1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: A few weeks back, we spoke to people in Sajuna, 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:07,400 Speaker 1: business people and police as well on the day. I 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: recall this is going back about three four weeks ago 4 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,119 Speaker 1: and it might be a tad over that, but one 5 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: of the people we spoke to was former Sojuna Mayor 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,479 Speaker 1: Alan Suda, who joins me now, Alan, good morning, thanks 7 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: for your time. What's the mood like in the town 8 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: at the moment. 9 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:27,639 Speaker 2: Pretty much unchanged. We're still having a lot of problems 10 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 2: associated with people raft sleeping in town. 11 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:36,840 Speaker 1: And that's been going on obviously for quite some time now. 12 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 2: Yes, ever since the Keshlis debit card was abolished, we 13 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 2: had relatively little trouble while in the six years that 14 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 2: the card was on trial in Sojurna. And the problem 15 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 2: started immediately that the government very foolishly ceased using the card. 16 00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: There's a petition, isn't there to get. 17 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 2: It back just been started and local people have proved 18 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 2: to be very keen to sign So we will be 19 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 2: collecting signatures for a while and then presenting it to. 20 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: Parliament through your state MP or. 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 2: Through the federal federal MP through. 22 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,040 Speaker 1: Kay and he's obviously in favor of the card returning 23 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: I've spoken with him before on this. 24 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 2: Yes, I think most people who know anything about it 25 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 2: are in favor of the card being returned. It's just 26 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,400 Speaker 2: a shame that Minister Rishworth, who seems to have an 27 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 2: aversion to being in sojourna, keeps rabbiting on about there 28 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 2: being no evidence. Well, the main reason there's no evidence 29 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 2: that the card work is the refusal of government authorities 30 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 2: and semi government authorities to provide statistics. 31 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: Weren't they provided by the previous government. 32 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 2: When Jay weather Or was the premier. They provided for 33 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 2: a period of time, But the departments, particularly Health, are 34 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 2: very reluctant to provide any sort of information whatsoever. 35 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: Okay, Now, Now, Council voted a week or so ago 36 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: majority vote five votes to three to have the Council 37 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,799 Speaker 1: negotiate with the federal government for the card's return. Has 38 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: that progressed at all? 39 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 2: Look, I don't know. The motion as it was passed 40 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 2: is a little bit wishy washy. It calls for compulsory 41 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 2: income management for people who need it, and the moment 42 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,679 Speaker 2: that you start issuing restrictions on a discriminatory basis, you'll 43 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:45,639 Speaker 2: face a challenge and lose the advice that we had 44 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 2: was that it had to be everybody or nobody. 45 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, how can you pick? And maybe for some you 46 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: know people, people managed fine without the card, But how 47 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: do you how do you pick and choose. 48 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 2: That's correct, and that facility is presently available, and there 49 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:06,519 Speaker 2: are eleven people who volunteered to go on the card. 50 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:09,359 Speaker 2: That's quite useless. 51 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, well it's a big problem. The card can't be 52 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: the sole solution though, can it? Or can it? I 53 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: mean reading some of the letters that have gone around 54 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: from the town. There open letters to anyone who cares 55 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,920 Speaker 1: to read them. Most people seem to think it is 56 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: the only answer, but realistically is it. 57 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 2: It's a huge part of the answer. In the six 58 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 2: years that we were trialing the card, and it was 59 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 2: only a trial because there was a parliament, some members 60 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 2: of Parliament wouldn't agree to making a purnament, we had 61 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 2: no fatalities of people sleeping rough. We had very few 62 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 2: people sleeping rough at all. We had much much lower 63 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 2: rates of crime and a much happier town. Since the 64 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:59,559 Speaker 2: card has been abandoned by Minister Rishworth and Premiere Albineasi, 65 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 2: we've had two fatalities, quite arguably due to the end 66 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:07,840 Speaker 2: of the card, and just last week we had an 67 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 2: intoxicated lady lying on the white line on a road 68 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 2: and people having to very carefully drive around until it 69 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 2: was possible for the police to get there. And we've 70 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:26,360 Speaker 2: had two or three instances where good locals have actually 71 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 2: saved people from probably being run over wearing dark clothing 72 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 2: on dark nights. So I think there will be a 73 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,359 Speaker 2: tragedy unless this government gets off its backside and does something. 74 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: All right, Well, look forward to seeing you up there 75 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,160 Speaker 1: on the weekend, Allen and everyone else that I'm going 76 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,600 Speaker 1: to meet too, So appreciate your time this morning. Thank 77 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:51,359 Speaker 1: you for that update, and we'll talk again. 78 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 2: Thanks Matthew, Thanks very much for your interest. 79 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: Thank you Allen Souder, their former mayor of Sojuna on 80 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: some of the issues they're having the still obviously, and 81 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 1: look forward to being there and talking to people about 82 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: their own experiences over the last few months and now 83 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: a couple of years, I guess, since the unrest began again.