Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now joining me on the line is the principle of
you bring your school. Gavin Morris, Good morning to you, Gavin.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Good morning morning listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Gavin, you were messaging us yesterday afternoon and letting us
know what was going on in Alice Springs. I've got
to tell you, it wasn't until I saw that vision
on the action for Alice page that I could truly
comprehend how bad things were.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It's something I've never experienced before. And I was only
on yours or your show twenty four hours ago saying that,
you know, these is the sort of stuff I've never
seen in a quarter of a century of work on
the frontline in education in Aboriginal communities. And yesterday afternoon
and last night both better than that, you know, it
was absolutely scenes that I've never experienced before. Fifty or
(00:46):
sixty people running through taking hostage of the CBD of
Ala Springs, or weaponized chasing security card guards into into businesses,
and people literally fleeing for their lives. And that's well
into town camps last night, and we were working myself
and staff members right across deep into the night. Two
(01:07):
three o'clock this morning, we're receiving phone calls from staff
members saying someone needs to come and get me out,
and we're hiding staff where, we're getting staff out of
the town camp, particularly the town camp and Hidden Valley,
which is a real hot spot, and trying to get
them out of harm's way. It's absolute anarchy.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Kevin, What needs to happen right now? What do you
think needs to happen to try to restore a level
of safety for everybody.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Absolutely, this is way beyond the capacity of the Northern
Territory government and police with the numbers that we've got
on the ground. The AFP needs to be brought in immediately.
I mean, I'm a principal of three hundred and fifty
Aboriginal kids who come from the town camps, all of them.
We we've mapped our families and who were involved with
(02:02):
the payback and who's likely to be public payback today
and tomorrow, and basically every single one of the three
hundred and fifty kids is somehow implicated. We know that
we had kids in Humsway last night. We know that
we had kids watching watching the violence, and then coming
to school today. I met with all of my staff.
I have seventy full time staff who majority of which
(02:24):
comes from the town camp. And I said to them,
I was the heart was on my sleeve. I said
to them, I cannot promise you this is a safe
workplace today. My duty of care is to provide you
a safe workplace to come and enjoy your work, but
more importantly, be safe at work. And today I cannot
guarantee you of that. And if you feel that your
(02:46):
safety is at risk and he don't feel comfortable to
be here, then come and see me and we can
work on leave provisions. We've got strategies in place at
the school. We've got security guards at the front of
the gates. We're very concerned that the payback and what
you saw running through the hour of spring CBD yesterday afternoon,
(03:06):
and that could have happened anywhere. And given who we are,
the amount of Aboriginal people we have from the town camp,
family members of those kids who were involved with the
car accident, family members of the driver of those cars,
family members of those girls that were involved in that
horrific vision from the other day. They all work and
live here and always got a very very concerned workforce
(03:30):
in community.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So, Gavinor, you worried that things could potentially be worse
over the next twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
There is no question at all. When I met with
our Aboriginal staff this morning at seven am, there is
no question that this is that this will continue and escalate.
You just have to look at some of the Facebook
messages which are flying around on social media. This is
by no means over. I mean, potentially it was the
ray last night that sort of well, whatever was going
(04:01):
to happen last night, But let's be clear, it was
the mob that stopped the fighting. It wasn't the police
that stopped the mob. So at the moment, our community
is taken hostage by an absolutely lawless mob who are
out of control. I'm yet to hear from any of
the major traditional owners and there a tipper and you
(04:24):
know there should be calls from the AFP to come
in and take over. There need to be accountability from
the traditional owners here as well. Around right, this is
central arnder Land. If you aren't Central Arrander and you're
causing this, you need to be removed.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Gavin Mate, I am at a loss for you guys.
I don't know if you heard about fifteen minutes ago
or maybe twenty minutes ago, we spoke to the Chief
Minister of the Northern Territory. Did you happen to hear
that interview?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
I did, yes, I have y.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Do you feel confident that the government's got this thing
under control?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Or twenty an AFL team less of police officers in
addition to what's already here, and by the sound of it,
many of those officers we get there anyway. You know,
with all due respect, that's being in the ocean, absolute anarchy.
We have been taken hostage and when the bob decided
they want to start again, that's when it will start again.
(05:23):
There is no control. You can feel the tension in
the air. You can feel it with our six and
seven year old students who waitness last night. You walk
through the community, it's a tinder box ready to explode.
And you know, I absolutely feel for the Northern Territory
Police who are doing that. Beats work yesterday where we
(05:44):
thought one or two police officers were twenty or thirty
people that they were dealing with running through, smashing cars,
jumping on top of vehicle, chasing patrons through the CBD
And we're absolutely concerned and we're not trying to sensatialize it.
We've got strategies in place for lockdown procedures today Yeprenia School,
we're working on a moment's notice. On a moment's notice,
(06:09):
what could happen if the payback comes in the gates
of yourthrena like we went through the gates for the
CBD yesterday, right.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
I mean, that's pretty frightening for you when you talk
like you literally just said you've got six and seven
year old kids you know that are there. That's incredibly
scary stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I've got duty of care from students from preschool all
the way through the year twelve and all the staff,
and I'm responsible for their safety and it's not enough
for things to happen and they look back and go, well,
it was too hard or we didn't have enough resources,
or we should have done more. If things go south
and I had an opportunity to get it right and
(06:49):
I miss it, then I'm sure be hard responsible. And
I didn't get much sleeve last night, Katie. I was
moving staff members out of rule games and hiding them
away in accommodation facilities in Oil Springs. Family member calling up,
fleeing for their lives, begging to be for help and
assistance because you know they're the next one on the
(07:10):
list will payback. And we know for sure, Katie, we
know absolutely, for sure that this is not over by
a long shot.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Kevin, what is your message to the Chief Minister and
the Prime Minister this morning?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
This is beyond this is beyond acceptable. We need the
strongest assistant immediately. That needs to come from the federal government. Well,
let's get it from a federal government. It's only a
matter of time until until there's another debt, you say,
(07:48):
two in the last fortnight. And we've been saying this
now for quite a while, but what we're seeing now
is a manifestation. What we've been dreading is actually happening.
My call out to Chief Minister, Evil Law and the
Prime Minister is this. This is a community in absolute
crisis that's been taken hostage by the mob, and when
(08:11):
the mob think it's time to start again, this will
reopen and the tension, the feeling community I'll never experience
anything like it, and we need assistance urgently as of today.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Gavin Morris made I feel for you guys. I feel
for everybody in the community today, Like I don't know
what to say. It's horrible, it's horrible what you're all experiencing.
I'll do my best to try to keep pushing for you,
to try to keep pushing for you guys to get
some level of safety. But we're thinking of you all today.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Thank you, And you've been a great advocate Katie, and
really appreciate the work that you do. And let's let's
be honest. You know, let's be clear. This is this
is Days like today aren't nice, but days like today
are the reasons why I'm in a position that I'm in.
And you need to step up and step in and
advocate for your community and keep them safe and do
what's right. And if you don't want to do that work,
(09:13):
well then bager off and let someone else do it.
And that philosophy needs to be applied right across all
service delivery, all program delivery, right across Central Australia. Otherwise
this conversation will not change.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
You are spot on, doctor Gavin Morris. You bring your
school principle. We really appreciate your time today. Please stay
safe and I hope you know everybody in the community
is able to stay safe.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Thanks Katie, and good morning.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah, thank you
Now joining me on the line is the principle of
you bring your school. Gavin Morris, Good morning to you, Gavin.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Good morning morning listeners.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Gavin, you were messaging us yesterday afternoon and letting us
know what was going on in Alice Springs. I've got
to tell you, it wasn't until I saw that vision
on the action for Alice page that I could truly
comprehend how bad things were.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It's something I've never experienced before. And I was only
on yours or your show twenty four hours ago saying that,
you know, these is the sort of stuff I've never
seen in a quarter of a century of work on
the frontline in education in Aboriginal communities. And yesterday afternoon
and last night both better than that, you know, it
was absolutely scenes that I've never experienced before. Fifty or
(00:46):
sixty people running through taking hostage of the CBD of
Ala Springs, or weaponized chasing security card guards into into businesses,
and people literally fleeing for their lives. And that's well
into town camps last night, and we were working myself
and staff members right across deep into the night. Two
(01:07):
three o'clock this morning, we're receiving phone calls from staff
members saying someone needs to come and get me out,
and we're hiding staff where, we're getting staff out of
the town camp, particularly the town camp and Hidden Valley,
which is a real hot spot, and trying to get
them out of harm's way. It's absolute anarchy.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Kevin, What needs to happen right now? What do you
think needs to happen to try to restore a level
of safety for everybody.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Absolutely, this is way beyond the capacity of the Northern
Territory government and police with the numbers that we've got
on the ground. The AFP needs to be brought in immediately.
I mean, I'm a principal of three hundred and fifty
Aboriginal kids who come from the town camps, all of them.
We we've mapped our families and who were involved with
(02:02):
the payback and who's likely to be public payback today
and tomorrow, and basically every single one of the three
hundred and fifty kids is somehow implicated. We know that
we had kids in Humsway last night. We know that
we had kids watching watching the violence, and then coming
to school today. I met with all of my staff.
I have seventy full time staff who majority of which
(02:24):
comes from the town camp. And I said to them,
I was the heart was on my sleeve. I said
to them, I cannot promise you this is a safe
workplace today. My duty of care is to provide you
a safe workplace to come and enjoy your work, but
more importantly, be safe at work. And today I cannot
guarantee you of that. And if you feel that your
(02:46):
safety is at risk and he don't feel comfortable to
be here, then come and see me and we can
work on leave provisions. We've got strategies in place at
the school. We've got security guards at the front of
the gates. We're very concerned that the payback and what
you saw running through the hour of spring CBD yesterday afternoon,
(03:06):
and that could have happened anywhere. And given who we are,
the amount of Aboriginal people we have from the town camp,
family members of those kids who were involved with the
car accident, family members of the driver of those cars,
family members of those girls that were involved in that
horrific vision from the other day. They all work and
live here and always got a very very concerned workforce
(03:30):
in community.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So, Gavinor, you worried that things could potentially be worse
over the next twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
There is no question at all. When I met with
our Aboriginal staff this morning at seven am, there is
no question that this is that this will continue and escalate.
You just have to look at some of the Facebook
messages which are flying around on social media. This is
by no means over. I mean, potentially it was the
ray last night that sort of well, whatever was going
(04:01):
to happen last night, But let's be clear, it was
the mob that stopped the fighting. It wasn't the police
that stopped the mob. So at the moment, our community
is taken hostage by an absolutely lawless mob who are
out of control. I'm yet to hear from any of
the major traditional owners and there a tipper and you
(04:24):
know there should be calls from the AFP to come
in and take over. There need to be accountability from
the traditional owners here as well. Around right, this is
central arnder Land. If you aren't Central Arrander and you're
causing this, you need to be removed.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Gavin Mate, I am at a loss for you guys.
I don't know if you heard about fifteen minutes ago
or maybe twenty minutes ago, we spoke to the Chief
Minister of the Northern Territory. Did you happen to hear
that interview?
Speaker 2 (04:54):
I did, yes, I have y.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Do you feel confident that the government's got this thing
under control?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Or twenty an AFL team less of police officers in
addition to what's already here, and by the sound of it,
many of those officers we get there anyway. You know,
with all due respect, that's being in the ocean, absolute anarchy.
We have been taken hostage and when the bob decided
they want to start again, that's when it will start again.
(05:23):
There is no control. You can feel the tension in
the air. You can feel it with our six and
seven year old students who waitness last night. You walk
through the community, it's a tinder box ready to explode.
And you know, I absolutely feel for the Northern Territory
Police who are doing that. Beats work yesterday where we
(05:44):
thought one or two police officers were twenty or thirty
people that they were dealing with running through, smashing cars,
jumping on top of vehicle, chasing patrons through the CBD
And we're absolutely concerned and we're not trying to sensatialize it.
We've got strategies in place for lockdown procedures today Yeprenia School,
we're working on a moment's notice. On a moment's notice,
(06:09):
what could happen if the payback comes in the gates
of yourthrena like we went through the gates for the
CBD yesterday, right.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
I mean, that's pretty frightening for you when you talk
like you literally just said you've got six and seven
year old kids you know that are there. That's incredibly
scary stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I've got duty of care from students from preschool all
the way through the year twelve and all the staff,
and I'm responsible for their safety and it's not enough
for things to happen and they look back and go, well,
it was too hard or we didn't have enough resources,
or we should have done more. If things go south
and I had an opportunity to get it right and
(06:49):
I miss it, then I'm sure be hard responsible. And
I didn't get much sleeve last night, Katie. I was
moving staff members out of rule games and hiding them
away in accommodation facilities in Oil Springs. Family member calling up,
fleeing for their lives, begging to be for help and
assistance because you know they're the next one on the
(07:10):
list will payback. And we know for sure, Katie, we
know absolutely, for sure that this is not over by
a long shot.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Kevin, what is your message to the Chief Minister and
the Prime Minister this morning?
Speaker 2 (07:27):
This is beyond this is beyond acceptable. We need the
strongest assistant immediately. That needs to come from the federal government. Well,
let's get it from a federal government. It's only a
matter of time until until there's another debt, you say,
(07:48):
two in the last fortnight. And we've been saying this
now for quite a while, but what we're seeing now
is a manifestation. What we've been dreading is actually happening.
My call out to Chief Minister, Evil Law and the
Prime Minister is this. This is a community in absolute
crisis that's been taken hostage by the mob, and when
(08:11):
the mob think it's time to start again, this will
reopen and the tension, the feeling community I'll never experience
anything like it, and we need assistance urgently as of today.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Gavin Morris made I feel for you guys. I feel
for everybody in the community today, Like I don't know
what to say. It's horrible, it's horrible what you're all experiencing.
I'll do my best to try to keep pushing for you,
to try to keep pushing for you guys to get
some level of safety. But we're thinking of you all today.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Thank you, And you've been a great advocate Katie, and
really appreciate the work that you do. And let's let's
be honest. You know, let's be clear. This is this
is Days like today aren't nice, but days like today
are the reasons why I'm in a position that I'm in.
And you need to step up and step in and
advocate for your community and keep them safe and do
what's right. And if you don't want to do that work,
(09:13):
well then bager off and let someone else do it.
And that philosophy needs to be applied right across all
service delivery, all program delivery, right across Central Australia. Otherwise
this conversation will not change.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
You are spot on, doctor Gavin Morris. You bring your
school principle. We really appreciate your time today. Please stay
safe and I hope you know everybody in the community
is able to stay safe.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Thanks Katie, and good morning.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah, thank you
Popular Podcasts
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Introducing… Aubrey O’Day Diddy’s former protege, television personality, platinum selling music artist, Danity Kane alum Aubrey O’Day joins veteran journalists Amy Robach and TJ Holmes to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation. Join them throughout the trial as they discuss, debate, and dissect every detail, every aspect of the proceedings. Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise, as only she is qualified to do given her first-hand knowledge. From her days on Making the Band, as she emerged as the breakout star, the truth of the situation would be the opposite of the glitz and glamour. Listen throughout every minute of the trial, for this exclusive coverage. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial, an iHeartRadio podcast.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!