form of payback getting corrupted by gang lands,
street violence, young people out of control and a tip
for tat which has been going on now for a
couple of weeks, Katie, in response to the fatal the
fatality that the tragic fatality of the young man two
weeks ago in the stolen car where aid of his
(01:35):
mate sort of climbed over the top of him, left
in the door when they scurried off into the night.
So it's footage that is absolutely it's confronting in every
way and it's the worst thing I've seen in twenty.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Five Some of these some of these girls are they
from your school?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
They are we know the identity of some of the
girls and they are from you pretty school. And we're
absolutely devastated, absolutely devastated our wrap around support mechanisms. We
should be working with these girls for so long and
keeping them out of palm's way and keeping them out
of their judicial system. It feels like that, you know,
that's just been thrown right back in our faces, dealing
(02:14):
with staff who are absolutely guarded. So some of those
kids are from your friend school. I will take responsibility
for that as you know, Katie'll be only prague and
numerous times, you know, I do advocate for a trauma
and form practice where a nonpumunitive approach to it to education,
which I think why the numbers that your prenious school
have grown so much because the kids feel safe here.
(02:36):
But for those girls involved with that the other night,
that's gone too far and you know the book needs
to be thrown at that. That's just way beyond what
society norms allow.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I mean, like, what are your educators? You work so
closely with the indigenous community and with the community there,
Like what are people saying to you this morning? Gave
as this, Like as this footage goes around the.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Nation, there's an absolute feeling of despair and helplessness because
we've taken you an example of those girls. You know,
some of those girls with five or six percent attenders
this time last year and now there are eighty plus percent.
You know, we're carrying our load, and we'll take responsibility
for the stuff that we're doing well in the stuff
(03:22):
that we need to improve on. But there's just despair
kating in terms of you know, what, what are the
other services providing? What are you know, what's happening when
these kids go home, and who's responsible for providing the
service delivery to ensure that these girls in this instance,
or any any child or family in need in crisis
(03:44):
gets a support that they need. And Katie, we know
that there's hundreds of mellions of dollars getting pumped into
Central Australia to deal with these issues. And enough is enough.
We need we need more than an audit in terms
of who's doing right. There needs to be a Royal
commission into this, that the standard of the town camps.
You know, these girls that they don't go home. These
(04:05):
houses aren't safe, they aren't up to Australian standards in
tween twenty four. They're just the concentration sites of abject
generational poverty and as a result of a whole range
of stuff not happening, not occurring, and things not being
(04:25):
delivered in community, they're being compounded and now the symptoms
of that are flowing in the streets and the footage
we saw the other day is just an extraordinary example
of how wrong it's gone in Central Australia.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Devin, you know we have heard over the last let's
say year and a half of an extraordinary amount of
money earmarked for Central Australia. You know, we know that
the federal government's announced bucket loads of money. I mean,
is it flowing in and by the sounds of it
from what you're saying, do you think there needs to
(05:00):
be a royal commission because it's not actually being effective
or impacting in the way that it should be.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Exactly, there needs to be a royal commission. You can't
you can't see that footage from these goals the other night.
Know that there's hundreds of meanings that dollars coming into
two community to work with those families in these communities
and accept those things happening. So there are hundreds of
millions of dollars, we know that that's happening. Organizations are
quick to stick their hand up when the money is
(05:31):
coming into other screens. But it's a bit of a
different story when the robber hits the road in terms
of service delivery, and Katie, I'm not suggesting for a
moment this isn't a very complex issue. It's very difficult
to work on the front line in the most one
of the most complex environments in Australia. But if you're
charged with the responsibility of being here, and you're an
(05:52):
organization who attracts large buckets of money, you need to
be had accountable to ensure there's outcomes in community. And
if you're getting the money and it's now outcomes, well
then we need an honest conversation. And that's where I
think we're at now that the hard conversations need to occur.
They're not nice, but they're right. And the hard conversations
(06:12):
are your organizations attract one hundreds of millions of dollars,
there's no way outcomes on the ground. We need to
move you on. And until those conversations happen, until the
investigation into where the money comes in, where the money
goes in, the outcomes that we see tangibly in the
community on the ground. Until that happens, this escalation that
(06:33):
we're seeing at the moment around Payback and around this
game land Street type violence will continue, and it's compounding
and it's escalating, and certainly, you know, I'm absolutely not
trying to sensationalize it, and I understand that, you know,
shining the lights on these events goes that in some way.
(06:54):
But we're in a truth telling We need to tell
our truth and this is what it actually looks like,
and then come up with the solutions to address it
and to respond to it. And the first response I
believe needs to happen is an audit at the very
least and a raw commission at the very most into
who's responsible for what in Central Australia, where's the money
(07:17):
going and where's the bloody outcomes on the ground in community.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
I agree with you. I think it has reached the
point now where there is so much money flowing into
Central Australia, I cannot understand why there's not some outcomes.
I mean, Gavin, are you, like, are you concerned that
by being so honest that by rocking the boat to
some degree here and talking about this so openly and
(07:41):
honestly you know that like that the school might not
get that funding for the boarding school law? Or where
are you at with that? Are you worried? Like, are
you worried about that? In any way?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Oh, I'm worried about that footage, KT, I'm worried about
you know, That's not the only piece of footage that
I've got carriage of. You know, there's other stuff that's
come out, you know, with a whole range of anti
social behavior and youth crime. And you know, with our
community being in the crisis that it's in and when
I make comments as I do, it's from a strength
(08:15):
based perspective with the kids at heart. That's the starting
point and that's the endpoint. It's for the kids. I'm
here for the kids. But absolutely when I make comments
and come into your program and others like it, it
does come at a personal and professional risk to me.
But that's a load that I'm willing to carry to
ensure that we get a truth telling to help these
(08:37):
kids out, to get to make sure that we understand
what's actually occurring, the challenges that are getting faced by
service providers, by community, by families in Central Australia and
our springs, so then we can come up with a
real response to change the conversation. Otherwise what's going to
happen is we're just going to have a continuation of
people walking past the problem or accepting it. Where and
(09:00):
absolutely no other part of Australia would we be accepting
keep the runs or keeps dying and stolen cars and
climbing over people dying in patient a seat. And then
you know that's what he's with the girls the other night.
In no other part of Australia is that even close
to acceptable, and that shouldn't be the case here, That
shouldn't be normalized in Central Australia.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
I agree with you. I agree with you. You know,
what we've seen is utterly appalling and unfortunately, you know,
from an outsider perspective, it does not seem to be
getting any better. And I do think at the very least,
like you've said, there needs to be an audit into
these different organization, into the millions of dollars being invested
into Central Australia that is meant to be delivering outcomes
(09:45):
and is meant to be helping on the ground, and
at this point in time it does not seem to
be helping in any way.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
No, it doesn't. I'm really keen to find out what's
happened to the Court of the d which was announced
at the start of last year. I know forty men
of that was carved off the forty six schools in
Central Australia on country learning, and that's been spent in
different ways. But you know, you know, I'm on the ground,
I'm on the front line, and I'm willing to stand
(10:15):
up on behalf and advocate for the kids and their
families in Central Australia. I understand the complexities of working here,
and I understand the complexities of living here, and I
see every day the barriers that our families face in
terms of getting access to basic services like safe and
fable accommodation, food security, financial security. We've been able to
(10:37):
get access to education and health and other services. You know,
it's a very strong and resilient community in Central Australia.
But where is the money going and where's the outcomes?
Where can we see the measurable outcomes. That's that's attracting
huge buckets of funding. And if we can't see the
outcomes or if they're not occurring, then tough conversations need
(10:59):
to occur and they need to start a caring from today.
And Katie, you brought up the funding for the boarding school,
and it's that's the same way if eight or ten
or twelve million dollars gets pumped in the your perna
or a boarding school, their expectations should be on your
paringa to be had accountable to ensure that the boarding
school's operational and there's measurable outcomes in the community as
(11:20):
the results of.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
That absolutely not.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Then we need to be hod accountable just like everyone
else should be. Yeah, that's the conversation that needs to
be happening from today.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Well, doctor Gavin Morris, you're bring your school principal and
also counselor. I really appreciate your time. As always, we'll
stay in contact with you. Let's wait and see whether
we get any movement from the Northern Territory or federal
government around some kind of order or a Royal commission
into these services being delivered into central Australia.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Time will tell. Thanks so much, Katie Almus appreciate it.
Goodbyeing for you listening.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Thanks Gavin. See
As I've mentioned earlier this morning, we know that Sky
News is reporting that community leaders are demanding urgent action
after a sixteen year old girl was stripped and bashed
by a group of youths on the streets in Alice Springs.
The footage is absolutely appalling now. It ran on Sky
News yesterday. It also ran on nine News Darwin last night.
(00:23):
It's horrifying stuff. Joining us on the line right now
to talk more about this and the issues that continue
to be experienced in Alice Springs, your br and your
school principal, Gavin Morris, Good morning to you, Gavin.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Morning Smith.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Now, Gavin, you said yesterday to Sky News at the
footage was the worst that you'd seen in twenty five
years working as an educator. I mean it was appalling.
There's no other way to put it.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
It is an i'm most shrinking violence. I've worked on
the front line in obrigal communities right across the top
end in central Australia and it's clearly the word thing
I've ever seen. I do have the I do have
the unblurred version of that footage and it's absolutely well,
it's r rated and it's abhorrent. It's it's Aboriginal traditional
(01:15):
law and the form of payback getting corrupted by gang lands,
street violence, young people out of control and a tip
for tat which has been going on now for a
couple of weeks, Katie, in response to the fatal the
fatality that the tragic fatality of the young man two
weeks ago in the stolen car where aid of his
(01:35):
mate sort of climbed over the top of him, left
in the door when they scurried off into the night.
So it's footage that is absolutely it's confronting in every
way and it's the worst thing I've seen in twenty.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Five Some of these some of these girls are they
from your school?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
They are we know the identity of some of the
girls and they are from you pretty school. And we're
absolutely devastated, absolutely devastated our wrap around support mechanisms. We
should be working with these girls for so long and
keeping them out of palm's way and keeping them out
of their judicial system. It feels like that, you know,
that's just been thrown right back in our faces, dealing
(02:14):
with staff who are absolutely guarded. So some of those
kids are from your friend school. I will take responsibility
for that as you know, Katie'll be only prague and
numerous times, you know, I do advocate for a trauma
and form practice where a nonpumunitive approach to it to education,
which I think why the numbers that your prenious school
have grown so much because the kids feel safe here.
(02:36):
But for those girls involved with that the other night,
that's gone too far and you know the book needs
to be thrown at that. That's just way beyond what
society norms allow.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I mean, like, what are your educators? You work so
closely with the indigenous community and with the community there,
Like what are people saying to you this morning? Gave
as this, Like as this footage goes around the.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Nation, there's an absolute feeling of despair and helplessness because
we've taken you an example of those girls. You know,
some of those girls with five or six percent attenders
this time last year and now there are eighty plus percent.
You know, we're carrying our load, and we'll take responsibility
for the stuff that we're doing well in the stuff
(03:22):
that we need to improve on. But there's just despair
kating in terms of you know, what, what are the
other services providing? What are you know, what's happening when
these kids go home, and who's responsible for providing the
service delivery to ensure that these girls in this instance,
or any any child or family in need in crisis
(03:44):
gets a support that they need. And Katie, we know
that there's hundreds of mellions of dollars getting pumped into
Central Australia to deal with these issues. And enough is enough.
We need we need more than an audit in terms
of who's doing right. There needs to be a Royal
commission into this, that the standard of the town camps.
You know, these girls that they don't go home. These
(04:05):
houses aren't safe, they aren't up to Australian standards in
tween twenty four. They're just the concentration sites of abject
generational poverty and as a result of a whole range
of stuff not happening, not occurring, and things not being
(04:25):
delivered in community, they're being compounded and now the symptoms
of that are flowing in the streets and the footage
we saw the other day is just an extraordinary example
of how wrong it's gone in Central Australia.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Devin, you know we have heard over the last let's
say year and a half of an extraordinary amount of
money earmarked for Central Australia. You know, we know that
the federal government's announced bucket loads of money. I mean,
is it flowing in and by the sounds of it
from what you're saying, do you think there needs to
(05:00):
be a royal commission because it's not actually being effective
or impacting in the way that it should be.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Exactly, there needs to be a royal commission. You can't
you can't see that footage from these goals the other night.
Know that there's hundreds of meanings that dollars coming into
two community to work with those families in these communities
and accept those things happening. So there are hundreds of
millions of dollars, we know that that's happening. Organizations are
quick to stick their hand up when the money is
(05:31):
coming into other screens. But it's a bit of a
different story when the robber hits the road in terms
of service delivery, and Katie, I'm not suggesting for a
moment this isn't a very complex issue. It's very difficult
to work on the front line in the most one
of the most complex environments in Australia. But if you're
charged with the responsibility of being here, and you're an
(05:52):
organization who attracts large buckets of money, you need to
be had accountable to ensure there's outcomes in community. And
if you're getting the money and it's now outcomes, well
then we need an honest conversation. And that's where I
think we're at now that the hard conversations need to occur.
They're not nice, but they're right. And the hard conversations
(06:12):
are your organizations attract one hundreds of millions of dollars,
there's no way outcomes on the ground. We need to
move you on. And until those conversations happen, until the
investigation into where the money comes in, where the money
goes in, the outcomes that we see tangibly in the
community on the ground. Until that happens, this escalation that
(06:33):
we're seeing at the moment around Payback and around this
game land Street type violence will continue, and it's compounding
and it's escalating, and certainly, you know, I'm absolutely not
trying to sensationalize it, and I understand that, you know,
shining the lights on these events goes that in some way.
(06:54):
But we're in a truth telling We need to tell
our truth and this is what it actually looks like,
and then come up with the solutions to address it
and to respond to it. And the first response I
believe needs to happen is an audit at the very
least and a raw commission at the very most into
who's responsible for what in Central Australia, where's the money
(07:17):
going and where's the bloody outcomes on the ground in community.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
I agree with you. I think it has reached the
point now where there is so much money flowing into
Central Australia, I cannot understand why there's not some outcomes.
I mean, Gavin, are you, like, are you concerned that
by being so honest that by rocking the boat to
some degree here and talking about this so openly and
(07:41):
honestly you know that like that the school might not
get that funding for the boarding school law? Or where
are you at with that? Are you worried? Like, are
you worried about that? In any way?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Oh, I'm worried about that footage, KT, I'm worried about
you know, That's not the only piece of footage that
I've got carriage of. You know, there's other stuff that's
come out, you know, with a whole range of anti
social behavior and youth crime. And you know, with our
community being in the crisis that it's in and when
I make comments as I do, it's from a strength
(08:15):
based perspective with the kids at heart. That's the starting
point and that's the endpoint. It's for the kids. I'm
here for the kids. But absolutely when I make comments
and come into your program and others like it, it
does come at a personal and professional risk to me.
But that's a load that I'm willing to carry to
ensure that we get a truth telling to help these
(08:37):
kids out, to get to make sure that we understand
what's actually occurring, the challenges that are getting faced by
service providers, by community, by families in Central Australia and
our springs, so then we can come up with a
real response to change the conversation. Otherwise what's going to
happen is we're just going to have a continuation of
people walking past the problem or accepting it. Where and
(09:00):
absolutely no other part of Australia would we be accepting
keep the runs or keeps dying and stolen cars and
climbing over people dying in patient a seat. And then
you know that's what he's with the girls the other night.
In no other part of Australia is that even close
to acceptable, and that shouldn't be the case here, That
shouldn't be normalized in Central Australia.
Speaker 1 (09:21):
I agree with you. I agree with you. You know,
what we've seen is utterly appalling and unfortunately, you know,
from an outsider perspective, it does not seem to be
getting any better. And I do think at the very least,
like you've said, there needs to be an audit into
these different organization, into the millions of dollars being invested
into Central Australia that is meant to be delivering outcomes
(09:45):
and is meant to be helping on the ground, and
at this point in time it does not seem to
be helping in any way.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
No, it doesn't. I'm really keen to find out what's
happened to the Court of the d which was announced
at the start of last year. I know forty men
of that was carved off the forty six schools in
Central Australia on country learning, and that's been spent in
different ways. But you know, you know, I'm on the ground,
I'm on the front line, and I'm willing to stand
(10:15):
up on behalf and advocate for the kids and their
families in Central Australia. I understand the complexities of working here,
and I understand the complexities of living here, and I
see every day the barriers that our families face in
terms of getting access to basic services like safe and
fable accommodation, food security, financial security. We've been able to
(10:37):
get access to education and health and other services. You know,
it's a very strong and resilient community in Central Australia.
But where is the money going and where's the outcomes?
Where can we see the measurable outcomes. That's that's attracting
huge buckets of funding. And if we can't see the
outcomes or if they're not occurring, then tough conversations need
(10:59):
to occur and they need to start a caring from today.
And Katie, you brought up the funding for the boarding school,
and it's that's the same way if eight or ten
or twelve million dollars gets pumped in the your perna
or a boarding school, their expectations should be on your
paringa to be had accountable to ensure that the boarding
school's operational and there's measurable outcomes in the community as
(11:20):
the results of.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
That absolutely not.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Then we need to be hod accountable just like everyone
else should be. Yeah, that's the conversation that needs to
be happening from today.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Well, doctor Gavin Morris, you're bring your school principal and
also counselor. I really appreciate your time. As always, we'll
stay in contact with you. Let's wait and see whether
we get any movement from the Northern Territory or federal
government around some kind of order or a Royal commission
into these services being delivered into central Australia.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Time will tell. Thanks so much, Katie Almus appreciate it.
Goodbyeing for you listening.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Thanks Gavin. See
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